Weekend Fun!

Last week was a bit chaotic with the people around us. Incident #1 Josh and I found out a dear friend of ours was in the beginning of a messy divorce and so we spent a few days last week trying to help her out. Incident #2 we had Josh's parents over for dinner one night and the conversation at the table was not a conversation I wanted to take part in so i left the table. I felt so rude but I refuse to partake in something I am very much against. Not sure how that went over with the In-Laws, I am hoping me leaving the table while they were visiting and having dinner did not cause unnecessary drama. Incident #3 my brother showed me a very selfish side of him over a phone call one day. I was so angry with him when I hung up the phone, if there is one thing that gets under my skin it's being selfish...especially when it's family. Josh and i never let anything weigh us down unless it's something extremely serious so we let everything go and just had a WONDERFUL FUN weekend together.



Saturday i had the whole day to take care of all my personal needs. We cleaned the house the night before so that left open a whole Saturday afternoon for me! I had a wonderful relaxing workout(yes working out is relaxing to me) ten mile run and a little weight lifting. Took a long bath and then off to get my eyebrows threaded. The rest of the afternoon i did laundry and played with the animals. Our friend who is going through divorce was having a party that night. Well, more like a get together of all her close friends to help get her mind off things. The party started at 5pm and Josh works till 6:00pm on Saturdays so my Dad came and picked me up on his Harley and we rode over together. My dad gets a new Harley every couple years and this Harley by far is his most prized possession. We took PCH all the way to her house (she lives in Palos Verdes) it was such a beautiful day! I had so much fun blasting my Tim McGraw CD while cruising with my Dad....I always love extra quality time with my Dad. The party was so much fun. She cooked amazing appetizers and made the best mojitos over. Josh came over around 7pm and brought all the dogs and Aussie with him...We had a great night just eating, relaxing and having our babies with us...Anyone who knows me knows a night including the animals is the best kinda night for me! We came home around 10pm and knocked out together ZZzZzz...



Sunday morning we woke up late. Well, late for us. Josh got up to use the restroom and we heard Aussie saying "HI" in her cage. We cover her cage at night and if she's covered too long she will say HI over and over again until we uncover it. Josh looks at his cell phone and says it's 8:30am...holy cow..we are normally up at 6 or 7. Josh made our coffee and we sat in bed watching animal planet and drinking coffee. After about an hour we got ready for the day and headed out to breakfast. We decided to try a new place on Main Street in Seal Beach...a little random diner that was pretty good! We walked around for a bit after and then headed home. Randomly I remembered i had super Nintendo up in the rafters of our garage so i climbed up and got it down when we got home...Josh and I tried hooking up to the TV for a good 15 min before we realized a part was missing : ( We REALLY wanted to play soooo we thought we would try to find the part at Game Stop. We have these skateboards (long boards) in the garage that my Dad got us last Christmas and we never use them so Josh and I decided to ride them to Game Stop. Sooooooooooo much fun!!! We had such a great time but holy cow was i sore once we arrived to our destination!!! We get there and they don't even sell parts for Super Nintendo because it's sooooooooo old : (...We also have an Xbox and PlayStation 3 so we bought a fun game "fairytale fights" for our PlayStation. We skated home and played the game for 2 hours! I don't think i have ever sat that long and played a video game but we were having so much fun teaming up and beating this game together...Josh was a naked prince and i was snow white : ) haha....after a few hours of playing we realized we had not ate since breakfast and that we were getting hungry. Josh said "Let's go to Dave & Buster's" Okkkkkk!!! We got ready and drove to the Irvine Spectrum. After parking the car i see a girl walking by with a bag of candy from the sweet factory.."Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Joshhhh i want Candy, let get candy pllllllllllease". Next thing you know we are in the candy store picking out ALL our favorite candy $29.00 and 3lbs of candy later!!! We were busting up at how much money we just spent on freakin candy LOL and then made our way over to Dave & Buster's where we had the best food ever!!! We ordered Martini's and shared two yummy appitizers together and then bought some game time : ) We played a ton of what i call "shoot em up games" and car racing games (i kicked Josh's butt on those : ) ) Then played a ton of games that you can actually win tickets on. Josh is so good at the games that you win tickets on, he freakin scores everytime! We had nearly 3,000 tickets and got all the animals toys with the tickets we won : D It was so much fun!!! Josh and I got ourselves a BOP IT with some of the remaining tickets.....remember those!?!? haha i love those things! We got home around 10pm that night and let the dogs pick out which toys they wanted..they were so happy!!! I think we ended up staying up pretty late that night, just talking, eating half our candy (Josh was shoving candy down my throat) haha and playing Bop It........The next day i got to work and thought to myself...i am so Lucky.....My husband is so much fun. No matter what it is we are doing we ALWAYS make it fun together and i love that. I could not imagine my life any other way, i am so thankful for where i am today. I am so thankful for having patience and waiting for the perfect man to come along to spend my life with because life just does not get better then this XOXOX

