I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

The weather today was pretty nice (even though it was a little on the hot side).  No rain, about 10 mph winds, 75 degrees and sunny.  The wind was not a factor.  The heat might have been a little bit of a factor, but not too much.

My race was solid.  I didn't overrely on my garmin, but it does measure a little long (mine said I ran 13.23) so my mile splits are not exactly accurate.  According to my garmin, my splits were 8:16, 7:47, 7:51, 7:56, 7:52, 7:54, 8:02, 7:47, 7:54, 8:23 (argh), 8:03, 8:34 (double argh), 8:00 and then the end at 6:47 pace.  But of course, that's probably not exactly what my actual splits were, because at one point I hit the lap button at a mile marker (about 30 seconds off at that point, which I didn't put in my splits) just to see if maybe the weaving in and out of traffic added a little distance, but the next mile marker was still about 10-15 seconds after my garmin beeped.  And after my 13th mile split, it measured .15 instead of .11.

Mile 10 I stopped for about 30 seconds so that I could actually drink some water instead of just spilling it all over my face and I stopped at mile 12 to do the same, I think for about 30 seconds.  And that right there was the difference between meeting my goal and not. 

Live and learn.

Not gonna lie.  There's a part of me that's a little disappointed in my time. 

But I'm pretty happy that my run was consistent.  I know that I have to work on my endurance because the end was hard to maintain.  And I'm pretty sure that I needed the water, so I can't blame myself for wanting to drink.

And then my TMI for today:  as soon as I crossed the finish line, I got a sudden urge to pee.  It was a few seconds before I realized that I actually WAS peeing.  THAT has never happened to me.  I tried standing still and that helped.  I got to the bathroom a little too late, but I was able to hold most of it.  I just rinsed myself off and then went outside to find my people.  Gross.

I feel bad because I dropped my running partner like a hot potato at mile 6, but I'm glad I did.  He finished just under 2 hours.  My brother also ran through a knee injury.  He thought he would run/walk, but ended up running the whole thing, albeit slowly.

But there are some other things that I'm really excited about.  I was 15th in my age division.  I was in the top 2.7% of women overall (I was 92nd out of 3340).  So that's impressive. 

Got out at 4:45 for 5 miles.  Nice and easy, about 9:30 avg. This week my goal is to just put in about 5 miles a day and then try to go a little longer on Saturday after I get back from class.

This is why I hate morning running:

1)  I wake up a lot because I am paranoid that my alarm is not set correctly.

2)  My foot is always howling in the morning.  My gait was abnormal for about 1.5 miles.

 This is why I like morning running:

1)  It is pretty and peaceful.

2) Less wind (and this time of the year, much cooler).

3)  I will have more time in the evening (tonight it's all about cleaning and organizing)

 Now that I have no long races in sight, I am going to try to run in the mornings.  I think I am going to just shoot for 30-40 mpw until school is out, so it won't be too tough to get those miles before school.  I can do about 6 and still be on time.

I only hobbled for 1/2 mile today, but my foot still didn't feel normal until about 1.5 miles in.  Nothing really remarkable at all about this run.  

Avg. pace:  9:18.  About 50 degrees, so a little chillier than yesterday, but still perfect for t-shirt and shorts.

Another morning run.  I was up about 1/2 hour before my alarm--couldn't go back to sleep and couldn't get up.  We'll see how long this early morning crap lasts :) 

Then my garmin for whatever reason will not turn on (it was charging since my run yesterday) so now I have to do some trouble shooting if I have time.  I'm pretty sure I was slow, but whatever.  I'm in recovery mode anyway.

My foot was okay today, no hobbling, but a little sore.  You guys are probably right.  I should try something for it, as opposed to the nothing that I do right now.  I'm going to start by taping it.  If I can drag myself to a sporting goods store (Walmart doesn't carry KT tape and nothing else is really that convenient) I'll try that today.

Morning running and I decided yesterday that we should not be mutually exclusive.  Instead I had a date with some work that was just easier to do when everyone was in bed.  I ran a few miles late in the evening, after an earlier failed attempt to run with the kids while they were on their scooters (Eli is not very good on his scooter yet).  

