All You Get is 24 Hours

I ran the other day.  Then I signed up for a half marathon.  So, I probably should run again.

It's been so long since I've run.  Too long to tell you, but I will say that it has been the longest period I have not run in my entire adult life.  I call myself a runner, and I love my running group.  But I also love sleep.  And call myself a sleeper.

"I am a mother, and my time is not my own," I tell my group.

But it is spring, a time for new beginnings.  So here goes a new running season.

Now I want to keep the momentum and best use my running time.  Have you noticed that one good decision leads to another?  It's true.  The day I ran, I ate less ice cream.  I didn't not eat ice cream, but I ate less.   And I cleaned my shower.  Just because I felt like I was on a roll.

Time is the one resource we are each given equally. 

Since running uses precious time, I want to make it count the most.  In the past, I've watched movies from the treadmill (on my weekday runs).  But this week, I chose to watch a DVD of a Beth Moore message.  And I've got some more messages that I can watch or listen to next week-including 24 Hours is All You Get: Ways to Wisely Use Your Day   and podcasts of Sono Harris's messages for weary moms.

I really want my miles to go farther.

How to you make your time go farther while your kids are still little?

Grandma's e-Brag Book

We had an absolutely lovely weekend.

Saturday, Mr. Smarty found a Nintendo 64 on craigslist, to surprise the kids with. ( As I'm blogging, they are watching him play Mario World. And all is right with our world. )

Later, once the sun began to set, the kids politely asked our neighbors for candy.

Our Laughing Cowgirl


Buzz Lightyear, on a backyard mission


Small Town Law Enforcement


This morning, after an extra hour of rest (thank you Giddo & Tata, for the kids' slumber party), I ran a local half-marathon. Perfect weather, beautiful course and someone waiting for me at the finish. I couldn't have asked for a better morning.

Not quite awake at the start


Running in


The End


Hope you had a wonderful weekend in your neck of the woods,

A Totally Awesome Weekend

that was so awesome I had to break my blogging fast.

Okay, I haven't technically been fasting from blogging...it's more like it's just been very hard for me to lollygag in blogland and homeschool at the same time. And giving up sleep is not an option...so my blog has been ignored, and likely will continue to be over the school year...

but enough with the excuses and back to my aforementioned totally awesome weekend...



Mr. Smarty swam, biked and ran his way to the prestigious title of IRONMAN. That's right, he's an IronMan. Just like Robert Downey Jr. but without the ability to fly...and all the money. Yup, pretty amazing, folks.

Let me break it down for you:

Breakfast at the hotel began at 4:15 and consisted of 3 Ensures and a Cliff bar. Yum-yum. Don't you wish you could eat like that?



Into the water after a little weather delay, at 8 am.





Out of water at 9:28 am, after 2.4 miles in the lake.



Transition from wetsuit to bike gear, onto bike for 112 miles.









Off bike, fresh socks, start running at 5:30 pm for 26.2 miles. This is not Mr. Smarty. He was going to fast for me to get him. I warned him that he might get a speeding ticket, but he kept on truckin'.



Finished at 11:00 pm after running the ENTIRE marathon-A-Mazing!!!





Another runner took that photo, but Mr. Smarty says he likes it all out of focus like that...he says it's just about how he felt.

Half an orange, two IV's and three hours later, we made it back to the hotel, almost 24 hours from when it all began. Wonder if RDJr. can do that...

I miss you all-my sweet friends from blogland! More later, when I get a chance to breath,

{5 Tips for Frugal Fitness}

You all know Jen from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, right? She's the frugal blogger behind Tasty Tuesday's, as well as homeschooling mom to five and worship leader! SuperMom, right? She also knows a thing or two about weight loss and how beneficial regular exercise is. And because she's so sweet, she's let me guest post today on my 5 Tips for Frugal Fitness.



With such a big platform, I many have gotten a bit wordy--okay, I bare my soul-seriously, I do repent--just stick with me or scroll down to the good stuff, 5 ways I've found to work-out without hurting our budget.

Okay, go visit Jen now-tell her I said thanks!

If you're visiting from Beauty & Bedlam, welcome! Thanks for stopping by! This blog is my creative outlet, where my mission is to encourage others in creativity in the everyday. Although running is a big part of my life too! Honestly, it's often how I balance mommyhood's demands. If running piques your interest, too and you're looking for a place to start, consider the 10 week running plan that I love.

{Happy Feet}

I bought my first pair of Naturalizers...and I feel really old. Not only that, but now I am going to blog about my foot pain. I must really be old.



About 2 months ago, I developed Morton's Neuroma, a running injury of swollen nerves in the foot. Short story even shorter: I am doing a happy feet dance now because I didn't have to stop running while it healed! I just got a metatarcel lift (4 for 3.99 at Academy, if you need one) for my running shoes. (and took 2 Advil with each meal...)

I also got these nifty Naturalizers (Marshalls!) to wear with my summer skirts and I love them! ...flip-flops are so last summer.

Any other old ladies out there? Tell me about your aches and pains.

{How to Run Without Breaking a Sweat}

or How to Run for 30 minutes in 10 weeks

But did I get your attention? Well, maybe I shouldn't make any guarantees. I sweat every time.



