Happy 4th of July!

We spent our morning volunteering for the tutu run. It was really fun seeing all the costumes. This was one of my favorites (fellow Final Kick Ambassador!) Michael is the one in the middle:

Cowbell and water, great time at aide station two!

They had the community band playing, it was great background music

My little helper, helping get the stuff back
to the car!

The greatest part of volunteering for this race is that I got a free entry to a later one. =) I think I might run the Idaho Wine run (or at least walk it!) if you want to walk with me, you can use "Betsy" as a discount code and get 20% off your entry!

What did you do for the 4th?

Thankful Tuesday

Another opportunity for me to write about the things I am most thankful for right now. 

1. I am thankful for my girls. They were somehow able to sell a stranger a rock, decorated with chalk for $1.50. Don't ask me how I am just impressed!
2. I am thankful for Final Kick events. Even if I wasn't an ambassador, I would still be doing their events. They have an amazing volunteer program, they are local and they work hard to make their events fun for runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. 
3. I am thankful for the time the girls got to spend with their dad last week. As difficult as it is not having them around, it was really nice to get some things done around the house including getting their room organized. I even made enough room in there for the twin bed we got from a friend. This means all three girls will be in twin beds! 
4. I am extremely thankful for the beautiful weather we have been having lately. I have been able to get out and walk and enjoy the sunlight. And with the longer days, I can enjoy more of it. 
5. I am thankful for the quiet neighborhood we live in. The girls have been having so much fun outside and I love that we are quickly becoming "the place" to hang out. There are frequently more children in our yard then I have given birth to. 

Shamrock Shuffle Recap

I have been looking forward to this one for awhile. The weather forecast looked to be beautiful! I had never been to Ste Chappelle's Winery. I am really glad I arrived early for this event because I was able to enjoy the beauty.

The bib and swag pickup was very well organized and there seemed to be plenty of volunteers that made it go very smoothly. A few more pictures of the landscape, it was breathtaking!

The run/walk itself was good. I can only speak for the 5k course, as that's what I walked. The route was well marked and the volunteers along the route were really friendly and encouraging. There was one aide station along the 5k route and it was well stocked with water and Gatorade. Again the volunteers were excellent, so energetic and friendly. The course itself was very hilly and I could definitely feel it in the calves! I walked the entire course with a friend and finished in 56:19.

The post race food and drink was awesome. Green beer for those who wanted it as well as green juice, water and Gatorade. They also had a lot of snacks and treats to enjoy. At first the line was a bit long, but it seemed to be just moving slowly. There was plenty of food and drink though.

I planned to volunteer after and on my way back from my car I managed to trip in the gravel parking lot. My right hand and left knee took most of the fall, you can see my  hand in the pic below and the knee isn't scraped but it will have a very colorful bruise by tomorrow I'm sure.


And the race swag was awesome. For those who wanted them, glass beer steins

and for those who didn't there were aluminum water bottles.

Overall this race was awesome. I did race free as an ambassador for Final Kick, but I probably would have run if I signed up before the price hikes. It is worth the cost for what you get.

How I'm Moving

As I have mentioned before, I am an ambassador for Final kick events. Next weekend I have my next event, the Shamrock Shuffle that I have been getting excited about. I am planning to just walk the 5k, so no stress there. Unfortunately, the registration for that event is closed. There is still a chance for you to walk with me though. I am also planning to walk the Lake Lowell 5k on April 13. If you want to join me, you can sign up and use my name as a discount code (Betsy) and get 20% off. If you are feeling like more of a challenge, they also have a 10k, half marathon, and full marathon and the discount applies to all of them!

Anyway, speaking of my fitness, you may have noticed that I haven't been doing a lot of anything. To be honest, it's been a very stressful time in my life and I am seriously having problems balancing everything. For the time being, I think the best thing for me is to focus on getting through each day. I will slowly get back into my good eating habits and regular fitness.

