Marathon: Accomplished :)

by Maria Torres

Well, I'm about a month late in posting this, but better late than never, I guess. Stacy did a great job of describing the marathon experience, and I don't have a lot to add to her account of it. I will say that completing the marathon feels like one of the biggest achievements of my life so far. I will be forever grateful to Stacy, who motivated me to scratch off one of the items on my "bucket list", as Justin put it. As corny as it probably sounds, the marathon taught me so much about myself. I think it would be impossible to run those kinds of distances week after week and to spend so much time alone out on trails without learning a thing or two about yourself.

Right before I moved to Denver - about 3 weeks before the marathon - I wrote that I would keep everyone posted on the wonderful runs I planned to do in and around Denver. Unfortunately, those runs never happened. Right after I went home to Arkansas for my friend Sara's wedding, I fell off the ol' training bandwagon. It wasn't pretty. In the month before the marathon, I did about three short runs and that was it. It's funny because I really wasn't too concerned about it. I figured that once I ran 19 miles during training, I could do the marathon, no problem. This probably wasn't the best approach in retrospect, but at least I was confident.

It wasn't until the day before the marathon (my birthday, no less) that panic set in. I think I was short of breath pretty much the entire day. My friends Laura, Julie, and Cheyanne came in from Fayetteville and Little Rock to take me out to lunch. That was pretty much the only relaxing time of my entire day. It didn't help that I hadn't made a playlist yet and hadn't really even picked out what I would wear to run. I had decided against a running skirt (which I ended up wearing) because of the bruises covering my legs from lifting boxes and moving all over the place. Instead, I just slapped on some self-tanner and went for it ;)

Like Stacy, I took a sleeping pill the night before the race. My dad, who knows my sleeping habits (and me) all too well, said, "I think you can pretty much bank on not ever sleeping a wink the night before any major event in your life." That's why the little pill of slumber was a lifesaver! I went to bed just after 10pm, and got up right around 5am. That's a lot of hours of sleep for me, so I felt pretty decent. I was trying to arrange songs on my ipod right up until my Dad and David yanked me out of my hotel room, and we headed downtown. It took a little while to find a parking spot and to get to the actual starting line, so I never had time to freak out before the race. It was all very rushed. My dad was securing my time chip to my shoe as David was pinning my race number to the back of my running skirt. After that, I ran into the mass of people and found Stacy just in time. I was SO HAPPY to see her. She had gotten there much earlier and didn't have her phone on her (of course). I was really worried that I wouldn't see her, but it all worked out.

Right after that, the gun went off. I felt strong at the beginning - and actually ran at a 9:30 pace up until 13.1 miles. At around mile 6, my calves started cramping up and it only went downhill from there. Stretching pre-race might have been a good idea, but it was too late for that. By mile 20, they were in so much pain that every extension of my legs felt like someone was jabbing knives into them. It was awful. Mentally, I was telling myself to go faster but just did not have it in me at the end. My running bib said it was my first marathon, so every once in a while a veteran marathoner would cheer me on. One guy yelled, "good job newbie!" which I thought was pretty cute.

The hills were just icing on the cake. Starting around mile 22 and ending after mile 25, there was NO downhill, and very little level ground. I came across a guy while running the hills who looked like he was in a great deal of pain as well, and we helped each other through it. Then I passed him. :)

The final mile seemed to drag on forever, but at long last, I finally saw the home stretch and my dad and David cheering me on. Seeing my dad choked up - and both of them so proud of me - is really something that I will never forget. Although my time (4:40) wasn't what I had wanted, I never quit running during the entire race, and that was important to me (I might as well have walked during the later portions though I was moving so damn slow - hehe).

My legs literally gave out right after I crossed the finish line (you can see David holding me up for the group picture in Stacy's post). I think that as soon as I stopped, my calves completely tightened up and quit working. Justin, Sharon, Abby, and Joe were all there to support and congratulate us, and it meant SO much. Thank you Sharon for seeing to it that I got my "First Marathon" medal in addition to my Finisher's medal. I really appreciated it, and I have them both hanging up in my room!

Walking through the DFW airport the next day was HELL. I don't even think it would be classified as walking - it was more like a limpy shuffle. David and I would act like we were looking at interesting signs and other stuff along the way to our gate so people wouldn't think something was seriously wrong with me. I woke up that morning crying because my legs hurt so bad, but a hot bath helped. I seriously thought I would have to miss my flight. It continued that way for another 4-5 days, but it was worth it. It was one of my biggest dreams to run a marathon, and I had the best supporters a girl could hope for (including those of you who followed this blog). THANK YOU for reading these posts (eh, em...this one goes out to MIKE WALL - without whom none of this would have been possible).

Anyone up for another marathon (and by marathon, I mean sitting at home on the couch eating pizza)?

I Finished a Marathon!!!

by Stacy Hogle

My marathon journey has come to an end. The idea of completing a marathon seemed daunting in June, but as the months have progressed completing a marathon is exactly what I finally accomplished. This has been an amazing journey, not just physically but mentally as well. It has taught me how to conquer mental and physical barriers, it has taught me patience, humility, gratitude, discipline and a million other things I could continue to list.

So we headed to Tulsa Saturday afternoon to check into the Doubletree Downtown (host hotel for the marathon). After a short detour through Wagoner – Justin was on a mission for ducks as usual – we checked into the hotel and headed over to the Expo for packet pickup. We got my t-shirt, race number and chip for the race. We thought it would be a good idea to check out the course to make sure Justin could ride his bike close to the course so we set out with our maps to drive the 26.2 miles. Luckily the majority of the course is on Riverside Drive so he would be able to ride on the running and biking trails. Being the “planner” that I am, we mapped out where I would meet him to take energy gels along the way at miles 5, 10, 15 and 20. I knew there were hills on the course but did not realize how steep they were until we drove them. It was scary enough to drive them, little did I know that they would be much steeper and agonizing running them. It makes me hurt to think about it! Maria’s birthday was Saturday (pretty neat that she turned 26 the day before running 26.2 miles!), so we went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate and “carbo-load” for the Marathon. We settled in for bed around 9:45pm and I maybe slept for a few hours during the night. I kept waking up with the sinking feeling I had slept through my alarm and missed the marathon. Of course, by the time I actually fell asleep it was time 6am and time to get up! I ate my bagel with peanut butter in bed while my stomach starting doing cartwheels…I couldn’t believe the day was actually here!

