Friday Five

1. Running, oh how I miss you so. But not, apparently, enough to actually crawl out of bed in the morning to get it done. I have been consumed by the laziness, and when I'm not consumed, the weather dictates what I will and will not do. I have to get this figured out! I really thought that it'd be easier once the kids were back in school, but that hasn't proven to be true at all.

2. I love Halloween. I love carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds. I love dressing the kids up and handing out candy to all the neighborhood kids (we get a TON of traffic every year) and I love giving ridiculous teenagers with no costume and a plastic grocery bag ALL KINDS OF SHIT about "what are YOU supposed to be?" before giving them the tiniest piece of candy I have, only if they can think well on the fly. We are also going to the zoo on Saturday for Trick-or-Treating there. It should be a really fun weekend.

3. Tonight is the annual Fall Fest the school holds at a local pumpkin patch and corn maze. I opted to split us up rather than try to have fun with 2 wasted little ones (James has a nasty cold and Julia doesn't last much past 6 these days). Jenna and Jack are really looking forward to it! The corn maze is huge and TOUGH - well for me anyhow...I am severely directionally challenged.

4. Monday is going to be insane. I finally heard from the county, and James is going in for his next set of evaluations, along with the vision and hearing screening that he flat out refused last time. I'm so glad this is moving forward, but I'm still nervous about the appointment itself (3 hours!!!) especially taking into consideration how the last go-round went. But it's progress in the right direction, so as scared I am of how it'll go, I'm still SO HAPPY that we're going.

5. Monday afternoon, after dealing with 3 hours of developmental screening, I get to go to my ob-gyn to take care of my cervix, after 3 abnormal paps in a row. (TMI? Sorry.) I had originally scheduled this (a LEEP) for 2 weeks before the marathon, but when I got in there and actually read through the "after the procedure" instructions, I realized that it was a bigger deal than I thought, and I wasn't willing to jeopardize race day for it. So 11/1 it is. After consulting Dr. Google, I'm a bit freaked out, and I'm not sure what to expect after. Anyone gone through this before?

Have a safe and spooky Halloween!

Stickers Rule!

The weather around here has been cramping my style. We had gale force winds and thunderstorms yesterday, and the winds have continued into today. Our yard is a big fat mess, with entire sections of fence (posts included) blowing over. It's always something...

So my week of running isn't necessarily going as planned. It's still super windy, but I'm going to try to log some miles anyhow when John gets home. My Monday run was a struggle, but we all have those. It was nice to run with an almost-full moon shining brightly, but I have to say that running at dark o'clock is made even creepier by full on Halloween decorations. People in my neighborhood do it up right, and more than once I've done a double take to realize that the scary lookin' dude on the porch is not real. *shiver*

The weekend was full, with kid sickness and volleyball and birthday parties and a Halloween party too. Too much. I'm happy to report that volleyball is officially over. It was a tough season for the girls on the win-loss front, but they made up for it in spirit and improvement. I'm just happy to have a bit of a reprieve before basketball starts.

My time for the Full Moon 5k came in at 31:08. It wasn't enough for an age group medal, but landed me smack in the middle of the pack, so I'll take it! I made it into one of their pictures - I wish the lighting was such that you could get the darkness and the glow necklaces, but alas, you'll have to use your imaginations...


On a completely unrelated note, I share with you "how to make it through a very nice dinner without it being ruined by your pterodactyl-screaming son."

Happy hump-day everyone!

Race Report - Full Moon 5k

Everyone in my house is cranky lately. And it's making ME cranky.

So I was SO STOKED to get the hell out last night to run a small local inaugural 5k. The Full Moon 5k in Zion, IL, just a 10 minute drive from my house. YAY! I was starting at 8pm so I left my house at 6:40. Yup. I'd rather stand around and chat up strangers than listen to my kids argue for ONE MORE SECOND.

It was a really gorgeous night. The moon was shining bright on my way there, and it was in the 50's and just a bit windy. I got there just before 7 (by the time I figured out exactly where to park) and I went inside to pick up my packet and pin on my bib. The start was in front of their fitness center, which meant indoor bathrooms. I met a couple of really nice people so the time went by quickly. There was a guy doing video interviews and taking pictures, and that was fun too. I chatted up a 4 year old in full princess costume (so cute!) and found out her Dad ran Chicago, so we traded stories for a bit.

