Merry Christmas!!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YALL!!!!
 hope all are having a wonderful day and are enjoying time spent with friends,family and loved ones!

even though the sickies are STILL in the Cunningham house (the girls have bronchitis the baby has RSV,and i have a chest cold) Christmas here was still loud,fun,and full of fun times and love!!!

looking forward to holiday travel later this week...
will be posting big plans soon!!!!

in the meantime,check out little M enjoying her gifts from Santa!
and to think,when i was growing up,all i had was a laundry basket and some stairs to get the same effect,lol!!!
(never mind the Christmas mess in the background)

merry Christmas!!!

"I always feel like,somebody's watching me"

i meant to post this a week or so ago,back when i had my last workout...
which btw are far and few in between lately thanks to more sickies invading the house!

so, to make it short,

not many people know i am a 3x figure pro card holder,a few trainers at the gym and a handful of members...i keep it under wraps...(literally)

i am the type of person who is very low key in the gym-,i keep to myself( for the most part-occasionally ill stop to chat and get caught up in workout/running talk),regardless,i get the work done and go home.
im not a flashy gal,i dont wear booty shorts and tiny tanks
except for a mini photo shoot:

--in actuallity,i go the complete opposite direction of what the above picture depicts-i wear long pants and long sleeves and a ball cap over my eyes,so i become almost invisible....
almost.....
(except perhaps, for when my training is not so conventional and its obvious im training for something?)

even when im all covered up and laying low,
i guess i never realized how much i am being watched in the gym....
until i see a few women on separate occasions,following one of my leg/plyo routines,
to a T.
initially i was like,hmmmm,that looks familiar-ive never seen anyone else do Russian jumps before.....oh wait,thats my routine....did she copy that from me?
was i googled?
am i actually being watched that close?
should i be flattered?
(why,yes,yes i am!)

has this ever happened to anyone else?


 i dont mind a bit sharing my workouts,its not like they are top secret,ive shared them here,here and here...
i dont mind being asked questions or advice about anything fitness related-
getting me to talk about it whenasked is no problem-its getting me to be quiet,lol!

(see,im shy at first until you get me talking about things i love)
:D

im not upset at all about others shadowing my workouts,
its kindof cool and creepy that someone has me that close on her radar?

i guess it goes to show me that women are watching in the gym,
more than i thought.....

perhaps word has gotten out that i will be on stage again in 19 weeks??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
eeeeek! why did typing that out make it feel like 19 is not long at all?
so 7 more weeks until official prep begins...
i may or may not have some more races lined up,including another 1/2 marathon,which i am calling "operation redemption"

say tuned for the journey of how Melissa gets her groove back
to the pro stage and beyond!

now its off to get these yungins healthy again so mommy can workout/run/sleep/etc etc!

for the family....

in light of the recent tragedy,these are for my parents/grandparents/sisters and children's god parents,
all who may need a little smile on their face right now.....

enjoy!

Letting go of pride and Embracing the suck

Wow,its been a while!!!!
It's been a crazy past couple of months,full of sickness after sickness and illness in the family.....
which has left me unable to train how i needed to....

i had contemplated just not doing any more races this year,i thought about skipping the half marathon all together and just maybe,maybe jumping in on the 5k held on the same day......
i was feeling pretty discouraged about doing any races,since this whole "training" season went out the window this year.
BUT,leave it to a good friend to help me get my mind in the right place.
after emailing Crazy Sue my thoughts about running the half mary, this is what she shot back at me and was EXACTLY what i needed to hear:

"Sorry to hear that your marathon training isn't going as well as you planned. But I wouldn't worry about it. Yes do the {race} and have fun with it. Like all professional and amateur athletes, we all have good seasons and not so good. And when that happens, still enjoy the journey."

So what else could i do but heed the advice from another crazy head athlete?

yesterday was race day.

woke up,had a granola bar and was on my way,forgetting my watch.

in all honesty,i had my mind set on running the 5k.

when i went to register,i saw lots of people from the gym who were going to be running.