Justin and I left the hotel at 7am to get a parking spot close to the start line. Steve, Maria and David weren’t too far behind us in the Prius. Steve and David, both of which had been placed on the Injured Reserves list during training, were going to drive to different mile markers to cheer and take pics. Around 7:30am I remember letting out a yell in the truck…I couldn’t help it! The marathon was here and there was no turning back now! By then my stomach had switched from cartwheels to triple backflips and I also had to pee! We headed to the start and got in line for the porta-potty’s…with about 5 minutes to spare I escaped porta-potty land, gave Justin a big kiss and went into the corral. Thank goodness I found Maria right away and we were able to start the race together. We ran about a mile before she left me in the dust! I didn’t want to start too fast so I let her go…waving good bye and good luck!

The first 10 miles were great! I stayed with the 4 hr and 30 minute pace group (experienced marathoners that lead a group to keep you on pace to complete the marathon in a certain time), met Justin at mile 5 for the first gel and got back in the groove with the 4:30’s. At that point my strategy was to stay ahead of the 4:30’s so when I stopped for a gel I wouldn’t get behind. That worked until mile 10. At mile 10 I took a gel and watched the 4:30’s run by. We were coming up on Jenks and I thought I could catch them pretty quickly … I was wrong. I hit the halfway mark at 2 hrs and 15 minutes – still on pace for that 4:30 marathon – and I was happy with it, but I wanted to catch those balloons! The pace group leaders carry a set of balloons with the pace time on them so runners and stay with the group. All I could think was “Catch those balloons!” (you can see the balloons behind me in this pic...)

But after a while I knew I couldn’t catch them. I wasn’t running out of gas, just slowing down a bit. I met Justin at mile 15 and he could tell I was a little discouraged. He was doing his best to keep me motivated and was a great source of encouragement. It was fun to see him riding along the race course pumping his fists to encourage me. Around mile 17 I felt the most horrible pain on one of my left toes. Immediately I knew it was a blister….ugh! I knew I had to run through the pain but it was tough. I had already fought knee pain and my left arch had been curling up a bit for the last few miles so this was the icing on the cake – so I thought. I ran through it but knew it would be ugly when the race was over. Around mile 20 I had to stop and walk for a bit. My stomach had decided it was really pissed I was doing a marathon and was letting me know all about it. I couldn’t get to a porta-potty fast enough. I will spare you the details, but I will say if that had not happened you could take about 5 minutes off my time… After that pit-stop it was time for my final gel and about time to tell Justin goodbye until the finish. At 31st and Riverside we took a right and headed up the dreaded hills. We had driven the hills the day before but they were much bigger on foot. Every step was a struggle but I am proud to say that I ran up every hill and only walked through the water stations to take a drink of water. I was cursing a lot during the 3 miles of hills but made it out alive and with a friend! I met a girl from Chicago named Sarah – we had seen each other at the start and had both ran with the 4:30’s for a while. We met around mile 24 and helped push each other to the finish. I don’t know her last name, but I do know she might have been an angel! It felt so awesome and surreal to turn the corner and see the Finish Line. Finally...it was over! The pain was over! HA! I finished the marathon in 4 hrs and 47 minutes!! It was a little slower than I had hoped...but I FINISHED A MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!

It turned out to be a great day. I pushed my body to the very edge and it didn't fail me because I had been dedicated and trained to the best of my ability. After the race we went back to the hotel to shower and rest for a bit. When we got to our room we realized that the room key needed to be reset so Justin left me at the door and went to the front desk. I thought now was as good a time as any to take my shoes off for the first time. What I found were bloody socks and blisters the size of marbles. I wish I would have taken pictures of the blisters...they were amazing - and still very painful! I let Justin pop them...you know it's true love when you can pop each others blisters just for fun! Check out my socks!

I want to give a big THANK YOU!! to everyone who has supported and encouraged me during this journey. I am sure the last thing you wanted to hear was how many miles I ran and how bad my feet looked...but it meant the world to me. THANK YOU for all of the emails, text messages and phone calls the day before and the day of the marathon. I really needed the encouragement and I know they helped push me over that Finish Line. THANK YOU to Justin...you are my biggest supporter and rode that bike like a champion! I couldn't have asked for a better training partner than my very best friend. THANK YOU Maria, for taking the challenge and rocking the marathon with me! THANK YOU to our mobile cheering squad of Steve and David...it's too bad the guys got injured but they were awesome support and took some fantastic pictures! THANK YOU to Sharon, Abby and Joe Joe for being there to cheer us on at the Finish Line. It was great to see familiar faces cheering us on at the end! THANK YOU again to all of our friends and family that supported us through this amazing journey!

The Countdown begins...

by Stacy Hogle

Two weeks until the Marathon...my heart beats a little faster just thinking about it. Just over 4 long months of training is finally about to come to an end. It's bitter sweet; it will feel great to get rid of the mounting pressure and finally see our hard work pay off, but I know from past big runs there will be a void and sadness when it is over. This has been a great journey for me, one I will never forget! I can't wait to start the race and enjoy every minute of it, and if I can do math right it will approximately 270 of them if I can finish around 4 hours and 30 min...that's a big IF! ha!

It has been a while since I have posted and A LOT of things have happened since then. Justin and I went to Telluride to see Maria & David and also complete a 16 mile run. The altitude got me and I only finished 12 miles. I was a little down, but glad to at least do 12 solid miles there. The next week was a short long run and then the following Saturday we set out for the 18 miler. That run kicked my tail. It was the first time I have had to walk and it starts to mess with your mind. The conditions to run weren't the greatest but that's not a good excuse. The winds were strong and the temperature and humidity were high...it just sucked. The good thing is, usually when I have a bad run the next long one is pretty solid. Luckily that was the case this time too. Two weeks ago we set out for the big TWENTY mile run. Just thinking about it was very intimidating but Justin was riding that bike supporting me the whole way. We got out to Hatbox around 8:20 and hit the road. After about a mile my ipod crapped out on me... I started to freak a little. I had charged it the night before (or so I thought) but it shut itself off and never came back on. All I could think about was that the next 19 miles were going to be really hard! We made our way back to the truck and Justin stopped to give me his ipod and loaded his bike in the truck. He told me to keep running on the trail and he had an extra ipod at his office and would be back in 20-30 minutes. Listening to someone else's music is definitely an experience. One song would be old school rap then it would turn to Metallica...at least it made it interesting!!! He met me back on the trail and we kept going. I don't know what I would do with out him...having him there was so great. We went all over the place, downtown, ran around the mall parking lots, around downtown again and back to the entrance. When it was all said and done we did 20.15 miles in 3 hours and 28 minutes...not too shabby! It felt great to be done. I was so hungry so we stopped at Wendy's for a cheeseburger and a frosty. I read somewhere that chocolate milk after a hard run is a good recovery drink and I figured a Frosty was pretty close to chocolate milk. I don't know if it was the cheeseburger or the frosty but it turned out to be a bad bad choice of post-run food. I was a sick little girl for the rest of the afternoon. I was able to recover though for a bachelorette party that night though. What a long day!

