Support Crew

I know my blogging has been, well, nonexistent, but I just have to get this one in there. Yesterday, I ran my first 20-miler, and I had the most amazing support crew ever! I had to miss last week's "fall back" run of 10 miles (which I was really looking forward to after some long runs) because I was sick, so I was a little nervous heading into this run. But it all worked out.

I woke up and checked the weather. 38 degrees. I debated changing what I had planned to wear, but then I saw the wind chill. 18 degrees. Nope. I was fine with my cold weather gear. I ended up ready and waiting for the sky to lighten, heading out around 7:10. I had about 45 minutes on my own before meeting up with my sister, who would be finishing up teaching a BodyBack class at 8.

We got to run about 5 miles together before I dropped her at her car with about a mile back to my house to go alone. Once at home, I met up with Dad.

He was good for a 5K. Unfortunately, the best 3 mile route I know had us heading north right off the bat, and boy, was that north wind cold! We made the north neighborhood loop and headed back to the house where Mom was waiting.

 

I think Mom drew the short stick because my pace definitely fell off during her shift. We had about 5.75 miles together. It was awesome to have company for the majority of the run, with different conversations each time. I felt pretty darn good until right before mile 19. My back was already tight and I could feel my form slacking. But I did it!

I feel like that was a huge mental hurdle. Done. I know I still have two major long runs to go, but I feel good knowing I can do this. I came home, took a warm Epsom salt bath (yes, I know most people take an ice bath...trying something different), showered and got ready to leave. We had to eat, get my daughter some basketball shorts and get to the kids' basketball games (where I had to keep time for one and sit on the floor for the other). After that, we went for ice cream and shopping for Christmas gifts for church. We had a simple dinner of soup and sandwiches (and had to play restaurant for the kids). I was in quite a bit of pain last night, with the worst pain being my knee caps. Yes, my knee caps. I iced them and felt considerably better when I got up this morning. I'm still sore today, but I'm moving. In fact, I'm not sure I ever stopped moving today. With Christmas right around the corner, there's no time to stop :)

Long time, no see

I've been on hiatus for a while. I love to write and blog, but I decided (sort of by default) to take a break. However, I wanted to share these prints I made for Christmas presents this year. I love StoryBook!

Post-Thanksgiving Fun

I have only been shopping on Black Friday once, and that was just a random "let's see what this is like" trip. Until now. I ended up getting talked into going Thursday night for some Black Friday shopping. I went with Sarah, and we had another group of friends out as well, who we met up with a couple of times.

We hit up Michael's first. They'd been open since four, so when we got there a little before 8, it wasn't bad at all. We got some good deals there, especially since we had 30% total purchase coupon. Then we headed to Toys R Us...Oh. My. Goodness. We stood in a line out into the parking lot...and they'd already been open for an hour! We got the things were looking for and stood in the line that snaked up and down the aisles...but really, we weren't there as long as I thought we'd be. We took a break for "dinner" at McDonald's and then headed to Sears for a few things. It wasn't bad at all. After that, it was on to Kohl's where we stood in another line out into the parking lot. We met up with our friends there. We didn't have much of an agenda there, but we found a few good deals there too (including a Christmas present for me!). After that, we went to IHOP. I'm not sure what meal that was, but it sure was fun! Overall, I'd say I'd do it again!

I got home after 3:30 in the morning and got a few hours of sleep before it was time to get up and at 'em for our next Thanksgiving adventure.

With Chad having the Friday after Thanksgiving off and unseasonable warm temperatures this November, we had decided to go camping Friday-Sunday a couple of weeks ago. We ended up planning a trip with his family, including having our Thanksgiving meal with them while we were camping.

We had a cold front blow in (just shortly after I got home from Black Friday shopping), so it was cooler than expected. In fact, Thursday night, it got down to 28! Still, we made the most of it and had a lot of fun...a few walks, a little fishing, a lot of playing, a little learning, and some good food...and I even got up and ran 5 miles this morning...a gorgeous, wonderful 5 miles!

Halloween Fun

We had three days of Halloween fun. SB dressed as Fancy Nancy, complete with a tutu I made Friday night. My lil buddy dressed as "Busby" aka Bumblebee the Transformer. For whatever reason, he couldn't get the name right. This is the first year he really "got" the whole Halloween deal, and it was so much fun!

Day 1: Truck or Treat at my in-law's church

This was a pretty cool deal. They had trick-or-treating out of trucks around their rodeo arena. Then inside the arena, they had fire pits for cooking hot dogs. Unfortunately, SB was not feeling well, so she and I spent most of the time in the car.

Day 2: Trunk or Treat at our church (and I even dressed up for this one...as a runner...what a stretch, huh?)