This last week I started tracking again. I figure even if I am totally over I need to at least be accountable to myself for that. I also need to remember that God wants better for me. He wants me to live well, so that means healthful eating and getting regular activity. The last few days, any time I have felt like over indulging, I stop and say a little mantra to myself "you were made for more" (thank you Lysa TerKeurst!) I have been doing pretty well at getting all my intake recorded on myfitnesspal and I have a great support system of people cheering me on. My goal is to stick with this and try and get back into the habit and then add on the fitness part. At this point in time I am just trying to walk more. This week I got two walks in that weren't part of my regular daily living activities and I consider that a win.

Its hard, when you have been rejected, to not feel like there is something wrong with you. Frequently I have found myself  in a place where I feel like if someone I loved for 14+ years could reject me, how much could I possibly be worth? It's a sad place to be and one I don't like to dwell in. Thankfully I have a God who reminds me that I was "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14a). He knows how many hairs are on my head. He knew me before I was born and knows every day that I will live. I also stand firm in his promise to me: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

How do you deal with your body image issues?
Won't you do a final kick event with me? If not the Lake Lowell 5k, what about the Tutu Run on June 7th or Let Freedom Run on July 4th?

MRTT Virtual 5k

Natalie and Alivia looking at the water and ducks. =)

Saturday morning started with me having a horrible headache. I rested extra while waiting for the ibuprofen to take effect, but it ruined my plans to run with the rest of my group. So, about 9:30 I was finally feeling well enough to get out of the house, so I loaded the girls up and headed for Ann Morrison park to wait for the rest of the girls to finish. The three of us ended up being there about two hours until the last of the runners crossed the finish line. It was nice getting to see the girls again. But, my girls were done waiting, so we headed home for lunch.

After eating, I was feeling pretty good, so I told the girls we were taking a walk. I let them ride their new "trikes" (you can see what I'm talking about here) and I walked. We only ended up going 2.5 miles but I am counting that. It's the farthest I have walked since the Hot Chocolate Run. They all did pretty well but toward the end we were just ready to be done, so I cut them short. I was tired of pulling and pushing Liv but we really had a lot of fun. I am hoping this is the jump-start I needed to get back into a routine of daily or at least regular activity.

Our chapter leader Jenn is amazing and put together a swag bag for each participant. We had purchased the medal and a little extra for the bag, but she went above and beyond! Look:

And in the swag bag: Designer Whey bar, fruit chew, gu, key fob and window cling

Awesome medal!

A Random Mind Dump

I think it's important to do this every once in awhile. Clean out my mind a bit. Think through the things that have been jumbled in there. And, just because I want to, I am going to do this bullet style:

• I am tired of the headache I have been battling all day
• I am terrified that the counselor I am seeing today will realize that I really am crazy
• The garage was much too dusty and I regret staying in there while Jimmy swept (the good news is that all I need to do now is go through the boxes that are in there) 
• I hate waiting. Trying not to stress about this house thing is killing me!! 
• I need to start reading more of these books I have checked out at the library. I have no idea how much time I have left before they are due
• Jimmy and I still need to get on paper the agreement for child support
• I am really tired of reading divorce books
• I am also really tired of people telling me we should go to marriage counseling. I won't go if he is already saying it won't work. Period. Quit asking me to "try it for the sake of the kids." I realize this is going to be HARD for them, but having an even more broken mother also won't be easy on them. This way I can let go and move on. 
• I need more boxes
• I have too many books on my shelves. 
• I have lots of stuff I need to post on craigslist for sale, but no idea how to even start on pricing stuff.... 
• I wish my sitter wasn't sick, but I'm praying he regains his health soon. 
• this vanilla diet Pepsi tastes funny. I think I might have used too much flavor syrup
• I can't figure out how I am going to be able to run as a single mom. 
• I am still signed up for a 10k on February 8th that I have no idea how I am going to do. 
• I am also an ambassador for Final kick and have no idea how they will deal with me not running right now... 
• I am seriously blown away at the show of support. I have had letters, emails, facebook messages, uplifting pictures posted to my page, kind comments on this blog. I cannot thank people enough for that. 
• Not sure if I have mentioned it here, but I plan to copy all of the nice things and paste them in my book so I can look at them during my bad days. 
• I am secretly afraid that if I keep talking about my split that I will lose readers or even friends (well not a secret anymore!)
• I am really sad that this week was the farewell to our pastors. They have been a stability in Idaho that I didn't think I would have. 
• I am looking forward to meeting the new pastors next week. I know the Mr's brother, parents and sister already. =) 

