Intensely Prickly Happy Deviants (and we like dirt)

Numbers, numbers and....more numbers

2009-02-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about keeping track of our "homeschooling" lives on here but was daunted with the task of writing it all down and putting into categories. The fun of not having curriculum is that we are pretty free and writing it down can be tiresome! So this may start off pretty random but so be it.

Bub has become very interested in numbers. Although some would say that he has always been a number kind of guy, I would say it has been all about words and reading these last two years. He taught himself to read sentences when he was four. He was spelling long before that. I mean he talked about words all day every day. Signs were especially exciting to him and everywhere we went he was reading even the most complex signs. Yet, if I was to say "read me this book" he would say he can't. But he is quick to read over my shoulder and correct me if I say the wrong word. This was one of the first positive signs that Bub probably wouldn't enjoy school. He doesn't like to be told to learn something as he is fully capable of doing it himself and on his own time and in his own way.

Anyway, back to numbers. I got him a leapster game called "Math Missions" which is designed for 6 and up (I got his sister the animal one where they give all kinds of animal facts and quizes cuz she loves animals so much). I have to admit there was some thought that it might spark an interest for him in numbers since we are homeschooling so much of his focus was on words and learning science & history. Well he loved it so much and since then has been coming up with his own word problems (multiple steps), counting by 2,5,10,100, & 1000s, discussing negative numbers, and teaching these concepts to his 4 year old sister (we'll call her Tink).

We started homeschooling about a year and a half ago. We began with the school version where we met with someone once a week and she provided us with workbooks & things for us to complete each day. This was officially kindergarten work but soon we realized that his skill level was more like first or second grade despite the fact that he refused to write saying that he "wasn't good at it." We ran into a lot of problems....mainly that we fought over the work he needed to do. Then some days he would find the stuff and do it almost entirely on his own. I had to get really creative and almost trick him into doing it which felt sad.

So here we are at the weekly meeting with the supervising teacher saying he is an overachiever and he and I feeling like crap about how we managed to complete the work. The last few weeks of school he would tell me that he HATED the work and HATED me. So I asked the teacher since he had basically completed his work if we could just follow his lead a bit and see where it went. I told him we didn't have to do "school" anymore and I don't think I have seen a bigger smile on his face!

Since then we have been seeing so much learning happening in our house. We are all learning constantly and interested in new ventures and topics to study (which for them at this point isn't studying in the traditional sense but exploring the world and asking lots of questions). I try to expose them to new ideas, places, and ways of learning. I encourage them but don't feel it necessary to sit them down with busy work unless they ask for it (and they do sometimes).

Here are some tidbits from our week:

-Bub has been sharing dad's duty of reading stories at bedtime. He reads them to Tink and goes over each word for her so she can learn.

-Making change games online (counting different coins to get to certain amount)

-"What time is it mister fox!" (Counting, following directions & OT)

- Ball darts

-Soccer & catch (Tink)

- tons of reading and sing-along online (Bub)

- Shape sorting, drawing, songs online (Tink)

- Bee facts

- Senses (reading)

- Underground animals (reading)

-Robins (reading)

- Playing with friends at the park

- Dominoes (matching & counting)

-Weather systems

- Valentines (wrote and constructed themselves)

- Lots of drawing, imaginary play, building train systems, and ponies!

-3-4 books a day reading outloud

-Thomas the Train magazine workbook which was mostly comprehension, writing, sorting, and counting.

-Poems from Tink's Lady Bug magazine which was all about shadows and why we have night & day

- Presidents (also discussion about monarchies & laws)

-Geography (location on map)

All of this was some combination of me "opening doors" for them, reading, movie watching, research online, asking questions and discussions.

Going off gf w/enzymes

2009-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

I have been dreaming about this for a while. Taking the kids to any restaurant, baking cakes with just 1 type of flour versus 5, sharing snacks with friends....ahhh the stress it would relieve in this house!

My son has been gfcf since he was 2.5. We started with milk and we saw a dramatic change in his cognitive ability. His vocabulary expanded and he started interacting more with those around him. Because the change was so drastic we decided to go the whole way and go off gluten too. Going gluten free was HARD at first but we got the hang of it and I have become a goddess of gluten-free baking. We saw so much progress that his original diagnosis of autism @ 2 has downgraded dramatically. He did recieve early intervention but the diet has been the most consistant aspect to his treatment of the autistic symptoms.

