I shouldn't have been running this last winter; I was taking boatloads of ibuprofen to stave off the pain. This resulted in major stomach pain!

I'm very very frustrated. I don't like not having an outlet for my stress. I also don't like not training. Training gives me something to focus on; it soothes my frazzled nerves. I've also gained major weight.

So I decided this morning that I'd take the energy I usually spend on training my body physically with running and spend it training my body mentally regarding food. Emotional eating has long been an enemy of mine; I've tried so many different ways to tackle this issue. This is a new way of looking at it; maybe it'll work this time? Instead of just focusing on the little things (food diary - which I have a hard time filling out!), I can look at it with a bigger-picture idea in mind. Maybe I can look at my food diary as a training log. You know, small little things like that to tweak my viewpoint. Maybe, even though I can't run, use the elliptical machine or row, I can still do the same training-type things. Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling? Anyway, I'm hoping this tactic will help stop the upward movement on the scale and give me the satisfaction of training that I am missing.

We make it into the car, where he turns on Dave Matthews and leads us all in a breathing exercise. I feel better. Ash falls asleep. I am so ready for this run.

Ash awakes upon arrival at Sabino Canyon and promptly throws a gigantic tantrum over wearing his shoes. He wants to wear his flip-flops, which are more comfortable. But it's cold, and windy, and I want him to be warm. I worry about the time I am racing; will Chris and Ash make it without any additional major meltdowns? Ash promises to wear his winter coat the whole time if he can wear his sandals. We have a deal.

Chris asks if I see anyone I know; I turn around and there's my friend J, the person behind the gorgeous shots found on my blog in recent months. He's already ran one Phoneline Lap (9 miles) and needs to prepare for the race up-and-back on the road. Chris, Ash & I wander to the start, where Ash cheers for me as I start.

I position myself at the back of the pack; I know I'm slow. I'm aiming for a 90-minute finishing time. The fastest I've done the road is about 1:28ish. In the last three weeks, I've run the road three times and finished in 1:31, 1:36 (HOT!) and 1:29. The 1:29 was a major, tough push. I'm not sure I can do 1:29 tonight, but I am sure am going to try. The caffeinated sports beans should help, I think.

J runs with me, then ahead of me to take pictures, then stops to pick up litter. He catches up, then stops to talk to someone he knows. Once he catches up again, he jokes that we are "cruising on Speedway in our low-rider." This is an easy stroll through the canyon. I concentrate on running as much of the uphills as I can.

Two miles in, as I head up the three-mile hills, I realize I'm running more of the hills than the last three weeks, and it feels pretty good. I leap-frog with two women in pink who like to walk when I like to run, and a woman who reminds me of Lisa. I wonder where Pat is. There's a guy up ahead who could be him, but I can't catch up.

The moon hangs over the canyon walls as darkness descends. Twilight in the canyon is gorgeous. I power-walk the last .75-mile hill to the top, watching the people I leap-frogged with walk faster than me up the hill, and I feel frustrated.

I slap five with Pat as he heads down. I make it to the top in 47 minutes, where J is waiting, taking photos and making sure the volunteers have the glow sticks out and ready for us back-of-the-packers. I grab water and a glow stick and launch down the hill, flying past everyone. Metric comes on the iPod and I dance down the road, my arms at my sides simulating wings. I use my glow stick to bang on imaginary drums and wonder if people are thinking that I look like I'm having a seizure or something.

There are only a few people behind me - god, I'm slow - but I don't mind. I'm having the time of my life; I love the downhills. Eventually, J catches back up to me. He calls me "OnePinkGlowStick," and talks about night noises in the canyon - I don't want to hear them; they'll scare me! Cake starts singing about friends and four-letter words, and I think of Jeff, who helped me through Zane Grey one year ago, telling me "CAKE, Angie, Cake!" We'll make it through; this is easy, it's CAKE! Jeff's voice gives me extra encouragement and I pick up my pace, knowing I only have two miles to go. I check my Garmin; if I can keep a 12-minute-mile pace, I'll make it with two minutes to spare. I should keep an 11-minute-pace, knowing the course is mostly downhill.

