Of no running and adjusting to a new schedule with the new job. Seriously, this is probably the first time in probably six months that I haven't run or exercised for six days in a row. Yikes!! In a way it has been okay because the weather has been miserable here.
Tomorrow is a new day with temperatures in the 50s. Yipee!!! I'm going to have to get in a run or two this week if at all possible because I would really like to run a 5K Thursday morning. That is, if we go to Grand Rapids for Thanksgiving. We'll see. The car isn't working all that well (thank you Volkswagon mis-engineering) and the girls are coming down with some sort of respiratory illness. Emily was up last night barking like a seal and Kate is starting her prelude to pneumonia coughing (I'm probably a little paranoid on that one).
I still need to sign up for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon. I'm kind of surprised that it hasn't filled up, yet. In the back of my mind, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get in training but am afraid if I don't sign up for it, I may not keep up the running.
So, that's where I am.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Seriously Crazy, Amazing, Very Good Day
This week has been busy. I subbed for our local preschool Monday morning, 3rd grade most of yesterday, kindergarten all day today, and tomorrow afternoon. Due to things going on after school, friends, dance class, church program, I haven't gotten in any running since Sunday, when I got in a good 5 mile run. I wonder how people who work full-time fit in running.
Well, I may be finding out soon. If you've read my blog for a little bit, I've mentioned have a job interview or looking for a job occasionally. I figured with substituting teaching and editing, I was where I was supposed to be and was okay with that. Finances are extremely tight (well, probably beyond tight to be honest) but I was just trusting that God would provide (as He has in the past), we would manage to get bills paid.
Fast forward to this afternoon. Without any details, I felt like, financially and emotionally, I was at rock bottom. The girls and I headed up to church for our Wednesday evening program, and honestly, I wished I wasn't going. My throat hurt, I was tired, and I wasn't in the best of moods.
We got there and I took my spot checking in kids when our children's pastor came and sat down. Usually, she is running around tending to all the details for the evening and we only have quick conversations. She asked how I was doing and I said I've had better days. She went on to tell me our pastor was looking for me, to which I jokingly replied, should I hide? We laughed and she went on to tell me that the church secretary was leaving and that he wanted to hire me.
Mind you, he has never seen my resume, honestly, I don't think he even knows what jobs I've held before. He does know, however, that I run :-) (although I don't think that made any difference). I thought I would have a chance to talk with him during the class time but couldn't get away and honestly, thought I was pretty shallow if I was putting a job opportunity in front of helping out with my class, so I headed upstairs later than expected and found him still waiting to talk to me.
Now, the weird, amazing, thing that gives you chills, is that Sunday during church I remember thinking, being a church secretary would be pretty interesting. I've also thought in the last month or so that I would really like to not have to go through an interview process, etc. to get a job (I am horrible at interviews). I would really like a job to fall into my lap. Hmmmm...
So, tomorrow I'm calling to tell our pastor I'm interested in the job. Now, I'm starting to think about all the things that will change (and getting a sick feeling in my stomach but at the same time shaking with amazement and excitement):
•I don't get to spend afternoons with my husband
•I won't be able to pick up and/or drop off my girls at school
•I won't be able help out in Emily's classroom
•I was just getting busy subbing and people appreciated me
•I'm going to miss coffee time with my friends on Friday afternoons
•I haven't worked full-time since 2001!
And, back to where I started, how am I going to fit in marathon training next summer?
I guess we will just have to take it one step at a time...just like running a marathon.
Well, I may be finding out soon. If you've read my blog for a little bit, I've mentioned have a job interview or looking for a job occasionally. I figured with substituting teaching and editing, I was where I was supposed to be and was okay with that. Finances are extremely tight (well, probably beyond tight to be honest) but I was just trusting that God would provide (as He has in the past), we would manage to get bills paid.
Fast forward to this afternoon. Without any details, I felt like, financially and emotionally, I was at rock bottom. The girls and I headed up to church for our Wednesday evening program, and honestly, I wished I wasn't going. My throat hurt, I was tired, and I wasn't in the best of moods.
