The Octave has ended...

So, I gave myself the Easter Octave to enjoy in all the yummy foods, sweets and all! My family comes down to Steubenville for Easter and we feast on Sunday! Complete with a full breakfast with the traditional Cinnamon rolls and a yummy dinner with ham, cheesy potatoes and homemade Easter Bread!

The Octave is officially over and I am back to my healthy eating!

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Enough with the Treadmill...

After running outside, who wants to go back to running on a stinkin' treadmill! I am excited for the weather to get warmer so that we can always run outside! We did our run on Wednesday-- 4 miles--on the treadmill and it just gets old after awhile!

I am headed to Maryland for the weekend and the hotel that we are staying in does not have a fitness center, so here's to prayin' for good weather so that I can run outside!

In other news, work is quite busy right now, as I am getting ready to embark on another pilgrimage. Soon, I will be writing from the Great White North....Canada! I am headed to Montreal and Quebec City for a week! With two of my favorite priests, Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR and Fr. Larry Richards. Stay tuned for those stories!!

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GREAT WEBSITE!

So, if you want to go running in your neighborhood or in a new neighborhood or in China, or Europe...or where ever! You can map out your route, and it will measure it for you and then you can save the different routes. Such as "3 mile route", "10 mile route."

http://www.realbuzz.com/mapyourpassion/map.php

Happy Mapping!

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Confidence and Hope!

Today we had a four mile run and Kristi wanted a change from the treadmills, and since the sun was shining she said, "Let's run outside!" Now, mind you, even though the sun was shining, that didn't stop the wind from blowing and the snow from falling! But we bundled up and were on our way!

Some people look at me funny when I tell them that I love to run in the cemetery here in Steubenville. If you have been to this place of beauty you understand I am not crazy, if you haven't been, trust me, it is a beautiful and peaceful place! See picture above... As a photographer I have done many photo shoots in this cemetery. See below.

Ok...back to the training...our friend Jenny who is running the half marathon with us was great motivation as we neared this LARGE and LOOMING hill in the Steubenville Cemetery. She convinced us that we were going to RUN up this hill. I was not so excited about this challenge...but with Krisit at my side, I did it! I wanted to die when I got to the top, but I did it!

As we hit about 30 minutes of running, I started to feel really good, hit a good pace, my lungs had recovered from the hill, and the snow had stopped. I felt like I could just keep on running...hence this gave me hope and confidence that once I "get over that hill" the day of the race, I can just keep on running. Granted, 4 miles today is small compared to the 13 of race day, but the idea of hitting that plateau and coasting sounds possible....fellow runners...am I right or crazy?

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No Pictures

So, I did my  second 5 mile run yesterday!  YEAH!  I must say it was much easier than the previous days 2.5 mile run.  For some reason the 2.5 run was really tough!  

The 5 mile run was finished and in under an hour!  55 minutes!  I thought I was going to pass out a a few times near the end. My left foot started going numb and i felt a sharp pain in the arch of my left foot.  I pushed through and finished it.   I took my shoes off when I was done to find a small blister forming in the arch of my foot.  CRAP!!!  Who wants blisters!?  I think it was because I wore thicker socks.  Any other runners have any suggestions for me? Now the reason there are no pictures for this post is because I really didn't have anything to put pictures up about...and I didn't think that you wanted to see pictures of my blisters.

Now the other problem that I am having that I would love suggestions from other runners about is that the muscles around my knees and my quads are really sore, so when getting up from a chair or the floor, I am in lots of pain!    I feel like I am 80 years old!!  Now, this could be from the my leg workout, lunges, leg press, leg extension, etc...but it's pretty bad, so I am thinking there is something else contributing to this pain.  Any ideas? Any remedies?

Time to celebrate Easter!  He is RISEN!!! AMEN! ALLELUIA!! 

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Sleep, sleep and more sleep!!!

So, I took Tuesday off thinking that I was going to need the time to recover...well surprisingly I was awake all day Tuesday with no problems...and woke up bright eyed for my workout Wednesday morning...3.5 miles baby!

Well, so then Wednesday the jetlag caught up with me! By mid-afternoon I was EXHAUSTED!!! I went to noon mass and was nodding off a bit, had a holy hour after work and was probably awake for about 20 minutes total! I got home at about 5:30 and was on the couch by 5:45 and asleep by 6pm....I didn't move until 8am when my husband woke me up! I then was awake for about 5 seconds and fell back asleep until 9pm! I looked at my cell phone and realized that I had missed a call at 7:30pm. I have no idea how I didn't even hear it ring, it was right by my head! I always wake up to my phone ringing. Now that is TIRED!

I ate some cereal and toast, watched a little Law & Order and headed to bed a little after 10, and didn't wake up until 7am! If I am not caught up from my jetlag by now, I am in big trouble!

