Saturday, August 29, 2009

a week of very little running...

It was week three of being a single mom. Kenny is staying with his parents and working in Orange County, coming home on Friday nights. I'm not going to lie... these weeks have been LONG weeks. I have a renewed respect for single moms.

The only time I might find to run is when both kids are in school. I can't run before 9 a.m. Because I am not training for a specific race right now, my midweek runs are falling lower on the priority list. I have a TON of stuff to get done during the week to get ready to move. In addition to that, we have had record heat this week. I had considered taking the kids to the track one evening, but it has been over 100 until after dark. No thank you. So I only ran once this week.

I went out for an easy five miler. It was over 80 when I started and well into the 90's when I finished. Thankfully, the humidity has been a bit lower (which means no clouds in the morning and a bright, hot sun). I didn't have a goal pace, but wanted to run a nice easy pace that was a bit faster than my "training" pace. I settled nicely into a pace of just under 9:30. It started feeling pretty tough toward the end. I was sweating a LOT. When I returned to my car and saw 100 on the temperature gauge, I understood why it was so tough.

I am looking forward to a nice run tomorrow. I can go early to beat the heat and take my time, giving Daddy plenty of quality time with the kids.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

End of Summer Fire Run-- Race Report

This was a somewhat spur-of-the-moment race for me. I was on Facebook and saw an ad for this race. I thought, "hmmm...that might be a nice way to follow up the half marathon." I didn't run once all week, so I definitely wanted to run somewhere. I e-mailed the Rockin' Mamas to see if anyone wanted to join me. I thought it would be fun to run the four mile point-to-point race and run back to my car afterward for a total of eight miles.

Heather decided to join me. We discussed whether we should run four miles before the race. I was really tired last night and didn't really feel like getting up earlier than I had to. I had to get to the race early enough to register, so we would have to start running around 6 or so. Nope. We decided to start with the race and run the additional miles afterward. Unfortunately, Heather woke up this morning still suffering from her cold she had all week and decided not to run. So I headed off this morning by myself. I was still looking forward to it.

I arrived in La Jolla around 6:30 or so. Since the race didn't start until 8, parking was a breeze. There were no lines at registration and I was ready to go well over an hour before the race. While I was filling out my registration card, I looked up and saw AKA Alice filling out her registration. We're starting to run into each other more often now.

I decided to run a warm up mile or so. Lately, I have had a tough time getting into a groove early on in a run. I was able to warm up nicely. I did it at around an 8:40 pace. It felt relaxed. I knew that I could push it during the race.

I ran into AKA Alice again, as well as Irene. We all chatted for a half an hour or more while people gathered near the start. It was great to finally meet Irene after reading her blog for a while. I was able to meet her friend, Rich, and the Heffers. There was a nice mood among the runners. It was obviously a casual and fun race. Nobody seemed super amped up to compete (although I am sure plenty did).

I started out feeling pretty good. I had a couple finish goals in the back of my head as I ran. My lofty (and perhaps out of reach) goal was to break thirty minutes. My more realistic goal was to finish under thirty two. My first mile was 7:30 and I still felt OK, so I thought the thirty minute goal was in reach.

Unfortunately, I felt thirsty around a half mile into the race. I had opted not to carry my handheld since it was only a four mile race and four miles back. I planned to drink before and after and at the water station. I saw a girl run by me with a handheld and I had a sudden urge to take it from her! I don't think I drank enough yesterday. We went out last night and I had a couple of beers (something I rarely do). So I was dehydrated before I started sweating profusely in the muggy weather. I think I would have enjoyed the middle miles more if I didn't feel so dang thirsty.

The second and third miles were HARD. I realized pretty quickly that thirty minutes was an aggressive goal today. Mile 2 was 7:48. The water station was located around 2.5 miles. I needed to stop so I could drink. That mile was 8:03. The last mile was hard, but not as much since I knew that I only had eight minutes or so until it was done. The last half mile or so is straight and it is slightly downhill, so it is like a long straightaway. I ran that last mile in 7:33.