So, there you have it, about 15 minutes of me just dumping my brain contents all over this blog! 

Hot Chocolate 5k Recap

This month I got notification that I was chosen to be an ambassador for Final Kick Events. I am still waiting to see all the details of this program, but I am already excited. As an ambassador, I was given a complementary entry to this race, but all opinions about the event are my own.

Met up with my MRTT group for a photo! 

Since I have had zero training since my half marathon, and because I conned my best friend into doing it with me, I walked this one. Before I knew I was in the ambassador program, I had already signed up to volunteer at this event. So, the five hours before the run were spent manning the t-shirt table. It was only 18 degrees out when we started, and only 32 when we finished (at 2 pm!) so it was a C-O-L-D morning. The t-shirt table was busy for the most part, but once the 10k was finished it slowed down a lot and I started to really feel the cold. Me and my bestie stuck the hand warmers (that were supposed to be for our hands) in the toes of our shoes. Helped keep them from being so cold they were hurting. This was my longest volunteer shift and almost a little too long for the weather... But we handled it!

Our wave was at 1 pm. I'm not sure what the temp was when we started our "race" but we kept pretty warm once we started going. The first mile and a half was clear and easy to walk, mostly since it was on a street. After that it was on a path through Merril Park in Eagle, Idaho. The path at times was very icy and snow covered. If I were running this race, I would have really loved to have pair of yak tracks. But, since I just walked this one, I was okay to pick my way around the most icy spots. At the start, our goal was to finish in less then an hour and not be last. I am happy to report that we met both goals. Official time was 52:39 and we finished before 5 other walkers.

Enjoying our nice, hot cup of cocoa

This race was cool enough to give us a t-shirt and a hot cocoa cup! Pretty sure I will get some use out of both of them.

30 Days of Thanks Day 23

I am thankful for Final Kick Events. It's a local racing organizer in the Boise area. They have well organized and fun themed races, offer FREE race pictures and they have an amazing volunteering program. If you volunteer for one of their races, they give you a free entry for a later race. It's a wonderful thing when you are a runner on a budget. I am actually volunteering for my first race tomorrow, Struttin' for Stuffin'. I will be working at the aide station, so that should be a fun one! It's early enough that it won't interfere with my holiday plans at all. =) If you live locally, you should consider running in or volunteering (or both!) for one of their races. It is so important to support our local community.

And an unrelated, but adorable picture of two of the girls and my "rent a
baby" helping lead a song at church.

30 Days of Thanks Day 18

I am thankful for something that is going to sound very, very pathetic compared to my very heart-filled past 17 posts. But you know what? I don't care. I am thankful for the free knuckle lights that I won on a blog giveaway. I am thankful for vendors who are willing to offer free product for bloggers so they can give it away to their readers. It's amazing to be able to win something I wouldn't be able to other wise buy. I can wait to get these on so I can head out on a dark run =)

30 Days of Thanks Day 10

Just one of the reasons I run: To show my girls that being healthy can be fun
A healthy walk we took Saturday.

 Today I am very thankful for the supportive running community I have become a part of. Not only did I find wonderful friends in my local Moms Run This Town group, but I have found a whole online community too. I have so many supportive blogs I follow and have really been encouraged by what I have read on them. I am so thankful that technology made it possible for me to make all these friends that I wouldn't normally have found.

