Lake Mineral Wells State Park

This past weekend we camped at Lake Mineral Wells State Park.

We've heard from multiple friends it's one of the best State Parks in the area. A few years ago, I ran the LMW Trailway, but I didn't get a chance to explore the area, other than the main trail.

Even though our site didn't have a lake view, most of the sites we saw didn't, but we were surrounded by trees and nestled away from other campers.

I feel like we are getting faster at packing, setting-up camp and breaking down. One word: TOTES! Many many TOTES! Which reminds me, I should buy more.


Friday night, we grilled burgers and made a campfire. We stayed out there visiting by the fire, until a raccoon scared us. The crazy animal jumped on our picnic table. After the raccoon scare, we decided to go inside and call it a night.

Saturday morning, I went for a run on the trail. This particular trail overlooked the lake. The view was incredible. Most of the longer trails, including the main LMW Trailway was closed due to flooding, so I kept circling the shorter ones.


Shortly after my run, we all went on a hike.


Sunday morning, I woke up and made breakfast for everyone and then I went for a shorter run.

After my short run, we drove to the trail entrance of Penitentiary Hollow. It was quite the distance from out campsite, but once we got there, we hiked. This was the best part of our camping trip and something we enjoyed doing together.

It was exciting exploring the area.


Trey winterized the Airstream, so I'm not sure if we will be going on another camping trip this month or even for the rest of the winter season. We've had the airstream for 6 weeks and we've camped four times. I'm hoping we have an unusally warm winter. That would be AWESOME for camping! 

Cedar Hill State Park

It didn't take us long to take the Airstream out for a second trip.
This past weekend, we stayed 2 nights at Cedar Hill State Park.




A few years ago, I ran a trail race at the park. That specific trail is called DORBA. I was hoping to run that same trail this weekend, but with all of the rain, it was closed. I'll be taking a rain check. We plan on making our rounds around the state parks, so we bought a Texas State Park pass. The pass covers us for one year and we also get some other discounts. Now, I can run the DORBA trail anytime without having to pay the $7 park admission.  Count me in!

Once we got into bed Friday night, it rained and it rained! It was still raining Saturday morning -- until around 9 am. Saturday - mid-morning, it cleared up and we took a tour of Penn Farm. I'll write more about that in another blog entry.

Sunday, the weather was gorgeous, so I ran 8 miles on the state park roads, but before I left I got some morning snuggles.

I ran on this dock - it's pretty short - but it was scenic and fun. The rest of the route was hilly park roads with a view of Joe Pool Lake.

I'm really glad Trey knows what he's doing. This airstream and camping stuff comes natural to him. He was a boy scout, so I guess that helps.

Dakota is not use to so much down time. She sat down when we first got to the site and she wasn't sure what to do first.

Both nights, we made s'mores. Yum!


Cheyenne was crafting on a piece of cardboard.

Road to a 50 Miler

I just wanted to share an update on my training for Brazos Bend 50 miler. I have completed 6 out of 20 weeks. I've been training on the road, on the treadmill, on the track and on the trail. The general scope of my training goes like this…2 hard weeks of high milers followed by 1 recovery week and then repeat. Week 1 was a nice 24 mile week to ease me into training and my highest mile week I hit 48 miles! Whoa! To give you a scope of my normal routine, I'm usually running 18 - 20 miles a week when I'm not training for anything.



Week 1
 
Week 2 


Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Initially, the most challenging thing was running long on Saturday and then following up with running another long run, the next day. Now, it's not so much about whether I can physically do this (my body is doing fine), it's more about mental toughness to keep going - also time. My training has been going so smooth and I'm nervous about October. I know that will be my most challenging month. Miles increase and so does my film work load. Training is about to get interesting.

This is Crazy. I'll Be Running a 50 Mile Trail Race.

Ever since I completed my first 50K, I've dreamt about running a 50 mile trail race. With five 50Ks under my feet,

1. Cowtown 2011 (Road 5:27)
2. Palo Duro 2011 (Trail 5:49)
3. Rockledge Rumble 2013 (Trail 6:35)
4. Cowtown 2014 (Road 5:28)
5. Cowtown (Virtual) 2015 (Road 5:43)

I feel like it's time to tackle a longer distance. I finally got the courage to register for one. December of this year, I'll be toeing the line of the Brazos Bend 50 mile Trail Race aka Brazos Bend 100. Bucket list, here I come!

FIFTY FREAKING MILES is crazy. I know. Trust me, I KNOW. Don't ask me what time I think I will complete the distance because I have no idea. I know the course is flat, so that's fantastic! Not that I'm going for speed or anything, I want to finish before it gets dark!

