Running in a winter wonderland!

Brrrr, it was cold on Sunday! And, remains cold today (Wednesday, the 2nd snow day in a row) temperature holding strong at 7 degrees! Don't even get me started on the wind chill...

Beth LOVED it! :)

After, I took off my outer layer pants, I was ready to rave it up with my super bright gloves!

Pre-run in the drizzle-sleet slickness, she's lookin' dry and warm (ish)

After the run, soooo cold! My clothes had misty water-droplets that had gathered on the outside of them that was the precipitation that looked like fuzz on my clothes. It was a pretty good race, despite the cold/stuff falling from the sky! I ran with a student, Karly, and I told her, at any time that she is free to go on ahead and leave me to fend for myself! But, we stayed together, she pushed me up those hills and through those hurried recovery sessions! We both are pretty competitive and passed two other chicas going into the home stretch! I felt good about it, they weren't all that pleased, but man, we booked it in there to make the grand tag to our teammate that would run the remaining 3.1 miles. Karly and I ran 3.1 in 27:30! A PR for me and I'm sure a nice little jog for her! ;)
I told Beth that I would just keep going with her for the remaining 3.1, but as I passed that finish line, I had to stop and gasp some air. I took some recovery time and then met up with her and ran the remaining 2+ miles with her! It was a good time!
We hurried home after the race and I couldn't wait to take off my wet clothes and warm up in the shower! It took a while, but eventually my lips returned to their normal color.

I'm currently writing this from the comfort of my couch on my 2nd consecutive snow day!! The wind is looking quite fierce and blowing the snow around....maybe I'll stay in today? hmm...

Until next time,
Shelby:)

Thanksgiving Day 5k

Hello all,

Hopefully your long weekend was refreshing gave you some momentum to forge into the holiday season! I know that it was MUCH needed personally, but it has been difficult to get my head out of the break-time fog!

While in KC, I managed to rest up, eat some DELICIOUS sushi at RA in OP, eat yummy thanksgiving-time food, (when else does one eat stuffing?), go shopping, create/finalize my Christmas list, and run a little 5K with mi familia!

My bro came down from Des Moines, IA and I was psyched to have some healthy sibling rivalry. Secretly, I thought I would smoke Sam-bo....but we talked about it ahead of time and decided to stay together and finish together...we were both going at about a 8:45/mile pace. BUT, little Sambo, who's not so little anymore, decided to really pick it up the last 1.5. I debated if I could keep up with him, but then thought, "wait a second, I should atleast try to stay with him!" So, I did (kinda) and ran my fastest mile EVER 7:55! He still finished 6 seconds before me, but I definitely blame the race and crowded roadways. I resign that there were too many people for too small of a roadway. I spent most of my time dodging people instead of finding any semblance of a stride. It was a fun way to start the holiday of eating, and good family bonding time! The only bummer was that I couldn't find Ben or Maris to chat with at the finish! Too many peeps!

Let's see...what's next on the race calendar? :)

It's been too long!

Hello Old Friend!

It has been too long since my last post and I've missed blogging dearly! I feel disconnected from an old friend, and many old friends thanks to my millions of fans and devoted readers..ha..ha:)

Anyway, for me this blog feels right when it's about running in some sense of the word. So allow me to recap life since the marathon!

I took about 3 weeks (the remainder of October, post-race) off completely from running. I did other forms of physical activity, but really took a break from lacing up my running kicks. I needed a break physically, mentally, emotionally, and physically! My body was at it's peak of injury-pain when it was time to run in Chicago. Looking back, "bad-timing" doesn't even come close to summarizing the coincidence. My IT band needed some rest, and I backed off, and invested in a foam roller, and have been rolling my way to a "hurts-so-good" recovery. The foam roller puts allows you to use your body weight as a force so the muscle and tendon really get some firm pressure to work out lactic acid, and tightness. At times, it's killer and I make really silly faces while breathing in short gasps. Jack thinks it's play time when I'm on the floor, and my sound effects don't help, but I know what that time is for!

Taken back to running 2-3 times a week. Saturday's just don't feel right if I'm not on the trail for a little bit. I think I've realized that I truly am a runner because last Saturday I slept in (till 8, ha!) and got up, quickly hurried some coffee a' brewin' then made some breakfast. I was thinking, "do I want to eat now, or run?" Well, the agenda was pretty open for the day, so I decided on some yummy cereal and then revisit the running option. The stresses of last week were feeling pretty heavy, and I wondered if the trail would suffice the intensity....it did! I felt right on the trail. I felt like the wide open view was soothing to my soul. Space created peace and it was addicting! I had intended to do 4 miles (farthest distance since the marathon) and felt so good, I went 4.5! My knee (IT band) was hurting the last mile, so I slowed the pace and paused to stretch. It felt right. The pressures from people, places, broken things= dryer :( were a distant memory for a while. Ahh, fresh air, delightful; cleansing.