If I had a picture of me sleeping, I would post it here...sorry! =)

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I AM HOME!

Just as my journey to get to Austria had it's complications, the trip home followed suit!

Before we left Vienna, I thought it would be good to get up early and get my run in. I knew I wouldn't be able to do the whole 3.5 miles, because I didn't want to get up at 5:30am, so I got up at 6:00am and did manage to get in a 20 minute run. I thought this would be good knowing that I would be spending the rest of the day on a plane!

We headed to the airport at about 8:30am and upon arrival, I found out that they canceled my return flight, because I wasn't on my original flight into Austria. Thank YOU Jesus, they were able to still get me a ticket on the flight! Now, I had a tight connection in DC...only an hour. So, I figured, I can get through immigration and customs quick and easy and I will be golden...well, apparently everyone and their brother, mom, sister and cousin twice removed also decided to fly into the states yesterday! I have never seen so many people trying to get through immigration at one time! I spent the next hour and 15 minutes in the immigration line!! So, yup! I missed my flight! ARG! I just wanted to get home!!!!

So, of course the next flight was booked! The lady behind the counter then informed me that I could take a flight out of Reagan Airport at 9pm, getting me home at 10pm. (It was 5:15 as I received the news). Mind you she also informed me that it would be a $60 cab fee to get there from Dulles. Good thing I know people in DC, so I called my dear friend, Amy, (aka Roomie Smalls!) Well, her car was in the shop, so she suggested I metro it to the other airport. Great idea! I love the metro! So, as a grabbed a coffee, I met a woman who was also on her way to the metro, but didn't know the way, so I lead the way to the Metro bus. We had a great chat as if we were old friends and told our stories about all our personal travels. As we were on the bus, Amy called back and said that she would meet meet me at the metro, because she got her car back. So, I got to spend a little over an hour with her! What a gift!!!

So, 9pm came quick, and I got on my flight was was soon home to my husband!!! I was so happy to see him!!! I think we stood and just hugged for a 20 minutes in the middle of the airport! Ok, i am exaggerating a bit! Maybe like 2 minutes!! I was happy to spend the last 2 hours of St. Patrick's day with my Irish husband!!!

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I did it!!

Today I ran longer than I ever have before!! I ran for an hour straight!! I am not sure if I hit exactlz 5 miles, because I am not sure if my pedometer records the steps properly to my stride. (I never set it up to do that) But, running for an hour straight was more than I ever have run.

I hit 10,000 steps before 11am!! I am currently at 23,00!!! We did a lot of walking today!

For those of you who are runners I am sure you are aware of the nod, or smile or some type of acknowledgement to other runners that you pass as running....well the Austrians seem to be much more private about their running. I attempted to make eye contact with many runners that I saw this morning, and I saw a bunch, and most of them wouldn't even look at me. When I noticed the trend, I was bound and deteremined to get them to smile back at me....I made it my mission. I succeeded with 3!!! Yeah!!

I found some great places to run around Vienna and was so excited for the beautiful weather we had here today. This was the first day that it didn't rain, since we have been here! I thought I was keeping track of my route, until after I turned around to head back and got disoreinted. The good news is, that because I have been here before, I know a few landmarks to get me back and was able to find my way!

The rest of the day was spent, on a walking tour of the city, lunch at this great cafe, and then to a fine art museum. Vienna is one of the greatest places for art!! I had a delightful afternoon wandering the museum, listening to the audio commentary on some great pieces of art. There was a lot of religious art, so it was a nice meditation as we head into Holy Week.

Tomorrow morning we have the Vienna Boys Choir...it will be interesting to attend Palm Sunday Mass in German! I will pray for the gift of interpretation!

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Coffee and Kilometers...

So, as we were walking back from mass this morning and I decided to stop and buy some coffee to bring home...such a deal!!! they had 2 for 1! So, I got a bag of espresso and two bags of regular coffee for under 10 euro!!

so, I went to go do my run in their workout room, because the weather is just too cold and wet today! Well, of course they don't track things in miles, so I was trying to figure out the conversion in kilometers...i should be able to guess right...I have done a 5K before, which is 3.2 miles, so I am thinking maybe around 3K will be 2.5 miles....well i finished 3K in about 10 minutes, and either I was REALLY fast or my conversion was REALLY off....granted it was on an elliptical machine and not a treadmill, so maybe it gains distance quicker...but I ended up doing 7K in about 20 minutes. (mind you my last recorded 5K time was 33:33...so something must be off... either way it was a good workout....time to go shopping in Salzburg (mostly the window kind) and of course have some more cappuccino!

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The hills are alive...with the Sound of Music!

Today we headed to Salzburg, where I am now cozy in my hotel room watching the Sound of Music on the TV. They have a Sound of Music channel, where they play the movie over and over again. I am guessing this is for the Americans, because I am sure the Austrians have had enough of this movie so far!

