Fatty Must Run Marathon Challenge Monthly recap

Before I started writing this post, I decided to review my previous posts I have written since starting the challenge and I realized two things:

1.  I thought I blogged more than I actually did, which means all those times I thought I was sharing with you guys, I was only sharing with myself...in my head and
2.  I have no concept of time. It seems like just yesterday that I received the email stating I was accepted and at the same time, so much has changed in that time that it seems so long ago.

If you are not familiar with the Fatty Must Run Marathon Challenge, just click here for information about it. Over the course of a year, Julie, the leader of this challenge, will guide us through marathon training. Some would consider training for a 26.2 miles run as torture but I consider it a privilege to do so with these women.  Ok side note here: Julie is from the UK and I am obsessed with anything from across the pond, so when I read her blog posts, I read them out loud with my very bad British accent.

Julie gives us a new set of challenges each month.  We are to keep her updated at least once a month via email or blog post. But most of us have also updated eachother daily via Twitter.  If you would like to follow us, just search #FMRMC or #Fattymustrunmarathonchallenge.  For the first month, May, we were given three tasks run 2 miles, start 30 day squat challenge and run a timed 5K.

1. Run 2 miles and report back to Julie on how it felt. Because I was already running two miles each run, this one was natural for me.  The only comment I have is that it is getting hot in Texas so I have to change the time of day I run.
2. Start a 30 day squat challenge I had never heard of this but I googled it and discovered it is a 30 day challenge that increases the amount of squats each day. You start at 50 on day 1 and by the time you are on day 30, you are doing 250 squats in one day.  I love squats.   I build muscle extremely fast, genetics, so I can really see the difference and feel the difference in my legs and buttocks.
3. Run a timed 5K to get a base time.  Of all three, this one concerned me the most. I had not run a 5K in a very long time so I was worried.  I always hovered around 54-56 minute 5Ks.  I didn't want to time a 5K so soon after restarting C25K only to discover I am slower than before or not be able to finish.  My new time was a pleasant surprise 43:15.  I know, I know...I can't believe it myself but I took a picture just to prove it.

Yeah Baby!!!

If you had told me a month ago that I would have had so many changes in the first few weeks, I probably would have not believed you.  No, I know I would believe you.  As a matter of fact, I probably would have contemplating dropping out for fear of failing.  But I didn't quit. I just went one step at a time, one day at a time.  And things just happened.

• Pace  When I restarted C25K I was ecstatic that I ran my fastest mile at 15: 48. Years ago when I trained for my first 5K, my average pace was in the 17's and even 19's.  Yesterday I broke my own 5K time by doing it 43:15 and my average pace for my total 4 miles was 14:12.  By the way, the only reason I mention pace is not because I think I was going too slow before, but because it means I am improving. It means I am getting stronger. You guys know how I feel about pace.
• Distance:  My first few runs in April were 2 miles or less.  By mid May I was consistently doing 2 miles and as of last Saturday, I have increased my mileage to 4 miles.  My plan is to increase my mileage for my during the week runs to 4 miles and 6 miles on the weekend.
• Strength:  All I can say is that before this challenge, my legs just moved me forward.  Now, I can actually feel my muscles working and I love it.  There is a feeling of control or power...I haven't quite found the right word for it but all I know is that it is good.
• Community:  My running group has grown by 14.  We live hundreds, even thousands of miles, away from each other but this common goal is the thread that binds us together.  We encourage eachother and hold each other accountable.  On my own, I probably would have become bored the first week and moved on to a new challenge.  I am here to stay.

We have been given our new challenges for June.  I'll share more on those tomorrow.  All I can say is that it is going to be hard....mentally.  But in the meantime, check out the girls and how they viewed the first month. A link to their blogs is on the right.

Memorize the good

I wish I could say that I always felt like running.  I read these articles and see these posts on other blogs where people just don't feel right until they get their run in for the day.  Yeah, I am not one of those people.  I like programs and I like completing task (I guess that is why I like things like ( C25K and the FattyMustRunMarathonChallenge) but I rarely get the urge to go for a run to clear my head nor do I  feel out of whack because I missed a run.  Sure, I have loathed myself for not meeting my goal of doing something I said I was going to do or missing a day in a program.... but feel mentally off because I didn't run?  Nope, not here and not today.  No today was more of a mental challenge that became more of a mental workout than anything else.  Which I guess I could consider marathon training.  I heard of this wall that people encounter and this wall is mentally challenging.  Now I am not comparing my feelings with this wall...remember I am doing this training one 5K at a time.  So my exercise yesterday was a baby step.