(no pressure to run fast,right?)

and as soon as i was making my way to the registration table, an announcement came on saying that the 5k was full and registration was closed----but there were still a few spots left for the half....

ok,i had no choice now. time to man up and just run the half,run for fun and just treat it like a long run....

i KNEW there was no way i could PR today--

time to let go of pride,and embrace the suck......

and thats just what i did.

miles 1-4 went by fast.i didnt have a watch so i had no clue the entire race what my pace was.i thought about asking other runners around me for the time,but i resisted the urge.(this proved to be the right choice!)

 today was about enjoying the journey,even the not so fun parts.

 the first 4 miles were spent,trying to get a comfortable pace and trying not to think about the goals i had set for this day,this race,trying not to think about how poorly training had been going,trying to just be in the moment.

then i see/hear a group of people on the side of the streets with cowbells---i couldt help but think about sue and her words.....

miles 4-8 also went by fast. i had a small group to run and chat with,a group who loved to cheer for others as much as i did!!! at mile 5.6 i heard a guys garmin go off,stating the pace,which was 8:10min mile pace.

not sure if i needed to hear that,but i made a mental note to keep these guys in sight the rest of the race.

miles 5-8 were hilly and on a gravel road. i see a guy with long long dread locks who keeps stopping to walk every so often. everytime he would walk,i would pass him,and encourage him to keep going and not to stop. this happened about 4 times.the 4th time he picks his pace back up and tells me this was his first half and longest distance he has ever ran. i congratulate him and over the next 3 miles he stays slightly ahead of me.

miles 8-11 went by pretty quick. i felt good the entire time until mile 11,thats when my legs felt heavy.

during these miles i encouraged everyone who passed me,and those who were stopping to walk.

mile 11 marked the start of the first of 2 huge hills.

i catch up to dreadlock boy and we attack the first hill. he gets ahead and stops and walks-i yell at him to keep going. and off he goes. packs of women pass me and im telling everyone what a great job they are doing,i pat those who have stopped and walked on the back and tell them to keep moving....

mile 12

and here is the last and final hill.

dreadlock boy is slowing down. i zone in on his heels and try to catch him, encouraging him and everyone around me to keep going,you got this,baby steps if have to just dont walk! a pack of older men come up behind me. we all laugh and joke about the hills,and then we continue to be the cheerleaders for those around us. finally the last turn!!! after joking about how we would all tuck and roll to the finish,the older guys take off-i catch up to dreadlock boy and he tries to outkick me at the finish...tried,i beat him by a shoestring...

after i cross the line i cringe when i see my time.

cringe.

slowest  time i have ever ran a half in,but oh well.

i was greeted at the line by high fives and pats on the back. the older guys thank me for helping them get up those hills,and two ladies say thanks for for hollering at them to keep moving when they were walking,and then dreadlock boy shakes my hand and thanks me for pushing him to the finish line of his first half!

even though i always cheer for others at races,i dont think ive ever had so many people come up and actually say "thank you" after a race. this made me feel good and helped me forget about the disappointing time on the clock.

after all,today was about letting go of pride,embracing the suck,and enjoying the journey anyways!!!!

when i got home,this message was in my inbox

Congratulations Melissa Cunningham you finished the 1/2 M on December 9, 2012 with a chip time of 01:53:44. You placed 228 of 665 runners, 54 of 274 Female runners and 13 of 55 in the Women's 30-34 division. You scored 894 Grand Prix points in this race. Weather on Race day was 49 degrees, cloudy.

SO that sums up how my big day went......

and i guess how my season has gone as well.

i have a choice to either embrace the journey and enjoy it,or to let it get me down.

while initially i chose to let it bring me down,in the end,i embraced it,and learned that life will never always go as you plan it,life happens when you arent looking and its always best to just hang on and enjoy the crazy ride instead of riding with your eyes shut....

lifes to short to worry about what didnt go right,so when things go wrong,learn from it,readjust,refocus,continue on.....and enjoy the journey!!!!!

lessons relearned-harder than a front flip!

My first daughter is 6 and 1/2,and she makes it CLEAR that i add the 1/2. makes her feel older,for now at least!

 Over the past 3 years we have been trying desperately to get her to stop sucking her thumb. we've tried just about everything to get her to stop this habit of hers.
and then.....i found this website

http://www.thumbusters.com/

they arrived over the weekend!!!!
so far she LOVES wearing them---they are just a simple visible reminder to help her keep her thumb out of her mouth!

so whats the big lesson here?what did i learn from a 6.5yr old?
rewind to the conversation me and my daughter had the other night.

her: "are you SURE these thumbuster things will make me stop sucking my thumb"
me: yes
her: how do you know???are they magic?i want to suck my thumb so bad!its hard to just stop.its harder than doing a front flip on the ground!"
me:(gearing up for a pep talk,knowing that whatever i said next would have to be important-should i just be blunt?)
well, Alex,these thumbusters aren't magic,
they wont make you stop sucking your thumb overnight.
YOU are going to be the one that makes you stop sucking your thumb.
YOU have to make the choice.
i know this is hard for you, and to be honest,there's going to be some times that you want to give in and suck your thumbs off.
those are the times you just have to tell yourself that your strong,because you ARE strong and you can do this!

her-looks at me funny

me-BUT the good news is that these thumbuster things are here to HELP you. they are there to help train your brain.....

her-train my brain???