I finished in 31:21*!! I'm thrilled. It was just what I needed after feeling a bit sluggish last week. It ended up 9th (out of 90) in my age group.

I found AKA Alice's friend (I think her Heffer name is Edith**) and we wandered for a bit. We found Alice and the others and headed to the after-race festivities which included free beer. I thought to myself, "I could have one beer and still run back to my car." Oh, how I kid myself. I socialized with the herd and enjoyed myself. When Mik handed me my second beer and Alice offered to split a breakfast burrito, I knew that my day was done with five miles. To seal the deal, they offered to drive me back to my car. Hmmm...running four sweaty miles after four tough ones OR breakfast, beer and good company. It was an easy choice!

And to cap off the morning, Alice and I got a little taste of local fame. A reporter was drawn to the Heffers' day-glo tops and wanted to interview them. Betty told her that Alice had a blog. Alice immediately pointed to me and said, "Lisa does too!" We explained that we met through our blogs. All I can say is thank goodness I never aspired to a career in broadcasting. Holy dorky. Here is our 15 seconds of fame:

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video.




*My Garmin says 31:04. There weren't chips, so I was at the mercy of chutes and tags.
**The Heffers all have pseudonyms, so not only do I have to learn names of new friends, I have to learn their pseudonyms. Ha ha ha...

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

America's Finest City Half Marathon Race Report

All in all, it was a great day!! I had fun with my friends and reached my GOLD goal.

Pre-Race
It started VERY early. I woke up at 3:10 a.m. YIKES. I was meeting Lisa, Heather and Lyn at 4:30 to drive down to the park together. Even getting up an hour before leaving the house, I didn't quite "take care of business" like I wanted to. Damn. That means ppp*

After last year's traffic hassle, we drove a different way to the park. It was easy peasy to get to the park and find parking. We met the other Rockin' Mamas near the bus pick up. Everyone was in great spirits. I was in the best mood. A combination of caffeine on very little sleep** combined with excitement of all my friends running this race made me a tad manic.

Most of us were wearing a matching Stroller Strides tank top. It was great having matching shirts. HOWEVER, we had no idea that the race shirts would be the same color. Seriously?? How jacked up is that? Do you know how hard it is to find cranberry tank tops during the out-and-back portion of the race when thousands of people are wearing the cranberry race jersey? Next time, I need to talk everyone into wearing day-go like Alice and the Heffers.
Lisa F is ready to go!!












The other Rockin' Mamas started showing up












There were ten of us, but we couldn't manage to get a picture of all of us (my friend Pham was in the bathroom when we took the big group pic).





























We got on a bus to Cabrillo Monument, where the race began, which was a piece of cake. We arrived at the starting area well before 6 a.m. and used the porta potties several times.

It was chilly in the morning (chilly for Southern California standards) Heather, Lisa and Lyn shivered while Alicia danced.















The Start
We were in line for the porta potties for one last time. The line was painfully slow. After last year's debacle, I didn't want to chance it. When we got back to the rest of the group, several of them had already gone to the front. I never heard the gun go off, but suddenly the crowd started moving. I ended up crossing the starting line around seven minutes after the gun.

The first mile started out fine. I looked down at my Garmin and saw an 8:30 pace. I saw that Anne and Pham were almost at that pace. I slowed down to join them and told them how fast they were going. I didn't want them to start out too fast. I knew that Pham was much more comfortable closer to ten-minute-miles. Anne can easily do 8:30, but her goal was sub two hours and I wanted her to make that goal and not die on the hill. Then I remembered that I was running a race and not in "coach" mode. I wished them good luck and sped up a bit.

Sometime during that mile, I saw the day-glo top of AKA Alice. She looked great! Really strong. I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "hi!" I thought for a moment that she might not recognize me and would wonder who this strange woman with the manic smile was running alongside her. She smiled and said hi. I asked how she was feeling and she said she was great. She is definitely back from her injury. She ran a great race and you can read her race report here.

