Something New for the New Year

It's been awhile, but I'm back. I've been doing some "purpose-searching" the last few months and taking a good, hard look at what brings me joy and what I'm passionate about. I keep coming back to two things: crocheting and running. I love creating things. Whether it be crocheting my silly animals or creating something on a canvas, God has definitely given me a creative and crafty ability. I also love running and coaching others to their health and fitness goals. Weight loss and fitness are two things I've struggled with most of my life. Running teaches me that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought possible. When I have the privilege of coaching and encouraging others and celebrating big and small victories alongside them, that is when my heart is full. 

So...

2015 was the year of the marathon. After running that marathon, I learned how out of shape I was. 

2016 was the year to build strength in my core and increase my muscle tone. I'm not where I want to be, but I have made incredible strides. 

2017 is going to be a year I push myself. I have set some pretty lofty goals. My plan is to run 3 or 4 half marathons and a full marathon by the end of the year. I'm sure I will be participating in some 5k's and 10k's along the way. I will be continuing my Boot Camp as well. I just might be hoping that I start sleeping really well, because this girl is going to be tired! 

As the New Year brings fresh starts and restarts, I plan to begin blogging through my running shenanigans again (and probably other things as well). I am also revamping my @strong_mom_of_4 Instagram. I want those who have perhaps entertained the idea of running (regardless of the distance) to see that it's possible. I am going to be "coaching"(encouraging) those who want to join me get to the finish line of a 10k and a Half Marathon. You can walk, run, or do both. It doesn't matter how you move, just as long as you're putting one foot in front of the other. If this is something you've entertained the idea of, join me! I'm not 100% sure what this is going to look like, but it will provide a training schedule, running tips, workouts that can be done at home, meal ideas, and lots of humor and encouragement. 

2017 has some pretty awesome things in store for all of us. We just have to be willing to chase after them! 

Happy New Year!!

Mark and Shannon Smith: Marathoners!

First and foremost...Thank you EVERYONE who donated and helped us meet our fundraising goal!

So...I am a marathoner! I still can't believe I hold that title...but I have the medal to prove it ;) I have thought a lot about how I wanted to share about race day. I decided (after writing and deleting, writing and deleting) the most accurate way to share is by using the emotions from the movie Inside Out. There are so many feelings that you experience while training for a marathon, but on race day, those emotions go to a whole new level.

Before I begin, let me say that nothing and no one could have prepared me for how hard training for and running a marathon can be. I am not a runner. I do enjoy running, but God did not build me as a runner. I am not long and lean. I do not move like a gazelle. I can't run and talk at the same time...I have to focus on my breathing. The beginning of our training was fun. I actually looked forward to our short and long runs. We were actually committing to doing something I wanted to do for years. Then the weeks of training dragged on and running wasn't very fun. We were all kind of over running and just wanted race day to get here. We were all battling some sort of injury. Mark was having knee issues, our friend Chev was battling an IT band issue, our friend Angela kept injuring her hamstring, and I was still dealing with my sciatica and these nasty blisters that kept appearing on my little toes (one never realizes how important the little toes are until they are broken or injured). But we continued on. And I'm glad we did. I found this poster on Pinterest. It isn't entirely accurate. It isn't a miracle that we finished or that we even started...the miracle is that we continued.

Race Day...

Before the race...I just love how my fuel belt makes my hips look ginormous 😁 We were scared, excited, cold, and ready to get it over with already!

Joy, excitement, anticipation, great expectations...all things that raced through my gut and head while jumping up and down to keep warm while the pre-race formalities took place...the welcome, the "thanks for running for the great cause of St. Jude" speech, and the Star Spangled Banner...which I think was the slowest version I had ever heard. To start the race off, I was excited. I had bandaged my little toes up in hopes that the nasty blisters would stay away. I was excited because I was running along and I couldn't tell my toes were bandaged. My thought was since I couldn't feel them, they were going to work.  Gosh I was thrilled! And I started my race off great. We ran through the St. Jude campus (I think around mile 5) where a few of the patients who were up to sitting in the cold, cheered us on. There were several families representing patients past and present cheering us on along the way as well even beyond the St. Jude campus. Seeing their appreciation for the cause we were running for not only filled my eyes with tears, but it flooded my heart with joy as well.

