I read this book during several easy treadmill runs and book marked my favorite parts along the way. I know a lot of people think I’m crazy that I read on the treadmill- but I swear it’s amazing. I put my kindle on the second or third to largest font and it works beautifully. It helps pass time and also helps me enjoy the run more, while getting some reading in. There are so many books I wouldn’t have read this past year, had it not been for my treadmill running.

I promised myself I would actually go back and read the book marked pages though. A fair warning- this woman has a lot of great things to say, so there are quite a few quotes I pulled.

Clearly Chrissie is an amazingly talented athlete– you can’t WILL yourself to be as fast as or as talented as her, but you CAN will yourself to work hard and be the best that YOU can be. What I love most about Chrissie, is that she uses her platform to do good things. She knows that she has a responsibility and puts her responsibility to action by making the world a better place.

SO, here are my favorites:

• “Just seize every opportunity you have, embrace every experience. Make a mark, for all the right reasons.”  – Said by Chrissie’s Dad when he dropped her off at College

• “Acknowledging those weaknesses is vital to our development. Some are real and can be overcome, but others are not so much weaknesses as imperfections- it is just our perception that makes them seem so. Willpower and discipline have always played a huge role in my life and never more so than now, but if they are not applied selectively, they can wear you down as much as they spur you on. Pick your battles and accept yourself for who you are.”

• “Hard work and an open mind- it’s the only way to realize the potential that is inside every one of us.”

• “You may not be able to right now, but with a positive farm of mind and a willingness to work, anything is possible. Remaining positive really is one of the most precious faculties for any athlete. That, and the ability to stay focused and disciplined. Develop a mind bank of positive images and thoughts- family, friends, previous successes, favorite places, a big plate of chips. You need to build it up as you would any collection, but soon you will have a range of thoughts to flick through when next your body and souls are screaming out for relief.”

• “Never ever give up- and smile”

• “In an endurance athlete’s life, pain is never far away. Pain is little more than a conversation between your body and your brain, this is another reason why a fit mind is so important. The brain is the master computer of the body. Even when we are working on the efficiency of the peripheral components- the legs, the arms, the butt cheeks- we can recruit the seat of all power to enhance the effectiveness of our work. It’s a question of testing limits. For a star there’s the importance of keeping an open mind. The brain is programmed to protect us, and that can mean imposing limited now hat it thinks we can or should do. Constantly push at those limits, because the brain can be way too cautious.”

• “Never image in anything is impossible and never stop trying out new things.”

• “Everyone gets nervous before a race- it’s human. I would be worried about any athlete that didn’t. It’s a sign of how much we care. The key is to trust in your preparation. You have done all you can, os focus on that fact. You will remain the same person before, during and after the arc, so the result, however important, will not define you. The journey is what matters.”

• LIVE: By John Blazeman “Live…. More than your neighbors. Unleash yourself upon the world and go places. Go no. Giggle, no, laugh. No… stay out past day, and bark at the moon like the wild dog that you are. Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal. This is it…. your life. Face your fears and live your dreams. Take it in. Yes, every chance you get…. come close. And by all means, whatever you do… Get it on film”

• “You know that there will be ebbs and flows, and you have to hold on to the knowledge that you have been there before and come through it.You can’t latch on to the pain; somehow you must switch that part of your brain off and go into automatic pilot.”

• “No one should ever be afraid of failing; it’s being afraid to give it your al in trying that I urge against. If there is one thing I have learned, particularly in my life as an athlete, it is that our limits may not be where we think they are. And even when we think we’ve finally reached them, the next time we go there exploring we often find that they’ve moved again.”

And this is one reason I love her so much:

• “More than though, is the desire to use well this privilege of being a world champion. It excited me to be in a position to make a difference. It excites me to see how sport can inspire people and change lives. I believe that the responsibilities of a professional sportsman or woman extend beyond their performance on the big stage. They have a role to pal in shaping the health of their nations, spreading positive messages and doing their best to effect chance. Not enough take that responsibility seriously. With it comes power, and you choose to use it or waste it.”

• “My only policy throughout has been to keep an open mind and, whatever I may do, to give it my all.”

• “Be Happy 4 this moment…. 4 this moment…. is your life”

That’s all! I hope this left you feeling inspired this AM- and if you’re looking for a good read- pick it up.