By the second mile, I knew that a PR was probably not in the cards. I ended up running the first mile in 8:50, between weaving around runners and "coaching" my friends. To PR, I'd have to make up that time. To PR, an 8:30 pace should feel pretty effortless. It wasn't. In fact, I was falling comfortably into around an 8:35 pace. To go faster than that would have been pushing myself. I didn't want to push too hard too early, since there is a pretty decent hill at the end. I was still on pace for a pretty decent race, however, so I wasn't ready to throw in the towel.

As I approached the first aid station, I ran right through. Afterward, I realized that I completely forgot to look for Irene. D'oh! It was crazy. The entire field was so crowded. I swear I was weaving around runners the entire race. I probably should have lined up closer to the front, but I don't have any regrets. I spent some quality time with my friends (ah... porta potty lines) instead of pushing my way up through the crowd.

The fourth mile is pretty much all downhill. I had my fastest mile of the race (8:00). I was feeling good, but not great. After that mile I thought, "maybe?" But alas...I wouldn't see another split that fast until the very end.

Miles 5 through 10--
These are the flat miles. I was feeling tired, but I enjoyed them so much more than I did last year. Harbor Island is a little spit of land that we run around. It is a bit of an out and back. Last year, it felt like it was 100 degrees. This year, while sweating like a pig, I did not feel overly hot. I looked at the crowd as I passed, hoping to find my friend, Laura. We had run this stretch during a couple of training runs. During those runs, we ran all the way to the end of Harbor Island. Imagine my delight when we turned around well before the end. I enjoyed the gorgeous view of the city and really appreciated the beauty of San Diego.

After Harbor Island, past the rental car return lot---the most boring part of the entire race-- I settled into a nice easy pace. Right around mile 10, I saw my friend Linda cheering from the sidelines. She is 36 weeks pregnant and getting to the uncomfortable stage of her pregnancy. It was so sweet of her to come out and cheer for her fellow Rockin' Mamas. She ran the race last year and I vividly remember her passing me on 6th street, looking fresh as a daisy with a spring in her step.

Miles 10-13.1 (or 13.34 if you are terrible at running tangents and weaving around slower runners)--
Here is where the hills start. I was just thrilled to death that I didn't feel as bad as I did last year at this point. I looked at the porta potties that saved me last year, thankful that I didn't need them again. The aid station right past mile 10 is a fun one. They had music blasting and were handing out cheeseburgers. They didn't sound too appetizing at the time.

By the time I turned onto A street to head uphill, the sun was out and beating full force. This was really starting to feel like work. We had run these hills several times in training and this felt the most difficult. I was already passing quite a few people, however. I wondered if they knew that it was going to get even harder. As I turned onto 6th street, I knew that I was almost done. I also knew that I had some work to do to get there.

Right before mile 12 is my friend, Anne's building. That is where we had our after-party. Several of the dads got together early to walk down to 6th street to cheer us on. I saw Kenny about a half a block before I got there. I waved at him and he gathered up the kids to be ready for me. I took the opportunity to stop for a few seconds to hug them, catch my breath and go on my way. It was great!

I found out later that my sweet hubby stayed out there and waited for all the Rockin' Mamas. He really wanted to cheer for Heather, who was about 45 minutes behind me. What a guy! Heather's husband missed her by a few minutes due to technical difficulties***, so I am so glad for her that she had friendly faces cheering for her during the hardest part of the race. She told me that it meant a lot to her to see them.

The hill was tough. I had run that hill so many times. In fact, during training runs I would run it several times. I ran with one friend and then ran back down to run up it with another friend. The hill didn't scare me at all. Maybe it should have. Where I could easily run up it near the end of fifteen miles at a 9:30 pace, on race day I ran it well over a 10 minute pace. Hmmm...

