L-O-S-ER.

Yes. I could be classified as a blogging loser since I haven't posted since October. I just haven't felt like writing and dangit- I've been busy! My days are filled with teeth and my nights were filled with fitness and final vacation plans (yes, our big vacay was a few weeks ago, and of course- deserves a blog all on its own). So lets try and remember what November had to offer.

1.) The cold weather made an ugly appearance. No- we didn't get snow here. But I have lived where it is nasty and snowy 7 months out of the year- aka Idaho- so I am allowed to complain about our 40-50 degree weather, thanks.

2.) My beautiful momma- aka Beaut- had knee surgery (in which they had to break her leg...). Talk about stressful for all parties involved! *Disclaimer: You should know that my family is VERY close and we get very nervous about anesthesia, flying, traveling, surgery...anything that could inevitably lead to dieing. I know it seems morbid to some, but lose a spouse/father and you'll understand.* My pretty had surgery one week before Thanksgiving and I am oh-so-happy to report she is doing well and is now learning to walk! :o) She is such a strong lady- and so much my idol. J and I traveled to Kentucky to have Thanksgiving, as she was only 1 week post surgery and in true beaut fashion- we braved Black Friday...wheelchair and all and went to some of our fav. stores. We won't let a broken leg stop us! She is now only using one crutch at times and is scootin' around the house a little bit at a time. You go-girl! A pic of us- in Yankee Candle no less. A big fav. of ours.

3) Our friends Jackie and JP- finally got married...hence the pretty pic of me and hubs at the header of our blog. It was B-E-A-UTIFUL! Of course I have pics to post...but you can see their wedding photos at http://www.kristinviningphotoblog.com/.... quite an amazing photographer!

4) The racing season is officially over- and Mr. J and team finished 2nd in points overall- which is a LEAP from their standing last year. Yes, I was the very proud wifey.

5) As mentioned above- we had a great Thanksgiving. Unfortunatley for us, our drive to KY is longer now that a lovely rockslide took place in the pass in the Smokie Mountains between NC and TN. But, all was well in the driving world since we left at odd times and hit NO traffic. Mmm-hmm, go us.

So that is November in a Nutshell. December has been a pretty great month thus far...as it started with a bang since we went to.... Costa Rica!

So, be on the look out for that post soon. You won't want to miss the monkeys.

Hugs,
S

My Journey to a Half Marathon...and back.

I have been wanting to write this blog for awhile now. I would think about it during my long training runs as some level of motivation. I started training for this run about 4 months ago. If you are a blog reader of ours, you would already know this as I've talked about it often. This is going to be a long post, so bear with me.

I started doing a "bootcamp" back in April of this year. I had decided I was tired of going to the gym Monday-Friday, and wanted to try something new. I really enjoyed it (although painful!) and continued to do it up until September. The bootcamp instructor, Aubrey is a triathlete. He has done several Iron-mans and he and his experience can be such inspiration. Being around these kind of fitness-frame of mind people truly changes your perspective on life, and what you can push yourself to do. Running was never a favorite thing for me. I would do it, because I felt like I had to. I ran my first 5k the end of my first bootcamp. Never did I imagine that I could run 3miles all by myself! Looking back on that first experience- I never thought that I would have ran quadruple that distance in my lifetime.

I chose to run the Cannonball Half Marathon in Greensboro,NC this year on October 17th. It was hard to find one that worked with my schedule, since I knew I would need support there and James' racing schedule was all over the place. So, I picked the day and continued training.

Training was.....so many things. Hard, painful, fun, exciting, boring, tearful. When you are training for something like this, you are gradually increasing your mileage throughout the weeks. It is hard enough to convince your mind that this IS possible and it becomes nearly impossible when the rest of your body starts to tell you its had enough. A month away from my race, my IT band was beginning to hurt and started to be very painful. This was a big set back for me, and caused much frustration. I had finally reached a point in my training where my cardio level was very high. I felt good breathing wise during every run (even 10miles or more) but my lower half began to feel like it was falling apart. So, 2 weeks before my race I could barely run 2 miles without stopping because of the pain. I was so angry and upset. How could I work this long and this hard and not even be able to run 2 little miles? Thankfully, Aubrey was there to help me. I began to cross train (no running at all, just other cardio things) and it was going well. Although horribly boring to spend over 2 hours on the elliptical. The week before my race, I did nothing. I stretched, drank water, iced and repeated. And before I knew it...it was the day before my race.

