"Whether you think you can or can't...you're Right" -Henry Ford

I started off my day going to You Tube and watching the Team Fox Video….I just felt like I needed to remind myself of some “bigger” things in life and not let the little things get to me too much.  Sometimes the bigger picture is lost in the grass of everyday minor issues.

 

I shared this video before, but in case you missed it…this helps explain just what Team Fox is All About...if you need a feel better video..give it a click. 

Now onto this running thing….  I made a “girl call” to Dorsey Chevront at On the Run and Walk in Parkersburg….  Basically I said I need orange shoes and told him that was the “girliest” question he’d ever hear me ask J  I am looking to get the orange “sleeves” and orange shoes for the marathon to “match” my team fox gear J  If you have lost track of time….that happens in 57 days/22 hours/13 minutes/22 seconds as I type this (not that I’m counting down). 

I’ve just been logging some miles and minutes this week…I did one of the “tempo” workouts they suggested for the week and rearranged a few runs since I switched up my long run day to Sunday this past weekend.  I keep getting consumed I need more miles…but need to switch up the strength aspect as well.  Yes I know they are both equally important, but the mental game is sometimes a tough battle.

I just wanted to give you a little mini Team Spangler update this week so everyone can start to save the dates if you’d like of a few events coming up.  I received another donation this week I mailed into Team Fox that puts us REALLY close to the $4000 mark, and I’m really excited about that!  I ordered another 100 shirts to have on hand to sell at a few upcoming events, and can still get more in for anyone who wants them…Help us spread Team Spangler everywhere J

This is what we are about....
 

I received a message from Wyngate Senior Living Community in Parkersburg, who’s “Golden Girls” group has helped us raise money earlier this year wanting to do another event for us!  They have offered to have a “Chili Dinner” event on October 18^th at their facility (will confirm times later and exact details…but right now looking around 5pm-7pm)  We will have a few silent auction gift baskets as well.  There will be a DJ to provide some fun.  A big thanks goes to Jeremy Casto with Party Time DJ Services who probably wishes he’d never met me through the chamber and all the things I volunteer him for. J 

We also have information regarding the scrapbooking crop we noted earlier to be set for October 20^th in Charleston with help from my cousin Carrie Ford.  If you can sneak away for the day it would be a great day!  You can get more information on it at:

Crop for a Cure Information

I’m looking forward to the weekend of another long run (even longer then last week) to feel a little bit better about the mileage J  I’ll be in Ritchie County so looking forward to a different route to enjoy and switch things up a bit.  Don’t worry I’ll try to stay clear of dogs J

I’ll end with this quote for the weekend as I’ve thought this a few times randomly this week feeling overwhelmed….    “Whether you think you can or can’t….you’re right”….Can and Can’t change your approach in life….from wishing to doing… So find a way to “can do” something this weekend and change it up a little bit, to make an excuse is easier then doing.

“Who Let the dogs Out”…No Seriously…..

If you don’t know the song…then I’m sure you’re thinking I have a weird sense of humor and where did she come up with that…if you do know the song…I’m certain you still think I have a weird sense of humor and I apologize that the song in now stuck in your head.  We loved that song in high school because it was just one of those songs that stick in your head and just so happened to be one of our high school rivals mascots so it only seemed fitting (the boys on the team may not have thought so but it was a nice thing to harass them with on long road trips)…. 

I blog with a heavy heart today.  My hometown community has had a rough weekend of tragedy that has struck and it’s always so hard when it hits so close to home.  Please know for the 2 tragedies that have happened that a community of prayers are and thoughts are behind to help through the hard times of all those involved.   

I have had a whirlwind of the last week.  I forgot to warn you that work will be taking me out of town along with a hectic schedule to blog through due to events scheduled for all day.  Now…don’t feel too sorry for me in the meantime, as having to “work” at West Virginia’s Finest and Historic Hotel, The Greenbrier, doesn’t make work all that difficult.  You tend to escape into another lifestyle when going there that it’s almost hard to want to come back to reality.  I will never complain about having 3 gourmet meals provided to me each day that I know I couldn’t prepare myself even with my hardest of efforts.  Believe me when I say I used the excuse “I’ve been running and training for a marathon….I need to eat” every opportunity I had. 

