A Dream Come True

My love for running started a long time ago.  But for the majority of my running life I have been the only one running.  I was either to fast or too slow. 

 

I can run lots of paces from snail to speedy...

 

My routes were too far in the country,

 

who wouldn't want to run in wide open places?!?!...

 

too early in the morning, too long,

 

 

I run 50 milers after all...

 

too short, too hilly, too technical for those who lived close enough to me to join in BUT that has finally changed.

 

My "big" and much littler sister has discovered a real gift and love of running.

This morning we shared a chilly but chat-filled 10 mile run through Heaven as she ticked another set of goals off her already lengthy list of running accomplishment.  Knowing all the gifts that running has given me, I couldn't be more proud and happier for all she has done for herself.  And I'm giddy with the thought of what we may do together in the days to come.  I look forward to the day that I'm chasing her to a finish line...and with her quickly growing strength and speed, that day may come very soon.

 

Until then I'll enjoy brainwashing her to leave the country road behind and head into the woods, up a mountain and through the leaves.  I've got time, MMT isn't until May.  I'm thinking I've got another pacer to help push me to that finish line...then I can help her see her first finish line in return.

 

 



A Surprise Nap and An Evening Run

 

Yesterday was a GREAT running day.  It was actually a really great day all around. 

 

After school drop off for S'ghetti Girl, LBM fell back to sleep which meant I got to have a cup of coffee in peace and quiet.  Rare.  Then the super secret spy called and asked if I could drive our other car to the garage and then we'd all go for lunch.  Score.  Lunch out.  So I did what any normal mom would do with an unknown amount of time while a little one naps.  I jumped on my treadmill and watched some Netflix.  For almost 12 miles. 

 

LBM hadn't slept well the night before so I was glad to have him nap now even though I knew it might he wouldn't take his usual jogging stroller nap.  After get caught up on my show and running in one place, LBM and I met the super secret spy, dropped off the car and headed off for lunch.

 

We went to a place called Which wich.

 

It was a decent sandwich.  LBM got a strawberry shake.  It was very strawberry but in a overly sweet kind of very not in a real strawberry flavor way.  So I don't know if it is worth a repeat visit with a Five Guys 12 steps away.

 

After lunch we barely had time to come home before we had to pick up S'ghetti Girl from school.  A bit of laundry later and the super secret spy was due home.  I already knew the evening plan.  The spy was taking them to the store to run errands so that I could get outside and do whatever I wanted to do for a couple hours.  Gee, wonder what I wanted to do.  Hummm?

 

An unexpected email from another local runner offered the hope of company on the run however we could quite get our schedules to match up so I was out solo.  As it turned out, I was thrilled to simply be outside with nothing to listen to but my own thoughts.  I didn't have any destination in mind I just started running and ended up running almost 9 more miles and feeling great.

 

This is why I run.  To stay healthy enough to be able to run 20 miles in my day and still have enough energy to play with my kids when I am done.  It was an amazing day.

 

 

Last night I posted this workout to Daily Mile which auto-feed to facebook.  I know my settings allow this to happen but sometimes I forget my "audience" is completely different between the two social medias.  After changing "the plan" to account for my tired legs which left me feeling a bit defeated, I received this comment about my run.

I took offense to it. 

I didn't have two extra hours in my day.  I chose to use two of the hours in my day for fitness/good health.  Was that wrong?  Were they somehow allotted to something else?  Like maybe the laundry?  Or playing with my kids?  Or cleaning out my car?  Those are all things I need to do.  Was it "extra" to give myself two hours of my day?

Let's see how my Sunday hours were spent.

Times as an approximation.

I woke up around 6-6:30 a.m. when the super secret spy had to slip off to work.

Tried to keep S'ghetti girl and her sleep over friend quite so that LBM could sleep in.  I spent some of this time looking up recipes for breakfast and lunch.  I spent some of it shushing the girls to be quiet.  I spent some of this time clenaing the cat box.  I spent some sipping coffee on the deck in the fog.  I guess that time was for me.  But it only worked until about 7:30.