We moved outside and 7:45 or so to find it had clouded over. Boo! I was bummed we wouldn't be seeing the moon on the run. It was really dark out at this point, and we were all wearing glow necklaces that came in our packets. Everyone started to line up at the start, and listened to the announcements from the race director. Just as she finished, I felt the first raindrops. *sigh* I was wearing the same outfit I wore for my 20 miler (black capris and red "EZ does it" tech tee) which will now be known as my "it WILL rain" outfit.

There were probably around 200 people running and walking (I signed up yesterday and my bib number was 199) which I thought was a really nice sized race. As we got moving, it was clear that the darkness could be an issue - it was REALLY dark, and now raining, and the wet pavement with the glare of the cop car lights around the course made it tough to judge your footing. For the first mile or so, it was just lightly raining, and I was thinking to myself, "this isn't bad at all!"

But as my luck would have it, it started raining much harder. And then we turned into the wind. Lovely. If there was an upside, it was making me run faster! I wanted to be done now.

It sounds horrible, but it really wasn't. The hard rain didn't last much more than a few minutes, and the course turned enough to keep you focused on your feet and not the weather. I had some great tunes playing (Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye, Beastie Boys - Paul Revere, Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up, and Paramore - Misery Business (best song ever)) and I was going at damn near maximum sustainable effort for me. I stopped twice to walk - just quick breaks to catch my breath - but I was maintaining a good pace. I am NOT a fast runner, so these 10 minute miles were tough. My goal for this race was not just a PR, but I wanted to maintain while uncomfortable. Does that make sense? I tend to wimp out as soon as I struggle a little, and I wanted to push myself past that.

I really did! I know my time will never win any awards, but this was personal for me. It was more than the number at the end, it was trying to keep going even when it hurt. I know I am so often capable of more than I give. I wanted to see how much mental toughness I could muster.

I finished in 31 and change (official results aren't up yet, but the last time I remember looking at the clock - I was hauling ass at this point - was 31:04. my Nike+ said 31:28, but I forgot to stop it right away. so somewhere in there) which is more than a 2 minute PR for me. YAY! Now I am curious to see what I could do in daylight and no rain. The course did measure a smidge short. My Nike+ had it at 3.08 and Mark's Garmin said 3.07, but that is what it is.

I hung out and won a raffle prize and watched the awards ceremony (wishful thinking, but with a small race, you never know). This was really well run, and the volunteers were fantastic. I'd definitely do another of their races (they have a "Festival of Lights 5k in December).

I'm happy that post-marathon I am running still successfully. I was worried during the summer that I'd be wasted forever (especially after how the Rock-n-Roll half treated me) so honestly, I'm beyond thrilled with my progress.

Moving On...

Enough about the marathon right?!? But I keep reading other recaps and remembering things that I'd forgotten to mention about the race. So I think I'm just going to leave it be after saying that the 2 biggest things that I'd change if I could would be to have run it WITH someone (I tried to chat people up with little or no luck. Which was odd. I don't usually have trouble finding a bud on the course, but I think that everyone's head was deep in their own race that day) and to NOT TRUST THE DAMN RUNNER TRACKER. If I could have seen my family at mile 14-17, it may very well have been a different race for me. My other 2 big issues (my belly and the weather) were beyond my control.

SO. Moving forward to Grandma's marathon, I have solved issue number one. My sister has registered and is officially training for her first marathon. WAHOO!. I am so so so excited about running it with her (if I can keep up - she's speedier than I am). It's going to make that race very special.

I still haven't run (gasp!) and I'm itching to get tout there. I'm going as SOON as John gets home today. If I can't get my butt out of bed in the morning, I'm going to have to figure out how to get it in in the evening. So I'm adjusting, at least until daylight savings time ends. Hopefully an earlier sunrise will help me get UP.

I'm signing up for a couple more races. I just got the all clear from hubs to register, so there's a 10k and a half in my future (late November) and I am thrilled about it. Maybe even a 5k Wednesday night, but that will depend on Jenna's volleyball tournament schedule, so I won't know until tomorrow.

It feels good to have the marathon behind me - to take the pressure off. To be able to go out for drinks and not worry about it. But at the same time, I'm happy to put some more carrots out there for me to chase...

