Valentines!

I'm gearing up for Valentine's Day by playing around in Illustrator :)

Give a Person an Inch, and You Get a Foot Injury?

After my run last Sunday I experience severe pain in my right heel and arch. I thought that it was just an out of shape foot and it would get better, but by the afternoon I was finding it nearly impossible to put any weight on my foot at all. I continued working out each day, but by Wednesday it hadn't gotten much better. I went to visit my chiropractor for my routine exam (shoulder problems... I'm a mess it seems) and told him about my foot. He took a look at it and told me that if it wasn't better by the weekend I would need to get x-rays. He was concerned that I may have fractured one of the 26 bones in that darn foot.
Well, as you can imagine, that was a bit disheartening to hear. Thoughts of no longer training, and having to wear a boot cast were running through my head. I took it upon myself to find an "alternative" diagnosis. I was determined to not let this keep me from training for this marathon! So with a little google-ing... I found this.

"Plantar fasciitis refers to the syndrome of inflammation of the band of tissue that runs from the heel along the arch of the foot"
Okay... yes, that is where the pain is...
When a patient has plantar fasciitis, the connective tissue that forms the arch of the foot becomes inflamed (tendonitis) and degenerative (tendinosis)--these abnormalities cause plantar fasciitis and can make normal activities quite painful.
Yep, quite painfull... got that


Plantar fasciitis is sometimes seen in recreational athletes, especially runners. In these athletes, it is thought that the repetitive nature of the sports causes the damage to the fibrous tissue that forms the arch of the foot.
Makes sense right? So, how do I keep the pain at bay?

Symptoms of plantar fasciitis are typically worsened early in the morning after sleep. At that time, the arch tissue is tight and simple movements stretch the contracted tissue. As you begin to loosen the foot, the pain usually subsides, but often returns with prolonged standing or walking.
So the verdict? Stretching and icing should keep my pain at bay, and eventually my foot will get used to the fact that I'm not going to stop running just because it likes to whine. Enter me going through nightly ice packs and yoga stretches. My foot feels great today, and I'm all ready for my 4 mile run on Sunday!

Yoga

Oh, where do I begin?

I went to a yoga class last night at the downtown Y, and I fell in love. The stretching, the relaxing, the calmness of it all. I've always thought yoga was a bit strange... a bit too hard for me. But oh how wrong I was. There are definitely moves that I need to work up to, and some that I won't even attempt for fear of bodily injury, but the simple moves that I completed last night were wonderful.

I shall return to the yoga room as often as possible from this day forward.

Woo-hoo I Survived!

Well, the marathon training has officially begun! I think it's going to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. I ran last night on the treadmill for 2 miles, and it took me only 25 minutes. But this morning, I "ran" 3 miles on the road, and it took me an hour and was soooooo hard! I've always known that the treadmill makes it easier, but I didn't realize just how easy it made it. I'm definitely going to have to run outside as much as possible in order to become stronger, faster.

My goal is to be as honest as possible in this blog about the ups/downs/pitfalls/achievements throughout this process. I want to someday read back over my logs and see the personal and athletic growth that I will inevitably encounter. So my blogs may not be the most interesting or entertaing for you all to read, but I guess this blog really is for me, so oh well! (although I do hope you stick around and visit once in awhile, because I would LOVE your support through this process! ♥)

The three mile journey this morning was tough. I ran/walked my intervels the first mile and a half and started to feel strain in my right calf and ankle. I took a short stretch break and felt much better, but another 1/4 of a mile down the road and I knew there was something wrong with my right arch. I was feeling stabbing pain from the bottom of my arch through the top of my foot anytime I slowed to a walk, but I can't get my breathing under control enough to run for any lengthly period of time. - I am excited for that to change soon! - So I was advised to walk at a brisk pace the rest of the way (about 1.2 miles). My arch is feeling much better this evening, and I have an appointment for a shoe fitting on Tuesday, so I'm hopeful that by my next run (scheduled for Wednesday) I'll have better arch support in my shoes and I won't have this problem again. *fingers crossed*
But you know what? I did it! I completed 3 miles, and even though it wasn't an amazing run, it was the furthest I've ran to date, and I'm bound to improve from here!

Hannah and I after our 3 mile run.

Haircut and a Kick-off Party!

Yesterday was a fabulous (and much needed) day off from work.

~ I slept in.

~ I spent time cleaning/organizing my apartment.

~ I got a little grocery shopping done.

~ I got my hair cut.

~ And I attended the Kick-off Party for my marathon training where I got my training jersey!

Training begins tomorrow with a 3 mile run... stay tuned to see if I survive

The Year of Tens

Notebook Doodles tagged me in her blog post, so now I must list 10 random things about myself.
Darn.
I hate to write about myself... ;)

1- My niece, Joie Lynn, is currently the most important person in my life. There is something amazing about being an aunt, and I am loving every minute of it.

2- I am running a Marathon in June!!! This is quite possibly the biggest commitment I have ever made, and I am so excited!

3- I am a Children's Librarian. For awhile the slow pace bothered me, and I felt weird, but I've now realized that this is the first time I've worked in a healthy organization, and this is what it should be like.