We started Houston enzymes about 4 months ago and have seen a lot of positive change for all of us.....physical, mood, etc. I have been doing some research online and saw a lot of joyful posts from people who went off gfcf with enzymes successfully. I have also seen posts from those that saw a regression going off the diet. This is why it is so hard for me to decide to take the risk! When my son is in a bad place....we are ALL in a bad place and this household is never devoid of stress. Not to mention we are juggling more then usual at the moment.

Yet, after discussing with my husband (who was REALLY hesitant), we decided to go slow and add a little gluten in our lives. We aren't trying the dairy yet and may not for a long while since we know it had the most affect on him as a baby (and truly has the most effect on all of us). I have been using enzymes over the past 4 months and was successfully able to add gluten products in my diet (no eczema or stomach cramps!) so I am hoping that my son will have the same response!

The kids have been using Houston's chewable AFP Pep & Zyme Prime. I have been using Trienza which incorporates the above in one pill & adds a no phenol componant. I mix that into their food when possible but I would rather they know what they are eating & the chewables are great in that way. I had the discussion with him this morning that we are going to give it a try and if he feels sick or unwell in any way, to let me know.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Pratt Trail hike in Ojai

2009-01-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

pratt trail (Hiking)

Big Sur International Marathon

2008-05-06T10:22:00.001-07:00

We finished!

We headed out the door to pick up Carlos at 3:45 AM so we could make the bus ride to Big Sur. We had to catch the bus because it was the only way to get to the start because they closed down the roads until later in the morning. It was dark but there tons of runners walking around Monterey trying to find the bus pick-up. When we found the line it was HUGE and we had to walk way pass them to get to the end of the line. We got on the bus and there were no lights. It was quiet but you could feel the buzz of excitement.

On the bus we could see some of the view that we would soon be seeing in the light of day. We passed the aide stations and they looked like little camp sites on the side of the road. It took us a little over an hour to get to Marathon Village at the start of the race. They were playing music and every one was walking around like zombies trying to get to the porta potties and grab a bagel before the start.

My hip had been bothering me all week (which required a taper with not much running)....so I tried to stretch a bit while we waited. We were called to the start and there was just a huge mass of people in front of us. They sang the Star Spangled Banner and the gun went off....we had to walk to the start because the crowd was so large.

The first 4 miles or so were slightly down hill and amongst a crowd of trees. The crowd was alive and lots of people were pulling off to the side to go to the bushes to pee. Our pace was good and my hip wasn't bothering me much. I was extremely tired though because my daughter had kept me up all night two nights before and the night before we didn't sleep well either. I was so out of it and fatigued. It was also HOT. I had to take my shirt off and re-attach my bib to my shorts. Of course I wasn't prepared for heat! This race was supposed to be cold!

Soon we could see the ocean and people started to stop to take pictures. We approached the first of many hills and I had to slow my pace to get over them. We stopped to get some good pictures along the way and also stopped to pee a couple of times. Hurricane Point approached and it was really warm! The hill wasn't so bad because of all the training I had done in the mountains. At the top of the hill though we got some head winds that pushed us backwards for a few miles.

After the bridge (and the piano player)...around 14 miles, I stopped taking pictures and focused on the next stage of the race. I found Hurricane Point (the highest peak in elevation) to be the least of my problems compared to the second half. The hills just kept coming and I found that I wasn't making up as much time on the downhills as I expected (since there weren't many downhills, lol). Still on the flats I was keeping a 9-10 min/mile pace and on the hills probably a 12 min/mile pace.

As 18, 19 & 20 approached, I was aware that we were going to finish. This is a good feeling in a marathon, lol. Especially with an injured hip. I knew that I might feel a bonk around mile 20 so I was trying to keep the fluids up and also took a gel. The streets banked to the left and right so it was really hard on my knees and hips. This was one of the more challenging parts of the race.

