A breath of fresh air

I have had the worst stomach ache--it penetrates through to my back. The back and stomach pains started Saturday. It hurts when I eat. It hurts when I don't eat. It hurts when I sleep. It hurts when I stand or sit. It hurts all day long. And it has gotten worse since it started Saturday. Tylenol helps with the back pain and if I keep myself busy enough, I can manage the stomach pain. Sometimes I feel nauseated. Sometimes the pain is super sharp. And the rest of the time my stomach just aches. My stomach is painful to the touch, too--right between my ribs and just below my sternum. If I flex, it doesn't hurt when touched.

I am thinking it's a digestive problem. I have been trying to take it easy. Running today was overall great. It felt soooooo good to be out again. However, at the beginning my insides felt like they were bouncing around again and downhills were very hard on my insides. I ended up walking down them. I am going to go again tomorrow.

This is some crazy pain. I went to the doctor on Monday. All they said was it wasn't life threatening and it wasn't muscular. They said to eat lots of tums and tylenol and to go see more doctors. I'd love to be my normal self again. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your advice.  In my six hour stay at the hospital, I did have my gallbladder checked by an ultra sound.  The doctor said it looked fine.  I think it's a stomach/digestive issue.  I am going to take your advice and drink more water, purchase some red raspberry and tummy tea, eat mashed potatos, and cut back on the dairy products.

There were a couple moments this evening that my stomach didn't hurt.  I think it was because I was able to talk to Sarah.  Thank you, Sarah.

Today's run was similar to yesterdays.  After about a half a mile, my stomach pain didn't feel so bad.  Will and I stayed away from the hills as much as possible.  I enjoyed it, but it did feel long.  Will enjoyed looking down at the creeks as we ran over them.

Will and I ran with Jade this morning.  I told Jade about my results from the Strengths Finder test.

1) Achiever

2) Harmony

3) Woo

4) Communication

5) Belief

Lars bought me the book last week, so I could take the test.  I really enjoyed reading about what the test thought my talents/strengths are.  Have any of you taken the Strength Finder test?  The test is by the Gallup Organization and the book is by Tom Rath.

I felt so free this morning when I started my run.  My shoes felt great.  I was stroller-free.  I was happy starting my run.  The morning still felt cool, although it was 9 o'clock.  After about a mile, I turned off the wooded trail and felt the sun.  I made my way toward the track slowly.  I wanted to get in some 8 minute miles.  Here are my quarters:

2:10  (You would think after a two mile warm-up I could have gone faster on my first quarter.)

2:00

1:56

1:56

1:52  (Another runner had just past me and I think (sub-consciously) was trying to keep up with him.)

1:56

2:00

1:55

Fatigue started to set in during the last half mile.  I was super tired, but I jogged the mile and a half home.  I feel good and tired.  Running is calming,  rewarding, and different everyday.  Today's run was dedicated to my shoes.  (Dedication inspired by Lybi.)

After Will and I said good-bye to Jade, I was feeling good and decided to add two more miles, instead of one.  Will didn't complain too much.

I did my fast miles with Will again.  I tried to run the half mile before my fast miles more quickly.  I was hoping that by picking up the pace my first couple quarters wouldn't be so slow.  It worked maybe a little too well.  Here are my quarters.

2:01--I was going for 2:15 or 2:10.  The better warm-up and the downhill helped.

2:09

2:10

2:15

2:06

2:07

2:10

2:14--Wow!  I ran hard up the hill.  Will was shouting encouragement.  Well, anything he babbled, I took as encouragement.

So 17:12 minutes (8:35 and 8:37)!

Jade said that we actually ran 3.6 together on Monday.  She said it felt easy, so today we ran four together.  I enjoyed our run.

Will and I went to the track to run our fast miles today.  Halfway through, I turned around and ran the opposite direction.  Around this time, I noticed Will wasn't talking any more.  He wasn't moving very much either.  Will had fallen asleep!  When I started to wonder if Will would stay asleep once we got home, I lost track of my quarter times.  Luckily, Will slept some more.  I was able to shower and have some time to read and eat breakfast.  I am grateful for naps.

My mile times were 8:58 and 8:51. 2 miles--17:47

Jade, Will, and I were going to run three miles today on a hilly course.  On the way home, I asked Jade if she was up to running one more mile.  She agreed!  Jade said she felt good, but her legs did feel a bit tired.  We did a hilly four.  Halfway through, Will fell asleep again.  He is the cutest kid.

Will and I went for an evening run.  It was 65 degrees and beautiful.  The run felt nice and easy.

Will enjoyed the whole run today.  We ran the first 3.6 with Jade.  I felt a little slow at first, but it was a good run.  I had a moment when I thought, "I can run five miles. . . and it's easy.  Wow, I am amazing!"