We had a lovely tour of the city today, even though it was in the rain. Then afterwards I met my friend Edel for coffee, with her husband and two children. Edel and I worked at YOU! Magazine together in California. She lives about an hour for here, so they came to meet me. It was great to see her, and the little ones. See picture of us with her husband Oliver, daughter Maria and son Giovanni. (I think is how you spell it.)

Then tonight we took the parents to the Mozart Concert Dinner. It was fabulous! The food was wonderful and the music was beautiful!! I will post some videos on youtube and then post the link on here.

It is quite late tonight, and I must head to bed…a short run will be waiting for me tomorrow. I hope it is not raining again… The good news is, if it is, they do have an elliptical machine here at the hotel.

Until next time, when I write from Vienna…

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Climb every mountain...

Well...come rain, wind and snow, I did my run this morning! I almost chickened out when I realized how cold it was, but pushed through and enjoyed the mountain view while running!

Later today, I though I would do my lower body workout, so I climbed a mountain in Durnstein to the castle ruins. I was glad to do it, and got my workout while climbing!! My legs were quite sore for the rest of the day. This is the castle that we climbed to the top of.




I decided to treat myself to a beer after all my hard work for the day! It’s full of carbs right?! The monks called it “liquid bread.”

After 11,300 steps today on my pedometer, (which should have been more, because it accidentally reset during my run this morning) it is time for bed! I get one more workout as I go up a steep hill to get to the hotel. And here is my bed that awaited me!

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Finally...

Oh there is so much to write about that I will probably have to do it in a few posts. I finally arrived in austria at 8:30am tuesday morning. AMEN! Much to my surprise I was put in First Class on the Austrian flight!!! They even gave me a $20 food and drink voucher to use in the airport before we took off. Since, I had just eaten lunch, i thought...i'll just go drink the voucher away! I headed to the bar and had some red wine. Thank you Austrian Airlines!!

If you are flying international first class is the way to go! Not only did i get a seat that was a massage chair and reclined into a "sleeper" position, I got a full size pillow, a quilted blanket, a spa bag, complete with lip balm, lotion, socks, a toothbrush, and a few other little goodies!

I got to choose my breakfast menu, the chef personally delivered our food, ate fillet mignon with rosemary for dinner and chose my wine from a nice wine list!! It was great!!!

Once I got in, Tomas from the university picked me up and took me to meet up with the parents. They were so excited to see me, so it was nice to have such a warm welcome. They all had been praying for my safe arrival...I will write about the great mountain town that I met them in tomorrow...i am quite tired and ready to go to bed!

I will be getting up early for my first European run!

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A liar?!?!?!

The airlines made a liar out of me! =) This post is not coming from Austria like I was hoping it would. I am in Washington DC. I did not make it on the standby flight, and the next flight that i did have a ticket on was canceled! Yup! So, they re-booked me for today and put me up in the Hyatt for the night. So, you can best believe that I called up my hubby and had him come and spend the night with me! Not only did I get to spend more time with him, we got to head over to the airport to see Kristi come in from Haiti. Even though I only got to see her for a few minutes, it was worth it!

So, Brian and I got some dinner, hung out in the room and watched TV, while I communicated with people over in Austria.

More good news is that I was able to get my 3.5 mile run in this morning. Even though it was tough, I did it. And i feel good now that I got it in.

So, I had a flight for 4:30 again today, but thanks to my Brian's suggestion, I headed over early and got on a flight at noon. (that was supposed to take off at 10--so I was grateful for the delay.) So, I am finally in DC, and will be here for several hours waiting for my flight to Vienna...which is fine, I am just glad to finally be in DC! (see my favorite building here below!)

In other news...
My good friend Liz, who is currently living in China with her husband and son, has decided to train for the half marathon with us! I am so excited! She was one of the people who inspired me doing this in the first place. She ran her first marathon a few years ago, here in DC!


Even though they look at you funny for running in China, if you are not being chased, she is pushing through and making it work! She plans to run with us on race day too! Go, Liz, Go!!

Well, I am off to find a late lunch...more from me later.

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I'm leavin' on a jetplane....

I hope! I was awaken at 6:30am this morning to my cell phone ringing, hearing and automated phone call telling me that my 10am flight was canceled...That's FABULOUS! I have 50 people to meet in DC for my flight to Vienna and I don't know if I can get there!! Well, I was grateful for the few extra hours of time with my hubby and more sleep. I am now waiting at the Pittsburgh airport to see if I get on the 2:30 flight on standby....I have high hopes! Good news is that if I don't get on it, I am confirmed for the 4:30 flight...so either way I am getting to DC tonight to make my flight to Vienna.

And can I saw.. I love FREE wireless in Pittsburgh airport..this is a luxury that I only find at a few airports in the country. Well time to get some work done while i have the wireless!

