Beginning December With Knee Pain...and a question!!! HELP!

Well, tomorrow is the start of a new month and my goal is to post on my blog everyday, even if it's just a small thought.

This morning during boot camp, we were doing sideways squat jumps (if that makes any sense to anyone). For some reason, probably because I'm doing them wrong, my knee is always tender after we do these. Well, my plan was to do boot camp this morning and run five miles tonight. But, if I've learned anything while becoming a runner, it's that you have to listen to your body. My knee has been a little more than tender today, almost to the point of needing ice and no walking. It just feels like I 'tweeked' it the wrong way this morning, so I opted not to run tonight. I will get up at 4:00 and try it again in the morning. :)

Why does this knee pain bother me? I am running the Santa Hustle Half Marathon on December 11th in Sevierville, TN. Scared that this could be a problem? YES! If you know me, I always want to beat myself if I'm capable and I don't know how this knee issue will factor into that.

Now for the question: How do you gauge whether a pain is just a pain or an injury? Any suggestions would be helpful...

Giving Thanks!

Before I get started, don't forget to enter my Knuckle Lights giveaway HERE!

Now that the Thanksgiving season is upon us, I thought I'd take a moment to give thanks for all the wonderful things and people in my life.

1. First and foremost, my God. Without Him, life would be so different. I thank God daily for all the wonderful things in my life.

2. My husband. My Jeremiah is a dream come true and makes each day worth waking up. When I've had a bad day, all I have to do is come home and I'm brought to stomach-aching laughter because I have the funniest husband in the world. He has made my life complete!

3. My wonderful family (mine and my in-laws). I have the best parents and step-parent that anyone could ask for. On that note, I have the MOST AWESOME big sister in the world! (That's us in the picture.) We have so much fun together. We can have a conversation in a room full of people and be the only two people laughing. We also have our own secret language in which we talk when we don't want anyone to know what we're talking about. She also gave me the best niece (Gracie) and nephew (Seth) that I could have every asked for. Not to mention, a pretty cool brother-in-law. I also have a fabulous set of in-laws. They have taken me in like I'm one of their own and I will be forever thankful for that.

4. My friends. I have some great friends, near and far. I have my Cole, who has been with me through the long haul. We can go a month without having a conversation, and just fall into our old friend habits. We've been together since middle school. Love her so much! Then there's Erin. Erin and I became college roommates when we were freshmen in college. At first, I didn't think that (neither did she) we would ever be close friends. But, God has a funny way of working things out. Now she's one of my best friends and married to one of my best buds as well. I was in her wedding and she was in mine. How's that for not thinking we would be good friends? My running buddy, Bobbie (and all of the other running pals out there). We began running together and have fallen into a habit that's hard to break and one that doesn't need to be broken. We've gotten to the point where it hurts to run a race without the other. That's friendship. My school friends (old and new). I just started a job at a new school, so I had to leave my friends behind. But, the good thing is, I still get to see them and spend time with them. We get together once a month to make sure we don't lose touch. And last but not least, all my other friends out there, thank you for being you! (That means you KWOWW! )

5. A warm and wonderful home, with a puppy who loves me. I love my house and everything about it. And I love the wagging tail that meets me at the door! I'm thankful for a warm home where I can build a family with my husband!

6. RUNNING! (Should probably rank higher, but other stuff comes first!) Running is sometimes my sanity. On days when I feel things can't get worse, going for a run makes me realize that it could be so much worse than it is. At least my legs can carry me on a run where I can clear my mind and spend some time with myself or with a good friend.

7. My job and my husband's job. In today's economy, there are so many people who are out of work, and I am so thankful that we aren't those people. We may complain about money sometimes, but we have to remember that at least we have jobs that pay us money. Others aren't so fortunate.

8. My health and the health of others. I'm thankful that I am healthy enough to lead the life I want to to lead. I'm also thankful for the health of my family and loved ones. Also, for the individuals who choose to go into the healthcare profession so that we can stay healthy, even when we are sick.

9. I am also thankful to live in a wonderful community where "everybody knows your name" (insert Cheers! music here). Not quite that small, but small enough to be able to get anywhere within ten minutes and where you can see someone you know while running down Main Street. I love Danville!

10. And last, but definitely not least, I am thankful that I have the life I have. I don't get myself down about things very often, but when I do, I just have to remember that it could be so much worse than it is. I count my blessings daily and always try to remember how great life is!

Have a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Knuckle Lights GIVEAWAY!

Well, I know it been awhile, but I'm back! And...it's time for a GIVEAWAY!

Back in October, myself and 11 other ladies ran in the Bourbon Chase, a 200 mile relay race across the great state of Kentucky. We were divided up into 2 vans, handing the baton after each run. Needless to say, everyone had at least one leg of running that was run in the dead of night. So, I thought this would be the perfect time to try out my new toy, Knuckle Lights.

