May 22, 2009

Just wanted to post a couple of pictures from the wedding. It turned out to be the perfect day! I can't wait to get the pictures back from our photographer. I hope you enjoy this little peek...

Small town running dangers....

Today when we were out running I was trying to decide what the biggest danger for running in my home town would be. First off I will tell you that my town NEVER sees runners out on the road. You have two types of drivers here (as of now) the newly released seniors that spend their days "driving around" now that school is out and the older farmers that drive 4 mph...just checking things out. Both seem to have trouble figuring out what to do when driving by a runner. Next we have the town dogs. It seems like none of them are tied up or behind fences and ALL of them feel the need to bark and chase me. Especially the little dogs. I have a little gray dog that watches me until I get to the middle of a hard hill and then takes off chasing. Maybe he thinks that I need an extra boost to get up that hill! Oops I almost forgot about the scary drivers that have the tinted windows that slow to a crawl as they go by...only to speed around the corner and do another drive-by. That leads me to the lack of sidewalks, shoulders, running trails. Last year Tony twisted an ankle because he slipped off the pavement into a pothole. Needless to say I need to find a better place to run. I'm going to look into the "bigger" town next to us. I need some place to do some longer runs. Well that's all from me. I'm off to get a pre-wedding massage!
See you on the road!

TWO WEEKS

I am so excited we have two more weeks until we leave for Hawaii. That means in two weeks I will have my feet in the sand surrounded by my favorite people. In 18 days I will be saying "I do" in paradise! I can't wait! But to be honest I can't wait for this planning stage to be over. I'm ready to get back to normal life. My running has been suffering lately. I promise myself that I will run and will only get a few miles in when I get pulled in another direction (note to self...stop running inside). Tonight my brother and I went for a nice 2.3 miles. It was so nice to be back out on the road. Plus it was just nice to be out with my brother. We decided that we will do it every night...until we leave for the wedding. Something really nice to look forward to. I'm also really excited to see my friend (Marijke) from Holland again. We will have some pretty amazing runs to go on in Hawaii. Well...I'm off to bed.
See you on the road!

Back In The States

I am finally back in the states after lots of traveling for the last 3 weeks. We are getting married in Hawaii in a month. So as you can guess I have been under a lot of stress lately. Even when I get out for my runs I have too much in my head. Usually I can get out and clear my head and relax...not the case right now. I also have the excitement of trying to find new places to run in my little (no stop light) town. I was out on my first day back and my Garmin ran out of batteries and OF COURSE I left my charger in Canada with Tony. So after my run I had to do the old fashion get in the car and drive the route...with my whole family. I think they like having me back home. I also never realized how hilly and windy my town is. When people think of Nebraska they usually think of flat prairie. Not here I have at least 3 pretty major hills to climb before I get back home. Boy do I miss the Netherlands!!! The only flat parts are along the highways, which in turn are WINDY. I was trying to run on the white line and was blown off at least every few steps. The good news is that the next few days are suppose to be warmer and a little less windy. I hope to take full advantage!

And off the subject I just HAD to post two of my favorite engagement pictures. They were taken in Tilburg by our friend Frans Lahaye

Team Point Two

Team Point Two was announced last night on the Runners Round Table (episode 24). What is Team Point Two? Basically it is a group of 7 runners who have run at least one marathon and are trying to improve their personal record. This group gives other runners the opportunity to follow these runners as they train for their fall marathon. I am so honored to be a part of this group! I think it is an amazing idea. I would like to thank John, Steve, and Toni for starting this amazing adventure!

I have added some of my teammate's blogs under Team Point Two on the side bar, so you can check out their wonderful sites (will add the rest soon). The first of the monthly Team Point Two episodes is on May 13th at 4:00 EST on the Runners Round Table. See you on the road!

Rain Rain Rain

We have 4 days left here in the Netherlands. I am going to miss all my FLAT running courses. I really love running here in Tilburg! When I return to my hometown of 1500 people I will be circling the town just in order to get some of my longer runs in. I'm sure the whole town will begin talking (you know how small towns are) about the crazy running girl. The one thing I'm looking forward to is having access to a treadmill. We have been having 3 straight days of rain. Not just a little rain, but downpours mixed with hail and lightening. Every time I try to walk out the door I am instantly soaked. Rain rain go away come again in 5 days!

Update:
I got out the door when I thought the weather was starting to get better. I was caught in drizzle, hail (three times), and CRAZY HARD wind. I only ran 6 miles because I was tired of getting pelted in the face with hail. Hard run because of the wind. Hopefully the weather will cooperate better tomorrow.

Why I ran my first marathon

I have wanted to start a running blog for sometime now. I thought that training for my second marathon would be the perfect time to start my new blog. I first want to dedicate this blog to my friend George. He is the main reason why I started on this journey.
Hello! Greetings from The Netherlands. Can you believe that it is already almost February? Time seems to be going so fast. I'm sure most of you know that I am training for my first marathon. For those of you that don't... I will be running my first marathon on Sunday, February 1 in Apeldoorn here in the Netherlands. The training has been really hard with all the rain, snow (which is not common here in Tilburg), cold temps, and brutal winds. It has also been a very emotional time for me. Many of you know that my grandfather passed away in September followed by the death of my friend's son George in October. Tony and I were very close with George. Really even to this day words cannot express how sad I feel. I still think about him everyday! Being so far away from both family and friends I really felt helpless. I turned to running. I dedicated myself to running a marathon...I called it Running for George.

RUNNING FOR GEORGE
"This last October my good friend's son passed away. George was the son of Chuck and Gretchen who live in Shreveport. In George's 12 years he touched people of all ages anywhere he went. Tony and I have visited Shreveport the last few summers and spent lots of time with George and his family. George was an avid hockey player and his dream was to be a NHL goalie. There is no doubt George would have achieved his goal if given the chance.
George had many dreams and one of his hopes was to have high school hockey in Shreveport. At this time the city of Shreveport and the Cloutier family are raising money to build an ice rink in his memory called "George's Pond."
Being so far away I wanted to do something to help raise funds. On February 1, 2009 I will be running my first marathon in George's honor. It has been a big motivating factor in all the miles I have run during my training. Please help me in making George's dream come true. Thank you from the bottom of my heart",
Jamie (taken from an email sent before my marathon)

I look forward to all the challenges that I will face in my upcoming training. See you on the road!