The entertainment was good....almost every mile there was so random Rastafarian, belly dancer, mime, or drum circle. It was very sureal, lol. My knee was giving out and I stopped to walk for the first time around mile 22. It felt like something was loose in there and I was worried that I might not be able to run anymore. Luckily there was an aide station there and I slathered on some BenGay...and JJ got a hug from some lady in a trash bag.

My knee was better and I was running again...picking up my pace. They had yummy strawberries close to the end but I had my eye on the end. JJ grabbed one for me (nice guy that he is). We see the last mile marker right before a hill just ahead. We laughed...they have got to be kidding!!! Another hill! After the hill we could see the flags and the crowd cheering (and the loud speaker...such a wonderful sound to hear!). We sprinted toward the finish and I felt so excited, relieved and emotional.

They stop you right at the end and my eyes were tearing up as they put the medal around my neck and shook my hand. We waddled to the food tent and saw Carlos' smiling face. He had finished about 8 minutes ahead. Go Carlos! Our time was 4:53...better than SF! I read after the race that 30% don't even finish before the cutoff time of 6 hours. I am happy with my time and excited for faster times in the future.

The race left me feeling a lot of different things. The thing first and foremost in my mind was Mary. I had started to train for this marathon shortly after my miscarriage. Having a late miscarriage was an extremely painful time for me. Since I was 16 weeks, I had to deliver her in the hospital after 15 hours of labor. My milk came in but there wasn't a baby to feed. I thought the marathon would give me something to focus on and push through the post partum depression.

Throughout the training I fell in love with running again and even moreso with being outside. Trail running has become something I can't stop thinking about. I have done things I never really thought I would have done....another marathon and many races on trails and roads. I miss her terribly but I am also very aware of the happiness I have found since her death.

Mary, you were truly a gift in so many ways. I miss you and love you very much.

Malibu Creek 25K

2008-05-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I haven’t gotten around to posting my experience from this race. It was an amazing race and made me realize how much I adore trail racing. It also made me realize that maybe asphalt racing might be a thing of the past.

We dropped the kids with our sitter and drove down to Malibu on the 101. We had just gotten back from backpacking in Potrero John (Ojai area) the day before. We were pretty tired!

When we got to the start, the race direction told us that there was in fact a creek crossing early in the race. There was an alternative route that we could use if we wanted. The creek was thigh deep and in my mind I was thinking that I hadn’t gotten my feet wet before so I don’t know how well my shoes dry. Uh oh.

The first few miles were really nice but really crowded. We got to the creek crossing and I thought about the detour for a second and then realized that it was part of the adventure and I just HAD to go over the creek. Since we had been backpacking and crossing multiple creeks….I just jumped right through the water as all the men around me tip toed through. In retrospect it probably wasn’t the safest way to go through because of how slippery and rocky it was.

We sloshed up the first of the many long hills in this race. There were many many hills, lol. In fact, most of the first half was one long steep hill! Right before the aide station at about 7.5 miles was a peak that was just beautiful with rock formations and little caves.

After the aide station we had a few more hills and embarked on 4 (at least) miles of DOWN HILL. It was beautiful and the crowd had really thinned out by then so I was running down almost completely by myself. At the bottom we ran next to a creek for a while then out onto the pavement with about a hundred tourists doing day hikes. I had no idea how many miles were left. Finally we saw our friends who had taken the trip to meet us at the finish-yay! It was a fantastic race! I am looking forward to Pacifica 21K and Montana De Oro 25K this summer!

Montana De Oro 12K Trail Race

2008-03-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

We are back from the race! It was a lot of fun. The elevation gain was killer in the middle. We have a few pictures from the peak of the mountain and then a bunch at the end. Our time was 1:30 which was great for a first race where we had to climb vertical trails for about 30 minutes (or more). We made up a ton of time running back down....we were flying!

Plodding Along

2008-02-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

Training is going super well. I did 4, 4, 7, and 14 this week. I also did a nice and steep hike this past weekend on my off day. I realized that the race in Montana de Oro might be a little more than I bargained for. So we are planning on running a 11 mile trail next weekend (with an elevation gain of around 1400) in order to prepare for the race in March. It is a "cut back " week so I think it will fit in nicely (our next long run is 17 miles). My fear is that I will get injured because I am not prepared to run on terrain like that but I also think it will be the best of hill training for the marathon. We will take it slow and easy! I am very excited for that race though. One of our running goals is to start trail racing more frequently and eventually run the 32 mile 9 Trails race in Santa Barbara (bring on ultraracing!)

