5K Race #2: Downtown Dash

The day after my first 5K I signed up for my 2nd 5K... The Downtown Dash! It is a race sponsored by Saint Anthony's Hospital at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday June 2nd. When I signed up I did not know that I would have to have surgery in the middle of May. I was able to return to running the week of the race. I was determined to do it even if I had to walk it! At 6:00 p.m. we headed downtown and Misa and Chloe ate dinner (I had eaten Salmon and Steamed Veggies before we left). And then we waited around for the race to start. This race was a lot different then my first race. This race was less than 700 people and it just felt a lot more laid back. I did lose my pre-workout drink and so I was bummed about that. It was VERY humid as well but I was determined! My sister decided to run it with me but I told her that I would probably be walking some because I was still not up to where I was before surgery.
A little before 8:00 p.m. we lined up. I set my Nike+ and got my music sorted. They pulled the trip and we were off. Heather and I were able to run the first 1/2 mile together and then I needed to walk more because of the humidity I think then not having the stamina. The rest of the race was a lot of walking and running. When I would look up when I was walking I would make myself run to the next stop sign walk for a little and then run to the next stop sign. It was a pretty run through a really nice neighborhood with big beautiful older houses. When I got closer to the end I could tell I was close so I just took off and ran as FAST as I could for about the last 1/4 mile! I couldnt believe I had finished the race in 42 minutes with as much walking as I felt I had done. It was a great night and it felt great that Chloe and Misa came to cheer me on!

Couch 2 5K 2 5 Miles: Week 23

This was my first full week back to running. It was hard to just take it easy. I wanted to do what I did before surgery. I just listened to my body and did what I could. These were my workouts:

Tuesday:

After getting adjusted by my chiro I headed to the gym and stretched for 10 minutes before I stepped on the treadmill. I was able to run .80 of this and I walked the rest.

Thursday:

On Wednesday night we had all the youth group girls over to spend the night and so on Thursday morning I took Allie and her 2 friends and headed to the Y. I was able to run 1.5 of this run but not in a row. I kept hitting a wall at 1/2  a mile. But I was pleased that I was able to do more than I did on Tuesday.

Friday:

With my next 5K on Saturday night I took my running coach's advice and ran a mile the day before the race. I did take a minute walk break in the middle of this run but I really pushed myself to run it. And I was able to do my FAVORITE part of my Nike+ is when it says "400 meters to go" I bump it up to 6.3 until the end of the run!

It was a great first week back to my routine and it felt good and I am excited to keep moving forward.

Couch 2 5K 2 5Miles: Week 22

Well, this week was a ROUGH week!! I was told I would be better by Monday after surgery Friday and that I could resume my exercise routine. However, Monday night I was sick several times and didn't realize that I had ripped my incision open. =/ I found this out on Thursday when I went in for a check up! My doctor assessed the situation and said it had already started to heal and that he would have to reopen it in order to fix it or I could leave it as is and just have a bigger scar. Since my stomach already looks deformed from the '06 surgery fiasco I just said to leave it. He told me that day that it would be good to get back to running by no yoga at least for another week. So, I left his office and went to the gym and did a run.  That day I felt fine even though I did feel like I was going to faint at the end but I thought that was because I was less than 12 hours off percosets. Well, the next day it was PERFECTLY clear that running was NOT a good idea!!! So I only ran once my week 22. I feel like I am back at week 6 of C25K but that is OK!! I will get back up to running a 5K and then I will work my way up to 5 miles! God is good! And I am thankful for my recovery journey that has taught me to take things 1 day at a time or in this case... One run at a time!

Couch to 5K 2 5miles: Week 21

I had surgery on Friday to clear an obstruction in my fallopian tube so I was only able to Run on Tuesday and Thursday.

Tuesday Run:
3.5 miles (the farthest I have ran)

Thursday Run:
2.5 miles

I also got in some Yoga classes on Monday and Wednesday. It was a week of anxiety with the upcoming procedure and the physical activity helped with the anxiety.

Couch 2 5k 2 5miles: Week 20

This week was a pretty tough week emotionally for me. I got news that I will need to have a procedure Friday the 18th to remove an obstruction in one of my fallopian tubes and with what I went through in 2006 with a routine procedure it causes a lot of anxiety. On top of that, being a parent has been tough lately. The girls are going through a lot and it is taking its toll on all of us. I had to hear some hard things from someone I love dearly. Saturday was a great day as we traveled to Duncan to celebrate the impending arrival of "Baby Bell" at a beautiful shower! Sunday was mothers day and the highlight was defiantly sweet Allie wrote this Haiku for me:
but the rest of the day was... Long story short: We have a new hot water tank, the water valve that broke off under the sink has been fixed, the dogs had an awesome time playing in mud, I discovered a new antibiotic I should not take again because it makes me so sick, we found the worst Italian place to eat on the planet, and I burned lunch! I am glad I had my gratitude journal to look back over and that I had to find things to be thankful for in the midst of the chaos! I am thankful to be the mom to Chloe and I am VERY thankful for my husband who will comfort me while I cry and really hasn't found anything that he can't fix!

I only got 2 runs in.

Run 1 (at the OC gym):
2 mile run

Run 2 (at my Y):
5K run

Couch 2 5k 2 5 Miles: Week 19

So after my "runner's high" after my first 5K, I downloaded a new app to began to train to run 5 miles.
I found this great app that lets you set your own goals and time frames so I am hoping to run 5 miles at the end of May!
My runs for this week:

Tuesday: Run 2 miles @ my Y!

Thursday: Run 2 miles @ my Y!

Sunday: Run 3 miles (Went to the Edmond Y- I love a change of scenery for my "long run" days!)

I was able to do all the runs! I NEVER thought when some asked "what did you do today?" that my response would be "I ran a 5K between church services"! Wednesday was my birthday so I treated myself to a Nike+ chip for my shoe! And my AWESOME husband got me new under amour running shorts and top for my birthday (along with another amazing gift!)!
I really like it and I like that it keeps track of how many miles I have run and at the end of my run it counts down every 100 meters from 400 meters. My friend Steph also sent me a copy of her running songs so I am excited for new praise music to run to this next week! I like to have something to work towards and I am looking forward to saying... I ran 5 miles today!

Outside Updates

Before-1st time we saw our house

As many know when we bought are house it was a short sell. We have worked HARD on the inside to make it a home. With most of the "big" projects complete on the inside, we have focused our efforts on the outside. I will be honest I have never had flowerbeds or grown anything so I felt really lost. My Grandma Bell knows a lot about flowers and growing things so she gave me a book and a lot of great advice about flowerbeds.

In progress-hanging baskets & chairs

We decided what bushes we wanted to remove and Misa tied a rope to his truck bumper and to the bushes and pulled them out. Then he created some great flowerbeds. Misa and I went to several different places that sale flowers and just looked and options and read all the little cards and I watched the one day while we were home to see how much sun the beds got! Our first purchase was hanging baskets and after I kept them alive for a couple weeks I bought a pot and flowers for the front porch to sit between our two chairs.
I really liked the the hanging baskets I bought I then bought 3 more and put them in the ground. My mom and dad came on weekend and we purchased some white flowers and my mom taught me about planting in a triangle!  I really like how the beds turned out! Misa also painted out front door to match the chairs on the front porch.  I really like how it all turned out! We have defiantly embraced the Honduran way of sitting outside and people watching, talking, and spending time together. I really enjoy a cup of tea in the morning outside while I read or just the opportunity to sit and be still.

After- Flowers planted in the beds & blue door