Disgust, frustration, doubt...questioning myself why in the world I had ever thought I could actually accomplish this monumental task. At some point around mile 8, I started to get discouraged. I noticed that the leg pain of my sciatica was starting earlier than it had in any of my previous long runs. I also started feeling my little toes. My pace started slowing down some, and I was beyond frustrated. I'm pretty sure at one point I said out loud, "I suck at running." Disgust would continue to creep into my head at various points of the race...thankfully God placed people in my path that would help push Disgust aside and help Joy sneak back in...

Fear and defeat. At mile 10 I felt the blisters on my two toes pop. It hurt. My bandages were pinching the loose and new skin that was exposed. I was so afraid that the blisters would slow me down to the point that I wouldn't reach mile 19 by 1:30...it was at that time that if runners had not reached the 19 mark that they would be picked up by a bus and taken to the finish line, unable to complete their race. I started the race with that thought in my mind. I was NOT going to be one of the ones to get picked up. I had trained too hard and too long for my race to be cut short.

After hobbling for a few minutes I decided it would probably be easier to run without the bandages than with them, so I stopped. There wasn't anywhere to sit, so I was leaning against a building trying to balance and get my shoe and sock off. I had a sweet man, who was also a Hero Runner, stop and ask if I was ok. When I took my shoe off and he saw my sock covered in blood, he offered to stay with me and let me use him to balance as I took care of my toes and got my socks and shoes back on. I am so thankful for him letting me use him for support. I knew if I sat on the ground there is no way I could have gotten back up. He also encouraged me as I was getting situated. He said very confidently, "You only have 3.1 miles to go! Think of how awesome those blisters are going to feel when you cross the finish line!" It was then that I turned my racing bib to him to reveal that I was running the full marathon. He froze and could only say, "Oh!" Bless his heart. He tried to remain positive. As I started running again, he gave me some more encouraging words. Though I was crying, I smiled and told him thanks, and did my best to push the pain (and fear) aside...and try to find Joy to carry me on.

I don't think I ever really experienced the emotion of Anger, but I'm pretty sure a driver and a police officer each had a brush with this emotion around mile 16...about this time, the course went through a busier part of Memphis. There was one especially large intersection we had to go through where police officers were letting one or two cars go if there was enough space between groups of runners. This one particular officer was letting a couple of cars go, but told the third car to stop since the runners were getting really close to their intersection. Well, the third vehicle's driver was done waiting, and didn't listen to the officer. The officer proceeded to yell "STOP" and hold up his hand, but the driver continued to drive through the intersection...if the runners hadn't been paying attention, one could have easily been injured. The police officer eventually kicked (yes, straight up kicked) the car as it passed by. At that moment, the car stopped, rolled their window down and yelled at the police officer. Seriously! The police officer yelled back and continued saying something even as the driver of the vehicle drove off. There were so many volunteers through out the race, I tried my best to remember to thank them as I passed. This police officer though, as I passed him I held up my fist and said, "You get 'em!" and gave him a fist bump as I passed. He laughed and told me, "Hey, I'm here to look after you guys and protect you!" There entered Joy again. That officer made my day (or mile).

I'm not sure if Sadness is the correct emotion to describe how I felt at mile 21...but I was sobbing. When the half marathon runners split from the full marathon runners back at mile 11, the roads that were blocked off for the race course went from two lanes blocked off down to one lane blocked off. The one lane that was blocked off was the right lane, which meant that we couldn't run in the middle of the road where it was flat. The lane we were running in was so slanted, that it was causing my left leg and sciatica to hurt worse than it had at any point in any of my long runs previously. I was in so much pain, I was really done. I couldn't imagine running another 5 miles on that road. I seriously considered quitting.

