Day 109: July 15, 2013- Playing catch-up for y’all…

Day 109: 37.11 miles logged (MON, JULY 1 through yesterday…yeah, I’m a little behind posting- sorry!), 290.33 miles to go… OK, now that Trucks & Heroes is done, I am back in the saddle with my running- have gotten up at 5:45am yesterday and today to put myself back in the habit of early morning runs. Looking forward to keeping it up to wrap up these last couple of hundred miles!

Here are some of the highlights since I last posted… Trucks & Heroes was super successful, I am trying to better balance my home life, work, and personal endeavors (a.k.a. had to put the blog posting and writing to the back burner for a little bit to make a gesture), I have had some of the most hellacious migraines ever over the past two weeks, and it is now time to put both my Buddy Walk and fall bridal show caps on to move forward with both of those projects… oh, and I got the green light to teach my art class at Hobby Lobby! Super excited!

     Some recent art projects in progress

 Finally dry enough for Debbie’s kitchen wall : )

   A lot of drift wood collection lately for all of my fun projects (thanks Cate and Kat!)

    Razorback fun

 Road tripping with the kids to the old house (Pi Beta Phi at DePauw University)

 Shot my first Indian American event- had so much fun, but was up till 2am : )

    Did the press rounds for Trucks & Heroes including tv interviews, radio interviews, and donut stops, and we even got the Shining Light article in the Courier. I was so excited SAT morning, I cried!

   SMILE Family Fun week antics

 Rocking out Trucks & Heroes on SAT

 Can’t wait for my classes to start!

 And just had to share the pic of this “little” guy who took out Mia’s tomato plant. Love this pic!

Day 79: June 15, 2013- Slumber party and late night movies

Day 79: 8.02 miles logged, 414.89 to go… 6 mile morning run and 2 miles walked at the pool. Spent the morning cooking at the United Caring Shelter

           

followed by hitting up Burdette Aquatic Center with the kiddos. Afternoon photoshoot then some fun family time with the Baileys.

Ended the night taking the girls back to my house for a slumber party while Debbie kept the boys as part of Julien’s birthday celebration.

Stayed up late working on engagement pics and a Chemo Buddy shoot while I watched Confessions of a Wallflower. Can’t believe the speed at which the weekends fly by!

Day 44: May 11, 2013 Watch out for those dogs!

Day 44, 10.00 miles today, Miles to go: 673.66- 2 mile 6am walk, Babypalooza from 9-12, 4 mile walk after lunch, 3 mile walk before Cooper’s ballgame, capped off the night with a 1 mile walk before game night with the kiddos. One run-in with a dog today worth mentioning. I was walking with my headphones on minding my own business when an elderly gentleman in a nice neighborhood let his dog go long… on the leash to “greet” me. The dog was coming at me, so be cordial, I bent down to let it sniff my hand, and the damn thing tried to bite me! Ugh… Thankfully, it didn’t break the skin, and I was told that the he’s “never done that before.” So, just be cautious when you are out and about. You never know how an unfamiliar dog will react to you, so best to avoid them altogether…

     

Day 36: May 3, 2013- 5:30am… that’s all I’m sayin’

Day 36: 8.91 miles today, Miles to go: 731.65- So proud of myself for not only getting in an early run, but dragged my butt out of bed at 5:30am to get that 4 mile run in…. 5:30- I haven’t gotten up that early to run since last year. So let’s see if I can get into the habit of it to keep it up! Super tired tonight, but it was totally worth it to know that I was able to get up that early and get after it (that and it was a super long, but productive day!). The rest of the day’s distance was from a variety of walks, and I am excited to share that I have officially decided that combining almonds and raisins is the perfect answer to my sweet tooth that occasionally craves salty… it’s like trail mix, but without M&M’s…. yum and fewer calories than a traditional trail mix!!!

Great cheer banquet with sis tonight, too.

Next up, waiting to see what the weather is like for tomorrow’s Team Blonde (Blondes vs. Brunettes for the Alzheimer’s Association mini-pre-game fund raiser) and photoshoots. Hope that you all not only had a great day, but also had a wonderful work week as well! Catch ya later!!!

Day 30: April 27, 2013- 10 miles + a wedding = : )

Day 30: 10.03 miles today, Miles to go: 785.01… 8 mile walk this morning, and 2 mile walk late evening, shot a wedding in the middle. Productive day, and started my next 100 mile/2 week goal. My toe looks like a hot mess, though, so I am trying to wear open toed shoes as much as I can when I am not out running or walking. Nothing new to report other than I am super tired and am heading to bed. Gotta be up for my SUN 6am challenge. The girls and I generally do 6 miles, but I am trying to get in at least 8 before I head to New Harmony for pictures in the park.

Day 28: April 25, 2013- What’s your carrot?!?

