its been a year!

july 4th, will mark a year since my first walk/jog race after bedrest.  amanda and i jogged the 5k freedom run last year, and i still remember her telling me that i couldn't walk.  she let me walk and catch my breath for one block and that was it.  she was pretty hard core, but i was so thankful to have someone there with me because it was one of the hardest things i have ever done.  we ran it in 42min, 

(which was 15min faster than the week before at thanksgiving point) 

and i felt so accomplished for my  no muscle chubby self. 

 i mean look at those babies...don't they look like they want to run!!

 amanda her twin, my dad and my twins after the run, at thanksgiving point

 dad helped push my twins because i couldn't walk and push a stroller up hill.  

i remember when the race started i got super teary-eyed and emotional.  for 5months i layed in bed and dreamed of the day when i could go outside and walk, and maybe even run.

...and finally that day had come.  i also got what my dad calls "the eye of the tiger" and i told him i was gonna run, he took the stroller and i tried to run...but i couldn't.  i had no strength, no umph, no muscle.  and i realized as i had many other times, that getting back into a fitter body was going to be a lot
harder than i ever could have imagined.

 they're very first race!!

quincy and tenley just 2 1/2months old...and since then have really loved 90% of the time spent in

the jog stroller:)

 skinny heather, and our triplets, she is such a good runner
i hope to be as fast as her some day!

 last summer me and my twinners set out on an adventure to get back
 some well needed muscle and strength.  i can now say that the twins have been my biggest supporters, they let me push them for endless jogs, all over the place.  and for the most part they too seem to really enjoy it.  don't get me wrong there have been times when one baby cries all the way home and i look like this mean mom that is forcing them to run in the stroller...and its those times that i do my speed workouts...desperately trying to get home as fast as i can to help stop the crying.:)

and in arizona while i was jogging people kept staring at me, and i became so self conscious because i thought they were staring at my chub.  but then i realized they are starring, because i have 2 cute babies and i'm exercising with them...and i guess that is something to look at. 

 so now that its been a year, the freedom run is just around the corner, and this year i am lucky enough to be able to do the 10k...and i hope to even run home to clock in 10miles.  what difference a year, hard work, sacrifice and dedication can make.  and isn't that what fitness is all about.  not to be tootin my own horn, but i have to focus on how far i have come, instead of how much farther i have to go. i'm still dreaming of the day when i can run faster than 9min miles again.  but i am truly just grateful to be able to be back out there!!

next wk, i'll let ya know how the race goes

...and yes, since the babes i've cried at every race i've completed!

i hope that some day these girls will know how  far we have come together....and even though getting my strength back has been the hardest thing....i would do it all again in a heart beat. 

little red!!

 wanna give a shout out to mr. mom for the weekend, spence and my parents had a full house of kids to take care while we women went and had a great time riding our bikes!! they had 6kids and the oldest was 6,  keep in  mind this included 2 sets of twins!:) thanks for your help and support. especially my parents for taking the kids while spence was busy working, and while the other hubs had stuff going on as well.

 here is amanda in all her glory, one day she will  have one of these little mini campers!

 this was at the pre-race dinner and expo! it was a throw-back the 50's...little red sure knows how to throw a party.

all of us posing one last time. this group of five hot trotters was so fun!! we had a blast. we did miss pam and kristie, as pam is dealing and coping with a lot, (here little baby just got diagnosed with diabetes, and kristie through her back out) next year for sure girls!! --so sorry you guys couldn't be there.

we had a blast and 80miles has never gone by so fast.  it was mine and amanda's first bike race, neither of us had ever rode more than 42miles, and training this year for me without a husband and moving and blah blah, well training pretty much didn't happen...and still doesn't.   i was really happy with how well we did. total biking time was 4hr we averaged 16-20mph....and had a great time doing it.  lacey really wanted to just be crazy and do 100miles...next time for sure!!

can't wait to ride again with you ladies....so what next?

stayin healthy for a marathon!!!

runners beware of the curse of the shins....shin splints! i found out that i was one of the 4500 random people drawn out at lottery to run the st. george marathon.  and now i keep thinking, how crazy am i what was i thinking to sign up for that?? well i read this guys book and got all crazy and excited and motivated and now....i'm one of the lucky thousand who get to kill themselves all summer just to cross a finish line...needless to say i'm a little scared about it all now.

 plus the fact that training for a marathon is basically the hardest most time consuming thing on earth...and i will do it all with no hubby to help watch the kiddos?? i guess i gotta find a good babysitter for all those long runs.  and i also need to keep my body injury free for the next 4months. so here is what i'll be doing to help....
i am a big believer in prevention. shin splints are the worst. they last for ever, don't let you have any fun, and can ruin any good training program. so here are some tips to throw-in somewhere in your weekly routine. i find that i do them just after a jog on my cool down. i think cars passing by think i'm a little odd....but to keep shins splints away i'll do just about anything. ***also don't forget to get a new pair of shows every 3-6months depending on how much you are running and jumping in them.