Yes, I had to do the karate move or he wouldn't take the picture :)

This was the first year for our church to do this...and it was huge! About 75 spots of games and trick-or-treating and tons of people...the kids had a great time!

Day 3: Our annual Halloween family soup supper and trick or treating
We've done this for several years now, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger...and I love it! We had potato soup, chili, tomato/pasta soup, and all the fixings. We actually ate first, which put us trick-or-treating in the dark, but the kids had a great time! We only had three trick-or-treaters with us, but we had 9 (leaving behind 3 adults and a baby) adults. The weather was great for the walk. Poor Ryan was so tired, he put himself to sleep.

Building speed

Training for the RnR Las Vegas is building speed...I had nine miles to go this morning. My husband was out of town, so I planned wisely and headed to my parents' yesterday evening so my dad could watch the kids during this morning's long run.

We had some stargazing fun last night. Sometimes, I miss the small town things like seeing so many stars at night. It was really good to have a chance to visit with my parents and just relax a little after this week.

This morning, Mom and I were both awake at 6. Unfortunately, she had been up with my lil buddy who had thrown up a couple of times. He seemed to be ok though (a red ices, ice cream and strawberry milk might not have been a good idea, huh?). We decided it wasn't light enough and went back to bed for another hour. At 7, we geared up and headed out around 7:30. Both of us had new Amphipod fuel belts to try out. The first half mile was hilarious as both of us sloshed and adjusted and re-strapped those belts. Luckily, once they settled in (or we got used to them) we were fine. In fact, I really liked being able to have both water and Gatorade for once.

The first two or three miles were really rough for me. I just couldn't get loose and find my rhythm. After three, things felt better, but not great. I think I finally hit my stride around six or seven. Crazy, I know, but the last couple of miles felt pretty good.

I am actually building a little speed again. I did a negative split "tempo" run this week with consecutive miles in 9:40, 9:20, and 8:57. I don't know what my splits were today, but even Mom could tell I was faster and stronger at the end than I was at the beginning of today's run. I will have to plug my Garmin into the computer to see my splits though.

Mom was only scheduled for 6 after her Double at the Tulsa Route 66 Quarter Marathon last weekend. She ended up doing the whole nine with me today. I know it was considerably slower than her normal pace, which is probably why she did the whole distance with me, but it was really nice to have company. It didn't hurt that keeping up with her kept my pace up.

I wish we had thought to get a picture of the two of us this morning. I was going to try and post a picture of her and Dad running last week's race, but my computer is just not cooperating.

One of the best parts of today's run (besides the fact that I ran with my mom) was that I finished strong and felt proud of me. I get so bogged down with other people's speed or distance that I forget that I am doing the best job I can do. I choose to run, so I can choose to enjoy it and celebrate my own accomplishments, no matter what that might be for me. After all, I finished nine miles this morning before lots of people ever left their beds. so maybe my confidence is picking up a little speed as well :)

Mileage Report
Weekly: 20 miles
YTD: 639.85 miles

AC Shortgrass Scamper Race Recap

This morning brought the second Archer City Shortgrass Scamper, a race benefiting the Archer City Salvation Army. My mom's one of the organizers, and it's a definitely a family affair, from volunteers to particpants.

It was fitting then that I ran with my cousin Vicki. It was really nice to have an unexpected running buddy of the same pace. We kept each other going and got to catch up with each other a bit. And this particluar picture catches us saying hi to our families...her kids, mother-in-law and sister, my parents, my sister, her husband and baby  son. It was fun to have a cheering section :)

The race, even though I might be a little biased, was very well organized. The swag bags were better than some I've had at much bigger (i.e. more expensive) races. Check out all the loot!

There were coupons, flyers, samples and snacks.

The race would not have been successful without all the sponsors, some of which were represented in the goodie bags. They were all on the back of the shirt....



The course was the one I ran last week with Mom, so I knew what to expect...hills and all. It was very well marked for those that weren't familiar with it. There was one section Vicki (who runs the streets of AC on a regular basis) called the dead zone because even though the wind might be blowing the tops of the trees, the street level was breezeless...boy, was she right. It was right at the end, too, and a little uphill...but we rocked it!

We kept a great pace the whole race and finished in 1:03:44 together. I wanted to break the 60:00 mark, but alas, no such luck. Still, I'm happy with the way we ran it. I was surprised that we were quite far back at that pace, but that's part of a small race, I guess. The official results are posted on the Wichita Falls Runners Club website.  

After the race and medal presentation were over, they handed out some "door prizes" that had been donated by some awesome companies...BondiBand, Emergen-C, RoadID, NLZ running socks, One More Mile, as well as some local places. And I won a RoadID...again! I won one last year as well, but I gave it to Vicki then. This time, I kept it so I could get the kids each a Slim ID.