Day 28: 8.15 miles today, Miles to go: 797.07… An 8+ mile run tonight put me past 200 miles run in total, and it helped me hit my 100 miles/2 week goal two days early : ) With that being said, tonight I wanted to talk about having a carrot… what is that one thing you work towards when you work out? I use having a carrot for my large and my small goals, and for this latest milestone, if I could hit my 100/2 weeks goal early, I told myself I could order whatever I’d like off the menu at our Girls’ Night Out tomorrow. When I hit my big goal, I have something super exciting as well. Can’t share just yet, but details should surface around 700 or 800 miles. In the meantime, I encourage you to work towards your carrot… be it a little edible treat (for me, good days often= a small Frosty from Wendy’s), or if you prefer not to go with food, maybe treat yourself to a new book at Barnes & Noble or that shirt you’ve been eyeing at the department store. Whatever it is, pick those little rewards to give you motivation to keep putting one foot in front of the other!!! Now, I must bid you adieu… it is the first time that Scandal has been on in three weeks, and I have a Grey’s Anatomy/Scandal date night with the hubby!!! Later!

Day 27: April 24, 2013- I’m lovin’ it!!!

Day 27: 6.03 miles today, Miles to go: 805.22… Not a ton of miles, but inching closer to my 200 milestone as well as my 100 mile in two week mini-goal (that one has 8 miles to go and is running ahead of schedule). Chilly afternoon, and even colder evening. With that being said, I thought I would share some cold weather walking tips that I looked up. I bring up this topic because of an injury I sustained a few years ago. After a few years away from running, I decided to try and train for the spring half marathon. I started JAN 1 that year with walking a few miles and worked up eventually to six mile morning runs by APR of that year. What I didn’t realize that because I was not stretching well enough for the cold weather, I was actually damaging my right hip. Eight months, one surgery, and a lot of physical therapy later, we finally had an answer to what was causing all of my pelvic/abdominal area pain. So this topic is near and dear to my heart, and with the flux of cold weather still peppered into the warmer temps we are experiencing, I just want to make sure anyone attempting to reach their spring fitness goals is “walking into” their exercise routines with both eyes open!!! So here is what I found that I hope might help all of us…

“•  Allow at least 10 minutes to warm up. When it’s cold, your heart and muscles need more time to get ready.

•  Wear a scarf or mask loosely over your nose and mouth to prevent the sting of icy cold air when you inhale. This is especially important if you have asthma or heart problems.

•  Choose shoes with lugged soles for traction, and buy an inexpensive pair of ski or walking poles to help keep your balance. (The poles will also help you burn extra calories because your upper body is getting a workout too.)

•  Take your workout indoors if you’d be risking frostbite (temperatures around -20 degrees F, including any windchill), if it’s icy, or if you’d encounter dangerous traffic.

Dress for success When you step outside, you should feel slightly chilled but not cold. During your workout, you want to feel warm, not hot and sweaty. That means you need to dress in layers so that you can take them off or put more on as needed. Here are the basics of layering: An inner layer made of synthetic fabric such as CoolMax to wick sweat away so you stay dry A middle, or insulating, layer (or two) of light-weight fleece fabric such as Polartec to keep you warm An outer layer of waterproof, breathable fabric such as Gore-Tex to buffer you from the elements and let sweat escape; and Don’t forget a hat, gloves, and sunscreen!”

From: http://www.prevention.com/term/cold-weather-and-winter-walking

You can also find cold weather stretching tips at: http://www.runningincoldweather.com/stretching-for-cold-weather-running

On a different note, last night’s run left me famished this morning, but I knew that I had a BNI 1-to-1 at 11:30 at Panera, so I was determined to hold off until then. In the meantime, it was apples and and almonds and a great big Diet Coke from McDonalds. With that being said, walking into McDonalds with its yummy smells this morning was challenging. So in lieu of ordering the biscuits and gravy that I was coveting, I thought I would share what you can get at McDonalds for under 400 calories… my favorite of which is the two apple packets for $1. At 15 calories a packet, you can’t go wrong!!!

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/meal_bundles/favoritesunder400.html

p.s. Kudos to McDonalds for adding their calorie count to their menu board!!! As they say, “I’m lovin’ it!”

Day 26: April 23, 2013- Half Marathon Run

Day 26: 18.49 miles today, Miles to go: 811.25… A-MA-ZING day!!! Weather and mood-wise, it started out kind of rocky. Spotty storms always put me in a crummy mood, but it was clear when I got out at 6:30am for 1 mile, and I did 4 miles mid-day in the middle of a small drizzle that eventually cleared up. I ended my evening with a half-marathon distance all over the east side of Evansville.

 

Also during that run I logged my fastest 5k and 10k distance according to my sport watch. A few things of note from that last run…A) always start out with your shoes tied well, preferably double knotted. I have been interrupting walks and runs lately to tie my shoes, but the simple step of checking to make sure that I had them double knotted gave me an interruption free run tonight. B) always be aware of your surroundings. One part of my run was on the backside of Wesselman Woods, where there was a man walking by himself and a separate car with a guy by himself. Do I really think either of them would harm me… no, but it never hurts to be too careful. So make sure that you carry a phone, your keys, or pepper spray (or all of the above) when you go out by yourself, or better yet, grab a friend to go with you! Same scenario towards the end of my run. It had already turned dark when I got back to the State Hospital grounds, and I ran the last two miles around the park by myself in the dark. In these situations, I prefer not to run with headphones, so that I can not only see what is going on around me, but so that I can hear as well. Aside from that, I think it’s about time to call it a night. Way ahead of schedule to hit 100 miles in 2 weeks, and already very close to my 200 mile milestone. I hope that you all had a wonderful day, and I look forward to sharing what I am up to tomorrow!