Everyone Calls You Amazing, I Just Call You Mine..

I remember the first time I heard this song on the radio.

I pinch myself sometimes to make sure

I'm not in a dream, that's how it seems

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments

I've ever known, it feels like home

And here I am, I wanna be your everything

There you are turning winter into spring

And everyone that sees you always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you always has a smile

You're a standing ovation after years of waiting

For a chance to fall and shine

Everyone calls you amazing yeah, I just call you mine

I fall apart and just a word from you somehow seems to fix

Whatever's wrong, oh, you reach into the weakest moments

And remind me that I'm strong, you've gotta know

I'd be a fool not to see or even worse

To forget that you're more than I deserved

'Cause everyone that sees you always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you always has a smile

You're a standing ovation after years of waiting

For a chance to fall and shine

Everyone calls you amazing, I just call you mine

Nothing makes sense when you're not here

As it my whole world disappears

Without you what's the point of anything?

'Cause everyone that sees you always wants to know you

And everyone that knows you always has a smile

You're the dream that I've been chasing after years of waiting

For a chance to fall and shineEveryone calls you amazing, I just call you mine

Everyone calls you amazing, yeah, yeah, I just call you mine



It made me smile so big. I immediately texted Josh with the lyrics, this song reminded me of how I feel about him. I hear it often and every single time I hear it I can't help but smile.

One thing I have always said about Josh and I is "not a lot of people understand how we are with one another…to know us it to know us together, because you won't ever find us apart". Josh and I have such a great respect for one another….i feel like we value and treat our marriage the traditional way and that's why we are so different together as a couple. You don’t find marriages like that anymore. We eat dinner together every night at our dining room table, I pack healthy lunches for him every single day, he makes our coffee in the morning and we sit and drink it together on the couch or in bed EVERY morning, we clean together, we grocery shop together, Josh has Monday's off work and he drives me to work every Monday, Josh always opens all my doors and when we ask anything of one another we always say please and thank you, we hang around our friends together and we complement each other, we balance each other out perfectly….i can go on and on but you get it : ) Josh and I share daily routines and I love every part of it. A lot of people ask me how I found someone so perfect, how we stay so happy all the time and how we make being married look so easy…marriage is only hard work if you make it hard. You have to enjoy every moment of one another no matter what it is your doing together and you have to serve each other and want to serve each other, which is something Josh and I have no problem doing…it's just a natural thing for us.