The race is months away, but I'm doing a marathon training schedule during this "I have no races on my calendar" season, in order to keep a healthy fitness level and running base - which should help to ease me into the 50 mile training. I'm using the Nike+ Coach app. I'm on week four. I'm having to adjust my long runs because this training program has them on Fridays, but for the most part, I'm keeping up with my weekly mileage and doing my best to hit those long runs, even if it means delaying them until Sunday.




The Nike+ app doesn't have a training program for anything longer than a marathon. I'm looking for a well rounded 50 mile training program. There are several out there. A lot of them have back to back weekend long runs. I'm booked filming weddings in October, so training that month is going to be interesting. Stay tune! I will be updating the blog often about my long runs, fuel and the highs and lows of training - over the next few months.

2015 Cowtown Half Marathon

Distance: Ultra Marathon 13.1 miles Half Marathon 

Duration: 2:00:26

Average Pace Per Mile: 9:12

Gender Place: 565 out of 3428

Overall Place: 1924 out of 6571 Half Marathon Runners

Friday morning, it started to snow and within hours the roads were icy. Saturday, the ice didn't melt…so, Cowtown 5 and 10K races were cancelled. All day Saturday, I was anxiously waiting to hear if the marathon races were going to be canceled like the 5K and 10K events. Well, around Saturday evening, they announced the cancellation of the marathon and ultra…BUT the half was still on! It was going to be delayed by an hour start time, but the half was going to happen. Anyone signed up for the marathon or ultra could run the half. As you know, I've been training for the ultra. This would've been my fifth ultra finish. 

Saturday evening, the city of Ft. Worth had sand trucks out pouring sand on the race course. Workers and volunteers worked through the night and through the morning - preparing the streets for the race. 

Saturday, the roads were slick and I didn't want to take my chances driving to the expo. I decided not to get my packet and I decided to wait until race morning. I arrived at the expo at 6 am. It was pretty empty! I had to remind myself that it was 2 hours before race start, but still! Were people going to show up????

Around 7:30 am I noticed a crowd. It wasn't nearly as packed as previous years, but there were runners there ready to make the most of race day.

Running conditions were wonderful (considering the circumstances), but I was cautious and I know I held back on speed because I was afraid of slipping. I know I could've ran faster and harder, but I didn't and that's ok. For me this race was "I've been at home for 2 days iced in…I need to run race." It was not a PR go all out and prove something race. Also, I had been training for a few months, I was ready to race, even if it wasn't the distance I had initially signed up for…I was ready.

2 hours of running went by so fast!

I took the above photo around 11 am, as I was walking back to my car. Spectating conditions were terrible. I don't blame anyone for not spectating this year and I don't blame anyone for not wanting to run.

I was hoping to run 31 miles on Sunday and instead I ran 13. Honestly, I'm grateful everything worked out, even though I couldn't run the 50K. It would've been easier for race officials to cancel all racing events this weekend, but they didn't. I'm thankful, I ran. I'm thankful, I did not get injured. I'm thankful I made it safety to and from the expo. I love my city, I love the Ft. Worth running community and I love Cowtown.

Shoe Shopping and Running in the Store

It has been a while since I bought new running shoes. I have two pairs, that's I've been rotating. They've both maxed out. Between the two, I've ran one thousand miles. Since Cowtown is a few weeks away, I figured I better get a new pair! For the longest time I was running in Nike's, Lunar Glide's and then I switched to trail shoes by Reebok. I was hoping to get another pair of those, but they didn't have any in stock. I decided to go with the next trail shoes that fit my style and budget.

Cheyenne and I ran down the aisle, so I could get a better feel for the shoes. The workers were not impressed.

I'm going to take my first run in the new pair, today.

I Can Finally Check This Off My To-Do List

Wednesday, I had all four wisdom teeth extracted. It feels good to finally have that out of the way! The doctor said no running for a week, today is the first day I felt well enough to do light strength and cardio. Trey took a picture of me right after surgery, but it looks so rough. I'm not sure if anyone should ever see that pic. LOL. My face is still swollen.

Have I mentioned I'm training for Cowtown Ultra? I am. This year, the race will be March 1st.
I can't wait, This will be my 5th ultra!

I haven't posted about my 2015 goals, but I would love to run an ultra trail race this fall.

I Found My New Crew Member

Saturday, I went for an 18 mile long run. 10 miles around my neighborhood and the rest on the Trinity Trail. It took me a few hours to complete.

Amy (my run buddy) wants to meet tomorrow to run before she goes on vacation, I hope she doesn't want to go fast. I'm not sure I'll have it in me.