Friday Five: Musings on a Marathon

1. On Monday morning, we all got up early to meet for breakfast and get my sister's family back to the airport. Getting up early was SO not what I wanted to do, but that's the way it goes, right? I donned my marathon tech tee and proudly wore it to the restaurant. My sister's family made it safely back to Texas and I spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing.

2. I was stiff, but never unbearably so. I never felt any worse than I have after the half's I've done. This has lead me to a bunch of inner arguments on whether I could/should have pushed myself harder. I've come to the conclusion that yes, I most definitely COULD have pushed harder. But I also believe that given the circumstances of both my weekend and the heat of the day, I did it exactly right. I didn't WANT to be a mess at the end of it all - I had my whole family to hang with...

3. I HAVE, however, been EXHAUSTED this week. As in, can't POSSIBLY get out of bed to run in the morning exhausted. My legs could have, but the rest of me has been enjoying a bit of a break.

4. This entire experience has been utterly amazing. From the training to the blogging to the meet ups to the pinnacle event (which I LOVED - I'm a huge fan of the Chicago marathon) it has exceeded my wildest dreams. I am an addict.

5. Speaking of addict...


Dear Bobbi,

Congratulations! You are officially registered for the 35th anniversary of Grandma's Marathon on June 18, 2011. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Duluth, and providing you with a world-class race.

Yup. I have a time to beat now...

Chicago Marathon: Race Report

Let's get to the good stuff! Start with the post below if you want a recap of everything leading up to marathon morning.

I rolled out of bed after very little sleep at about 4:15 Sunday morning. I was seriously starting to freak the eff out (not sure why...just nerves I guess). I got dressed and got my bag of stuff to send with John ready (clean clothes, etc.) and John woke up and came downstairs with me. I kept tearing up. I was so unreasonably scared at this point.

I managed to choke down a bagel with peanut butter and some coffee, and went about collecting the rest of the stuff I'd need, all the while trying not to cry. John helped me pin on my bib and my pace bib, and I got the D-tag attached to my shoe. I managed to use the bathroom, but knew that I didn't "do enough" to get me through. My stomach was a mess.

(Do I look scared to death? I am. Check out that ugly right foot - the bane of my running existence.)

So I was pretty much ready to go, and then I allowed myself to lose it. I cried on John's shoulder for a minute, then quickly pulled it together. I had to go. I grabbed a bottle of water for the road, all my stuff, and headed to the car.

The trip into the city was blissfully uneventful. No traffic to speak of, even when I hit downtown. The sun was just starting to light up the sky a little bit, and it looked beautiful behind all the lit up buildings. It was a gorgeous morning. I made it to my friend's building with no issues other than having to convince the cop guarding their taped-off driveway that I REALLY DID NEED to get in there. Finally he rolled his eyes at me and let me in (this was welcome comic relief at this moment - I'm not sure what I'd have done if he HADN'T let me in though!). I gathered my stuff and started walking. It took 2 minutes before my new skirt was pissing me off. Great. It was just a tiny bit bigger than my old one. Either that or I was smaller than I used to be. Either way, I was tugging at it and adjusting it like mad, and I wasn't running yet. I called John and had him pack my capris in case of emergency. I figured I could change quick when I saw him if I needed to.

I made it to the start area with no problem - just followed the rest of the runners. I slipped into the portapotties in charity village (no line!) and then headed for my pace group in the open corral. There were way too many people milling for this to be easy. I could see the group, but couldn't figure out how the hell I was going to get to them. Some nice volunteers took pity on me and directed me around the world and back again, and I made it with about 15 minutes to go before the race started for the speedies. I knew I'd have about a half an hour to hang after that before I hit the start line.

We got a little pep talk from our pace leader, who said we were doing a 5:1 run:walk from the get-go, and that we'd be running about a 10:30 pace. Um, no. That's exactly what I tried to do for my 20 miler, and why I bombed it big time. 10:30 is too fast for me. So I immediately revised my strategy in my head. I was going to try to keep my group in sight for as long as I could. I was going to run much slower than they were, but I'd walk about half of what they planned to, and the water stations (which they were walking as well) and see how it went.

Everyone was nervous. People were shuffling back and forth, all balls of energy. We were right next to the fence, and once the gun went off, people started jumping it to get to where they needed to be in time. I laughed to myself thinking that it'd be my luck to try that and injure myself before I even started running! But they all made it over ok.