Yep, I'm a runner. Life, and the demands and pressures of it all, make more sense on the trail. I also just completed this book:
So inspiring, it could be considered, "performance enhancing." You should check it out!

Next read:
So, I'm baaaaaack! Enjoy your Thursday, I hear it's going to be great running weather this afternoon in the Manhattan area:)

Shelb

Pictures of the Finish!

Hi all,

I just realized that even though I created a facebook photo album with pictures from the finish, I have yet to publish pictures on my blog of me post-race! So, here ya go!


Tired doesn't even come close to describing it...
All the expo, pre-race, getting all geared-up! :) I was a sucker for ANYTHING that said Chicago Marathon 2009 on it;)
Some peeps running, but cool street scenes of what it really looked like!

Cold, but the medal feels great!!
To get a better feel of what it felt like you can watch these 2 vidoes: one OR this one

I like youtube:)

Shelby

One Week Ago Today!

Hello All,
Life post-marathon for me look really interesting. I wore my medal most of the week, and then again today to church so people who haven't seen me yet could see it. I impressed small children by telling them I came in 2nd (because it's silver) and felt pretty cool. My body feels pretty normal again, I know that it's not normal, but ya, know, for the most part, I'm pretty mobile.
I had a pretty good, laid back weekend. I got a lot done, feel ready for the week, but I miss my trail. I miss leaving my foot prints for miles and miles, I miss the sweat and intensity at wanting my house to be just a little bit closer...It's weird this post-race-thing.
Since the race I haven't wanted to become a really good fan for the people in my life. I also learned during the race that I'm made to do huge life things with people. I desperately needed people to turn to during the race at mile 3, 5, 10, 13.1, 17, 18, 22, 24, 26, and 26.2! I needed someone who knew me, who could encourage me, who I could encourage too, ya know? The fans, have I told ya'll about the fans in Chicago on race day? Oh man, they were incredible! They really MADE the race for me! I didn't feel like I was alone on the course because I wrote my name on my shirt and people cheered for me like we had known each other for years! They challenged me to stay strong, keep a strong pace, keep my head up, shoulders back, and just keep pushing. So I did. Without people who could cheer my name I would have felt so alone I might not have finished. It really caught me off-guard how intensely I would feel my emotions of lonliness and pain, and at the same time elation, and appreciation. Holding those 2 things in balance and with passionate feeling behind them is really challenging. It makes answering the, "How was the marathon?" question really difficult! It was so painful, I wasn't expecting to feel like I was merely surviving for 23.2 miles!

Currently, I'm recovering and stretching and resting my body so that I'll be able to still consider myself a runner and at the end of October, try out a run or two...

I hope this makes sense, thanks for reading:)

Have a great week!
Shelb

Last Saturday in Chicago

Happy almost weekend all,

Here are some more pics from last weekend in Chicago. Coincidentally, Taylor Swift and her bf from New Moon (Jacob--can't remember his real name!) were in Chicago shopping on Michigan Ave AT the same time I was!! I....didn't happen to bump into her though :(
These sweet fountains had random Chicagoans' faces appear and sometimes water would spit out of their mouth!
Photo Op! It was cooooold!
THE BEAN!
The Bean upclose and personal!
Cool outdoor amphitheater!
The street attractions were a sight to behold! This was entertaining us for a little while: Puppet Theater!
We found the Little Corner Bakery and ate for yummy lunch! Me and Mama!
Me and Amsicle [the new HIT musical] at dinner at Big Bowl the night before the Marathon!
Back at the hotel room the night before the race, getting mentally and physically prepped! :) I wrote my name on my jersey so people could cheer for me as I ran! It really helped those long miles go by faster:)

Stay tuned for more later:)

1st Day in Chicago-Marathon Recap

Hi All,

I know this post is long overdue, but my schedule has been crazy-packed and I finally have a free evening! Pictures speak better than words....see below:

Walking into the Health & Fitness Expo. It was HUGE and full of sweet marketing stuff that I was a total sucker for:)Pulling my bib out of the informational envelope! It gave me chills, so nuts!

The blonde chick with the red shirt is Deena Kastor, she's an Olympian and was making her marathon comeback post stress-fracture in the Beijing Olympics 2008! I was a little starstruck!Mr. Hal Higdon himself signing copies of his novel! Another marathon icon!
I found a handy foam-roller at the expo and spent some time workin on that IT band....ouch!
Sweet closeup of the trophy...the only real closeup I knew I'd see of the grand prize!:)
My Mom found her inspiration to be the best cheer-er she could be!! It was cute;)
Sweet bag full of swag! Some stuff I bought, some stuff was a freebie! It was a sweet day!
The day was polished off with a pretty cool Team World Vision dinner at the University of Illinois Forum. We got to hear some inspirational stories, met some peeps and ate a pretty good meal. We were introduced to Tom who started running on Sunday (day of Marathon) at 1:30AM and ran to Charity Village for a total of 23.8 miles and then lined up with the rest of us to run the Marathon so that when he crossed the finish line he ran 50 miles total!! He is 50 years old, raised $50,000 and ran 50 miles! Amazing!!
It was a jam-packed day of travel, rain, coldness, and marathon swag! Whew, recapping it all even makes me a bit tired:) Here's a post for now!

