Saturday, December 17, 2011

Lists

Here is a list of some of the things our 2-year-old is afraid of after 9pm:

~sharks
~whales
~whale-sharks
~moose
~dinosaurs
~the roar a dinosaur makes
~the teeth of sharks
~a moose biting a shark
~shopping carts in the ocean
~divers
~the man who may come if you press the red button in an elevator
~big flies
~sea-serpents

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Overheard: From a Supportive Family Member

S.F.M.: What are you up to today?

Me: I'm about to head out for a run.

S.F.M.: Oh. You still do that??

Thursday, December 8, 2011

A Little Review

Since it's midnight... and what else does a mom of a 2-year-old do at midnight but re-read a year of her blog? I read through all of the Marathon preparation just now. Wow. I was insane. And what a let down!! I forgot how depressing that particular event was for me.

But then I kept reading and also remembered how the I.T. (illiotibial band) injury had me sidelined. And then... I think I was just being wimpy toward August there. So much drama! So much NOT running!! And poof! Just like that I ran a 1/2 marathon. Crazy, no? Where's the whining? The injury that changed my view on life and running forever? I put in 13.1 and just said, yea for me! (?!)

No.

The second the weather cooled off a transformation occurred in my lungs. Anything less than 65 degrees is like breathing pure oxygen for me. Go figure. Where I used to get dizzy and weak trying to finish 4 miles, now I can easily put 6 or 7 behind me and continue on with my day. So there's something about temperature, and possibly pollen count, that had me down and out over the summer.

I'm back on the running bandwagon. I pulled out all my cold weather gear from last year and have put in a few really good runs this week. Am I really ready to go through the emotional ride that is marathon training? Or marathon running? Or marathon ranning (I made up that word as a past tense for running)?

One thing I've wanted to do for a while is raise money on a race. I've always looked to the American Cancer Society as a great place to dump money. Their resources and website were pivotal in helping me feel like I could handle life 4 years ago (4 years?! Already?!?!) and I'd like to help them help more people.

Of course, life looks a lot different now than it did last year. A 2-year-old is a different creature than a 1-year-old. My life revolves around the 60-90-120 minute nap he may or may not take. Stephan is in school now to become a Nurse Practitioner, so there went his free time. I can always collect medals for 13.1's. Those are fun and (apparently!!!!) easy....


Man, what a difference a year makes!!!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Must.... Keep...... Running.....

This time last year I was building up to 20 mile weeks. For those who are counting, that's an extra 2,000+ calories per week. It's how I was truly able to enjoy the holidays completely guilt free. Imagine that!

"Why, yes, I would LOVE a second serving of cake!"

"Of course I'll have a refill of this tasty chocolate liquor drink!!"

"Pasta for Christmas? Bring. It. On."

The 4 miles I've run this week just aren't going to cut it. It's time to find another marathon to train for!!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Go Runner Go!

The 1/2 marathon was AMAZING!! Ok, I mean, I was awesome IN the 1/2 marathon. It was 45 degrees and raining. I mean, RAINING. I was crazy- roller-coaster-ride- nervous about it. Even just standing in the corral. Ok, there wasn't really a corral. We were all just standing in a parking lot in a big group. The people who wanted to stand in front stood in front. I tried to stand as far back as I could. I saw a 2:20 pacer [a person with a sign on a stick who was trained to run the race in exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes). I estimated I would finish in about 2 hours and 45 minutes, so I tried to stand approximately that much further behind the pacer.

I started very slowly. VERY slowly. I hadn't trained, so I wanted to conserve my energy.
1 mile: Doing ok. Cold.
2 mile: Still ok.
3 mile: Starting to rain!
4 mile: Some chick passed me. She was walking.
5 mile: Ok. Only 8 more to go. One foot at a time.
6 mile: Hey, look, Elk! Seriously. I bet they make heat.
7 mile: Huh. Ok. 6 to go. More than half way!
8 mile: Dude! Only 5 to go!!! I can't feel my hands.
9 mile: We need to pick up this pace! This is fun!
10 mile: Look! Stephan!! It's pouring rain! He says, "I'm cold. Finish faster!"
11 mile: Smiling. Waving at people. This is awesome.
12 mile: One more! Running as fast as I have all day!!
13 mile: Look! Stephan!! Finish line!! Hi dad!
13.1 mile: 2 hours 44 minutes.

Rock. The. Eff. On.