COT Review & MRTT Kids Race

So, here we are one week out from my first half. I am still so proud of what I did, but I realized I should have added a few things to my recap, like how I liked the race, what I thought they did well ect.

First of all the things I liked and thought they did well:

• Easy packet pick-up
• Lots of parking near the start line
• lots of pre-race access to bathrooms/port-a-potties
• plenty of potties along the route
• plenty of water stations along the route
• water stations were well "manned" by volunteers
• well marked course (with one exception that could have been solved with a volunteer there)
• BEAUTIFUL scenery
• Volunteers were supportive and enthusiastic
• Great finish line party, LOTS of chocolate milk even though I was at the tail end of finishers 
• Loved having both races start and end at the same place. I think the full marathon started a bit earlier but it was cool to finish with them. 

And these are a few things I think they could have done better or things I hope they add in the future:

• You could tell they were a little short on volunteers because toward the end of the race they were very few and far between 
• I wish they had some kind of racer tracking for family and friends.
• it was tough to hear at the finish line party. They were announcing the top finishers just as I was enjoying my chocolate milk

Overall I think this was a really great choice for my first half. It was mostly flat but had a few hills to give it some extra challenge. I loved this one so much, it's already on the calendar for next year. =)

And a completely unrelated picture that shows our big event of the weekend:

 Our girls had their first race. My mom's running group (Mom's Run This Town, Nampa, ID Chapter) put on a kids race. I feel it was the perfect way to start my girls out with a love for fitness. They got to do a half mile out and back. All three girls finished. Natalie was 1st (of our kids) over the line, then Miss McKayla walked the last 10 feet over the finish line and Liv finished out our family by crossing the line. All three girls got finishers medals and are very happy with their first race experience.

Wordless Wednesday (almost!)

Why yes, I did steal these pictures from the website. Honestly, who can afford $20 bucks a piece! And for pics like this? I can pose and fake em! lol

City of Trees Half Marathon Recap

Well, my first offical half marathon is done. I am feeling really great about it. I finished at 3:39:56, but am still waiting to see the race photos. I only have one from before we started.

I felt pretty good starting out this half, despite not having been keeping up with my training. I got through mile 8 doing my intervals with minimal "extra" walk breaks, but by midway through mile 8 I was feeling really sore and I started just walking. I did attempt my intervals one more time, but that didn't feel good so I just stuck with walking. Despite walking the entire second half, my time didn't end up being much worse then I projected. Here are my splits:

mile 1 - 15:02
mile 2 - 14:22
mile 3 - 14:49
mile 4 - 15:26
mile 5 - 15:22
mile 6 - 15:14
mile 7 - 15:37
mile 8 - 15:57
mile 9 - 15:59
mile 10 - 16:18
mile 11 - 17:23
mile 12 - 17:38
mile 13 -  18:10

And I got a pretty sweet finisher's medal. =)

The full finisher's medal was this with the other half. Not sure what it said, but it was also pretty cool. =)

The story of the race is that I walked home afterword. Another mile and a quarter. There was a miscommunication and the girl who kindly held my key for me (from my local MRTT chapter) ended up being a volunteer on the marathon route, not the half. lol I had no idea how to find her, so I just went home and called. She was able to drop it off for me and hubby and I picked it up later that day.

Race Day!!

My outfit for my first half marathon. The only first one I will ever have. I am terrified that my training failure will show. Really don't want to have this one end in "DNF" (did not finish). But, I can't change anything now. All I can do is go and enjoy it. If you are the praying type, and you wouldn't mind, send up a few for me. I will be starting at 9am mountain time and figure I will finish around 12-12:30. I will post a recap probably tomorrow. I already have three more halves that I think I'm going to do next year (maybe 4).