Darkness makes it hard to see the road, but I don't want to pull out my headlamp - it'll take too long, plus I enjoy not being able to really see what's going on. I feel faster this way, and I'm in a wonderful zone. I don't want this to stop! But the last HUGE, STEEP hill looms in front of me. I decide to walk it as J says he's gassed but needs to run it. An older gentleman races past me as he runs to the top. Way to go! I hit the top and launch downhill again. Three-quarters of a mile to go, mostly downhill.

I fly down, down, down. It's dark and I can't read my Garmin (which button turns on the light?!) and that's probably a good thing. I pick up the pace, feeling amazing. The older gentleman is trying to pass me again but I won't let him. I turn up the music - Silversun Pickups singing about making it to the finish line - so I don't have to hear his loud breathing and footsteps. Three-tenths to go; the finish line lights are a giant spotlight, silhouetting the line of people cheering us in. The older gentleman flies past me with his final burst of energy. I see a small, dark shape on the side of the road next to a larger one. It's Ash and Chris. Ash keeps up with me for a good tenth of a mile before slowing down. I'm feeling good and want to finish strong. Faster and faster and faster.

I finish in 1:26, setting a PR for this course. I'm so happy. I walk back up the road to Chris and Ash and we walk back to the finish line.

Ash watches a wild west gunslinger who is funny and entertaining while I get colder and colder and wish the food line wasn't so long. I'm too cold, so we head home, picking up some chocolate milk on the way home. Ash goes to bed and Chris and I split a ham-and-gruyere cheese pizza-type thing while discussing future races and how my fueling/training strategy actually really worked on this race. I finally kick Chris out; it's late, I'm tired and I still need to shower.

Fresh and clean, I fall asleep happy and sore and promising myself I will find a few more fun races this year and train for them. That will help my clothes fit again.

I headed out last weekend to "run" (I use that term *very* loosely) Seven Falls - eight miles of gorgeous scenery in the canyon next door to Sabino. The creek was rushing, the temps were perfect and the run/hike was...well...let's just say I haven't done any distance in awhile :) In other words, it was awesome. But I was really really sore for three days after.

At one point, I extended my arms out to the sides, running back and forth across the trail as I headed down: I was flying. It felt so wonderful.

While on the trails, I "ran" into a friend, who managed to catch some shots of me crossing the creek.

First up, the moldable adapt insoles. I like insoles. Insoles make my feet feel good. Unfortunately, my favorite shoes (a pair of Sauconys) added extra cushioning to the bottom of the shoes this season, meaning I can't add any sort of insole other than the factory-made ones :( The Adapt insoles were too bulky for my shoes/big feet. I'm going to try them in my (larger) trail shoes this weekend. They should fit, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they do. Getting them started was pretty easy - trim them to size (some sort of hint on the best way to do so would have been appreciated), toss 'em in the oven for 2 minutes, then slip in the shoes and stand on them (evenly distribute your weight! otherwise you'll end up with a few extra dented toes on one side like me :) ). Stay tuned for the review after I try them in my trail shoes.

I tried the running socks - a little short on the ankles (I don't like my shoes to rub my skin) - but other than that, they fit well, stayed in place, kept my feet cool and dry and when I took my shoes off, there were no red rubbed spots on the top of my foot (a problem that's been getting worse for me in general). I was quite pleased with the performance. If they had a pair with the material going up my ankle a little higher (similar to my favorite belegas), I'd be a lifetime buyer.

And the Spa socks? One word: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. My favorite time to wear them is after soccer - I spend Sunday afternoon in these socks. Yes, every Sunday afternoon. They are soft and luxurious and make me feel soft and comfortable and special. I know! Socks - making me feel special?! But I love them :)

I was contacted to review the book based on the amount of transitions I've gone through in my life. I love this type of book and find myself mulling over authors' thoughts and experiences in comparison to my own.

Even though it's a slim volume, I took my time digesting each chapter as I worked my way through the book. I found his writing easy to understand, and each small chapter gave me days' worth of ideas to mull over. I found myself reaching for my journal, prompted to write, not from his questions at the end of each chapter, but days later, once I had time to really process his thoughts.

