Still Learning

Monday:  45 minutes yoga, 15 minutes stability ball
Tuesday:  5 mile run
Wednesday:  4 mile run
Friday:  5 mile with Jerry
Saturday:  30 minutes treadmill intervals

Thanksgiving weekend was awesome.  Our menu proved to be fantastic despite noticing at the last minute that it lacked something green.  All the vegetarian dishes were truly yummy and no one complained about not having turkey.  The statistic I heard was that 92% of the population would eat turkey on Thanksgiving. I'm fine being in the 8% that did not.  I'm sure I could find some horrific PETA video to post that would make my point but I will pass.

Gilbert says I want a hat too!

My first scarf - halfway done?

     I am very happy to report that my middle-aged brain can still learn new things!  For the past few weeks Abby has slowly and patiently taught me how to knit!  She took three lessons this summer and then bought a book and watched YouTube videos to perfect her skills.  I am convinced that she is very much an autodidact like her father.  I, on the other hand, often need much instruction to learn something new. My practice piece was a disaster!  Now I am working on a scarf.  She has recently finished her first hat and is now working on fingerless gloves for Gina.  Here are some photos!     Now we have something to do together when she is not in the mood to run with me.  It's not easy for me to sit still, but I'm learning that too.

Tonight is the first swim meet for Gina and her high school team.  The 4:45 am alarm is killing us.  You know its bad when a 5:30 alarm means you get to sleep in.  She is working hard and has adopted a healthy "I don't care" attitude this year.  That might sound bad, but actually it's a good thing.  As I have stated before, these kids put SO much pressure on themselves to perform to other people's expectations.  As a sophomore, she is putting 110% or more into her academics.  Swimming can be for fitness, social fun, and something to write in one of those 12 lines on the college application.  We are not going to the meet tonight.  I am learning to let go.

On Sunday we had a good old-fashioned walk-n-talk.  Just me, the girls and the dog.  We went to Liberty Park and did the loop.  Somehow we got talking about what we think about when we run or swim.  It was a great conversation.  I loved hearing them both describe the mental side of their sport.  I wanted to add my two cents but I wanted more to hear what they had to say.  I'm learning to listen.

I've been reading Traveling Mercies (Some Thoughts on Faith) by Anne Lamott.  She has been on my list of authors to check out for a very long time.  I am so glad I have finally read one of her books.  Here is a quote from the section I read last night before bed:   Courage is fear that has said its prayers.  I really liked that.  I guess I'm still learning a lot about faith, too.





             

Thanksgiving sans Turkey

Monday:  45 minutes yoga
Tuesday:  5 mile run
Wednesday:  4 mile run, 45 minutes yoga
Friday:  8 mile run
Saturday:  5 mile run, long walk with Abby and Mia

This will be our first Thanksgiving without a turkey on the table.  To be honest, I am kind of disappointed because roasting a turkey slathered in olive oil and smothered in herbs was one of my favorite cooking activities.  Jerry will miss the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven all morning for sure, but we are looking forward to the many other delicious dishes on our menu. Here is the official menu:

Sweet Potato Casserole with Gingersnap Streusel
Killer Cranberry Sauce
Warm Wheat Berry Salad with Dried Fruit
Aunt Raffy's Stuffing (from Giada's Everyday Italian) minus the sausage
Mashed Potatoes
Deviled Eggs
Rolls
Italian Cream Cake

In the evening I am planning to make Hot and Sour Thai Tofu Soup to change it up a bit!

Thanksgiving has become a traditional day of rest for us.  There will be parade watching, followed by the dog show and maybe a movie or two.  If my memory serves me correctly there will most likely be a run for Jerry and I and/or a long walk with the girls.  At some point we will work in a good, long conversation about being thankful which is something I have been feeling a lot of lately.

Fresh Air

Monday:  8 mile run
Wednesday:  5 mile run
Thursday:  4 mile run with Abby
Friday:  30 minutes yoga
Sunday:  5 mile run
Monday:  20 minutes stability ball
Tuesday:  4 mile run with Abby
Wednesday:  hike with Jerry, 30 minutes stability ball
Thursday:  5 mile run
Friday:  4 mile run
Saturday:  5 mile run


I've been trying to maintain some basic level of running while not letting too much fitness slip away.  Weekly totals for the past two weeks were 17 and 23.  Abby also got back to running and it was great to share a couple of runs with her.  We ventured over to the Buckeye Trail and were surprised to see some residual snow mixed in with some very sloppy mud.  The sun was shining that day, and all the yellow leaves on the trail lit up by the sun with Abby running out ahead of me made for a really spectacular memory.