Will enjoyed the entire run again today.  We ran on the marked trail again for the fast miles.  The first mile was mostly down hill with the wind--8:07.  The second mile was mostly up hill against the wind--8:28.  16:35.

Will and I ran with Jade this morning.  It took a mile for my legs to feel normal.  They were tight and sluggish at first.  Jade and I talked about making Christmas goodie plates for our neighbors. 

I love Christmas.  I like thinking up Christmas traditions.  One year I would like to start the tradition of making my own Christmas wreath.  Making candies (like chocolate dipped carmels with nuts and english toffee) is another activity I would like to make into a tradition.  I've made toffee once and this December will be my first time to make carmels.  --I have to laugh because a lot of you have been talking about eating food that will be good "fuel" and the candies I plan on making aren't great "fuel."  Also, I'm laughing because I am thinking about what Tom said on Lybi's blog about changes can happen over time.  I hope over time that I will be really good at making these candies. 

One tradition I have started is making stockings for my family.  I am working on the fourth one now, although it might be a couple years before we use it.  Another tradition we've done the past three years is Chirstmas Wishes--where we talk into a tape recorder and say what we would like to do or see happen in the next year.  Lately we've been telling our Christmas Wishes after Christmas, which makes it more of New Year Resolutions.  However, it's still fun to actually record the "wishes" through talking and I like listening to them a year later.

Do you guys have any traditions you like?

On our run today, Will and I saw a rabbit, a chipmunk, lots of squirrels, and a dead mouse.  The stretch of trail with the dead mouse, we ran twice.  The second time through, I remembered the mouse about a quarter of a mile after we passed it.  I hope Will and I didn't run over it.  Guess there's not much to worry about.  Fur, little bones, and blood are all natural, right?  EW!!

Today, I've been picturing myself running on the track.  I am wearing my junior high, aqua shorts, my navy BYU basketball (that Lars caught at the Marriott Center) t-shirt, and my under-armor, running socks.  As a run, my shoes feel amazingly comfortable--with every step I think cushion.  My pace feels fast, but still easy.  I finish my first lap; my watch says 1:43.  Thinking about what time I want to see on the watch on the next split, I start my next lap.  I decided to aim for another 1:43, so I want the watch to say. . . it takes me a half a lap to calculate what I want the time to be. 

"The ones make two minutes and then put the forties together will give another minute.  How much is left over? Well, definitely the two threes are six seconds and it took twenty seconds to make another minute."  

I want the timer to read 3:26 seconds.  I start to focus on this time. 

"3:26. 3:26.  Pick it up, you've got to get 3:26.  Hey your shoulders are tense!  Relax.  Relax your body.  3:26.  Come on 3:26!  Wow!  3:23!  You beat 1:43!  You did it.  You can beat 7 minutes!"

As I start the third lap, I have to start fighting the fatigue.  You can rest after two more laps.  Again I begin to calculate my time.  I decide I'll go for another 1:43.

"So 3:23 plus 1:43.  Four minutes and then the 20 and 40 will give another minute.  5:06 is what you want.  5:06.  5:06.  Come on 5:06!  You can rest later."

--I'm going to go fix dinner.  I am visualizing patience with myself, if the new meal I am trying doesn't work out.  And I will continue to visualize fast quarters as I brown pork chops!

Will and I ran with Jade this morning.  We talked more about Christmas.  Jade's family keeps the decorations very simple.  I admired that.  I told her about my Christmas Eve's growing up.  It involved a play--which was created and preformed by us kids, mexican dinner with red and greeen enchiladas, the talent show, reading Luke 2, reading Polar Express, and opening one present.  I also talked about caroling and making and decorating sugar cookies.

I was nervous about my trail mile run.  I new it would be tough and it was.  I tried to focus on my legs and tell them they could go faster.  By the middle of the first quarter, I was rememinding myself that I only had to do four laps.  Only four.

1:41

1:44

1:48

1:43

6:56!  I broke seven minutes!  My fastest time I remember in college was 7:12.  And before that 6:18 in seventh grade.  But, still under seven.  I am pleased.  I really don't like running in that much pain.

And I met Katie.  She was doing speed workouts.  She's run a couple halfs and a marathon (3:40ish!).  I hope we will be able to run on Saturdays.  We'll see.  Next Saturday is my ten mile race.  So maybe the week after that.

Will and I ran 3 miles with Jade.  Jade went home to get ready for work and Will and I ran 2.8 more.  I felt very slow on the hills, but we enjoyed the run.

Here's my Eclipse scoop, but it will spoil the book if you haven't read it.

