Finally Answers to Malissa's Hip Pain

Written by Malissa

I wanted to give an update about all that has happened with my hip since my last race:

I took a month off of running in hopes that my pain would go away. I iced and stretched daily. The pain in my quad went away but I still had really bad pain in my hip. I started strength training in hopes of building leg muscles that would help me run more efficiently in the future and then maybe my hip pain would go away.

I was getting more and more frustrated because nothing was helping my hip pain. One of the many times I complained about my pain and frustration on facebook, a friend mentioned that I might need a hip adjustment. That got me thinking and I remembered how on all my running shoes my right heal is more worn off than my left.

I made an appointment with a sports chiropractor. Dr. Bill told me that I had a tilted pelvis and that it was important for me to keep my hamstring loose. He wants me to stretch it a couple times a day and also wanted me to strengthen it so he wants me to incorporate the pelvic bridge into my strengthening workout.

Dr. Bill said the regular pelvic bridge was too easy for me so he wanted me to do the pelvic bridge with a ball.

Towards the end of my appointment he noticed that my left leg was shorter than my right. He measured from my belly button down to my inner ankle bones on both legs. Sure enough my right leg is longer by 5mm. He said most likely it has been like that since birth. That made so much sense to me because I've had joint/hip pain most of my life but it has only gotten worse since I started running. He gave me a heel insert to put in my shoe and told me I should notice a big difference when I walk and run.

*side note* When I told my dad that my right leg is longer than my left, his first question was, "does he think it has been like that since birth?" I guess when I was 2 or 3 my parents took me in to the doctor because I was falling all the time. The doctor had me walk for him and then told my parents that babies fall a lot. I have tripped a lot in my lifetime so much that one of my nicknames growing up was Gracie.

Dr. Bill gave me the okay to run. He said I should start off slow by running a mile and then I could slowly add more miles as I strengthen my left leg. The first week I noticed my hip didn't hurt to walk but it still hurt while I ran. The most I could run without it hurting was a half mile. By the second week I was up to a mile twice a week. On National Running day I was determined to run 3 miles. I got the ok from Dr. Bill, grabbed my running partner Lynne, and hit the greenway.

We took it very slow but it felt so good to be out running again. My hip felt pretty good until about two and a half miles. The pain was a little different, it was more like pressure instead of sharp pain.

I'm getting really excited for my next half marathon training. Dr. Bill said I should notice a huge difference because I will be running more efficiently. Now I just need to find a place that I can get specialty flip flops made because running shoes and dresses just don't look cute together...

Which Marathon for Nevada?

Written by Owen:

As part of my challenge to run a marathon in all 50 states plus DC, I have to choose very carefully what marathon to run in each state.  I don't want to repeat states, as I am anxious to complete this goal and don't want to "waste" a marathon on a state I've already completed.

I haven't had much trouble deciding until now.  For Nevada, there are two that I honestly can't decide between.  Here are pros and cons for each that I've compiled based on reviews from people that have run each, from my marathon preferences, etc.

We will be living in Utah at this time, so both are a convenient drive.

	Pros	Cons
Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon 11/17/2013	The strip at night Las Vegas is just so much fun. HUGE spectator support Sleep in, no early morning wake up call Fremont street at night	Rock 'n' Roll Series (notoriously poorly organized) Overcrowded Half-Marathon congestion (30,000 half marathoners on poorly designed course) Preparation to run at night, (when do I eat?, rest?, etc?) Half of the course is very boring & isolated
Hoover Dam Marathon 12/14/2013	Hoover Dam is so special to me.  My dad was an electrical engineer there for many years Boulder Beach, Lake Mead start/finish line (lots of childhood memories here) No auto traffic (all trail/paved walking path) Stunning views of Lake Mead, Hoover Dam	A double out-and-back course  (run 6.5 miles, come back, then do it again) I would have to wait to run the Tucson Marathon until 2014, because it is Dec 7 Very little spectator support A little too small (~200 finishers) More hills (400 ft inclines four times) see here.

So now it's up to you.  I want everyone that reads this to vote, which one should I run?

Upcoming Marathons

Here's what I have to look forward to in the next six months (can't wait!):

All of these are the same scale except for Pennsylvania, it wouldn't fit on a 800 foot scale, so it's even more drastic than it looks.

My Favorite Olympic Moments

Written by Owen: 


I am very much looking forward to the Olympics. That got me thinking about some of my favorite olympic moments. These are the ones that came to mind. What are some of your favorites?



Miracle on Ice in 1980:

Mary Lou Retton's Perfect 10 in 1984:

Derek Redmond in 1992:

Kerri Strug in 1996: (This is probably my all-time favorite)

US Men's 4x100 relay in 2008:

Usain Bolt's 100m in 2008:

Usain Bolt's 200m in 2008:

National Running Day

We declare our love for running on National Running Day:

Written by Owen
I truly love running. I love the way it makes me feel.  I love the results.  I love being healthy.  I love it so much I ran my 4 miler this morning in a very heavy downpour of rain.