me-well,kindof- every time you bring your thumb to your mouth,there they are,telling you to rethink what you are about to do.
they let you know that you don't need to suck your thumb anymore-and once you see the reminder,your brain will tell you to keep your thumb out of your mouth.
so while the thumbusters don't have magic powers,know that YOU are one with the magic powers because YOU can do anything you put your mind to.....even if it seems hard to do---even harder than a front flip on the ground....

her- but mamma, i know i don't have magic powers because if i did then i could turn my whole room pink when i wave my hand,and i could make it snow anytime i wanted..

me- you turkey!!!you know what i mean.
Bottom line is that is that YOU have the power to stop sucking your thumb. remember how hard it was to learn to ride your bike? but you kept trying and trying and telling yourself that you could do it...and then you could! remember when you were scared to go skating?and how you fell a hundred times,but everytime you fell,you got back up and you told yourself that you were going to learn to skate with your friends,even if you fell?

her-nodding her head and smiling

me-well,this is kindof like that.doing something you know is hard,but trying anyways and not giving up.
Alex,i know you can stop sucking your thumb even if it seems really hard. you are a strong girl and when thing seems hard,just say a prayer in your heart and tell yourself you can do this!and hen after a while it will get easier and easier to stop.just know you can do anything you put your mind to-got it?

her- got it.

and 3 days later,she has been thumb in mouth free!!!!
YAY for Alex!

the big lesson i re learned from this was something ive been needing to tell myself here lately:

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO-- EVEN IF IT SEEMS HARDER TO DO THAN A FRONT FLIP ON THE GROUND.

sometimes all it takes is a simple reminder to help keep your goals in sight.
what are some things you have learned from children?


!

5x800's........

well i finally got in a decent run!!!!!
still way slower than what im used to,but i wont complain that much,it felt good to run and i was pain free!!!!

1.5miles warm up/cool down
4.5 miles of 800's
first two 800's were at 7:30min mile pace or 3:45
the 2nd two sets of 800's were at a 7min mile pace or 3:30
and the last 800 was at a 6:40min mile pace or a 3:20
jogged 800's in between at about a 8:38-8:40 pace
did 4.5 total miles in around 35 minutes,average of 7:40something....

long run for tomorrow.....only 2 more long runs until the half marathon!

really?

am i really looking forward to those big hills placed at miles 11 and 12?
even when i havent done any hill training?

yup.
you betcha!!!
as long as beat my time from last time i ran the race,(by at least 9 minutes)
i will be happy!

heres hoping for an uneventful next 3 weeks!

(

lack of running......

Tis the season for the crud....
runny nose,congestion,sneezing,coughing.......
Hubby has it,
M is coming down with it
E is fighting it,or possibly his little runny/stuffy nose and cranky attitude is just teething??? hoping! he's too little to get sick!

So yeah, i  haven't been to the gym since Monday....
taking lots of vitamin C, sanitizing the house like crazy........
and of course enjoying the little moments like this:

good until the last lick of the spatula!

one thing i was able to do was sneak away and buy some running shoes!
There was a deal on SAUCONY shoes at Dick's,so i got me and the older kiddos a pair

the sad thing is that i can still wear girl sizes in shoes,so i bought both my shoes and running tights in youth girls sizes.
but the good thing about buying in youth  is that it is so much cheaper!

i wonder if youth running shoes are made the same way as adult running shoes?
guess once i get back out there running,i will find out.
and i will see how my foot feels.
i did run on Monday and it felt OK. no sharp pains but just the occasional dull ache. of course i was going slow,so i really wont be able to tell until i do speed work...
(which i haven't done any this week!!!!eeeeep!)

OH and i have a 5k next week!
i so don't feel prepared.
and this half marathon is coming up soon-like 3 weeks soon,and i don't feel ready for that either....

me and taking longer than a couple days off from running gets to my head sometimes.
im hoping that this rest will be beneficial and not a set back for the goals i have in the next few weeks...

heres hoping i can get in a long run and speed work over the weekend and not jinx myself!!!!

happy Friday!

another sick day....

you know its not a good sign when your 6yr old gets off the school bus,does her homework,asks for something to take for a headache and then goes straight to bed....
thats how yesterday went....

so its another sick day today. she is puking and having headaches since last night.
poor baby. its always something!!!!!

another day away from running/lifting,but i think my daughter needs me more than the treadmill anyday!

heres hoping she gets better ASAP,and that no one else gets the sickies!

super baby to the rescue!!i'm handsome and i know it!

look ma,i can fly!

just another day in the life,eh?

well,it seems like just when i start rocking and rolling along with workouts and running,something happens.....

