Just an explanation

The pics are in reverse order... you can see from the one on top how WIPED I was after the race. The next one is me coming down the third base line headed for home (the race ended at home plate of the Tulane baseball field). the next is the sart of the race. I am the little pink dot. And finally, me with Riptide before I started.

Roll Wave!

Well, I am home from New Orleans. I love it there. I really do. Jackson Square is officially my "Happy Place". However, I think if I lived there, my running habit would get kicked in short order. It was tough. There is too much food, too much drink, not enough sleep and WAY too much humidity. Seriously. My har was in a ponytail the entire time I was there, because I couldn't do anything else with it. I gave up makeup because it melted off the second I left the hotel. But it is wonderful there, nonetheless.

So, in a moment of rare self discipline, I got my dead butt out of bed at 6:30 on Thursday morning and went for a little 3 mile run. Now, anyone reading this needs to understand that I live in the sticks. I mean it. I can run around and seldom see cars on the routes that I run. The town I run in has 1 stoplight and that is my biggest obstacle. Needless to say, running in the city was a whole different ball game. It took me 31 minutes to run 3 miles because I had to keep stopping at stoplights ar on cross streets. There were people running where the street cars run, but I didn't DARE do that for fear of being smushed by one. Note to self...Self: you are NOT a city girl, no matter how badly you want to believe otherwise. At any rate, this Thursday morning run then made Friday a "rest" day prior to my race on Saturday. I put "rest" in quotes because God only knows how many miles I WALKED on Friday...but I didn't run! I also didn't drink anything alcoholic on Friday and tried to eat stuff that might not be the worst stuff ever before a race. I still didn't sleep much and it was still HOT!

Saturday morning I got up, got ready and took a taxi to Tulane University to do the Tulane 5K for 4K fun run. I was really proud of myself for doing a race on my little vacation, too. It was probably about 85 degrees out when the race started at 8:00am. Prior to running, I got a great Nike Tulane T-shirt and got my picture taken with Riptide, Tulane's Pelican mascot.

I ran with everything I had and still managed only a 26:59. I was so hot that I had to wait to drink water because I thought I might throw up. Seriously. I was sweating so badly that I nearly slid off of a toilet! You could see my bra because that was the only place on me that was dry (only because the sweat hadn't seeped through it. Ugh. So, yeah, it was a somewhat miserable experience, but one I wouldn't trade for the world. Roll Wave!

It's Been FOREVER

Okay, so I kind of skipped something like the last 2 months. Sad, really because there was so much to blog about during that time. Like my 15 mile run with no socks, my puppy pal "Rex", my run to the falls with my sweet 4 year old who kept insisting "we were BORN to run, weren't we mama?!", and my recent run with rescued kitten on my arm (for over 2 miles!). There have also been races. Race season started and so far I have done 3. The first one was a 26:39 PR and a first place in my age group in the rain. The second was a 27:04, tough, hilly run that made me want to DIE. I still managed 2nd in my age group and 4th female overall. The third was a tough course where I had to stop and tie my shoe and STILL managed a 25:41 PR, albeit 2nd in my age group by about 6 seconds...darn shoelace! I am running another in the morning. We will see how it goes. I am also scheduled to run one in New Orleans on June 13. I am really excited about that one!

My half marathon training has taken a hit with all the 5K races, though. I haven't run more than 9 miles in 6 weeks. I hate that. I really want my long run back.

My daughter has graduated from high wchool with honors. My littlest graduated from Pre-school last night. My middle one has barely survived his first year of middle school, but he DID survive. I am proud of them all.

So, that is the catch up. I am going to try to do better, I swear.

Just Because...

I am attempting to blog with nothing really to say. :) I managed to get SOME running in last week. Not much, though. I really didn't feel like a long run on Saturday, but got out there and felt so good I ended up doing 11.5... I would have done more, but no one really knew where i was and I didn't want to worry my mom by being gone too long. She worries enough as it is. Then Sunday my road Running Club had it's last Winter Series 5K Fun Run and I PR'd with a time of 26:50. NOT the fastest time in the world, but blazing fast for me!

I am still up in the air as to what races to run and when to run them and my husband is being less than nice about the whole racing thing in general, so I don't know wher I am heading with my running anymore and I am afraid tha twill be my downfall. I am someone who absolutely requires goals and I currently have none. If I did, I might come out of this funk/slump.

