A fellow runner said: 'You'd probably be faster if you didn't stop to take pictures of so many flowers on your run.' I busted out laughing because it's true. I did a 10:30 mile and everything to a 9:30 mile. I took pictures of some flowers, a couple of snails, chuckled at fat squirrels & skittish chipmunks. I smelled the still lingering scent of Greek Olives holding onto their blooms. The scent is so overpowering sometimes it is almost a thick syrup in the air. I pushed aside a bug flying in slow motion, the same direction I was running on the trail. It was a move from a science fiction movie. I smiled & felt bad for the bug at the same time. I looked for turtles or snakes but didn't spot any, today. I saw walkers & one lady running. I 'waved' at the park rangers as I passed & gave a thumbs up to each walker I saw.

Yep- trail running, even the more manicured trails, are a better time running than the monotonous country roads. Oak Openings is chicken soup for the soul.

LIFE-GETS-BUSY!

We are wrapping up the school year- WOOT! WOOT! We finished our Spring races- all righty!

Juggling training, two girls in high school with abbreviated school days, attending the local college (40 minutes away), that don't drive or ride the bus, makes for a choppy day for Jim & myself. We've done it, though. Working in the afternoon & evening is the only way it's possible. Add, a mom/son duo that recently left our employment & the floodgates of heaven opening with people calling us to work= a busier life.

We have visited Jim's doctors since his race has passed and presented them with items from his race. We have one kid graduating; so, we decided to get our house ready for company. Out with the old carpet & get those wooden floors "done." While we're at it, we might as well paint the walls... and we never did paint the ceilings... we need to move all of the furniture... and let's get these overgrown flower beds tamed- from a year of Jim being sick... Lucy will help...

It will get done-- with miles sprinkled in for sanity until training gets "official" in June. There are still 1/2 marathon races in June & August as well as a full in October. I hope there is another Dave's Marathon in Training plan for me this Fall. Gotta' get my miles back up & get my wonderful speed work done!

There is a peacefulness in our family despite the end of the school rush, despite training, weekend getaways & extra work. There is cooperation as we rally around Jillian's big day, Jim's accomplishment, Hannah's future & improving our home. It's a really good feeling: working, together. I always HOPED I'd have a family like this: a partner I'd like, reasonable kids, a house. I have a warm fuzzy feeling despite living in a construction zone and chaos. We are alive & united... & that is pretty beautiful.

Not that anyone cares; but, I'm making it official. I was bummed for a day & received some encouraging words. My body was quite capable of doing the miles, this past weekend. I wanted to negative split my race & was prepared. The temps were forecasted to be warm but I've run in warmer temps. I was worried how the temps would affect my RACE times. (There is a difference between racing & running.) I gave myself permission on the days leading up to Canton to run not race. I had a much clearer head, this way. As the time came, the evening before was rainy but PERFECT running temps, in my opinion. You get what you get on race day. It's a gamble & part of the appeal to many. I had been training all winter long using Tailwind nutrition at a certain concentration. It got me through every training run- just fine. I had my nutrition locked in after years of trying "everything." --What I had never done was run a warm(er) race after a long winter & not practiced adding all the extra water I would need to compensate for sweating. I feel foolish looking back, now, thinking that my little sips of Tailwind would get me through 26.2 miles of warm miles. I fell apart at mile 15. I started taking water at the aid stations- guzzling water, actually. I didn't get sick because I wasn't "running". Eventually, after walk-trotting, I pulled the last couple of miles together, charging the last hill as I could, passing people left & right as they had given into the heat as well. I finished in under 5 hours. I was shooting for 4 hours. 😕 Needless to say, I was embarrassed; but, passing all of those physically fit runners that were walking, reminded me that it wasn't a normal race.

I had friends that did WAY better than I did. I'm sure they had their nutrition & hydration plan nailed down better than I did. -I'm in, again, for redemption. I'm training for an August 1/2 & a Fall full. I have some different distances on the horizon & am still not counting out ultra marathon training.

Some people have fast times, naturally. Some of us bust our butts to just be average. This girl has a stronger base & more knowledge to tackle the distance, again.

Sub 4-- I'm coming for you. Until then, I must say the BLING from this race was worth the discomfort.