I've been following the Spring marathon in training plan rather than the Fall. My race day is different than the group so I started training earlier, before I knew the Fall plan.

I had a 7-8 mile run, yesterday, with some miles at marathon pace. I didn't want to... I was achy, tired & had to work, later. I reminded myself I don't "have to. I GET to." I know many people wish they could do a 7 miler & I am grateful that my body is able to.

I was cold & still doubting for my slow, tight, first mile--> 10:45- yikes! As each mile went by I warmed up & got a bit faster until I finished mile 8 (plus change) at 8:40. I wasn't "trying." I insisted I was just going to do the miles, not any set pace except "easy pace." Some days "easy" is surprisingly good! Some days "easy" is torture.

So I sit, along the road contemplating a shortie 4 miler. I almost skipped this work out for sleep. Instead, I'll "reward myself" with "candy." 4 on the Yellow trail should be a good break from road miles. 17 miler, tomorrow, with my group. They have less but I'm hoping to snag some company for the extra miles.  👍🏼

Jim & I did our 1/2 marathon last weekend at HIS pace. As we got home he reviewed his statistics, his rank in his age group & overall placement. He was slightly discouraged. Numbers don't tell the whole story!!! One year ago, YESTERDAY, Jim ran one mile! Let that sink in... He finally had enough balance to run ONE MILE then ran 13.1 by April! THEN-- ran a second half marathon exactly one year from the time he ran ONE mile! 

We started at the back of the pack, at Cleveland, & did HIS race. As I stated earlier, by mile 10 he was passing everyone that had 'given up' running & was walking. As we passed people, my mind (not my mouth) said, "You weren't sick like my husband was. You don't have the excuse HE had... He's doing it. He's passing." 

No doubt: Jim will get faster. We all have the ability to improve & get faster--> the cliche saying: "Don't look how far you have to go. Look at how far you've come" is EXTREMELY truthful. 

What a difference a year makes!

This is my post from one year ago the day he did "ONE."

http://girlitsabouttime.blogspot.com/2016/08/he-did-it-his-first-mile-running-since.html

I've been a Facebook Nerd & a blogging lazy turd, this year. Jillian graduated from high school, this past June; &, we had a small party, here. We had been painting, ripping up carpet, getting a new floor & getting the yard under control. Then we had a trip to Nebraska SMACK DAB during the same time with the 4-H group.

Hannah starts her junior year of high school, this week & college credit plus classes, next week. Jillian starts college full time, next week. We (I) decided to finish the home facelift & do the girls' rooms, too. We have been purging, boxing items we intend to keep & moving stuff into the garage to get get ready for paint & new carpeting in their rooms. Plastering, sanding & ripping up old carpeting comes before all of the glory work, though. Add 4-H obligations, teaching two teens to drive, running group obligations and training a couple of new employees... & my head is spinning!

I LOVE doing it, though. Jim is excited about the new wood floors. The girls are excited that we let them make their rooms uniquely "theirs" and I'm happy to be dropping 4-H obligations & picking up different ones. 4-H has been a great experience but the girls have moved on to other interests. Jim & I are running races together & doing more together as a couple instead of "exclusively as parents." I LOVE it! The family dynamics are changing.

This past weekend Jim & I ran Cleveland's rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1/2 Marathon. It was his second, ever, half marathon-- AND-- both 1/2's were within four months of each other! We ran together & while the pace was slower than my usual pace, to experience it with Jim & talk about it with him afterwards was a JOY! If I raced, I'd be waiting for him (probably impatient, irritated or worried) at the finish line. Running slower, with him, I was able to hand him our hydration every two miles and monitor his progress, his breathing, the heat... Running with him meant we had something to talk about, together, when it was all over. Instead of me asking if he saw "XXXXX", I could point at it during the race & smile. If it was live music, we were able to talk about the exact moment we both saw it instead of our different experiences, afterwards. I could see his flush face & see happy tears at the finish as I put the medal around his neck! A strong hug at the finish then smiling, sweaty selfies are stories we will keep sharing. After years of being (truly) sad (& lonely) that I was doing this solo, I have an up & coming partner! To me, reminding myself to stay as a duo is a running "investment." I have no doubt he will surpass my own accomplishments, eventually. If he does, I'm reminding him to stay with ME! ;)

Our last 4-H obligation is coming up: the fair & fair booth. This is a BIG deal! The kids work all year in preparation for the fair. It is THEIR "race day." I have designed the booth & hope, again, to come away with an award for the kids. :) After the fair, it's back to focusing on training for Chicago in October. I'm hoping to add one last "destination" trail race at Mackinac Island at the end of October. That should take us into a short rest before promoting & training for the Glass City Marathon. Jim wants to do his first Full marathon, then. We'll attempt the training & see how he fares. He will probably do great... or decide to wait a bit longer before tackling the distance. Either way, I'm learning to enjoy the "journey" with company.