Looking back, I  think I tried to sabotage my run yesterday.  The day before was my daughter's 17th birthday so we stayed up talking late into the night.  So yesterday morning I did not wake up early enough to go for a run.  By the time lunch came, it was too hot. (Seriously, the "feels like" temperature was 99) So I talked myself into waiting until the evening and besides I only had a pair of new fitted running capris clean and I can't wear that with a fitted tech shirt and my large, looks like a potato sack tech shirt was dirty...see the excuses just building? I had convinced myself to delay my run until the evening.

After struggling with my attire, the apps on my phone and seeking encouragement from my fellow FMRMCers, I hit the trails.  I would love to say that 5 minutes into my run, that "I WANT" showed up but he didn't.  Doubt showed up and consumed me.  Why am I out here? I must look ridiculous. This has to be worse than the slow motion video of me on Saturday.  Is that chafing I am feeling under my arms?  I am not going to make it.  Which is worse, running with the traffic on a trail that runs along a busy road or running against traffic on that same trail?  I mean, if I am running with traffic, all drivers and passengers are watching my big butt run...very slowly and awkwardly.  If I run against traffic, people will see the stress I wear on my  face and I will see their reactions to seeing fluffy run.  My thoughts were not pretty or positive.

But somewhere along the trail in the middle of my long run in C25K I found my stride and I don't mean physically.  Just like I had been taught at the running clinic to reset my posture during my run, I decided to do a mental reset. And Ephesians 4:29 came to mind.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."


Now normally when I think of this verse I think of it in reference to how I treat other people and what I either say to them or about them. I try to say things that will build people up and not tear them down. Well, why don't those rules apply to me?  They should.  I wrote about remembering what "I Want" tells you about yourself.  And yet here I am in the middle of the Seabrook park and all I hear is garbage.  So I stopped my run and hit the reset button.  And when I drew a blank on good things to say, I started to quote verses that had helped me in the past...I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength, if He be for me, who dare be against, He gave me the oil of gladness instead of mourning, Ask and you shall receive....etc

And then Bang Bang followed by Bon Bon  played on my playlist and my run felt better.  I think I even held my head higher and sang out loud on a few parts of the song Bon Bon.  All of a sudden new great tapes were playing in my head.  Somewhere during that run I even decided I liked the way I looked and will wear this outfit again...in public.

Now I am not saying go find a Bible and memorize some verses. If that is what you got out of this you are missing the point.  What I am saying is this.  When you decide to write those letters to yourself about why you are doing this and why you deserve this, make sure you store them away in your mind and in your heart. You may be far from home when the need arises to hear them.  For me, the truths I know about myself come from these verses.  They roll off my tongue with little effort and absolutely no thinking. (It was thinking that got me in trouble in the first place.)   You need to be able to do the same thing with whatever you choose.  So practice saying them even when you feel great so that they come out naturally when you don't.
Remember, don't let anything that will tear you down, come out of your mouth or your mind.  Only say and think things that will build you up. 4:29

Good Form Running

Genevieve from New Balance at Fit Tri Run in Galveston

FitTriRun store in Galveston hosted a running clinic this past Saturday.  It was taught by Genevieve from New Balance. (Gosh I hope I spelled it right.  I know it's not pronounced the way most of us think it should be but I think I have the spelling correctly.)  This was my first time to a running clinic so I went suited up to run or maybe not.  I forgot my water bottle (which is a definite no no in this Texas heat and humidity) and I forgot my strap for my phone.  Fortunately, most of the clinic consisted of doing some exercises inside the AC'd store and doing a very short run in front of the store.  I learned that a running clinic is a class to instruct you on the proper form or technique of running and also record you to humiliate...I mean consult you on how you can better your form.

Now, Genevieve did not humiliate me. It was a joke.  However, she did record each of us running past her, first with shoes and second time barefoot.  Then she hooked her Ipad, the device she used for recording, to a large TV inside the store and proceeded to play each person in slow motion as she critiqued their running.  I have to say it was interesting to see everyone in slow motion. You see alot of minute things you would have missed had you watched at regular speed. For instance, while I was running across the screen, I could clearly see each roll of flab as it jiggled up down with each pounding of my foot and I must say, I discovered that each jiggle comes in waves and not just one big whop! Ok, that is not the only thing I discovered but before I go into my evaluation let me tell you some of the things I learned about good form running.