Once I got up to the top of the hill, I caught my breath and charged forward for the final portion of the race. I hit "lap" on my Garmin, so I would know how fast I ran the last part. I ended up running it at an 8:04 pace. Yeah! I just kept gaining speed and passing people like crazy. I knew exactly where the course turned and headed downhill (I know Balboa Park like the back of my hand). I knew that if I made it to the turn, I could sprint down the hill. About a hundred yards from the finish, I saw/heard my friend Vickie cheering me in.

I heard the announcer and really wanted to hear my name. I have yet to hear my name finishing a race. I took my headphones off as I sprinted into the finish. Nope. No name. I think you have to be old, young or from far away. I thought that maybe since I had a Triple Crown bib on, it might get a nod. Oh well... someday.

I finished in 1:56:13. It is eight minutes faster than I ran the same race last year. It is also 25 seconds faster than I ran La Jolla in April. I think this race felt harder. I'm not sure why, since La Jolla has the KILLER hill. Who knows why you run better one day than the other. I am thrilled that I am in a place where even when I don't have a fantastic day, I can finish with a good time. I am happy with my time, especially considering how hard the race felt. That PR is pretty close. I just need a day when I am "on." Maybe once we are settled in a new place and I am actually living in the same county as my husband, I will be able to focus on training and speedwork again. It will happen.

After the race--
I went to join Vickie to cheer in a few of the Rockin' Mamas. I found out that Anne came in a couple of minutes behind me. Had I known that, I think I would have slowed down to finish with her. It would have made that hill so much easier. I would have felt pretty much the same with a 1:58 as I did with 1:56. But there was no way of knowing that she was so close to me. I am SO impressed with her. She had a baby in April. OF. THIS. YEAR. Yup... this woman ran a sub-two hour half marathon four months after giving birth. That is awesome!!!

After a bit, we wandered down to the finish festival area. I picked up my Triple Crown medal. They give you these if you complete the Carlsbad, La Jolla and America's Finest City Half Marathons in a calendar year. Honestly, it was a big factor in deciding to sign up for this race. It is some nice bling!! It is big and heavy. I think it is a brilliant marketing scheme. For a few dollars per medal, they create a goal for runners. After seeing mine, most of my friends decided to go for it next year. Heather is kicking herself for not running Carlsbad this year, since she did the other two.

We then all went back across the park to Anne's for a wonderful after party. We had quiche, casserole, fruit, bagels and MIMOSAS. It was my first time having a post run mimosa. Now I know why the Heffers enjoy them so much! Yummy. They (yes, I had more than one) hit the spot! The kids all ran around the community house and had a grand ol' time, while the moms and dads socialized. I think everyone was celebrating an accomplishment that day****. It was really the perfect way to cap off a great day.


We took some pictures at the after party, but unfortunately, got the cameras out after some of the girls had already left. We definitely need to do it again!
























*porta potty pooping *blush*

** I haven't slept well in over a week. SIGH.
***getting two young girls fed, dressed and out the door in a timely fashion.
****a few shout outs to my Rockin' Mamas: Alicia, Pham, and Lisa completed their first half marathons. Heather took 10 minutes off her time from La Jolla. Jenna and Christina (and Anne, previously mentioned) were doing their first race since having a baby. My marathon training partner, Laura, ran an impressive 1:50. Vickie, our veteran runner, killed it with a 1:43!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Goals for America's Finest City

I don't think I have shared my goals for my upcoming half marathon. I wasn't even sure I wanted to run it. After the marathon, I couldn't imagine training again so soon. But, I had raced two-thirds of the Triple Crown and it would be silly for me to give up that extra medal! When I signed up, my goal was to just run it. Then I started training and my competitive juices started flowing.

