I Probably Should Make My Blog Public again

No running today.  I was in St. Louis.  We went to Grant's Farm.  It was enjoyable.

An easy 5 miles.

The weather here (now I'm in Chicago) is temperate. Makes for a pleasant run.  This was just another easy run.  I did see a deer in someone's yard while I was running.  I got pretty close before it ambled away.  I did much the same as yesterday, except I ran through Swan Pond, which was pretty swampy.

I'm really guessing on my warm up and my cool down.  I warmed up with my brothers before the race.  I had planned on running there, but let my bros talk me into riding with them.  It wasn't hard for them to twist my arm.

Anyway, my youngest brother was planning on running fast with me, but he was pretty noncommital about the whole thing.  He always has trouble breathing in humidity, so I wasn't sure if I could count on him to be my pacer, which is what I wanted.  

Weather was perfect--on the cool side, but still humid, since we've had intermittent rain since last night.

My first mile was 7:03.  My little bro fell back just before the end of this mile.  So I decided to pick a couple of people and just go with them.  The second mile I still felt great. They had a clock and I think I passed it with about a 7:15 second mile (I was paying attention more to the water).  Then I felt a little downhearted because my sons weren't hanging out where my mom had agreed to take them.  I know I slowed down a bit, but then I saw them down the block and picked it up a little.  I was running with a lady in black and I really, really didn't want her to beat me.  We kept trading places, and I let her lead a little in the 3rd mile because it was easier for me to have her as a target if she was in front.  Then I kept looking at my watch and thinking that I had a shot at breaking 23 and I tried to give everything I had.  I left the lady in black (who I later realized was not in my age division) and then passed 4 or so more women on into the finish.  Right after I finished someone told a girl behind me that she was the 9th woman, but I didn't really look at the results, so I'm not sure if I was 8th.  I'll check and post later.

So at any rate, my official time was 22:32.  I looked at the results briefly when I was picking up my medal for first place in my age group!

Update:  I was the 6th woman!!  And one of the things that I wanted to do was beat a couple of girls I grew up with, and I did, by a lot.

Got into the city late in the day, went to dinner with some friends and then ran afterward.  I would have gone longer, but it was getting dark and I was a little leery.

In Chicago still.  Ran from the Hilton to the Adler Planetarium, around it, and then along the lake front up to where I could go under Lake Shore Drive, and then back to the hotel.  Later I went out with my cousin Amy--we had a good time and she stayed with me for the night.

Along the Lake Front up to Navy Pier and then out to Ohio Street Beach, where I saw some crazy people doing tri training, swimming laps along the abutment.  Then back to the hotel to wait for Chuck.  We went to a Brazilian Steakhouse.  Best dining experience.  Ever.  And I don't even like meat that much.  

Still stuffed to the gills with meat.  I woke up at 6 and took 45 minutes to convince myself just to run a few miles before the conference started up again.  I just ran in a giant circle:  from the hotel, through the Museum Campus, north along the lake and then ran down Monroe (I think) back to the hotel.

Just went for an easy run in the middle of a day where I was watching all my nephews and my two.  My mom released me when 2 of them were taking a nap.  I had an hour and I misjudged my distance, so I went longer than that, but it was okay because when I got back, they were still sleeping.  It was pretty humid, but my parents live in Riverside, "a village in a forest."  That is not just a cutesy nickname, either, so most of my run was excessively shaded.  I ran along the river route for part of the run and then turned around and ran it again.  

It was a good.

I'm finally back home.  Ran an easy 6.25 in the p.m.  It was pretty hot and humid--and sunny.  I actually prefer running at my parents'.

Ran 2.2 before the kids got here.  Then, after a warmup, did some ladder intervals today.  I had a hard time keeping up with one of my faster girls, but other than that, it was a good workout.

I ran an easy 6.25 around my favorite route.  I waited until 8 p.m., when it was a little cooler, so the last bit was in the dark.  Every time I run this late, I see an older gentleman walking around my neighborhood and he always smiles and says, "Getting your exercise too?"  It's sorta comforting.

