AAAAAHHH!! OMFG!! HOLY FREAKIN' MOLY!!

Last week, I received a very suspicious package in the mail from the charity that I applied to run for. All it contained was a t-shirt, training guide, blank thank-you notes and a few goodies. THAT'S IT. No letter, nothing, nada. So, I spent a week wondering what the heck that meant...did I get in? Am I running the NYC marathon in November? Do I need to get off my ass and start running more than a couple of miles a few times a week (might be a good idea in general)? Then last night, I decide to look at the training schedule...you know, just in case. I start putting the weekend long runs in my calendar in my phone, then decided to delete them all, because who freaking knows at this point. I swear, not 2 seconds later, my phone dings and I check my email.

This is what I read:

Dear Veronica Deats,

Girls on the Run is glad to provide you with a guaranteed entry into the ING New York City Marathon 2010..

I almost peed my pants. I'm in, I'm in, I'm in....I'm flipping the heck out!!

So, I run (trip) to my computer, register and get this seconds later:


Congratulations! You have received guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon 2010.

Your entry number is...

It's officially official.

I am committed to a fundraising goal of $2,500, so don't be surprised if you receive mass emails and phone calls from me...just remember how much you love me ;) And, if you see me on the side of the road with a couple of cute kids selling lemonade or cookies, you better stop and buy some!

A bunch of updates all squished into one!

We've had a busy few months around here, and I feel like I haven't really had a second to stop and take it all in! We've had birthdays, birthdays and more birthdays!! We've been remodeling bathrooms, taking some short trips and, trying to remember to breathe every once in a while. Life's good!
Liam turned one at the end of January (cue minor heart attack!) and is just becoming the funniest little guy :) He laughs at everything, including himself. He's starting to really try to talk and says the normal "Mama, Dada, uh-oh, hello, bu-bye" etc. He just started saying "aya" for Ava and putting a few words together like "bu-bye dada". He's still the most laid back kid that I've ever been around, but has such a fun personality. Everyday I see more and more of Jon in him. He really is Jon's little mini-me! Big news too...he FINALLY started walking!! He took his first step a little over a week ago while we were in Houston and now he's taking more and more everyday. He's trying to push himself up to stand from the floor and go from there too, and has managed to do it a few times. So, go Buggy!! 'Bout time little dude.
Ava turned 4 at the beginning of February and while I was hoping she would magically wake up and be done with the terrible 3's (because whoever came up with the terrible 2's clearly never met my daughter), but 4 had been just as challenging so far. She does have some redeeming qualities though, so I'll work with what we've got for now. According to her sweet, wonderful teachers at school, she is polite, helpful and always on her very best behavior. I am convinced that I'm sending a different child to school than the one that I bring home. At least she saves the drama for me...and I'm so thankful that she knows to leave it at home. Right now that kid's social calendar is harder to plan around than any of ours. She's playing soccer, taking ballet and swim lessons and is already pretty much booked up for the summer. I mean, seriously. But, she's happy and active and that's a good thing. She's been asking for a while to go out running with me, so I talked to her Pediatrician about it and he said go for it. So, we bought her 1st pair of running shoes and we've been running around the neighborhood together. I'm running a 5k in a couple of weeks and they have a kids fun run that she's going to do! She's so excited and it makes me so proud that this is something she seems to really like right now. I hope she enjoys the whole race experience so I can continue to encourage her :)
Jon and I both turned the big 3-0 and had a joint "60th" Birthday party last month to celebrate. It was so much fun and so many of our friends and family came. I have to say that I was pretty excited to finally be in my thirties. I was so over being 20-something and feel like and official grown-up now for some reason. Of course I still do completely immature things like buy $10 sunglasses because I can't take care of nice ones, and buy music by girls with $ymbol$ in their names because I like to listen to it when I run....you know, to make me feel young and all ;)
Speaking of running, I ran my SECOND half marathon a couple of weeks ago! I was having some problems with my hip, which looks like it might be IT band issues, and really followed a pretty pathetic training schedule...but even with all of that I managed to take a full 12 minutes off of my time from the 1st one in just 3 months! With the exception of my hip, I also recovered so much faster. I took a couple of weeks off and I'm going to try a short run tomorrow and see how I feel. I am surprised at how much I've missed running lately. Never thought i'd say that ;) It will be nice to run just because I want to for a little while, and not because I'm training for anything. After the half I did something ridiculous (blame it on Andrea again!) and entered the lotto to run the New York Marathon in November. Not sure what I was thinking. I've had it in the back of my head that I'd like to run ONE full marathon, and if I'm going to do it, I need to do it this year. We find out in a little over a week if we got in...so we'll see! I'd say wish me luck...but I'm not sure how much I want ;)
So, that's our story for now!