The only drawback with this book was the idea expressed that everyone *needs* a life coach. I wondered if the point of the book was only to advertise his services? But then I decided that didn't matter. I still found great inspiration, thoughts and advice throughout. You can find it here.

I was having trouble both keeping up with others and keeping up my own blog, even before that. Now that I'm going to school part-time on top of a full-time job, and as I'm doing the whole thing as a single mom (who's still trying to get some running time in!), I foresee very few updates over here, or comments on other blogs.

However, I update Facebook frequently (much quicker to do!) and keep up-to-date with friends over there. If you haven't already (I know most of you have), go search for onepinkfuzzy and add me as a friend.

Cheers!

the run organizer drops back to stay with her. heading into the canyon, conversation flows easily. stars begin to appear as the slowpoke and organizer turn around when the rest of the group is heading back out the canyon after turning at the first stream crossing. the slowpoke picks up her pace, anticipating the meat of the journey: hill repeats on well-known, much-feared hill about three-quarters of a mile from the start.

it's dark and the slowpoke turns on her headlamp. short strides, quick turnover. breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out. up up up up up. suddenly, she pops up at the top of the hill. it's time to turn around and jog down. she is surprised to have run to the top; she's only done that once before. this is a walking hill in her ultra background.

she heads back up the hill, hoping to make it up a second time, but not counting on it. short strides, quick turnover. breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out. up up up up up. before she knows it, she's popped out up at the top. this is new; she's never run this hill - or any hill - twice before. and she's enjoying it!

she heads back down the hill, enjoying the string of headlamps bobbing up and down as the group runs the hill at various paces. she is ready to go back up, thinking she'll probably walk about halfway up. short strides, quick turnover. breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out. up up up up up. she wants to walk but pushes herself to keep running. and she does, popping out at the top rather surprised at how well she's done. she keeps company at the top with the few others done, cheering on the runners left.

the second-to-last runner comes up top and she cajoles him back out for one more - it'll be a cool-down for him, since he'll run with her. sure enough, she repeats the performance. short strides, quick turnover. breathe in, breathe out. breathe in, breathe out. up up up up up.

wow. four repeats.

the group heads back to the parking lot. the slowpoke is stoked. *this* is what 2009 is going to be about: growing community, getting stronger.

Now that my fantastically fulfilling Christmas has come and gone (thanks to my mother for watching Ash so I could sleep sleep sleep and sleep some more!), it's time to focus on the new year.

I'm not one for resolutions; however, this presents a great time for reflection and goal-setting.

2009 Big Goals:
- lose 15 pounds
- eat healthier (more fruits/veggies, less fats)
- tone abs, arms
- get better at soccer (specifically, dribbling the ball)
- get faster at running

Ways to obtain Big Goals:
- keep a food log
- purchase healthier foods
- develop (and utilize!) list of "substitution foods" (healthier foods I can reach for when I'm feeling a certain way or wanting a certain food)
- develop strength training plan, attend gym 2-3x/wk to implement
- continue playing soccer once/week, add one more practice per week (by myself? with friends? not sure...)
- average 15-20 mpw running (use Jan-Mar as basebuilding, develop plan for speedwork to be implemented starting in Apr)
- schedule all running, soccer, gym work on calendar and keep log

What are your goals for next year? Do you have any tips, tricks or suggestions for me to help me reach my goals?

Ash and I are doing homemade holidays this year. We've made all our gifts and have had so much fun doing so! I have to say that although it's been a little stressful, it has been one of the most fulfilling holiday seasons I've had in years. Even with the kittens jumping on and smooshing the artificial tree until it looks like a pole rather than a tree :)

Not much running going on; I'm recovering from a cold. I'm still playing soccer and loving it. I'm looking forward to getting healthy next year! I also can't wait to start school!

Here's the holiday letter Ash & I sent out this year, followed by snippets of our holiday season. Happy everything!