Life goes on & I stay busy. Work, running & volunteering at a race consumed my weekend. I wanted to do a duathlon, this weekend. It was the last one of our local series & the personal pressure was on to take this goal off the back burner.

My plans & schedule always revolve around work & family so I waited to commit to this race. I needed to see how work would affect my plans. As the week progressed, I was hopeful & finally just took my bike into the shop. The whole 'bike seat thing' wore me out. My bike was placed on a trainer (kind of like a spin class). Adjustments to my current seat were made- seat height, angle, position forward or back, etc. The more adjustments we made, the more I pedaled on that trainer. After a few seats & numerous adjustments my quads were SORE! It was a fantastic feeling- like my old weight lifting days. I was hungry for more but too sore to get back on for a long ride during the week. (Regular marathon training & work still preoccupied my week.) I opted to help/volunteer today & watch. I looked at bikes, seats, shoes, how to rack a bike, extra equipment in the transition area (dish pans & buckets to rinse sandy feet from the beach, to a bath mat to stand on while getting socks & shoes on). I was a sponge soaking in what could work for me & what presently "wouldn't" work.

I was greatly comforted when I heard numerous adults telling me they couldn't swim, either! I have been shy but honest about my weak link. As I contemplate the swim I have to figure out how I can pull it off. I wear contacts & have never had issues with leaking goggles. I've heard of losing goggles in a race if a fellow athlete kicks you or hits you with their arm mid stroke. How would I handle that? Extra contacts in transition, for sure-- but I'm super blind without glasses or contacts... I'll work on a solution for that & focus on the bike & run for now.

Priorities: get a bike seat, riding that bike & getting comfortable on it (seat; gear shifting; aero position; new, hands free water bottle) tri suit (that doesn't clash with my bike), etc. 😋

I figured today would scare the crap out of me or inspire me. I'm looking at tri suits. 😁

I talked to Mr. Tom Falvey, today. He is 81. He was a participant; &, as you may have guessed, won his age group. I'm pretty sure he was the only participant in that age group. Inspired? Yes! Does his finish time even matter?! No. I helped tattoo him. He thanked me & said he'd give me his award if he won. I won't hold him to it. 😁

A picture is worth a thousand words & as I saw photos from the last race, I saw 'normal' people participating. Not trying to be disrespectful: as I saw women of all ages & sizes, with different equipment, all I could think was, "If they can do it, I can do it!" So-- I'm making it public. I've 'shared all' hoping new runners & non runners see the process & realize average people & people from non athletic backgrounds can start from an extreme deficit yet still have success. This biking stuff is going to make for some interesting tales. 😂

To be continued 🤙🏼

Hey! I've been missing in action. I've been active on my nerdy Facebook page put not blogging, here. This summer had us renovating our house, renovating my shop, PURGING numerous items, planning, prepping & throwing a graduation party, getting the overgrown yard & neglected patio ready for said party, a trip with the national Team Ohio 4-H shooting sports team to Nebraska, working more as I had two employees leave after years of working for us. Both left on good terms & unrelated reasons but it has left me hiring & just picking up some of the slack. It isn't difficult but it has kept me busy. I also applied for & was accepted to be an ambassador for Run Toledo. A new trail run is coming to Oak Openings & they also asked me to help promote it. I am an ambassador for the Viking Dash. Sadly this race is the weekend I will be running the Chicago Marathon. I am promoting the race because it's local but won't be able to participate. I may consider another one of their trail races but everything is revolving around training for Chicago, now, & NOT GETTING INJURED. It would be awful to twist an ankle in a trail race in September before my October marathon!



So the plans for the near future: drop 4-H & help our two girls with school. Hannah is still in high school & doing college credit plus classes at UT. Jillian will be a full time student at the University of Toledo. She is very innocent & quiet. The thought of her going "away" to school would be difficult. She wants to stay home & I am totally ok with that. :) Of course, Jim & I are running. We have some races coming up & plan on staying active. We are enjoying our new beautiful wood floors and cleaned up patio. It's funny how a party & knowing people are coming over lights a fire under you to finish many neglected projects. Now that company is gone, we're enjoying the upgrades.

Life is fast, right now, but too much time to sit is cause for boredom... or a nap. :) I'm pretty "low maintenance." I'm enjoying my race calendar & home life.

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.