As I was people watching, I looked over and spotted Kim!!! I was so so so excited to see a familiar face - what are the odds in a sea of 40,000? But she unknowingly really lifted my spirits.

By the time I made it across the start line, it was just after 8am. I had decided, and told my family, that I wasn't planning on taking my phone out, since it was wrapped up in a waterproof plastic pouch so I could get hosed off with no worries later. This, I found out much later, was a HUGE MISTAKE on my part. Runner tracking told them that I crossed the start at 9am. a full hour off. Not good.

The first several miles ticked off uneventfully, other than twisting my ankle in a pothole, flinging my arms up to right myself, and losing my right yurbud and mile 2.25. Yeah, not a good omen, I was thinking, but that was the worst of it. I was still messing with my damn skirt, but I was having a GREAT time. I was smiling huge at every person who screamed my name. And there were a LOT of them! Seriously, having my name on my shirt - on the FRONT of my shirt - was a fantastic plan. I felt like a rock star!

My pacing was also going right with my plan. I knew that to hit 5:30 I needed to average about a 12:35 pace. In the beginning, I was averaging 11:40s which is just where I wanted to be, and walking the water stops. Except for my belly, which was making itself known, I was feeling amazing. I found out later that my family had been at mile 6 when they THOUGHT I'd be there, but yeah, crappy run tracker. I was none-the-wiser, though, so no issue for me.

Seriously, this race and it's people are so so awesome. The spectators are stellar. Even the smaller neighborhoods come out and line the streets (I had one little girl offer me pb&J!). Boystown and the cheerleaders were so much fun to see! I had so much fun dancing and waving and high-fiving.

At mile 12, my stomach could no longer be ignored, so I had to make a potty stop. Got back into my groove again, but was pretty sure it wasn't done with me yet. *sigh* I got hosed down for the first time here, and then promptly all my letters fell off. Boo. No more rock star. At mile 14 I was pretty sure that I'd be seeing my family soon, so I said screw it and pulled out my phone to find out where they were. I'm so glad I did, because it turns out I'd passed them just a bit back - we missed each other. :( They told me where to look for them (mile 17, church's chicken, John said) and I was determined not to miss them again.

I ran and scoured the crowd. I was looking and looking. I didn't see them. I didn't see the chicken place. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach with worry that I'd miss them AGAIN. And then I hit the mile 17 marker, and I knew in my heart that I wasn't going to see them until the end.

I called - yes I missed them because they were given some misinformation and were not where they thought they were. They were heading to the finish, and I was on my own.

(my Dad took this - my family had their own marathon to run. 5 adults, 6 kids, 2 vehicles, 3 separate parking spots - I felt bad for THEM that I missed them)

This is where the race turned for me. I mentally checked out. I couldn't imagine doing 10 more miles in this heat without seeing them, and I was feeling sorry for myself BIG TIME. I started walking whenever I felt like it. Which was growing more and more frequently, truth be told.

The end took forever while I was in it, but I remember very little. I needed another potty stop soon after, and made the cardinal error of letting it rip before checking for TP. Stupid. This required some creative use of what you have on hand. Ahem. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Yet another potty stop at mile 22 or so, along with helping myself to some vaseline for the serious chub rub chafing happening. I had been doing ok - the sweat kept everything where it should be for a long time - so I'm not sure when I managed that, I just knew it hurt like hell. But the vaseline did the trick and I trudged along.

I was taking gatorade and water at every stop, and took a chocolate outrage GU every 5 miles. I had one point at about mile 23 where I started to feel nauseous, but I slowed down and took really small sips until it passed. After my last potty stop, my stomach was finally happy with me, so I knew that the nausea was more heat related than anything.

Once I hit 24, I started running a bunch more. I was feeling super guilty about letting my family sit out there for so long (completely ridiculous, but that's where my head was) and I realized that my legs? They still felt pretty damn good, thankyouverymuch.

(my very favorite picture from them - I look fierce in this one!)

I knew where my family would be this time (right at the turn off Michigan just before 26) and now I was moving again. I could. not. wait. to see them. Needed to. I came to the end of Michigan and I spotted them right in the corner. My BIL totally laughed at me because I ran off course to hug and kiss them all, but I was past 6 hours at this point - 2 more minutes meant nothing to me. They gave me the boost I so desperately needed.