So...here I am two weeks until marathon and I have only run 3 times since the 20 miler. I have some tendonitis on the outside of my left foot and it makes it hard to even walk without pain. I have been trying to rest it the last two weeks and it has been tough. Lots of ice, Aleve and anti-inflammatory cream... I just want to get out there and run!! I tested it out today on a 3.5 mile run. It did pretty well until the 2.5 mile mark and it started to hurt but after a little bit the pain went away. If I can get a few more runs in this week and do a 10 mile run next weekend I think the marathon is a go! Keep your fingers crossed... I already have my outfit picked out and everything!

The Recent Lull

by Maria Torres




It has been several weeks since I last posted, and I am happy to report that Sooie has made a full recovery. I'm glad some of you enjoyed the graphic photos of her wound (Haley) so I'll be sure to post more if anything else like that comes up in the future.

Alright, so about running...two Sundays ago, I ran just about 19 miles - my longest run yet. I got a later start than I had hoped, and I knew I would be running part of it in the dark. I packed a headlamp in my Camelbak, and set out around 4:40 p.m. I wore my gloves the entire time because it was so cold, and the sun going down didn't help with that. I have only run a couple of times at night, and it actually worked out better this time because there was a full moon to light the streets. All things considered, I felt pretty good at the end of the run and know that I could have kept going had it been marathon day.

Unfortunately, in the last two weeks, I have fallen off of my running schedule. But luckily, I've managed to come up with some really good excuses. First, I traveled home for Sara & Taylor's wedding, and that took about 3 full days of driving. Next, I returned to Colorado with poison ivy covering my arms, neck, and eyelids. That made running just a little painful - the sweat really irritated my already swollen and bright red eyelids. Finally, I'm in the process of moving to Denver at the end of this week. The disorganization and chaos that comes with packing and moving has pushed running to the bottom of my priorities. I need to get it back up to the top though, because the marathon is 18 days away. *GULP*

I'm excited to spend the last couple of weeks trying out some new runs in Denver and Boulder. While in Denver last week, my friends Annie and David suggested an excellent route which follows the river downtown. I had a lot of fun on that run - it actually started pouring rain, and all the homeless people gathered under the bridges for shelter. They got a big kick out of Sooie running along right by my side, and she relished the attention.

With the marathon just around the corner, I have no choice but to really pick up the pace, so to speak, in the coming weeks. After moving this weekend, I plan to post much more frequently up until marathon day. I appreciate all of you who have followed this blog since July - it makes me feel so good to know there are people who actually do read it. When I saw Sara (now Mrs. Staley :) & Kathy (now Mrs. Farver)in Arkansas, they mentioned my latest post and it made me so happy! Thank you girls for reading it!

Finally, I want to ask all of you to be thinking about Stacy, my running cousin-with-the-mostest, who has been diagnosed with tendonitis. She had to skip the Tulsa Run, and has had to take some time off to let it heal. Allowing it to heal by not running on it is pretty much the only way she would still be able to run the marathon. Please keep her in your thoughts!

Pumpkin Bread Batter for the Soul

by Maria Torres

My little running buddy was injured yesterday at some point during our 9 mile run, so this post is dedicated to her :) Outfitted with her new dog pack to carry our water, Sooie was stylin' for our early afternoon run.

It fit everything we could possibly need: water, treats, an energy gel, and her leash. Several people on the path laughed at Sooie because she looked so freakin' cute, but the pack is really practical too! Since she has more than enough energy left over after every run, why not let her carry some of the weight? It worked really well, and I didn't even know she was hurt until later that night.

On the car ride home I noticed Sooie was licking her lower leg, but when I looked at it I didn't notice anything. She was unusually quiet the rest of the evening and hung out by herself downstairs. When it was time for bed, I noticed a blood spot on the comforter. David held Sooie so I could get a closer look - it turns out she had a deep gash on her inner arm. I guess she was licking her lower arm after our run because she couldn't reach the spot where it actually hurt. Poor baby! She has never been hurt before, so I was pretty upset. She let David and me put first aid foam & antibiotic ointment on her without even squirming. She's such a good girl. My brother said it was past the point where she could get stitches, so we're just going to have to let it heal on its own.


I'm not sure where/how it happened, so I'm having second thoughts about letting her run off-leash. There are certain areas of the trail that are completely away from traffic, so on those parts I just carry her leash and let her run free. She always stays close by, and it has never been a problem before. The only thing I can think of is at the very end of the run, I stopped and pointed down to the river where she could go drink some water. She walked through thick brush to get down to the river, so something sharp could have been hidden in there. I've seen guys sitting in that area drinking before - maybe there was some broken glass covered up by the brush...I don't know.

It's a well-known fact that nothing makes a puppy feel better than pumpkin bread batter, so:

She's acting just fine now, but please keep her in your thoughts! And keep me in your thoughts this weekend, when I have to run 18 miles. *Gulp*

That's me modeling the wool running top with thumb holes (my new obsession) David gave me :)

A New "Mile"stone: 16 Miles!

by Maria Torres

I was in Tempe, AZ, the weekend of the 15 mile run and I ended up skipping it altogether. I did find a gym there to do some of my shorter runs, so at least that was something. I am disappointed with myself that I didn't just go ahead and run it on Monday when I got back to Telluride, but I am still planning on running it in the coming weeks. This will be increasingly difficult as the runs get longer with each passing week, but I want to have completed every single training run before I run the marathon on November 16th.

The 16 mile run was this past weekend, and I finished it feeling great. The only real obstacles that stood in my way were: 1. the wind at the end of the run, and 2. my poor decision not to take my Camelbak with me. Stacy and I didn't stay together during the run (she did do really well considering the high altitude & the hilly terrain here), and I had planned on drinking some of the water Justin had on his bike. That didn't work out, so by mile 15 I was delirious. I finally stumbled into a gas station and asked the guy at the counter if he had any "bottled water...fountain" - he could tell that I needed water pretty badly. When he asked how many miles I had run, I told him I was almost at mile 16. He seemed pretty impressed, and he offered up the gas station as my water headquarters for my upcoming runs. He was a lifesaver!