We got there and I took my spot checking in kids when our children's pastor came and sat down. Usually, she is running around tending to all the details for the evening and we only have quick conversations. She asked how I was doing and I said I've had better days. She went on to tell me our pastor was looking for me, to which I jokingly replied, should I hide? We laughed and she went on to tell me that the church secretary was leaving and that he wanted to hire me.
Mind you, he has never seen my resume, honestly, I don't think he even knows what jobs I've held before. He does know, however, that I run :-) (although I don't think that made any difference). I thought I would have a chance to talk with him during the class time but couldn't get away and honestly, thought I was pretty shallow if I was putting a job opportunity in front of helping out with my class, so I headed upstairs later than expected and found him still waiting to talk to me.
Now, the weird, amazing, thing that gives you chills, is that Sunday during church I remember thinking, being a church secretary would be pretty interesting. I've also thought in the last month or so that I would really like to not have to go through an interview process, etc. to get a job (I am horrible at interviews). I would really like a job to fall into my lap. Hmmmm...
So, tomorrow I'm calling to tell our pastor I'm interested in the job. Now, I'm starting to think about all the things that will change (and getting a sick feeling in my stomach but at the same time shaking with amazement and excitement):
•I don't get to spend afternoons with my husband
•I won't be able to pick up and/or drop off my girls at school
•I won't be able help out in Emily's classroom
•I was just getting busy subbing and people appreciated me
•I'm going to miss coffee time with my friends on Friday afternoons
•I haven't worked full-time since 2001!
And, back to where I started, how am I going to fit in marathon training next summer?
I guess we will just have to take it one step at a time...just like running a marathon.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A B-E-A-U-tiful Day!!
We are enjoying Indian Summer here in northern Indiana. Temps in the high 60s and sunny. Could it just stay like this?
I got leaves raked and the yard cleaned up, the car washed (after it was bird bombed yesterday during spinning), and helped Steve hang drywall in the soon-to-be mudroom (you could count that as strength training - two pieces were on the ceiling). We even took the kids to the park twice.
But, did I get in a run or a ride on this gorgeous day? No, no I didn't.
I think the weather is supposed to stay like this for a couple of days...maybe I'll get out tomorrow...
I got leaves raked and the yard cleaned up, the car washed (after it was bird bombed yesterday during spinning), and helped Steve hang drywall in the soon-to-be mudroom (you could count that as strength training - two pieces were on the ceiling). We even took the kids to the park twice.
But, did I get in a run or a ride on this gorgeous day? No, no I didn't.
I think the weather is supposed to stay like this for a couple of days...maybe I'll get out tomorrow...
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Advice I Forgot to Give
As I mentioned in my last post, I talked two friends into running the half marathon, their first. Over the last few months of training, I gave out a lot of advice to Jill (mainly because I saw her more often) and answered a lot of questions.
The one thing I forgot to tell them was to lay everything out the night before. Attach your bib number to your shirt, put on the chip or D-Tag, have everything ready to go. I kind of forgot that advice, too, as you will remember we had to do a double back home to grab the Garmin.
Anyway, we were going to meet downtown around 7 a.m. Their daughter was going to hang out with Steve and the girls during the race and follow all of us around the course.
The race started at 8 a.m. however, there was an early start for those who deemed themselves "velocity-challenged." We were able to get into blocks around the YMCA just as the 7 a.m. group was starting. John and Jill left the hotel in plenty of time to get downtown however were stuck on the expressway exit near the early part of the course at 7 a.m. They didn't make it into the YMCA until about 7:45 a.m.
We were able to find each other in the crowd of people. Their daughter, Steve, and the girls headed outside. Jill and I hoped into the bathroom line, and John headed back to their car to drop something off.
We got outside about 7:54 or so and started looking for John outside. We didn't see him. Jill had his iPod and his D-tag. I asked if she minded if I headed to the start and she was fine with it. So off I went.
She finally found John a couple minutes later just as the gun went off. He got the D-tag on his shoe and they headed around the block to the start line. Five minutes after the gun went off, it was evident that the runners were all past the start line. Jill said they were starting to move or pull up the mats as John and Jill came running past the start line. They were the last ones to start the race.
About a quarter mile into the race, they caught up with the rest of the runners and Steve and the girls couldn't tell that they had been all that far behind the runners.