my daughter woke up this morning with a splitting headache and a fever. she had some Advil and felt a lot better-her headache was gone,she was hungry and wanted to go to school. but my mommy senses kicked in and i took her to the walk in. i knew something was going on.
1.5hrs later,we found out she has strep throat.
 and after the throat swab,the fever and chills came back almost immediately!!!
 on the way home,headache again and the her body was shivering.
 got her home and pumped full of medicines and now she is sleeping.

heres hoping she gets feeling better soon and the rest of the clan stays healthy!!!

i can handle missing workouts and running due to the kids being sick. its my job to take care of them,so everything else comes second!

however----when i have to miss running due to my own self?
that bothers me!

yesterday while i was doing an easy jog,i felt a sensation in my foot like no other.
it was an odd sort of pain that didn't go away,so i stopped after 3 miles. the sharp pains went away,but now i am left with a dull ache....
after doing my research on Google,i think i found out what i have......

Metatarsalgia is a painful foot condition that is often misdiagnosed or confused with plantar fasciitis or Mortons Neuroma. A runner will complain of pain in the ball of their foot usually just behind the second or third toe. The pain can be intense or just a dull ache that they describe as “walking on a rock’ or “walking right on the bone”. The pain can be intense enough to cause you to stop running.










so yes,self diagnosis concludes that this is a possible cause.
it can be easily treated,but calls for rest.
rest= no running.
boo!!!!

i will take today and tomorrow off,and then resumerunning this weekend.
 hopefully all will go well and i will be pain free,and this wont set me back for the half marathon coming up in 4 weeks and 2 days!!!
im sure i will be rocking and rolling along again soon--just another day in the life!

mile repeats,bottles and a little black dress....

after a 10 miler a few days ago,i was ready to get in some mile repeats,which i havent done these in over a YEAR!!!!1 *gasp* i know!!!!
so i took it easier on myself--instead of doing 5-8 one mile repeats,like i WANTED to do,i only did 3 to test the waters....
mile 1-7:013
mile 2-7:08
mile 3-7:01
(sub 21:22 5k)
jogged 1200's in between at around 8:40ish pace
got 4.5 miles in 34:33-about a 7:40 average pace

i felt really good during these,meaning i had gas in the tank and could have either done another 2 or 3 miles at this pace,or could have gone faster....

this made me feel good for a few reasons
1- i am slowly getting some speed back
2-makes me feel a little bit more sure that i can run under a 22min 5k in 2 weeks. the last time i ran this race,was 3 months after i had lil M-i ran it in 22:14,so my goal is to beat that time!)
3-i felt good,and didnt die like i thought i would!

so todays run made me feel a little bit more normal!
: D
later this week i will be doing a tempo run or hill repeats....
the half mary coming up has a few hills and 2 huge hills placed wonderfully at miles 11 and 12...
the last time i ran that race,was 16 week after i had lil M and i did it in 1:47......
this time i will be 24 weeks post baby...so i hope that translates into a 1:39!
however,i need to be doing hill training. last time those hills kicked.my. biscuits.!!!!!

in other news,i think i found a bottle baby E will take. he has been on a bottle strike for 3 months now!!
i got THIS the other day and so far he doesnt hate it!
hopefully he will take well to this bottle so daddy can take over a night feeding.i need some sleep.
exhausted is an understatement!
 baby E also tried rice cereal last night--loved it!
maybe that will help with his sleep as well.

in other other news.....
i have 5 weeks until my husbands holiday party for his work.
this means i have 5 weeks to fit in a little black cocktail dress

game on..........

800 repeats, Halloween

yesterday 4x800 repeats at 10k pace
first 3 were at 7:30min mile pace,last one was at 7 min mile pace.
jogged 400 in between at 8:41 pace
3 miles in 23:32
1.5 miles warmup/cooldown
supposed to get in a long run today,but i dont think M feels good....

Halloween went good!

our trick or treat bunch!witch,darth vador,vampire,princess and a tootsie roll!

she wanted candy,but hated walking around to get it

i may or may not have eaten my weight in chocolate...

happy Thursday!

Tuesday's (almost) gone with the wind

I do hope all my fellow East coasters stayed safe these past few days!!!! We survived Sandy with minimal damage and no power loss,thank goodness!
Heres hoping the rest of the East coast and those North East can recover fast!

In other news,a lot has been going on here-
* sickness-the girls were both down with nasty ear infections for almost a week. 3 days of school were missed,5 days of gym were missed.

*grandparents made a brief,but wonderful visit. first time to meet Elijah!

at the bus stop with great grandparents!