365/274: October Challenge

As I have made publicly known, I am training for my first half marathon. I will be lining up to run/walk 13.1 miles on October 13. What you may not know is that I have been really horrible about my training the last month. To say I have lost my motivation is an understatement. The longest run I have gotten in the month of September is the 9k which was about 5.59 miles. That is BAD! I worry for the sake of my half, but I'm not going to stress it. I am just going to try my best to train these last two weeks to the best of my ability. I also think I might do this challenge. I figure if nothing else it will get me moving more. =) I am going to try really hard to do a weekly recap, but no guarantees.

And an unrelated  picture, basically describes the weather pattern for the last week. Makes me miss home.

This shows you what the weather has been like this last week. Feels fresh
reminds me of home.

365/269: Wordless Wednesday

Not embarrassed to admit that I will run for bling!

My finisher's medal for the FitOne 9k 2013

 That and the awesome shirts =)

Eventual goal is to run in a Nike Women's marathon and get me some Tiffany bling =)

365/267: Fit One Boise 2013 Race Recap

I have been using the training for my half marathon to prepare for this race as well. On Saturday morning I was up and out of the house at 7 am to meet at the shuttle pick up for my first race in Boise. It was cool, but not cold. Honestly, I'm not sure the weather could have been more perfect.

We arrived at the starting point around 8:15, had enough time to stand in line for the port-a-potties. This is one gripe I have. They had four in this first area, but nothing to let runners know that there were more before you got to the start line. So, most waited at least 15 minutes (if not more) to go potty, only to head to the start line and see at least 8 more with only short lines (or no lines!) I just wish they could have put some more signage around that told us there were more restrooms.

Heather and I at the starting line!

Anyway, we walked a little ways to the start line and were there about 10 minutes before the start. I loved the music and how pumped it made me feel. They had an all girls chorus sing the national anthem. I do wish they could have had them on microphones so everyone could hear. It was really beautiful. They had a flyover done by the Air St Luke's helicopter, that was pretty cool. Then shortly after the horn sounded for the start. This is my first corralled race, and I'm not the fastest runner, so I was toward the back.  I felt really good about my start. I didn't start the interval timer until after we crossed the finish line and did my 2 minute "warm up" as a light jog. Then jogged my 1 minute and started the 30 second walks. I kept this interval through most of the race. I think I only took two extra walk breaks, one because I didn't hear my timer and the other because there were so many walkers in my way.

The first part of the 9k course was really nice. A few kilometers through the neighborhoods in the East end (think ritzy rich houses). Then a couple more along the Boise River Greenbelt. The merge point went really well, they had cones for the first hundred or so feet, but then it was chaos trying to keep running. I guess that is the challenge. I wish they could have somehow had the walkers know to keep a lane so the runners could get by.

The crowd in front -- you can really see them on the hill right under the train
depot tower

And the crowd behind me. LOTS of people still going

I felt really great most of this race, especially since I was able to keep with my intervals. Got lots of compliments on my sparkle skirt. Water stations were all well stocked and they even had volunteers with bags so you didn't have to try tossing it in the can. Made the course a lot cleaner. I don't know if you know this, but runners are not good basketball players lol.

The finish line experience was pretty cool. What you can't see is the line of healthcare workers giving us high-fives. That was probably the most cool thing ever at a race. Loved it. Made me feel like I was a super star. =) Then ktvb (a local news station) had a video of the finish line. I screen shot this one of me finishing (on the left, in the sparkle skirt). If you want to watch me finish live, check out this video.

Then the after party was pretty cool too. Music, all powered by people on stationary bikes, lots of freebies and a nice breakfast of bagels, string cheese and an apple. Add that to the chocolate milk and yogurt freebies and I was stuffed.

Some of my Mom's Run This Town chapter. Our leader was nice enough
to invite us over to make shirts and sparkle skirts!

Me and my running buddy Heather with our finishers medal!

I was just so excited to finish this one strong. Makes me feel that much more confident for a great finish at my half. I also know that I should keep an Imatrex and maybe some ibuprofen.