Half Marathon: I Did It!!

Well, it's all over! I survived, and actually really loved it! I woke up Sunday morning feeling so nervous and super jittery. I was seriously shaking trying to get my breakfast down. I have no clue what was going on...I was just freaking out a little (as in on the verge of tears, not knowing if I was going to be able to do it freaking out). Once I got to Travis and Andrea's and we drove downtown, I was feeling better. There was definitely some anticipation waiting to get up to that start line. So many emotions all mixed in together. I was anxious, excited, doubtful, but also just proud of myself for even being there in the first place. To top it all off, this was a HUGE race. There were 20,000 people this year...and I only knew 2 other people on that course. I was kind of in awe of these people! Let me just say here that I had two real goals that I had set for myself for this half marathon: I wanted to finish the entire thing running, and I wanted to do it in 2 1/2 hours. So...my official time was 2:30:32 and I ran every single step of every freaking mile!!!!
My only big issue physically for the day was that my feet were already hurting even before I started running. Never good. My shoes were pretty much shot, but by the time I really realized this a couple of weeks ago, breaking in a new pair wasn't really an option. So, I chose to run in worn out shoes, knowing my feet were going to kill me. They did, but all in all, everything else felt really good. All of the aches and pains that I'd been icing and nursing all week seemed to just go away when I started running that morning.
I made a decision when I started that I was just going to keep it slow and stay between a 10 to 11 minute pace. I knew that I could run faster than that in the beginning and make up for some time, but of my two goals, the most important for me was to run the whole thing. I didn't want to start out too fast, and end up completely spent at the end. I had only run 10 miles before, and had no clue how I would feel past that point. I felt great the first half. Jon was with my family around mile 6 and I stopped to give Ava a quick hug and kiss...that definitely kept me going :) I was still doing fine up until mile 8 or 9, then had to make a quick pit stop on the curb to yank out one of the insoles that I had bought a few days before to try to remedy the shoe problem. It was all bunched up and driving me insane. I've never gotten a shoe off and on so fast in my life! I stayed under an 11 min mile until I hit mile 10. I was still feeling okay, I just really slowed down after that. I think I ran the last 3 miles in 36 minutes. Had I been a complete wuss, mile 11 is where I would have wanted to stop. I was so tired then, and everything from my waist down was just screaming at me. I kept looking at all these people at this point though who were walking, and I was thinking to myself, "really, you've gone this far, and you only have 2 freaking miles left...and you're going to walk NOW?" There was no way. Those last 2 miles felt like they took a lifetime to finish. When I finally saw the finish line, I almost cried. I managed to find enough energy to finish the last bit at what I at least consider a sprint! When I finished, all I wanted to do was take my damn shoes off! Had I thought about it, I would have stuck flip flops in my bag ;)
So, I am officially a half marathoner. I have the medal and T-shirt to prove it ;) I have to say that it was an absolutely amazing experience. I don't care how it sounds...I am damn proud of myself! It was hard and I never once thought about not following through. There were times when we were training that I questioned whether or not I would be able to finish the whole thing when the day came, but I knew that I was going to try. I don't know where this part of me has been hiding out, because I never would have thought in the past that this was something that I was capable of: physically or mentally.
The reality is that I probably would not have been able to do it without all of the support that I got from my friends and family. I have an awesome husband who constantly told me that I could do it, and made sure that I always had time to get all of my runs in. Plus, all of this would have never happened if I had not drunkenly agreed when Andrea asked me to do it in the first place...so thank you A! I also have an awesome sis who drives up to support me, even when she has other places to be! So...a big fat thank you to everyone who said I could do this, even when I wasn't so sure!!
You know what's crazy...I'm already talking about which one I want to do next ;)


Here are some pics that my sis took...I look like an absolute cheeseball, but whatever!



While we all know I'm not actually "too fast" my sis made me this sweet sign...totally a joke between us! Loved it!

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This is when I saw Ava and ran over to see her...which explains that doofus smile on my face.



Quick hug and kiss from the Monkey...she says they give me super powers to run fast :)



Waiting for me to finally finish!