*still running and had some really good workouts.
tempo and 6x400's last week and over the weekend.
the repeats were faster than last week but not by much

1-7:18 mile pace 
2- 6:55 
3-6:40 
4-6:20 
5-6:10 
6-6:00min mile pace

averaged 3 miles in 21:32, about a 7:10 pace

*my son had his first workout with me on Saturday!!!!!i was beyond excited to have him as my workout partner. what we got in:
3x10
seated dips
pec dec
bicep curls
upright rows
squats on BOSU ball
wall squat hold
mountain climbers
planks (2x 30 seconds)
crunches with med ball
back to back med ball pass
he did 35 minutes of elliptical wile i did 35 minutes of running/repeats.
i was so happy!!!!!!!


*HALF MARATHON is in a little more than 5 weeks. it is the same one i ran just 16weeks after i delivered M!
training is going OK,much more time manageable!
hill repeats and long runs are on schedule for this week!



* 15 more weeks until CONTEST PREP begins!!!!!!!!
as i was browsing the latest contest winners,i have noticed that i will have some new competition to be on stage with this spring.
in order for me to be competitive i have to get more thickness to my back. i do great getting all the detail work to come out,i just need more mass.....i know this,i have known this,its just getting over that mental block!!!! 

so that about sums things up.
since the town is pretty much closed(postal service,schools,most stores,even the gym!!!!!) it will be a lazy pajama day spent playing rainy day games with the kids and making ricekrispy treats!

happy Tuesday!!!

5 minute break

yep- 2 sick kiddos. and 1 fussy baby at home.
training has been sparse
but i did manage a good tempo run on Saturday
5.3 miles in 45 minutes
mile 1-9:40ish
miles 2,3,4 were 8:30/8/7:30 pace
mile 5 cool down at around 9ish

felt good! cant wait to get speed back though.
felt bad for skipping out on my long run yesterday,but truth be told,i was and still am exhausted.
and i know my husband is as well. he was up most the night with the girls,and i was up with the baby.
he still doesn't sleep through the night and is up about every hour and a half to eat.
oh the fun!

but the good news is that grandparents are coming to visit tomorrow for a day-this will be their first time to meet baby Elijah!
and the older kids are excited as well.
now its off to get the house clean.....

happy Monday!

G-O-A-L!!!!

yeeeeeee!
my son's soccer game last night was awesome.
i have never been more nervous in my life watching a game!
tied 0-0.
double overtime.
sudden death shoot out.
and my awesome son scored the winning goal!!!!!!!
on his 9th birthday--talk about a sweet day!
i have never been more proud.
not only of him,but his whole team. they worked really hard this season and was finally able to win the championships!
yeeeee!

i still cant believe my first baby is 9.
it seems like it was just yesterday,i was holding him for the first time----simply amazed,scared to to death,but so in love with the amazing gift god chose to give to me....

i watched him grow big and strong..and big!!!

i loved to watch him play in the pots and pans...

 and smile almost all the time

even when he became a big brother for the first time....

and second time..........

and 3rd time.....

9 years old

picture day with little sister

i have been so blessed to have such an amazing young man as my son. he is a loving,caring soul with such a big heart.
from the moment he was born,i knew there was something special about him.something beyond a mothers love. i felt it,and still do to this day.

and other people,even complete strangers,have told me there is just something about him,his aura,his countenance.....

so heres to great things,Bailey....
because YOU are great,and i love you!!!!!

7x400 repeats

im gonna break my rusty cage........
and run.
thanks Cash,
that song was playing as i finished up my last 400,lol!

first time to do 400's since i was preggo
they were so slow,but it felt SO good to be running!!!

first 400-7:30 min mile pace (1:52)
2nd-7:18
3rd- 7:08
4th-6:58
5th-6:47
6th-6:38
7th-6:18 (1:38)
jogged 400's inbetween at an 8:34pace
3.25 miles of 400's-average about a 7:35 pace
(2 miles of warm up/cooldown)
a far cry from  THIS WORKOUT

but hey,i know the base line now and i can only get faster from here!!
: D

tomorrow is just an easy 5...
and also my sons 9th birthday!!!!!
AND his championship soccer game!
they won the playoffs this weekend and won after overtime and shoot out.
my son was one of the 5 chosen to kick and he scored the game point!!!!
talk about an exciting, nerve wracking game!!!
i think all the parents were more nervous than the kids,lol!!!!

hopefully it will be another great game tomorrow and my son will have some birthday luck to help his team win the title!!!

happy Tuesday yall!

get tough or die,kid.....and change of plans

the pictures say it all!
(life with 2 older sisters!)

in other news
there has been a change in plans with training....

im doing a half marathon and not the full....
the half marathon training plan is much more time manageable,especially now with 4 small kids!
i did defer my marathon entry to next year---so its already paid for,and now i feel i have the time to train properly and train well in order to BQ. i have faced the fact that i am tangible,and human(humbling to say the least)....and me trying to BQ a little less than 5 months after having my 4th child,just really isn't realistic.