Knuckle Lights are worn on your knuckle, during night hours, to help you see while running at night. If you're like me, sometimes you can't hit the pavement until after sundown, so Knuckle Lights are perfect. They strap to your hands and weigh only ounces. You would think that while you're running, the light would bounce around, but they don't. They each have 4 LED lights in them and run on AAA batteries. The 4 LED lights produce a wide beam versus a spotlight, so bouncing is to a minimum. I have run with them several times and LOVE THEM! They are very handy for being able to see potholes and changes in the road. Being someone that's fallen before while running, something like Knuckle Lights could save you from falling or worse. The picture below isn't a great pic, but you can see how they fit on my hands and you can see how bright the lights are on the ground so that I could see out in front of me.

You could win your own pair of Knuckle Lights! You may enter the giveaway by receiving one entry for each one of the following criteria:

1. Be a follower of my blog and leave a comment telling me that you are.

2. Post my giveaway on Facebook.

3. Visit the Knuckle Lights website HERE and tell me one fact that you learned about them.

4. Tell me which color of Knuckle Lights you like the best.

5. Like the Knuckle Lights Facebook page HERE and post a comment.

5. Post my giveaway on your blog.

This giveaway will end on Thursday, December 1st at 11:59 p.m. A winner will be chosen using http://www.random.org/ and will be announced on Friday, December 2nd.

Monday Meanings...

Hello all! Just a few thoughts for Monday...

1. I ran the Louisville Sports Commission 1/2 Marathon this past Saturday, WITH STREP THROAT! I mean, who wants to waste that money? I had been on 24 hours of antibiotics, so I felt pretty good until mile 9, then I started to chill, so played it safe and slowed down. Finish time to come in the race recap!

2. I love Sundays! Not only is it a day off of work, but Sunday means FOOTBALL! If the television is on anything other than football on Sundays, then no teams are playing that we see worthy of watching. The best by far? GO STEELERS!

3. When you take six weeks off from boot camp and then go back, it's like you never did it to begin with! My arms are killing me and I've been wearing my compression sleeves all day long!

4. I'm semi-obsessed with GLEE! I have all the CD's to listen to in the car, I am up to date on current episodes, and am currently re-watching the first two seasons. Needless to say, I am the full definition of a GLEEK!

5. Last but not least, I love and cherish my wonderful husband! Even when our world are crazy, he is always there and is always supportive. He is the best husband and the best friend that a girl could ask for!

Today's Top Ten List...

Top Ten Reasons Why Today's 12 Miler was an EPIC FAIL...

10. It turned into a 10 miler (reason coming).

9. I hadn't had anything to eat except for a cup of coffee...STUPID!

8. I put on WAY too much clothing.

7. I was burning up, but had the chills the entire time.

6. I had to stop several times due to feeling like I was going to be sick.

5. I stopped on Bluegrass Pike to watch two cows fighting with one another. HILARIOUS!

4. The smell of the BBQ Festival on Main Street was a little distracting.

3. I didn't drop any water and didn't wear my belt.

2. I didn't keep the pace I wanted.

And the number one reason why my 12 miler was an EPIC FAIL is...

1. The reason my 12 miler became a 10 miler - I refused to battle the ten vultures in the middle of the road, so I turned around and ran back to my car. I could just see them eating me alive! :)

You know...I'm glad I have positive outlook though. I'm running the LSC Half Marathon next weekend, so since this run was such a letdown, that means next weekend will be GREAT! Chalk it up and move on to the next one!

Back to Blogging with a Race Update! A BIG ONE!

You know how they say, "the third time is a charm"? Well, I think they may be right. I just completed my 4th mini marathon, the Iron Horse Half Marathon in Midway, Kentucky. Now, it was my fourth half marathon, but it was the 3rd half marathon where my goal was to finish sub 2 hours. And, I DID! Barely, with a 1:59:48, but it's still under 2 hours.

My favorite part of this race? My SHIRT! My birthday was the week before and my 'sole sister', Bobbie, got me the most awesome shirt to wear for the race. If you know my personality, then you completely understand why she just had to buy me this shirt. (If you look closely enough, you can see a little piece of paper pinned to my bib. That's me, always keeping pace times!)

I wasn't sure what to expect from this race mainly because I didn't train the way I would have liked to train, but sometimes what we would like to do isn't always the best way. The course was a rolling course that was out and back both ways. I absolutely loved the fact that I was being cheered on the whole course. There was always someone coming my direction cheering me on. And I loved cheering on the runners coming the opposite direction as well.

This course also solidified why I love the state of Kentucky. The race was in one of the most beautiful counties in Kentucky, Woodford County. Miles and miles of rolling hills with beautiful farms, horses for days, and grass that is the most beautiful shade of blue when the wind blows.

Getting ready to cross the finish line, still looking at my watch...always pacing.

Here we are, post race, with Mark and Jeff, two other Danville runners.

This will definitely be a race that I run again and again. I highly recommend running this race if you are ever in the central Kentucky area around October. By far, the best half marathon I've ever run! :)

Lucy Activewear has a birthday!

Lucy Activewear (http://www.lucy.com/) has a birthday today. They are twelve years old today and everything in their stores and on their website is 25% off, today only!!! Go over to their website and shop around...they have some really cute stuff for all activities!