Jalapeño Half - First in the Summer Triple Play

I feel like this summer is flying by.  I have to first start out describing my non-running part of last week.  Notice that I didn't post at all.  I was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally every night but I couldn't have been happier.  It was Vacation Bible School week.  All the planning of the last several months & decorating done last week , we were ready for 145 kids.  I love this week and it went by so fast.  Yes, I was teary eyed on Friday as we danced our last dance.  Like the kid's favorite song of the week, "Don't know where I'd be without you....... "

Here is a peek at the fun we had.  The littlest clown is mine.

Parade Around the Our Father

Now to the running part of the week. It was a light week because I raced the first of 3 half marathons in a summer series put on by Mellew Productions. It was going to be the first test of whether or not  training in the heat & humidity is paying off.  Keep in mind we have not hit 100 degrees yet.  Apparently it is the first time in 7 years that we haven't seen 100 degrees in June but I'm telling you it has still been hot and definitely humid.  

Saturday morning came with a thickness in the air.  Race time was 7:30.  This was well over 2 hours past when I would have normally started my long run on a Saturday.  I was nervous about how I was going to fare.  I decided not to wear my Camelback because I don't plan to run the marathon with it, so I prayed there would be enough water stops along the course.  The start was delayed so I didn't have my watch set to start as I thought they would give us a countdown.  Nope, the start of the race consisted of, "Ready, Set, Go!"  What the what?!  Not a good start, I had to step to the side while my watch found the satellite and started.  

I am glad I didn't look at the course ahead of time.  I probably would have bailed if I had.  The course was the 2nd half of the Cowtown Marathon course.  Yikes!  I kept telling myself, "its just another training run."  On the positive side, I wasn't as delirious as I thought I had been in February because things looked familiar but it also meant that I remembered each corner I had to stop at to stretch, walk & cry.  I kept plugging away, ticking off each mile, my right hamstring feeling each one.  My pace started out at about an 8:30 then slowed to 9:00, maybe even a 9:30 through the middle of the course and then back up for the last portion (can you say, I just wanted to be done!).

The official finish time was 1:56:51.  Not my best time but I'll take it.  Under 2 hour finish in the heat....I was completely satisfied.  And.......

3rd place finish in my age group!

Maybe my training is paying off.....

We'll see, marathon training officially begins tomorrow.

Workouts checked off the list....

This past week of training was one where you just check the workouts of the "to do" list each day.  For the past 3 years, I have coordinated Vacation Bible School and this past week was "prep week".  I pretty much lived at church during the day making sure we had decorations being created, supplies gathered and volunteers assigned to jobs for next week.  I love doing this every year but it is a lot of work and leaves little time for anything else.

Here is what the week's running schedule looked like:
Monday - Strength & stretch:  check, went to CG (bootcamp) at 5:30 am
Tuesday - Track workout, 10x400s at 5K pace:  check, met the girls on the track at 5 am
Wednesday - 5 miles: check, ran in the evening
Thursday - 3 miles + strength: check (sort of), did the strength part (CG, 5:15) but no running
Friday - 3 miles at pace: check, ran before CG at 5am
Saturday - 12 miles:  check

So I missed one scheduled run and those that I did do were just checked off the list.  Saturday's 12 mile run was tough.  At our first water stop, 2 miles in, we all commented on how we felt like we had just stepped out of the shower.  We were drenched with sweat already.  It was very muggy.  The last 2 miles, my right hamstring was not happy with me.  I really need to get the foam roller out & focus on my muscles.  Like some many things that I should do for myself, I keep saying as soon as things slow down I'll take some time.  Hmmm, I wonder when that will happen....

My Sole Sisters

This expresses my run this morning perfectly!  I completely my scheduled 11 miles with an 8:33 pace.  I am very happy with it but it is/was definitely my soul that kept me going when my body told me to quit.

It hasn't always been my soul though...

My oldest son, J was born in 2003 and before he was born I hadn't laced up a pair of running shoes since high school.  In an effort to help me get the "baby fat" off, my best girlfriend, Jill asked me to start walking in the mornings with her.  Walking lead to running & a few 5Ks.  I really looked forward to those mornings when we could talk about anything & everything.  When you're running, its inevitable that you show the less attractive side, the side that sweats, stinks, makes noises you save for the privacy of your own home but also allows you to feel an acceptance to be who you are & say what is on your mind without judgment. Jill & I have had a lot of good conversations through running.  She may not run with me anymore but she is still part of my support system.  She's been at the finish line with congratulations when I've met a goal & other times with a shoulder to cry on when the race didn't go as planned.

Somewhere along the way, our twosome became a threesome.  Kelli joined us one more morning and talked the whole time.  I thought, how does one person have so much energy this early in the morning.  She kept us going with her stories and those stories have carried me through many a race.  One of our greatest moments has been we crossed the finish line of the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon together in 1:58:16.  Our goal was sub 2 hours!  Her words to me with 1 mile left, "we can do anything for 1 mile".  Another famous Kelli quote, "At nothin but a 5k" after running 10 miles".  She ran me in the last 6 miles of my 2nd marathon & was there waiting to prop me up when I crossed the finish line this past February at Cowtown, along with who would become our foursome, Sue.

While our schedules, goals & daily lives may keep us from running together regularly, these are my sole sisters!  They keep me going when I want to give up.  With great friends to support me, how can I not achieve my goal!!!!

Could I Possibly be Super Woman?

I think not......