I finished Eclipse Saturday, so much for finishing it in five days.  Overall I liked it.  I can't believe how selfless Edward it.  I liked the Frost poem and the magnet symbolism.  I kept waiting for the battle to happen and was surprised Jacob and Edward kept having face offs.  Seriously, for three chapters I kept thinking the next chapter would be the battle chapter.  I was anticipating a character dying and was curious who's it would be.  I wasn't expecting Jacob's or Edward's death but, Leah or maybe Seth would disobey orders and join the fight.  I did enjoy Edward and Jacob's conversation in the tent.  I was surprised that Bella loved Jacob--I believed Bella the whole time.  I loved Edward being the "interpreter" for the pack and how reading the pack's minds was like a soap opera.  I thought the paragraph about Edward and Alice playing chess was funny.  I enjoyed the battle scene.  No one died, and I was okay with that.  I am glad that Edward and Bella are keeping their virtue.  I feel good about Bella's decision to have a wedding to say good-bye to her parents and Forks.

I can't wait to find out Bella's superpower.  Maybe her power will be whoever she focuses on will be immune to mental powers.  Like Jane won't be able to hurt Edward as long as Bella is there to block Jane from entering Edward's mind.  Or Bella will disable anyone's mental powers in the room.  That could be a good thing and a bad thing.  I guess all the powers come with an upside and a downside.  Anyone have guess on what Bella's vampire power will be?  Do you have a new guess, Lybi, now that you've finished Eclipse or are you still waiting to get your book back?

Other Eclipse questions on my mind:

Will Jacob come back?  Will he try to stop the wedding?--I think he will, but I don't think he will stop the wedding.  At least I don't think he will.  I mean, isn't that what all of Eclipse was about?  Bella choosing Edward once and for all.

What will happen with the packs and Cullen coven team work/friendliness?  Will the Volturi discover it and declare war on the "team?"

Will and I hammered out four miles today.  Everything was wet.  There was a pretty good storm early, early this morning.  We took the stroller's rain cover, but we didn't need it.  Will and I still haven't ran in the rain here and we've been in Iowa for almost seven weeks.  Our days are numbered.  We'll get wet soon enough--I'm sure.

Will, Jade, and I ran a new route: 1.5 miles to a neighborhood, a mile through the houses, and the same 1.5 back home.  The first half was up hill and the second half was down hill.  The weather was cooler. 

I think I over-dressed Will  because he feel asleep again.  But, thankfully he took his normal naps, too, and I was able to finish piecing the twinsize denim banket for my sister-in-law.

Will and I enjoyed the weather.  It's a beautiful day.  Tomorrow Will and I will run two.  I am tapering Sasha-style.  Sasha and I don't live in the same "running" world.  I remember Sarah telling me Sasha was going to run an easy six before a marathon.  For me, six miles is possible, but not my easy run before a ten mile race.  I figured two miles would be good.

I use to take a couple days off before the race.  I probably still would if I wasn't blogging my miles.  I love watching them add up.

Will and I enjoyed another lovely morning on our run.  Tomorrow's the race.  Hobbey-Ho!

I had a PR today by two minutes! And I broke the 8:17 mile pace barrier!! I didn't stick around to find out the official results, but my watch read 1:21:50.

The race was held a Lake MacBride State Park. Nine miles of the race was on a well marked dirt trail, which made it possible to check my quarter splits.  Every once and a while the dirt trail weaved out of woods and I was able to take in the beautiful lake. I saw several geese and a huge bird of prey--I think is was an eagle.  Because the trail was next to the lake, most of the hills weren't super severe.

I met Tina around mile 2 and we ran together for about four miles. (She's training for the marathon in Vegas, Dec 2. We were very well matched. I love how running with someone makes the miles pass quickly.) To save energy for the one big, steep hill at mile 9, I concentrated on trying not to talk too much. Tina was very nice. We encouraged everyone we saw running the other way on the trail. (It was an out and back course.) Our five mile split was around 41 minutes. I wanted very badly to get another 41 minutes on the second five. The next quarter split I timed was 2:13. I wasn't pleased. I wanted to keep the pace near two minute quarters as much as I could. At mile six, Tina told me to keep going and pass the girl ahead of us. After I passed the girl in white and another guy, I could see a three more runners ahead. I kept focusing on closing the distance on these three runners. I had a streak of great splits 2:01, 2:00, 1:58. When I did have a 2:06 split, I didn't get upset. I just tried to pick it up and keep after those three runner. When I hit mile 9's hill, I passed one of the three runners. However, I still wanted to catch up to the other two. The hill was tough, but I pictured myself in fast training runs pushing Will up hill.  It worked and it felt great not to be pushing a jogging-stroller! The trickiest part of the hill was the trail's dirt wasn't as packed down as the rest of the course. It was hard to get footing--like running up a sand dune. What a relief it was to hit the pavement for the last half mile! I felt powerful back on the hard road. And I passed the two runners I'd been following since mile 7!

I loved it. I love races. I get nervous every time, but what a rush it is to cross the finish line!