So here are my various time goals for this race:
Platinum- A PR! I ran the Carlsbad Half in 1:52:46, so a PR is a tall order. That is what I have been training for. [my double secret platinum goal is to get 1:50.... sssshhhhh]
Gold- Under 1:56:39. This was my time for the La Jolla Half. That is the hardest race of the three half marathons, so I figure I should be able to run AFC faster than La Jolla.
Silver- Under two hours. My goal last year for this race was to break two. I came close, but didn't quite make it. I know that I have the ability to finish this race well under two hours. I feel like I need to get a little redemption for last year. We'll see...
Bronze- Finishing with my friends and trainees. I have decided that if the wheels fall off and it looks like I am not going to make it under two hours, I am going to wait for my friends and finish with them. This is my last San Diego race for a while and I want to have positive memories. I would rather think of this race as a race where I finished with friends (a couple are doing their first half) than the one where I finished a few minutes shy of my goal. I have actually gone back and forth as to whether or not I want to just run the entire race with them. The reason I decided not to is because this is my first race since my certification training and I want to see my training through until the end, so I can better coach my clients. This last goal gives me a win-win outcome. In this case, missing my goal by a half an hour is way better than missing it by a few minutes.

I am really excited about the race. There are so many of my friends running it this year. As I mentioned before, some of them are running their first half marathon. Two of them are running their first 5K on Sunday. One is running four months after having a baby. And another is looking to get a PR by 10-15 minutes. It will be a big deal for everyone. It will be a fun day.


********************************************************************
Update on my running:
First of all, I want to thank everyone for the virtual slap about my whine yesterday. You are right. I am tapering. I should be taking it easy. Obsessing about one run is not going to help anything. Thanks for snapping some sense into me!

I took the kids to the track last night. After wasting a bit of their window of attention by talking with my husband on the phone, I tried to run a bit. I should have planned better. They both wanted to run with me (and both were wearing some sort of summer shoe not conducive to running). My first lap was very slow, shuffling with a three- and a five-year-old. My five-year-old experienced his very first side stitch (awww) and it was cute watching him run with his arm laying on his head (that is what works for me). That lap was my warm up. It tired the kids out enough for them to play a bit with some toys we brought.

I was able to get in a mile at an 8:05 pace. Ah, redemption! It was hard, but I didn't feel the overwhelming need to sit down afterward. I was able to get my legs moving without my lungs ending up in my throat. I ended up doing a little more than two and a half miles total. I was hoping to get in a little over three, but when kids are done, they are done. They were bored and hungry. At least I was able to run a little and it was fun!

The best news of the evening was that my five-year-old ran pretty close to a mile (with a few breaks in the middle). He did the two last laps in a row with very little stopping. He officially wants to find a one mile kids' race. I told him that he would have to train for it so that he could run a mile without stopping*. He is excited to do it!

*I am not going to push my child to run without stopping. I need him to realize that in order to run a race, he needs to practice. By telling him he needs to do it without stopping, he knows it isn't super easy.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Sucking Wind

That's how I felt yesterday, like I was literally sucking wind. My legs felt fine, but my cardio was terrible. I could barely breathe. I have no idea what was going on, but it doesn't bode well for my half marathon on Sunday.

My husband is working out of town, which severely limits my running. Yesterday, both kids were in preschool, so I wanted to get in a quality run. Instead of three miles that I had scheduled, I decided to do the tempo work scheduled for today, since it might be the only run I get in all week.

My plan was to do one mile warm up, three miles at race pace, and then a mile cool down. The warm-up felt fine. My legs were feeling good. I was running right around a 9:20 pace. At the second mile, I picked it up. The next mile was hard. My chest felt tight and my breathing felt labored. I tried to relax and get into a groove, but it wasn't happening. I did that mile in 8:27, which is right around my race pace, but for the first tempo mile I wanted it closer to 8:20.

The next mile was horrible. I ran about a half a mile at tempo and then, for the first time that I can remember, I stopped to walk. WALK! I was so mad at myself, but I really needed to catch my breath. I was starting to wonder if a 9-minute mile is more my speed. The average for the entire mile, with some walking and jogging, was 9:54.