Lately our long runs are pretty hilly but I don't think we break much more than 500 in elevation gain. I don't notice the hills much at all anymore. Training is going a lot easier this time around for me and we aren't taking any walking breaks at all. YAY!

Training

2008-01-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much about training lately. I haven't even been recording much in my training journal (in fact I can't remember the last time I did). I haven't stopped running or anything...just stopped wearing a watch! My watch just died out of no where and we can't afford to buy me a new one at the moment. So...I don't have much motivation to record my training since I am not even sure how fast I am going, lol. I do know that I am still doing 3, 3, and 6 during the week. Our long run is up to 12 now which is slower going because of all the storms.

The rain dumped on us yesterday during our run and we had to puddle jump (and some rivers) the whole way. JJ's knee is really bad at the moment too which worries me. Because of this, and some other factors, we decided not to do the 1/2 marathon this coming weekend. We will just keep increasing our long run mileage by 2-3 miles. My weekday mileage will increase next week too (to 4, 4, and 7).

So, basically everything is going really well. My energy is great! I am eating ETL now all the time and experimenting with long run fuel that isn't sport drinks or gels. So far, the best has been diluted carrot juice and a few dates. Because my nutrient intake is so high, I am not getting that post run starving feeling. I feel very healthy and have so much energy! My typical menu is:

Breakfast: blended salad (1/2 pound spinach, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup cherries, carrot juice, and flax). Coffee w/splash of soy milk & agave

Lunch: Extra large salad w/mixed spring greens, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, 1/2 avocado, black beans, and homemade tahini and apple cidar vinegar dressing. 2 dates and a granny smith apple.

Snack: blended salad (1/2 pound spinach, 1 cup mixed berries, carrot juice),and 1/2 oz of almonds

Dinner: Italian stew (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, onions, celery, garlic, carrot juice, chopped tomatoes, veggie broth, thyme, basil, oregano, and chickpeas.) 2 dates

Gluten-free Beet Muffins

2008-01-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

Gluten-free Beet Muffins:

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup amaranth flour (Quinoa, or sorghum)
1/2 tsp Xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt (opt)
1/8 cup of egg replacer
1 tsp baking soda
2 T flax
1/3 cup canola oil (or non-fat sub)
Beets (3 circles cooked can get them @ Trader Joes)
2 big squirts of Agave Nector (or to taste)
1 cup carrot juice
T vanilla (gluten free)

Set oven to 350. Puree beets in food processor with carrot juice. Then mix in flax and let sit while you mix dry ingrediants in a seperate bowl (baking soda, egg replacer, flours, Xanthan gum, and salt). Add oil, agave, and vanilla to processor (with beets/flax) and blend well. Add wet mixture to dry flour mixture slowly and mix until combined. Spray cupcake holders lightly with oil and fill. Makes 12 small muffins. You can add a banana to make these taste more like banana muffins. If you don't need gluten free substitute all the flours with 2 cups whole wheat flour. You then don't need to add the Xanthan Gum.

Mexican stuffed Portabellos

2008-01-19T16:14:00.000-08:00

Mexican Black bean stuffed portabellos (fills 18 small...6-9 servings)

2 can of black beans
2 T nutritional yeast.
1/2 cup-1 cup garbonzo flour
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 onion 1/2 cup salsa
1 red pepper
Handful cilantro
1 T cumin
4 cloves of garlic
1 T Baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Dry sauté onions. Process sunflower seeds alone first until they are ground. Add nut. yeast, 1/2 cup garbonzo flour, cilantro, baking powder, cumin, garlic, onions and 1 can of beans and process until mixed. Add last can of beans and pulse (some whole beans). Sauté (in its own juice) the salsa and chopped pepper. Put mixture in bowl and transfer the pepper and salsa mixture. Add more garbonzo flour if needed. Pull out stems and clean mushrooms. Fill to a mound. Cook covered for 40 minutes (35)...then 10-15 uncovered.

