Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Hitting the Reset Button

A lot has happened in the last month, I wish I meant a lot of training but it’s been little training and a lot of life stuff.

In the last month we celebrated Emmy’s first birthday.

And we got to celebrate Easter.

Cory went out of town for a week for work (at least these two still had tons of fun together) parenting solo is NO JOKE. Much respect to the single parents out there.

I then got a few good runs in and BAM I strained my calf muscle. I didn’t happen on a run just playing with Cannon at the park (insert sad face).

I started a new job, which is fun and awesome but I totally underestimated how much work it is to start at a new institution.

I got an infection and had to be on antibiotics for a week. Then we were off to Saint George so Cory could race his half ironman.

We had fun cheering for Cory all over St. George but on the way home Cannon broke out in a mystery rash, which sent us to the urgent care. Luckily it was deemed to be just a virus but that lead to a killer cold that knocked all of us flat and is now lingering as bronchitis.

I don’t lay all of this out there to complain or gather sympathy, it’s just stuff, and we all get stuff. Some of it was good, some of it necessary and some of it I could have done without (hello infections and injury). As you may imagine training has been almost non existent in the last month. I will admit that it has been frustrating and it feels a bit like my dream of running 50 miles this year slipping away.

Now that I am slowly on the mend and was able to get out on short runs yesterday and today. I can only hope that four months if enough time to get my training in.

Anyone else dealt with a crazy month and training delays? Keeping the hope alive for a 50 in September!

Emerald Catherine | 12 Months

And just like that my baby is one and not technically a baby anymore. I love seeing her develop and her personality come out more and more but it also makes my weepy how quickly time is going.

At one year Emmy is still very tall 89th percentile and growing fast!

EAT

So much progress on eating this past month. We have been able to transition from bottles to sippy cups and Emmy happily holds them herself.

Emerald loves most food and will happily feed herself almost anything. There was a weird week where she didn’t want anything to do with fruit but luckily she is back on board with banana and berries.

SLEEP

We are still solidly at two naps a day and sleeping well at night. I am very curious when we will be down to just one nap a day. I am grateful everyday that she is such a good sleeper.

GROW

Walking is our biggest milestone that we are currently working on.

Emmy has taken a few tentative steps and is working hard on her balance. She isn’t walking completely yet but is getting closer everyday. She has figured out she can walk on her knees and loves to get around that way too.

PLAY

Emmy is one of the happiest babies I have ever met. She loves nothing more than to be with her family but most importantly with her brother.

These two have such a special bond. I know that very soon there will be fighting and sibling rivalry so I will soak up the sweetness while I can.

To my sweet little girl, please never change, you are my bright shining star.

Past Monthly Updates

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

WEEKLY RUNDOWN – 50 MILE BASE TRAINING WEEKS 5 and 6

I missed posting my update last week so this will be the last two weeks. Just three more weeks before I start my specific 50 mile training for 20 weeks. Getting so close to starting is making it feel very real and a little scary.

This is how the last two weeks went down:

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WEEK 5

Monday:  3 easy miles on the treadmill in the morning + 40 minutes of strength training. Always feels good to get it done before the kids get up!

Tuesday: Out the door early for 8 hilly miles. It was cold but I got to witness a beautiful sunrise.

Wednesday: A quick 2.5 mile warm up on the treadmill then 40 minutes of strength training.

Thursday: Six miles (OUTSIDE AGAIN) it really feels like spring is finally here.

Friday:  3.75 miles on the treadmill with some strides in the last mile for fun.

Saturday: Winter showed back up but didn’t stick around too long. I got to wait until it was light out =) 6.3 miles on the bike paths.

Sunday: I needed to get 12 miles in before a birthday brunch for my mom. I didn’t want to go outside with it being so dark for all 12 miles so I ran the first 4 on the treadmill while the sun came up then finished 8.2 miles outside.

Totals: 42 miles running and 2 strength training sessions.

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Week 6 – Recovery Week!

Monday:  Just 1 mile warmup on the treadmill then 30 minutes of Strength

Tuesday: I got to bed really late on Monday night after doing on a bunch of paperwork for work so I wasn’t feeling it for a 4 am wakeup call. I hit the treadmill during nap time. I don’t usually like to leave my running for nap time because you never know what you’re going to get but I was lucky and was able to fit in 5.5 miles before Emmy woke up.