Someone could use a new GPS watch.
If you have any model recommendations let me know or if you'd like to donate one to me, that's cool too. I think this week, I'm going to start researching. I love my Nike TOM TOM, but lately it's been flaky. Sometimes, it stops tracking my miles, mid-run…It's like it gets stuck and thinks I'm standing still, when I'm still running. It doesn't happen every time, but it's happen enough times, for me to get annoyed.

Often when I talk with other endurance athletes we talk about how we fuel for long workouts. This has been my go-to meal before a long run:
1 cup of oatmeal, with almond milk, 1 cup of blueberries (or whatever fruit I have), and lots of cinnamon.
Some runners like to consume GU's during long runs, I do that too, but I prefer real food.
When I pack real food to eat during a LR, sometimes I pack the following:
plantain chips, nuts, almond butter wraps, or fruit.
Yesterday, I made my own sunflower - chocolate chip - dried berry - trail mix. YUM!! I didn't eat all of it and accidentally left the bag outside on the driveway. When I went to get it around 10 am, the chocolate was melted. I still ate it.

I may have found my new crew member.
This morning, Chey went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. I ran beside her for 1.75 miles. EXCITING! She wanted to keep going, but I told her that was enough for one day.

It's crazy to think that not too long ago, I was pushing her around the neighborhood in a baby stroller, now she's riding a bike.

September 27, 2010

March 1st, 2015 - This is Happening!

Who wants to crew me for the last 10 miles?
Seriously…
No, really!!!
I'm not even kidding, y'all! Don't let me down. You have months to train. MONTHS!

Seven Hours of Running is kind of Crazy

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was excellent. I edited a wedding ceremony, spent time with the family and went for a LONG run. It was really long (the run).
Sunday, I set out for a 20 miler. 3.5 hours later, I was done! The last time my weekly mileage was this high, was back in February! That's over 7 hours of running for one week. Whew!

Other than running, I've been occupied.….
This evening, I tried to be discreet while I hid behind a tree to record, as well as photograph a surprise marriage proposal. Jon (Chris's younger brother), proposed to his girlfriend. She said, yes!!!

30 minutes before, Jon and Shayla arrived at the Ft. Worth Water Gardens, I sent this message and image to Trey ----  I'm ready!!! There were a lot of women around the water gardens, with their hair covered. I was hoping I'd blend in and Shayla wouldn't recognize me. I guess it worked. She didn't notice my 3 cameras! She was too focused on Jon. Good. After he proposed, I took a handful of photos of them around the gardens. I'm so happy for them!

Chey and Dakota want to say hi! Okay, have a great night!

The Ever Moving Treadmill

My treadmill has been in every single room in my house except for the girls room AND it's been moved, again! This time, it's in the same room, but it's been shifted to face the TV. I love this new view. I also like how I can, look to my right and see what's going on, outside.
I've ran, what feels like a million miles on this Treadmill. I'd be curious to know, exactly how many miles I've ran on it. I wonder how much longer it will last me….

The other day, I bought my first digital magazine subscription. Take a wild guess which one??? 6 miles flew by, when I was reading.

Little Date & Lake View

These two love birds went on a date.
They went shopping at the Disney Store, had dinner at Chuy's Mexican Resturant and then watched a movie.



And this is how I spent 3 hours of my weekend. Another long run. I ran to the lake. I stopped a few times, and admired the view.

I would love to live near the water. How about you?

Marathon Training and I'm not Even Running a Marathon

This morning I met my neighbor, Amy for a run. The great thing about having a running partner live a block away, is that you can wait until 5:16 am to get dressed for a 5:30 am run date. We ran 4 miles together and then I ran 1 mile solo. We ran at about a 9:30 pace.

LONG RUN 

Lately, I've been having some great runs. Jeri is training for a marathon. She had 16 miles for her weekend long run. I figured I'd join her (in spirit, she lives in South Dakota). So, Saturday I headed out for a 16 mile run. I ran a 4 mile loop around my neighborhood, once the sun rose, I headed to the trail and ended up running the rest of my miles and then I ended up on a busy city street. Luckily, the city street was runner friendly.
I didn't kill myself, trying to hit 9 minute miles, (although I did run a few at that pace). Overall, I ran a 10:31 pace.

I can't tell you how rewarding it felt to run 16 miles! I miss training for long races. I don't have much on my race calendar. I think I'm just going to continue to run long. Here are a few races that are on my radar.

CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING RACES
1. Cedar Ridge 18KM
This race is this month and it's sold out. I'm on the waiting list.
I ran the 36 KM, last year and loved it! It was so challenging, but so worth it.