1. Posture:  Stand tall while you are running (even if you are only 5'1").  Your toes should point forward because...well because you want your toes to point in the direction that you are going. Keep your head up because looking down will cause you to slouch. Unless of course you are running on uneven road or trail and in which case you may want to look down from time to time so that you don't fall flat on your bum.  Your arms should swing freely from your shoulders with your thumbs pointing upwards and elbows at about 90 degrees.  (Another good reason to get the Amphipod hand held mobile phone holder) She suggested you reset your posture during your run by reaching up towards the sky and circling your arms back into correct position.
2. Midfoot:  You should aim to land on your midfoot when running.  Visualize marching in place while your ankles are flexed.  Heel striking can cause plantar fasciitis, over striding and injuries because of the hard landing.  Landing on the forefoot can cause Achilles pain, calf strain and shin splints.  She said shin splints happen because the wrong muscles are being used. Instead of the calf being used, the runner is using their shin.  
3. Cadence:  Ok, this was completely new to me. But when running your cadence should be 175-180 strides per minute.  That is 90 strides per leg.  If you are not sure about what that is and you have a smart phone, look for a free metronome app from Itunes or Googleplay and set it at 180.  Try to match the cadence at home while marching in place. Or click here for an online metronome.  She also mentioned Jogtunes that works on your IPhone or Android phone. To find your current cadence, count the number of right foot strikes you do per 20 seconds and multiply by 6.  Remember to run light.
4. Lean: This was a fun exercise.  She asked us to stand with are toes pointing forward and lean forward from our ankles until we felt the urge to take a step forward. She said that angle just before we fall forward is the optimum angle to utilize gravity to propel you forward rather than excessive muscle force. Some of us did that one over and over again.  I think we just liked the idea of falling forward.

Sounds like a lot to memorize, right?  Well she said one way we could train ourselves to do this naturally would be to barefoot run once a week. (of course make sure the surface is smooth and free of broken glass or loose gravel that may harm your foot.) She also said to march in place prior to your run with ankles flexed to help you strike midfoot.  Also before and even during  your run, reset your posture by swinging arms overhead and bringing them back to your side.   Also, listen to your foot steps.  They should be light. Your goal is to reduce the sound of your footsteps to a minimum because that means you are running light.  

Well when we watched the video of my running, we discovered that I look down instead of forward. One could argue that I am a trail runner and must keep my eyes out for fallen limbs, snakes, rabbits and alligators but that is no excuse. Because I looked like I was looking directly down at my feet.  I am also a heel striker...which could explain why I am having another episode of plantar fasciitis.  I didn't seem to heel strike as badly when I was barefoot so I guess next on my list are some vibrams 5 fingers and incorporating some track work into my running routine so that I have a smooth surface.  (My husband would argue I am just looking for another reason to go shopping.) 

If you want to learn more about good form running, just click here and let me know if there is anything you discovered that you can improve.

My friend I Want

I have written and rewritten this post several times in the past two days.  But each time I did, well I just wasn't "feelin' it".  But a fellow fluffy runner wrote something the other day that just stuck in my head. He said sometimes he doesn't want to go out and run and his friend told him, "Hey if you are waiting for "I Want" he ain't coming so just get out there and do it."  Wow! That got me thinking about my I Want.  We all  have one.  And I realized my  I Want  can be a pretty flaky friend. Sometimes he shows up everyday no matter what.  The baby kept us up all night with a cough...he doesn't mind.  He reminds us why we are doing this and encourages us to get out of bed.  We have a horrible day at work, boyfriend hurts our feelings, husband doesn't understand, teenager is being difficult...doesn't matter to I Want, he picks us up and takes us for a run.

But I Want isn't dependable.  Sometimes he leaves for the day, the week or even the month with no explanation.  (Truth be known, I think he has another woman).  I can't verify it but sometimes I see them out on the trails running together.  And of course, I get jealous. Why does she have him? She must be special. She must be better than me.  She must have it all together and I am just a loser and that is why I am stuck here with I Want's evil twin I Don't Want.  My mother warned me about guys like I Don't Want.  They are selfish, degrading and never want what is best for you.

Fortunately, I Want has been pretty faithful.  He has been late a few times but by the time I finish my 5 minute warm up, he comes in and runs alongside me.  He never runs ahead.  He sticks by my side cheering me on...yeah that's just the kind of guy that he is.  He's a real playa.  When he is with you, he makes you feel like you are the only one but when he is gone...well he is gone.