Morning running and I very nearly parted ways altogether this morning.  I woke up in the middle of the night to close the windows because it was raining.  When the alarm went off, I said aloud, "I hope it's raining" went to the window, and was loudly disappointed when it wasn't raining.  My husband, who was 1/2 asleep, mumbled "Just go back to bed."  And I did, but jumped out of bed a minute later when I realized that it was morning running or nothing today.  I have class tonight.

So I got out there and did a little more than I set out to do, mostly so that I could make my average during the week 5 miles exactly. I was also faster than I intended (8:37 AP.  Splits:  9:29, 8:56, 8:29, 8:34, 8:21, 8:10 and .6 @ 8:05).  So I'm arbitrarily calling the last 4.6 fast.

I'm glad morning running and I made up.  4 days out of 5 ain't bad, especially for me.  Next week maybe I'll make it out every morning. 

I blew off running this weekend.  It felt sorta nice.  So I had a little extra energy this morning for some faster paces.

My avg. was 8:32.  I started at 9:19 and my last mile was 7:56. 

I saw one other runner out this morning.  I said a big hello and he ignored me.  Then I saw him again about .75 miles later (we must have been running around the same main streets).  That time he said hi.  I'm pretty sure I covered a little more ground than he did. 

I saw Erin, Luke's mom, over the weekend.  She is going back to work today (and dreading it).  She said she cries easily and she is a little tired of people wanting to hug her.  Please think about her today.

Also, you know how bad things always come in 3s?  I found out my 3rd thing a couple days before Luke's funeral but I didn't want to post it because I was, at that point, tired of being so pathetic.  Well, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer (she's 33).  It has spread to a couple lymph nodes, but luckily nowhere else.  She will be having surgery on June 2.  I don't know yet what the rest of her treatment will be like, but I know it will be a tough time for her.  I will be taking at least my nephew (they also have a daughter) for a week or so in June.  I'm sure they will need more help, but that's all I know so far.

My class yesterday was in a place in Illinois that I had never been to before.  About an hour and a half from home, Pontiac was a long drive through the country.  The exit on I-57 that promises access to Pontiac is misleading--the town was still 35 miles from the interstate.  I was passing all sorts of towns that I had never even heard of.  Luckily we got out early so I got home a little after 9.  It was raining on the way home and I thought about the morning.  No way I was going to run in a downpour.

When I woke up I had to open the window and see if it was raining.  It wasn't.  I got out and ran at 8:52 AP.  I think I always want to run fast at the end of a morning run because I'm worried about running late, so every time I felt myself speeding up, I pulled back.  It was drizzling a little bit and it was windy, but overall it was another nice run.

My students have been presenting their final projects last week and this.  Most of my students are using any medium that they choose to draw attention to any social issue in attempts to sway their classmates.  Although I've had a few bad presentations (minimal effort), the majority of the projects have been pretty good.  One project yesterday was simply outstanding.  I'm thinking about asking the two boys to post it on youtube just so I can post it here.  They made a movie of about a boy who, on a normal school day, witnesses a few incidents of his classmates being mean to a few kids.  The day ends in tragedy, and the next morning he realizes he's been given the opportunity to live the day again.  There's no dialogue.  The whole thing is set to a song written and performed by one of the boys who made the video.  I'm proud of them. 

My AP students' projects are a little different.  They are using any medium to present their thoughts on what it means to be human.  In the past, students have done some amazing work.  I've had a few excellent ones there. 

I love this time of year, and not because it's almost summer (well, not just because).  I feel inspired by the depth of many of my students.  I'm putting the finishing touches on my project this week so that I can present mine on Friday.

Ran after school.  My legs felt heavy for some reason.  I stopped after 4.5 miles to stretch for a few minutes and that helped a little bit.  I didn't wear my watch, but instead went along a known distance.  I went pretty slowly, and I'm glad I didn't have the watch.  Sometimes it nags me to go faster than I need to.

An easy run in the a.m.  It took me the better part of two miles before that little voice that curses running went away.  Average pace was slightly under 9 mm.