Dear two-legged creatures,

It's been a great year! We both love living with our family. As kittens, we like the excitement and activity they provide us! They pet us all the time and feed us well. The littlest one likes to hug us; we aren't really sure how we feel about that. They definitely don't like us climbing the Christmas tree...they've started shooting water at us! The horror!

The littlest two-legged creature in our family turned SIX this year. (We think that's something like 42 in cat years...but we aren't sure. Grooming ourselves is way more important than thinking of age.) He likes to spend time kicking around a white ball with black spots. We aren't sure what's so appealing about a sport that doesn't allow you to
use your arms AND legs. Or mouth, for that matter. That's our favorite way to carry our favorite toys. He also talks a lot about Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo and R2D2, whoever they are.

The bigger two-legged creature trained for and ran a 50k trail race this year and injured her knee doing so. Really, what does she expect, running that far?! We know way better than to do that. Spending time lounging in the sun is the way to go, trust us. She's
still at the same company she's worked for over the last five years and seems pretty content with it, although we've heard her say that she's decided that being a single mom won't keep her from pursuing her dream of going to school and obtaining a degree. She's starting school next month with the goal of graduating as a
Geologist.

She and another big two-legged creature took the little one on an epic trip this summer in northern Arizona and eastern New Mexico. They camped in the rain and explored a river and hiked the Catwalk and saw an entire herd of elk!

We all hope everyone has happy holidays and a beautiful new year.
Love,
Fuzzy & Pi

(I'm quite proud of the stockings I made! Embellishments will come over the years...this year, it was enough to have them cut out and sewn!)

I've started playing soccer. I'm not sure how good of an idea this is for me knee, but I'm taking it easy and stopping when the knee starts twinging (but before it starts hurting). I'm really enjoying this; it's fun, I get to hang out with friends and it's speedwork! It works muscles I didn't know I had - that's a cool thing.

Ash and I are doing a "buy-nothing Christmas" this year. I'm looking forward to creating presents with Ash for our large family. It's fun to think outside the box!

Here's what the tree looks like & it's location in my tiny apartment:

The winners of the RecoverySox give-away (please e-mail me your mailing address and your shoe size to onepinkfuzzy at gmail dot com):

Lisa (J~Mom), Renee (pink corker), Chanakhya and AnthonyP

Alright, on to the report! Yesterday started with rain pouring out of the skies, drenching the race course and causing nervousness among participants. I pounded four ibuprofen to help me with the pain in my knee (I know, bad runner! But I really wanted to run this race!) The photo album.

This is a fun, two-loop cross-country course through a large park in the center of Tucson. It includes haybale and water jumps along with short hills. This year, there were the official water jumps, and then there were the wash crossings and mud flats to get through as well.

(the hill down to the water jumps, before anyone made it slick)

I came into it sick and with a nagging knee injury (which I thought was fine, until I pushed it last week after my 15.4 mile long run...oops). I figured I would have a PW regardless of the course conditions!

The men ran first, so I got plenty of pictures of friends slipping and sliding their way through the course.

Then it was my turn.

Girls were shrieking as we started and then they started cutting the course, when they decided they didn't want to run up the flowing wash (apparently the front runners did; it was just the back-of-the-packers who were wimps). I noticed throughout the course a number of times that girls were cutting the course - since everything was so wet and torn apart from the men's race, you couldn't see the course markings on the grass.

I didn't get as muddy as I wanted; there were too many wash crossings that cleaned it all off! At one point, two girls were talking about some yucky medical stuff ("I got to cut off her skin cancer and stitch her back up!"), so I commented to them that that was a great way to psych out fellow runners. They shut up after that. I felt a little bad - I was just joking!

Close to the end, I caught sight of a friend taking photos - yay! I hadn't seen him during the men's race, so it threw me off when I saw him on the sidelines :) I also heard a random "go onepinkfuzzy!" at one point - I'm not sure who that was, but I threw my hands up in the air to cheer when I heard that.

