Fun Times

This past weekend was a lot of fun. The Bears beat Rice, the Cowboys beat the Giants, and we had a lot of family time. We've really enjoyed getting to go to University Baptist Church and just started going to Sunday School there. The class for our age group is called "The Other Side" because we're on the other side of college (since most of the other people who go to this church are college students).

It's so fun being in a class with a group of people who like to discuss things about God and life and how it all fits together. The first week we talked about worship and living as a sarcrifice and this past week we talked about being free in Christ and how that relates to living as a sacrifice. Pretty cool stuff.

It's also a lot of fun because it seems like half the group is from the Pacific Northwest so we have a lot to chat about (even though i'm not from there). i'm a Pacific Northwest want-a-be. i think the bumper sticker that you can see around Texas that reads, "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could" would resonate with me if it read something like, "I was born in Texas and have been trying to go to the Pacific Northwest at every turn" or something like that. :)

Don't get me wrong, i love Texas and have enjoyed living here but there is something really cool and different about the Pacific Northwest area.

Anyway, i'm still running and working toward the half marathon next spring, i just got bored of writing my progress everyday.

Treadmill

Thursday: Ran 5.5 miles, walked .5 and did some weights for my arms. i'm starting to see a little progress! My legs are tired too. :)

Running Update

i've been running and trying to stay on pace with my goal of a half-marathon next spring. Things are going well and we've been pretty busy. My sister-in-law is in town and i'm getting ready for our next retreat.

Last night, i ran 4 miles and walked .5 as well as lifting weights. I ran over 5 miles two nights ago and i think my legs were a bit frazzled after that which is why i shortened the run last night.

i was a little saddened that i actually had to listen to my body and slow down (a sign that i'm getting older). :) i didn't want to get hurt so i just cut my run short. That's quite the contrast to when i was in high school and college (although i never ran as far as i'm running now). It's kinda fun being in shape again though. :)

Also, our good friend just had her baby!!! Dani and i can't wait to visit and meet the new addition to the R and K family.

Baby News and More

We had an ultrasound today to find out if we needed to get ready for a boy or girl and it was pretty clear. We're going to have another GIRL! Everything looked normal and healthy and she was moving quite a bit. It is so amazing to watch this little girl growing and stretching in the womb. We could see her little heart pumping quickly and her little fingers and toes.

The doctor said her brain looked great and guessed that she would be smart (not that he can tell that from an ultrasound) and asked which one of us she was going to take after if this were the case. Dani and i looked at each other in a moment of silence and then i said, "probably our parents."

We are so excited that we got see our little girl moving around today and for the great report. It's also kind of nice because we already have girl stuff from our first two girls. :)

On another note, i ran 5 miles and walked .25 along with a few weights for my arms and back. i forgot my iPod so i was a little bored because baseball was on the tv in front of me and CNN was on (without subtitles) on the tv next to it.

Back at the Y

Monday: Ran 5 miles, walked .5 followed by some weights for arms and back.

My Dog is Out of Shape

Sunday: i ran around the neighborhood for 35 minutes and walked for almost 10. Gracie (my dog) was so tired she started foaming at the mouth (not like rabbis foam). It took her a LONG time to stop panting heavily. It was kind of humorous to me because she had been REALLY hyper all day and getting a little too rambunctious in the house so i decided to take her on my run.

Nice

Friday: i got to run for 7.0 miles today and walked for .45 followed by a few weights for my arms and back. It took me just under an hour to run the 7 miles and felt so good! It's also good to know i can do it at this point. :)

Fun With My Fam

Wednesday: i ran 5.5 miles and walked .5, followed by some weights for my arms and back, followed by playing with my fam in the pool. i changed up my routine a little and decided to run while daughter 1 was in swimming lessons so i could then hang out with daughter 1, 2, and Dani afterwards. Usually i run pretty late at night.

i'm trying it out this way so i can play with my girls and then work in the afternoon and evening instead. When i go to run at night, it takes a large chunk of time and makes for an extra trip into town (since we live in the sticks).

i liked it! Now it's time for me to get back to work.

Running in Place for a long time

Monday: i ran for 5.25 miles and walked for .5 followed by some weights for my arms and back.

Running in My Neighborhood

Saturday and Sunday i ran around my neighborhood because the Y closes earlier than it does Monday-Thursday. i'm not sure how far i ran but i ran for 30 minutes on Saturday and 25 on Sunday.

i would have run longer on Sunday but there was thunder and lightening so i quit early.

It's been kinda fun changing it up a little and running with my dog, Gracie. She's a German Shephard and a great dog. It's been a while since i took her for a jog with me and she is a bit out of shape (we let her run around a lot closeby but i guess it doesn't keep her in shape as well). By the time i stopped running and started walking, she has been panting heavily with her tongue out several inches. She's so tired she starts dragging her back claws on the ground! It's kinda funny.

i think she likes it though because she gets excited when she sees me putting my running stuff on.

Another Update

Wednesday: Took off for July 4th festivities (and the Y was closed anyway).