I began to doubt myself. I hadn't truly ran any distance for about 3-4 weeks. I felt like my body was going to forget that I had trained it to run. You could say I was getting fairly anxious... ;o)

My parents and J both went with me to my race. I ate pasta the night before (as it is called "carb-loading" and helps give you energy) and was feeling okay. I was just so ready for it to be over.

The day of, it was cold. During my training it was mostly hot, warm and humid. I was used to that. But it had gotten so cold, so quick- there was no time to train in it and being injured I couldn't really do it any way. Add another frustrating mark to the board.

There were about 400 runners. Going to races like this can be intimidating. You know the type....tall, lanky, a "runners-body", very short running shorts....these were the ones who passed me, and who will always pass me. But that's okay with me. Did I mention it was cold?

The race starts and I am thrilled to know that in a few hours this journey will be over. Its hard to break down the race mile by mile, because they didn't have a lot of markers. I didn't know how far I had gone truly, until I hit the 8 mile mark because I saw an 8 painted on the ground.

The first 4 miles I felt good. My knee felt good- there was still a clusters of people, and I was happy to be doing it. I see my parents and J in the car driving next to me, cheering for me. I love them.
Mile 5 wasROUGH. The race went into a greenway at this point. I am fairly certain I hated everything at that time. MyIT band began to make itself known and started aching.
Mile 6-7, the bottom of my left foot began to cramp. Ever get a charlie horse? Imagine that, on the sole of your foot, while trying to run. That was really special. Add another frustrating mark to the board. Its beautiful scenery- the leaves are changing, there are lakes and bridges. And its so quiet. Normally I would love this. But today, I want the hell out of there. Where are the people? The cars? The noise? If something doesn't happen soon, I will lie down right here, and take a serious nap.
Mile 8 I see the leader of the race, coming towards me, heading to the finish line. There he was, in his short shorts, with his brow barely sweating and acting like it felt awesome to be running in this lovely cold weather. I almost asked him for a piggy back ride to the finish but decided against it. There are no more clusters of people. Its just me. Thats the thing with running- no matter who you run with, its always just you convincing yourself that yes, you can run the remaining 5 miles and no, your foot, knee, back and shoulders don't hurt that bad. This is what I have programmed myself to do...so get moving.
Miles 9-11 suck. The cold has really gotten to me now, I really feel like I can't catch my breath. I keep wishing it would just be hot and humid. (Never did I think I would ever wish for humidity!) There are my parents and J again along the side of this nasty hill. This marks about the 20th hill of the race, (which is highly annoying since I was told there were hardly any hills...) Seeing them makes me want to both stop and push harder. My mom tells me everyone walked this hill- so naturally I keep running. Thank goodness they are there cheering.
Mile 12 I am more aware of who is behind me (as I was petrified of being last.) and I refuse to let anyone else pass me. I don't really feel my legs anymore. I know they are there, and I know that if I stop- there is no way they will start again. So, yes I keep running. I see a man with his child, talking a walk. He looks at me and says..."Just up this hill and you're done. You're doing great." I say thanks to him and then silently wish he would get his child on his tricycle the hell out of my way. I mean really, the last thing I need is to get tangled up in a big wheel. Can't you see I am trying to finish 13 miles??
Mile 13 I am starving. And tired. And soooo over running. I have already decided a marathon is a bad idea. Nothing good could happen after 13 miles. I hear people and see the finished runners along the sides. I pick up my pace. I can see the finish line. I'm so close- I can't believe its almost over! A photographer is in my face- I think I remembered to smile. I better have- who knows if I'll do this again. I see my time on the clock and can't believe it. 2:35. When I was training I ran 12 miles in 2:38. How I managed to run 1.1 more miles and finish quicker, being injured- I have no idea. Can you hear me beeping my own horn?

Its over! I crossed the line and am so relieved. I see J first- and he tells me he is so proud of me. I see my mom and there are the flowers- I am so relieved to be done. I can't even explain it. Did I mention that I am not walking properly? Because I'm not. I get my medal- I and it promptly takes it place acround my neck- where it stays for the rest of the day.

