Creating a garden

At the beginning of this year, I decided to try and start eating healthier, for myself and my family.  Not only increasing consumption of fruits and veggies, but increasing organic products.  I started buying organic milk, carrots, frozen berries, and a few other misc items.  I'd like to buy more organic stuff, but I can't find it at my local Meijer.  Every few months I can find organic strawberries, but I love strawberries so much, that I end up eating the 'regular' ones.  Jillian Michaels had said that if we started eating organic berries, we could reduce the pesticides that we eat by 80% (this was in one of her podcasts - Jillian Michaels' podcasts).  So, we decided to start a garden!

My husband has a Lowe's How To book and we found a picture of a simple garden set up.

My husband bought the boards (at Lowe's of course!), stained them, and joined them together.  We pulled up the grass underneath and poured in a TON of soil (Miracle Grow).  It's 8' x 4'.
I had some cucumbers growing inside, so I planted them the day we got the garden set up.  The deer ate them that night.  The next day we bought 10' PVC pipe and bird netting.  The 10' PVC pipe is connected to a larger PVC pipe connected to the board.

The netting is secured at all 4 corners with large screw hooks.  At first we though this was enough.  The deer still walked right through it!  So we added smaller screw hooks to the sides (2 on each side).

This held down the side of the netting.  I also added pinwheels to each of the corners hoping that helps scare the deer away.  The only thing we would have done differently is add grating (wire) at the bottom (underneath the soil) so the moles won't dine on the roots.

I've got cucumbers, carrots and green beans growing this year.   If the animals don't dine and we get to eat them, I may expand next year!

It's not a very technical post, so if you have any questions about sizing of any of the products, let me know (and I'll ask my husband :).

10 week marathon training program

I had committed to running a marathon in October.  We (three friends and I) decided that timing and distance made the Bayshore marathon the perfect one.  I was having some knee issues at the time and was a little worried about spending the $90 before I could 100% commit.  I had to make a quick decision because the Bayshore marathon sells out in about a week.  I went to Optimal Performance Specialists (ops.orthopaedicrehab.com) in Jackson, MI and they told me they could fix my knee.  I signed right up for the marathon!
My friends (this was their first marathon, my second) did some research and decided that a run/walk ratio would be good.  We tweaked it after a few runs and came up with 4 minutes running followed by 1 minute walking.
I spent 2 days a week doing strength workouts for my knee and upper body (we also did some running analysis).  After my final session (I did 12 total), my knee was feeling a ton better!  I was ready to start increasing my training (I had kept a 6 mile long run in December).
In January, I ran:

1. 2 miles, 3 miles, and 6 miles
2. 2, 3
3. 2, 3, 6
4. 4, 1, 7

Then disaster hit.  I came down with the flu.  Right after I recovered, I was playing volleyball and sprained my ankle.  I started physical therapy right away.  They weren't certain if I would be healed up enough to get in enough training by end of May.  I was pretty determined.  

February

1. flu
2. ankle

After a few weeks on crutches, I got the go ahead to try a mile.  If a mile felt good, then to try two.  I spent some time researching 10 week marathon training schedules, and I learned that they don't recommend it, or they started the training (week 1) at 10 miles.  I didn't have the 10 mile distance, so I just started increasing.  Worst case scenario, I would run as far as I could marathon morning and then catch a ride back.

March

1. 1 mile
2. 2, 3, 2
3. 2, 4, 2
4. 2, 6, 
5. 2, 3, 8

I should mention that I'm an experienced runner.  I have been running for over 15 years, with the most time off is a year (and that was usually around the time I had my babies).

April

1. 3 miles, 10 miles
2. 2, 2, 4, 12
3. 3, 4, 14
4. 6, 4, 10

With a month before the marathon, I had only a 14 mile max distance under my belt.  My friends were running a half marathon in Kalamazoo, so I decided to join them.  Running with people would be much better than trying to run 16 miles by myself.  I was hoping to run a little before the race and a little after to get in 16 miles.  I got in 2 miles before the half marathon (@8:30 pace).  I wasn't sure of my race strategy, but when the gun went off, I took off.  I ended up completing the half marathon in 1:58 (9:02/mile) and there was NO way I could take another step after finishing the Finish line.  There was no time for any more long runs.  It was time to start tapering the miles.  Could I run a marathon with only a 15 mile long run?
Yes I could!  I never doubted I could finish after getting in the 12 miler.  I just wasn't sure how I would feel afterwards.  The half marathon was the only run I was sore after (I ran the whole thing, only walking through water stations).   We finished the marathon around 5:10.  I got 4 blisters on my toes towards the end of the race (I started feeling them around mile 21), so I wore flip flops for the rest of the weekend.  My quads were sore after sitting for awhile the day of and the next 2 days, but that was it.  I had completed a marathon with a 10 week make-it-up-as-you-go training program and with only a 15 mile long run.

May

1. 4, 4, 15 - 1/2 marathon
2. 3, 4, 8 - OUCH - very sore from 1/2
3. 3, 5, 6
4. 3, 4, 26.2

I feel like an experienced runner now :)  

Things that aren't fair...

Grandparents passing; children that don't listen and
24 hours in a day.

Pets that pass; slow people on the highway and
People that stop and stay.

Acne after 30; working for a living; and
Cloudy no sun days.

These are things, that I don't think are fair
in May.

But, then, life wouldn't circle
The world would be full
And you couldn't pass a day.