It has been raining on and off this week, so it was pretty humid this morning.  Luckily it was not ridiculously hot (it was about 60, maybe a little higher), so it was merely annoying.  It was also sorta windy, too. 

I don't have my official time, but this is close enough.  

Going into this race, I wasn't quite sure I actually wanted to race.  I went kinda spur of the moment, after debating on it for about a week after a former student asked me if I was running this race. 

So I decided last night that I would definitely go, and in the morning, the whole fam decided to come with me.  We rushed out of the house because the race was about 40 minutes away and I wanted to get there early enough to register and warm up.  I realized part way there that I forgot my watch and then decided that it was probably a good thing.

I got there in plenty of time, but wasn't eager to warm up.  Instead I talked for a while with a family of a former student (different one) and then went off to at least warm up a little.  It was nice, but the air was a little crisp and I wanted to get warm enough to dump my long sleeved shirt.

Then at the start line I saw the woman who beat me in my last 10K about a month ago.  I decided that I would tuck in behind her so I could keep an eye on her while I was running.  I don't like not knowing who's behind me.  The first mile I was right on her tail (it was 7:25, but it felt nice and relaxed, probably because it was downhill) then I kept on her for a while (second mile 7:35), but lost sight of her somewhere around 2.5 miles.  My 3rd mile was again at 7:25 and I was still feeling pretty great. 

At mile 4 (no split.  I wasn't wearing a watch and there was no one reading times), I passed one female runner and decided that I would put on a little speed to discourage her from staying with me.  While doing that, I passed another female runner and kept up my speed for the same reason.  While doing THAT, I passed a male runner.  He tried to stick with me for a bit while we were running along a bike path, then dropped back, but for the next 1.5 miles he would creep up and try to pass me and I would keep his speed with him until he dropped back more. 

That battle helped me to gain a little bit of ground on another female runner.  She had a really strange gait and I really wanted to beat her.  At mile 5 I determined that miles 4 and 5 averaged 7:40, and I was bound and determined to speed up so that I could pass that lady.   When we turned off the bike path, the man directing traffic told me that I was the 3rd woman.  I thought about that lady who beat me last month, and thought she must have gotten a lot faster, but knew that I could beat the second place woman. 

I didn't pass her until we were turning towards the finish chute.  My husband got a 5 second video on his phone (he was trying to take a picture and had it in the wrong setting) and I looked really strong.  I wish he would have filmed the whole finish.  As is I watched that 5 second clip a bunch of times.

[Update:  I forgot the first time around to mention that the woman I was chasing early on, the one who beat me last month, actually only ran the 5K, so it was okay that I lost her early on]

Then the kids ran in the kids' race.  I ran with Eli.  After the awards were handed out (I got first place in my age division, but since the winner was my age, I feel that I really got second) we drove all around Monticello, just sightseeing.  They have a really cool nature park, Allerton, that I always enjoy going to. 

So, while I am indifferent to my time (didn't PR, but I was only 15 seconds off from last month, and I felt WAY more comfortable today), I am ecstatic about the way I raced.  I don't think I've ever felt good about the way I race.  Maybe I've had a breakthrough.

So far I have not been successful in my quest for morning runs.  I went to bed late on Sunday and then had a fitful night sleep, so when the alarm went off, I said no thanks.

Instead I went for a later run, after dinner.  Just an easy 6.  It's a little chillier here, but I think it will be warmer for the rest of the week.  Now it's Tuesday and I didn't do my morning run again.  Hopefully I can get on track for the rest of this week.  I don't know, though.  Sleep has been bad lately.

But, on the plus side, my husband's job is secure for next year.  That's a relief from a few solid months of stressing out about it.

An easy 7.3 after school.  It wasn't too warm, which was good, but I could have done without the wind :)  AP:  8:45 ish.

I have not been eating great in the last 3 weeks or so.  Every day I vow that I will not eat everything in sight, and every day there is something that contributes to my undoing.  Today it was this BIG cookie at lunch.  And when I say BIG, I mean BIG.  It's the kind of cookie that is good for the first half, and then every bite after that you are sorta disgusted, but you keep hoping that the next bite will taste good.