Last night Josh had some tests to take so he did not get home till 9:30pm. I worked out, cleaned and had a glass of champagne..but i waited for him to get home to have dinner with him : ) He thanked me for waiting but there was need to thank me....I wait because dinner is a part of OUR time together and I'd wait all night to eat if it meant sharing that moment with him : ) I love my husband and i wouldn't be half the woman i am today if weren't for him. xoxo

My First Marathon Experience

Josh pining my bib on me

Getting ready @ 4am
Proud Husband : )
Not so happy mom because she had t wake up at 4am
On the way to Dodger Stadium @ 5am
A bit nervous and cold
Stretching
Mile 23 and still smiling
Finishing strong!
I Did it!!
Love the sign Josh made for me : ) I have the best husband


Marathon day was on a Sunday. Mon-Sat i ate extremely healthy. Josh and I went to sushi at least 3 times that week and George's the other nights for chicken salads. I don't think i cooked once that whole week. I stayed away from drinking that whole week to make sure my body was hydrated enough (i cheated a little and shared a drink with Josh one night). I knew the Friday before the marathon was an important day to load up on water and so i did. I brought my huge 54 ounce slurpee cup to work added some Emergen-C to it and made sure to drink the whole thing. I ran three times that whole week, three five mile runs and nothing more than that because i needed as much rest as possible. Saturday before the marathon i did nothing but relax! Josh and i cleaned the house together the night before to make sure I'd stay off me feet as much as possible Saturday. Saturday i tried to down a little more water then i normally would, i had oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey sandwich from subway for lunch and when Josh got home from work we went to sushi for dinner. I was planning on eating a huge pasta dinner the night before the marathon because that's what i trained eating the night before long runs, but pasta did not sound good at all so we went to sushi instead (probably should've stuck with the pasta though). Anyway, before we went to dinner i got a call from my mom. I don't talk to my mom often, maybe once every month or two she will call. She randomly called me about a dish i had of hers, wanting to know when she could come pick it up. She asked when i was running the marathon i had told her i was training for and i told her tomorrow morning was the big day and i needed to get as much rest as possible...i needed to go to bed by 8pm is what i told her. Surprisingly (in a sarcastic voice) she forgot when i was running the marathon and asked if i could come pick her up to stay the night so she could come support me the day of my run. Of course i say yes, but i also make sure she knows i have to be in bed early because 1) i need as much sleep as i can possible get and 2) I have to freakin get up at 4:00am. So after dinner Josh and I go pick her up...i'm not going to go into details about where she was or how long it took her to get herself together but i did not get to bed till 10pm!!! Two hours past the time i planned on going to bed...I was beyond irritated. My brother also stayed the night that night (thank god he did because if it weren't for him I'm pretty sure my mom would have kept me up ALL night).

Josh woke me up at 4:00am Sunday morning. I had no trouble what-so-ever waking up because i was so anxious. I got dressed (as Josh recorded my every move : ) Love that proud husband of mine) had about half a cup of coffee, a little water and a clif bar. Josh pinned my bib on me, i tied my hair back, took a few pictures, made sure i went to the bathroom one last time and we were out the door by 5am.

Dodger Stadium was packed! After all, 25,000 people were running so you can only imagine how packed it was. My mom, brother and Josh stayed there with me for about an hour. It was still dark out and a little chilly. I brought a light sweater, one i could wear during the start of my run and then throw away once i warmed up a bit. We walked around just to check everything out for a while, i went to the bathroom one last time to avoid having to make any stops along my run, took a few more pictures and made my way to the starting line. Luckily, i got in line early enough to where i did not have to fight through a bunch of people to make my way to the front. I casually made my way through and sat down to stretch. Josh climbed a nearby tree and took pictures of me waiting and stretching and then off they went to Santa Monica to wait for me at the finish line!

Waiting for 7:20am to come around was the longest wait ever!!! You start getting nervous and anxious and then all of a sudden you feel like you have to go the bathroom even though you just went.....7:20 could not come any sooner...i was more then ready to run and then our running time get's pushed back not just once, but twice!!! Our new start time was 7:40 ugh!!! Really!?!? I tried entertaining myself with thoughts and the distraction of the people around me but all i could think about was how bad i wanted to start running! Everyone had Ipods and music to listen to and I had nothing but my good ol GPS watch to keep me entertained... fun huh!?! The reason i didn't bring my Ipod/MP3 player was because i wanted to enjoy my first marathon fully, i wanted to enjoy every sound and all the people that not only are handing stuff out to you but also cheering you on the whole way.