Santa Barbara in the winter

2008-01-13T16:35:00.001-08:00

It is freakishly beautiful here. I think sometimes we take it for granted and complain about it raining only a few days. But the rains brought such beauty and health to all the vegetation.

We ran 10 miles for our long run this week (I also ran 3, 3, and 5 miles earlier in the week). It was a nice run because the weather was so nice. For 4 miles we ran through the neighborhoods and then headed to the beach to run on the trails for the remaining 6. We averaged a 11min/mi pace. I am feeling a bit tired today but that could be blaimed on the gremlins that creeped into my bed at 6 am this morning.

Burgers and Fries!

2008-01-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this look like a real burger? Well it isn't!

I made these veggie burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner tonight with a little Annie's ketchup and the kids were psyched! The are very healthy and ETL friendly.

I have been trying to create a burger that the kids won't pick at and one that wouldn't fall apart. Plus, I really wanted one that wasn't full of grain flours, rice, or other starches. So this is what I came up with:

Veggie Burgers (serves 6)

1 can black beans

1 can red beans

4 cloves of garlic
2 onions
5 carrots
4 stalks of celery
2 cups garbonzo bean flour

1/2 cup walnuts
1 large handful of fresh parsley
1 large handful of fresh basil

2 T Nutritional Yeast

Dry saute onion, carrots, garlic and celery. Saute until soft.

In food processor, process walnuts until powdery then add garbonzo flour. Add remaining ingredients and process well (if you don't want any signs of vegetables) or pulse (if you want big chunks). I used silicon cupcake holders (12) to get them formed (consistancy was cake batter). Put them in 350 oven until brown on top then remove from oven. I popped them out onto a cookie sheet, squashed them a bit, and formed a little on the sides to create patty. Bake again (350) until they are crispy but not burnt.

Slightly Obsessed!

2008-01-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I made a variation to the stuffed mushrooms with black beans, cilantro, salsa and walnuts and they were the best yet! I can't get enough of them.

I made a big pot of veggie soup tonight with green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, bok choy, celery, onions, garlic, fresh basil, fresh parsley, and cannelini beans. I pureed a couple cups to make it thicker/creamier. My 3 year old ate two bowls of it! I tried pureeing it to get my 5 year old to eat it but he still claimed it made him "shiver." Still, he ate about a 1/2 a cup and said he liked it but still asked for spinach and pinenut sauce pasta. Did I mention we are gluten-free? It makes things pretty interesting around here.

I decided to not buy eggs this week and make these muffins for the kids. Beet Carrot cake: http://www.fatfreevegan.com/desserts/beet.shtml. I omitted a few things (like carrots and pineapple, and nuts) and added coconut flour, carrot juice, flaxeed meal, and rice milk (for B12 sources)...oh and subbed a gluten free blend for the flours. They turned out really nice!

Oh and I am slightly obsessed with greens. I make 2 green smoothies a day (4.5 oz of spinach in each) and I love them! With my salad, that means I am getting close to a pound of greens a day! yay!

Btw, we ran 5 miles today in the rain. It was kinda nice and I felt great throughout....waves were gigantic!

Eat to Live

2008-01-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

Well I finally bit the bullet and committed to “Eat to Live”…a guide to health by Dr. Fuhrman. I have been dabbling in it for about a year but hadn’t fully jumped in. Well I did…..I am 7 days in and feel fantastic! Because I have been vegan for so long, it has been pretty easy because I have so many staples that fit right in. The hardest part (and this was a suggestion made by him because of my PCOS history) was giving up starches. But I really think it was all in my head because I hardly miss them now. He recommends 2 pounds of greens/veggies a day which has been challenging but I think I am up to a pound of raw greens and ½ pound of cooked veggies. I have had to increase my nuts/seeds intake and eliminate all the oil (which is pretty easy because I rarely cook with it). I have increased the beans which I really LOVE. I guess I didn’t realize how much better I would feel. I am increasing starchy fruit on my longer run days to help refuel because I am burning around 800-900 calories….as my runs get longer, I will probably add more nuts/seeds and avocado. It was amazing how much more energy I had on my 8 miler today! I felt a little heavy in the legs around mile 7 but after I don’t feel fatigued at all.