Oh and yeah, then I went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

And I just finished a small cone from Dairy Queen.

I can't help it.  I love food.

These are my favorite pictures I took of my seniors (but not necessarily my favorite seniors :) ).

Another one:

 And another one:

Thanks to Burt for showing me how to do this.  You won't regret it.  I promise I won't do it incessantly (other than today).

Oh yeah, and I ran today too.

I just had time for an easy 4 late in the day.  I did not wear my watch.  I took it excessively easy.

My husband and I went on a nice date last night (we never do that) to a good Korean sushi restaurant.  We didn't do sushi, but we did split some steak lettuce wraps and some shrimp and scallop stir fry.  It was delish.  It was an early night (the boys were at the movies with their aunt and uncle).  I ran afterward.  It was slow (once again).

It was really hot today.  I wish I would have gone earlier, but it wasn't terrible.  Just slow.

We went straight from spring into August within the last few days. It was already 70 when I left the house at 4:45 and it was rather humid.  It was a mile before I stopped wanting to turn around and go home, and then I started to feel comfortable around mile 3.  My avg. pace was around 9 mm.  

It's shaping up to be the same day as yesterday, although it doesn't seem as humid. The run was better than yesterday.  I think it's because I slept better.  We turned on our air conditioner, which I hate.  Because of Caleb's allergies and breathing, once we turn it on, it should really stay on for the summer so the house is sealed against all the crap he's allergic to. 

My whole family is not feeling great, including me.  But I know mine is allergies so hopefully some claritin will help.  

An easy 5.  I'm not real motivated to run lately, so I'm surprised I keep doing it.  We'll see if I'm motivated tomorrow morning, since that's really my only window of opportunity tomorrow.

Okay.  I've been away for a bit.  I tried one day to update my blog, but I had to do it with my phone and it was not cooperating.  So here's what I've been up to.

We arrived in Washington D.C. at about 2 and then took the metro to a station kinda near our hotel and walked a mile and half (we thought it was closer) to our hotel in Georgetown.  We were staying at the Ritz-Carleton.  Oo-la-la.

Then my husband had groomsman duties, so while he did his thing I went for a run.  I asked the concierge for a 5 mile run and he handed me a map that did not even have street names on it.  I got lost. Then finally I saw this after I was headed over the Potomac (but didn't cross it yet)

:

I then did my little running tour of the mall.  Saw a guy on a horse (I don't know the people petting it, though) and Mr. Lincoln.

Ran across the mall, stopping at the Smithsonian Castle and ending at the Capitol  Bldg.

Then I headed back in the direction of my hotel, but wasn't quite sure where I was going.  Found that I was close to the White House, so I decided to take a detour to see it.

 These pictures are quite grainy.  I took them on my cell phone, which I carried in my pocket along with some id (Just in case).  At the end of the run the corners of my id had created an ouchie on my leg.

So the "5 mile run" was quite a bit longer.  I got back after 2 hours, but I'll just count it as 10 since I did stop to take pictures.

The rehearsal dinner was at the W Hotel on the top floor.  Overlooked the White House.  It was pretty swanky.

I ran in the morning with the groom.  At first he told me that he runs at 8 minute pace and I was a little scared.  But then as we got going, I realized that he meant that he races at 8 minute pace.  We had a good conversation about running and stuff (he does triathlons and 1/2 marathons.  His best 1/2 marathon is just a little slower than my best).  

When we finished 2 miles, he informed me that this was his first run in about 2 months, since he broke his toe at his bachelor party (he was kicking one of the other groomsmen and got his toe stuck in the guy's cargo shorts).  He felt like he needed to sweat off some of the hangover from the night before.  I think I was killing him.  We walked a bit before turning around and heading home.  So we covered more distance, but only 4.1 running.

We ran along the C & O canal.  It was pretty, but it was also pretty muggy.

Got home in the afternoon, went over to my SIL, got into a fight with my BIL, then went home and ran an easy 3.  

Feeling very bloated.  The progesterone has not worked yet.