Sharon and Vicki completed 12 miles- July 26th

We completed 12 crazy miles on Saturday. I say crazy because due to schedules we were not able to do the Smithville route with our club so I mapped a route from Pleasant Valley Baptist Church to Benson Place to shopping area around Flintlock and Hwy 152. Vicki had a camelback water pack and set it down in the bushes outside of Benson Place at about 5:45 AM and when we came back out of the subdivision someone had taken it. That was a problem to not have water on a 12 mile route. We walked back to the car and got some money and since Target was on our route we went there to get her some water. It took us a little longer but we did finish the full 12 miles in the heat. Starting at 5:30 am is still not early enough to beat the heat. Next week is 13 miles which will be just like the mileage for the 1/2 marathon. But after you've done 12 miles what one more mile?

Run to the Sun 5K-July 20th completed

I have completed my July 5K race. This one was the Run to the Sun held in the caves under Independence, MO. My friend, Mandy, was ill and could not attend the race with me so my brave and active mom-in-law, Debbie Muir, decided to go in Mandy's place. I was glad to have Momma Muir with me that morning she has been an avid walker for years and this was her first 5K.
Congrats to Debbie for her strong race and finish! 13 minute miles walking are pretty fast. I also wanted to say how lucky I am to have my mother-in-law, Debbie, living with us because I really could not do my early morning endurance training if she was not there to be with Ethan when Rob is working at the fire station. There are many, many other reasons why it is terrific to have her around (and I don't mean for a "babysitter") but I will leave that for other posts and other times. Thanks, Momma Muir! I love you!

10 miles already?

Thanks to support from my walking partner, Vicki, we made it 10 miles on July 12th. I loved the route we did around Cookingham, Hwy 152 and church Rd. area near my neighborhood. I learned a lot on this training day and realize some things I need to be aware of in mile 7 and after the many miles are finished. I also realized I guess I'm not a real marathoner cuz I CANNOT stomach the energy food called GU or any other brands. I just don't like the consistancy. I'll stick with the energy jelly beans and gummies and power bars. I also learned that I need to get some help with a place on my heel that is getting a blister every time I do over 6 miles. Glad I'm learning these things so early in my training. I still have several months to go.

9 miles on July 5th!

Friends, I kept up with my training on Saturday, July 5th and did 9 miles in Bolivar, MO while visiting my family for the holiday weekend. It was my first long training run/walk that I have done alone. I had fun walking all over my hometown and waving at people I knew. After the 9 miles I jumped in a friends' pool to cool off and boy was that a relief! This Saturday, July 12th I am trying to complete 10 miles. I know I can do it. I'm getting closer and closer to the 13.1 half marathon mark that I am striving for.

Summer Sizzler 5K in Overland Park, KS

To stick with my goal of one race a month I did the Summer Sizzler 5K last Saturday, June 28th. It was a night race starting at 9 pm. A few gals and families from my Northland Walking/Running club were there. I rode with Vicki King who has become my faithful training partner on our early Saturday morning training sessions. Johnna Perry and her husband John participated along with Cathy Cole, Cathy's husband and her 11 year old crazy son, Brandon.

In the crowd I also ran into 2 Sprint co-workers, Brad Steil and Jim Leyba. After the race I was standing around with the gals and heard Johnna say, "Hey, Sharon is from Bolivar too." I found out that Cathy Cole is the daughter of Ken and Marylou Edmondson of Bolivar. I have known the Edmondson's all my life from church and they have been neighbors to my parents a couple of times. Because of the age difference between Cathy and I we did not remember each other. Cathy sure looks like her Momma. I'm am grateful for what my exercise goals have brought to my life...lots of new friends who enjoy striving for a healthy life. (Pictured from left to right are Johnna Perry who has lost 125 lbs., Cathy (Edmondson) Cole, Vicki King and me.)

Sharon's temporary insanity and Ethan's new haircut

Well, last night I plead temporary insanity because I let Rob and Ethan choose to give Ethan a mohawk haircut. Ethan has wanted this haircut for a while but somehow I have been able to hold him off. I gave in last night.

Training update

Last week I did 5 miles in my hometown of Bolivar and had a lot of fun waving at friends and family as they drove by me.
It is my week to plan the walk/run for my Nike Women's marathon team. We are going 6 miles on a tour of historic Liberty, MO. We will start at William Jewell Campus and travel a 6 mile loop back to the campus. The team is using mapmyrun.com to plan our training walk/runs. The real kicker is that we are doing this at 6:15 AM on Saturdays! I'll give my survival update after Saturday. See the link below for my route for this week.
Link: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/mo/liberty/55077723