Thursday: Ran 5 miles, walked .75 and did a few weights for my arms.

i think i'm going to change by layout on this site again. i have probably given tribute long enough to the Orange Frozen Latte at Starbucks.

Back on Track

Tuesday: Ran 4 miles, walked .75 and did some weights for my arms.

i REALLY didn't want to run but i forced it and loved the feeling afterwards! i finally got new shoes and they are GREAT!!! i went to a running store in Oregon where they watch you run and tell you what shoes would work best for the way my feet land and with my back, etc. i ended up getting a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 3 shoes. They have great cushion and full support. It's amazing how much difference shoes can make.

They also said that my shin splints were most likely a result of the poor shoes i had before. They were not all that hip on Nike Shocks. These guys felt that the Shocks were great shoes for marketing because they looked cool but they were not even decent running shoes.

After wearing these new shoes, i would have to agree.

Running Update and Nerd Test

Last week: i ran around the resort in San Diego (someone said it was 42 acres). I just ran for 30 minutes, not sure about distance.

Sunday: Ran 3.3 miles.

Monday: Ran 3 miles, walked .5 and did some weights for my arms.


Also, check out how nerdy you are! You can just click on the box below that has my score on it. Let me know what you score!!!

here's my score:

Ouch

Monday: i went to 24hour with my father-in-law and he kicked my butt. He took me through a bunch of different weight training exercises after a 5 minute warm-up on the elliptical machine. After i thought my arms were going to fall off, we went over to the treadmills. i ran 4.25 miles and walked .75.

i'm pretty sure i'm going to be sore tomorrow! :)

Oregon River Trail

Sunday: Ran at least 4 miles along a river by my in-laws' house with Rob, my father-in-law. It was a great run and some great scenery. After the run, we walked for 10 minutes (not sure how long though).

Today has been a lot of fun with my girls playing really well together and an amazing church service/message, as well as coca-cola cake frosting (i don't eat the actual cake part, just the icing). :)

Saturday Night Live-at one point

Saturday: Ran 3.5 miles, walked 1. Worked on shoulders, chest, and arms today. This was a lot of fun because i was able to run further without a flare up with my back!!!

Tomorrow: i get coca-cola cake for Father's Day!!!!!!!! This cake rocks some major taste buds. i have a great wife. :)

24hr Fitness-Lance Armstrong Style

Friday: Ran 3 miles, walked .5 miles. Did more weights for my arms and upper body as well.

While i'm in Oregon, i get to run at the 24hr Fitness that my in-laws go to and it's pretty sweet. The one my father-in-law goes to the most is one that Lance Armstrong designed or something like that. It looks really cool and has some great features, but there are a bunch of larger than life pictures of Lance on the walls. :)

The weather is AMAZING. It's June and i'm comfortable in jeans and could use long sleeves most of the time. YEAH!!! i'm not really missing Texas right now. :)

Wednesday Run, if that's what you'd call it

Wednesday: Ran 1.5 miles, walked .75. My back was causing significant discomfort so i cut it short. i did a few weights for my arms and left.

Chiropractor

Thursday: Took off.

After my lunch meeting today, i headed over to Back In Motion to get an adjustment because my back is causing quite a bit of pain and feels like it's on the verge of getting worse.

These guys were great and it was so easy to work with Armstrong Chiropractic in Temple and Back In Motion in Beaverton, OR. Both of these places have been so kind and helpful! i'm very thankful for Armstrong Chiropractic for the past three years of quality service and i'm thankful for BIM for working me on short notice and really trying to get me better while i'm here.

i have another appointment soon (either Friday or Monday) where they will show me how to tape my feet to help my back and all this other stuff to improve my running techniques. Pretty pumped about that!

Hopefully i'll be able to get back to the gym tomorrow and at least walk a little and lift some weights.

Monday, Tuesday, a little bit of Wednesday

Monday: Ran 2 miles, biked 2.5 miles, walked 1 mile. i was more aggressive on my arms this time around. My back was starting to give me quite a bit of feedback while i was running so i had to adjust my distance and time.

Tuesday: Travelled all day to Oregon. We started in Waco, drove to DFW, flew to LAX, rode two different buses to get to our terminal for the connection to PDX.

i don't like LAX. We had two strollers with our two girls and all our carry-on stuff loaded up on them and we had to get on and off of two different buses and wait for someone to help us to an elevator because all passengers were supposed to use the stairs to get into the terminal! This wouldn't have been a big deal except we had 10 minutes before our flight took off.

Thankfully, we made it and made it safely. The girls did INCREDIBLE considering we were on two flights that were over 2 hours long with just a short break in between. Oregon is great! It's cool and sunny!!! This is definitely the place to come during the summer months (especially if you live in Texas). :)

Today (Wednesday), i'm finishing up stuff for the camp next week. i'm going to try to go to the 24hour fitness with my father-in-law to keep up my work-out routine. i'll try to keep the posts coming while i'm here!