The wind tried to see to it that I didn't complete mile 16, and I just barely won that battle. It didn't help that the last leg of the run was uphill either. I felt like I wasn't moving towards the end. I am really glad I have 1.5 months of training left, because I didn't have 10 miles left in me last Saturday. The best part of the whole run though came at the end. David had already finished his 16 miles, and when he saw Stacy & Justin and realized I hadn't had access to water for the entire run, he got on his bike and rushed out to find me. When I saw him, he stopped, quickly jumped off his bike, and held out the hose to his Camelbak so I could drink some water. It was the sweetest thing - I knew how exhausted he must've been, and that didn't stop him. I'm getting a lump in my throat typing this, so I'm moving on...

To make up for the 8 miles I missed last Wednesday (9/24), I ran it on Monday, my day off. I ran 4 miles on Tuesday, and 8 again yesterday. So after I finish my 5 today, I'll be up to 25 for this week - and that doesn't even include my 12 mile run this weekend. We're definitely starting to put in some serious miles, and my appetite sure reflects it. In the morning, a bowl of cereal only keeps me full for about an hour. By the end of training, I'll be craving a big steak dinner for breakfast. Ha ha!

Happy October everyone!!

15 Miles of Total Entertainment!

by Stacy Hogle

Today has been a great day. I never thought I would say those words after a 15 mile run, but I definitely mean them today. I have been dreading this run all week...this is the longest distance I have ever attempted to run. Earlier in the week Lindsey said that she and Trent would be in Fort Gibson to see her family for the weekend. They were going to come up Friday night so we decided to run together this morning. I would get to Hatbox early and she would meet me around 8:30am when I was hitting the 9 mile mark. She is training for the Route 66 Half Marathon and her training schedule called for a 6 mile run. This was going to be perfect!! I was so excited to have someone to run with and push me through the last of the run and help encourage her through the 6 miles she was running. Unfortunately it did not work out, her dog had been at the vet and Trent had dental work done Friday and didn't think he could make the drive from OKC Friday night. I don't blame him a bit!! I was bummed most of the night since I had really looked forward to running together. Justin could see that and was trying to find ways to help. He had to be at the duck blind drawings by 9:30am so it seemed like he wouldn't be able to do much.

Right before we went to bed last night I noticed that he was missing for a while... To my surprise he had aired up the bike tires and put it in the back of his truck! He said we were going to get up at 5am (uggg!) and be at the running trail by 6am so we could finish the run around 8:30am giving him time to get to the blind drawing. I was so excited, not to mention love struck, that he would do that for me!! We made it to the trail by 6am, right after a quick 'pit-stop' for Justin at the Kum & Go (gross name, I know!) convenience store. It was still really dark out and the trail is not lit so we ran the parking lots for 2 miles before heading out on the trail. Justin used to ride his bike alot growing up and in college so his skills started coming back to him really quickly. Out of the corner of my eye I would see him jumping a curb or zooming by me like Lance Armstrong. I felt good, the weather was great and I was excited to have someone to share the run with. It was light enough to hit the trail so we did. I kept running through little spider web strings that would stick to my face...eww! That was easy until I hit the mother of all spider webs. I swear it was the size of my whole body with the middle of it hitting me right in the face. Justin didn't know what to think when I screamed and started waving my hands like a mad man trying to get the webs off of me. Then I started wondering if there was a spider and its babies riding on my back...gross and creepy for sure. We regained our composure and kept running. At the end of the trail I needed to make a quick pit stop at a different Kum & Go then we got back to it. I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am that Justin was there. He had a great attitude and was so cute on the bike. He was my mobile water boy, I felt like a pro! We continued on and decided to go back through the parking lots to break it up a bit before doing the trail again. Justin rode ahead of me for a while and I wondered why he was sitting funny on the bike. He only had one butt cheek on the seat and was alternating cheeks! He said the seat wasn't wide enough and I think it was a fun game for him to pass the time, I don't know but it was hilarious. He went down a different street and realized we had access to the old runway. Hatbox used to be an airport back in the day. We started running the runways, which was really neat and helped add a few miles to the run. At 9.5 miles I stopped to take a gel and wash it down with water. The vanilla flavor tastes like cake icing and makes a huge difference keeping my energy up. After a minute break I went out to finish the runway while Justin was riding with no hands on the bike next to me. We hit the entrance to the trail again with 3.5 miles left. If we went out 1.75 miles and came back we would end up at the truck, so that's what we did. There was a girl running ahead of us on the track our last few miles and I made it my goal to catch her. It helped having a challenge to make the last little bit go by faster. I ended up passing her with a half mile to go and it felt so good! Not to mention that was my fastest mile of the whole trip. It's amazing what the body will do when you put your mind to it.

Justin was a trooper, I don't know about you but 2 hours and 35 minutes on the bike doesn't sound like fun to me He was a huge support and I don't know if I would have enjoyed the run or finished with a faster time without him. I love that man!

15.12 miles in 2 hrs 35 min 44 secs!

Blame it on the Rain!!!

by Stacy Hogle


Luckily for me this week was a step down week and we are scheduled for a 10 mile run. I would have never thought 9 weeks ago when we started that running 10 miles would be almost considered easy! I was trying to plan ahead and run early Saturday since we had a busy weekend plus the weather was supposed to get ugly later in the morning. The Weather Channel said we were supposed to start getting rain around 9am Saturday morning. That would have worked great for me since I had a baby shower at 11am in Tahlequah Saturday and a wedding on the West side of Tulsa that night. Notice I said “would have”. I parked at the Muskogee Country Club at 7am ready to go. I desperately needed a change in scenery, and planned on running the bypass and around a neighborhood or two to pass the 10 miles instead of Hatbox this week. After about a half a mile into the run I noticed a small sprinkle. I am a very optimistic person, my glass is usually half full, and I believed in the accuracy of the http://www.weather.com/. I figured it would sprinkle a bit then clear up until the later morning rain that was predicted. I figured wrong. With every step the small sprinkles increased exponentially into a thick mist which then turned into a monsoon. Ok…so it wasn’t a monsoon but I was feeling very sorry for myself since I was 2 miles from the car and if I turned back now I would still have to fight the next 2 miles of rain which would equal 4 miles of rainy hell. I knew no matter what my decision was, it wasn’t going to be pretty. I continued my road to the 2.5 mile mark, at least I would get in half of the run by the time I made it back to my car. I told myself that I would go home and finish the last 5 miles on the tready (deep down I just wanted to crawl back into bed so I knew the treadmill wasn’t ever going to happen.). I tried wearing my Oakley’s as a windshield but realized I looked like an idiot, not to mention I couldn’t see a thing. But I kept trucking! All I could think was “Damn it Ike!”