The Greenbrier.....One of the highlights of WV

I can't believe they made us suffer through a dinner event with this view :)
We were told this was a home Jerry West stayed in often before he built a house there....

My side note to all this though and the running side of things, it is truly unfair for a girls legs to even want to cooperate with the concept of running after having to be walking around in heels all day.  Maybe I’m just not use to it, but that is exhausting on your legs! J  Before you roll your eyes boys…you should try it and get back with me on it. 

My running story today reflects my long run…those seem to take precedence most weeks I’m beginning to see.  I was supposed to do it on Saturday….and somehow I hate to admit that I talked myself out of it on Saturday and pushed it to Sunday…if you ask I had about 15 solid excuses as to why….  You know..weather…humid…heat…etc (You get the idea)…..  So thank goodness I stuck to it on Sunday…woke up early….and made myself get to moving my legs before I talked myself out of it….  I had 2 ½ hours ahead of me to conquer what my training schedule told me.  This was my longest run yet so far..and they continue to get a little longer for a short bit more.  I enjoy it once I get going…I love it actually….it’s just some days the mental game is a little more than others.  Sunday was one of them.  I passed by my furthest “turn around spot” so far on this route..and almost seemed overwhelmed that I still had about 20 more minutes to go before I needed to turn around.  So…I obviously just kept running….  Before I knew it….. here comes 2 dogs running towards me.  At first my happy self wanted to think…”Ohhh hey dogs…it’s ok..I’m only running through…with a soft voice”….then realize soft voice or not..these dogs aren’t as friendly as my nonstop licking your face husky is at home.  Apparently I missed the 3^rd dog coming over before I felt a quick nip at the side of my leg….then I got mad.  Beyond the crazy barking and growling the owner who came out on the porch didn’t seem to care too much, mind you it was an older lady…but I referenced still trying to be friendly that your dogs aren’t very nice and you should probably tie them up (I also said I needed to come back through here and if they could to please tie them up)….She never left her porch….  When I came back through…of course the dogs were still out…so my tone of niceness had sense disappeared and my affirmative get back or else seemed to at least get me through without another ordeal and they finally left me alone.

 

Why can't all dogs just be as friendly as "Smokes" :)

For those of you who haven't seen him since my blog post when he was just a little guy....

 

I don’t think I really realized that I should have actually been scared….and it could have been worse.  Ohhhh the life of a runner and random dogs, I’d almost forgotten.  We use to know where every potential dog problem use to be and could have avoided it.  Lesson learned to be better prepared.  It also took my mind off of the fact of my route of running.  The WV Hills are an understatement when you are going for 2 ½ hours…Every time it seems I turned a curve in the road…there was another hill waiting for me!  Don’t get me wrong…it was beautiful scenery….but my gosh! J   I wish I had a picture to share a few images of the run, my cell phone has decided it didn’t want to last long enough anymore to handle the runs with me…so I’ve added a new phone to the wish list/to do list and  left this one at home. (Which yes creates another problem to the planning runs better aspect)

I also made one pit stop at a neighbors for a quick little water break….I of course under estimated the level of “hotness” of the temperature….  So moral of the story…the 2 ½ hour long run is marked off the training list and no records were broke through the process of it J  Now to stick to the training schedule this week so I don’t keep going through panic stages of being prepared for NYC. 

60 days..WHAT!?!….Insert Rocky Theme in my head before nerves set in… J

Tired Legs...

Well it’s Monday alright….  I’m beginning to get sleepier and sleepier from the miles logged on the weekend when Monday hits J 

Last week got away from me a little bit with the blogging, so again I’ll criticize myself to stay more on top of it (again). 

Friday night’s highlight should be on the start of Football Season!  (Oh and for a scheduled day off of running but I suppose that’s not important right now) J

Dad could have been found every Friday night in high school on the football field with his #10 Sherman Tide high school football jersey.  As rumors and stories have it touchdown after touchdown being thrown (I suppose I will believe a few of those stories he told us, since I’ve heard them from a few others as well) J 

Dad is on the Far Right #10

This past Saturday I got to spend with dad…Mom had the first Cross Country Meet of the Season; Autumn Classic, so we went to stay with dad.  I could almost feel nervous at the anticipation of getting another season of Cross Country started for them.  Dad had the marathon of “Swamp People” on when we got there so him and Brock were set for the day regarding entertainment.  When mom got back from the meet she got to highlight dad on how all the runners did.  I know he still looks forward to those updates and keeping up with everyone.  