Wednesday: Easy 2 miles in the morning and strength training.

Thursday: 5.6 hills miles outside in the dark.

Friday:  Quick miles around the hood.

Saturday: 4 trail miles with the sunrise.

Sunday: “Longish” run for the week of 8 miles

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Totals: A solid cut back to just 27.2 miles and 2 strength training sessions.

It has been nice getting out more, now if the sunrise could just start at 4:30 that would be great!

Now to kick the miles back up to 45+ for this week!

I am linking up with the new Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly!

I am also linking up with  #RIOTS (Running Is Our Therapy Sisters) This is a great accountability group of bloggers, you should join too! The hosts are: Brandi at Funner Runner, Anna Louise at Gracious Warrior Princess, Briana at Mat.Miles.Medals, Meghan at Meghan on the Move, Jenn at Runs With Pugs and Elizabeth at Train With Bain

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Are you getting out more, is it spring yet where you are?

Emerald Catherine | 11 Months

Over the past month things have been a little more quite for us after lots of traveling early in the year. Emerald enjoyed having lots of time to play and work on her crawling/walking skills. Now we will be spending our time getting ready for Emmy’s first birthday party {tears}!

At ten months Emerald is wearing size 4 diapers, and is wearing mostly 12 month size clothes we will be moving to size 18 month pants soon because she is so tall!

EAT

We are making so much progress on eating, Emmy is really enjoying food more and more. Emmy is less and less interested in her bottle and we have started trying to transition her away from her bottle and into sippy cups. We still haven’t been successful getting her to hold her own bottle, any tips?

SLEEP

Sleep is still going great. Emmy sleeps from 6:30 or 7:00 pm to 6:30(ish) most days. She had some teething troubles (four teeth coming in all at once) where she didn’t sleep well for a couple nights but cuddles and Tylenol helped.

Saying hi to her camera

We have dropped down to two naps a day and that seems to work well for us and our schedule. She is really good about cuddling to sleep or self soothing.

GROW

Emmy just so much fun, almost always happy and loves playing with her brother.

She is constantly on the go, crawling and cruising everywhere.

She is also walking everywhere with assistance.

PLAY

This past month seems like the end of winter play. Emmy really liked the snow and sledding.

She doesn’t seem to mind but I am sure getting sick of our regular indoor play areas and feel ready for parks and backyard time.

Next month will be her one year update and I feel really emotional about it. Time has flown so fast and I can’t believe that she won’t be a baby anymore. At the same time I can’t believe that just a year ago she wasn’t here to make us all so happy. She really is a joy and light.

Past Monthly Updates

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

WEEKLY RUNDOWN – 50 MILE BASE TRAINING WEEK 4

We survived the bomb cyclone this week, which made for a not very interesting week in running. Also I think the kids are sick of winter at this point too, Cannon asks to go outside to the park everyday now. I do have some hope that after the blizzard we have finally turned a corner and spring is on it’s way.

This is how the week went down:

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Monday:  after a bigger weekend I like to take Mondays easy so just 2 easy miles on the treadmill before the kids wake up. I am getting more used to the 4am alarm but it’s still not easy.

Tuesday: With the time change it is just too dark for me to run outside for me but I think I will be breaking out my headlamp soon. 6.11 mile progression run on the treadmill.

Wednesday: Another morning treadmill run (are you bored yet, because I am) 3.1 mile easy run then strength training while watching The Bachelor finale. Then the weather rolled in and I think the kids are sick of playing inside.

Thursday: We survived the storm but it will still be a couple days before roads and sidewalks are clear. Just two easy miles on the treadmill before the kids woke up.

Friday:  I think this is the day my mental strength broke a bit for the treadmill. I was supposed to run a little longer but could only make it 3 miles before giving up and doing some strength training.

Saturday: Finally getting to run outside for the first time for the week! There were still many icy spots to dodge but it felt amazing to run outside. 6.87 miles outside with Cory and the kids flew by!

Sunday: Back on the treadmill for a little over 11 miles. The weather was nice but we had a really busy day planned so the only time I had to run was early in the morning. I didn’t want to try to brave the icy spots in the dark. At least I think I have built my treadmill tolerance back up since 11 miles didn’t feel that long. The rest of the day was beautiful and I enjoyed spending it with my family instead of out running.

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Totals: 34.2 miles running ( Just one run outside) and 2 strength training sessions.