So I love I Want and if I had it my way, he would be around for my whole Fatty Must Run Marathon Challenge.  But I know he won't be. I know there will be some days that I will be alone on my run.  I know that I Don't Want will  throw sticks at me and run circles around me and mock me.  That's okay.  I am preparing for that day.  I had I Want write me love notes while he was around.  I had him write down why I am going on this journey and why I am worth it.  So every time he goes MIA and I Don't Want shows up, I'll pull out his love notes to me.  I'll read them and run anyway.  Nothing I Don't Want says will deter me because I have these reminders.  And when those don't work, I have 14 women that will remind me of why I am doing this and vice versa.

So if your I Want is around, do me a favor and have him write you some love notes.  If he is MIA, find some fellow runners to share theirs.  You'll be glad you did. And eventually, your I Want will show up again.  He always does.

Fatty Must Run Marathon Challenge Update
Our Marathon Challenge has started.  We were given our first assignments.  Sometime this week we are to run 2 miles and report how it felt.  I did this challenge today.  It was H O T!  I am going to have to change up my schedule and start running in the am and blog at lunch.  I am not looking forward to summer training.

Our next challenge is to start the 30 day squat challenge.  I had never heard of it but Julie said to just google it and we will find it.  And I did.  Basically you start out with 50 squats the first day and on day 30 you will do 250.  I have pretty muscular legs and buns under all this fluffy so right now it is pretty easy and I build muscle extremely quickly so I know I will also bulk up this month because of it.  But it is for our benefit. The stronger the legs the easier the run.

The last challenge is to run a timed 5K by May 31st.  This will be our baseline. We can either do an actual 5K event or map out a route ourselves and time it.  I will probably map it out on Mapmyrun and run it.  My first 5k event isn't until June 8th.

If you want to read more about the FattyMustRunMarathonChallenge. Just click the link.  This will tell you what the challenge entails.  If you want to meet all the gals who were picked read this post.  And for all the women that are doing this challenge that have blogs, I have added links to their blogs to the right.

Can I encourage you to visit their blogs, follow and comment?  Sometimes when I Want is MIA, it's nice to know others are there for us.

Everyone needs an Ellie

Picture courtesy of Ellie (number 183)

The mud run is a prime example of how my mind works and how I overcome things.  Several months ago I received a "like" page for the Gritty Goddess in Galveston. Last year, after the first mud run, I received information on the 2012 Gritty Goddess.  I said no.  But this year was different.  I received the page to "like" because Facebook snooped and discovered I love all things running.  (I could write a whole post on how I don't like the way Facebook utilizes my information but this is not the time and place.)  Ok, let me back up.  At the time of this page popping up on my Facebook, ALL I was doing was loving all things running. I had not been cleared by my doc to start running.  

The weeks leading up to this moment were filled with treating my plantar fasciitis with stretches and icing.  So I made just a little noise about it...until I was sucker punched by it on 4/20/2013.  How do I know the exact date?  Well, that is the day I hosted an all day crop at my house for 14 beautiful ladies (hmmmm there is that number again..14).  Blame it on the lack of sleep in order to prepare for the crop or the alcohol I had just consumed but Ellie mentioned the mud run and I jumped at the chance to do it.  And then she popped the question, "What is your pace?" (gulp) "Well you see...running is just a technique and not a pace" I started to say.  I even think I rambled something about how I am faster than I was last time I did C25K.  I was stumbling and tripping over my own words...at least that is how I remember it.  I probably chuckled alot because that is what I do when I am nervous or sad.  All I know is that by the end of the conversation, we were running the mud run. And I had a feeling we were going to do it together. I don't mean, "okay when the gun fires, I'll see you at the finish line."  That would have been easy. I do my own pace and not worry about how I "look" to her.  No, I knew this was going to be a "are you ready? we are doing this together until the very end."

So what's the big deal?  Well, Ellie was from scrapbooking world.  My first impression of Ellie was how well she packed for a crop.  She didn't carry bags luggage, like the rest of us.  I think the first time I saw her at a crop she had one shoulder bag and her purse.  The only scrapper that packs that light are the digital scrappers that carry their laptop.  But Ellie was an organized traditional scrapper. So organized that she had only one bag compared to our 4 or 5 that were twice the size of hers.  What was her secret? How did she do it?  

And then I saw the pages she produced and they were lovely. They were balanced, pleasing to the eye with wonderful placement of embellishments and yet the picture remained the focus of the page (a hard task to do when you use embellishments).  Yes she was a scrapper goddess. She traveled light and scrapbooked well.  