In the earlier evening I set off to run my scheduled 2 hours and 15 minute long run of the week.  Brock stated if I had just started when I initially debated starting I would have been done by then, point proven, I laced up my shoes and decided to try to stay a little close because the weather looked "iffy".  Staying close for over 2 hours was a bit more difficult than I anticipated….Kelly was getting a run in too so I joined her when I was coming back from one of the back roads and looped around a little bit with her to have some company J  I routed back through and ran some roads I hadn’t ran on since high school so it was a nice reminder of things, the WV Country Roads sure make it enjoyable, and I of course noted where all the deer were to report back to dad and Brock.  I debate with myself many things during these long runs; I assume it’s normal to have several conversations with yourself in your head to fill up the time span of 2 hours.  It’s also really random what crossing your mind at times.

There is nothing like coming back exhausted, with the soreness already start to creep in on your legs to a room full of Dad, Brock, and mom stuffing their face with Ice Cream Cones.  They all were laughing too waiting to tell me of the fishing tales that took place while I was gone too. 

See.. dad had a little pond put in on our property a little behind our house.  It’s been there for several years now and when he could…you could always find dad fishing up there when he’d get a few minutes break.  Smokes (the dog) discovered the pond this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed swimming a few laps in it.  Brock decided he’d go for a bit of fishing and quickly caught a little catfish.  He brought it down to the house to show dad, as dad before has asked Brock if the catfish he put in there are still there and how big they were.  We hadn’t had much luck on the catfish side of things there so Brock brought the smaller one to show dad this time.  He went back to fishing and low and behold got another one….this one a bit more “story worth”…  I suppose the one dad put in that should be bigger by now has been discovered.  (Also..you can imagine the dramatic emphasis of detail and lavish fish exaggeration of story details I was told upon the final proof of the picture of the fish)  So I think dad was pretty tickled to see this being brought to the window for him to see that had been in his pond.  (Don’t worry Brock says the picture makes the fish look smaller than it really is…of course…it’s a fisherman’s tale) J

 Sunday was definitely a recovering run day, and I under estimated how warm it was.  I’m kinda lost in the midst of a mind set of summer still here but fall sneaking around the corner with the cooler evenings.  I was supposed to run 40-50 minutes today but somehow that turned into 55 minutes.

Another week of training is in the training logs, and yet I’m still getting nervous at moments that all this is happening too fast and if this 26.2 miles will be as bad as I’m scared it potentially could be J  Right now I hit a wall of doubt around 14 miles…so if I’m correct in hoping I side track myself with 10 miles of sight-seeing….I should be able to just forget the other 2 miles somewhere in the midst of all this and reach the 26 mile mark (the .2 will just have to run itself) J  We’ve got the room booked for the marathon…debating now on driving or flying….so the minor details can continue to fill themselves in J  I know I’ve found myself excited to talk to dad about it and something for us all to look forward to, so I guess now the hard decision of the day …which direction to run J

Parkersburg Half Marathon Race Day :)

What a weekend!  Apparently I needed an extra day of recovery to update the blog J 

What a successful and fun Team Spangler Event.  I underestimated how helpful the shirts would be!  Not only for awareness of Team Spangler but also finding each other in the mass of 1000’s of people on race day between the 2 mile and half marathon activities. 

Tara Got This Picture at the Starting Line for the 2 Miler and Half Marathon

I have joked but I’d really like to find the person who built that brick wall right in the middle of the course route around mile 9, because I ran straight into it J  I was so happy to see Holli and Melanie with their blue shirts waiting on me to run a little bit with me.    It was so nice to see the smiles and such effort from everyone.  I really wanted to weave over and give Carter and Sophie a high 5 by Tara’s house but at the time it almost seemed so far away on the other side of the road J  I finished in 1 hour and 47 minutes…I was really hoping to be in the lower 1:40’s as a mental goal…but it a was a great first back to it race to get back into the running race pace and see what I need to do from here. (Which is more miles and better adjusting my approach and race strategies).  I won’t admit out loud what I thought to myself after crossing the finish line knowing in the NYC Marathon I’ll have to do that “race” again since it was a ½ marathon….but let’s just say I’ll depend a lot on ‘heart’ that day of the race, because my legs won’t be agreeing. J 