All done, whew...still standing though :)

Half Marathon Training: Weeks 10 and 11

I'm pretty excited to type this, because it means that all of the hard part of training is officially over! The last two weeks have gone really well. I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, which was so much fun. That will definitely have to become a yearly tradition! All of my weekly runs were 5 miles, and I had my final long run today...10 miles. It was not to bad, the weather was just killer. It was cold and so windy. I felt like I was running so hard, but going absolutely nowhere! Even with that, it was actually easier than my 9 mile run a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't feel like I was going to die afterward. I was just freezing and wanted the hottest shower ever! So I have a pretty easy week ahead of me, then 13.1 miles and that's it!! I'm definitely a little nervous, but so excited now too :)

Half Marathon Training: Weeks 8 and 9

Whew...so these last two weeks have been a little crazy. I spent about 6 of the last 14 days out of town or on the road (Angie's amazing wedding in Asheville, then a turn around trip for the Aggie Bonfire Memorial), had part of my toenail cut out (stupid, nasty ingrown was killing me and it took what seemed like forever for it to feel good enough to run on), and I feel like I've just been playing catch-up. Needless to say, training has not been my #1 priority like it should have been, and a few runs were definitely missed. I did what I could though, and I will admit that I felt like I totally paid for these last 2 weeks today. I went out for my 1st run all the way around White Rock Lake (9 miles) and it was HARD. Most definitely the hardest run that I've had. My legs were killing me, I was tired, and just felt the effects of slacking off a bit. I felt that little bit of doubt creeping back up. I did it though, even though it took me what seemed like a lifetime. I think I have a few weeks of serious gym time ahead of me! The good thing is that I'm running the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving (8 miles) so that will give me an extra long run....feeling like I'm going to need that! Just 3 more weeks now, and I'm determined to make them count!

Half Marathon Training : Week Seven

This week I had a weird realization. I always go into my shorter weekday runs thinking that they are going to be easy simply because it's a distance that I've run many times by this point. I go into my long weekend runs with less confidence wondering whether or not I will make it, how slow I will be, how hard it will be, etc. You know what happens? Those shorter runs are always the ones that KILL me and I love my long runs. HUH??? I think it's because I go into them with a completely different mindset, and prepare myself in different ways. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I do my weekday runs alone, in my neighborhood, and it gets boring. Plus, I have to fit them in to a crazy schedule (not just mine, but Jon's). On Saturdays I get up, drive to Travis and Andrea's and we head out to the lake. It's time each week that's set aside for that specific purpose...no fitting it in or rushing. Anyway...this week was a couple of 4.5 mile runs (one of which turned into 5 b/c I didn't check my schedule...whatever) and a 7 mile run on Saturday. The 7 mile took me 1 hour 16 minutes. Still a turtle, but a turtle who's feeling like that 13.1 that I'll be running in 5 weeks is not so scary after all :)

Half Marathon Training: Weeks 5 and 6

Well, this means I'm halfway there. Six weeks down, six more to go! Week five was great, probably the best so far. I was better about my strength training (as in I had a few days where I could barely move...but it was good!), and had a 6 mile run that weekend. I was turtle slow, as usual (I think it took me right at an hour and 5 minutes), but it was one of those really good runs that makes up for crappy ones! My Ipod died about 2 miles in, but even that didn't really mess with me as much as I had anticipated when I turned it on and saw that dreaded low battery signal. Week six was pretty easy, just a couple of 4.5 mile runs during the week (one of which got cut short when I got caught up in a serious rainstorm....I'm talking soaked and whacked in the head with acorns), and 5k over the weekend. The best part was that I managed to fit in several yoga classes over the past two weeks, which was a big goal...I was really missing that. I think my muscles were too. So, mark your calendars people...because six weeks from today I'm going to need all the good luck vibes I can get :)

Half Marathon Training: Week 4

This week started off with a run in the Hill Country. We were at the lake for the long weekend, and I decided to get up early before we left on Monday and run so that I could have a little change of scenery. Oh.My.Goodness. Up, Up, Up...flat for a second...Up some more...maybe downhill for just a bit...then repeat. It was definitely a change. I thought the hills in my 'hood were bad. It was good for me though! I did another treadmill run because of a crazy week, and have to admit that while I have been good about getting all of my runs in (as long as I've been healthy), I've really slacked off on strength training the last few weeks. I think I just got out of the habit while I was sick off and on, and was out of the gym. No more though, I am going to make myself really focus on it next week. Saturday my sister and I ran the Race for the Cure and had such a good time. I have to say that I was pretty proud of myself because I took a good 3 minutes off of my normal 5K time! It was definitely the atmosphere, and I ran it at about 28:45. Tiff did so great and finished in around 36 minutes. She never stopped and doesn't really run. She had gotten up to running 2 miles over the last few weeks, and I was so proud of her! It was for such a great cause, and I loved being a part of it. I raised a little over $200...so a big, huge THANK YOU to all of my friends and family that donated money. It is much appreciated!! Oh, and we saw Crazy Tracy from The Biggest Loser in the bathroom at Northpark before the race. She had definitely lost a ton of weight, but was yelling at her friends to "go, go, go". She was all decked out in her purple Biggest Loser gear. I wanted to ask her where her pink was ;)