I did an easy 5.6 with the girls, the last 15 minutes we picked up the pace, but I'm still counting it as easy.

Then we had a little scare--one of the girls left us to run ahead, and when we got back to our meeting place she wasn't there.  She didn't drive, and we were wondering if her dad came to pick her up, and in he comes.  So I ran down the trail and the dad drove my assistant to the other side of the trail and he ran back.  About a mile into the run (where I was looking in the ditch/creek for her pink shorts) I got the call that she was okay.  Her dad found her running along the road on the other side of the trail.  She says she wasn't lost...

And then we had to wait because my assistant didn't have his phone with him, so he was slowly running back (looking in the ditch/creek too, I'm sure).  All's well that ends well, but everyone's running with a cell phone next time.  It's funny, because I've never worried about those ahead--I always worry about the stragglers.

I left the house and ran while my hubby took the kids to breakfast.  I told myself that I would keep running after my normal 6.25 if he wasn't home yet.  He wasn't, so I just added my normal 2 mile loop.  

We're leaving for Michigan tomorrow.  I'm thinking about running while we're at the dunes, but that depends on whether hubby thinks he can handle the 3 kids (our 2 and our nephew, who's coming with us).  Otherwise I might run in the p.m. or not at all, depending on how everything goes.

Approximately 6 miles at some trails here in Mich.  I know I was pretty slow as I started, but I picked up the pace throughout the run and tried to push during the last 1.5

Ran with my friend Colleen.  We went through the trails and then pushed the last mile before getting back to our cabins.  Then we felt like we needed some more so we did a cool down around the property here.  A nice run.

This was a horrible run.  I'm tired.  I've been running around playing games every day.  I woke up and had a horrible stomach ache and just decided to run anyway.  For the first mile, my stomach felt pretty bad and I don't know why it passed but it took me a while to realize that my stomach felt okay.  I picked up the pace for the second half of the run.

Went for a run with my brother.  We started off with a goal of 4 miles and then got to talking.  Our talk was probably productive in the long run, but it was one of those painful conversations where both parties get mad and sad at random intervals...and throw in the fact that we were both running.  Our run was probably longer than that, but we did a lot of running in circles and I didn't have a watch, so I don't know how long we went.  

My brother is getting married this Saturday, and this conversation was all related to marriage and all sorts of things family.  Probably not the best time for this conversation, but it's been brewing for a long time.

Another run with my friend Colleen.  Very slow, conversational pace.  We had a lot to discuss.  She and I are like sisters and she is going through some rough times with family and marriage.  Another conversation that's been brewing for a long time.  This one I'm not sure was too productive.  Time will tell.

An easy 6.25.  I pushed a little the last 1.5 miles, but I still wasn't going that fast.

I finished my last summer class with a final!  Yay.  I think I did just fine.

I got home a little late and ran just an easy 4.  My pace was really slow.

I'm exhausted.  I think I need a vacation from my vacation...

I didn't wake up early enough to get in some miles before running with the kids, but I did an easy 5.6 with one of the girls while another girl did intervals.  I wasn't in the mood for intervals.  It was hard enough to get out of bed this morning.  It was one of those nights where Caleb woke up crying from a bad dream and I was tired enough to say he could sleep in our bed.  But he didn't want to for some reason.  Then just when I fell back asleep, here he comes a-crawling into our bed.  So I had feet in my back the rest of the night.

Got to a late start.  an easy 3.5

Ran with a few kids this morning.  I sent one of the girls ahead and stayed behind with a girl who was struggling, so it was easy.

I'm still tired...Hopefully I'll be able to get in a run early tomorrow, but I have a busy day--rehearsal dinner tomorrow!  Lots of preparations to do! 

I don't remember exactly how far I ran this day.  It was around my parents' house in the a.m. before the whirlwind weekend started!  I'm happy to say I ran 6 days this week.  It's been a while.