If you've never run before, or it's been awhile, let me share my 10 week plan to get into good running condition, running continuously for 30 minutes. From there, you're well prepared for a local 5K, or beginning a new plan for a longer race. I used this basic plan the very first time I started running eight years ago. And after each pregnancy, I've dug out my tattered copy of this plan and started over. Although, each time I've restarted the plan, it has taken less than 10 weeks.

Start slow and comfortable. Comfortable=conversation pace. You should be able to talk while running, but not sing. If you need to stay on a week, stay on that week, even if for just another day or two. You'll catch up. Follow the plan for each week 3 times a week, preferably, with a days rest in between.

Week 1: Run 2 minutes, walk 4 minutes. Repeat 5 times
Week 2: Run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat 5 times
Week 3: Run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes. Repeat 4 times
Week 4: Run 7 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat 3 times
Week 5: Run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times
Week 6: Run 9 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 2 times then run 8 minutes 1 time
Week 7: Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minutes. Repeat 3 times
Week 8: Run 13 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat 2 times
Week 9: Run 14 minutes, walk 1 minutes. Repeat 2 times
Week 10: Run 30 minutes!!!!




Want more running plans, like the one I've used to train for marathons?:

Hal Higdon's Training Plans for Novice Runners to Ultra Marathoners, and all distances

Jeff Galloway's Training Programs -I am a big Galloway fan for his firm belief in walk-breaks!

This is a great time of the year to start a running program! In the coming months, there are so many fun runs and events. Want a sneak peak at the race Mr. Smarty and I are gearing up for?

{2008 Rock & Roll San Antonio Marathon}

Sunday was the San Antonio Marathon. It was perfect running weather, no wind, sunny and comfortable temps for most of the race. Although I must NOTE TO MYSELF: next time, remember to visit a thrift store before the race for clothes I don't mind shedding in the first few miles. I've said it before, but I mean it this time. I've learned my lesson. We stood in a shuttle-to-the-start line, a porta-potty line, a gear-bag drop-off line and the starting line in freezing temperatures, and only our running clothes.

Mr. Smarty is so sweet. He knows how discouraged I get when I am cold. There is a reason I moved to Texas. It was not for the Bar-B-Que. Even though he was just as freezing as we stood in our lines, over and over again he told me about how great a day it was going to be and how much I trained and prepared for this day. And it was a great day.

Scary Stranger Update

Okay, so I met up with the group of a dozen runners from Plano Pacers yesterday morning. And truely as everyone was arriving, my anxiety was calmed. Even under the street lamps, I could tell everyone was very friendly. And everyone who knew Mr. Smarty told me very nice things about him like, "Oh, he's so fast!" And complimenting my hubby is a sure way to win my liking. No one even laughed when I told them I was only going to run half the distance they planned to run. One runner even ran back with me when it was time for me to turn around.

And get this: I got home before anyone was up! I spent all this time the night before getting everyone's rightly colored sippy-cups with their rightly colored lids filled and ready in the fridge and their bowls and cereal out and on the island. The coffee maker was all set so all Mr. Smarty had to do was hit the "ON" button. But my efforts weren't wasted. I took a longer than usual shower, knowing everything was all ready to start the day. What a great way to start the week!

Runner's Ready, GO!

So Mr. Smarty + I picked out our big race for the year. The San Antonio Marathon in November. If you do the math, to begin training 6 months prior to the race means we need to start, uh, NOW. And since I find it so much fun to run long runs by myself, oh, wait, I don't enjoy solo long runs...I decided this weekend I would run with a group. A group of scary strangers. Scary strangers who have been running longer than I've been walking. No, there's nothing wrong with these people who get up at 5 AM every Sunday morning to run 20 miles together, when they have no threat of an upcoming race, just for the pleasure of running long distances together, then sharing a bagel or two until the rest of the plano running community is cooling down in Einstein's AC. This is what makes them strangers-this weekly ritual is quite strange, wouldn't you agree?

What makes them scary is that I have never, NEVER, run with a group before. I have been running off and on for 7 years. I have stopped counting my 5K's, run a couple of 10K's, at least two 5 milers, three 15K's, one half-marathon and one full-marathon. And never have I run with a group. Or a partner, save Mr. Smarty, for that matter. I tried to convince Mr. Smarty to run with the group last week (because he has run with them before) and ask them to be nice to me. I'm forgetting that runners in general are a nice bunch of people. My main fear is that I won't be able to keep up the group's pace. But Mr. Smarty assures me that this is a good group who run for the joy of running, not for speed. They run to run for life, not to set records. That's me. I never run for speed. I never set records. So why am I so anxious?

May's Race

Saturday morning was our Plano Pacers May 5K and Kids K.  It was really warm, and I think that affected our times, although I mentally wasn't expecting any time improvement.   We just love being out there every month and running with a crowd.  Matt's folks met us out at the park and watched the kids while Matt and I ran the 5K, then I ran with Noelle and Matt ran with Samuel in the Kids K.  

I love listening to Noelle gab while she runs.  At one point she politely told me to stop talking (she's so much sweeter than me, when I think back to times I've not-so-politely told Matt to stop talking to me on a run).  She said, "I think we better stop talking to save our breath for running."  She was amazing and never stopped running.  A K is a really long distance for someone with little legs.