Insert MUCH love here!! I think I kissed every single one of them!

Then I was off...I wanted this OVER now. As I made it up the last little hill, a guy yelled to me, "keep going! it's all shade and downhill from here!" and I thought to myself, THANK GOD!

Then? Then I was DONE! I was so happy that I finished! I was elated that I made it. Those last miles were a sea of ambulances, cop cars, stretchers, people laying on the side waiting for help. It was so tough out there, and my time, while so so not what I wanted, (6:09:00 officially) didn't even matter. I did it!

I got my medal and my wet towel (bliss - my legs were covered in cup shrapnel from all the hoses) and too much food to carry. I made sure to get my picture taken with my medal and with my hard earned beer.


I gotta say, the beer tasted better than i thought it would. I grabbed a spot of curb, and sat down to figure out where my crew was. I chilled out for a minute, since my phone was super salty and was freaking the hell out. I enjoyed the moment. After talking to John, I got up and headed to where they were, right outside the "no re-entry" gate. And then I got more love. And flowers too!

I was graciously driven home by my BIL (we have a stick shift car, and there was no way I wanted to drive). I got home to an ice bath waiting for me and we ordered in Uno's deep dish. I felt like I felt too good. I was kind of angry with myself for not pushing harder. I know I could have. Would it have been different 30 degrees cooler? Or was it because I didn't see my family on the course?

Only one way to find out - do it again.


(this is how I spent my Sunday evening - Zensah calf compression sleeves rock!)

Chicago Marathon: Race Weekend (Part 1)

I don't even know where to begin! This is so long, but I don't want to forget a thing...feel free to skip if you wanna...official race report will be tomorrow.

Let's go back to Friday. For the record, I managed to get everything on my list accomplished with the glaring exception of cleaning my house. I got it CLEAN, but clutter still ran rampant. Ugh. I left John a couple of things to do, and was out the door by 7:30 on my way to the Expo.

I got into the city by 9:00 and stopped at a friend's. She was graciously letting me use her parking space (she lives just a couple blocks from the start/finish area and a mile from the Expo). I picked up the garage door opener she left for me with the person at the door, found her space, and headed out into the beautiful morning to walk to the Expo.

I made it there with no issues at all - already, there were runners everywhere so I just followed along. I got my bib, verified my D-tag, and headed inside. I was a bit unprepared for how BIG this Expo was! I wish I had way more time to spend, but I was on a tight schedule. I headed to the Running Skirts booth to find Courtney - she had brought the Zensah calf sleeves I won, and I bought my race day skirt. I was a bit nervous about running in something new on race day, but I was hoping it'd be ok, since I had the same one in a different color. I did try it on, just to make sure it was ok.

I wandered a bit more, got my bag of goodies with my race shirt, and headed back to the car. All told, I only spent about an hour at the Expo. I made it home in an hour (yay!) to find that John hadn't finished what I asked him to (in 5 hours! with all the big kids to help!) and I got slightly upset. Grr. I was PMS, pre-big-event bitchy, and I kind of let him have it. Then I felt badly, and it was done. All things considered, I was rather impressed at the end of everything that this was our only fight of the weekend, and it was super minor. This just elevates his Superhero status in my eyes - my husband rules. How he puts up with me, I'll never know.

SO. We got the house in order and headed to Milwaukee to the airport. Of course, we were running behind. By the time we made it through a train, traffic, and road construction, we skipped the airport and just met everyone at Applebee's for an early dinner. After lots of hugs and love (it's been nearly 2 years since I'd seen my sis and nieces and more than 3 since ALL 12 of us - sister's family, my family and my parents - have been together) we sat down for some food and chaos. We gave my niece Jordyn her birthday present (sapphire earrings which she loved) and ate up.

We split up for the night - Jordyn came home with us, and everyone else went to my Mom's. Everyone was tired from travel, and we needed a quiet night as Saturday was going to be a big busy day. The kids all ran around and played like crazy, and I tried to get everything organized for Saturday. I stole Jack (he was getting a bit left out of the girls fun) and we hit up Hobby Lobby to try to figure out how to put my name on my race shirt. I made it out of there with a roll of pink duct tape (you all saw the photo below) and an "emergency kit" for the party (5 small sticker/activity books). After getting the kids to bed, I was done. I was in bed before 10 and slept LIKE A LOG until 7 the next morning.