All in all, it was a great day, from the weather to the swag to the family time to the run itself. It's a growing race, and we'd love to see you out there next year!

Mileage Report
Weekly: 14.7 miles
YTD: 547.85 miles

Weekly Check-In

This morning, I drove in to Archer to run the Shortgrass Scamper 10K route with Mom before the race next weekend. The route is a little confusing, so I think she wanted me to run it once so I could help direct people if needed during the race next weekend. I'm not sure how much good I'll be at that. The course is hilly, so I was pretty pleased to run it in 1:05:31 this morning. I won't break 60 minutes and reach my goal for this year, but I knew that would need to happen in the spring. It's been too hot to worry too much about speed. It has finally cooled off, and I'm loving the cooler morning temps!

It was nice to have company, especially considering the company was my Momma! She typically runs much faster than me, so she pushed me (even though she didn't mean to) to go a little faster than I would have otherwise.

My sister ran the 5K route with my Dad this morning. They both did an amazing job! I just wish I could be that fast!

I had to laugh at my horoscope this morning. I don't always read it and I definitely don't live by it, but I saw it later this morning. Here's what it said:

Mom would be one of the "someone close" people, like with this morning's run...the other is Chandra. I ran knowing she was running her own 10K this morning (and rockin' it, I might add!). We were actually probably running at about the same time. I liked that thought. And I was sending her happy running vibes as best I could. She's such an encouragement for me! When I get frustrated by my slowness (which is often) or life in general gets me down, she's right there for me. I love that we get to run Vegas together!

Speaking of which, it dawned on me this week after seeing it mentioned on another runner's blog that the Vegas half is quickly approaching! In fact, it's just 84 days away! Yikes! Training really picks up after the Shortgrass Scamper next week. Here we go!

Mileage Report
Weekly: 15.2 miles
YTD: 533.15 miles (only about 150 miles to go!)

Rough start

I'll backtrack a little bit. With the start of school and a family emergency all in one week, I've been a little delayed in getting this post out.

This past Sunday (yes, the day after our 21-mile bike ride), my mom, sister and I met up to run our Moms Run This Town Road ID: It's All About Me Virtual 5K. We've never all run together, so this was exciting for us.

My sister is just 7 weeks post-partum...amazing, isn't she?!

It was really fun to have running partners for once. We got to catch up and just visit for a while, something that rarely happens with the just the three of us. We followed Carrie's lead in a run/walk pattern so she didn't push it too hard. The funny thing is we finished in the same time it took me to run the last virtual 5K (yes, running the whole thing).

We started at 6:15 and tried to take some pictures. It's still dark at 6:15, by the way. We moved to the patch of light near the school across the street so we could take some pictures.


I wasn't going to post their pictures...that might get me in trouble :).

One neat thing about the virtual 5K is that, instead of bib numbers, we were asked to write a goal for ourselves. Mine was pretty generic...Be a good example. I had in mind my daughter, my family and my students when I wrote that. It wasn't very specific, but I think I'm afraid of specific goals...something like "run a sub-60 10k" means I might fail to reach that goal. It's so very black-and-white, and I don't like that.

The run itself was good. It was already hot outside, but it was nice to have running partners...and especially these ladies! We got to reflect a little on our running. Carrie has been running the longest, at almost 5 years. I started about 2 1/2 years ago, and Mom is starting year 3 about now. Pretty cool!

We stopped when we reached our 5k and walked back to Mom's car and took a few pictures, which would have been entertaining to watch if you'd been walking by. We wanted a picture of all three of us, so we had to experiment with propping the camera up in the back of Mom's car and using the timer. It was worth a laugh of two to see me scramble in and out of the back...and I consider myself lucky that it didn't catch a picture of my butt.

Because Mom is training for her first half marathon, she needed 6 miles. I had 5 on the schedule, so I took off with her. I thought I might make the next three with her, but I peeled off after two and let her finish on her own. Frankly, after the bike ride, I'm just glad I could run at all. I know she wanted to run around a 10:00 mile pace (which is her slow, easy pace), but that wasn't so slow for me. We ended up running a little slower than that, but it was neat to run with my mom.

She just amazes me! She and my dad recently completed their first tri, where she won first in her age division! They'll be riding in the HHH this weekend as well. Very cool.

This week has made me appreciate both my parents and my in-laws even more (and let's face it, just about anyone I care about more). My father-in-law ended up with a blood clot on his brain and had emergency surgery to repair it last night. It has been a scary couple of days, but God is good. When we got to the hospital this morning, Big Daddy was sitting up eating his breakfast and having some coffee, making wisecracks to the speech therapist who was there. That made my heart smile.