So I didn't post yesterday because I was completely spent by 1pm.  Remember Tuesday's post about how lovely it was outside and my track workout was GREAT?!  Well........Wednesday was the exact opposite.  The plan was to head out to White Rock Lake, take the bikes and jogging stroller.  We packed a picnic for afterwards and the kids would play on the playground.

John was so nice to let me have the truck and even put everything in the bed so that when I came home from camp everything was ready to go.  He did, however, mentioned that one of the tires on the stroller may have a slow leak (remember this).  We headed out at 8:00 and got to the lake about 8:40 (I think).  It was already pretty warm but we unloaded and Jack offered to check the tires and pump them up for me.

We said we would shoot for 6 miles but anything around 4 or more was golden.  Well, we headed out and not to far into the run it seemed to be a struggle.  I admit pushing an almost 5 year old isn't exactly easy but I was really having a hard time.  I looked down & sure enough, flat tire.  We were only a mile in!  UGH!!!!  Back to the truck we went & I thought I'd be smart and bring the pump with me this time.  I could hear the air leaking as I was pumping.....so much for 6 miles.  In the end we finished with 4.25 under our belts but I was toast for the rest of the day.  I am thinking I really need to find a new rehydrating plan.  Water alone was not working!  Here came the headache and as a result my treatment is to eat whatever I can find and lay on the couch.  Not pretty!!

Today is a new day though.  Its raining & I have a house full of kids so I can only hope for a run this evening.  I did make it to bootcamp though & it was a weight day!  Great workout and feel ready to tackle the day indoors with 5 kids.  Yes, I am insane!!!  I had cleaned myself up, made pancakes & bacon, fed all 5 kids and did the dishes all by 8:30.  Bring on the day......perhaps I am Super Woman!

There's a chill in the air!

Let me start with, I strongly dislike humidity & heat!  This northern born girl, living in the south hibernates (or floats in the pool) most of the summer.  We aren't even officially in summer yet and I'm already complaining....and I wasn't EVEN IN TX last week!!!  It is this humidity & heat that has caused me to run 3 half marathons this summer.  I believe that I need to acclimate to it in order to run a stronger marathon and achieve my goal!  So, I am going to suffer through the long runs, tempo runs and track workouts with a smile on my face.  Ok, probably more like a grimace.

So this morning as I got myself ready for my weekly track workout I was pleasantly surprised as I stepped out of my van.  There was a crisp breeze in the air that caused me to have goosebumps.  I caught myself complaining about being cold.  What?!  Someone please remind me of this come July & August.

It was a great workout.  9x400s, averaging 6:52 for the speed lap & 9:07 for the rest lap.  

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Home Sweet Home

Whew!  We are home from a fun, busy, tiring week in Florida.  I did manage to get 3 runs in on the beach while I was there.  Honestly more than I thought I would.  One run was for headache management, one was all the crap I ate and the third was because I knew I needed a "long run".  Here is a picture of me after said long run.  Not my best moment but it was stinkin hot & humid.  I was just glad to be done!

She's so pretty!

Not my best time either, Ugh!

So besides the 3 runs, I pretty much ate and drank all week.  My mother in law is not the best influence, but I love her (and her cooking).  I am committed to getting back on track starting tomorrow.

The family had a great week though, so it is worth falling off the wagon a little.  Disney was great and we enjoyed every minute but honestly my favorite days were the last two.  We spent time on the beach, jumping the waves, building sandcastles and just being together, just us.  These moments had me reflecting on a very important man in all our lives and the reason that we have enjoyed our FL vacations for the past 11 years, my father in law, Arnie Van Zanten.  

Arnie always saw the potential in everyone, myself included.  While I was out on the beach running yesterday, he was on my mind.  I thought about what he would say about this quest to qualify for Boston.  He wouldn't shake his head & look at me like I was crazy.  Arnie would have sat down with me and talked through what needed to be done to get there.  He may even have set up a spreadsheet to track my progress.  I know it was a humid Saturday morning but I'm not sure my inability to catch my breath was from that or the lump in my throat.  We miss him every day & its hard to believe this time last year, we were with him on the beach.  He may not have been there physically but I saw him every time I watched the kids looking for shells, chasing birds and just playing in the sand.

Thanks Arnie for the encouragement and wonderful memories!

Training while on vacation?

Hello from the "Happiest Place on Earth".   Yep the family is in Florida for a week's vacation. We arrived yesterday at my Mother in laws. We had barely laid our suitcases down and the kids were itching to get on the beach. So we headed down as soon as lunch was inhaled and dishes were cleared.

As soon as I hit the beach, the salt air & humidity hit back!  I'm not sure if it was the flying (which has never affected me before) or what but my head felt like it was going to explode. I immediately reached for the water to try and hydrate. Nothing helped so by the time I went to bed, I had taken all the aspirin I could take. My only hope was I could sleep off what felt like a horrible hangover.

No such luck!  Woke up this morning with the same headache. I knew I needed to get a run in before we headed over to Orlando but really just wanted to curl up in a ball and wait for someone to put me out of my misery. Ok, so maybe I exaggerate..... I did get up, laced up my shoes, turned on Pandora, headed to the beach and tried to show the sand and salt air who was boss!  3 miles later and extremely drenched (not from the ocean), I did just that!  Success, no more headache!  Thank goodness because I had a full day ahead with 3 very excited kids.

Not promising that I'll get much running in the next 3 days but I do promise to enjoy every minute with my 3 favorites!  I promise to get back to it when we get back to the beach!