Over the months I had learned she was a counselor, an active member of  her church and at one time had some weight to lose.  If you see her now, you would never know it.  She is tiny and fit. So are you hating her yet?  Fit, pretty, well organized, counselor, volunteer..I could go on and on.  But here is the best part...she is the friendliest, down to earth, encouraging, giving person I may know. 

So when I fumbled through my answer regarding my pace, she said, "ok let's do it.".  There was no hesitation in her voice.  She was ready to go and I was nervous.  She met up with Monica and me on that mud Saturday and she encouraged us through the whole course.  At times, I am ashamed to say, I was so focused on finishing a certain obstacle that I would turn around and Ellie is calling out to me because I had left them behind.  I had left a man down, Monica, and Ellie stayed and made sure she was okay and could do it. (Yes I know...I am a horrible person.)

I hope you have an Ellie in your life. Someone who encourages, supports and laughs with you through your journey.  If you don't have one, find one. So here's to the Ellies of the world. Those women that can run circles around us yet choose to run along with us.  

Kris Kringle and the Winter Warlock

There is a joke in small group, more commonly known as Bible Study, don't pray for patience because God will give you something to test your patience. Well guess what? I prayed for strength, discipline and better health. So God sent...FattyMustRunMarathonChallenge.  Aye yay Aye!  He is going to test all three at once.

That's okay because I was given super powers.  At 12:04 today I received the email, along with 14 other women, stating I have been chosen for the year long marathon challenge. Yikes!  Talk about having mixed emotions. I am not gonna lie.  Part of me is terrified to take this challenge. What if I fail? What if I find out that I can't do this? What if I find out I am a failure? It is so easy to fall into that type of thinking. Heck, it is second nature in my head space.

So I will twist these lies into truths.  That's right. If I can believe anything I want, then I choose to believe that I can do this.  I choose to believe that I will succeed.  I choose to be on my side.  I have wasted too many years rehearsing failure in my head.  Time to rehearse success.  

So here is the truth that I know today.  Today I can run 2 miles.  Today I know how to listen to my body.  Today I know I can put one foot in front of the other. (Anyone just think of the Christmas Special Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, where Kris Kringle is trying to help the snow guy , Winter Warlock, to become nice.?)  THAT'S IT!!!  REVELATION!!!  I will put one foot in front of the other and change my ways and do so, one step at a time.  My 2 miles will turn into 3 then 6 then 13 then 26!  All by just putting one foot in front of the other. 

And just as the Winter Warlock had Kris to help him, I have 14 women to help me.  Together we will encourage, support and share our experiences.  Over the next few weeks as I get to know them, I hope to share  a little about each one of them. Some have blogs and I will list them to the right so that you can follow their journey also.

Well I am off..putting one foot in front of the other....

SING WITH ME!!

Warlock:  I really am a mean and despicable creature at heart you know. It's difficult to really change.

Kris:  Difficult? Why, why look here, changing from bad to good is as easy as taking your first step.

[chorus]

Put one foot in front of the other

and soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor.

Put one foot in front of the other and soon you will be walking out that door.

You will never get where you're going

If ya never get up on your feet.

Come on, there's a good tail wind blowin'

A fast walking man is hard to beat.

[chorus]

If you want to change your direction,

If your time of life is at hand,

Well, don't be the rule, be the exception

A good way to start is to stand.

[chorus]

Winter: If I want to change the reflection I see in the mirror each morn...

Kris: Oh you do

Winter:  You mean that it is just my election?

Kris: Just that?

Winter: To vote for a chance to be reformed? Wuu Huu!

If Winter can change, then so can I. I am just going to put one foot in front of the other!

Dirty Girls Run

Picture taken by Ellie's husband

I love it when two of my worlds collide, like they did this Saturday. The two gals with me are scrap buddies. Once a month, about 12-14 women meet to scrap and chat. But on this Saturday, three of us came together to do run, jump, walk and grunt through a 5K mud run.  And of course, being the scrapbookers that we are, we took tons of pictures.

Now if you are new to running or maybe you are doing the Couch25K plan and still within the first weeks of it, you may be hesitant about registering for a 5K.  Don't be.  As a matter of fact, I am going to tell you to get over yourself and I mean it.  Get...over....yourself because you are the only thing holding you back. You see, Monica, the girl with the glasses, has never run a 5K. She has never done a training plan or tracked her pace or joined a running group.  She saw this 5K as a way to have fun with some friends and so she signed up for the joy of it.  Let's face it, if you aren't training to place at the top and earn a trophy, then I hope you are training and yes, running these races for the joy of it.