Low and behold I made it back to my car and the rain stopped! I weighed my options: finish the last 5 or go home in case it starts to rain again? Knowing I would not forgive myself for quitting I hit the pavement and headed back out to finish the run. Oklahoma weather is a funny thing…it does the exact opposite of what you would think. I just knew that if I quit at 5 miles it would not rain another drop, hence going back out, but no…about a half a mile into it, it started sprinkling again which turned again into a heavy mist then just a turned into another rain storm. I used my shirt to wipe my eyes and realized not only was I the crazy girl running in the rain, I was the crazy girl running in the rain with yesterdays mascara and eyeliner streaming down her face! At 7.25 miles my shorts and shirt started to feel really heavy and I could feel the water squishing around in my shoes. I was so close but so far!!! I finished the run and once again the rain had stopped and pretty much didn’t see another drop of rain until later in the day. I made it home, wrung out my shirt and shorts, got in the shower and headed to the baby shower. One thing I realized was that persistence really does pay off. I would have been so disappointed in myself if I had quit, but I pushed through the rain and felt great all day. It was worth every puddle and car I had to dodge so they wouldn’t spray me with water when they passed me.

This Saturday won’t be very easy, 15 miles eep! I am very nervous, my stomach is getting queasy as I type, but determined to finish. I bought some gels today to help power me through. I am going to test one out on the 7 mile run tomorrow night. The guy at GNC said they were nasty so that is not very encouraging… One thing that is keeping me going is know that in 9 days Justin and I will be in Colorado to see Maria and David!! I am so excited!!! Woo HOO! We are scheduled for a 16 mile run on Saturday…I hope the altitude does not kill me!

The Half Marathon: Pretty Damn Long!

by Maria Torres

Few of us know what we are capable of doing...we have never pushed ourselves hard enough to find out. -A. Montapert

I have run 52 miles since my last post, 25 of which I ran on my long weekend runs. My 12 mile run two weekends ago was excruciating and seemed to drag on forever, but luckily Stacy called right when I finished and we were able to commiserate. Much like Stacy's experience, I felt great until the last 2 miles, at which point my legs turned into 500 lb. weights. I finished, but it wasn't pretty. I can only imagine what I must have looked like. I was so hunched over that my back was probably bent at a 90 degree angle - I'm not entirely sure that this form would even be classified as "running." To make matters worse, the loop I ran wasn't long enough so I ended up circling the town streets over and over to get to 12 miles. I knew before I even began the run that day that it would be a difficult one, but I didn't expect to feel so drained at the end. Had that been the day of the marathon, I don't know if I would have made it.

That run would've been more daunting had it not been for a run-changing occurrence shortly thereafter: Justin and Stacy sent me the most amazing pair of sunglasses as an early birthday present!! Just a week earlier, I mentioned to Stacy that I had tried on a new pair of Oakley's that I loved. They just came out with a new line (the "Endure") made specifically for female athletes, and the "Edge" design fit my face perfectly. Sunglasses hardly ever fit my face so I was in love! I had been running in some designer sunglasses that did not reflect my athletic prowess ;) Now when I pass people on the trail, it's impossible for them to ignore that I'm dead serious about some running! I mean, if you saw this running by you, would you not take it seriously?:
HAHA


Seriously though, having these sunglasses when it's really sunny outside helps so much! I bet they'll be perfect when it starts snowing here, and lately it's looking like that could be any day now.

For the 13 mile run on Sunday, I wanted to go somewhere different for a change of scenery. David and I picked out a couple of paths in Ridgway - a small town about an hour away from here. There's a big reservoir located within the state park there, and you can get to the trails through different access points. Since it was getting late and the run would take approximately two hours, we just picked out a few paths to circle around. It was the first time in the entire training program that I've run on pavement, and it was much different than trail running. For one, the absence of rocks and other obstacles on the course made it easier to focus on other things, like the sun beating down mercilessly around 5 p.m. that day. I know running on pavement is also harder on the joints and knees, and I definitely felt that around mile 7.

Speaking of mile 7, that's when I was circling back to my car to quickly drink some watered-down Gatorade (I can't drink it full strength :) and swallow some energy gel. Not fully thinking it through, I placed Sooie's leash down on the car seat. When I reached down to grab Sooie's leash not more than 30 seconds later, it had disappeared along with my little running companion. The running path, which was right in front of my car, ran parallel to the highway. I went into panic mode. I immediately spotted her on the path in the distance, leash still attached, and started screaming "TREAT" while sprinting after her. She stopped, lifted her head up as if to weigh her options, and decided to continue full speed in the other direction.

I knew she was attempting to catch up to David and Bodhi (our other dog), and that I wouldn't be able to catch her on foot. So I sprinted back to my car and drove 70 mph down a 25 mph road until I caught up with her. I spotted her, and she looked lost and confused - she suddenly realized she wasn't going to catch up to David and had no idea where her mom was. haha. Once she saw me, she perked up and ran as fast as she could to the car. I drove right back to my parking spot, encountered some bewildered stares from nearby picnickers, puppy-proofed the car, rolled down the windows for Sooie (it was cool outside by this point), and set out for the remaining 6 miles solo with my adrenaline re-stocked. Never a dull moment, I tell ya.

Here's the little trouble-maker:



This was actually a great run! I felt really good the entire run (with the exception of the few minutes where I envisioned my puppy as roadkill) and still had energy when I finished. There were even a couple of moments along the run where I felt like I could go on forever - in particular, when the sun was setting and reflecting off of the water onto me. I felt like such a runner! It's these kinds of experiences - which I also consider adventures - that remind me why I love running so much. A great run can be eye-opening, invigorating, and utterly exhausting all at the same time.

One final note: I just want to say that I'm really proud of you Dad for getting back out and training again!! My Dad developed stress fractures on the top of his foot from training, and after taking a couple of weeks off to let them heal, he's trying to get back on schedule instead of bowing out. Keep it up Stevie! :)

10 miles of joy, 2 miles of misery!

by Stacy Hogle

This is my first post in a few weeks, sorry for being a loser and not posting! Since my last post I have repeated week 6 and now Maria, David, Steve (fingers crossed he's still in the running...get it?!) and I are on the same training schedule. I was not able to get my long run in a two weekends ago so I repeated Week 6 and just finished Week 7. It was good to repeat a 'step-down' week, it helped give my shin splints and blisters a much needed rest. I think it was a good mental break too. I felt energized and clear minded going into the 12 mile run yesterday. My shin splints are still acting up a bit, but hopefully they are starting to heal enough where I don't have to wear my compression sleeves much longer. I know, I know...the compression sleeves look so cool, how could I not want to wear them? Besides the fact it looks like I am about to join a soccer game, they are just so hot. When I complete a run, whether it's a long or a short one, they are dripping with sweat. I know you guys are dying to see them so here they are:

So, I set my alarm Saturday morning for 6am so I could get up and run my 12 miles. Before the alarm went off I was awakened by thunder and lots of lighting, but no rain. I didn't want to chance getting ready and driving to the West side of town that early and get rained out, so I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep. That meant I had to do the run Sunday no matter what. I got up at 6am, got dressed and headed out to Hatbox. It was a beautiful morning with a slight breeze. The first 5 miles went extremely well. I felt good mentally and physically, and I was able to wear my new Oakley running glasses (courtesy of Hogle Eyecare Center, thanks J!). They feel alot better than my Versace's. I know...Versace sunglasses to run in? They were cute...the rhinestones added a very athletic touch I think :) But the Oakley's stay put and don't slide off my face which is a plus when you are sweating like a beast. That early in the morning there are not many people out on the trail until I get about halfway through. I did see the guy that had the pit bulls on my last long run. He was sans pitbulls, and I am happy to say running for fitness. That eases my soul a bit...it made me slightly nervous before, being dogfood doesn't sound like much fun. We waved and said hello and I continued with the run. At the end of the 5 I grabbed a quick drink of Gatorade and headed out for the final 7. I was feeling good when I hit the 10 mile mark and got a quick drink of water from the water fountain. I thought it was a quick drink but I think I had a little too much, my stomach was sloshing around for the last two miserable miles. If you just ran 10 miles, how could two more be so bad you ask? I don't have the answer, but my legs didn't want to move very fast and that made the pain last longer. My whole body started to ache...my abs, my back, my calves...you name it, it hurt. With a mile left all I could think about was how good a Diet Dr Pepper sounded. Weird, yes, but knowing I could stop at the McDonalds around the corner for a pop was my main motivation to finish. I shuffled around the parking lot a few times to make sure I hit the 12 mile mark. I was so thankful to be finished... time for Diet DP!!!

After I dried off and caught my breath, I got into the car and went to McDonalds. The line was wrapped around the building! I was getting hungry so I was going to get some apple dippers too. I am trying to eat well so I thought the apple dippers would be better than an Egg McMuffin. I am pretty sure I would have barfed if I tried to eat that though. As I am waiting in line to put my order in, some movement catches my eye on the side of the building. Was it a cat? NO! I was a rat! That brazen little beast kept running up and down the side of the building trying to get into one of the back doors. Note to those in Muskogee: don't eat at the McD's on 69 Highway and Okmulgee...blech! Thank goodness apple dippers are pre-packaged! Luckily I had my camera handy...check out the rat!

Deer Trail #99 - Flagstaff, AZ

by Maria Torres

The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them. - Anonymous

I have put in a lot of miles since my last post, and the ten mile run in Flagstaff, AZ, was by far the most eventful. David and I had planned a weekend getaway in Flagstaff the weekend of August 15th, and one of the highlights was going to be our long run on Saturday. Telluride is an amazing little town, but it is just that: little. You can only run the same path so many times before getting a little bored. So on Friday we printed off several maps of trails in the area and headed down to Flagstaff. We wanted to go on Saturday morning so we could get the run out of the way, but disaster hit...insomnia! As long as I can remember, it has always hit me in waves. I go about 4 nights in a row with little or no sleep, and then I am fine for several weeks. Prior to leaving for Flagstaff, I hadn't been sleeping well so I knew it was a possibility. It was especially bad on that Friday night though. Before finally dosing off from 5 a.m. - 6:30 a.m., I tried pretty much everything to fall asleep. I watched the Olympics, complete with late night Ambien commercials (they market to insomniacs in the middle of the night, FYI), and had even listened to an entire thunderstorm come and go. It was so frustrating because I knew I'd feel like the living dead on Saturday and wouldn't be able to run. I also felt bad because I knew David wouldn't want to go without me. That's exactly what happened, so instead we spent the day exploring the town and shopping. We ate Indian food that night (delicious), bought an OTC sleeping aid at Wal-Mart, and decided we'd just get up early on Sunday.

We headed out for Deer Trail #99 early after a pretty rushed continental breakfast - David refused to let me wait in line for a fresh Belgian waffle, which was probably a good thing in retrospect. That might not have been the best "energy food," but it sure sounded good at the time. When we finally arrived at the trail, a sign said that it was about .6 miles to the actual trailhead. David seemed very reluctant to leave me and run up ahead (he runs faster than me), but after I assured him several times that I'd be fine & that it looked safe, he felt better. We did agree that if there were any confusing areas or forks along the path that he would turn around and come back to tell me which way to go. Anyone who knows me knows that if there is any possible way to get lost, I will find it. So off we finally went, and that was the last we saw of each other until an hour and a half later...

I never saw David on my run, and I just assumed he ran up ahead thinking there were no confusing parts on the trail. Every once in a while I would look down to see if his footprints were in the dirt, but I didn't ever really get worried because it seemed perfectly safe to me. When I saw him waving his arms in the distance an hour and a half into the run, I was actually more annoyed than anything. I thought, "just because he's celebrating being finished with his 10 miles doesn't mean I can yet." When I got close enough to see him, I was surprised to discover that he was actually yelling at me. What in the world?! He had what looked like - I can't be sure - tears in his eyes (shhhh!) and looked terrified. To add insult to injury, because I didn't immediately understand the gravity of the situation, I was still set on finishing up my run. Yeah, that didn't go over so well with David.

Apparently, David made it 2 minutes into his run (we know this because it was saved on his Ipod) before turning back and discovering that I was nowhere to be found. When he ran back to find me, I wasn't there, and we still can't figure out how I took a different route and ended up on the right trail. Not only did he not get to do his run, but he also had a search party out looking for me...complete with park rangers, folks on horseback (not even kidding), and hikers. He ran back to the car, left a note on it, and then proceeded to twist his ankle three times while looking for me. Apparently I had also missed a sign that warned of mountain lions in the area, so he had pretty much decided I'd been dragged off the trail for mountain lion lunch. He had even called his dad to figure out what to do! [As an aside, his dad was talking this over with his sister, including the possibility of a mountain lion attack. His little nieces, who were over swimming at his parents' house, must have overheard this. So when his mom got home, his nieces ran to the door proclaiming, "Maria was dragged off by mountain lions!!"] I felt absolutely horrible. We plan to invest in some walkie-talkies before our next long run to avoid any future crises.