While I would never wish this kind of situation on anyone else, it has been amazing the outpouring of love and support we have received this week. Our phones haven't stopped ringing and beeping, buzzing or blinking. We've had so many offers for meals and help. It definitely makes you hold your loved ones closer. I am so thankful for all of our blessings and couldn't ask for better friends, a better community or a better family. 



Weekly Report

I don't have a lot to report in the way of running this week. I ran an easy, short run Monday and a normal run on Wednesday. That one felt really good, and I hit my groove earlier than usual. However, with my little guy's birthday party this morning, I wasn't able to run my long run. I'm ok with that. I don't skip runs often, and I may try to run or ride tomorrow. Even if I don't, it's ok. I stayed up late cleaning house for the party and couldn't sleep well after my daughter came into our room around 4:30 this morning. Sleep won this morning.

So, this week's mileage report is easy:
Weekly: 7.3 miles
YTD: 440.8 miles

I don't mind missing out on the run this morning. Ryan's party was a success! We had all of our family here along with a few sets of friends. We set up a water slide, two sprinklers and a bubble station. We purposefully planned it early in the day to avoid the heat. We had canopies set up for shade for the adults, so it wasn't horrible. I think the kids really enjoyed the party.

On a different note, I've been feeling kinda crafty this week. I pulled out my sewing machine, and after only minimal frustrations getting it set up, I sewed new valances and a matching pillow for my daughter's room and a pillow for my son. I also made my daughter a pillowcase dress. I have material for a few more of those and a different type of dress I'm going to attempt for her as well.

Something about being creative and using my hands to make something that didn't exist before is completely satisfying. I have a quilt that is in mid-process. It's been that way for years. Maybe I'll actually finish it this summer.

My, how things have changed

It's the night before Race for the Cure, and it's got me thinking about several things (although how my kids can behave so badly and be so cute is not really connected to this event...it's on my mind too).

1. Just a year ago, we were waiting for results on tests for my mother-in-law...and of course, just the week after Race for the Cure, we found out that she did indeed have breast cancer. She's had a mastectomy and is doing very well...no radiation or chemo was needed, luckily. We will all be walking in her honor as Patsy's Posse for the 1-mile tomorrow...my hubby, kids and extended family included...before I run the 5K with my parents, sister (if she's not sick), sister-in-law and a few others.

2. Last year at the Race for the Cure, I was recovering from hip issues and couldn't run the entire thing. And now, 3 miles is a basic run for me. I'm not in tomorrow for speed though since I did a 10K just two weeks ago. But I'm looking forward to the run!

3. I'm not as nervous as I usually am before a race. Maybe it's because I really haven't had time this week to think about it. Maybe it's because it's "just" a 5K (and I know that not that long ago, that was a huge deal to me!). Maybe it's because I'm considering this a recovery after the 10K. I don't know why, but I'm ok with just heading out for a run tomorrow. I love being outside hitting the pavement and am looking forward to it!

Isn't it amazing how fast we forget where we were not that long ago?! Change may be slow, but it's happening. I'm stronger and, even though I'm still slow, faster. I'm more confident and comfortable.

Heavy heart

My mother-in-law just found out she has breast cancer. That's hard just to say. She won't know anything about treatment or anything until she sees her doctor on Monday. I'm at a loss for how to act and what to say or do in this situation. Prayer is the one thing I'm clinging to right now...for her sake, for her family's sake, for my sake.

I really can't wrap my brain around this one.

Yum!

I was in a cooking mood yesterday...actually, I'd been wanting to try one of the recipes for weeks. The other was inspired after watching Paula Deen. The first was a braised pork recipe I saw on the new Food Network star's show (Melissa D'Arabian). It took three hours to cook, so I knew I had to wait for a Saturday night when we didn't have something going on...hence the wait. I, of course, bought more meat than needed, so we had double the recipe...invited my parents over, which was nice. This pork turned out so good! However, the real star of the dinner was the sauce/gravy that it made...oh, wow! You need plenty of bread to mop the sauce up with!

The second recipe was inspired by watching Paula Deen make a chocolate bread pudding. I went in search of a bread pudding recipe that used egg substitute and was maybe a tad healthier and found a pumpkin bread pudding that used whole wheat bread and egg substitute along with the ever-so-healthy pumpkin...and can I just say double wow! This stuff was soooooo good! All we needed was a little Cool Whip or some sort of cream sauce, which will be my next recipe search.

It was really a great dinner for the cooler, damper weather we're having...and it was really nice to have dinner with my parents. We see them once a week on date night, but then it's just sort of in passing.

More than anything though, yesterday reminded me how much I love to cook and try new things in the kitchen. I really enjoyed the feeling of nurturing my family with good food made by me, especially on the fall day we were having and even more so after the kids have been sick all week. Nice to feel like I can take care of everyone, including myself.