Did she run the whole course? Nope. Did she have a certain time she wanted to beat? Nope. Was it hard? Yup.  But she has earned the bragging rights to say she has completed a 5K.  She did amazing and never quit.  She got a stitch on her side within the first quarter mile but she stretched it out.  She could feel her calves cramping so she stopped and stretched them.  But she never gave up. She listened to her body and responded to it.  She did the obstacles she could and skipped the obstacles she couldn't.  (As did I)  Ellie and I stayed with her and encouraged her when she needed it.  (Well I must say Ellie was amazing. She always kept an eye on both of us. She can run circles around both Monica and I but she chose to stay with us...more on her in a later post). Monica did her best and I believe when it was all said and done, she realized that she was able to go farther and do more than she ever thought she could.  As a matter of fact...she's looking for her next 5K.  That's right people, this girl gots game!

So you see, you shouldn't over think your first 5K. If you keep asking yourself  "What if..." you will never get out there and miss so many opportunities to see how great you are.  Heck, sign up for a 5K mud run obstacle course, if you are really worried about not being able to run the whole thing.  In a run like this, you are guaranteed to have to take mandatory breaks while you wait your turn to do the next obstacle.

Remember what John Bingham says, "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."  Are you ready? Do you have the courage?

Monthly Motivating Movie

So starting this month, I plan to recommend one movie the first Friday of each month.  Not all will be motivating but they will be related to running.

I know, I know  this first one is obvious.  But hear me out.  I have only seen this movie once and it was about a year ago...and I hated it.  (Gasp!!!) But I did.  When it originally came out in theatres, I was too young to appreciate it.  I can hum a few notes of the theme music and I can envision men running on a beach but that is all. 

However, this movie moved many.  So many that it won 4 Oscars.  So Chariots of Fire has won the right to be my first movie to recommend. (Eventhough I hated it.)

Dirty Girl in 3...2...1

(Picture from Gritty Goddess Facebook page)

It's 3 days until the Gritty Goddess 5K obstacle run in Galveston!  I can't wait. Two wonderful gals are going with me. No, we aren't running buddies. We are scrapbooking buddies. I love that my two worlds are colliding!

The last time I did a mud run, I did it with a good friend. I have to confess that when I said yes, I really wanted to say no.  I even think I tried several times to excuse myself from it.  I was scared.  I had not ran in a while and the idea of running through an obstacle course for 5Ks frightened me.  I didn't think I could walk 5K much less run 5K and throw all my fluffiness over a wall or climb a tall rope thingy or huge bouncy thingy (yeah I have no idea what their official names are).    And that day I proved myself right.  My poor friend Mari, I am sure she was ready to strangle me. I admire her. She is tough and independent and confident.  But at the same time she will give you the shirt off her back if she thought you needed it.  She doesn't put up with any crap and is a natural born leader.  She is soo cool she is even part of a roller derby team.  Her name on the team GREEN BEANER ! Love that girl! So she would say, "ok lets just run to spot X" and I was just turn and look at her like she was crazy. You know why I would just look and not say anything?  Because I was out of breadth from just walking!  Half way through, I pretty much convinced myself that I was going to pass out.  Now I am not sure if I was going to pass out because I had no more energy or because I thought once we got round this group of trees we only had on more obstacle and when I got around the trees, I realized we have 5 more obstacles to do and plenty of walking (Uh I mean running) to do in between .   But being the wonderful friend that she has always been, she just encouraged me and stayed with me. Thank you Mari for putting up with my drama.  

Ok, I am pretty sure I still can't run a 5K, much less run a 5K and then some.  But I am not scared.  I want to try.  I want to see what this body can do. I have been running for a few weeks and I want to take this body for a test drive.  I am sure I will get tired. I know that a dozen women are going to grab onto my bum and push me over the 5 foot wall.  I know all this and I am okay with it.  I JUST WANT TO TRY!

So my next run will be Saturday morning at 10:10 in the EIRENE wave at the Gritty Goddess.   I will wear a Tiffany Blue team shirt with ratty old shoes and other clothing that will probably have to be chunked after the run due to all the mud we will encounter.  (thank you Monica for offering to make the t shirts at such a great price) and  (thank you Ellie for having the idea to use a part of my blog name as the team name).  I promise to   nevermind. I make no promises to do anything but do my best, support and encourage my friends and all the women and enjoy every minute of it.