Here is my latest recipe creation. I served it over the biggest salad I have ever seen… I had to actually put the mushroom on another plate entirely!

Stuffed Mushrooms:

6 portabellos (4 medium to 2 large)

8 oz frozen spinach

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

handful of cilantro

1 T of cumin (ground)

1 can chickpeas

1 T nutritional yeast

1/4 cup of chickpea flour

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1 teaspoon baking powder

I sautéed (no oil) the onions, garlic, and spinach. I ground the pinenuts in the food processer. Then added the chickpea flour, spices, nutritional yeast, baking powder, cilantro and processed. After 5 minutes of cooking I added the onion mixture into the processor and mixed again. Then pulsed in the can of chickpeas. I spread the mixture into the portabellos with a spatula. They cooked for 30-40 minutes covered then about 15 minutes uncovered in a 350 degree oven.

My husband even loved them J

KElli

Oh the weather is a comin...so they say

2008-01-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

The word on the street is that there are 3 big storms coming that will bring surf, rain and wind over the next 4-5 days. It is like Santa Barbara's version of a hurricane. I can't remember the last time it rained here. It never rains.

Anyway, because of this, I decided to get my long run out of the way while the weather was ok. I got myself a mini digital camera to capture some pictures on my runs and played around with it today while on my 8 mile long run. It was an awesome run and I enjoyed every minute of the hour and 26 minutes it took me to do it. I took some stops to get some shots and here they are.

Week #1

2008-01-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Here is an update on the running I did in the first week of official training. It didn't follow the plan because I didn't have a sitter so I could only run when the stars aligned.

I ran 3 miles, 6 miles, and 5 miles. I had to do some rearranging of the training schedule because of the holidays but I think it will all work out.

The raw people are sucking me in!

2007-12-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have been considering eating mostly raw for a while now but many excuses get in my way. 1) what to do about my husband. He can deal with the vegan lifestyle but eating raw would mean cooking some pretty fancy meals to entice him. 2) Its winter…I want to eat warm 3) my severe grain/carbohydrate/legume addiction.

Everything I am reading and have read about it say that my running/recovery will benefit immensely from eating raw. People talk about all the energy that comes from it and it makes me want to try it! I wish I had a personal chef!

KElli

It's all in your head

2007-12-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am practicing mind over matter today as I fight a head cold. I had to skip my run yesterday because of this silly nuisance. It is threatening my running plans for today but JJ swears that running will actually make me feel better. I guess it will if I want it to!

Anyway, I missed my 5th day of running last week, leaving me with only 19 miles for the week with a long run of 7. I ran all the shorter miles between 8-10 min/miles and the long was in the 11 min/mile range. I have to skip a long run around Christmas because we don't have a sitter but I am going to bump that weeks mileage to this week so that we are actually starting the first week of training...this week. We truly means that a run today is a must!

Hal Higdon's Intermediate program

2007-12-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

At first I was thinking I would do his novice II program but I really think I need to up my mileage to get a better time in Big Sur. Our last program (for SF) peaked at 35 miles/week with one 20 miler and four total runs a week. His intermediate program consists of 2 medium long runs, 1 long run and 2 shorter runs a week. My total mileage at the moment is around 20 miles and the program peaks at 45 (I think). There are two 20 milers at the peak of the training.

I have already gotten faster since I started the base training. I was concerned because while training for the SF marathon, my pace was 10 min/mi average for medium long runs. I usually ran the long runs around 12 mi/mi when they got in the 16+ mile range. I started my base at 12 min/mi at even the shorter distances after a 4 month hiatus from running. Could I really lose that much fitness in 4 measly months??? Yet, I have quickly gotten back to a consistent 9-10 min/mi after only a couple months of slowly increasing my mileage and running 5 days/week. Since my “long runs” are still relatively short still (7-8 miles), I am running them at the same pace as all my other runs. I hope this isn’t premature…..but I think my goal is to run the marathon at a 10 min/mi. I figure I will just get faster. That leaves me with a goal of 4:20 for the marathon. The course is very hilly though so I am giving myself a buffer and making the goal between 4:20 and 4:40. So that is that!!…I will re-evaluate when we get closer.