• 7 runs
• 64 miles
• 2ish workouts

Monday – 8 miles

Easy/recovery miles from the weekend double. 7:42 pace. I am making a point to slow down my easy runs this cycle.

Tuesday – 7 miles

More easy running. 7:30 pace or so.

Wednesday – 10 Miles

Medium range run. 10 miles…I love that distance. 7:24 pace

Thursday – 7 miles

4 mile descending tempo. Used the first two miles to work down from 6:40 to 6:11. Ran last two miles @ 6:11 & 6:03 
1 mile cool down. 

The problem.

Fixed. Power still works. Also lubed the deck. Success.

I also fixed the treadmill. The outlet needed to be fixed. Just call me Bob Villa.

And I kind of miss this guy:

Doesn’t he know mom & dad use Hammer?

Looking all hip and stuff in his homemade hat. (Thanks for the cute new vest from Grandma and Grandpa Hein)

He is eating realish foods these days:

• Oatmeal
• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Sweet Potatoes
• Carrots
• Green Beans
• Zucchini

Still on some Breast Milk but mostly Formula. I’m holding on for dear life, don’t want to deal with weening off, just doesn’t sound comfortable for me.

Hanging out at the Back on My Feet Super Bowl Party- 27th Floor of the Regions Bank Tower, watch out world here he comes.

Nicknames & who calls him what:

• Marshman– Everyone, no seriously… everyone. Even people who have never met him. This is by far the most popular
• Marsh– Glenn & I and lot’s of others
• Fire Marshall– Glenn & I (and probably Uncle Joey)
• The Terminator– Glenn 
• The Marshinator– Glenn & I
• Marshmellow– Mostly me- but that started when he had the white brace for his hip, it’s pretty much over
• Bub– Glenn & I- it’s embarrassing really, but we started doing it as a joke and now we can’t stop. I always have to remind Glenn to not say it out loud in front of people. 
• Bubinski– Glenn
• Buddy– Glenn, Giovann & I 
• Marshy Moo- Giovanna & I
• Major– Grandpa Greg (Old Pap)

Other things he’s up to:

• Crawling faster than any baby I’ve ever known. (I’ve actually only really known a few though)

• Pulls himself up on absolutely everything. Baths can be hard. And Dangerous.

• He does the one handed hold on now and takes little steps.

• Still loves a good stroller ride- although doesn’t get them too much in this weather. We got out and put some miles in though when it warmed up a few days. Cadence came along too… she’s gotten lazy in her older years… 9 miles just about did her in… I was literally dragging her the last 2 miles, while pushing the stroller into a mad headwind. Teamwork. 

• Watching praise baby DVDs- we only have one, so he just watches the same one usually about once a day. It’s just a lot of worship songs with pictures of animals, babies,weird faces and stuff. 

• Hanging in the exersaucer while I treadmill it. My goal is usually to knock out at least a decent warm up before he falls apart for nap time. The other day though, he lasted 10 miles. He was so tired he just fell asleep sitting up after 20 minutes, so I turned on Kathie Lee & Hoda, watched them, read my kindle (just put it on the 2nd to largest font… it works!) and stared at my adorable sleeping child for 8 more miles. It was awesome.

Intense praise baby watching. The creepy old guy chewing like a goat is probably on the screen.

• Favorite new place: Crawling under the dining room table. Our dining room set has been passed down in my family for years- it was my Great Grandmas. A lot of little crawlers have spent time under this table. My mom said she remembers playing under it. That’s kind of special.

Just exploring

• Favorite new thing to get into: Cabinets, trashcans – and if you open the fridge, he bee lines for it. 

• Favorite things to play with: Tupperware and paper grocery bags

• Favorite Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider

• Favorite Book: Trucks 

• Sleep: Bedtime- 7:00pm, and we are slowly cutting out the third nap… he’s kind of been a monster about getting him in his crib for naps these days. A lot of naps have been happening in mom, dad and babysitter arms. It’s peaceful, but makes it hard to be productive.

With his Best Friend Cadence. He is all over her. She doesn’t really mind and means well, but she’s a dog. We aren’t stupid, we are careful.

Everyone says he looks like his mama.

Look at those arches in his feet. Those are my feet. Sorry buddy.