It was about the time that I was ready to call it quits when I noticed there was a flat sidewalk with no spectators on it that I could run on. Honestly, running on concrete hurts the joints more than asphalt. So I had the inner struggle of run on majorly slanted asphalt, or flat and hard concrete...the concrete won. After sliding over to the concrete, I saw someone up ahead of me jumping up and down, waving their arms at me...it was my sweet friend Angela. I was so relieved to see her! She was the smart one, and decided to run the half instead of the full. She showed up at just the perfect time. I told her I was done, but she wouldn't hear of it. She ran with me for about a quarter of a mile and encouraged me the whole way. We were at about mile 22 at this point, and she said, "You have four miles left! This is just a warm up for you! Just think of running around our neighborhood to the high school and home. You can do this!" And just like that, Sadness started creeping away as Joy (and Determination) crept back in.

As I ran, I had an app tracking the people I had trained with. As they would reach certain mile markers, I would get notifications telling me who had crossed what mile. I remember giving a shout for joy as I got notifications that Chev and Mark had crossed the finish line...and then breaking down into tears. I knew how hard these two men (especially Chev) had trained for this day, and I knew that we had so many people back home in Jacksonville covering us all in prayer, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was so relieved that they were able to complete the task they had set out to do. As I mentioned before, we were all battling injuries and ailments. But their injuries and ailments weren't something I was positive they could push through. Sometimes the body just says NO! Thankfully, that wasn't the case on race day.

Here is Chev approaching the finish line. He was the first to finish with a time of 5:15:54. 

Here is Mark approaching the finish line. He finished with a time of 5:23:00.

As I continued on after receiving encouragement from Angela, I was able to get into a nice running rhythm again, staying on sidewalks almost the entire way until the last mile. As my sciatica and blisters became more of a pain (literally), I had to adjust my goals. My dream goal was to finish in 5 hours, although I knew that 5 and a half hours was more realistic. So once my blisters popped and the creeping nerve pain got worse, I decided I would be happy if I finished in under 6 hours...so, as I ran that last mile, and I passed the 26 mile marker, there was a man that said, "You have less than a quarter of a mile, you might as well sprint from here!" I don't know if that man was serious or not, but I glanced down at my Garmin watch and realized that if I did in fact sprint, I just might be able to finish in 6 hours...so I took off. I dug down deep and ignored every screaming nerve in my body. I remember as I was running down an incline into Auto Zone Park, the only thing I could think was, "Lord, don't let me trip and fall!" because I am really good at that with my monstrous feet. Thankfully, I didn't fall, and I crossed that finish line with a finishing time of 5 hours, 59 minutes, and 25 seconds. I met my goal with a whole 35 seconds to spare.

Talk about relief! One thing I didn't accomplish was the finishing photo I was planning in my head. I had planned to smile and give a thumbs up sign as I crossed the finish line, but that didn't happen. And lucky for me, Mark was there cheering me on and taking pictures as I finished. Looking at them even two weeks later, makes me cry.

 I can see pain, determination, disappointment, and relief on my face all at once. I have to tell the competitive side of me that I finished and that's all that matters. I am a marathoner regardless of my finishing time...even though I know with everything in me that if I were healthy, with no sciatica pain and no blisters, I could have done it faster.  So, knowing that, I just might do another one...just not in 2016. Maybe in 2017...

I was so thankful for my mom and her husband, Keith. They came up from Texas and drove our kids up so they could watch us cross the finish line. It meant so much to Mark and myself that our kids got to watch us accomplish something we had trained so long and hard for. It was a great family moment. It was a quick family moment, because we were all ready to shower, collapse, and take a nap when we were done.

Our amazing kids. We didn't think of how training for a marathon would effect them. The training was much more time consuming than we thought it would be. They didn't complain or comment once of how tired we were after our long runs and how we would nap the rest of the days away. 

He still loves me even after I tricked...I mean talked him into running a marathon with me! I hope he will love running again one day...maybe just a nice jog instead of a marathon though...