So I decided to pick it up again. The next mile still felt labored. I pushed myself. I still only averaged 8:36. That pace will bring me close to my PR, but not much under it. I actually had to walk again after I hit the end of that mile. I walked for .18 and picked it up one last time. I told myself that I needed to do another half mile at an even faster pace, just to show myself I could. I ran a half mile at 8:08. Thank GOD. It wasn't easy, but at least I did it.

I have tried to figure out why I struggled so much. Here are some of the thoughts that went through my head:
  • It was hot and humid and the sun was beating down. [But that one doesn't make much sense, since it really wasn't that hot. It was pretty darn humid, especially for here, but it was still a bit under 80]
  • I forgot my iPod [I hope that has nothing to do with it. I should be able to run five or six miles without music, for crying out loud]
  • I drank too much water [I am not sure about this. I brought my handheld filled nearly full and drank a good portion. I only took one Endurolyte before running. I did sweat quite a bit. Hmmm]
  • I didn't eat enough protein the day before [I haven't read much about the importance of protein the day before a run. I thought about what I ate the day before and it was pretty high in carbs without a lot of protein. There was some, however. I had a big salad for lunch and then flatbread with mozzerella, carmelized onions and balsamic glaze for dinner. That shouldn't have affected my short run the next day.]
I just hope that whatever caused me to have such a crappy run is gone by Sunday. I need to find a way to get in another run before then, just for my confidence. I think I might take the kids to the track tonight and let them run around the infield while I try to run a couple of miles. I just hope that my "friend" is not there!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Just what the doctor ordered

My husband and I spent a few days in Avalon, California on Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California. Let me just say, "Ahhhhhhhh...." I feel so good now. I didn't even splurge on a massage as I had planned. We just rode our bikes and relaxed.

I missed my run on Wednesday, since we had a lot to do before catching our boat. I figured that I would run on Thursday and Friday. Well... on Thursday I was lazy and slept in. I thought we would go on a big mountain bike later on (at least that was how I justified being lazy). Unfortunately, all the mountain biking on the island is part of the Catalina Conservancy. In order to go into Conservancy land, a pass is needed. These passes are $35 per person! We decided to wait to get home to mountain bike for free. We would just have to bike in town.
We ended up doing a scenic loop on the roads up to the outskirts of town. It was HARD. It was a steep climb to the top of the hill with a lot of switchbacks. I think the average grade was around 10%. According to the Garmin, at one point the grade was 24%! It wasn't a lot of elevation gain. It was only 500 feet over 1.5 miles, but it was enough to get my legs to their lactate threshold (at least that is what it felt like). Plus, my bike is a big, bulky (and heavy) mountain bike with super knobby tires*. I know I am giving excuses here... but I know I am in good shape and that climb kicked my butt. I didn't even get that much of a payoff because I am a wimp and rode the brakes all the way down. Someday, I'll have a nice bike and get to be a better rider.

One of the great things about Catalina is its super laid back atmosphere. On the downside, service in a lot of the restaurants leaves a lot to be desired because the employees are a bit too laid back. On the other hand, after our ride I was STARVING. We had a late breakfast and no lunch, so by 5 I was famished. I didn't want to ride all the way back up another hill to our hotel to shower for dinner, only to ride back downtown to eat. Both of us were wanting some good seafood. We also wanted nice atmosphere. We ended up at one of the best restaurants on the island**. They seated us overlooking the bay without even blinking at our attire. Kenny was in regular shorts (his bike shorts were underneath) and a t-shirt, but I had on a full biking ensemble. I had goofy bike shorts (you know the ones with the logo on the butt highlighting those really flattering butt pillows). I also had on a logo biking tank. I was also carrying a backpack with my helmet clipped to it.*** We were seated between a couple in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops and another who looked like they actually showered and dressed for dinner. It was nice being in such a relaxed atmosphere where I could have such a nice meal.