Written by Malissa

I started running a little over a year ago in hopes to gain my health back. I learned this week that I now run for my sanity! I've been sick the past couple of weeks and haven't been able to run much. On Sunday I was having a blah day, nothing was going my way, everything was bothering me. It was almost 8pm and I was about to snap. I turned to Owen and said, "I'm gong for a run, I'm about to snap." My first two miles were pretty fast because I was mad but by my third mile I was cooling down and had a nice easy jog. So yeah, running keeps me sane these days!

Mother-Daughter Running

Written by Malissa:


This past year I have been thinking a lot about my running and how I can use it to help others. I've been helping a few of my friends that have just started running but I really wanted to do more.

I've always had a desire to help late elementary/middle school girls. It's such a tough age for girls, I know it was for me. I was tiny, like Alicia, in elementary but started developing a chest in late third grade and then went through puberty in sixth grade. I gained some weight during this time. Looking back on it now, I wasn't fat, even though I thought I was.  I had a large chest and hips and no longer had a stick figure body like all the other girls. I was teased by the other girls and harassed by the boys, in middle school and high school. When I see a young, overweight girl my heart hurts for her, because I know she's getting picked on. She most likely has low self-esteem and she compares herself to the girls around her. Again middle school is so tough for girls!

During my getting healthy journey, I've really enjoyed doing research on better ways to eat healthy. I've decided to get my Nutrition & Wellness Consultant and Children's Fitness Specialist Certification this fall. I really feel that this is what God has been preparing me to do with my life. 

I've also asked my running partner and good friend, Joana, to help me start a mother-daughter running group this summer. We have a few natural runners in the group and a few that aren't so we're going to try and make running fun. We're getting a list of games together that we can play while we run. We plan to start off slow and work our way up to a 5k. We'll most likely follow the Couch to 5k plan with a slight twist. We're also going to have a bible study once a week with the girls. Since most of the girls are late elementary/early middle school we want to talk about friendship, self image, and nutrition. At the end of summer or early fall we're planning on taking the girls to the beach for a 5k race and to celebrate all their hard work! If you're interested in following along , we will be posting weekly at http://soul2soles.blogspot.com/

Do you know of any ways to make running fun? Any games?   

Training for Grandma's Marathon (BQ?)

Written by Owen:

I'm currently training for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on June 16th.  Tomorrow is my last 20 miler followed by three weeks of tapering.  I've hit the roads harder than ever since the Big Sur Marathon back in April.  The reason for that is that I want to take a crack at qualifying for Boston.

My PR is 3:21:58 at the Myrtle Beach Marathon back in February.  My qualifying standard for Boston is 3:10.  To some that may not sound like a big difference, but it is HUGE.  I pushed myself really hard at Myrtle Beach, which is a pancake flat marathon.  I had trained pretty hard, and still hit the wall hard at mile 24, slowing by almost a minute per mile on the last two miles.  My average pace was 7:42.  In order to qualify for Boston at Grandma's, I'll have to run an average pace of 7:15 on a not as flat course.

Myrtle Beach Course Profile

Grandma's Course Profile

I feel really good, and my training has gone wonderfully since Big Sur.  My running log as I write this says I've ran 71 miles in the last 7 days; 218 in the last 30; and 2,001 in the last 365!  Today's 10 mile training run was at an average pace of 7:40 on severe hills.

All of that sounds like I can do it, it feels like I can do it, but the thought of running 26.2 miles at 7:15 is scary.  My fear is that I'll try... and bonk at mile 16 and have 10 miles of misery.  I really enjoy enjoying marathons.  I don't want misery.

As a backup plan, I made a custom pace tattoo on Taz Running that has both paces (beat my PR, and qualify for Boston). The column that looks like 14/41 means 7:14/7:41, the pace for that mile (to save room).

That way if I get out there and just don't think I can do it, I can always just try to PR.

My custom pace tattoo

Here are a couple of videos by C Tolle Run about Grandma's Marathon.

I am super excited for Grandma's, only three weeks to go!  Wish me luck.

2012 Big Sur International Marathon (by Malissa)

Blog entry permanently moved here

Park City Marathon's Website

I just happened to go to Park City Marathon's website and was pleasantly surprised to see a picture of Michael and me on their home page.  Too cool!

What a Year

Written by Malissa

Looking back at 2011
What an amazing year! Who would have known that we had a house full of runners? I'm so thankful that I decided to do the Couch to 5k program last January and that our friend Udit talked Owen into training for the 5k too. Running has brought so much joy into our lives. I feel so blessed that we found an activity that our family enjoys doing together. We've also enjoyed watching our friends and family catch the running bug.