It took about 3 days for me to begin walking like a normal person. Climbing stairs was an act of congress and took a good minute or two.

So, was it worth it? Absolutley. Would I do it again? Possibly. It has been quite the journey to see what I can push myself to do. I have no idea whats next, but I'm not done with running.

Hope all is well,

S

Fall.

Well, apparently I skipped the entire month of September. I mean, does anyone even read this blog? Who knows. So lets look back to see what I can remember about the last month and a half.

Some of the biggest news is James' raceteam winning their first race of the season- this was a long time coming and I am sooo proud of him.

In other news, we have been working on our kitchen remodel since we pretty much moved in...here are some fun photos. Since we have moved in 2.5 years ago, we changed our cabinets including the lights (which you can't see in the pictures) the hardware was gold and is now brushed nickel, all appliances (except the dishwasher have been changed to stainless steel, and finally our countertops are done!

My running is coming to a close in this last week. This last month has been really difficult for me, running wise. My IT band on my left leg has really been struggling. If you don't know, there is a band that runs from your hip through the outside of your knee into your lower leg. When you start to really push your mileage, it can easily become inflamed and is a big injury with runners. So, needless to say that has been horribly disappointing and frustrating. I have been crosstraining all week , to hopefully give it a break as my half marathon is next Saturday! My parents are coming down to watch it and then we are heading to the Nascar race, so it should be a great weekend!

We are greatly looking forward to the Holidays this year. Sarah and Paul are coming home from Alaska- and I am sooo excited!

All in all- The Becks are doing great. Until next time,

Many Hugs,

S

Journally...

I have been on hiatus for awhile now...and truth be told I just haven't felt like blogging and I didn't want to take the time to do it. I don't even know the last time I have blogged.

Things are going well in the Beck house. We are both busily working and trying to enjoy life as best as we can in the minutes that we are allowed to do so. Summertime isn't really "summertime" for us. J's schedule doesn't really allow for summer vacations like most of the world takes hence the reason we always vacation in December or January. Which is fine by me, as most everyone travels during Spring Break or Summertime.

I have been doing well as of late...staying busy working or running. Seriously- if you can't find me, I am either at the office or running somwhere. It seems to be all that I do. My running schedule is becoming more rigourous- and there have been a few breakdowns along the way.

People have been asking me why I decided to train for a half marathon...I decided for many reasons. For years I have done the go to the gym, 5 days a week thing. And it got OLD. I was sick of the same crap different day routine. I wanted to change things, So I joined bootcamp. (I believe I have blogged about this, so feel free to scroll down should you need to know further information about this.) It became my place to go, where no one else I knew went. It was my thing. I just completed my 3rd session which is 18 weeks. During that time I met people who are huge inspirations- living proof that there are challenges out there- that if you force yourself and train yourself - you can conquer them. So, I decided to run. *Please note that I hated running. I was a cheerleader in highschool and did aerobics and kickboxing- I was in no way a "I wanna be a track superstar."

Fast forward to today: I have been training for 2 months.I can be classified as an athlete. I can run 10 miles without stopping. I have ran 4 5k's, a 4mile race, a 5 mile Marine Mud Run and others are planned. I have some awesome running buddies-who keep me going. I am now 45 days away from my first half marathon. There has been an endless amount of early mornings (when everyone in the world is snuggled in their beds), a lot of sweat and plenty of tears. These are things we push ourselves to do- just to see if we can do it.- and although there are times when ALL I wanted to do, was crawl back in bed and quit...I am thankful to still be trucking ahead.

Here are some photos over the past few months...

I know this post lacked a true update...and maybe sometime I will feel like posting one. Until then- keep enjoying life and making memories.

Hugs,

S

Aches, pains and updates.

I know that its been awhile...but summer is here and we are BUSY!

Summertime is a very busy time for me at work...since all of the kids are out of school, and James' schedule has 4 back to back races.

Sometimes life gets overwhelming and the months seem to fly by. If you let yourself think about it too much, it is easy to get caught up in the daily mundane routines.....wake up early, work, run, sleep...repeat times 5. When you think about it this way- it can be downright depressing. But such is life.