Sitting there waiting probably had to be the worst part of the whole marathon experience. Your just overly anxious and you just have to WAIT. I people watched most of the time i was waiting there. There was a young girl next to me, probably about 21, blonde hair, really thin, dressed in super tight running clothes with her hair pulled back and she was standing next to me (mind you i was sitting at the time) she was jogging in place and then doing jumping jacks in place...she was driving me nuts with all the movement she was making. I remember thinking to myself, man this girl is gonna run out of energy before we even start running. Then i started thinking "I wonder if she's a fast runner, or if she's just an average runner, i wonder if this is her first marathon too, i didn't say a word to her..she didn't look so friendly, just overly eager to run. Sitting next to me on the pavement was a guy around my age. He was stretching too and seemed to be very calm. Eventually he got up to make a bathroom trip and i never saw him again. I must have gotten stepped on a million times. So many people were fighting to make their way up to the front and in the process of doing so everyone sitting got stepped on or stepped over. It was really annoying and frustrating. Eventually is stood up because i got so tired of it. I'm not the tallest person, in fact I'm pretty dang short and when i stood up i realized everyone around me was much taller and i could not see thing. A group of girls surrounded where i was standing...they were very young (19) and this was their first marathon, they were all running it together and hoped to finish in 5 hours. I loved hearing everyone talk about their goal time and knowing that my goal time was so much more extreme then everyone else who was doing their first. It made me that much more confident. Chef Gordon Ramsay (love him) was there running and so was some guy from the bachelor, i don't know his name cause i don't watch that show but apparently he is a really good runner!

7:40 Ready, Set, Go.....

I was kinda jogging in place for about 2 minutes. Trying to get through 25,000 people was a bit nerve racking and time consuming. I kept thinking to myself, man it's going to take forever just to get past all these people. Eventually everyone started spreading out and i was able to run normal. Men were pulling over to the side and peeing in bushes, which totally freaked me out because i was not warned of this lol. I spent the first mile trying to make up for the time i lost trying to get through all the people at the very start of my run. I started passing people left and right, i was feeling good, my adrenaline was racing and i was feeling confident in completing this run and completing it with a great time. When i got to the second mile i saw a huge hill ahead. Ahhh the one thing i did not train for and was hoping there wouldn't be a lot of. That hill took EVERYTHING out of me..or so it felt! I was so out of breath already by mile two and it took a while to get my pace and breathing back on track once i got over that hill. Then right when i was feeling good again...another hill!! This course was filled with hills, which is why i recommend anyone training for a marathon to train uphill because you just never know what you going to get! For a while i was running next to this guy who was barefoot and his toe nails were painted baby blue, he has wild curly blonde hair, no shirt on and American flag boxers on! This guy just looked crazy and like he didn't take running seriously. Wrong! He freakin out ran me and a heck of a lot of other people too.

There were a ton of people supporting us runners. It was so great to see the community come together and volunteer their time to supply us water, food and to cheer us on. I don't think i have ever heard my name being called so many times. I was trained to run along the curbside rather then directly down the middle and so i was very close to all the volunteers which made it easy for everyone to read my bib and shout out my name. The first few times i heard "Go Stephani" i would look back thinking it was someone i knew..took me a while to get use to and for every person that called my name i would smile and wave. I must have smiled and waved about 100 times that day : ) although most runners do not acknowledge their name being called or the people who cheer them on at all, i am way to considerate of a person to not acknowledge those people. To be honest, the volunteers out there were a great part of my motivation during those long hard miles. Water, Poweraid, Oranges, Banana's, Oreo Cookies, Snicker Bars, Crackers,etc...were all being passed out for us runners. I took my bosses advice and grabbed a little cup of water at nearly every water station i saw. I brought 5 Gu packets and only ended up using 3 of the 5. I didn't eat anything during my run...i did grab an orange from someone and tried eating that..BAD IDEA...ADVICE for anyone who plans on running a marathon...if you did not train with it then do not try something new the day of the marathon! My stomach felt awful after that little piece of orange....which reminds of a time during training when i ate a BLT before a 18 mile run (i normally eat oatmeal) my stomach hurt so bad the whole run and i had to stop numerous amount of times because i had such bad cramps. It wasn't even really a BLT either...it was more like a LT because i only put half a piece of bacon in it (i am not a bacon fan at all but Josh was having one and i wanted to join him : )) Anyway, after that i learned to stick with oatmeal because that's what i trained my body to run on.