Races we ran in 2011 (We raced in five different states in 2011: NC, UT, VA, TN, GA)

	5k	10k	Half- Marathon	Marathon
Owen	5	2	2	1
Malissa	6	1	1
Michael	6	3	1
Kyle	3
Alicia	3

Miles we ran in 2011
Owen: 1329
Malissa: 377
Michael: 398
Kyle: 22
Alicia: 35

Goals for 2011
Weight loss-Owen and I both met our weight loss goals
Become debt free- we didn't quite make our debt free goal due to all the traveling we did with our races, but we made a lot of progress.

Goals for 2012
1) We plan to continue or weight loss journey. We both have a little more to lose to get us in prime running shape.

2) Become debt free and have our emergency fund completely funded.

3) Keep a prayer journal. I came across the idea over here. I like the idea of going back and writing next to your prayer request how God answered them.

4) Owen wants to run 2400 miles.

5) After Big Sur Marathon, I plan to take a short break from long distance and work on getting my 5k time below 30 minutes. I also want to train more with Kyle and Alicia.

6) Michael plans to run in the Run For Your Life Grand Prix Series

7) Owen plans to run 50 marathons in 50 states by his 50th birthday. I am so excited for this goal. What better way to see our beautiful country than taking running trips with our family. Owen is 37, he has 12+ years to complete this goal. He plans to run four marathons per year. He completed his first marathon this past November and marked North Carolina off the list! He already has four lined up for this year:
Myrtle Beach Marathon, South Carolina (Febuary)
Big Sur International Marathon, California (April)
Mad Marathon, Vermont (July)
St. George Marathon, Utah (October)

Our Ten Month Progress

Written by Malissa

I want to share some pictures of our progress over the past ten months. My health journey started two years ago but this past January is when Owen and I started running and when we noticed our bodies change the most, both physically and mentally. When we started running we felt better about ourselves and that has helped us make healthier eating choices.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

I am so happy with our progress over these past ten months. Sometimes I forget how far we have come and then I look back at these pictures and am amazed at the difference. February's picture amazes me the most. I don't remember Owen looking like that, it looks almost fake to me, like we are wearing "fat suits".

We are almost to our goal weight. Owen has about 15 pounds left to lose and I have about 20. Now that we are getting close to our goal it is getting harder to shed the pounds. This past week we realized there are still a few issues we needed to address to helps us reach our goals. Owen eats more when he is bored and at night before bed. He usually grabs snacks that are quick and easy, not always the healthiest. We're going to try and have more fruits and vegetables on hand ready for him to eat. This time of the year it's hard to find good fruit so we stocked our freezer and fridge with a bunch of different veggies. Owen even made himself some steamed brussel sprouts the other day for a snack. I bet my mother-in-law is picking her chin off the ground right now!

I'm a little bit more complicated, I'm an emotional eater and a bit of a food binger. It seems like everything I do in life, I do it in binges; eating, exercising, cleaning, blogging, my walk with God, cooking, and even my relationships. I'm so gung-ho when I first start something but then something happens and I tend to lose interest or get bored. I've improved over the past couple of years but I know it will be something that I will always be working on. I find when I set small goals I stick with things longer. I've noticed that with running, when I have races lined up I'm the most excited about running.

Owen's Birthday Present

Written by Owen:

Today is my birthday, so here's a quick picture of the birthday present my mom got me this year.

I really like it, and can't wait to add more bling.  My first marathon finisher's medal will be on there in three short weeks.

Birthdays have always been extra special for me because I share my birthday with my dad. Malissa framed this picture of my dad shortly after he died in 2000.  The picture is of him running his first of five St. George Marathons in 1995.  He died training for his sixth marathon on that very road in the picture.

I've had this picture in different places in different homes over the years.  It has always been special, but now that I'm running my first marathon it means a lot more.

Mom, thanks for the Race Bling display.  Malissa, thanks for the picture.  Dad, happy birthday, I miss you!

Marathon for the Family, One Month Away

Written by Owen:

I have been training for this marathon for over five months now.  I've ran over 800 miles in that time.  While running those miles, each day I do the math as to how long it is before November 12th.  November 12th is one of those dates now that just screams at me. So today when I looked at the date and it said October 12th, I was overwhelmed with emotions. One month to go.  The funny thing is, I feel 100% prepared.  I'm not nervous.  I'm anxious.  I can't wait to get out there.

I've been doing all the reading I can on marathon running. One thing I read was an idea of what to do to help the miles pass easier while running the marathon.  I will assign each mile a family member.  While running that particular mile, I will think about that person individually.  I will remember fun times we've had together, I will be thankful for that person and what they mean to me.  I will also be carrying a voice recorder with me while running.  I will take notes at each mile on what I'm feeling like, unique things about that mile, etc.  I will then write that all up into the post-race blog.