*sigh*
 although i feel this was the right choice to make,i still cant help but feel a little bit defeated because i am not going to challenge that big goal i had set forth in 2012.
but on the other hand,when i do run next year,i want to run it fast,and run it well.
i want to BQ.
and i will........
next year.

in the mean time,i can now proceed to jump in on some 5k's and 10k races...i can focus more on speed work,and oh yeah....contest prep will start up in about 16 weeks!!!
yeeeee!
my next show is in April,and prep will start at the end of January.
i have a feeling this will be my comeback show,and my time for redemption!

cant wait to be back in black!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Av9SSPuzE&feature=related

four

just for you EMZ...
4.
4.
4.


4------ months old today! he thinks he is so big--rolling all over the place now and boycotting naps!but he is soooooooooooooo sweet and cute and kissable and has such a wonderful aura/countenance about him...who couldn't love a little bald headed baby face like this??

4---- more inches to drop until im back to my normal pre-preggo size.that should be gone in 2 weeks.
which,i am down another 2.5 inches btw!


4---- -abs that are showing. my goal is having that 6 pack back by Halloween. 23 days and counting!



will do a more in detail post later.....
hope all have a great weekend!!!!

first impressions

have you ever wished you could have a first impression do-over???
well,ive been wishing that today.....

my children got invited over to a friends house who lives just a few doors down.they are all bus stop buddies.
well. after a stellar workout that left me a hot sweaty mess, i had to rush home,grab some juice for m and then head to meet the little girls mom at the bus stop. we met up,and headed over to her house. it all started off fine,other than me apologizing for my sweaty post work out self. end then elijah started screaming and wouldnt stop. i had to get onto m a few times,my son said his belly hurt. and elijah screamed and screamed. it took me 10 minutes to gather my kids,get them to help clean up,shoes on,and out their door. i apologized profusely for the baby's behavior. and then as we are walking back home. e stops crying and bailey said he he needed to go to the bathroom. bad.

he then proceeds to have tummy troubles for a little bit.
me being how i am,gave the friends mom,who is 6 months pregnant,a call saying that b was having tummy troubles and she may want to sanitize the toys he was playing with.i would hate it if she were to get sick! i again apologized profusely and invited her and her husband over to dinner here in the next few weeks,when soccer season is over...

and then my son starts throwing up.
not only am i a paranoid wreck,i feel so awful for feeling like i made a bad first impression!
she probably thinks im some unkempt sweaty mess whose has a bratty screaming baby and then brings a sick kid over....
i want a do over please!!!

am i crazy for thinking like that?

anyways,tomorrow will bea rest day from the gym.
which is fine by me. todays HIIT and workout wiped me out.
got in 3.4miles in 24:33----a 7:13 pace!
slowly im getting my speed back!
and an awesome chest/tris/abs workout....

oh and yesterday.....i was able to wear my skinny jeans in public. they are still snug. but they fit!!

now its off to sanitize the house and pray the others dont catch any bug!!!
or maybe he just ate something bad-he did have a lot of sweets at lunch and later asked me if eating too many fruit rollups could make him feel bad. i think he had 8!!????
oh lawdy lawdy!
the paranoia has set in....im still going to sanitize like crazy and hope it was something he ate!

to the moms out there,have any of you called a friends mom to give them a heads up about your kids sickness? is that not a cool thing to do anymore?

farmer elijah

pull up queen!!

fist bump,mamma!

???

nom nom nom!

its monday.....

made the most out of my time in the gym today-
legs/abs with plyos for active rest

4x12 single leg dead leg lift with 
4x30 weighted jump lunge 
4x15 leg curl with 
4x20 ski lunge 
4x24 single leg jump press with 
4x10 jump tucks 
4x15 hip add with 
4x15 hip add with 
30 sec Russian jumps 
quad set of 
4x12 roll out on onex ball 
pikes on ex ball 
weighted up and over with side oblique twist 
4x1 minute planks

then 6 miles on elliptical to cool down

havent done that type of workout in a while and it felt good!
a great way to kick off Monday!

its the climb

well, i did have a post about all my rambling thoughts on marathon training,operation lose the baby weight,workouts and all that good stuff but for some reason it didnt save and got deleted!!!
so a much shorter version....

the good stuff first:
**operation LTBW:
i wasnt supposed to measure until tomorrow,but i went ahead and measured this morning and i am down 2.5 inches!!!!!  very happy about that,since last week i didnt lose anything...
so 6.5 more inches until i reach my goal!!!!!!
now about having a 6 pack by Halloween? ummmm....possible,but i would have to tighten up nutrition. i do good on most days,but here lately,ive been a little bit more relaxed.
one thing is for sure-all my old clothes will fit by then. right now half of my clothes fit--AND i was able to squeeeeeeeze into my skinny jeans and get them buttoned.. however,they are WAY  too tight to wear in public-at least i can get them over my thighs and button them,right??
:D