Saturday morning we got rolling right on schedule. We needed to get everyone bathed and fed and dressed for pictures and a PARTY! It was a STUNNING day for photos, and although I haven't seen the full stash, my Dad sent me a couple sneak peeks.




I can't wait to see the rest! I'm sure I'll be sharing more of these in the future.

Once we got done with "posed" pics, the kids ran around at the park. We tried, rather unsuccessfully I might add, to keep the little ones from getting TOO dirty before the party, but in all honesty, I didn't care so much. They had a great time playing in the leaves, and were hide-and-seeking in all the trees. After letting them have a quick run at the playground equipment too, we headed to my parents' 40th wedding anniversary celebration.

The party was held at a gorgeous lakeside resort in WI. They actually opened up early for us, so for the first hour, we had the entire place to ourselves. We started in the bar area - there ended up being about 15 other family and friends of my parents (some of whom I hadn't seen in so long!) in attendance, and we had a really nice time catching up. James was super tired, and almost fell asleep on the rug in the middle of the floor - I had to stand over him so no one would step on him, hehe. I fielded a ton of questions about my upcoming marathon, and was wished good luck over and over.

We moved to another room for dinner, and the kids had all about had it. I sent John running for the "emergency kit" which ended up being the best 5 bucks I ever spent. They were all quiet and content, even James, and I relaxed visibly. James ended up covering himself entirely with stickers, and after some crackers and a glass of milk, was delightful for the rest of the evening. The menu was fantastic, and I ended up having wild mushroom ravioli with a creamy pesto sauce and grilled chicken. It was delicious! I drank a ton of water (gotta pre-hydrate!).

After dinner, we all headed back to my parents' house for champagne and dessert. It was a lovely end to the day, with more visiting, pre-race planning, and a couple emotional toasts (I did have a small glass of bubbly to commemorate the occasion). The kids behaved beautifully, dessert was yummy (mmm, pecan pie, red velvet cake, chocolate chip cookies...) but it wasn't long before I was feeling TIRED. Even so, it was 8:45 before we left and 10:15 when we got home.

After some drama getting the kids to bed ("I'm not tired, Auntie Bobbi." Um, I don't really care, Jord.) and the confiscating of 3 Nintendo DS's, I sat down to decompress instead of getting my shit together for the next morning. I needed it, and I knew I'd have time in before I had to leave on Sunday.

So instead of heading straight to bed, I sat in front of the computer. I sat there until I saw Laura from Frayed Laces cross the finish line live in Kona. What an inspiration she is! She had a triumphant smile on her face - her mantra stayed with me so much on Sunday: "There will be a day when you can no longer do this...Today is NOT that day!"

It was after 11:30 by the time I made it to bed. I knew I wouldn't sleep - I hoped that my great sleep Friday night would be enough. I tossed and turned until my alarm went off at 4:10.

This is epic. Sorry! Race Report to come, tomorrow I promise...

Getting There...

I am going to take forever to write up this weekend. So much happened, I have so much to say. But I wanted to say Thank You for all your encouraging words, all your kind thoughts, all your bloggy vibes. You are all awesome!

My official finish time was 6:09:00. Here's a quick photo to tide you over...

MARATHONER!!!!

Done.

Sitting in my ice bath.

Finished in 6:05ish.

FUCKING HOT TODAY.

Feeling pretty good, actually.

More later....

Friday Five - Pre-Marathon Ediition

1. I hit up the Expo this morning. I squared away my marathon day parking at a friend's (who lives 2 blocks from the finish line) and walked the mile to McCormick place to pick up the goods. I got to see Courtney as she was helping out at the Running Skirts booth. This led to number 2....

2. I am about to commit the number one marathon no-no (something about not changing anything up on marathon day?). But the weather says it could hit 80 degrees (ugh!) so I was forced to go the tank top route, and I have 2. So I was FORCED to buy a new skirt to match one. I do have the exact same skirt in another color, so I'm not sure if it counts...I need to build up my workout wardrobe. Big time. I reserve the right to revert back to my original plan if they change the forecast again.