One thing i was hoping i would not have done during my run was go to the bathroom! I had a goal time and i did not want anything slowing me down. By mile 10 i had to go to the bathroom but could not bring myself to stop running just to take a quick pee break. So i held it until mile 12 and then i had to go! I was so bummed i had to take a minute from running to use the rest-room (all runners know every second makes a huge difference). I got back onto the course after a quick potty break and did not have to stop again, thank god!

By mile 17 my legs were starting to ache. My right ankle was super sore, my knees felt weak and i felt like i was slowing down. No matter how achy my body was getting i kept pushing through the pain and running as fast as i could. I stopped twice for a water break (a water break i could walk and enjoy rather than just tossing on my face and hoping some makes it into my mouth) i really needed those little 30 second walks in-between the nonstop running i did for 20 miles straight (minus my bathroom break). I used my last GU packet on mile 20 and from mile 20 on running the rest became a mental thing. I had to occupy my mind and keep telling myself YOU ARE ALMOST THERE, YOU CAN DO IT AND DO IT WITH A SMILE. The last few miles were full of volunteers!! The most encouraging, loud volunteers ever and they are what made me push my hardest!

Finally i hit mile 26 and i saw a light at the end of the tunnel! Two more laps to go and i was there....i saw the finish line and the crowds of people and gave it my all....Everyone was cheering me on and i crossed the finish line with a big ol smile and feeling GREAT! 3 Hours and 47min was my finishing time. Out of 25,000 people i came in 1,668 place overall, 304 place out of all women, 55 place out of everyone in my division age 25-29 and i was ahead of 90% of men. Although i wanted to finish under 3:40 so i could qualify for Boston i was still happy with my results. I later found out your firth marathon is suppose to be your worst time, if that's the case i cannot wait for my next because I'm gonna kick some butt : )

My Wonderful husband was such a great support system for me. He not only helped me train every Sunday but he ate healthy with me and bragged about how proud of me he was to everyone : ) I am so unbelievably lucky to have such a perfect man in my life and i could not ask for more in a husband. I love you baby!

I am going to run the Long Beach Marathon October 2010. Training will start in July..I plan on finishing at an even better time and who knows, maybe next year Boston!?!? ( if i qualify that is : ))...

How to Train For a Marathon:

Finally a month later i am finding time to post a blog about my La Marathon experience. I have gotten so many e-mails and messages from people asking how i trained,how i motivated myself, how i ate during training and also asking how hard it was. I promised i would post all you need to know about training, along with my own experience so here it goes....