Counting my wife, kids, brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents I have 28 people.  So counting the 26 miles, plus the time before the starting line (waiting to start, and actually running toward the starting line), plus the 385 yards after the 26th mile marker heading to the finish line, there are 28 slots.  Here is the pace chart I will have on my arm during the race:

I chose to put my dad in the last 385 yards leading up to the finish line because he is why I am doing this. My dad died of a heart attack while training for his 5th St. George Marathon in 2000.  I'm not sure what emotions and thoughts I will be having that last 385 yards, but I know it will be centered on my dad.

I let Malissa pick which mile she wanted and she chose the 26th.

I also let my mom pick, she picked the 13th mile for the following reason: Because it is near the halfway point, but more for Hebrews 12:1 (12+1=13) "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US."

For the rest, I had Excel randomly select a spot.

I hope anybody that can will come out on November 12th.  Here's a map that show's the route.  It shows the estimated time at each point when I will be there, just hover your mouse over the mile marker.  Malissa plans on going to several of the spots to see me pass.

For those of you that can't make it to Charlotte, here are the actual results that will be updated every time I cross one of the timing mats.  Just hit Ctrl+F (find) and search for Lillywhite.

The finish line is at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Davidson St. in uptown Charlotte.  My goal is 3 hours and 40 minutes which would put me crossing the finish line at about 11:25 AM (hopefully sooner).

Malissa's Long Run Dilemma Solved

Written by Malissa

After having a horrible long run last week I decided I needed to find a running partner to help me with my long runs. 

The first person that came to my mind was my friend Joana. I texted her to see what her pace was, hoping it was faster but not too much faster than me. Come to find out she was a lot faster than me but wanted to run with me anyways. 

The first two miles felt great, averaging 11:33 and 11:54. The third mile I got a massive cramp behind the right side of my rib cage. Joana knew right away that it was from me talking too much. Because I don't normally run with anyone, I'm not use to talking while I run. So she told me to take a break from talking and focus on my breathing. That mile I averaged 13:08. The fourth, fifth, and sixth mile we picked back up the pace and averaged 11:42, 11:57, 11:34.

I'm so thankful to Joana for running with me. It was such a selfless act on her part. We were running a lot slower than what she was use to but she didn't seem to mind.  

It was my fastest long run ever and other than my cramp at the beginning, It felt great. Looks like I found my running partner!


Here's a look at last Saturday's run by myself and today's run with Joana.


last Saturday's run:

and today's run:


Such a big difference! Thanks again Joana!

Malissa's Long Run Dilemma

Written by Malissa


Saturday morning was my first long run since the half marathon. I had seven miles to run and planned to run it at a twelve minute pace. I've been running an eleven minute pace during my short runs so I thought for sure I would be able to run a twelve minute pace on Saturday.

Well, it didn't go as planned. No matter what I tried I couldn't get my legs to go faster than my usual fourteen minute pace but then on my last mile I pushed out a 12:04. 

I think I know what my problem is. I can push myself on the short distances because I know it will only last a little while but struggle with the longer distances. I think I need to find a running partner for my long runs. Someone that will help push me through to the end.

Malissa's Next Training Chapter

Written by Malissa

It's been a week since I ran the Park City Half-Marathon and my feet are finally healed. I made the mistake of wearing the wrong shoes to an amusement park the day after the race and boy did my feet pay the price. This was one of those rare times that Owen was able to say, "I told you so."

For the past few weeks I have been contemplating what training I would do after I finished my half marathon. I have eight months until the Big Sur Marathon and want to use the majority of that time getting my pace time down. My biggest fear right now is being picked up by the "pokey wagon".  I have decided to follow Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training Guide again but this time I will follow his advanced training guide.

I'm looking forward to lacing up my running shoes in the morning!

Malissa's Thoughts About Her First 5k Race

Written by Malissa

Now that I've had a few days to digest my first 5k race, I wanted to jot downs a fun things that I learned from the race.

I shouldn't start in the middle of the pack. Because I'm a slow runner, I was forced to start at a faster pace than I'm use to.

I learned that running is a mental game especially when there are other runners on the road. Because I usually run by myself, I wasn't use to people passing me. I'm not going to lie, it messed with my head a little. I had a hard time just focusing on my pace.

That it really does help when you have someone cheering you on. I was really tired torwards the end of the race and out of the corner of my eye I see Alicia, Jhanvi, Michael and Udit walking up the hill to look for me and as soon as they saw me I heard Alicia cheering, "Mommy you're doing a great job! You're almost there!" It was exactly what I needed to turn my jets on and sprint the rest of the way.

Even though I just started my running journey, I can be an inspiration to other runners. After the race a lady came up to me and said that seeing me sprint at the end pushed her to sprint.