The neat thing, though is that they finished their first half marathon in 2 hours, 40 minutes. Steve and the girls were able to cheer them on in a couple of places, which Jill said gave them a huge boost. We swapped stories for a week after the marathon and they are already looking at other half marathons to run, including the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon next May. They are hooked!
Probably the funniest sight of the whole experience came on Monday. Jill teaches preschool (she was Emily's teacher last year) and I was supposed to substitute for one of the other teachers Monday through Wednesday. We were both quite a sight as we gingerly walked around. We joked about taking the elevator downstairs for gym time so that we didn't have to go down the steps. We also found out that it is really difficult to do jumping jacks and arm circles the day after a marathon.
In closing, let me remind you now (even though your next big race may be months away), make sure you lay everything out the night before.
The one thing I forgot to tell them was to lay everything out the night before. Attach your bib number to your shirt, put on the chip or D-Tag, have everything ready to go. I kind of forgot that advice, too, as you will remember we had to do a double back home to grab the Garmin.
Anyway, we were going to meet downtown around 7 a.m. Their daughter was going to hang out with Steve and the girls during the race and follow all of us around the course.
The race started at 8 a.m. however, there was an early start for those who deemed themselves "velocity-challenged." We were able to get into blocks around the YMCA just as the 7 a.m. group was starting. John and Jill left the hotel in plenty of time to get downtown however were stuck on the expressway exit near the early part of the course at 7 a.m. They didn't make it into the YMCA until about 7:45 a.m.
We were able to find each other in the crowd of people. Their daughter, Steve, and the girls headed outside. Jill and I hoped into the bathroom line, and John headed back to their car to drop something off.
We got outside about 7:54 or so and started looking for John outside. We didn't see him. Jill had his iPod and his D-tag. I asked if she minded if I headed to the start and she was fine with it. So off I went.
She finally found John a couple minutes later just as the gun went off. He got the D-tag on his shoe and they headed around the block to the start line. Five minutes after the gun went off, it was evident that the runners were all past the start line. Jill said they were starting to move or pull up the mats as John and Jill came running past the start line. They were the last ones to start the race.
About a quarter mile into the race, they caught up with the rest of the runners and Steve and the girls couldn't tell that they had been all that far behind the runners.
The neat thing, though is that they finished their first half marathon in 2 hours, 40 minutes. Steve and the girls were able to cheer them on in a couple of places, which Jill said gave them a huge boost. We swapped stories for a week after the marathon and they are already looking at other half marathons to run, including the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon next May. They are hooked!
Probably the funniest sight of the whole experience came on Monday. Jill teaches preschool (she was Emily's teacher last year) and I was supposed to substitute for one of the other teachers Monday through Wednesday. We were both quite a sight as we gingerly walked around. We joked about taking the elevator downstairs for gym time so that we didn't have to go down the steps. We also found out that it is really difficult to do jumping jacks and arm circles the day after a marathon.
In closing, let me remind you now (even though your next big race may be months away), make sure you lay everything out the night before.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
It's About Time...
I'm going to sit down right now and write my race report or I will never get it done.
Alright...we headed up to Michigan Friday afternoon. Saturday, I got the race packet and checked out the parts of the course you could drive, set out my stuff and stuff for Steve and the kids and headed to bed by 9 pm.
We were out the door by 6:30 a.m. to head downtown, however had to turn around and go back because I forgot my Garmin (an essential at this race because there aren't many clocks on the course). After a stop at McDonalds and a mild melt-down by Emily, we found a parking spot a block away from the start of the race.
We headed into the YMCA (which is amazing!!!) to keep warm and found the bathrooms on the second floor with a short line. After two trips through, found my friend who was running the half with her husband, and her daughter who was going to hang with Steve and the girls. Jill and I headed to the bathroom one more time with about 10 minutes to go before the race was to start. Yeah, cutting it a little close but it did pay off in the end because I didn't need a bathroom break during the race.
I got in a quick warm up run to the starting area and was able to get in the vicinity of the 4:14 pace group. I really wanted to get up with the 3:56 group but figured I would play catch up. The gun went off about a minute or so after I got into the sea of runners and it took about 2 minutes to cross the start line.