My Dad got me a gym pass to LA Fitness in 11th grade. I went to the gym almost every night after i got my pass. I would run 3 miles, lift weights, squats, sit in the sauna and do sit-ups. I would normally spend about an 1 1/2 at the gym either with my boyfriend at the time, my best friend, my dad or alone when i needed time away from everyone. The gym was my get away and i loved going. Eventually the relationship i was in became really unhealthy and i stopped doing a lot of things for myself, including going to the gym. I got rid of my gym pass and asked my dad for a treadmill for x-mas instead of renewing my gym pass as he did every year. Sure enough i got my treadmill and running was my new focus! I put the treadmill in my room (my room at Dad's house was huge, hence the reason i lived at home for so long ). At first the treadmill did not get much use. Mainly because i had so much going on. I was working at the law firm 8-5, working at abercrombie certain nights from 6-10/weekends and going to LBCC 2 nights a week. I was busy and i was busy trying to make my relationship work too. I gained about 10 lbs in between that time : P ten gross pounds! Yuck, i would look at pictures and think to myself "how did i let myself go, i was sooooooooo into working out". I felt gross! I quit abercrombie eventually and had my nights back. I started running on my treadmill after dinner every night (3 miles)! After about two weeks i became so frustrated, i was not losing any weight! 117 every time i would get on the damn scale and it made me so angry!! I had to do something different. So, i cut sodas out of my diet and stopped eating fast food. My life was so on the go at that time, all i had time for was fast food and sodas! About 2 weeks later, the numbers on the scale started changing..115 woohoo!!! From that point on i became obsessed. 6 miles burned enough calories to where i could still afford to some of the "bad" things i craved so i ran 6 miles everyday no matter what (on the treadmill and outside). My weight dropped to 105 and had pretty much stayed there ever since. I gave up sodas almost 7years ago and still never even crave one...i became a health nut and now it's a lifestyle i have created for both Josh and I. I created a lifestyle for myself and i am very dedicated to every part of it.

So now that you know how i started running, you must know that i NEVER EVER thought of doing a marathon. It just never crossed my mind that i was an athlete and that i could accomplish such a thing as 26.2 miles. Like really, who in their right mind does that for fun? You know from a previous blog i posted that my boss ran it too and he talked me into signing up along with helping train me. Being the competitive person i am i decided to take on this challenge and give it my all. I was determined to finish and finish strong. They say most girls either do not finish a marathon or they do finish but in 5 hours or longer. I was not going to be one of those average girls and anyone who knows me, knows this about me: I will not settle for anything less then what i want! I am a strong headed girl and i have ALWAYS been a strong headed girl i will go for what i want and i wont stop till i get it.

I started training in November 2009 and marathon day was March 21, 2010. Basically 4 months of training. For anyone that wants to train for a marathon/half marathon here is an idea of how i trained:

TRAINING:
I Started running on a Sunday. Saturday or Sunday should always be the day you do a LONG RUN. Your long runs are EVERYTHING when training, short runs just prepare you for those long runs. Your first long run should start at 10 miles. Here is an idea of what your running schedule should look like while training for a marathon:

Week #1
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week#2
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-12 mile run

Week #3
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #4
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-14 mile run

Week #5
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #6
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-16 mile run

Week #7
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #8
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-18 mile run

Week #9
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #10
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-20 mile run

Week #11
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #12
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-22 mile run

Week #13
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #14
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-15 mile run

Week #15
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-12 mile run

Week #16
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-MARATHON DAY


Keep in mind that I ran 5/6 miles Tues-Fri because it's routine for me. My boss (who is a faster runner then I) ran 4 mile runs throughout the week during training and that totally worked for him. Like I said, you're most important runs are your long runs so NEVER EVER skip a long run because all your doing is setting yourself back a whole lot. I did all my short runs and ten mile runs on my treadmill and my long runs down by the beach or the riverbed. I bought this awesome expensive GPS watch to track my running when i run outside. I definitely recommend this watch to anyone who runs outside. It tracks everything from your pace, calories, speed, laps, etc...it stores nearly 200 of your runs so you can always look back and see which run you did the best on. It's also fun to have marathon day because you can pace yourself perfectly to your goal time.

I was told to do a little uphill training. I did not listen and did not do any uphill training at all. I recommend everyone else to train at least some uphill because LA Marathon had a ton of hills i was unprepared for. Somehow, i don't know how..even with no training for uphill at all i made top 3% of all the women and i fin shed before 90% of the men. If i would have trained uphill too, my time would have been even better! O-well, next one for sure

EATING:
All of you already know i eat extremely healthy. It's a lifestyle for me so i did not really have to change my eating habits while training. Eating right is important if your a runner and especially if your training for something this big. Bad foods can effect your run and mess with your stomach or create cramping while running...I eat a ton of berries, bananas, oatmeal, protein such as fish and chicken, spinach and drank a ton of water because it's just as important to stay hydrated. A Typical day of eating is something like this for me:

Breakfast- Oatmeal w/ blueberries and raspberries and half a cup of coffee with soy milk

Snack-Yogurt and a banana

Lunch-Spinach leafs with a cut up apple in it and a little cheese with dressing

Snack-Fiber bar

Dinner-Sushi, chicken salad, or some sort of chicken dish (i eat my biggest meal at night since i run in the mornings)

Desert-Anything i feel like..Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Chocolate, Chips, cookies..could be any of those : ) it's my only time to splurge!

The night before any long run (a long run is anything over ten miles)i ALWAYS make a HUGE pasta dinner with wheat pasta of course. This is pretty much the only time i eat pasta. I make pasta with garlic bread and it makes for a wonderful carb load and run the next day! You will notice eating pasta the night before a run will truly help with your run..it gives you a great amount of energy to run off.

Training Necessities:

-GU Packets (Josh bought me a box of these and they lasted my whole time training and marathon day....The box comes with a mixture of GU..some with no caffeine, some with little caffeine, some with 1x the amount of caffeine and some with 2x the amount of caffeine. I will go into the purpose of GU shortly)

-A good Pair of running shoes (I Found that Nike is does not carry a good shoe for long runs so i stopped buying Nike and i now use the Asics Gel 2150...much cheaper shoe, very light weight (which is what you want) and very comfortable)

-GPS Watch (it's hard to find a good one, i have the Garmin Forerunner 305 which is kind of big and bulky but I'm not trying to look cool during my run lol i wanted the best watch to track my performance and this one is GREAT. They run between $200-$300)

-Water (I was lucky enough to have my husband with me on all my long run so he carried my water but i know they sell a water bottle you can sorta attach to your hand which makes it easier to run with) You wont need this marathon day though, there are a million water stations.

-Comfortable running clothes...the lighter the clothing the better..and a good sports bra ( I have a few that sucked and actually cut into my skin during my runs)

GU packets:
These are great for that boost of energy you may need during a long run. I recommend only using them on anything over 6 miles. I only used them on runs over 12 but that's only because i really don't need the energy...someone just recommended i train with them and so i gave them a shot and surprisingly i liked them. Anyway, a GU pack is basically a quick source of carbs the pack contains 100 calories and 25g of carbs..you take one every 45 min or every 6 miles. They are great and if you start getting hungry during your run they curb your appetite as well. If you drink a lot of caffeine shame on you lol j/k if drink a lot of caffeine then the packs with caffeine will work best for you. I found that for someone like me who does not drink much caffeine at all could not use the one's with caffeine because it upset my stomach during my run so i stuck to the ones with no caffeine.

So now that you know the basics of training, stay tuned for another blog on my Marathon experience and tips i have to share if your considering running one yourself.

Marathon Blog

I know i have promised a ton of people I'd blog about my marathon experience and how to train for one yourself. I have gotten so many e-mails and people who want me to help them train. I have started the blog and i prrrrrrromise to try and finish it this week or weekend. It's so hard to find time to just sit and write now. Josh told me yesterday he misses my blogs..sooo I'm gonna try hard to squeeze in a little more time for writing..Anyway, i came across this blog about a girl who is trying to break the record for the youngest girl to ever complete a marathon in all 50 states and i am sooooooooo addicted to her blog! It makes me wanna push myself even harder...She is on her 28th state at this point and I'm eager to continue to follow her blog...here is her link http://50marathonchallenge.blogspot.com/search/label/Leg%20Cramps....check out her page and i promise my blog will be up soon guys!

This world needs more positive people!