4- I love, love, love, LOVE photography. Everything about it. I could spend all of my days doing nothing by photography related activities.

5- I don't have TV. I have a DVD player hooked up to a little monitor that I watch seasons of TV shows on that I check out from the Library. I love Gilmore Girls, How I Met Your Mother, and Ugly Betty!

6- I live in a studio apartment. The kitchen is small and the bathroom is huge. It's perfect.

7- I've spent many years trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, but it always comes back to one thing: I want to be a mom.

8- I've never kept a journal until I started this blog. I love to look back over my entries and see what I've done, felt and accomplished. It also makes me wish I would have kept a journal all these years.

9- I have a B.A. in English Literature and it still surprises me. Every now and then I check my status at Boise State to make sure it still says "graduated."

10- The most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me was witnessed by almost 30 people... including my crush. When I was in high school I had a heifer de-pants me. She reared up and her hoof caught the edge of my gym shorts. The worst part was that she ended up standing on them, and I couldn't get her off in order to pull them back up. I am still referred to as "moon glow" from many people.



Okay, so most of these you probably already knew, but oh well! Now it's your turn! I tag all of you... go write ten random things about yourself. Comment to let me know if you do so I can read them :)

Help Me Save Lives!

My fund raising site for Team in Training has been created! Please help me to save lives by raising funds for blood cancer research and ultimately - a CURE!

If you would like to donate to my cause (which I would sooooo appreciate!) please click here or here... or maybe here. Or try HERE!

Thank you in advance!

I Have BIG News!

Drum roll please...



I'm running in a marathon!!!!!!!!!!



Ok. You can stop laughing now.



I signed up with Team in Training (Team stands for Train Endure Achieve Matter) to run in the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego, CA June 6, 2010. The entire event benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and will help fund research for blood cancer cures.

In order to participate in the marathon, I will be fund raising a minimum of $2900 for the Society in order to be a part of something really big, and really awesome!

I have always wanted to run a marathon, and have it my goal to finish one by the time I'm 30. I'm so excited to be on my way to accomplishing this goal!

I will be posting updates to my training and experiences in the near future, and will also be posting a link to my fundraising site if you would like to help me save lives!

If you would like to find out where money donated is spent, visit this site for the breakdown.

Jed Turns 30

My big brother turned 30 years old on January 9. We are all growing up... crazy!
We had a small get-together at my parent's house in Buhl to celebrate his milestone, and had a great time!

Danielle is a cake decorator extraordinaire! She made a 3 tier golf course cake and it was delicious!

Grandma Cookie (my mom's mom) flew in for the party and Joie spent lots of time helping her with her crossword puzzles.
Joie and Jed sporting their party wear.
Joie loves to dance with her Uncle Kalen :)
Big girl sitting on the barstools all by herself! (ok, not really. Grandma is standing right next to her so she doesn't fall off)
I love this little stinker.
Joie is OBSESSED with phones! She loves to talk on them, push the buttons, and watch other people talk. Kalen and Joie had a lot of fun "talking" on the phone with one another.
My mom's youngest sister Saleen flew in for the festivities as well.
Jed reading his bday cards.

At some point in the night we had all had enough to drink that taking a ton of pictures sounded like a good idea. Blake (my cousin's husband) grabbed the camera and snapped away. I will spare you most of them, but will show a few :)

Teaser...

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.—1 corinthians 9:24

Beautiful

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.—Ephesians 3:14-19

Twenty-ten and A Look back at 2009

This time last year was a very emotional and tough time for me. I was charged with turning a new leaf, and broken from realizations that I hadn't grown as far away from someone as I thought I had.
But this New Years holds a much more positive note! I am so jazzed for 2010 (first of all, I love saying the new year... how awesome is twenty-ten?!)
I have a lot of exciting things in the works for the coming weeks, and I'll be talking about them soon, but first, I thought a look back on 2009 was appropriate. (Fair warning... lots of photos to come!)

January:
Mazatlan, Mexico was the greatest vacation I've ever been on.
I met amazing new friends, spent quality time with my family
and para-sailed for the first time ever.
The best thing about January though was finally getting to meet my niece Joie.
My brother brought her with him to the airport for a quick visit
on our way back home.
Februrary:
Best. Road Trip. Ever.

March:
March was a tough month for me.
I was dealing with an extremely taxing roommate
and living situation.
Most of March was spent figuring out how to get out my lease.
But I did succeed!
I did have a great photo shoot with my friend Scott during March and produced
this image:
April:
Moved out of the taxing situation.
A trip with my cousin Jill to Southern California.
Spent my niece's first Easter with her.




May:
My sis-in-law and niece visited Boise
and a fun zoo visit was had.

June:
A fantastic Seattle visit.




July:
Exhausted.
Working 65 hours a week, and loving it.


August:
Jill and Blake get married!


September:
My birthday!
Birthday celebrations!
New {fabulous} shoes.



October:
Visits to Tri-cities to see my cousins.
Bridal shots with Jill.
Trip to the pumpkin patch with the niece.



November:
Thanksgiving.
Lots-o-babysitting.
Jed, Danielle and Joie moved back to Boise!

December:
Family photo shoot with the Walker family.
Best. Christmas. Ever!











All-in-all... this year
ROCKED!