Saturday brought the annual Twinsburg 5-mile Turkey Trot.  Abby and I did this race last year and she whooped me by a mere 30 seconds or so.  This year several of her cross country friends decided to run and  I graciously opted out of the fun.  Some one has to cheer, right?!  It was a beautiful day and they all did really well!  Abby finished in 40.03 and was most happy about passing a few of the high school girls along the way.  Here she is (in purple) with her peeps at the finish line.



Gina has officially started the high school swim season.  It is the typical grueling schedule but not too many 5:30 am workouts this year.  In lieu, the coach has added a few Saturday mornings and, of course, the 4-hour workouts through the holiday break.  There have already been some teary discussions about how to manage it all and whether or not it will be a good year.  Academics first.  Always.

Jerry was able to take Wednesday off work and we enjoyed a great day together - a sort of late celebration of our 19th anniversary in August.  Over the years we have perfected the ultimate cheap date and I would not have it any other way.  We packed a healthy mostly whole food picnic and a thermos of coffee and then headed to the Valley for a few hours of outdoor fun.  We hiked from Kendall Lake to Ledges and then drove over to beautiful Pine Hollow for our picnic.  It was really nice to spend some time together discussing the past, present and future.  Crazy years ahead of us, but we have made it this far, and I have no doubt we are going to go the distance! 

One more photo to share of Gina and Abby as they left for school the other morning.  I really thought it was a great everyday shot of them looking happy and ready for a day of school.  I can't believe how fast the years fly by.  The three of us took a really nice walk yesterday with Mia while Jerry finished up his run and some things around the house.  We seem to have some of our best talks when we are out in the fresh air and moving along the earth.  Ever since they were tiny babies I have tried for at least a few minutes of fresh air every single day to clear out the lungs and brain.  I really think it makes a difference.

Something Beautiful

I am loving this song lately and have finally figured out how to share videos!  Enjoy!

Content

Sunday:  26.2 mile run
Friday:  5 mile walk/limp/run
Monday:  1 hour yoga, 5 mile run
Wednesday:  20 min exercise ball, 5 mile run
Friday:  1 hour yoga, 4 mile run

Recovery from Columbus Marathon has gone pretty well.  I have the usual twingy right ankle and sore toes.  There is still one questionable toe nail but it seems to be healing.  I also have some tightness in my left IT band that I am not so happy about. I really just want that to go away.  I'm going to have to work on that in order to avoid a serious issue brewing in the future.  Physically things are pretty normal.

Emotionally I am very content.  No beating myself up because I did not go under 4 hours or get a BQ time.  It's really just fine.  I am probably more psyched about running now than I have been in a long time.  Running just for the sake of running.  I've had to break out the cold weather running clothes.  This morning it was very cold with a heavy frost, BUT the sun was shining and I knew it would be a great run.  Thoughts were swirling in my brain; they bubbled up one by one and I just kept dealing with each thought the same way:  it's okay, God is in control, I am content right now right where I am with what I have. 

I've spent some time browsing at spring marathon choices.  There are some interesting options.  We'll see what winter brings.

In general, the family fitness seems to be in a little bit of a funk.  We eeked out a nice walk/hike locally on Sunday.  Some of us were a little grumpy so it was not the best, but as always the fresh air was helpful and I think everyone felt a little better when we returned home.  Any remaining grumpies were banished by the amazing time we had working together in the kitchen to make Chile Rellenos.  Gina had found the recipe in one of our vegetarian magazines.  Wow was that ever a project but so worth it! Muy delicioso!

 I don't think I mentioned in my blog that Abby was able to break 14 minutes in the middle school cross country 2-mile race.  It was sheer awesomeness.  The girls team went on to win the NOC division for the first time ever.  Amazing group of runners this year and so fun to watch. Here is a tiny clip I took during one of their meets.  It's not great but I love the sound of people cheering for these kids.  Something about it makes the joy pour right out of my eyes.   Abby is the sixth runner in blue and white!

Goodbye, Columbus

Goodbye, Columbus is the title of a great short story by Philip Roth.  I read it at some point during college and then again a few years ago.  I really loved the feel of the story - young love that grows and fades.  I think it popped into my mind again this weekend because everything about Columbus Marathon seemed a bit different to me.  I was not nearly as enthused as I have been in the past and my training was certainly not up to par. Although I originally set out saying that I would like to do 10 consecutive Columbus marathons I am now thinking that it might be time to say Goodbye.  Fifteen thousand runners : 10 in the half and 5 in the full. 