It took time for David to relax, but we had a great day after that. Before heading back to Telluride, we went to the Grand Canyon and took these:

Since I knew I'd be in Las Vegas the next weekend for my friend Sara's bachelorette party, I ran all my longer runs before I left. After the 10 miles on Sunday, I ran 3 on Monday, 7 on Tuesday, and 5 on Wednesday. I only had 3 left to run while I was in Las Vegas, and that didn't ever happen. So this week, I have to run every day Tuesday-Saturday to catch up. I'm actually looking forward to it so I can get back into marathon mode! :)

Camelbak saves the day

by Maria Torres

The training schedule called for a 9 mile run this weekend, and it was a lot more difficult than I had expected. I actually ended up running 9.9 miles because I decided to run for time (90 min.) instead of distance, but that's not what made it such a hard run.

Sunday was an unusually hot and dry day in Telluride. No clouds were out to help shield me from the heat, and no afternoon showers rolled in to cool everything down. I shouldn't complain because it would probably feel like the Arctic to my Dad and Stacy - the blistering summer heat in Arkansas and Oklahoma has undoubtedly added an extra obstacle to their training. But I've been spoiled by the consistently mild temperatures here lately. Usually the most I have to worry about is being struck by lightning, and even then I think I could outrun it ;)

I ran a new trail along the San Miguel River this weekend, and with that came a new challenge. Initially, I planned to run the 9 miles on a different - and far easier - trail, but when I got to the trailhead I saw that no dogs were allowed. Since the dogs needed exercise, I chose a trail I knew nothing about (except that dogs were allowed). The trail ended about 40 min. into my run, and until I turned around to head back, I didn't realize I had been running on a very gradual downward slope. No wonder I felt so great! But the slope became very apparent as soon as I started the second half back up the same way - my legs felt like lead and it seemed like I was barely moving. It took me a while longer to run the second half than it did the first half, and I was exhausted! I think paranoia also set in somewhere around the halfway point after I spotted some bear droppings on the trail. The rest of the run I was constantly checking over my shoulder, convinced I was being stalked. Getting eaten alive would probably have been less painful than running at that point ;) I did like the trail - I'll just have to mentally prepare myself for the uphill part next time.

On a couple of the longer runs, I have finished so dehydrated that I can't even work up spit in my mouth (how's that for a nice lil mental image?). So before running on Sunday, I decided that I needed to figure out a way to carry fluids with me on my longer runs. Because I'm pretty sure I'd look like a big dork toting around a "water belt," which is a fanny pack-type thing that you can carry water in, I decided to check out some Camelbaks. Luckily, the store I went to had one with my name written all over it! It lays flat against my back for running, and even has pink in it. What's that? You want to see a picture of it? Okay!
<-------
I filled it with very diluted Gatorade for the run and it worked out really well. You all will be glad to know that I still had spit in my mouth at the end of my run! haha

Next weekend is my 10 mile run, and hopefully it goes at least a little more smoothly than Stacy's did (see her latest post). Check back soon!

10 miles down!

by Stacy Hogle

It has been about a week and a half since I last blogged about my training, and I have been going strong. Last Saturday I finished a 9 mile run (week 4) and it went much better than I had expected. I set my alarm for 5:45am and made it to the trail at 6:30am. It was hard to roll out of bed, but I knew it was going to be hot and humid so it had to be an early run day. I ran at a place in Muskogee called Hatbox, it has a running trail that is a 3.2 mile loop. I went out 2.5 miles then back to the Tahoe to complete 5 miles. At my car I briefly stopped to grab some Gatorade and timed myself walking for 1 minute to let my stomach settle. After a minute I kicked it into high gear and went back out 2 miles and came back to total the 9 mile run. While I was running I saw a lot of cute little bunnies and some very interesting people. One fellow was running in a big t-shirt, jean shorts and had his two pit bulls with spikey collars following him NOT on leashes. I politely smiled and said hi while making sure my pepper spray was very visible. Weird...was he running for exercise? To a friends house? From the police maybe??? I never saw him again so I think he was taking a short cut. Luckily there were plenty of cute old men riding their bikes so it was fun to wave and say hi when we passed each other.



I ran the same trail this morning. It is cooler today so I got out there at 7:30am to allow myself to sleep in a bit. It's too bad my dogs Rebel and Jimmy didn't get the memo...they wanted to go outside around 6am. I need my beauty sleep!!! Remembering that last weeks 9 mile run wasn't too bad I thought the 10 miler would be a piece of cake. I was so wrong! When I got out to Hatbox and put on my Garmin Forerunner 205 (GPS running watch) and tried to turn it on it would not do anything. I have been running with my Garmin for almost a year and it has never missed a run or bike ride. I was then horrified to realize that my Ipod shuffle would not turn on either..what in the world is going on?? Luckily I had my Ipod Nano in the car and was able to use it for some running tunes. I felt so naked without my Garmin...I hope it just had a bad day and that it is not dead forever! I finished 5 miles and stopped at the car again to grab some Gatorade. I am trying to train myself to be able to stop at 5 miles to grab a quick drink then jump right back into running again, so far so good. I took a few quick drinks then headed back out to the trail, that is when I noticed my ponytail getting loose. I took out my ponytail holder and when I tried to put my hair back up it snapped in half. WTF!!! I wanted to quit and call it a day, but I was able to tie two ends into a knot and like they say on Project Runway "Make it work!" I was very discouraged but kept on moving and finished the 10 miles. I don't know my time since my Garmin died but at least I finished.



Now, if I can only get the right running shoes so my feet don't turn into a huge blister and fall off that would be great. I have been having trouble with my New Balance being too short so my toes have been blistering and I bought an Asic Kayano 14 last week that almost crippled me after 6 miles. Hopefully the Nikes I ordered will work. I ran in them during the Half Marathon and they treated me well. If you know anyone that likes Asics and wears a women's 9.5 let me know. I will sell them at a deeply discounted price! They only have 6 miles on them :)

Still running strong

by Maria Torres

Well, I've almost finished with four weeks of training - I still have 9 miles to run this weekend - and am still as excited as ever! That's not to say there haven't been days where running is just about the last thing I want to do, but it's nice having a schedule I feel compelled to follow. Plus, Sooie has now come to expect her daily runs, and she starts biting me to let me know when it's time...thanks Sooie! She's a little drill sergeant!

Other things that have helped keep me motivated include: my TWO new running skorts (see Stacy's post below), a new running playlist on my Ipod with remixes from none other than DJ Stev, thunderstorms - I love running in the rain, and my goal not to miss a single run in the training program. If I skip a run, I just make up for it on an "off" day so I can stay on track. I feel pretty confident about the marathon at this point, and I think it will stay that way if I just follow the program.