We finished, and we were all standing! Thankful for sweet friends to train with. I hope we encouraged them as much as they encouraged us! 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our marathon journey. Although we started this blog specifically for the marathon, I might keep up the blogging...I have learned that a marathon isn't just a foot race. Our life is a marathon that we are running through and time just does not seem to want to slow down. So maybe for 2016 my goal will be to write down more memories and feelings of these passing days as we prepare to send kids off to college in the next couple of years...I can't believe those days are upon us...

14 mile run and a half marathon for Shannon

Mark:

When my two older boys were little, their uncle taught them a funny saying. He would ask them, "What do supermodels do?" Their response was, "Supermodels always walk into the wind...always." It was cute and funny from two toddlers. A couple of Saturday's ago, we ran the longest we had ever run. 14 miles is a long way to run all at once. On top of the long distance, it seemed like we ran into the wind the whole time. My problem is that I'm not a supermodel. I don't have the looks or the hair to be running into the wind.

I will admit that I felt incredible after finishing the 14 mile jog. It is hard to believe that I ran 14 miles without stopping. I am learning about what to eat the day before and what to eat and drink the morning of our long runs. I have also learned that a ten minute ice bath after a long run does wonders for my body. Shannon and I were talking the other day, and I realized we are less than two months from the marathon. I don't feel ready, but it doesn't matter if I feel ready or not. The marathon is December 5, and it is rapidly approaching. We are running 14 miles again this Saturday. I had to take some time off because the bursitis has come back in my knee, and I wanted to try to give it a rest one last time before we make our final push in training.

Shannon:

That 14 mile run was one of my best. I deal quite a bit with sciatica that effects my left leg more than anything. I made up my mind before I set out that Saturday that I would break the run up into three increments...5 miles, 5 miles, and 4 miles. At the end of each increment, I stopped and stretched my left leg to work out the tightness and pain that creeps into it during my long runs. It really paid off, because I was able to run with a pace of 11:24 without hurting too bad after. That 14 mile run was two Saturdays ago...we have had a LOT happen in our busy life of kids and ministry since then.

This last weekend we were scheduled in our training program to run a half marathon. My theory with that is, if you have to run the distance of a half marathon, you might as well get a medal! So, I was excited to be able to run the Middle Half in Murfreesboro, TN. Not only did I get a medal, but I was able to set a new PR (personal record) for myself. I ran at an 11:15 pace and finished the 13.1 miles in 2:26:16. I was ecstatic! I was able to run pretty much the whole way. I did not eat before running (MISTAKE!) and ran out of gas at mile 12. I walked a little, ran a little, then made a final push the last half mile or so. It's hard to imagine running twice that distance, so I try not to think about it so I don't get discouraged. Lucky for us, we still have training ahead of us that will help condition ourselves to run those 26.2 :)

About that ice bath Mark was talking about earlier...I'm a big baby when it comes to those. I don't stay in for 10 minutes. I'm good to stay in at least 7. Well, since we were on the road this last weekend, I did not take an ice bath...boy did I notice a difference in my recovery! I will not be passing up that ice bath again after my long runs from now on.

This next weekend we are running another 14 miles, then we will be adding two miles each week before we start tapering down in preparation of our big race day! Do you know what I just realized? This year for Thanksgiving, I won't have to be as conscience as I normally am about what I eat because I will have a long run to burn all those calories just a couple days later! Woohoo!!

I hope you are enjoying our blogging about our marathon journey. Please remember that we are running as Hero Runners to raise money for St. Jude, their research, and the services they provide to families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer. We are a LONG way from our goal and would appreciate any donations you feel led to give. You can give a tax deductible donation on our fundraising pages by clicking on the links below. Thank you for your help!