I finished in just under 35 minutes, averaging an 11:20 pace. Not bad for an injured, sick runner on a muddy course at the back of the pack! It was a lot of fun; I got to catch up with a few runners I hadn't seen in a couple years, and talk to a few other friends. I also got to chow down on the world's best chocolate-chip-butterscotch cookies, courtesy of the same friend who took photos!

After that, I got Ash and cleaned myself up in preparation of going to a friend's house for turkey dinner. Ash ended up crashing at 4pm, falling asleep on the couch and not waking up until 6:30 this morning - he had a round of vaccinations on Wednesday, which I think caused him to be so tired (his arm is all red and swollen, and very painful). We played "catchphrase", enjoyed an amazing dinner and an even more amazing chocolate silk pie (so rich you couldn't even finish one small piece!), before heading home and sleeping it all off.

Today, Ash and I will be pulling out the Christmas decorations and setting up our tree. We'll see just how long the tree stays standing before the kittens pull it down and tear it to pieces. I'm not joking. They're evil. But adorable. And cute and cuddley and warm in the mornings when I wake up, so I keep 'em around :)

Tomorrow morning, we're off to my mom's house for our second round of Thanksgiving dinner, pie and friends and family. I was supposed to drive up today, so I could get up at zero dark thirty tomorrow morning and meet jeff for a run, but with this cold and knee pain, I need to rest, argh! Tomorrow's celebration will include nine kids under the age of eight, and about 20 adults, everyone trying to be heard over each other.

And Sunday may bring a pick-up soccer game. I haven't played much, but I have few friends on a soccer team, and they've invited me to a pick-up game. Should be fun!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! To celebrate, I'm doing a give-away. Leave a comment telling me what you are thankful for this year, and I will choose four folks to receive a pair of RecoverySox to try out (yay RecoverySox for sending me extras!). I have one small, two mediums and one large pair of socks to give away.

I think I'm coming down with a cold (I'm pretty sure it's not allergies); that sucks! But I'm still going to run the race tomorrow morning - I can't miss the haybales and water puddle jumps! I just hope I'm okay to run on Saturday with jeff; we'll both be visiting our 'rents in the Phoenix area....

It's been three years this month since I started this blog - wow!

I'm adding new stuff to my online art shop each day....check it out!

So I've been contacted by a few companies in the last two weeks to do reviews for various running/motivational products (and I'm about four months late in reviewing the last product on the list, so that will be my first review, and I will write about it today):

1. RecoverySox
2. SofSole
3. The Secret of Transitions, by Jim Manton
4. RECOVER-ease

I am in the process of testing (or reading, in the case of the book) each item, and will have reviews up in the next couple of weeks (I'm waiting to see what SofSole will send me to review....it's like Christmas!).

FIRST UP: RECOVER-ease
Charlie sent me the samples back in May, when I was still recovering from Zane Grey. And y'all know I took the summer off from running! So now that I'm getting back into the swing of things, I've been using up the stash he sent me.

Wow. I have to say that I'm impressed. These are nutritional supplements that are supposed to help you heal and recover after strenuous exercise. And they work. The long runs I took four supplements after, I recovered from quicker and with less soreness. I was sort of surprised...I've never really been one for supplements.

Here's what the Web site says:
How Recovery-ease Works:

3. Proteolytic Enzymes & Flavonoids - Reduce inflammation and oxidation free radical damage, resulting in less exercised-induced tissue damage, accelerated rates of tissue repair, and reduced post-exercise pain & stiffness.

The part I like best what the reduced post-exercise pain & stiffness. Here's the order form. Your body will thank you!

Recently completed art (you know, Christmas is just around the corner....). Can be purchased at my online shop.

Running - ah, running! I'm baaa-aaa-aack! I did that 15.4 miles last weekend with Troy and rocked it. Not very sore this week (exhausted, but that's another story). I'm heading out to Sabino for another 12-15 this weekend, and I'll be hooking up with jeff for a run over Thanksgiving. I'm psyched. I'm so psyched, I'm sending in my Pemberton registration next week (I hadn't done it yet because I wasn't sure how my knee would hold up).

Finally cleaned up my blog and got caught up on bloglines, yay!

Here are photos from last weekend (or you can view the full photo album):