More to come, I promise;)

Shelby

Alive and well!

The medal feels great!! I'm doing well, my heart is still beating and my lungs still taking in oxygen; I made it through 26.2 miles! I will post more about the marathon VERY soon, but for now, I just wanted to give you a glimpse of me wearing my medal this morning as I lounge around at my parent's house in KC!
I'm very sore and instead of feeling like I got hit by a truck, I feel like I just ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon! whoop whoop!! :)

I'm sticking around KC a little longer than planned today because I was given the information of this sports rehab massage therapist that is going to do some work on not 1, but BOTH of my IT bands on the outside of my right and left legs! So, I'll be home sweet home after that:)

Look for more to come later with LOTS of fun pics of the weekend festivities in Chicago!:)
Shelb

Dinner Send-Off!

Hi friends,

This is going to be real quick! I'm trying to get everything squared away so I don't overpack and miss out on cool swag storage to come home with:) Last night some good friends gathered and showered me with sweet cards and really nice gifties to send me on my way to Chicago!
Then..today I arrived at work to have my sweet students shower me with signs, posters, flowers, protein bar, and a delicious spaghetti lunch! :) Start the carb loading now!!

It was a really special day and I felt very encouraged and supported and am ready to high the skyways north to Chi-town! I'll be out of the blogosphere for awhile, but don't worry I will post quite the post-marathon recap! I'm very excited and so thankful for all of your prayers, encouragement and well wishes:) Here I go: rockin' this like a frickin' hurricane baby!:)





The Stew Crew was there as well, but I didn't pull my camera out until they were gone because I totally forgot, ugh, to take pictures! :( BUT, they were very fun, very energetic, and very entertaining;)

Love you all, Catch ya on the flip side:)
Shelby

Runner Tracking

Good COLD morning all!

It's quite chilly here in Manhattan, KS and will be just be getting colder after today in Manhattan AND Chicago!

I'm writing this to provide some info about the upcoming 26.2 mile race! The race begins at 7:30AM and you can receive text updates on how I'm doing and where I'm at on the course throughout the journey!
Simply go to this link: http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=37

and enter in your email address and create a password and then you can sign up to receive Text or email updates! All you have to know: Shelby Muha from Manhattan! :) You'll get a confirmation text and just reply or enter confirmation code and you're good to go! ;)

Thanks again for all the support, here's to praying and hoping it doesn't RAIN! and that somehow I'm able to stay warm:)
Shelby

Goodie Bag!

It's Marathon Week!

I went to Manhattan Running Co today and got some injury help! I knew I needed to get a long-sleeve moisture wick-ing shirt and some chews for race day. I went in and talked to Trey who was SUPER helpful! I got some arch-support insoles that will help the ankle issue AND an IT-band thing that I can wear above my knee to take some pressure off of my knee! I'm excited for this, but am kinda kicking myself that I didn't go in sooner to have more time to experiment with the in-soles and IT-band. I'm hopeful though!

Check it out:

Sweet thigh shot:)
All together now! Lookin' good! I was really looking for a white or blue long-sleeve, but I took what I could get, and know it's a good shirt!

I think my dressing plans for the day tomorrow have been changed so I can wear my running shoes with new insoles to help break them in! I need all the time in them I can get!

Good night!

1 Week from Today!

Good evening friends,

I just finished watching this movie: called Spirit of the Marathon that my 2nd cousin Sue recommended I watch about the training and events of the Chicago Marathon! I canNOT wait! I mean, this movie moved me to tears, made me nervous with the camera fast-forwarded course view...made my heart beat faster and made me so stinkin' excited! The anticipation of the city and the crowd and all of the things that go into it will be incredible! You should check out that movie and then it'd be like youwere there with me the whole time:)

Yesterday Beth and I completed the last long run before the race!
The sun was RIGHT in me eyeballs!

I bet you didn't realize that AFTER the marathon I will be auditioning for my role as Heisman trophy-poser. That's the person that stops and poses for a quick pic and then the trophy is sculpted based on them....you never heard of that?? :)
Beth lookin' snazzy on the red SCHWINN!