**workouts:
yesterdays awesome workout was just what i needed to get my mind and attitude out of the craphole.
chest/tris/abs and a HIIT---3.3 miles in 25 minutes-average 7:34 pace.'while still way slower than my normal,it made me feel good mentally,and was a breath of fresh air to the slower miles ive been getting in.
to be brutally honest--
last week and the start of this week haven't gone so well in terms of having my mind in the right place.

**marathon training
sunday's scheduled 17 miler was cut short to a 14 mile day. i felt i bonked at mile 13 and had to stop at 14. (not enough fuel beforehand and i seem to forget that i am still nursing a baby and my body needs those extra calories to make it through longer runs)i was totally mad at myself.
to make things seem longer,my ipod charger has been broken for the past month (and the charger i ordered has STILL not arrived)
 so i was left with no distractions except for my own thoughts--and they were all over the place!
during the run,i was really wishing i had a running partner,really wishing i had a coach,really missing crazy sue,and was really second guessing running a full marathon.i was even thinking that contest prep is so much easier than marathoning, and was contemplating going into full blown prep for a pro show in 8 weeks!(yup,there is a local pro show in my neck of the woods!)

i know i can do the distance,but not sure at all anymore if i can run a marathon at BQ pace. should i just skip the marathon until next year and jump in on the half instead of trying to BQ so soon after a baby? should i wait until my body is stronger and faster??
should i just focus on speed work for shorter distances?
should i just suck it up,and run the marathon anyways,to say i did it,even though i may be really slow?
....................................................
yeah,all sorts of crazy thoughts running around.
i have a lot of options to think about. as for now,training will continue,but i will try harder on the speed days and will not cut my long runs short anymore!
will also try to fuel while running this weekend-ive never refueled during a run before,so we will see how it goes...

that's as long as everyone stays healthy...
my husband has been out of town all week.and every time he leaves town,someone ALWAYS  gets sick. it never fails. this always happens.ALWAYS.
it started with Elijah-double ear infection,then Alex with respiratory issues,and 4 hours before he got home last night,Mckinnley  started throwing up!!!!!!!!
 as most know-i have a phobia of vomit.
i was a wreck until he got home to take over puke patrol.
well,lets face it,im still a nervous wreck.

now im hoping and praying no one else gets that bug!!!!

****other news:
baby E is rolling over now and is cutting 2 teeth-they are almost through!
growing up so fast...

anyways,rambles are over,hope all have a happy Friday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs&feature=related

Spider in my hair

yesterday while i was loading the dishwasher i felt like i had wispy hair in my eyes-i went to move my hair out of my face,and instead of moving my hair,i felt a spider crawl down the side of my face onto my hand. i jumped out of surprise and flung it on the floor and proceeded to dance and shake my head saying "eeeeewwww!! oh,gross! oh,eeeeeeww!"
little mckinnley then decided to play copycat and dance around the entire living room shaking her whole body while saying "bug!youoooooooo!!!" totally cracked me up!
 we didnt kill the spider,he ran away too fast,but im sure it went back down into the basement where the rest of his family lurks

thats how my day started yesterday-i was able to go to the gym and get a decent chest/tri/abs workout in and then did an easy 4.25miles on the TM. i WAS going to do an 8 mile pace run,but thought i would save that for today.
however,as soon as my daughter got off the bus yesterday,i knew she wasnt feeling well. she didnt run to the house like her brother. when i went up to her she was wheezy and said she was really tired.
we got in,started doing homework and then she was crying saying her chest was hurting her really bad.
i get her to calm down and started the breathing treatments....and then she put herself down for a long nap.

now she is home today from school with a fever and treatments every 2-3 hours.
she is doing much better than last night,which is good,but she is still not 100%
**sigh**
looks like its that time of year again........sickies and germs and all that fun stuff in between!

on a more positive note--my husband is going to look at a treadmill tonight-if its a good one,i will finally have a home TM again!! maybe i can sneak some miles in tonight??
keeping my fingers crossedwe will find a good deal on a treadmill!!

happy thursday!

dairy free? running and workout

ok,gonna make this short and to the point. baby is stirring...
*so yesterday i did 11 miles on the treadmill...and it felt good!
*i measured and i have lost another inch!
*had a great back/bis/abs workout today and 7 miles on elliptical
got in 4x12 each of
lat oull down
lateral curl
straight arm lat pull
standard curl
close grip row
hi cable curl
reverse flys
woodchops
weighted cable crunch downs
roll outs on ex ball
3x 1 minute planks
3x30 weighted russian twists

17 miler scheduled for later this week---im excited!!!!