3. So here it is...I am not too proud to write my name in hot pink duct tape across my chest. Oh no, I am not.

4. I signed up with the 5:30 pace group. I am hoping and praying I can hang with them the entire distance. We'll see.

5. Between marathon brain, anniversary party goodness, and family picture outfit drama, and extreme PMS (yup, due to arrive SUNDAY. God loves me, really He does), I am a raving bitch. If my husband's still around after all of this, I'll owe him a debt I could never begin to repay. He is a saint.

Catch you all on the flip side. Can't wait to hear about everyone's weekend!

First Annual Runners Bug Virtual Non-Race

James over at The Runner's Bug is hosting a Virtual Non-Race. You can check out the details here. James says, "Get out there with nothing more than yourself, your shoes, and some relaxing music if you wish. Find an interesting route. which you wouldn’t normally run, or that you've always wanted to run. Where ever it is, just get out there and enjoy the run." How perfect at this point in my training! So I chose the 10k distance, fully intending on running it this past weekend. Well, my crazy life got in my way (can you believe I hadn't run since last Friday?!?) and I set out this morning, not yet convinced I was going to fit it in, since time was super tight. Damn you, snooze button!

I set out the front door to greet an almost moonless (such a pretty sliver) 47 degree morning. Perfection. I was a little chilly starting out and felt a little sluggish, but before I knew what was happening, it turned into one of THOSE runs. You all know the ones I mean - the runs that we chase...the reason we run. I was in my groove, thinking about Sunday, running effortlessly, letting my mind go wherever it wanted, enjoying the stillness of a perfect morning. Getting to run on brand spanking new pavement was pretty cool too.

I thought a lot about how far I've come since March. How many miles I've travelled on these legs. How many "firsts" I've moved past. I thought about this weekend - how great it will be to see my entire family in one place (it's been since 2007) and how I can't wait to hug my nieces. I thought about this marathon. About the thrill of having my family cheer for me. About the crazy spectators and the fantastic experience. About how I wished I could dial in THIS EXACT weather.

I thought about the thrill of victory and the sense of accomplishment as I crossed the finish line.

I got to the point in my route where I either turn left or right - left being 10k and right being home.

I chose left - I couldn't want it to end yet.

As the run neared home, I found myself picking up the pace. Not because I was racing, but because it felt good to kick it. I smiled an awful lot this morning. As I approached my driveway, I wondered if I'd have any kick left on Sunday at the end. I didn't care. I had it today.

Thank you James for hosting such a fun "Non-Race." It was perfection in every way, and it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time for me. I fully enjoyed every second of this - not once did it feel like a chore. It reminded e how happy running makes me!

You should all go check this out - you still have a couple more days to enter. And did I mention there will be prizes? :)

Before I get back to my cleaning frenzy, I wanted to let you know that you can track me on Sunday if you wanna...just go here and enter my bib number: 34951. Easy peasy. I'm going to try and post again before the race, but with everything that's going on, I'm not sure if I'll be able to.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO'S RACING THIS WEEKEND!!!

Race Report Heaven

I need to get moving - I have so much to do, but I'm spending a little time first catching up on what everyone accomplished this weekend.

So many marathoners!

This is exactly what I need to get inspired and motivated - for whatever reason, I've been in a funky running slump the past week. I just can't seem to get my butt out the door.

Thanks everyone! You are all AWESOME!

5 more days til I join you!

Tired

This morning James and I ventured out To School for his developmental screening for the Early Childhood program in our district. This program addresses the needs of "behind" kids, be it academically, behaviorally, or a myriad of other developmental delays.

I went into it hoping, perhaps misguidedly, that he'd have a bad day. I wanted them to actually witness where my concerns are based. Some days, he's really good, and if he was having a great day, they'd think I was loony.

Dude.

He lost his little mind before we even got into the evaluation. Twice.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH. Mommy I ROAR LIKE A TIGER!!!!!!!!! I MAD!!!!!!!" At volume 11.

(James goes to 11 - little Spinal Tap humor.)

By the time we made it into the evaluation room (read: I physically carried kicking and screaming boy through the school while the nice teachers carried all my stuff for me) I was crying.

I haven't let his outrage affect me like that in SUCH a long time. I'm not sure where it came from, but I'm still teary here typing about it.

Needless to say, they saw him at his absolute worst. There were bright moments, but he was bad enough that we have to go back next week for his vision and hearing screen, because he flat out refused to cooperate.

Now I wait. Please wish me luck - he and I both need this program so badly. There's a huge waiting list, but I just hope he gets in.