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3476880&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3470299&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

12 Miles...Check!

Mark:

After a week of gradually getting back in the swing of things, I got to run a long run on Saturday. 12 miles...Woohoo! Every time I run I have the same two goals...finish and run the entire time. I am proud to say that I accomplished both on Saturday. I ran 12 miles without stopping. On Friday, Shannon and I ran 5 miles for our short run. It is crazy to think that 5 miles is a short run. I ran great, and I was looking forward to Saturday. Now, 12 miles is a long way, but you already knew that I'm sure. I started off great, and I felt great. In fact, I was running about 30 seconds per mile faster than what my goal is for the marathon. Then I hit mile 8. I didn't feel bad, but I had to slow down because I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain my pace. Then came mile 11. Let's just say that it was much hotter at 7:40 than at 6:00 when we started. I started counting down the time to try to figure out how much time I had left to run. The last mile was completely brutal. I kept thinking 4 more songs...3 more...2 more...last song. I finished, but I was completely spent. When we were done, Chev (my friend who is running the marathon with us) looked at me and said the marathon will be everything we did plus running it all over again. CRAZY! Honestly, I can't imagine running 26.2 miles right now. The thought of it scares, overwhelms, intimidates, and discourages me. I struggled running 12. How in the world can I run 26.2? People keep encouraging me by saying that I will get there. Just keep at it. Your training will make sure you are prepared. I appreciate all the positive comments and encouragement, but it seems like an impossible task at this point. Thinking about it just makes me tired. Writing about it makes me tired too.

Please don't forget we are running with a cause. If you haven't given yet, we would really appreciate your support. We both still have a long way to go to reach our goal as we raise money for pediatric cancer. Just click one of the links above if you would like to help out.

On the Road Again

Mark:

After 2 weeks of rest, ice, and Advil, I have been able to run the past few days with very little pain or discomfort. I ran 2 miles last Thursday night just to try it out and see how I felt. Saturday I ran 4 miles. I didn't want to increase my mileage too much too fast because I am afraid of reinjuring my knee. My knee felt great the rest of Saturday and Sunday. Shannon and I ran 5 miles together this morning. I ran pain-free. You have no idea how relieved I am. I was really nervous I wouldn't be able to run the marathon due to the bursitis in my knee. It looks like that shouldn't be an issue anymore. Now I just have to begin building my endurance back up. I missed almost 2 weeks of training. That may not sound like much, but when you are preparing for 26.2 miles, that is too much to miss. Thankfully I missed the 2 weeks early in the training. I still have just over 2 months to get going again.

Please remember we are running to raise money for pediatric cancer. If you have not given, would you please consider donating by clicking on the links in the banner? We appreciate anything you can do.

Shannon:

I am so happy to have my main running partner back! I ran my 11 mile long run by myself this past Saturday...and even though there isn't a whole lot of conversation going on on those long runs, it's still nice to have someone with you and it gets kind of lonely when you're by yourself.

I have noticed over the past few weeks that my knees have been sore to the touch after my runs. This is usually a tell-tale sign that I need new running shoes. So this past Friday, Mark and I went to our favorite running store, Fleet Feet over in West Little Rock. Love that store! I learn something new every time I go in. I knew the exact shoe I wanted...color and everything...because I was hoping to have the exact same shoe I've been running in. Well, they had the model, but not the color. Mark rolled his eyes when he saw the disappointment on my face they didn't have my purple Saucony's. Instead they gave me these bright teal and hot pink shoes. Y'all...they would be cute if they were a size 6 or 7, but I have ginormous feet. The brighter my shoes are, the bigger my feet look. Plus, all my running tops are purple, so I was hoping to stay in that color scheme. Surely some of you can see my dilemma! I considered for a moment to order my exact pair from their website, but decided that comfort on my long run was better than waiting a week and running with sore knees longer than I needed to. Behold, my new, very bright, very big, but very comfortable running shoes...

The good news is the weather is slowly starting to change, so I will be moving from running tanks to t-shirts, which means I will be able to get some shirts that go a little better with my shoes ;-) A girl's gotta feel cute when she's running really far and more than likely looks terrible.