I saw this and i Love it! I think the world could use more people who think positively. It really does make a huge difference in your every day. You find happiness in EVERYTHING you do and not only is it a great feeling but it rubs off on everyone around you! I do not like hearing people complain, life is too freakin short to complain...instead be thankful for all you have and know what your worth! Finding positive in all you do makes for a positive person, positive outlook on life and positive thoughts : ) My positive attitude allows me to make the best out of work when all i really wanna do is be home with my wonderful husband...It makes writing bills enjoyable because somehow i find a sense of accomplishment in writing bills...it makes working out fun and enjoyable...it makes cleaning this messy house fun......i can go on and on.....Watch this video, it makes me smile!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYk8UL_qOg

Wish me Luck!!!

I wish i had time to blog more. Unfortunately i don't have the time anymore and once i do have a moment to sit down i simply log on the computer just to check updates on my e-mail, la marathon, facebook etc..Josh and I have been going out to dinner almost every night (sushi & George's) and it's nice to spend all our extra time enjoying each other over dinner and out of the house (even if we go broke from our expensive eating habits hahaha jk)This year has started out great for us and we deserve to spoil ourselves however we want.

Today i have time to blog because today i get to do something new for a change..... RELAX and not move from the couch : )...if you know me then you know relaxing just is not in the cards for me. I hate relaxing, i find every excuse not to relax...it's true. Yes, i know I'm strange..but i have WAY too much energy to just sit around and i cannot sit there and watch movies or TV because i get bored,there is no show or movie worth sitting on the couch for (well OK maybe, if it's Kendra's show which is only a 30 min show and I'm only interested in her because of how athletic and in shape she was before the baby) Anyway, today I'm going to relax and eat all day. Eat healthy of course and hydrate the crap out of myself but staying off my feet is a must....Reason being....I am finally running the LA MARATHON tomorrow @ 7:25am : ) I have been training since November, the day after Thanksgiving (when i ate too much and decided i needed to run 10 miles to work it all off). I cannot believe how far i have come. Never did i think training for a marathon would take so much time and so much dedication...6am 6 mile runs 4 days a week and EVERY Sunday a long run in which my biggest run was 20 miles. Many Saturday night's of staying in when we were invited out because i had to get up early he next morning for my run, having to eat right the night before so i could accomplish my big run with no problems and through it all i want to thank my wonderful husband for pushing me, sticking by my side, sacrificing late nights out, getting up early with me, eating right with me, going with me on my long runs and making them so entertaining/fun, always complimenting my hard work and dedication and for being the best damn support system EVER!!! I am blessed beyond messures to have such a wonderful selfless husband that i would do anything for!!! There are not many men out there like Josh...i dont ever have to ask anything of Josh, he just does it with a smile and never ever complains because thats just the person he is : ) I love you baby, so so much.

I also have to thank my boss (who is running the marathon as well) for pushing me to sign up and training me. If it weren't for him i would have trained all wrong..i thank him for checking in on me every week to make sure i accomplished the runs i was suppose to accomplish and for putting up with all my questions. My boss is an amazing runner who finishes in the top 800's every time he runs!

So the big day is 24 hours away. I'm gonna run like i have never ran before. I am determined to finish in the hundreds out of 25,000 people and i really want to push myself to qualify for Boston. I believe that after mile 18 running further becomes a mental thing...so my motivation to keep pushing is to occupy my mind with all the fun Josh and I have and how he is waiting for me at the finish line with a big sign he made for me that says my name and i love you, the sushi dinner we are going to have that night to celebrate with some great friends, how close summer is and how in shape training has gotten me and this big run is gonna tone me even more, all the people who have supported and have faith in me to kick some butt, my dad who is going to ride his motorcycle all the way down to Santa Monica to see me finish and our good friend Tom who is coming over at 4:30am tomorrow morning and heading out to dodger stadium with us and who will also be waiting at the finish line for me....

I am ready! Here is to a great run and a fabulous HUGE carb dinner tonight : )
For my supporters...track me on race day or watch the marathon on channel 5...you will get a text every time i hit 10k, 20k, 30k, 40k and when i cross the finish line. http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=24

Thank you everyone for all your support!!!!!