7:30 cuddle with LBM

7:40 LBM off to terrorize his sister and friend

7:41 in kitchen, cooking breakfast while LBM ran back and forth between me and his sister

8:00 while upstairs dealing with a sibling squabble, gathered laundry to start wash

8:15 found laundry in dryer, started to fold

8:30 realized I had been in the middle of breakfast, went back to kitchen

8:31 - 9:00 cooked, wash dishes

9:01 went to find kids, discovered (their) mess in living room, started cleaning it up

9:15  realized their breakfast was getting cold, went back to finding kids

9:20 found kids outside, got them in to wash up for breakfast

9:25 finally kids eat breakfast (no I didn't eat.  I didn't want any breakfast.  I cooked for them)

(sausage in pancakes on sticks with warm syrup, hashbrowns, fruit, cereal, milk and juice)

10:00 - 10:10 kids finish up and leave table, yell at kids to come back and clear table and clean up

10:15 - 10:25 wash more dishes, clean kitchen

10:30 S'ghetti girls' sleep over friend's gram there for pickup, girls beg for more time, talk sleep over friend's gram into a little more time

10:45 look up recipe for whipped cream icing, the super secret spy's favorite.

11:00  remember that I have to get the laundry done before we leave for PA, back up stairs

11:15 flip-flopped laundry, notice kid's bathroom is a wreck start cleaning it, LBM back and forth with complaints of non-inclusion in the playing fun

11:30 back down stairs, txt from the super secret spy about when he'll be home for lunch, more cooking, icing cake

12:15 super secret spy home, gather kids, sing happy birthday, lunch, cake and ice cream

12:45 have the kids gather S'ghetti girl's sleep over friend's things and we take her home

1:00  back up stairs, finish laundry, fold more, pack, load car, up the stairs, down the stairs 15x

1:30 final check of the house, bathroom visits, and on the road

because I want to drive 3 and a half hours

after gas stop, food stop we are finally back in PA

5:00 LBM fell asleep on the drive, unload car, unpack

5:20  LBM awake but grouchy, cuddle him on the couch while S'ghetti girl shows me her latest duct tape creations

6:00 clothes changed, movie set, snack for kids, kids playing, on the treadmill

2 hours and 22 minutes later

I had watched Vampire Diaries, negotiated sibling quarrels, retrieved unreachable toys, hugged upset little bug men, oohed and ahhhed over 3 new duct tape creations and traveled in one place for 16.5 miles.

8:23 peeled out of soaking wet running clothes and took a super fast shower

8:30  kid time: talked with the oldest and his girlfriend, played and read with LBM and
S'ghetti girl, helped the two little ones get ready for bed

9:40 S'ghetti girl in bed, LBM and I hang out and go through mail from the weekend, I try to cuddle/read/play quietly in his room to get him to go to sleep

in his own bed

but give in.

10:30ish LBM and I go to bed

10:45 finally get LBM to lay still and be quiet.

10:46 sleep

Was that 2 hours extra?

Did I somehow not give enough time to everyone else in my life?

Why do I feel guilty over that 2 hours simply because of that comment?

Should I stop feeding DailyMile entries to Facebook?

Am I just being too sensitive?

Maybe I'm still just a little tired.

Who Am I?

This is me.

I send my hubbs a 'Fun Foto for the Day' most every morning since he is usually waking up without us.  Occasionally I send him a photo of just me.  This was the photo I sent him yesterday morning when I wanted him to see my new shirt.
After sending the email, enduring my first earth quake (check Live through earth quake off my life list!) and finishing my day at work; I was taking photos of the kids with a new toy and I saw the above photo of myself.  I had just emailed a friend of my husband's who is getting ready for his first 50 miler and I wondered, who am I?
Not in the who-do-I-wanna-be-when-I-grow-up kinda way but in the who-the-he##-am-I-to-be-giving-ultra-running-advice-let-alone-running-ultras kinda way.  

Do you ever find yourself wondering, who the he## am I?

Apparently some times I do.

I'm not anyone special.  I'm just a girl who discovered that this running thing was a whole lot more than just a running thing.  The amazement I feel when I step back and see the things I have been allowed to accomplish at time surprises me. 

I caught myself watching the miles tick away on my odometer when we were traveling and thought, "Gee, I ran that far once!" as I saw 50 miles click away.  There must be some level of confidence within me because I am signed up for my next 50 miler in November

The Stone Mill 50 Miler

because I won't get past thinking, "Who the He## am I?
with a thought that ends in ONCE.

Three Things Thursday

Because this is my "the world is mostly rosey" place but the world and life sometimes are not, I want to share some troubling news only to once again ask for your support.  And isn't that at least one reason why we are all here sharing with one another? 

