Updates

There has been a lot that has happened since my last post.

At this moment in time Rebekah is not sure if she will be able to meet our goal. Being a single mom is a big undertaking and she would like to dedicate her time to Henry. I am still going to follow the timeline that we set though.

I had to take a break from running for a while because I went for a long run (my goal was 15 miles but I only got to 12) and I stress fractured my left foot. So even though it drove me crazy, I rested for a loooooong time. And then  right when that healed I got injured at work... someone dropped a heavy box on both of my heels and they were bruised badly. So I rested a little longer.

Now I am back in to it and I am doing runs in the morning and weight lifting at night.

I am really happy with the results so far, I am starting to feel a lot stronger and happier.

Not a whole lot has happened otherwise... so until next time....

Thanks for reading!

Hopefully the last Sam post for a While

Hi everyone!
I feel like I just posted but I thought I would do one today because this is my last week of my class!
The end of my class means that I will have one less thing on my plate and it will make it just a little easier to find time to work out! A lot easier to clear time for a long run (which I haven't been able to make time for because the second half of my class was MUCH harder than the first). I am happy to say that Rebekah has gotten a gym membership and has been doing well working out. She has made a work out plan that she intends to follow. We have made plans to run together more as well!
One thing I am not looking forward to is winter... The fall weather is nice for running so I am definantly going to enjoy that while it lasts. But I am NOT a fan of cold so I have a feeling it going to take a lot more convincing to go out once winter hits. haha
I am happy to say that I have gotten stronger. Every time I get to move to a higher weight on any given task it is a very exciting thing! I always put it on the weight that I did last time I did it and it's super fun when I do one rep and it is too easy. :)
I have nothing else to say for tonight So for now, good day!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Since the last time I (Sam) posted:

I have started working out at LA Fitness. Which includes strength training and swimming.
I went on a 17 mile run. And my time was 3 hours and 4 min. By the time I got to 17.0 I stopped running instantly. I set that goal and made it and that was all that mattered to me. I was exhausted by the end but I felt very proud.

I have spent the last couple weeks building up my core (back, hips, abs, butt). Whenever I run my long distances those are the areas that I feel, especially my hips. So I read up and have started a including those in my every day strength. I have also found some fun things to do on my runs that make them harder and also more entertaining at the same time. I have learned that any dance move that propels you forward makes things more fun and.

It is exciting feeling stronger with every run. Being able to go longer and faster is really motivating. Also, in my strength it is fun when I have to go up a weight from the last time in order for it to be difficult.

Random subject change,
Sean and I both bought recovery drinks that help with muscle growth. Mine is gluten free (and vegan because apparently EVERYONE who avoids gluten also avoids everything else that makes things taste good) and his is not. The first time we both drank them he said he wanted to take it slow and enjoy his but he chugged it because it was so good. my response... meh... I didn't have that problem. haha

Thanks for reading another post!

1/2 Marathon Distance

Today I ran 13.25 miles

Grace (my youngest sister) came with me on bike to talk to me and enjoy the beautiful day with me! We were both covered in sunscreen, don't worry.
For my lunch today I had Oatmeal, almonds, peanut butter and yogurt covered raisins... because they looked so tasty. Because I had decided this morning that I was going to shoot for a half marathon today. And I made sure to pack applesauce, raisins, extra water and some mandarin oranges in case I started to feel faint or something.
Over all it wasn't too bad, nothing hurt at all until mile 6, when my middle toes decided they were tired... just the middle ones. Around 9 miles I was feeling quite tired. When I hit 11 miles I was VERY aware of every part of my body, my legs/feet in particular. Even with feeling tired at the end, which was expected, I think it went very well. I thought I would be tired earlier and I didn't think I would feel so okay after. I am sore, but not a noodle like expected.
Nothing much to say but I am happy that I accomplished this.

Sick(ish) Week

Another post just from Sam.

Sorry that there haven't been weekly posts, Rebekah hasn't been running and I (Sam) haven't wanted to just post a bunch of posts just from my side. So I told her to get on and post something but she didn't.

Last Tuesday I found out that my iritis had come back.