Here is the view from the road on my run. BEAUTIFUL!
On Friday morning, I was determined to go out for a run. My friend, Janet, had told me about a great trail on the island. The road out to the trailhead was a doozy. It was a great hill workout, especially when I missed my speed work this week. The Garmin gave me all sorts of trouble. I waited forever for it to find satellites. In fact, it was taking so long, I decided to start my run without waiting for it. I stopped several times to see if I could restart it to get it to link up with no luck. It finally found satellites about a mile or so into the run. If you look at the elevation profile, it starts around 250 feet in elevation. In actuality, I had run from around 100 feet to below sea level and then up to the 250 feet. It went up from there. The highest point was 675 feet.



I found the Trans-Catalina trail and headed up into the Conservancy land**** It was a nice wide trail that was a bit of a fire road (although it obviously is never graded etc.) Footing was pretty good. Rocks and ruts were easy to navigate and there weren't any tree roots etc. About a half mile into the trail I passed a guy running down the trail. He gave me two thumbs up and said, "right on" as I said "good morning." Maybe not too many runners run up there? No matter, his greeting gave me a boost. The trail was gorgeous! It went straight up into the wilderness, but as the trail turned you could often still see the ocean. I didn't bring my camera, but I did have my phone,***** so here are some phone self portraits. When I ran back to the hotel I was on a serious runner's high. Most of it was downhill, so I just cruised. Even on the steep road back up to the hotel, I was grinning ear to ear.

We had a wonderful boat ride back to Dana Point and were greeted by our smiling children. They had a wonderful time with their grandparents. It was a great way to spend quality time together before Kenny starts his job on Monday. We have some busy weeks ahead of us and I am so thankful to be starting them in a much better mental place.

*These pictures show my big, yellow bike and just how knobby the tires are. The first one also shows how much of a bike enthusiast my husband is. Two of his bikes aren't even in our garage right now.
**Steve's Steakhouse actually had very good service, which really made it stand apart from some of the other restaurants. The food was equally as good. Mmmmmm... I had seared ahi tuna with Romano potatoe and grilled vegetables. I also enjoyed a nice glass of Pinot Noir.
***Too bad I'm not a
real biker, because I certainly looked the part. LOL.
****You don't need to pay for a pass for hiking (they don't mention running. LOL)
*****Too bad there was no cell coverage on that part of the island. If there had been, I probably would have run further up the trail. I tried calling Kenny telling him that I would be late getting back. I had to turn back before I was ready so he didn't worry too much.


Our boat ride back to the mainland.



Sunday, August 2, 2009

Quick! Go over to Tall Mom on the Run for a giveaway!

It ends tomorrow. Mel at Tall Mom on the Run is giving away a sports bra from Moving Comfort. It seems you can never have too many sports bras. A couple of mine are ready for the trash.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I sure did.

Happy Running.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Remembering to BREATHE...

I can finally breathe. I feel like someone has literally cut strings on a corset and the crushing feeling around my chest has loosened up.

My husband accepted a job yesterday. It is a great job that pays more than what he was making before. Not only is it a good opportunity for him, but it allows me to potentially start a business in fitness rather than rejoining the corporate jungle. We still have an uphill road ahead of us-- paying credit cards, savings etc. and moving two hours away. However, that uphill road is just a hill after a long run rather than the downward spiral we were feeling only weeks ago.

My running is probably going to be put on a back burner as soon as this half marathon is over. Kenny will be working a lot and probably staying up in Orange County most of the time. It doesn't leave a lot of Mommy Time. I'll be packing up a house, finding renters and trying to figure out what kindergarten my five-year-old will attend. But it is all good.

Thanks for all your support out there in blogland. I have been very touched by all the encouraging comments, offers of sponsorships of races and even plane tickets! This blog has really helped me focus on positive aspects of my life (although I know that I also used to to whine sometimes). I am on to a new chapter of my life and excited to see what comes next.

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