We ran south for two blocks, made two right hand turns and then headed north about a mile, running through a kind of industrial area. The road was wide, though, and there was plenty of room to run and get into my stride. I passed by the 4:14 pace group but couldn't tell where the 3:56 group was.
We headed west for a block or two and then turned south through a residential neighborhood before running over the Grand River. The river was like glass with steam rising off of it. We noticed running over the bridge that it was a little slippery. Low and behold, there was some frost thanks to the 30 degree temperatures over night.
The course went through the heart of downtown where people lined the streets cheering on the runners and then turned west back across the river and through the downtown campus of Grand Valley State University. This section of the course was new this year and was a great addition because there were more places for people to watch the runners and the spectators could see runners about three different times in the first four miles.
At mile 5.5 we headed onto a bike path through Butterworth Park. There was a slight incline and then a long slow descent. I remember thinking, this is great! Oh, wait, I have to run up this on the way back. It was on my mind for about and second and then I heard a bunch of cheering and the lead runner for the half marathon was heading back to the start. I also noticed the 3:56 pace group was in view.
Just outside of the park was an aid station and a spectator section where Steve and the girls were. I gave high fives and we both ran our separate directions, literally. Miles 7 through 10 were along back roads with some slight rolling hills. I heard someone near me say use the hills. It was a good reminder. I let gravity pull me down the hill and ran up them. The 3:56 pace group was getting closer and then the disappeared. I remember thinking I wasn't ever going to catch them
At mile 10, we entered Millennium Park, another addition to the race course. Actually, we ran in Millennium Park last year, but just briefly. This year, we ran around the outside. It was gorgeous out there. The trees were all brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, there were several ponds as smooth as glass with steam rising off of them, and a little bit of fog hanging low at the tops of the trees.
By the time we were exiting the park, I caught the back of the 3:56 pace group. Finally! Of course, I lost them again for a minute while I walked through the water stop and took a longer than I had been taking.
From mile 13 to 22.5, we were on bike trails along the Grand River. It was pretty quiet and just a few spots easily accessible for spectators. I could tell I was slowing down and getting a little tired. I took longer walk breaks through the water stations and found myself looking at my watch more. I remember getting behind a group of people and just running for a bit. When I looked at my watch, I saw I was down to a 9:30 minute/mile pace and got moving.
I had a pace chart that I was consistently 30 seconds ahead of at each mile. That is, until mile 18 when I started getting behind but about 30 seconds, and the time got a little longer at each subsequent mile marker. By the time I got back to Butterworth Park, I was starting to make the mental calculations, trying to figure out if I was going to make it in under 4 hours or not. I had 30 minutes to go 3 miles. No problem, 10 minutes miles. Still, there was a little fear that I wouldn't make it and thoughts of, "That's a long was to go in just a short period of time." I picked up the pace as best I could.
As we exited Butterworth Park, Steve was there. He ran with me for a minute, asking how I was and yelled to finish under four. I said I would try, and he said, "DO IT!"
Another block later, there was a guy on a bike answering his cell phone. He said they were at mile 25 and hung up. Then he started talking to a lady just in front of me, telling her to keep going and she would be under 4. I decided I was going to keep her up with her. While she finished somewhat ahead of my, I tried to keep up with her.
At mile 26, the finish line was in sight. I took a look at my watch to make sure I was okay time wise and I hear my husband yelling at me, "Don't look at your watch, just run!" I took off. As I got close to the start line, the finish line clock was at 3:59:50. I thought, there is no way I'm going to let it switch to 4:00:00 before I get across the finish line and sprinted in. The finish photos show 4:00:59 and then 4:00:00. I got across just as it was switching to 4 hours. My official time was 3:58:02.
Once I was done, Don Kern (the race director) shook my hand and said congratulations and I headed off for the mylar blanket and some food.
The front of my hip really hurt when I was done but by the time we got back to my parent's house and got a hot shower, I was feeling much better. Sore, but better.