Next time I write I should be writing from Austria...."the hills are alive....with the sound of music!!"

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The Shoes are in...

Much to my mothers dismay, I spent more money than I ever have on a pair of shoes! Now, to my mothers credit, my mother has taught all of us to buy bargains! There is no reason to spend extra money just for a name...from these lessons, i have never been able to purchase a pair of pants much over $25

But with my back problems and never having a good pair of running shoes, I realized it was time to spend some money to see if it was worth the extra money. To my credit, Kristi did find us a 15% coupon that we used when buying them. (she got new shoes too!)

Well they arrived yesterday and I was so excited that you would have thought it was Christmas morning. I was walking around like a six year old saying "I AM SO EXCITED, MY SHOES ARE HERE! I AM SO EXCITED!" Brian was laughing at me!

So, I put them to the test as I did my 4 mile run this morning. They felt good, although my feet felt a little tingly by the end of the run. I will give it a few runs and see how they do. The cool things is that I got them from www.roadrunner.com and they have a 60 day guarantee.

So, I got new shoes and my husband got a new ladder! We are both happy! He been working hard on the downstairs bathroom..see his progress!!

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The excercise ball is my friend!

Well, I did my lower body lifting yesterday at lunch and faithfully did my back exercises and felt great the rest of the day!

This morning I was a little slow moving getting out of bed, but finally got up and headed to the gym for my quick 2 mile run....and yes, my back exercises. So far so good!

Tomorrow is my next long run...4 miles here I come!

I am headed to Austria this weekend for a trip for work....this will be the first time that Brian and I will be apart since we have been married. Granted...we did long distance for a year, but there is something different about being 5 time zones apart, as opposed to just 5 hours driving apart!

While in Austria I will be sure to enjoy their yummy breads, rich coffee (with even richer cream) and the beautiful mountains and hillsides that are sprinkled all across the lands! "The hills are alive....with the sound of Music!"

I will be sure to be running those hills, so as to keep up with my training while I am gone.

I will post pictures soon too...

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What's the deal!?

So, if my back would just make up it’s mind it would make this whole training process a lot easier! After I wrote yesterday’s post, I had a hard time walking all afternoon….shooting pain every time I would get up to walk. It was so bad that my mom and dad are ready to send me to a back surgeon to get it fixed….which ultimately might not be such a bad idea! I have been dealing with back pain since I was in high school! But as the afternoon went on I felt better and was able to do my 3 mile run after work, and did my back exercises and felt great the rest of the night! But of course—today, I wake up and I am all stiff again! I am in some good ‘ol pain this morning!

I haven’t gotten up from my desk in about 20 minutes and I am not looking forward to my first trip to the bathroom. I am praying for a miraculous healing, to experience the healing graces of the places I will visit on pilgrimage this year for work. St. Joseph Oratory and Lourdes! Shower me with the graces of healing, Lord!!

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Can I please hit the snooze...

So since Kristi has been gone I have been doing well with keeping up with my work outs…until this morning!

I woke up at 6:20 am as usual, but you would have thought I was 85 years old, because I could barley get out of bed…I made it to the bathroom, as I sat and contemplated when I could go work out later in the day… I was shocked at how active my brain was at that early hour, just to justify me crawling back into bed to get one more hour of sleep! (I guess staying up to watch Law & Order wasn’t the smartest choice). So, yes, I went back to bed…I was tired and in much pain and realized that I don’t want to push it too hard with my back in fear that it could keep me out of the race all together. So, I slept and had my husband rub my lower back before peeling myself out of bed at 7:45 this morning.

Even though I made the decision to go and run after work…. I am at work and it is 10 in the morning and I feel guilty for not getting up this morning and am ready to run now! I so badly want to put another X on my calendar to indicate that I did today’s work out…but alas, I must wait until the 3 miles have been completed….I will remember this feeling next time I want to sleep in.

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All Alone...

My workout buddy is gone for the week, off to a mission trip in Haiti. So, I am on my own for getting myself out of bed to keep up with our training schedule. Mom is in town and so that is great! We got to go do our run together this morning. We were at 2 miles, and I told her that I was going to go up in speed… she inquired “WHY?!” I merely wanted to get that last mile done faster! =) She was having none of that and kept at her pace, and walked out the last ¼ mile.

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How many miles?

Our first long run!!! 4 miles baby!!! I have never run that much straight in my life!!! The most I have ran was when I did a 5 mile race once. I showed up on race day thinking it was a 5K race, (which is only 3.2 miles). I almost quite right there! But then I realized I didn’t have to run the whole thing. So, with a combination of walking and running I finished the 5 miles in just under an hour. Today I ran 4 miles in 43 minutes flat! I was very excited and proud of us for pushin’ through! The next two weeks will bring their own challenge as Kristi and I will be apart… she in Haiti for a mission trip for a week, and I in Austria the week after that.

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