*now about going dairy free....
Elijah has been on reflux meds for about 6 weeks now and it helps big time!he still spits up on occasion,but nothing like his projectile vomit episodes he had the first 8 weeks of life. however,even with the meds, if i have anything dairy(yogurt,cheese,milk,chocolate,nutella,eggs,etc)his symptoms worsen.

for the past little while,i have tried cutting out dairy for a few weeks then adding it back in,and when i add it back in,he reacts--when i take dairy away,his symptoms go away (projectile "frowups")

i have a strong feeling that baby Elijah is sensitive to dairy products that i eat?

i dont mind skipping the dairy(this will force me to stay away from nutella!and m&m's!),
i do miss the Greek yogurt and cheese-but i would like to start adding in protein shakes again for pre/post workouts
so my question to any out there who has ever gone dairy free-what type of protein powder is good to use?
rice???

updates and confessions,honey booboo

wow,ive been slacking at blogging here lately!!!
still a lot going on here in my world.
im still running and lifting 6-7x per week,
now that fall sports are in full swing
im still being *that* soccer mom who runs and screams up and down the field-(-except this time im not big bellied pregnant-i just have a baby in my arms now,lol!!) (and btw bailey scored his first GOAL last night at his game!!!! and alex scored 2 goals at her scrimmage 2 nights ago)

im still doing the same daily things in the crazy life of.....

and btw,life sure does speed up once you have children...multiply that x 4.....yeah you get the idea...
sometimes i feel like im being pulled in a 100 different directions,having my time and attention needed to be in  so many places at once!

thats when the red cape gets pulled on a little tighter,i call in my sidekick (my husband)-and we divide and conquer!!!
super powers unite!

but all in all,i think we are finally getting the hang of being parents of 4 now! little Elijah is fitting in this family like he's been here all along.
: )

anyways,a few updates and confessions.
updates:
running has been going well this week. i actually did a 25 minute HIIT yesterday that made me feel just a little bit of hope that my speed is returning.
i did 1 minute off and 1 minute on on the TM
my on speeds ranged from 8.0 mph to 10.0mph and my off ranged from 6.2-6.8mph(pre- pregnancy speeds were 7.0-7.5mph off and 9.0-12.0mph for on)
basically got 3.2miles in 24 minutes---which is about a 7:30 mile pace,and is also the fastest training run ive had since the baby has been born.
lifting is going well. im hitting the weights hard at least 5-6x per week. my strength is returning a lot faster than i thought it would----

confessions:
-i didnt drop any inches last week.
 family was in town and the nutrition plan went WAY out the window. and ive only been about 90% back on this week.not sure if the running will compensate for when i take measurements again this weekend. if the numbers dont drop,i can only be mad at myself. no one forced those M&M's down my throat,it was my own free will.

-due to the said lack of inch loss,i have been feeling frustrated. i have been comparing this weight loss journey to my previous baby weight loss journey. and according to the numbers-i only have 3.5 weeks to lose 8-10 inches to be on the same path as last baby.and 7 weeks to see my abs again.
i try to tell myself the reason for the slower progression is because my treadmill died and im not doing fasted morning cardio at home like i did with the last baby.
and then i get mad and tell myself that there should be NO excuses....

-on sunday i had a scheduled long run of 14 miles.
i stopped at mile 11.5.
i was struggling both mentally and physically. this was the first day i have really,sincerely questioned my ability to complete a full marathon at a BQ pace. i questioned if i could handle the distance AND pace because let me tell ya,on Sunday i felt done by mile 4 and really had to dig deep and push through-and i still stopped 2.5 miles short!!! totally pissed me off and my body felt like CRAP afterwards. you really are what you eat i guess-i fueled myself with junk,and i had a junk run!

-and now the biggest confession of all:
i am addicted to watching "here comes honey booboo"
its like a bad train wreck-i want to turn away but i cant stop watching it.
this show is hilariously disturbing and amusing in a redneck sort of way.
and for the record---the people on that show, in no way represents ALL the people from the south.
im from TN,and we dont act that crazy. in some parts,yes,but not in my neck of the woods-(we only act half crazy)

SO that about sums things up in my world---

i knew going into this journey of getting back in shape that there would be the good days,and i also knew it wasn't going to always be sunshine and rainbows.

its time to step up or shut up now.
its time to handle any curve balls that get thrown my way.
no excuses.


ok,ramble/vent over!
its time to recognize,honey booboo!
deuces.

how do YOU handle a minor setback from reaching your goals?




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