2. Fort Worth Marathon
I kind of have my eyes on the 20 miler.
3. Dallas Marathon (the half marathon)
BIG MAYBE

4. Cowtown 50K
Duh, I love this race! This is on my must run list!

I Discovered a New Running Spot

This morning, I headed out for a long run. Sometimes, I'm not sure where to run. This morning I didn't have a plan, especially, since I'm not training for a race. This morning, I decided (as I was running away from my neighborhood), I wanted to be surrounded by trees, so I ran towards the Trinity Trails. The Trinity Trails looks like this…

For years, when I've ran the Trinity Trails, I've passed a dirt path and wondered about it. Where does it go? Is it a short trail? Is it a runner friendly trail? Is it even a trail or just a little path? Since I didn't have a distance or a time goal for the day, I decided what the hell….I'm going to check it out. Look what I discovered! Some of the areas were overgrown, so I avoided those trails, but from what I could tell, in general, it's a nice little area. If you are looking for miles of trails, I don't think this is it, but if you are looking for a beautiful view of Ft. Worth and a nice dirt loop with a few uphills, this is the spot!

I finally got some dirt on my new shoes!

My Days in Photos

My Days in Photos...AKA Photo Dump
Now that it's spring, I enjoy running around campus.
Earlier this week, my sister Amy and Angelica stopped by for dinner and brownies. I made enchiladas and the girls made the brownies.

Everywhere I go, I watch Frozen. UTA is going to host a Frozen sing-along. Sounds like fun!

New Running Shoes. Reebok. NAB is next week!

I've been waiting since forever….(not really) for my new shoes and then Trey was like, "oh, yeah, they've been here for several days." He put the box in the entryway. WHAT? Thanks for telling me!

A few hours ago, I took these new babies for a 5 mile run around the block. I had to stop twice to adjust them. I started to doubt my decision to go with team Reebok. They felt stiff at first, but after 2 miles they started to feel better. More miles will tell if these are the right ones for me.

I'll be in Las Vegas next week for NAB!!!!, so I'm thinking about taking them with me. I hope Jeri wants to join me for a few runs. Did I mention Jeri is joining me in Vegas??? I'm so excited!!!!! She is going to lounge by the pool, while I'm at the conference and then we will be hitting the strip at night! Can't wait! Can't wait!! I'm just going to consider this NAB/Girl Time my 30th birthday treat!

Two Reasons I Love My Employer

1. They encourage me to workout 3 times a week during working hours. And approve compensation during that time! 

2. The insurance that is provided is Blue Cross and they have a really cool program, Blue 365. The program allows me save on health and wellness products.

They have a deal with Reebok that allows Blue Cross members to purchase items at 20% off, plus free shipping. I just bought my first pair of Reebok's! I've been using Nike running shoes for years. When I first started running I would buy $90-100 dollar shoes (I tried other brands too), but as of about 2 years ago, I started looking at give or take $50 - $60 dollar running shoes. Since I'm not prone to injury and as long as the shoes are a notch above average quality, I can get by just fine.

If these shoes work out for me, I'll be buying a second pair soon...since I like to have two pair of shoes on rotation.


I still don't have any races on the calendar. Right now, I'm enjoying running for fun and fitness. Some days I run slow, some days I run fast. Most of my running is done solo, I miss running with friends, but this is just a season in life - with the girls being so young - trey has his business and having to be on call basically 24/7 - it makes it difficult to plan running dates with my friends. I might try to sneak a group run in every now and then, it's not impossible, but it's a challenge!

Since this post has way too many words in it, here's a photo of the girls. Lately, we can't get enough of the patio! It's easily our favorite space, when we are home. I'll have more patio pics to share later.

P.S. Here is a whole gallery of my running shoes, through the years.

You're Not the Momma. Run. Know Your Banker.

I hope you had a good weekend. Dakota's been testing her boundaries lately, this is a photo from a while back, but she has been in time out  - recently. I have to watch Cheyenne because Chey thinks she can take on the role of sending Dakota to time out. I have to remind her, "you're not the momma." What's funny about it, is that Dakota actually listens to Chey.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I met my weekly running goal!

Note to self, the sun rises around 7:15 am. Since I started my run before sunrise, I ran the track, until the sun rose. As soon as the sun started to break, I ran towards the lake. When I run to the lake, I usually, stop for a minute to catch my breathe and enjoy the view.

After my run, the girls and I went to bank. They ran around the lobby and were acting super cute. Dakota insisted on wearing her sunglasses. While we were there, we chatted with the branch manager for about half an hour. A year ago, when I was setting up my business account, he helped me. He's given me some great financial information.

When I took a class at the fort worth business assistance center, the instructor said, "get to know your banker!" I thought that was "old school" advice and I wasn't sure it was relevant for business owners these days, but I have to say (from personal experience) it's nice to know someone at the bank.