There wasn't much sleeping last night at my house.  After my evening run with LBM I got some worrisome news about an extended family member, Shirley.  She is my sister's mother-in-law.  Now you might think that means she is really nothing to me however, I have know Shirley since I was in the middle school, had a crush on her son (yeah the one my big sister married, eeewwww) and shared nearly every holiday and picnic with Shirley's family.  We are a very close extended family unit.  I think it a rural folk's thing.

The details are not important just know she is in grave condition in the ICU in the hospital and could use all the prayers and positive thoughts you could have time to send her way.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

 ~ Isaiah 43:2

Because this is my "the world is mostly rosey" place and I live with the confidence that faith affords me, let's return to the regular living running banter.

 

Day # 123 ~ 3.5 miles / 28:10

It's Day #123 but who is still really counting?  me 

I have my miles in for today.  3.5 miles  It's a "rest" day.  I will be putting in two "rest" days of lower miles so that I can put in at least one longer run this weekend. 

I am hopeful to put in about 12 miles on Saturday morning.  I will be in VA so anyone interested drop me a line.  I am eager to see if giving my legs a "break" helps me feel more rest while still giving me the mileage I know I need with long races quickly coming.

What better to end with than a giveaway? 

Beth @ Shut Up and Run (which would have been Trap It and Run in my house growing up.  We were not allowed to say Shut Up.  Really!)  is hosting an $80 CSN Stores giveaway.

I have been trying to win this for EVER!  I really want a fancy backpack.  I think it will encourage the fam to get out and hike more. 

Hubbs is ALL about the gadgets!

Head over to CSN and see all the great stuff they have and then visit Shut Up and Run.

You know her?  She is that famous blogger who recently ran with Dean Karnazes! Not.kidding.

Tell her I sent you!

 

Advice heard and taken

Day # 118 ~ 8.36 miles

Advice heard and taken.

In a post this weekend when I finally made my racing dreams actual plans, I asked for your input.  

Thanks for all the supportive "Yes you can do it" type comments.

I did receive a piece of experienced advice.  Experienced in that fact that the advice was from a lady who has been running a long time.

I will listen to advice from anyone who believes they have some information that will help me.  However, I usually reserve taking that advice and using it to situations where the advice givers have more (or similar) experience than myself or more education.  
Sometimes I take the advice because I KNOW that I just needed others to tell me what I already knew I should be doing. 
Why do we need that sometimes?

Day # 119 ~ 10.60 miles

 Cynthia O'H said that with the 50k coming up I might need to get in some longer consecutive runs.  Even though I have already done this distance twice, I think maybe that might be a good piece of advice.  So this weekend while I had some sitter support aka Hubbs, I hit the road and trails for some longer run.  

I have to tell you that I just love the distance.  There is something great about running for a long time.

Day # 120 ~ back in PA ~ 6.5 miles after driving 180

Is it just me? 

or do you feel it too?  

After you get past that warming up first mile and the finding your pace and stride miles you enter into that this-is-something-I could-do-all-day zone!

I found it this weekend after 8 miles.

Where did you find it? 

A Running Coach?

Last night's run was full of adventure!

First I was happily joined by the Biking Sherpa who did not cringe when I mentioned that I might be interested in making it a little longer if LBM was sleeping after the 6.5 mile loop.  Even though I posted my "plan" for the week there is always room for a little early week padding just incase things don't go the way I have planned. 

Biking Sherpa entertained me with her young girl tales of a friend's wedding and driving to and from Pittsburgh in one evening to attend.  Oh, to be young and adventurous!  The miles clicked by and LBM snoozed on.  As we finished our loop I was already drenched with sweat and figuring that we were done but Biking Sherpa said that LBM was still asleep so we needed to just keep rolling.

Off we went!  That is when I picked up my first running client.  I had know that she wanted to get in better shape and potentially train for a 5k but I was unprepared to the determination that she already had.  I knew in her younger days she had been quite a runner but age and an injury had sidelined her.

We kept a fairly steady pace as we ran our 3.5 out and back.  Biking Sherpa attempted to record the run via 6 thousand photographs while riding her bike and nearly crashing several times.  The entertainment helped the miles fly for my new client. 

At 91 years old she really held her own and that perfect form from her youth came right back.  I was so proud of Ripley for finishing her first 5k+ in years and setting a new PR. 

I am sure she will be returning for another session.

As we neared the last half mile LBM started to wake probably from all the giggling over Biking Sherpa's extreme photography session.  I was trying to get this run over put on a push to the end because I was uncomfortably drenched ready to get back and play with the kids.