Day 20: April 17, 2013- damn that quad!!!

Day 20: 13.25  miles today, Miles to go: 868.85… A lot of smaller walks yielded a big distance for the day. Started out walking two miles with Dante and Maggie (well… Maggie only did a fraction of that, and I had to carry her most of the way) while we waited up at the vet office to open. Another almost two miles from the office in the a.m., and then a hot 4 mile walk mid-day. Nice that the weather has finally made a turn for the warm. I actually broke a sweat. Then ran 1+ miles before football practice, and finished out the night with a 3 mile walk, one mile of that with Bobby.

Football practice is always such a fun time, but I tweaked my left quad again… grr!  Natalie, who is our unofficial trainer person, gave me a great analogy to describe what I have done to my quad when I injured it on SUN and again tonight. I started out the practice well, but midway through a play, the sprint motion quick burst basically pulled apart what is like the equivalent of an internal scab on the inside of my leg that has been trying to heal the last few days. Disappointing that I can’t get in more practice of the plays, but this injury will dictate how fast I can get back into actually practicing. In the meantime, the goal is more stretching, more bananas for the potassium, and more water to stay hydrated.

Aside from that, I am really looking forward to the Junior League of Evansville/Evansville Morning Rotary Rockin River City Ride on SAT (www.RockinRiverCityRide.org). Need to get the bike out and dusted off, but think that the change of pace will be nice for my muscles, and the change of scenery will be good for the soul as well. The event has a variety of run/walk and biking options along Evansville’s beautiful Greenway, so the kids and I are going to try the 25K with a fellow Team Blonde teammate. I have some other people who joined my “team,” but they are doing different distances walking. The event is a Lets Move! event. Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. The event is also a great way to make an Upgrade commitment to yourself. For more information on the Upgrade campaign, visit: http://upgradenow.org/ For additional information on Lets Move! visit: http://www.letsmove.gov/

Now if ya’ll will excuse me. I need to ice my quad, then take a rolling pin to it (it was recommended?!?! I will be the first to admit that it looks really funny!), then shower and head to bed. Early day with BNI tomorrow!!! Later folks!

Day 18: April 15, 2013- Back on the saddle- part 2

Day 18: 10.53 miles today, Miles to go: 886.41… So apparently my quad isn’t near as angry with me today as it was last evening- thank goodness!!! I would totally cry if I had a repeat of last night’s football practice tightness and pain. Thankfully, instead, I was able to do a 4+ mile walk this afternoon, a 3+ mile walk with the wonderful Dr. Christine Verbeck out at the USI/Burdette trails, AND a three mile run tonight. The running is what I feel like is the biggest accomplishment of the day. I was going to be disappointed if my quad “tweak” as Bob called it (he said if it was a pull, there would be bruising) hindered my running. I can cut my times considerably and rack up more miles when I am able to run vs. walk, and tonight’s run actually had 11’27” pace that is a good early season time for me. But aside from all of that, today I have quite a bit more to talk about other than myself…

First off, I am super excited that Facebook friend and old high school colleague Beth has decided to try my 1000 mile challenge! I wish her the best of luck as she begins this journey!!! For anyone else interested, I encourage you to read my earlier blog posts for more details about the highs and lows of trying to walk/run 1000 miles in a given time frame (for me, as mentioned in previous posts, I am shooting for 6 months in what is my second time at this milestone goal- the first time I did it back in ’07, it was a goal time of 1 year, and I did it in a little over 8 months). Any questions or if you need any additional information, just let me know via email at: nikki@davisdigitalphotography.com!!!

Next, for the sake of capturing a moment in time, I was out walking my first 4 miles of the day when I got an email on my phone from my Aunt Sandy about the tragedy today at the Boston Marathon. My cousin Anna’s two friends were doing the race today, but they are OK. So I rushed back to turn on the news. What senseless violence!!! What is this world coming to that someone would as the reporter noted today perform such an act of violence at a time of the race that would cause “maximum damage”??? These families were waiting for their loved one to cross the race finish line. The runners were experiencing a bucket list item many of us could only dream of doing…. The big question is why? Why would someone or group of someones aim to cause such violence? We may never know, but I think it goes without saying that the nation will rally around Boston, and they are all in our thoughts and prayers tonight!

For more information on today’s events, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Lastly, I wanted to report this touching bit of news reported by the NBC Sports Network via Twitter:

“Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims #PrayforBoston”

Whether or not this is true, I think we can all agree tonight we should all #PrayforBoston!!!