San Francisco Marathon

2007-12-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

This is us running in the SF marathon..I think it was around mile 15 in Golden Gate park. I have to say that this marathon had many more hills than I thought it would have…but I think I was in denial. We went out slow and did walk at every aide station. The hills were tough but the downhills were murder on my legs. The views were spectacular!

Exiting the park at mile 20, I was struggling to finish but we never officially bonked or anything. J claims that he could have run the whole thing a lot faster. (biggest eye roll ever). Our time was 5 hours and we felt ok after….stuffed our faces and had a nice big glass of wine while we lounged on our friend’s couch. Ahhhhhhh sweet life.

Little did I know... I had been pregnant which I am now blaiming for my cramps and sluggishness in retrospect. We were so happy and excited anticipating our 3rd addition to the family. I was a little worried about letting my running slip because I had worked so hard and well ..it had become one of the loves of my life. It was also an excuse to spend hours chatting with my husband whom I adore more than anything...AND a big ole break from my little gremlins.

Sadly I lost her at 4 months :o(. We were devastated but I will always remember my little SF marathon running companion. We are now running the Big Sur Marathon in her memory around the time she would have been due. It is supposed to be a magical marathon and I am REALLY looking forward to it. Maybe I will train for hills this time? heh heh

Long time no see

2007-12-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't been keeping up with this thing. A lot of things have been going on lately. I am training for the Big Sur Marathon in April 2008. I have started my base training (about 2 months ago...a little less). After Christmas I will officially be starting Hal Higdon's 18 week intermediate marathon training program!

Faye Hobbs 10 Miler!

2007-04-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

We are back from the race. It was a great race. The weather was clear, crisp, and cool. The first three miles were pretty flat and we took it slow at 11 min/mile pace...just enjoying the beautiful ocean views! We decided to just walk a few seconds through the aide stations drinking gatorade and it worked well. Otherwise we ran the whole way!

The hills started at about the 3 mile mark but they weren't too bad. I think because I have been doing most of my runs on hilly trails (not super hilly). JJ liked to book up them becuase he said they were easier on his knees. We picked up the pace to 10 min/mi. through the hills.

When we started the race the announcer guy said that getting passed by a girl was called "getting girled" and both JJ and I rolled our eyes. But then we joked throughout the run that we were getting "little girled" "geisered" and "babied" (some guy was towing his baby behind him!). They all passed us but we kept tight on our slower pace so we could pass later which was so hard to do. JJ definitely was itching to go faster! At the turn around I felt great but really had to PEE! I even stopped drinking an hour before the race to avoid this but I guess I have to push it farther back.

We started passing at around 8 miles and it felt so nice to get past this one group of "talky talkies" who ran 4 people abroad. So annoying! All they were talking about was how they were running slow and would kick later. When we got to the 9 mile mark, I started sprinting because I heard the talkies coming! I passed by this guy and he was like "woh, not gonna catch that one! I felt like I was flying! JJ was egging me on saying "I am going to beat you!" so we raced each other in the end. The annoucer guy said he was a smart man though because "he let me beat him" ---heh heh not sure about that! Our time was 1:40 which was lower than our goal of 1:45. It means that we made up for our exra minutes by going faster in the end and averaging 10 min/mi pace for the race!

We ended feeling really good and not in pain whatsoever. Yay! I think that I have potential to go a lot faster but I have so much to learn.

Weight gain

2007-04-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

The odd thing about being vegan and being a runner is that I never really worry about getting enough calories. In fact, I have GAINED weight since training for this marathon...that's right 5-10 pounds indeed!

I think most people would worry about my nutritional needs as a vegan but there is no worry there for me at all. My worry tends to be in how can I eliminate some of the crappy vegan snacks/fats that most likely have increased my weight. It could also be the wine, lol.

Or maybe it is just that I am gaining muscle (we can only hope)

sigh

As usual, things change

2007-04-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have been back here. I ran the Orchard to Ocean Run in Carpinteria, CA on March 17th. For that race we did take walk breaks and were able to pass everyone from the half. Our time was 59:53 and I didn't remotely push myself. It is a great run that goes along the ocean on mostly flatish trails in Carpinteria.