Everyone had a great time during our crazy run! 

Day #92 could not have been better. 

Who knows what we'll do in a week for the 100th day?!

When you run with a crazy Biking sherpa, a almost 2 year old

and a 91 year old dog, fueling options are not always mainstream.

Barefoot Angie Bee is hosting a Silver Maple giveaway. 

What is The Silver Maple?

Uniquely special, smile-inspiring creations made just for you in sterling silver and copper.
Who is Angie?
Angie is a ubber busy amazingly successful working barefoot running mom who seems to somehow find that elusive 25th hour in each day.  I don't know how she does it but I wouldn't be suprise if she'd written a book about it all and going on tour next month.  She is just that inspiring.
So head over and support her.  Let a few encouraging words and oh, if you must, go ahead and enter the giveaway.  It will look better when I win if there are loads of entries. 
heeheehee

Morton Make a Come Back

Yesterday was a great day.  In the Shelly dictionary of life "Great day" is defined as, "An 24 hour period that allows for 2 or more runs or workouts that are accomplished without missing family activities."

Yesterday was a Great Day!

I got in two great runs with littlest and still made it to work and to egg coloring at my sister's in the evening!

The morning run of 3.5 miles included a Morton the Muskrat sighting.  I was so happy to see him since he has been absent a lot after the recent flooding.  He still evades the paparazzi but I they won't give up.  

Littlest missed the crazy paparazzi attempts to catch a decent photo of Morton. 

After work littlest and I were out for a quick 6.5 loop.  (Quick is always relative)  But I was thrilled we got the miles in before the egg coloring tradition at my sisters.

Does your family have any Easter traditions?

 

Today we had new "VA" house paperwork to get done in the morning so my plans to slip out early for a longish run had to wait.  When I finally got out the door with my wonderful hubbs watching middle one and littlest!!! (Thanks hubbs!) I had to settle to 9.5 miles (1:16) under a very hot sun.  Even though I have a fuel belt and various sizes of Nathan handhelds, I neglected to grab one.  Can we say too eager?

Regretted that after the first 2 miles.  Luckily I did have some Chomps which at least kept my mouth from getting too dry.  I was sweated wet and my visor was covered with salt.  Hopefully the weather will ease into there higher temps a little more slowly than it has done for this holiday weekend.  I need time to adjust.

I thought the kiddos were happy to have we finish and be home because they ran out to greet me.  Wrong!  Littlest just kept running.  Maybe he thought it was his turn to put in some miles.

He had some really nice form going on!

Enjoy your Easter Holiday!

Whether you observe the religious holiday or not take time to be apprecative of all the wonderful aspects of your life.  Try to see if the issues you thought were "negative" simply needed to be viewed differently to help turn them into an opportunity to be positive.

If you change the way you look at things.

The things you look at change.

But I thought you said 6 miles

Just when I was needed my lovely biking sherpa she is there for me! 

Isn't she just the cutest thing?

Of course that was after 2 days of harassing emails and text messages asking her to go with me, begging her to go with me, telling her that her butt was getting bigger from not exercising, asking if she'd died and what I should wear to the funeral because I knew that was the only way she would keep ignoring my messages; you know generally just nicely motivating her to be active.

So finally we are able to work out a pace re-setting run together. 

The next snag.  Hubbs won't be home in time to watch littlest so I will have to take him along.  Okay.  Roll with it.  You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Littlest and I run to biking sherpa's house and see that true to form biking sherpa looks like a raging rock star with her newly coiffed hair.  But she was ready to roll.

Biking sherpa tell her mama that we will be back in an hour.  Her mama laughs, "Yeah, unless you get talked into another long run!"  We all laugh about how I like to get biking sherpa out on the trail and then surprise her with wanting to go further than I orginally told her.  We laugh that it might be two hours.

This my friends is what you call foreshadowing.  I didn't see it at the time but in hindsight; foreshadowing!

We run along our usual loop that can take us either 6.5 or 9.5 depending which way we turn.  As we near the intersection we decide to continue on for the longer distance since it is so nice outside and we are chatting up a storm.

We haven't gone an 8th of a mile when biking sherpa says, "You know I don't really like that route.  Let's do something different."  "No problem.  We have lots of intersecting roads.  Where do you want to go?", I ask.  Biking sherpa suggests that we try a road that will bring us out on our 16+mile route so we would know where we were.  The only problem was we didn't know how much distance our little excursion would add to the night.  Remember I am pushing the jogger and had perpared for a 6ish mile run.