Yesterday and today have been very nostaligic for me. Tonight I was surprised to hear our doorbell ring while I was chatting with my mom on the phone and my friend Camala brought me a marathon kit! :) It had a mini-first aid kit, travel size Tylenol (extra-strength!), gloves, hand sanitizer, chap stick, a card and a bracelet that I am going to wear that will help remind me that there are people at home that are praying for me and cheering me on, eventhough they couldn't be in Chicago! I'm getting a little misty just mentioning it to you! Such a special gift!
I've been a compulsive weather watcher lately, and will be so even more as the race approaches! Chicago baby is supposed to be about 55 degrees, and you KNOW it'll be windy! Clothing prep is in the works!

So, onto some news about this injury. I think, but am not 100% sure that I'm having IT band issues! From all the reading I've done and research I've done, and people I've talked to, the pain that is on the outside of my knee that kind of radiates down from the hip is an IT band thing. I've been adding an extra rest day, and really felt the pain on Saturday around mile 7. I prayed and slowed down a bit, and felt better as the pain eased a bit. I'm thinking that if I feel pain or twinge in my hip area during the day that I'll be on the elipitcal after school getting my miles in that way. And maybe do it again on Tuesday/Thursday! I am praying and believing God for recovery and no permanent damage to my tendons or joints! Please pray with me for guidance and wisdom as I seek to take really good care of myself this week!

I can't tell you how thankful I am for all of your hugs, questions, emails, pats on the back, and the list goes on! Thanks for cheering for me!
Love,
Shelby

Twinkies!!

What can I say?! It's FLAVA and FLAVE! :) We're big pimpin spendin the cheese..... It's Homecoming week this week, as the big game and dance are tomorrow night! So, everyday at school has been a different theme day and today Mrs. Bro and I are twinsies:)


What's YOUR favorite part of our outfit? :)

Love, Flava

Part of a team!

(trying to wear this as much as possible!) :)
Hi all!

Less than 2 weeks and I will be running with around 40,000 other people through downtown Chicago for a total of 26.2 miles! Wowza! Lately, I have been very excited to be a part of the World Vision team! I got an email yesterday that my dinner is paid for at the "team dinner" on Friday night. I was on the fence about attending this, but after that I signed up my Mom and I to be there! I'm hoping to meet some cool folks and maybe a buddy or two to run the race with:) It'd really be great to be linked up with some other like minded peeps to run this last leg of the journey with! So, if you're the praying type, add that one for me please:)

This clip has really inspired me as part of the team as well: Less than 2 weeks! Check it out!

So, this picture is my desktop background right now and I really feel like it sums up how I feel sometimes about this race
You can see the road curving, but what lies beyond the last curve? You can't see it!! You know the road continues, you know the colors of fall will continue to be beautiful, but ultimately--you can't know until you get there! Even as I type that my hands get a little sweaty and my heart is beating a little faster. I've been really fortunate to be encouraged by everyone I talk to about this upcoming race from my Chiropractor to my favorite local running store owners! People tell me, "You could run the race today," or, "You're there, you're ready, now just relax and enjoy the ride," and, "even if you did nothing but the eliptical from now until the race, you'd be just fine." This are precious gems of hope that I've tucked away in my heart for the moments of sheer panic as I realize the magnitude of what I'm embarking on!

Yesterday I came home from a 6 mile run, and I was icing my knee and ankle and just felt kinda mopey as I was frustrated that my legs/joints are hurting. JG asked me if I was okay, and I told her that I'm just frustrated that I don't feel really strong going into the race. She said, "You know you're probably going to feel different every day before the race as it gets closer." I'll have to remember to thank her x 1,000 for the boosts that she gives me when I need it!

I hope this doesn't read like I'm a huge drama-queen, because really, I'm only like a minor-drama-queen, and have a SLIGHTLY altered view of reality:)

On, a completely unrelated note, I'm becoming alarmingly good at the banana-slam-car-game! If you're unfamiliar with fun car games, or it's been awhile since you've hung out with adolescents, allow me to present the rules: you get to punch, or little tap, nudge whoever is in the passenger/driver seat whenever you see a YELLOW car! Now, depending on who you're playing with the rules may be altered slightly to include yellow houses, lawnmowers, dump trucks, fire hydrants, restuarants, etc...However, the excuse, "Come on, how many times do you see a yellow lawn-mower?!" can only be used once!! No cheatsies! :)

So pick up the game, start slamming the people you're in the car with, and maybe the rate of road rage will go down in our great metropolis of Manhattan, who knows?! :) But, please remember, I am not liable for bruises incurred or inflicted upon you or your loved ones!! And, if you hear this threat, "Shelby, do you really want to play this game with me? I mean you need to really think about this because I will hurt you! If you keep playing this with me I cannot be held responsonsible for how hard I hit you--I used to be a boxer!" Ahem, please JG, BRING IT! :)

Happy Hump Day! ;)