I am 5 weeks in to training for my half marathon. Did I mention this in the other posts? I can't remember. So far, it has been challenging. My longest run thus far will take place this Sunday- where I will run 8 miles. Pushing yourself to do something like this teaches you a lot about yourself. Everyday, something new is sore. My knees are iced nearly every night, so I can make it through another run the following day. Icy Hot and Aspercreme are now part of my daily grooming routine....so if you get the hint of menthol in the air, I could be looming close by. On top of running, I am back in bootcamp twice per week. So, there is no spare time to rest! Although it is very hard work....I know its going to so be worth it!

I would continue writing, but my eyes are struggling to stay open. I will try to post more later.

Hugs
S

Running.

I know its been awhile, but I finally found a free moment to write a smidge of a blog. We have been busy at the Beck house!

I began training for a half marathon last week and also am continuing to do to bootcamp twice per week. Since I no longer have school to be concerned about, I think its safe to say that I have thrown myself head first into fitness. But I truly am enjoying the small payoffs. I will have my longest run thus far this Sunday (about 5 miles)...and should be ready in about 14 weeks to run the race....13.1 miles! :o) I am nervous- but I have faith in my trainer who will make sure I can do it!

This is after the last 5k I ran....with some of my fellow bootcampers!

J is still in the full swing of the race season. We went to Myrtle Beach last week for a race, but left early so that we could also make it into a vacation- it was a really great time. Here are some photos~

J- at the beginning of the race.

I suppose that is all the major news for right now. I'm sure there is more...but I really would like a mid-day nap right about now. So that is where I am headed.

Until next time-

Hugs,
S

Update

So, yes. I suppose an update is greatly needed. I am once again, okay with being labeled as a slacker in the blogging department. Whatever.

I'm trying to recall where I left off the last time. I am actually in my last week of bootcamp...its been a long rough road, but has been rewarding thus far. I finally got new running shoes, which made all the difference as after about Week 3, I was suffering from tendonitis in my achilles, from increasing my mileage to quickly (that was not a good time.) I will take 2 weeks off (as I have to have painful things removed from my feet) but plan to get back into bootcamp again, after that. I despise running, but it truly has made a difference. I now can do 15-20 boy pushups in a row, whereas before bootcamp, I would be lucky to do one. So, I suppose thats an improvement right there.

The beginning of this month, J and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Charleston. 5 years has truly flown by quickly. It is amazing to me, how far we have come.

The Middleton Plantation (scenes from The Patriot were filmed here)

Our tour guides, Pat and Ricky
Us!

I also hit the big 2-5 this year last week... SIGH. We celbrated with friends and finally had the chance to spend some quality time together, which was really nice.

J is still as busy as ever with racing. The season is going really well so far, so we are thrilled about that.

In other, extremely important news....................

I am a College Graduate! Thats right- no more school for me! I can't believe it is finally over...it is a wonderful feeling. I'm currently at a loss since I am no longer occupying my time with endless papers and homework. I have my Bachelors Degree, and a double major of Management and Criminal Justice. It is truly an amazing feat!

That is about it for us. I'm sure I have left things out...but there is always next time. We are headed to the beach in a few weeks, so I am sure I will post then.

Many Hugs,

S

Bootcamp, 5k and More...

Hi All. I hope that this post finds everyone healthy and well.

Things at the Beck house are moving right along. I am happy to report that Spring has finally decided to stick around NC. For awhile there, it was raining 3-4 days at a time... which I have to admit was getting pretty old. But, it sure makes for a green Spring!

James' season is under way.... he has more races this season than last, so needless to say he is very busy. But happy, doing what he loves to do.

If you read the title of this blog, than you would be wondering about Bootcamp. No, I did not join one of our military forces. I'm sure you were concerned there for a minute. If you know anything about me, you'd know that I workout. A lot. Well, I decided I really wanted to start doing something more challenging, so I joined a 6 week bootcamp, that meets 3 times per week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. The instructor who teaches the PM class, is a triathlete so needless to say, he enjoys running. Running is not one of my strong suits. But for that dreadful hour, I pretend that I can do it, and try to get through it. Which somehow I do. So far, its only been 1 week. I am already feeling different. When you begin to push yourself, you really learn what you are made of. You stop craving bad foods, after all- that is what got me here. A cheeseburger here, a french fry there, and voila! Time for bootcamp. I'll be sure to try and give you updates as often as I can.