Half Marathon Training: Weeks 2 and 3

Quick, condensed update because I'm a little late doing this! Week 2 was just a repeat of week one. My 4 mile run that weekend was pretty pathetic because my foot was bothering me (turns out I have a pulled tendon...lots of icing and stretching, but no biggie) and I was about 8 hours away from puking my brains out. Week 3 was a bust because it took me so long to get over that stupid stomach bug. I didn't run again until Thursday and didn't even finish my 3.5 miles for that day. It was so hot and humid, and I just still wasn't feeling 100%. My 5 mile run this past Saturday was actually pretty nice though. The weather was great, I was finally feeling like myself and my foot didn't really bother me. I was so worried about finishing those 5 miles going into it because the 2 weeks leading up to it were just so bad...but I did it, and it felt really good!! 3 weeks down, 9 more to go :)

Race For the Cure

My sister and I are running the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure 5K on October 17th! I'm so excited because this will be my first road race and it's for a wonderful cause. Plus, I get to do it with Tiff :) If you are interested in donating, sponsoring or participating, please visit their web page at: www.komen-dallas.org

Half Marathon Training Week One: CHECK

So, I've officially started training for the half-marathon I'm running on December 13th. No more "training to train" or skipping workouts when I'm really not feeling all that into it. Although, I've been pretty good about to sticking to all of my scheduled runs the past few weeks to get myself into the habit. This week was not really anything new...a couple of 3 mile runs and a 4 mile run over the weekend. It took me almost 43 minutes to run those 4 miles. Not horrible, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm just slow. The only real change was that Jon was out of town all week, which meant treadmill runs during the week (blah). Oh, and I came down with some nasty, funky head/chest cold or sinus infection thing. I was cracked out on all kinds of over the counter stuff all week because that's all I could really do. I'm just glad that I didn't wuss out and skip any runs or workouts, even though I felt like total crap. It's funny to think back to right after I had Liam and I would run (if you could even call it that) on the treadmill, thinking how awesome I was doing, but the thought of running outside scared the bejeebus out of me. Now I despise that stupid treadmill. It's boring, and makes 3 miles seem like they take all freakin' morning. Crazy how that's changed in a matter of months! So, even diseased and left to fend for myself (clearly, I survived!), my first week was a success. Now to start all over tomorrow :) One week down, eleven more to go.

Rain, Rain, Go Away....No, Seriously!

I am SO OVER all of the rain, drizzle, gray clouds, and overall gloominess. I love a good storm and we needed some rain, but enough is enough already. I have a stir crazy kid, I think we're all getting cabin fever. Ava has decided that if it keeps raining, we are going to have to build an ark. Even my dogs have gotten the memo and haven't left the back patio in a while...fine by me because I'm not exactly a huge fan of cleaning up their muddy paw prints. The silver lining here is that I *think* all of this nasty weather may finally cool things off a bit. I'm officially ready for summer to be over. I'm ready for a break from the heat, plus I love fall!! I'm looking forward to running in the cooler weather. Speaking of, running in the rain and mud and puddles has been a bit of a mess. I used to think those people who were out running when it was pouring down rain were C.R.A.Z.Y. Then, all of a sudden that was me. I have to say that except for one slightly disastrous run last weekend with Andrea, where we had to turn back because of all the mud, running in the rain was actually kind of enjoyable. Did I just say that? My shoes, however would not agree. They have suffered from all of it, and this is what they look like after a week or so of sloshing through puddles.



I'm scared to wash them, because I love them and don't want to ruin them. At this point, it would be like throwing my wedding dress in the washer. They will just have to stay dirty, I suppose.

"YOUR HARD WORK IS ABOUT TO PAY OFF"

Or at least it is according to my Panda Express fortune cookie from last night! Reading that completely made me smile 1) because I needed some new motivation and 2) because I always get the WORST fortune cookies. I've never gotten one worth holding onto in my entire life. They are usually beyond cheesy. I'm not only keeping this one, but putting it somewhere that I'll see it every day!
There are some days when telling myself that in just 3 short months I'm actually going to be able to run 13.1 miles doesn't really cut it. Most days the "I think I can, I think I can" mentality gets me through, but others, even the best of pep talks doesn't do the trick.
So far, my biggest accomplishment was my 4 mile run on Friday. It was officially the farthest I've run since I was in College. It was HARD, but at the end I didn't have that feeling of dread like I've had in the past...like there's absolutely no freaking way that I can ever go any farther than that. This time I thought, "Well, just triple that, add another mile, and I'm good". Then I flipped out a little.
The thought of not being able to do it is just flat out stupid. I would not have said that I would do it if I did not KNOW that somewhere inside myself I am capable of doing this. I just need a little extra kick in the rear every once in a while, and now I'll have it right on front of me...in all caps!