My Legs

Runners vs. Joggers

How to think of training

Don't forget to sign up!

And sign up properly!!!

Marathon winner disqualified because he didn’t sign up for race

Not cool

Who does stuff like this?

Half-marathon racers led off course

Post-run

Running and knees

Any time people tell you that you should stop running because it'll make your knees worse (and people WILL tell you any time you complain of knee pain that it must be all that running and that you should stop), read these. I keep copies of them in my bag. Just kidding.

No, Running Does NOT Ruin Your Knees - Runners World
Put Those Shoes On: Running Won't Kill Your Knees - NPR
Changes on magnetic resonance tomography in the knee joints of marathon runners: a 10-year longitudinal study - Skeletal Radiology
Long Distance Running and Knee Osteoarthritis A Prospective Study - American Journal of Preventive Medicine

My husband

We don't get to run together as much as we used to given that one of us has to watch the boy-and-soon-boys, but hands down, he's my favourite running partner. It's like going for one of our nice strolls in the summer, with the laughs (which make it a little more challenging to run but that's okay), great conversation, mental stimulation exchanges, just moving faster.

Runner's Prayer

When I would have long training sessions, my mind would also race, from random thoughts, to deep thoughts and always to prayer. Sometimes it was me begging God to get me home without my knee giving, sometimes asking him for the strength to swallow that last bit of a chocolate gel, and other times to give me a little bit of a push, but more often than not, it'd be me thanking Him for this, that and the other thing. I would think of the bits of shade and coolness provided for fractions of a second by each tree I passed during a hot summer morning run as Him fanning me in his cheering and motion to "Come on! You can do it!" Or on a cold fall run, I'd look up at the sky with the clouds breaking to let out some sun and take it as His warm hug pushing me to get to my finish. Those long runs could get pretty challenging sometimes, especially when they meant getting up at 6 in the morning so that I'd finish before the sun became too hot or before the rain came down. But every time, He's there, pushing me with a gust a wind when I need it, reminding me of why I love running and why He gave me the ability to do it.

Here's a prayer I found.

It works.

I'd like to be strong & flexible enough to do things like this:

I've always wanted a good pair of Nike Frees.

Cool.

And, I've been curious about those shoes. I'd probably crush my 5cm-long tall toe though.

Magic Mile

For years, I've been curious to see what my best time would be to run a mile. I have to remember to try it and train for better and better times when I get the green light from my OB.

DO IT. DO IT.

This applies to runners as well

PUSH THE WALL!!!

YES!

P.S. I love her body.

Excuses, Excuses.

*But I think "I'm pregnant" isn't an excuse.

I like this.

Keep going. That pain you feel? That's fear melting away. Like wax off a candle. That's weakness washing out of your pores like a monsoon. That's the old you being shed away like dead skin. That's the new you, rising out of the ashes of your former self.

Exercise for your brain

"Getting your sweat on does more than just tone the outside of your body-it also causes a series of chemical reactions that help with everything from your mood to your memory. Learning what is happening in your brain can help you use it to your advantage."

Learn more here.

Go now, and live.

To remember for next time

Training through Pregnancy: What Every Woman Needs to Know

VERY good information to keep in mind :)

In the chaos that is life,

I forgot to tell you --

I'm pregnant with baby #2!

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Does this explain the 7 month break in posts? I hope so. I'm due in mid-late April and super excited, but also super itching for a run. All this mild weather is perfect. I didn't even get to do any early pregnancy short runs because I was on doctor's orders to keep my heart rate below 120. So, I feel very out of shape, my butt has gotten bigger due to more sitting and less activity, but otherwise, I feel great. I just really wanna run. I told myself before that I wanted to do a 5K race during my next pregnancy provided time and my health allowed it, but I'll just have to wait until the next one!

So far though, I decided back in the fall that I'd stick to long distance training after I get the green light from my doctor after I give birth to our second baby. I have been too much of a train-for-the-next-race runner, and I just want to be a long distance runner, period. It'll take some serious dedication and time management with two kids, but my husband is on-board to help, as I'm also helping him achieve his running goals. I plan to attack my next marathon in May of 2013 (to celebrate my 31st birthday) with a few half-marathons, 10Ks, and whatever else in between.

The challenging part will be starting from scratch. Having been out of the running scene for so long, I'm going to be starting like a new runner. But, I want to be a better runner this time. So I'd really like to work on muscle building, especially my glutes and quads since I have weak knees (blame my husband hahahahaha, I'm so corny). I think doing some lunges with the new babe will be in order! I want to really minimize injuries, so I'm going to remember not to do too much, too fast, and of course, listen to my body.

In the meantime, I'm working on my current health project, our baby, and cheering on my running friends who are tackling their own running goals this year. All the best to them!