The Dog Days of Spring

Okay, this is not the first time I have said this here, and I doubt it will be the last, but I love dogs. Generally speaking, anyway. Dogs are great. I like most of them more than I like a lot of people. And they generally like me, too. That is part of my running problem, though. I did my long run on Saturday. I ran about 14.5 miles and it was great. It was the furthest I have ever run in my life. And during this run, I encountered 11 dogs!!! Yep, 11 of them. Only two wanted me dead and they were small. They ran every time I tried to soothe them, but I didn't get bitten. They were joined by a third who thought it would be fun to harrass me. I lost every bit of 5 minutes trying to get through that little patch. then came the pack of 5 at the farm, right before I drop out of civilization. Three of them just stood around barking, but two approached. One was new, a little beagle guy that wagged all over the place and was just DELIGHTED to make my acquaintence. then there was the hound, who I will refer to as "Duke" because he looks like Duke from the Beverly Hillbillies. Duke is a BIG boy, looks like a redbone/bloodhound mix and he LOVES me. Really, really loves me. He put his great big paws on my shoulders, kissed my face, laid his head on my chest and ripped out my earbuds. When I emerged from that stretch, I was covered in paw prints. It only got better. By the time I had made it to nearly mile 7 or 8, the evil border collie and its friend harrassed me for a minute, but it never comes too close. I went on into the State Park, ran to my turning point, then came back out. When I came out, I was joined by a mutt of some sort...beagle marked, built like a bull dog/boxer without the flat face. He thought it would be a good idea to run with me...for over 4 miles!!! I had to call my husband when it was time to come get me and warn him that I had a friend. When he got there, the dog jumped into my van, kissed my 4 year old, and hopped into the back seat like he belonged there. He has a home and fortunately I knew where he came from, so we took him back. He wouldn't get out of the van and then chased the car when I finally got him out. during the ride, Xander, my little guy, started calling him "Rex". A great name, I thought. But here is the precious, I am so glad to be a mom moment: Later, Xander asked "Mommy, did you like that I called him Rex?" I told him I did. He said "Wanna know why I called him that?" I said that I did and he said "Because he WRECKS your run!!!!" I love that kid!
Seriously, how can non-dog people run, ever???

The Blahs

I have a bad case of them. I am thoroughly exhausted and I am sure that is at the root of my blahs. But here is a sample day for me these days: Get up and get my 12 year old off to school. Get ready for work. Get the 4 year old ready for school. Drive the 4 year old to pre-school. Drive 1+ hours to work. Work all day with idiotic crazy people. Drive 1+ hours home. Stop at the hospital and visit mom (who is STILL there!). Go do whatever running around mom needs done...bank, shop, food, etc. Pick up my boys. (Three days a week) Drive another hour to rehearsal. Rehearse for 3.5 hours when it was only supposed to be 2. Drive an hour home. Talk to my aunt who is staying with me while mom is in the hospital. Talk to my poor husband for a few minutes to try to determine tomorrow's schedule. collapse. Wake up with a greyhound who thinks he needs out. Repeat this at least once more throughout the night. Sometimes twice. Finally sleep for three consecutive hours, then get up and do it all again. Except on the nights when there isn't rehearsal, then you can insert, fix dinner, do random shopping, laundry, etc.! Last night I forced a run in at 9:00pm. I brought stuff to run today at work. I NEED 6 miles in. I have early rehearsal. I have to see mom. I have so much to do!!! I am so tired I feel like I am bordering on tears and I KNOW I have a bad attitude. I am hungry. I am trying not to over eat because I am not running propoerly. It is cold here again. It is going to rain all weekend. I have a million reasons NOT to run. I need to make myself do it, anyway. This just hasn't been a good couple of weeks. *sigh*

Race Report and Running Like a Daughter

Well, the race went better than I expected, by far. I am nowhere near running like a Kenyan or anything, but I did post a better time than I anticipated. I was hoping for about 1:40:00 and got 1:36:33. It was 41 degrees out and I was able to run in a long sleeved shirt and running tights without a jacket or gloves or anything. I also wasn't allowed to use my iPod. THAT was an experience, let me tell you. I learned something about myself while running without music. I have really random thoughts and almost every thought causes a song in my head. Seriously. But I also realized how wonderful my family is and how much I have to be thankful for. That morning, my daughter got up to tell me goodbye and to please call her at work and tell her how the race went. My 12 year old made me a CD to listen to on the way there to try to get me pumped up. My 4 year old told me to win a trophy. Imagine everyone's surpise (most of all mine) when I came home with a 3rd place age group medal! I beat out at least 3 other people for it, too!

As for running like a daughter- my mom had both knees replaced on Tuesday. It has slowed my training quite a bit, though I am making room in my schedule as much as possible. And I am also not taking my scarred up but strong legs for granted anymore. Thanks, mom, for giving me a body that will let me love life this much.

I still haven't registered for the half marathon. I need to get off my butt and get that done before it's too late. Tomorrow is another long run (hopefully better than last week when I nearly got frostbite in my poor, pathetic hands). It is supposed to be sunny and 72. It's about time! I am going to run 'til my legs fall off, so I am going to go reest now. I need my energy!