I am linking up with  #RIOTS (Running Is Our Therapy Sisters) This is a great accountability group of bloggers, you should join too! The hosts are: Brandi at Funner Runner, Anna Louise at Gracious Warrior Princess, Briana at Mat.Miles.Medals, Meghan at Meghan on the Move, Jenn at Runs With Pugs and Elizabeth at Train With Bain

I am also linking up with the new Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly!

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How is your training going?

Are you looking forward to spring and summer running weather?

Catching up + Bomb Cyclone

I wish I was kidding when I said that we are holed up at home riding out a Bomb Cyclone. Really that’s just a fun weather term but we are staying in avoiding a very real blizzard. Lot’s of wind, snow, ice and low visibility. The power is going in and I am just grateful that none of us have to be out in these conditions.

For me that meant early alarm so I could get three miles on the treadmill. Two easy miles then 5 x 20 second strides in the last mile to keep things interesting. After running I did about 30 minutes of strength work.

We are currently riding the late winter/spring weather roller coaster. Every year we get glimpses of spring with nice days in the 60s broken up by cold and snow, this year has been colder than normal.

We have been finding lots of ways to keep busy indoors while waiting for spring to show up. Many days spent at indoor playgrounds, museums and libraries.

Cannon might be losing his mind a little, almost everyday he asks me if we can go to the park.

luckily we did make it out this last weekend and it was amazing!

Another kid win was taking them to a story time and tour of the Boulder Rural Fire Department. The firefighters were so sweet with the kids. We got to tour the firehouse and the fire trucks. Cannon was in heaven, he hasn’t stoped talking about fire trucks. Well worth the drive if you live in the area, they do story time once a month!

As for me I have put in over 30 miles on the treadmill in the last couple weeks.

I kept myself entertained watching the the finale of The Bachelor (yes, I know I am too old to watch this show).

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Has winter been harsh where you live?

What have you been doing lately?

Weekly Rundown – 50 Mile Base Training Week 3

Week Three of base training in the books and really the only thing I can complain about is the weather and I will try not to since we are all locked in this endless winter together. I am happy with how my legs held up with the bump in milage and excited to keep building up my base.

This is how the week went down:

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Monday:  Woke up feeling tired and sore from the previous Sunday’s long run so just hopped on the treadmill for a couple miles and some strength training.

Tuesday: The weather has still been not so fun here in Colorado so I ran eight miles on the treadmill. This was a big accomplishment for me mentally as I am out of mental shape for running on the treadmill. I used to have a lot more tolerance for it but I am slowing bringing it back up.

Wednesday: Another two miles on the treadmill as a warm up for some strength training. Watched the Bachelor for my entertainment. It’s a weird season.

Thursday: I was not feeling spunky so just a mile on the treadmill. I think I all the running inside is getting to me. Also did some stretching and stability work.

Friday:  Cory had the day off so I waiting until nap time and actually got to run outside!! It was cold and windy but so worth it for the fresh air for five miles.

Saturday: It was crazy windy and after freezing on Friday I didn’t feel up to running outside so I jumped on the treadmill for 3 miles. I watched From Fat to Finish Line

Sunday: So glad to be back to Sunday long run days! I slept in (until 5:30 when Emmy wakes up, good thing she is cute!) but wasn’t happy about losing an hour over night. I waited until Emerald went down for her morning nap so I would have more light. It was a pleasant 30 degrees and not TOO windy for a ten mile run. It was a slow run but my legs never felt too bad so I am going to call it a win!

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Totals: 31.1 miles running ( Over half of those miles on the treadmill) and 2 strength training sessions.

The goal for this coming week is to follow the plan as written and drink 100 oz of water a day

I am linking up with  #RIOTS (Running Is Our Therapy Sisters) This is a great accountability group of bloggers, you should join too! The hosts are: Brandi at Funner Runner, Anna Louise at Gracious Warrior Princess, Briana at Mat.Miles.Medals, Meghan at Meghan on the Move, Jenn at Runs With Pugs and Elizabeth at Train With Bain

I am also linking up with the new Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly!

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How is your training going?

watch anything good on the treadmill lately?

Friday Favorites – Keeping Cozy

Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited that it is March. I probably shouldn’t be since spring won’t really show up here in Colorado for a few months but I am so looking forward to longer days, sunshine and afternoons at the park.

In appreciation of the continued cold weather I thought I would share some of my favorites for winter.