Also in the title, was 5k. Yes, I ran my first 5k today, which is 3.1 miles. To some, this doesn't seem like a lot. However, go ahead and complete one, and then get back to me, okay? First off, its hard. I really wouldn't consider myself to be out of shape, but today as I was plugging along I thought, Really? This is all I can do? Here is what I have learned about running.

1. The first 10 minutes are the worst. Your lungs are trying to fill with a neverending supply of air. All you can think about is stopping and lying on the ground.

2. No matter how much water is consumed prior, there is always the appearance of the horrible side-ache. The one where you could probably be sure that someone scooped out a hole in your stomach.

3. This is when the legs start to cramp. You can feel your toes begin to curl in your shoes. One false move and a full blown Charlie horse cramp will take place in your shoe.

4. After about mile 2, you just learn that the sideache will subside, and eventually you get used to the shakey-crampy leg feeling. As long as one foot goes in front of the other, you can do it. Do not stop and walk- it only makes it harder. Although- 1 point for me, for not walking until I crossed the finish line.

I wasn't first, but I wasn't last either. A lot of my fellow boot-campers were there, so that made it nice when I finished. J came to watch me, which was nice to know he supports me. This will not be my last 5k. There is a 5 mile run (a little less than a 10k) in July that climbs Grandfather Mountain. It is an extremely hard race, as it is a constant incline so I would really need to work up to that. But that is why you create goals!

Other than that, we are doing really well. I only have 3 weeks of school left and then that's it!! I guess I will have plenty of time to train for the races.

I hope everyone is well. I know this post has no pretty photos, but look for some next time. We did some serious yardwork a few weeks ago, so I will be sure to post some pics then.

Take Care,
S

Rant.

I'm here because I need to Rant. Vent. Let out some angerings.

I have had it up to here (if you were to be looking at me, my hand would be about 8 inches above my head) with a few things.

The first issue I have is with stupid people. Do you realize that over 90% of the world is full of them? The ones who are insistent they know everything, they are always right, and are constantly concerning themselves with things that have nothing to do with them. Why? Why are they like this? I am so tired of dealing with people like this. There is no excuse to act like this, I mean- don't you get that people CANT STAND you?

Another issue is the rain. I know, poor me, right? Yes...damn right. Apparently I was confused and moved to Seattle, since it has been raining since Wednesday night and will continue until Monday. I understand why people are so depressed in Seattle. Dark, dreary, rainy, soggy days over and over and over will do that to you.

In other news, race season is in full swing. The first race of the season is next weekend...and off starts an extremely busy year with many travels.

Thanks for listening to my rants.

Maybe next time it will be more update, less rant. Who knows.

Many hugs,
S

Shame on Me.

Okay. I am a horrible blogger.....shame on me for not posting since January. Lets try and think back to all that has happened.

J turned the big 2-7 this year. He wanted to lay pretty low for his birthday, so we just kept it pretty low key. We had a great Valentines Day this year...didn't go out with all of the love birds, just stayed home and had a great dinner together.

February seems to have flown by. Towards the end of the month, we began another DIY project. We had begun noticing that our front door on the outside was beginning to show signs of rotting. This is not a good sign. So, we planned to replace our door. Which wasn't a bad thing, as we wanted to replace our door anyway. Well, what turned into a "New door" project turned into "Rip out nasty floor and replace with new tile and new door" project. Yes... that's right. The entire entry way which was hardwood, was completely rotting away underneath. The most annoying factor in the mess was the fact it had been an obvious issue for the previous owners as they had shoved various pieces of wood underneath the floor in hopes it would miraculously solve the problem.... The words I have for these people who left us with this would not be appropriate for this blog. So I will leave that to your imagination.

Here are some photos...

This was our old door, before we moved in 2 years ago.

Ah yes. The beginning of the finding of the rotting floor. ;o(

This is after the hardwoods and sub floor have been cut out and removed. This was the new sub-floor being put down in preparation for the tile.

Voila! Our beautiful new door and tile.

Shew... that was a big project.

The beginning of March was.... FREEZING! Here are some more pics of our snow day. Yes, I said snow. (I could have sworn I left Idaho in my past somewhere...)