I'm thrilled with the race and my time. It is a fantastic event and the change in course this year made it even better than last year's. I am planning to do it again next year although I also want to run a marathon on my birthday which, next year, will be 10/10/10. I have some time to decide. In the meantime, I want to find some triathlons to do next summer and the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon in May. I need to find a job, too, to help fuel my obsession :-)
So, there you have it. Next time, I'll post about what happened to my friend and her husband at the start. While I had given them a bunch of advice, I forgot to tell them one thing.
Have a great weekend! Happy Halloween. I'm off to spin before the afternoon Halloween party at the library.
Alright...we headed up to Michigan Friday afternoon. Saturday, I got the race packet and checked out the parts of the course you could drive, set out my stuff and stuff for Steve and the kids and headed to bed by 9 pm.
We were out the door by 6:30 a.m. to head downtown, however had to turn around and go back because I forgot my Garmin (an essential at this race because there aren't many clocks on the course). After a stop at McDonalds and a mild melt-down by Emily, we found a parking spot a block away from the start of the race.
We headed into the YMCA (which is amazing!!!) to keep warm and found the bathrooms on the second floor with a short line. After two trips through, found my friend who was running the half with her husband, and her daughter who was going to hang with Steve and the girls. Jill and I headed to the bathroom one more time with about 10 minutes to go before the race was to start. Yeah, cutting it a little close but it did pay off in the end because I didn't need a bathroom break during the race.
I got in a quick warm up run to the starting area and was able to get in the vicinity of the 4:14 pace group. I really wanted to get up with the 3:56 group but figured I would play catch up. The gun went off about a minute or so after I got into the sea of runners and it took about 2 minutes to cross the start line.
We ran south for two blocks, made two right hand turns and then headed north about a mile, running through a kind of industrial area. The road was wide, though, and there was plenty of room to run and get into my stride. I passed by the 4:14 pace group but couldn't tell where the 3:56 group was.
We headed west for a block or two and then turned south through a residential neighborhood before running over the Grand River. The river was like glass with steam rising off of it. We noticed running over the bridge that it was a little slippery. Low and behold, there was some frost thanks to the 30 degree temperatures over night.
The course went through the heart of downtown where people lined the streets cheering on the runners and then turned west back across the river and through the downtown campus of Grand Valley State University. This section of the course was new this year and was a great addition because there were more places for people to watch the runners and the spectators could see runners about three different times in the first four miles.
At mile 5.5 we headed onto a bike path through Butterworth Park. There was a slight incline and then a long slow descent. I remember thinking, this is great! Oh, wait, I have to run up this on the way back. It was on my mind for about and second and then I heard a bunch of cheering and the lead runner for the half marathon was heading back to the start. I also noticed the 3:56 pace group was in view.
Just outside of the park was an aid station and a spectator section where Steve and the girls were. I gave high fives and we both ran our separate directions, literally. Miles 7 through 10 were along back roads with some slight rolling hills. I heard someone near me say use the hills. It was a good reminder. I let gravity pull me down the hill and ran up them. The 3:56 pace group was getting closer and then the disappeared. I remember thinking I wasn't ever going to catch them
At mile 10, we entered Millennium Park, another addition to the race course. Actually, we ran in Millennium Park last year, but just briefly. This year, we ran around the outside. It was gorgeous out there. The trees were all brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, there were several ponds as smooth as glass with steam rising off of them, and a little bit of fog hanging low at the tops of the trees.
By the time we were exiting the park, I caught the back of the 3:56 pace group. Finally! Of course, I lost them again for a minute while I walked through the water stop and took a longer than I had been taking.
From mile 13 to 22.5, we were on bike trails along the Grand River. It was pretty quiet and just a few spots easily accessible for spectators. I could tell I was slowing down and getting a little tired. I took longer walk breaks through the water stations and found myself looking at my watch more. I remember getting behind a group of people and just running for a bit. When I looked at my watch, I saw I was down to a 9:30 minute/mile pace and got moving.
I had a pace chart that I was consistently 30 seconds ahead of at each mile. That is, until mile 18 when I started getting behind but about 30 seconds, and the time got a little longer at each subsequent mile marker. By the time I got back to Butterworth Park, I was starting to make the mental calculations, trying to figure out if I was going to make it in under 4 hours or not. I had 30 minutes to go 3 miles. No problem, 10 minutes miles. Still, there was a little fear that I wouldn't make it and thoughts of, "That's a long was to go in just a short period of time." I picked up the pace as best I could.