We'd grow weary of our children,
our appreciation and
the sun and it's rays.

So, stay as it is, enjoy the cranky and crazy,
The slow and fast; the zitty and witty,
but live each day.

Young Fives vs Kindergarten

Hud's Young Fives teacher (Mrs. Frederick) is asking parents for a note about why they decided Young Fives over Kindergarten.  As some of you know, it was a VERY hard decision for me.  Below is what I wrote.

I was heading into the Kindergarten assessment (kindergarten roundup?) with no thoughts of Young Fives.  I was under the impression that it was for children who turned 5 after September 1st.  We even completely skipped the Young Fives table while we went to all of the stations.  When I got the letter weeks later saying that the school recommended Young Fives for my son, I was completely unprepared!  I was reading the letter out loud to my son and stumbled over myself.  I contacted the school and talked with Mrs. Shelton, the school counselor, about why Young Fives was being recommended for him.  He was on the border line between Young Fives and kindergarten she told me.  His birthday is mid-June, and a lot of boys starting with June birthdays go to Young Fives.  Academically he was ready, but he still liked to move around when he was supposed to be sitting.  I just kept thinking "He's a boy! He's 5!  He's supposed to be moving around!" The final decision was with what my husband and I decided, and we had a week to figure it out.  

During that week, I talked with 14 different people.  These included Mrs. Shelton, Mrs. McAlpine (the school principle), kindergarten teachers, middle school teachers, friends from work, etc.  Not a single one talked bad about having their child in Young Fives.  Not one regretted it.  Some even wished their children would have been young enough to go to Young Fives!  I was told over and over what a great Young Fives program Northwest had.  By this point, we had been telling my son that he was going to kindergarten in the fall.  He was DEVASTATED when we were considering Young Fives.  His buddies from preschool were moving to kindergarten and he couldn't understand why he might not be able to.  It broke my heart. Å friend told me that her school had recommended Young Fives, but she decided not to listen to them.  She ended up deciding to hold her daughter back in first grade because she was struggling a little bit.  A middle school teacher told me that she can usually tell which kids went to kindergarten without that extra year to 'grow up' because they are usually needing more help to understand the academics she is teaching. 

In the end, we decided on Young Fives.  What a fantastic decision that was!  Mrs. Frederick has been WONDERFUL!  My son is usually slow on feeling comfortable, and after the 2nd or 3rd day, he was telling me how much he loved school.  He has learned so much, mostly about letters, numbers, kindergarten curriculum, but also he has become a better listener, a better rule follower, and just a better kid over all.  We have one last son that will go through school in a couple of years (August birthday), and we are telling him Young Fives first, then Kindergarten.

Goodbye Jillian

Dear Jillian,
This is not what I expected, but I've drawn it out long enough.  You win.  I got 26 days of your 30 day shred over the course of 3 months.  I will now let go of the thred and let you fly free.  You were weighing me down, as I would beat myself up for not following up with you every day.  I have too much on my plate right now to have you knocking on my door every night, and I know you know I'm hiding when I don't open it.
BUT don't think you've got the final victory!  I will come back, stronger than ever and crush the 30 days in 30 days!!  Maybe after my marathon.

Ciao,
Not shredded Allison

30 day shred, day 23 & 24

Time: 10:30am

Weight: +3 lbs

Level: 3 & 2

My husband doesn't have any New Years resolutions, so he says.  But yet, he's eating salad like crazy and has starting running again.  Maybe it's something I call a resolution, but something he calls a "stress relief."  It's nice to come home from work and see that motivation.  My husband, in my opinion, doesn't need to lose weight because he is tall and lean, but I think running (as it is for me) is a great stress reliever and just makes you feel good about yourself.

It's hard, when I'm down, to see him motivate.  He makes a list, sticks to it, and I just think about things that I want to do, but can barely get off the couch, or am too busy to do anything.  

I decided yesterday that it was my New Years Day, a time to start over.  I plodded slowly on the treadmill and then, with my husband, did Level 3 of Jillian Michaels (he did not think it was easy, so that made me feel better!).  I was one step farther yesterday than I was the day before.  Today, I didn't run, but I did Jillian's workout (with a lot of dancing with the kids).  This is my personal goal now, as I have no creditability to have any followers (except mom, she'll always be there cheering me on :) because it was by no means 30 days in a row like I had planned!  

6 more days to go and I can stop feeling guilty about dissing Jillian!

Tomorrow I'm up for a 6 mile run (my first long one in my marathon training), but have decided not to do Jillian these long run days.  Too much for me to handle right now.

New Year, new you..... but when?

As you may have noticed in my blog, I tend to get knocked down every few weeks.  And when I do, it takes awhile to get back on track.  I was doing good with exercises at the end of December, but I have fallen off track.  With all of the Christmas eating and New Years partying, I have yet to get back on track.  I've got marathon training that should have started 2 days ago, and I've done nothing.  I've done no exercise in the last week, except for my dumbbell curls putting a Snickers to my mouth.

So...when does the new me come?  Yea, guess that part requires getting my butt off the couch!  Tomorrow is supposed to be almost 50 degrees (did I mention I live in the midwest in JANUARY!?!?).  So I'm hoping to get out for a run.

I've got 8 days left of Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, and I still plan to finish that!  It may take me all year, but I can do it.  What was I thinking trying to do it in 30 days?  Kudos to all of you out there that stick with exercising year round!  I have a hard time sticking to it for a month :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!