The BAD:  Crazy traffic getting into the expo, nothing spectacular (and no chocolate milk!) at the expo, poor sleep at the hotel, more crazy traffic getting to the start, and a humongous CROWD at the start.  We usually have had time to enjoy the band and hang out for awhile but this year I did not even use a port-a-pot.  Just jammed my way into the corral with about 15 minutes to spare. 

The GOOD:  Fireworks at the start, fabulous entertainment and spectators as always, superb weather,  I did not walk and I did not cry.

Here are the splits: 
10K @ 56.02
13.1 miles @ 1:58.54
20 miles @ 3:03.33
Finish Line @ 4:01.59

The old dog paw sign from San Diego!  Makes spotting my peeps real easy!

My finishing time was exactly where I expected it to be.  I have never been so worked up about a race before.  I know how hard I have worked for my 3 sub-four hour finishes and I knew that mentally I was not up for the beating this year.  I also put a lot of thought into the message I am sending to my daughters.  They really struggle with putting undue pressure on themselves to perform in school and sports.  I swear I do not know where they got that from!  Jerry?  I realized before the race that I was talking nonstop about whether I could go under 4 hours.  I was being negative and incredibly hard on myself.  This is not the pattern I want to set up for my girls.   They both sort of gave it to me on Saturday with a verbal scolding.  I took their words to heart and incredibly felt the four-hour monkey melt away during the race.  With every mile I became more determined to have a great day and stay positive.  I knew from the splits that I was a couple of minutes off pace and made a cognizant decision to not give a rat's behind (as my momma would say!) and just stay the course.  Instead I focused on not walking and not crying.  I don't care how many marathons a person does - it hurts like HECK and there is NOTHING easy about it.   I may never get to Boston but I am okay with that too.  Truth be told if I did qualify I would have to make the difficult decision of whether or not it would be worth the money to sign up and take the family there.  I can think of a lot of other places we would like to go.  Not to mention that this morning there are a lot of sad runner faces who got shut out of Boston registration.  Not me though, I'm still smiling!

The results summary is really great this year.  It indicates that during the last six miles I passed a total of 255 people and only 10 people passed me!  I really really love that!

Quick bottle exchange at mile 20!

Just after mile 26.  Happy moms make happy kids!

Marathon #10 complete!  They still love me!

I am really looking forward to choosing my next race.  Maybe I can stop obsessing over colleges for Gina and start researching race venues.  Or maybe I can combine a race with a college visit!  Hey kids now that would be fun!

Ten Days Till Columbus

My tenth marathon is now ten days away!  This afternoon I headed out for a nice 4 miler down the bike path.  Apparently I was not the only one in need of some fresh air and sunshine.  I saw at least six snakes, a big old toad and a tiny turtle.  The past few days of cool, rainy weather seemed a cruel hint of what is to come.  It's hard to believe that winter could be just around the corner.

But first I have to make sure that marathon #10 goes down in the books.  To be honest, I don't really have any huge expectations for the day.  There are a few things I am really looking forward to:  the awesome excitement at the start of this marathon, the great entertainment during the first half of the course, the Ohio National Guard band on High Street, the super friendly faces (especially my 3 peeps) all along the course, and definitely the downhill to the FINISH LINE!  I am trying not to think about the things I am not looking forward to:  being super cold at the start, the constant mental battle of what lies ahead, the lonely feeling of the second half when more than half the crowd turns to finish the half marathon, my legs turning to mush, my feet feeling like they were run over by a truck, the lump in my stomach and throat for last 5K, the sound of the pace group coming up behind me, not being able to pee for four hours!

You would think by now I know the drill, but the element of the unknown can be overwhelming.  I know that I will get to the start with the plan to just let the day unfold.  I don't know what else I could possibly do.  I will take with me my mental arsenal of positive thoughts and inspiring images of family and friends.  I will think of Jerry and how amazing it is that he can run a 100 mile race.  I will think of Abby and how she plows and pukes her way through middle school cross country.  I will remember Gina and the thousands of miles she has put into swimming and how good it makes her feel.  I will think of my mom and my dad for reasons too numerous to count.  My sister and her victory over breast cancer.  My sister-in-law who was supposed to be running with me but was injured.  My friend Veronica who kicked Boston in the butt this year as her mom was fighting in a hospital for every breath.  My friends JP and Maria who will be running the half marathon and hopefully loving every minute of it.  And many many more faces will pop into my head throughout the day and I will cherish the thought of each one.  Who knows, with any luck I just might make some new friends along the way.