Happy Birthday Duke!!

This is my baby.

He turns 4 today.


We loved each other from day 1.

I took him everywhere.

It may seem like I carried him everywhere.

And apparently I only had one shirt back then.

He has always loved to swim.

And use his sniffer.

And ride in the car.

Not much has changed since then. He has grown a bit, but he's still the sweetest, snuggliest pup in the whole wide world.

Happy 4th birthday Duke!

In other news, we are headed south tomorrow to eventually make our way to Orlando. We will be making stops in Birmingham, Dothan, and Ocala before we finally make it to Orlando. So far, it looks like we will have some nice weather. And of course Saturday, Jan. 8th, is the Disney Half Marathon! I'll try to keep the updates coming this week, but I'm not sure what my internet status will be. Either way, I'll miss ya, I love ya, and will be thinking of ya!

Looong Run Sunday

Ryan is a self-proclaimed nonrunner. He doesn't run, doesn't like to run, but yet he signed up for a half marathon, to run, on his birthday, so go figure. A few weeks back, with less than 2 months left to train for the race, he decided to, well, START training. He's been walking/jogging a good bit with a training plan I developed that should be just enough to get us across the finish line without me getting re-injured and without him passing out midway through!

So far, our longest run has been up to 6 miles, which we ended up doing on our own. Today our long run goal was 8 miles, so we decided to do it together to stay motivated. This was my longest run since August before I was injured, and this was Ryan's longest run, ever. Fortunately, the weather was great. It stayed in the upper 40's with minimal wind and all the sunshine you could ask for. I brought the camera along, but we didn't run into anything too exciting. Here are a few clips, one before, during, and after the run.







Ryan says it was horrible, but it was really great! We used a jog/walk method (thanks Jeff Galloway!) where we jogged 3 minutes/walked 1 minute. You can really average a pretty good pace using this method because your muscles don't tire out as fast. We averaged a 12:38 pace. Although it was slower than my normal, I made it 8 miles without hip pain, so it worked as far as I'm concerned! AND Ryan made it through his longest run ever! I'm so proud of him and so excited that our half marathon is just around the corner and we may actually be ready!

One of These Things is Not Like the Other...

Looking at my last few pairs of running shoes, you may notice a trend. Well, until you look at that last pair on the top.





You see, I've been running in Asics for as long as I can remember. Even in high school, when I took an occasional jog at the park and wore my cheerleading shoes, they were Asics.

This was my first "real" pair of running shoes. When I say "real," I mean that there was more thought into their function as good running shoes rather than just how they look and how they fit. I got them 6 years ago when I was training for my first half-marathon. I went to a "real" running store and was fitted for them and everything. I thought they were amazing. This particular pair of shoes is now dedicated for yard work which is why they are so clean and shiny.



Every pair of running shoes since have been Asics, until just recently. Now don't get me wron, I will forever love my Asics and will probably buy more in the future, but I got sucked into a new craze and just had to try something different. Anyone in the running community knows that there is currently a new craze for minimalist shoes. Minimalist shoes mimic barefoot running, causing a runner to run off the midfoot rather than strike hard with the heel, also causing a shorter stride length. All of which helps to decrease impact and risk for common injuries. Plus, they are incredibly lightweight, feeling like you have feathers on your feet. For more info from some people who actually know what they're talking about read this article: click here.



Since I'm currently all for anything that could possibly help reduce my risk for another injury, I researched some of the current options in minimalist footwear. I finally chose to give Saucony's Kinvara a try.

Here they are in all their hot pink glory!



I went on my first run in them on Saturday. The first thing I noticed is how incredibly light and flexible they are. I felt like my foot turnover was much faster than normal, and as it turns out, I maintained an average of a 9:30 pace which is much faster than I've been running since coming back from my injury, and much closer to what I was running prior to my injury.



Today my ankles and calves were a bit sore which matches some of what I've read about switching to minimalist shoes. Apparently, it engages different muscles in the feet and ankles and it takes some time for your body to acclimate. So for now, I will be switching back and forth from my old shoes for every-other-run, or so, to give my feet time to adjust.

Ryan got a pair too! We have just over a month left before the Disney Half Marathon, so we are looking forward to "breaking in" our new shoes over the next month in preparation. For more info on the Kinvaras (way more than I can give you here), visit saucony.com.

Aspen's Rough Week

Aspen had a rough week.

When Ryan got home from class around lunchtime on Monday, Aspen had a flap of skin pulled back on his side. How?

We still don't know. He must have gotten stuck on the fence somewhere, but we haven't figured out where.

The wound had a collection of fluid underneath it, so the vet made an incision above and below the site of the injury and put a tube through to allow the fluid to drain.

Nice, huh?

He got the drain out on Thursday.

It's looking much better! He will get the stitches out in one more week.

We had to miss our obedience class this week, but we got some homework from the teacher, so maybe we won't be too far behind. Hopefully, Aspen will have a better week next week!