View from our front door.

View from back door...
Needless to say, that was not really the kick-off we were looking for, for the beginning of Spring. Since then, Spring finally made an appearance today after 4 days of solid rain. Let me tell you a little secret- 4 days of rain puts me in an ugly mood. And guess what the weather is calling for tomorrow? You guessed it! RAIN! Sigh.

In other news, I flew to KY the beginning of this month to see my mom and Sarah flew there too. She turned 21, so it was so great to spend time with her and my mom. We had such a great time together. About a week before that she and Paul found out their next station. They will be moving to Anchorage, Alaska in the middle of May. Needless to say, I was devastated that week as we had high hopes for them to finally be close to us. But, in an attempt to be "positive", we are looking forward to visiting Alaska as neither of us have been before.

In closing, I would like to point out that I, will be a college graduate in 2 months.... Can you believe it?!?! I am so thrilled.

Hope everyone is well. I will try to write more often.

Many Hugs,

S

Quiet.

For once, I have some free time to write an update. I am current on both classes, just got done with a workout and am catching up on my daily DVR'd episode of Days of Our Lives. DVR is pretty much the best thing ever invented. Life for the moment...is good.

Since our blog is in need of some serious attention, here I am to update you.

Christmas was spent with my family in Kentucky. Sarah's husband Paul was granted extended leave from the USCG and was allowed to report to his next station the end of December. He and James get along really well (which Sarah and I are so thankful for!) and we had a truly wonderful Christmas. It was filled with Taboo, laughs, Midnight Cookie making, playing dress-up to go out to the barn and many, many memories. We both got wonderful gifts (My favorites being my new Coach and Dooney bags), James' being his new Pocket PC ( a la moi) and Bella's her new Coach collar from her wonderful Grandparents (Mema and Grandpa Tim. Christmas came to a close when we all sadly went our seperate ways. J and I back to NC, my sister back to AZ and Paul to his next station in CA. We are so hopeful that in May after he graduates A-school, they will be able to pick a station in NC or atleast somewhere on the East Coast. I am forever jealous of families who live within minutes of eachother. If only those people seemed more grateful. Here are some pics from our wonderful Christmas. Since we didn't spend Christmas at home, we just decorated with the baby tree.
Sarah in the middle of making cookies at midnight. Yum.

Miss B, sporting her new Coach collar.

On to New Years. New Years this year was so much fun for us. We rented a Condo in the Mountains of NC with some friends of ours. We had yet to play in the snow since moving here, so we were both so excited to head up there and see something new. New Years Eve was spent by the fire, and later in the night included a Dance Party... I think I recall I time when the neighbor asked us to quiet down. Could it have been my RiverDance rendition? I can't be sure. I do know that it was a good time and I only lost Jenga once and I felt better that everyone lost at Circle of Death. One day we did venture out to Sugar Mountain to attempt to slide down it on skis, or in J's case, a snowboard. I was petrified to get off the ski lift as I hadn't done so for roughly 12 years. All I know is that I am much higher off the ground and have more weight that I have pick up off the ground when I fall. You will be happy to know that I only fell once. Well, technically. The second time (if this must be counted) was an attempt to get up from fall #1. While attempting to stand in the Transformer boots that were secured extremely tightly around my aching calves, I happened to start scooting down the mountain again. Oh- I forgot to mention that my ski partner, Jackie was trying to help me up from fall #1 and I ended up taking her with me during fall #2. I am thankful that no one caught that one on tape. It was such a fun trip for us...and J did such a great job snowboarding. He now wants one of his very own. Hooray.

Living Room of our pretty mountain palace.

Jackie and I...yes, she survived me throwing her down the mountain.

Happy New Year!

J playing the Snowboard game.

Shew... We made it! After the Sugar Mountain attack.

Well, there ya have it! Our recap on the holidays. So far, 2009 has been a good year. This year is going to be filled with much for us. James is going to be going back to AZ for a long overdue family visit, I will be traveling a bit to Phoenix, Boston and Portland for work this year. Oh and one more spectacular detail...I will be a college graduate! I cannot even begin to put into words how thrilled this makes me. Finally after years (literally, years. ) I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, until next time. Be good to yourself and enjoy the rest of January.

Hugs,

S