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This Blistex chapstick is the best. The dry winter air leaves my lips feeling dry and terrible. This chapstick is the only thing that I have found that really helps. I try to have one with my at all times.

Joy Lab at Target has some really cute active wear and athleisure wear. I am really loving their sweatshirts. They are so soft and wash well.

With 4-8 inches of snow coming and highs in the teens this weekend I will most likely be spending some quality time on the treadmill. We recently cut the cord on our Dish service (yay) and picked up Hulu (we already had Amazon Prime and Netflix) I am excited to get into the Handmaids Tale, I read the book in 2017.

Emmy is loving these Zutano Booties They actually stay on her feet, are very warm AND she can crawl and walk in them. They wash easily and have held up well. Also I think they are cute.

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I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

What are some of your favorites from this week?

Weekly Rundown – 50 Mile Base Training Week 1 + a Strong Finish

Well friends it’s time for another weekly rundown. This week was my first official week of base training for Run Rabbit Run 50 Mile. I have 5 weeks of base training to get my endurance dialed up before 24 weeks of specific training starts on April 1st.

This last week was not a killer week. The kids and I were all still really sick. I always think I am going to bounce out of a cold feeling great after 2-3 days but that never happens. After sevenish days of being really sick, I was feeling over it but it took a while to feel slightly normal again. The begining was short bits just to get myself moving and then ended the week a little stronger.

I am linking up with HoHo Runs and Taking the Long Way Home  for a Weekly Wrap, go check out all the inspiring runners!

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Monday:  Quick 2 mile shake out on the treadmill with pick – ups.

Cute pic of Emmy since running wasn’t very exciting early in the week.

Tuesday: Inside again on the treadmill, jogged a mile and called it a warm up for some strength training.

Wednesday: Took the kids in the stroller for a loop outside, 1.8ish miles.

Thursday: By Thursday I was feeling a little better so I took the kids to the gym and ran 3.3 miles on the treadmill while they were in child sitting. Emmy still isn’t a fan =(

Friday: Quick treadmill mile + some strength training.

Saturday: We got about five inches of fresh snow but I couldn’t handle another day inside. It was cold but very pretty!

Sunday: On Sunday I talked Cory into running with the kids and me. 5.8 chilly miles around the neighborhood. Cory tacked on another couple miles, he is training for a half ironman in May.

All miles this week were easy as I build up my base. This week has me dreaming of warmer (and lighter) days, spring please come!

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Totals: 19 miles running and 2 strength training sessions. I am hoping that I can stay healthy for at least a month!

How is your training?

Are you looking forward to summer?

How to be a Runner

Finally we are all starting to feel better, this cold season has been rough. I spent many days in denial of how sick I was but I had no energy and really needed to take some time to get better. There has also been a pretty good cold snap going on here so I have not been running outside at all.

Today I got up early hoping to run but just couldn’t summon the energy and did some strength training instead. Around 10 The kids and I made it to the gym. I have been avoiding putting Emerald in Child Sitting because she has cried the other times I have tried. Emerald’s doctor encouraged me to continue to try to help her with her stranger danger. She cried again today but the staff there were able to get her to calm down. I have such mom guilt about leaving her there if I think she will cry, it’s so hard.

Sucking it up today gave me a chance to get 3.2 progression miles in on the treadmill. Success.

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I loved Runner’s World Magazine’s feature called “How to Be a Runner”.

The idea is that you choose one topic from the category, and then explain some of your answers.

I loved it so much I thought I would play along with my own answers:

Let Me Explain:

  1. Coffee, forever, one of my true loves. I like beer but I could live without it. Coffee before almost every run.
  2. Living in Colorado sunglasses are a must for eye health, although I almost always run with a hat as well to keep my hair in check.
  3. Running with friends or family is always more fun but with our crazy schedule I often run alone, I enjoy that as well.
  4. I used to be a really bad heel striker and worked to become more if a forefoot runner.
  5. I am a morning person by nature so morning is the best time for me to run. With this ultra training I hope to train in the evening as well as I will be running all.day.long
  6. Lead would probably be more popular but I don’t always have the best way finding skills. At my last race I was so happy to follow other runners instead of trying to find trail markers.
  7. I do love my Amazon but going to a local running store is the BEST. I like to support local small business and getting a shoe fit is so important.

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What are a few (or all!!!) of your choices?