This past month, I have been extremely careful to watch out for rocks on trails so I don't turn my ankle. I have extremely weak ankles, and have had problems with them my entire life. It seems that every time I start running seriously, I end up stepping on my ankle and having to stop running until it heals. My whole foot turns purple and my ankle swells to about 5 times its normal size. And then, once I start running again, I'll twist it. In the words of Franck from the movie Father of the Bride..."Lots of fun!" I would be so upset if something like that happened before the marathon, so I'm just being very cautious. Sometimes that means running slower than I really want to, but it's worth it until my ankle gets stronger.

I'll keep you posted with a post :) on how the 9 miles goes!

I'm too sexy for my (running) skirt!

by Stacy Hogle

Maria got me thinking the other day when she told me she bought a super cute running skirt at Target. I thought..."I want one!" So I went to our local Ross Dress for Less (unfortunately one of the better stores in Muskogee if that tells you anything!), and found a Nike running skirt for $12.99! Being the bargain hunter that I am, I was ecstatic. So, I took my running skirt out for a test run last night and LOVED it! It was very comfortable and cute it actually made the 3 mile run more enjoyable. I am sure once the newness wears off or the first time someone makes fun of me I will feel different about it, but right now I love it. I love it so much I went back to Ross today and bought two more for me and two for Maria...we have to be the cutest girls at the Marathon!

Trail-running and tennis

by Maria Torres

Mondays and Fridays are rest days for our marathon training, and it was nice to have a break after a pretty active weekend. It was rainy on Saturday, but since we needed to get our 7-mile run in, David and I had no choice but to run on muddy trails. I think there is only one paved running path in Telluride, and it's usually covered with people riding bikes at very high speeds. My lack of coordination coupled with one very hyperactive puppy makes running that path a very bad idea.

So, off we went to the woods to get some miles in. We let Sooie and Bodhi off of their leashes because we were in a remote area with no cars anywhere nearby. David ran ahead of me early on, and the dogs decided to stay with me. Watching them chase one another and roll around in the mud was a nice distraction. They shot in and out of a barbed-wire fence that bordered one of the paths I was running on, and I didn't discover Bodhi nicked his nose on it until we got home. He is fine, but at first it appeared to be a pretty bad cut. He was having such a good time that he didn't even seem to notice it until he calmed down later. It was an excellent running area for them, so hopefully they will know next time not to go near the fence.
When I finished the 7 miles (I use a Nike+ sensor and receiver to track my runs), I was nowhere near my car, so I decided to just jog the rest of the way back. I ended up being an entire mile away from where I parked, so my 7 mile run turned into an 8 mile run. I felt great at the end of the run, so I am becoming more confident about some of the longer runs down the road.

On Sunday, Alex and Wendy let us use their private tennis court nestled in the mountains, and that was amazing. We felt like celebrities! Neither of us plays very well, but we had a ton of fun just hitting the ball around. Since Sunday is our cross-training day, it was the perfect work-out.

Last week, I set up a Nike+ challenge for my dad, David, and me to track our mileage and make sure we are all on track, but I forgot to close it to everyone else. So when we got online to check our mileage, we were surprised to find that we were joined by 10 extremely eager runners from all over the world, most of whom had already put in over 15 miles. WTF? I don't think they understand the purpose of the challenge, which is to just make sure we're all at the same place in our training. Since I created the challenge I could have just canceled it, but I didn't have the heart to because some of them were working so hard to win the damn thing. Dad created a new one that starts today though, so we'll have our own challenge going at the same time to keep us on track.

I'm really looking forward to mapping out some running routes for the longer runs on Saturdays. I'm hoping to find beautiful places I can drive to each week that will make the runs seem less cumbersome. And I'll be sure to bring my camera along so you can experience them with me!

Friday...

by Stacy Hogle

Well, Week 3 is almost over and I am really glad this is a step down week. Just a 5 mile run tomorrow, no big deal. I have started to develop some shin splints and I am not happy about it :( I am going to look for some compression sleeves for your shins to keep the muscle tight to the bone and prevent some of this pain. Yes, I am going to look like a major nerd when I run, like I have on tube socks, but if it makes it better I am all for it. Once I get them I will post a pic so everyone can get a good laugh. I have been on the treadmill this week since it has been so hot out, I am looking forward to hitting the road tomorrow for the 5 mile run. I have some pics to post but I forgot my camera today, so hopefully I will get them up this weekend. I don't want Maria to be the only shining star of this blog...hahaha!

DJ Stev, Where you at? I need some new remixes stat!

6-miler

by Maria Torres


Week 1 of training is completed! By the way, Stacy is a week ahead of me in the training schedule because there's a weekend in August she'll be in California & won't be able to do her long run. I'll let her post on completing her 7 miles this week, but I just wanted to say Congrats!!

I ended up doing the 6.5 mile run on Friday instead of Saturday, mostly because I was delirious from staying up all night on Thursday. David and I went to the midnight showing of The Dark Knight & didn't get back to Telluride until about 5 a.m. I decided to go ahead and run on Friday b/c everyone knows that lack of sleep makes for a great run ;) It actually went really well, all things considered...until I got home and got stung by a wasp! I never even saw the little sucker, but it was definitely a wasp b/c today we found the nest less than a foot away from where I was stung. One even got Bodhi's leg last week! I've had a big knot on my shoulder for three days now. I wasn't aware that wasps would still sting you even if you're doing absolutely nothing to agitate them. The nerve! I'll have to keep this in mind until the exterminator gets rid of the nest on Wednesday...too bad it's located right next to the only entrance/exit to my condo.

A dog-walking device called the "Gentle Leader" has made running with Sooie SO much better these past few runs. Sooie is an extremely strong dog - she's all muscle. My arms are sore after every walk with her, and if she wants to go somewhere, it's impossible for me to stop her. I've been dragged behind her and have fallen down more times than once while walking her. So, when I was at a pet store several weeks ago, I finally caved in and picked up a choke collar for Sooie. I bought the Gentle Leader too, hoping that once Sooie quit pulling so much, I wouldn't need the choke collar. I had been told that some dogs will pull regardless of the choke collar tightening around their necks, and I was sad to find out Sooie was one of those dogs. I took her out just a few times with the choke collar and it REALLY bothered me to feel how tight it was around her neck and to hear her breathing...yet she still pulled just as hard. I decided to try the Gentle Leader, which is kind of like the harness you put on a horse. It doesn't hurt them at all, which is the biggest plus for me. It pulls the dog's head to the side if it's trying to run off to the side, and it pulls the head down if it runs in front of you. It seems like Sooie has caught on pretty quickly and now runs so close to me that sometimes I almost trip on her! She has also quit trying to dart off chasing chipmunks, which has really improved the quality of our runs :)

Above is a picture of the marathon notebook I made & a few of me after the 6 mile run.