Iritis Symptoms

Iritis usually develops quickly and generally affects only one eye. Signs and symptoms may include any or all of the following:

• Pain in the eye or brow region
• Worsened eye pain when exposed to bright light
• Reddened eye, especially adjacent to the iris
• Small or funny shaped pupil
• Blurred vision
• Headache

So I had to go to the optometrist and get prescription eye drops to help keep my pupil from scaring. When I got home I went for a run, which was pretty interesting because I had my one eye shut basically the whole time. I decided that I wouldn't let the eye slow me down so I pushed myself, maybe a little too hard, and I sprained my ankle 3 miles out. So I limp "ran" 3 miles to get home squinting one eye, I bet I was a sight. I have still  been running this week even though my ankle has been sore but I have been taking it easy, I haven't been trying to beat my times or pace or anything. I have done more weight training in the past week too so I could stay off my ankle as much as possible.  

Everything is mostly healed now though so I'll be getting back into it this week, thankfully. 

I have also been doing "My Fitness Pal" which is an app for smart phones. I wanted to make sure that I ate enough on the days that I ran because I know that I would get to feeling good about myself and would skip meals so that I would feel "skinny." But the app helps me because I don't want to be skinny, I want to be fit. And in order to be fit you have to make sure that you are eating right. And it also helps me to eat better food because bad foods that I want to eat like ice cream aren't very filling and they take away a lot of your calories while good foods like chicken and veggies are very few calories so you can actually get full from eating them! 

Thats pretty much it for now. I will start posting regardless of what Rebekah does so that you at least get some kind of an update. and hopefully she will get her butt in gear so that she can run the 100 with me. 

Running with a Chorkie

This is a post just by Sam

When I first started running, before I was training for something (when there was still some walking involved...) I would take BB on my runs. She is a pretty good runner for a 5 lb dog. But now that I am actually training for something and I am pushing myself harder and harder every day it is a little tougher to bring her along. Whenever she sees my pretty pink running shoes though she follows me around like it is her only job in the whole world. And if you have ever seen her "I want to go running too mom" face, you would understand where my dilemma is. On a not-so-hot day she can run for an hour, even though it isn't my pace I will take it on an easy day. When it is hot she can't quite go so long though. So what I have been doing lately is taking her on my 'warm up' (about 20 min.), to work out all my kinks, and then swinging by the house and dropping her off so that I can push myself for however long I feel. This way she is happy and I get to train. It is also a two birds one stone situation because the dog gets walked!

Update on me:

I have been doing really well with stretching! It is sometimes the most relaxing part of my day.
I have been doing a little better with getting strength training in but it is an uphill battle.
I have been doing a LOT better with my 'diet.' In other words I am eating healthier.

After the First Week

This Past week we learned that sword fighting is a better work out than you would think. We will probably use it for our fun workout days because you don't realize that you are working out but by the end you are exhausted. We also learned that it is very important to work out on the days that you REALLY don't want to, as well as making time for it which can be difficult. 
We are both working on our diets as well and in the beginning phases of figuring out what to eat before, during and after work outs. Rebekah has found that baby carrots are helpful during runs. And Sam is a fan of raisins.
Today versus last week Rebekah has gotten a little faster and was also able to run 2 minutes longer than the last time we ran together.
Over all not a bad start to our adventure!
Rebekah's goals for this week are:
Adding time to her runs,
and getting better about working strength training into her days.
Sam's goals are:
To continue to work on flexibility,
and working more strength training into her routine as well.

Introductions and Goals

Hello amazing readers. This is a blog where we (Rebekah and Sam) are going to keep you posted on our journey to running an ultra marathon. Our goals are by September next year (2017) to run a marathon together. Then the next year our goal is a 50 mile ultra and finally the third year our goal is to run a 100 mile ultra.

For training we are starting with getting our fitness levels in sync so that we keep a uniform pace for the marathons. We are also trying to find our balance with strength, flexibility and cardio. Rebekah is the flexible one and Sam is the 'fast' one.

Rebekah's reasons for doing this include but are not limited to:

1) Showing her son that you can do so much more than just make it through, you can overcome.
2) Improving overall fitness.
3) Being able to say that She ran 100 miles.

Sam's reasons are:

1) Because running has been an escape and has gotten her through a lot of hard times.
2) As cheesy as this sounds, she really just likes running.
3)You never know how far you can go until you try.

We plan on updating weekly, including where we are with our fitness levels,  if our goals change, and what we learn along the way. We'll also add some video posts and Personal posts (individual updates from each runner).

So tie your shoes and lets get ready for the run (or I guess lots of runs).