We happily turn onto a road that I haven't been on in years.  Two big black dogs try to deter our progress. (biking sherpa is very afraid of barking dogs)  We successfully get past the dogs and continue on our adventure making choices along the way of which intersecting road to take; left or right became the question of the evening.

We are having loads of fun and that kept me going for the first hour twenty minutes and then I realized that my body had run out of sugar and we were still miles from home!  Luckily littlest didn't mind sharing his crackers with us and I had brought the entire box!  

It got dark.  It got cold.  I got tired.

Biking sherpa did a great job taking over the talking when all I had left was to run.  She sang with littlest to keep him entertained.  (Littlest was GREAT the entire time.  He deserved all the extra cuddling he got after this unexpected long run!)

She pushed me to try and keep my pace up.  I can not thank biking sherpa enough!  Even though my legs were not too happy with her choice to "try something new" at the time.

We finally made it back to the house 1:58:23 later.  We laughed about our choices of roads and talked about wanting to know how long the route might be if next time we take different roads. 

I finally got inside and tended to all the things I should have been doing a hour earlier.  Once I got a free moment I checked the distance we had traveled.

13.19 miles

Just a little more than we had planned.

God bless the jogging stroller

A Sunny Sunday "Stroll"

The amazing biking sherpia and I were feeling confident as the sun shone brightly and we goofed off before heading out for my second of two long runs this weekend.  After putting in 15 treadmill miles on Saturday, I wanted to see how my legs would hold up for another 17 being tired.  In that way I could accomplish my 50k+ distance in two days.  I was hoping that completing the distance would give me some confidence about the race since I have had little ability to get out on the trails due to the weather.

We have all kinds of energy to goof around BEFORE the run!

And introducing my Nathan's fuel belt. 

I HAVE to take a water bottle to the race or they will not allow me to participate. 

Safety issues incase you get lost. 

(fills me with a warm and fuzzy feeling about how easy the trail is to read)

Biking Sherpia thinks snow is GREAT fuel! 

And she discovered she loves Blueberry Pomegranate Chomps!

We had a new pack leader for several miles.  This friendly brown dog decided to show us the way.

We also saw (and I kindly relocated) this poor little bird.  I think she bounced off a car.  I don't know if she'll make it but I put her on some hay instead of the cold snow.

We ran our 17 mile loop in reverse to see if that lessened some of the major hills.  We have them everywhere!  They are hard to avoid.  We both agreed that it was a wise choose.  Although there were several steep hills we avoided the majority of the long uphill grades and benefited from getting to take them all on the downhill side. 

When you run would you rather do short steep hills or long gradual grades?

We did it!  17 miles (2:14:32/7:55). 

So glad to be done our legs were tired!  But I feel confident that I can handle the effort that the trail run will take.

13 days and counting...

Mental Amazement

I know you are all just wondering how I am doing attempting to train with Hubbs working in another state and Army son; well in the Army.  So to ease your mind, I have been running really well this week since last I updated you.

Wednesday ~ I did a double day  a.m. 3.5 miles (27:09/7:45)

p.m. 6.5 miles (56:02/8:37) with the jogger

Thursday ~ Another double day a.m. 3.5 miles (27:41/7:55)

p.m. 6.5 miles (53:53/8:17) with jogger and biking sherpa

I must admit that my legs are feeling less than powerful but I know that I am getting stronger from simply pushing the jogger during my evening runs.  When I run without it I feel very light. 

Tonight I am struggling with hoping that the snow/sleet/freezing rain to continues and forces me to take a rest day.  Which I was planning for Sunday since we are going to be out of town and I can not work out a bloggie meet up with my VA friends (next time!!). 

I have 6 schedule for Friday and 12 for Saturday.  I love long runs.  They are so relaxing.  It's nice to have 12 miles to clear my mind, to create amazing works of literary genius, to present my solutions to the health care crisis to the House and Senate, to obtain a peace treaty with Al-Qaedia through eloquent dialogue and cross a dozen imaginary finish lines in first place!!

What do you mentally amaze yourself with while on your long runs?

Did you know One More Mile is having a Slogan Contest?  Go vote for me.

It's just one foot in front of the other...

or you fall down!

Vote for One More Mile's Slogan Contest

Wondering just how far you chase those kiddos? 
Erica H is having a great giveaway for a pocket pedometer!!