As we exited Butterworth Park, Steve was there. He ran with me for a minute, asking how I was and yelled to finish under four. I said I would try, and he said, "DO IT!"
Another block later, there was a guy on a bike answering his cell phone. He said they were at mile 25 and hung up. Then he started talking to a lady just in front of me, telling her to keep going and she would be under 4. I decided I was going to keep her up with her. While she finished somewhat ahead of my, I tried to keep up with her.
At mile 26, the finish line was in sight. I took a look at my watch to make sure I was okay time wise and I hear my husband yelling at me, "Don't look at your watch, just run!" I took off. As I got close to the start line, the finish line clock was at 3:59:50. I thought, there is no way I'm going to let it switch to 4:00:00 before I get across the finish line and sprinted in. The finish photos show 4:00:59 and then 4:00:00. I got across just as it was switching to 4 hours. My official time was 3:58:02.
Once I was done, Don Kern (the race director) shook my hand and said congratulations and I headed off for the mylar blanket and some food.
The front of my hip really hurt when I was done but by the time we got back to my parent's house and got a hot shower, I was feeling much better. Sore, but better.
I'm thrilled with the race and my time. It is a fantastic event and the change in course this year made it even better than last year's. I am planning to do it again next year although I also want to run a marathon on my birthday which, next year, will be 10/10/10. I have some time to decide. In the meantime, I want to find some triathlons to do next summer and the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon in May. I need to find a job, too, to help fuel my obsession :-)
So, there you have it. Next time, I'll post about what happened to my friend and her husband at the start. While I had given them a bunch of advice, I forgot to tell them one thing.
Have a great weekend! Happy Halloween. I'm off to spin before the afternoon Halloween party at the library.
Monday, October 26, 2009
2009 Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon Preview
I was really hoping to write this much sooner than eight days after the marathon but life was in the way. Since we returned home last Sunday night, we've had sick kids. Vomiting, fever, coughing...someone has stayed home from school since last Monday (granted, they didn't have school Thursday or Friday, but one still wasn't feeling well). I'm hoping to let Emily return to school tomorrow but I'll wait to see how she wakes up.
I'm going to be lazy because it is now 11:10 p.m. and thanks to the various illnesses I have yet to get a decent night sleep so I'm going to bed. In the meantime, there were several "pool" photographers who posted pictures to Flickr in addition to the usual official photographs. They took a ton of amazing pictures and if you click on these links, will give you a good idea of the beautiful fall day we had to run.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
Picture 7
Picture 8
Picture 9
Next post...race report
I'm going to be lazy because it is now 11:10 p.m. and thanks to the various illnesses I have yet to get a decent night sleep so I'm going to bed. In the meantime, there were several "pool" photographers who posted pictures to Flickr in addition to the usual official photographs. They took a ton of amazing pictures and if you click on these links, will give you a good idea of the beautiful fall day we had to run.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
Picture 7
Picture 8
Picture 9
Next post...race report
Monday, October 19, 2009
Deep Thoughts After a Marathon
I got to substitute teach in preschool this morning and kindergarten this afternoon. Here are somethings I took away from the experiences.
• I could kiss the person who invented handrails.
• It is really funny watching a bunch of preschoolers imitate the way you are gingerly going down the stairs using both handrails.
• Trying to do scissor jumping jacks is impossible at this time.
• I can't swing my arms in circles. It hurts too much.
• Elementary kids look at you really funny when you go down steps slowly, one at a time.
• I'm thinking about asking my husband to install handicap bars in our bathroom. They really came in handy this afternoon in the kindergarten bathroom where everything is low to the ground.
• I could kiss the person who invented handrails.
• It is really funny watching a bunch of preschoolers imitate the way you are gingerly going down the stairs using both handrails.
• Trying to do scissor jumping jacks is impossible at this time.
• I can't swing my arms in circles. It hurts too much.
• Elementary kids look at you really funny when you go down steps slowly, one at a time.
• I'm thinking about asking my husband to install handicap bars in our bathroom. They really came in handy this afternoon in the kindergarten bathroom where everything is low to the ground.
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