This morning we ran our "short" run of 5 miles. I laugh because when I trained for my half marathon back in April, our first "long" run was 5 miles and we were stoked that we ran that far. Now we're like, "Eh, that's just a warm-up!" I didn't intentionally go out this morning and decide to push myself. In fact, when my alarm went off at 5:00 and Mark's didn't, I was hoping he forgot so we could sleep in a little before getting the kids up for school. His alarm went off 15 minutes later...then again 9 minutes later...and again 9 minutes later (you can tell our friend Chev is out of town this week, because we didn't run yesterday either)...then he got up. Ugh! So I got up too. Reluctantly. I thought today would be a slower run since my heart wasn't really in it. Imagine my surprise when my first mile was 11:03. I ended up running a 10:36 pace...a full minute faster than my normal pace!

I'm looking forward to our 12 mile run on Saturday. I'm hoping my new, faster pace will continue :-)

Like Mark said above, we are running for a purpose. Every dollar we raise goes directly to St. Jude and the families that are effected by pediatric cancer. Below are our links if you would like to support our reason for embarking on this crazy venture :-)

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3476880&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3470299&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

Double Digit Day

Mark...

We ran 10 miles on Saturday. Our first double digit running day. I will start with the good news first. We ran 10 miles. Well, that's about it for the good news. Now for the bad news. It was absolutely horrible. We started running at 6:45 instead of 5:45 like we normally do. All of us wanted to sleep in a little bit since it was a Saturday. Big mistake. By the time we were done, it was so hot and humid. We were drenched, and Shannon had a major headache from where the sun was beating down on her head. Shannon and I also learned that we need to fuel our bodies better before long runs like this. I had very little energy, and my legs felt like lead the whole run. I wrote in my last post that my knee has been hurting. Well, let's just say that Saturday's run was very painful. After a long, painful run, we went to Fleet Feet in Little Rock. On Saturday, they had a physical therapist from Baptist Hospital who would look at sports related injuries. I didn't want to drive over there, but the pain was so bad that I knew I really needed to. She told me I have bursitis. Simply, this means the fluid sacs in my knee have become inflamed. Fortunately, she said I need to ice, rest, and take anti-inflammatories until the pain goes away. So, I am not running this week, and I am hopeful that I will be ready to start running again on Monday.

Shannon...

First double digit run is in the books...and has been for a few days. Let me start off by saying this...WORST LONG RUN EVER! The competitive side of me is glad we will have another ten mile run this Saturday. Maybe it will give me a chance to redeem myself. Y'all, it was bad.

Like Mark told you earlier, we started running about an hour later than we normally do. Why? you ask? Well, because we knew it would take us about two hours to run our ten miles, and after looking at our weather apps, it showed that the temp and humidity at 8:00 and 9:00 would be the same...so why not sleep in an hour? Weeelllll let me tell you, the weather apps LIED! It was hot and beyond humid way earlier than it was supposed to be. This was the run that we look back on and take TONS of notes on what NEVER to do again. I'm going to list them for you so if you are ever crazy like we are and want to run a half or full marathon, you can learn from our mistakes.

1. Don't trust weather apps.

2. If you decide to trust weather apps, don't change up your hydration method...yep. I did that. I drink about a gallon of water every day, so I would say that I am well hydrated most of the time. Then on runs I carry a small bottle of AdvoCare's Rehydrate (an electrolyte drink similar to Gatorade) to sip on every couple of miles. On this particular run I decided to try Gu for the first time and just carry water on me...mistakes. Both of them. I have never used Gu before. I have normally used AdvoCare's Rehydrate Gel...similar product as Gu, just WAY more effective from what I experienced on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Rehydrate Gel is out of stock at the moment. I am currently stalking my microsite so I can order it the moment it is back in stock.  So miles 1-4 were awesome. In my typical  pace range, getting faster after each mile. Then comes mile 5...I hit my wall. I slurped the Gu (gag!), drank my water...and nothing. I didn't feel a boost in my blood sugar or get a second wind like I have with the Rehydrate Gel. So I ran/walked mile 5 to mile 6 where we had a refill of water. I was so spent and out of energy, I had to dig deep to finish stronger than I ran for mile 5. It literally is mind over mile when you are pushing through after hitting a wall. I got into a pretty good pace and came up on mile ten, running through our neighborhood towards home and I saw two people walking their dog that I knew would want to stop and chat with me...so I did the ever so polite thing and picked up my running pace, smiled at them, and waved (as one was stopping and waving me down) and just kept going...breathing really loud to emphasize how hard I was working. LOL!