As for our training. It has changed. I have been doing a lot of research and feel that I am going to try and only take walk breaks to drink....so I am aiming for the aid stations in the marathon. I am not even thinking that I have to walk...just that it will be my goal to keep running unless I am drinking. I think that it does help to keep my muscles fresh but I would like to train to run versus take the breaks.

Anyway, my husband and I had an argument about it on our last long run, lol. He was pretty upset that I had decided to reduce the walk breaks to every 3 miles. It isn't even that he needs the break because he is so much better built for running and can certainly run faster than me. He trains less than I do and does have a bad knee though....I know the walking breaks were helping his knees. I am hoping I am making the right choice!

This is my schedule this week:

Monday-3 mi (was sluggish becuase sunday I ran a 10 min/mile pace for 5 miles easily)

Tuesday- off

Wednesday-6 miles (but tried to slow my pace down to 10:30 min/mile since I was starting feel a cold coming on)

Thursday- 4 mi with strollers AND hills (it was nice actually!)

Friday (today, i am taking off!)

Saturday- Our Faye Hobbs 10 mile race!

Sunday- 3 recovery

Training Schedule

2007-03-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

So I was planning on using Jeff Galloway's training schedule but I just realized that I don't have enough time, lol. So I pulled out my training log and decided to doctor it up a little. The log uses the official New York City Marathon program. But see I added mileage to reflect Galloway's programs of getting a 26 miler in before the marathon. Problem is that I am at 6 miles with a 10K this weekend when I should be starting 10 miles....hmmmm.

Ok, I am back to this post and I think I found a solution. I am going to cut 3 weeks out in the end of Galloway's program so that my longest run is 23/24 miles 3 weeks before the race instead of going the full 26. I feel like it stays the closest to his program. I hope not fulfilling those 26 miles before doesn't hurt us too much.

July it is...but a year later!

2007-03-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I find this to be pretty funny. I found this blog after trying to start a new one. I had completely forgotten about it.

Last year I ran for a few months and then basically totally stopped. I can't even tell you why. I guess I was burnt out...maybe it was the heat? I don't know but we continued to do short races but backed out of the 1/2 marathon that we paid for in the fall. We ran the 5K instead.

I have kept up running a bit through the fall/winter but then about 3 months ago, I thought I would seriously give it a try again. My reason was that I was sad and anxious all the time. I didn't know what to do. I remembered that running helped with that so I started adding some short running to my week. I did something a little differently this time. I made myself run 6 days a week for 20 minutes. After a month I increased it to 25-30 minutes a day. Then in the 3rd month, I started looking at the marathon. Running became a habit!!

I forgot to mention that I feel so much better. I am still anxious and sad on occasion but I feel like I have found some peace through running. It is mine...something I have all to myself.

I am a mom to 2 very beautiful, bright extremely difficult little children who take every ounce of energy that I have. My son has autism and it adds a whole extra layer (or ten) of anxiety, frustration, worry, fear, and awe to parenting. I haven't found much for myself in the past 4 years of his life. Even when I found time to get away, I would do something for the family. Partly out of guilt and necessity (it needs to get done) but also because I just didn't have anything that I wanted to do. I think I have finally found that for myself!

I am going to keep up with my training and write about it here. Our goal is San Francisco in July!! Yes, my husband has decided to run with me and I am really happy about it. I am training mostly alone but we will try and run our long runs together. So I get the the time to myself but also the time with him when our schedule permits.

In Some Pain

2006-05-18T13:46:00.002-07:00

Arg, I am sore! I have started my plan to eventually run a marathon. I am taking it very slowly because I know that I am probably very likely to injure myself.

My first week looks a little like this:

Monday: Run/walk- 3 min. run/1 min. walk x 5 for 20 minutes--

Tuesday: Run/walk- 3/1 x 6 for 24 mnutes (I actually couldn't help it and just ran the last 6 minutes straight).

Wednesday- 20 minutes yoga

Today: 15 minutes Pilates

So my stomach is so sore from the yoga and pilates and my calves are hurting from the run. I have to say though, it is much better doing the run/walk because I am way less sore than I have been in the past when I started to run.

So my goal is to run a 5 k in mid July. I haven't signed up for the race yet. I bought ChiRunning to help with my form.