As awesome as this race was, the rest of the afternoon/evening overshadowed it. I ended the race with a headache. It started out almost like my headband was too tight. But when I took it off, that didn't help. I went home and popped an imatrex and took a shower. I felt okay, but then suddenly I felt dizzy just sitting up. I spend a better part of the day on the couch. When I wasn't there, I was in my bed or in the bathroom. It was the worst migraine I have had to date. Totally sucked. I ended up going to urgent care as soon as Jimmy got home (around 7). I would have gone earlier if I could have figured out a way there, but no way was I going to be able to drive. And sitting in an exam room with three kids made my head hurt just thinking about. At the urgent care they gave me a shot of fenagren (for the nausea) and a shot of tordol (for the pain) then made me rest for 15 minutes before they would let me leave. Then we went home and I crashed on the couch for awhile. I woke up around 10 starving. So, I had something to eat and Gatorade to drink (gotta boost those electrolytes). Then went upstairs, finished my book and crashed. I don't think I moved all night!

365/264: Writers Bootcamp Week 4

First things first, race day is TOMORROW! The starting gun goes off at 8:39 am and I am READY! =)  I will be running and sparkling (if you can't read it, the shirt it says "Super Mom Runs this Town")

Onto the writers workshop! Day 4 - Sent to the Wrong Printer -- You’re at work and you print something personal (and sensitive). Unfortunately, you’ve sent it to the wrong printer and, by the time you realize it, somebody else has already scooped it up.

I stand by the printer waiting, but nothing is printing. I step back up to my desk, double check which printer I sent my document to and my heart sinks: it had gone to the printer in the copy room. The one place I would least like to see this go. It isn’t like I could claim it wasn’t mine! Everything in this building prints with your name plastered on it. Oh man, I really didn’t want to explain why I was printing this!!

Keeping my fingers crossed I quickly walk down to the copy room. One quick glance at the printer and I know the worst has happened. Not only was the offending document not on the printer, but the office busy-body was holding the stack in her hand. Why does it always seem like the people who gossip the most are in a place where they could get the most fodder for the fire? The only thing I can think to do is strike up a conversation with her. As we chat I watch her efficiently putting the printed stuff into the employee’s boxes. It’s apparent as soon as she sees my print job. She looks up at me. I can see the surprise in her eyes.

“Is this yours?” she asks. Even though the answer is obvious, I just nod. What else could I say? What could I possibly do to explain it? She stretches over and hands it to me, winked then said “our little secret,” then turned back to her work. I walk away slowly. As usual my mind is whirring. Could she honestly be trusted to keep a secret this huge? Guess I would just have to wait and see, trusting people never was my strong suit.

365/254: Dry Spell OVER!

I haven't been really public about it, but the last two weeks I haven't been running. Not even once since my eight miler on 8-25. That is 14 full days that I went without a single training run. But that all ended last night. I got 2.45 miles done and felt really good about it.

Planning another two or three tonight. I also made myself a new goal on nike+ to run 12+ miles per week for six weeks. That will take me just beyond my half marathon. I think it's an attainable goal! =) If you feel like helping me out in my motivation and are on nike+ follow this link to go to my profile on nike+ and add me as a friend. Or my username is BetsyS4

I also got a really good motivation booster when I went to complete my food journal entry on myfitnesspal:

If only weight loss were just a numbers game: there would be no stopping me!! Another way you can help me on my journey is to be my friend on myfitnesspal as well. I have my food journal open for my friends to view so you can tell me how awesome I did (or tell me to lay off the french fries! lol) You can see my profile here or my username there is NAMsMommy 

What do you do to keep on track and motivated?

365/239: Motivation Monday

Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels. I would take a bowl full of garden fresh tomatoes any day!

Training recap:
Tuesday - 3.5 miles speed work at the track
Sunday - 8 miles "easy" run with Heather

I missed two training runs this week. I could give you all the "reasons" but I won't. You know what though? I'm still VERY happy with the 11.5 miles I got done this week. Onto the next =)