 I teased Sophie she was NOT allowed to walk in the 2 mile (that is what papaw would tell her) J….and she didn’t and she ran a pretty impressive time, don’t tell her mom and dad but we may have to steal her and her long legs and make her a runner.  We ran into Tracie prior to the race who made our shirts and was sporting them with her friend J 

Sophie in the 2 Mile with Troy running with her...along with Tracie and her friend sporting Team Spangler Shirts :) 

We then easily found the Stavrakis clan with their shirts and was able to catch up a bit before the start. 

Us with Some of the Stavrakis Clan before the Race :)  Thanks Lora for taking the picture :)

Johnny Hogue finished 4^th overall in the 2 mile race, he’s one of the XC runners for Ritchie County this season and we are looking forward to a big season for him.  (No Pressure Johnny) J  “Coach Holli” even rounded out 3^rd place in her age group for the 2 mile (Apparently they went by birthday registered and not appearance, I like to admit we were asked several times what high school we went to) J  We had the Stavrakis clan in the 2 mile, mom, Tara, Bob Nelson, Drew Nelson, Sophie, Troy, along with Tracie and her Friend.   We had several spectators (Kathy) too sporting our shirts to help us along the way.

The half marathon went GREAT!   John was our strong man to finish for us.  Sharon Headley ran her best half marathon time!   She told me at the finish she had to run fast so there were people behind her to read her shirt J  Loved all the cheering for “Team Spangler”  We were so excited to have Betsy finish her first half marathon and hopefully more to come (Also Note…we love your competitive spirit of not allowing the girl to pass you)!  Aunt Becki was our true inspiration of not giving up for the day.  She was the highlight to my day of not giving up when the going got tough, and her motivation was for Dad and Team Spangler.  No matter the blisters and the ups and downs of the race she crossed that finish line running.  Becki, you are such an inspirational person and see the positive in so much, please know how much we all love you!

I took Sunday off from running but went for a walk with mom and smokes for maybe almost 3 miles.  Yesterday I was still walking rather funny so tried to stay in hiding at work.   When I got home I went for a 45 minute “shake out run” to try and get the soreness out a bit, plus it was a BEAUTIFUL evening to run and what a perfect temperature, too nice to not run!  I’m not wishing time away, but I sure do love the fall!  Today is a little bit better so looking forward to hopefully a normal run again J  Going to look into a few more possible races to sneak in before the marathon.

Just remember….

“We run for those who can no longer run themselves”

Thursday Team Spangler Highlight :)

Let's be honest (from a marketing standpoint)...Cute Kids Sell T-Shirts :) Ok..actually I'm a little biased here :) Meet my Niece (Sophie) and Nephew (Carter) sporting our New “Team Spangler” T-shirts last night.  We had them try them on for Saturday.  Sophie is going to be running the 2 mile race and Carter (if all goes well) may be pushed in a stroller for Team Spangler (However...I think he should be running it...the kid has some energy to spare) J  They have learned a lot from their papaw and are both excited for this!

**A BIG thank you to Tracie with PDQ Print Shop for help with the shirts and helping for our cause!  If you need shirts I def reccomend her (AND I force her to run) :)  Email her at: tracie@pdqprintshop.biz

Carter's Reaction to "SMILE" :)

Team Spangler Wednesday Highlight

Be on the lookout for Sharon Headley running the Half Marathon for Team Spangler on Saturday too! :)  We are so excited to have you :)  I remember Melanie always letting me tag along as a little kid with her when she was in high school :) 

Team Spangler Runner Tuesday Highlight :)

It's official, our Aunt Becki has signed up to run/walk the half marathon :)  We'll be sneaking her a Team Spangler T-shirt to wear.  Be sure to be on the lookout and cheer a little louder for our folks! :) We are excited for them!  If you ever need positive thoughts, look this lady up!  She is always smiling!  Good Luck Aunt Becki!

Aunt Becki in the Half Marathon in 2010 (I think) :)