3. My first mistake of the morning began before I even left the house. I slept in a little late and didn't eat anything before my run. I know. Stupid. Never fear, because I will never do that again. When I finished my run, I had this horrendous headache that lasted all day. I Googled (because that's what I do when I want to know things) "post run headaches" just to see if it was a real thing...and it is. Apparently one can suffer a post run headache from one or all of the following: dehydration, low blood sugar, tightness in shoulders and neck. Check, check, and CHECK! I am pretty sure I suffered from all three that day. And lucky me, that headache lasted from Saturday until Monday afternoon.

4. The last thing I learned as a result of this horrible run, is how to change my running technique a little so I don't have such tightness in my neck and shoulders. Typically come mile 2, I am running and stretching my arms every which way to loosen up my shoulders. I ran across this article on breathing techniques and it addressed posture while running. So Wednesday, during my short run, I implemented what the article suggested. Not only did it help with my issue with tightness, I decreased my time as well. I will call that article a win and add it to my Pinterest board :)

I hope you all are having a great week and enjoy reading about our training. Pray for Mark, that his knee will heal quickly so he can get back to training. He really does miss it ;)

Making Progress :)

Mark:

Well, this week has not been as enjoyable as the previous weeks. Last Friday Shannon and I ran our long run of 8 miles. During that run, we ran about a quarter of a mile on an uneven, sloped sidewalk. As a result, the inside of my right knee has been stiff, sore to the touch, and it hurts to bend or move certain ways. I did okay when I ran Monday, but that is when it began to really hurt. I had to cater to my right knee, which caused my left achilles to start hurting. When we got up on Wednesday morning to run, I was unable to do it. The pain was too much. It probably sounds like I'm complaining, but I just want to run a week without injury. I don't care about being sore; that's part of it. It takes the fun out of running when you are always dealing with some type of injury. The good news is that with a brace I wore this morning; I ran 4 miles. I only had a little discomfort. The plan is to ice my legs today and get ready for my first double digit run tomorrow. We run 10 miles in the morning. Wow, that just sounds crazy.

Shannon:

This week has been a good running week for me :) I'm not as old as Mark, so my ailments aren't as bad ;) I have been dealing with a little shin splint pain, but I think I just need to start phasing in a new pair of running shoes. It is only taking me about two miles to really get warmed up and get my legs loose. This is a great accomplishment for me since it used to take me a good four miles.

This week we started running four miles as our "short" runs. This is amazing to me, because earlier this year when I was training for the Russellville Half Marathon my first "long" run was four miles. Now I'm like, "Four miles, that's nothing!" I love seeing my own progress. That's the great thing about running...you aren't competing against other people (at least not all the time), you are competing against yourself. You push yourself to be better than you were your last time running. Looking back on that first "long" run of four miles in February, I ran it in 53:09...that's an average pace of 13:17 per mile. This past Wednesday I pushed myself. I had a fabulous run. I finished my four  miles in 44:06...that is an 11:01 pace. THAT is what I call progress!!

I'm looking forward to our 10 mile long run tomorrow. It is one of the last long runs I will be able to compare to my last training. Hopefully I can maintain that 11:01 pace I had on Wednesday :)

We want to remind you that we are raising money for pediatric cancer at St. Jude Hospital. Please consider helping us reach our goal. If you are interested in helping either one of us, you can follow these links:

Mark:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3476880&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

Shannon:
http://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/Heroes?px=3470299&pg=personal&fr_id=40881

Feel free to share these links with friends and family that may want to help those families impacted by pediatric cancer as well.