Mid-August Already!?

Another week of training has gone really well.  I'm proud of myself and relieved to feel my love of running come back.  No doubt the cooler weather has something to do with the miles getting easier.

I am bummed that I won't be going for a longer distance race this year.  I think the Ed Hansen will be it for me, and that leaves me wondering what I'll do after that.  I'll probably keep running and biking much like I do now.  Eventually, winter will drive me indoors more, and then I can focus on weight training and planning for next summer.

I will do that marathon.  I don't know when or where, but I will do it!

10 K Training

I have jumped into the last five weeks of a basic training plan to get ready for the Ed Hansen.  It feels good to have some direction again.  I'll be running three or four days a week with two or three days for cross training and one recovery day off.

This is the first race I've trained for with a concrete time goal in mind.  Last year I ran this race in 1:02:59; this year my goal is to finish in under an hour.  That's not a huge improvement, but I think it is a reasonable goal for me.

I'm also trying to get a handle on my diet with the goal of losing weight again.  I reached my goal weight late last summer, dipped about five pounds under that goal, and then gained steadily through the winter.  It has been frustrating but also a learning experience.  It takes me hours every week to burn hundreds of calories.  It takes just a few minutes at any time to eat hundreds of calories.  That's why exercise alone will never get me where I want to be- I have to watch my diet also.  Besides, if I want to perform like an athlete, I have to eat like one.

Yeah.  That's all I've got today.  Now I have to go see who is screaming and why.

Let the Record Show

In my last post I failed to mention that THOMAS also ran at the Greenland Independence race.  He ran the 100 yard sprint and came in first.  Congratulations, Thomas!

I haven't been blogging lately, and I haven't been running much, either.  I keep saying that this week I'll be back on the ball, but I really mean it this week.  I can't use the new work schedule as an excuse: since I'm working relief, my work schedule will never be one I can get used to.

Any situation can be either an excuse to fail, or a reason to succeed.

My goal will be to get back in the habit of running every other day.  I will just have to learn to plan ahead to fit my runs in with my work schedule and other obligations.  "Somebody busier than you is running right now."  So true!

So, that's the latest on me!

I finally got through all the training and started my new job last night.  My first shift was graveyard, 9pm to 7am.  So far it seems I will do well adapting to a varying day/night schedule.  I hope that is always the case!

I ran yesterday.  It was almost four miles and was really not easy.  It has been several weeks since I've kept up with a regular running schedule, so I guess I'm going to be in no condition to do serious training.  That's okay, running just for the fun and exercise is still productive.  I may be running the Ontonagon Outback next weekend.  I'll almost definitely be running the Ed Hansen.  And then that will probably be all there is to my racing season this year.

I never wrote up a race report for the Greenland Independence Run, Walk, and Roll.  Robert, Raechel, and I ran the 5k distance; Joseph ran the 1 mile; Mary and Lucy kinda-sorta ran the 50-yard dash, although that ended in tears for both of them after only about 10 yards.  (I still feel bad for that poor boy Mary knocked heads with...)  My time was just a little slower than last year, but I was still the First (and only) in my age division.  Go Me!

So, since I'm not focusing on racing this summer, I should be able to get back on track with losing some of the poundage I picked up through the winter.  It's discouraging how slow it comes off and how quickly it comes back on.

Back in the Saddle

Chuck and I went for a beautiful ride today.  The day was perfect and the route was just right- not too easy but not too tough.

I love you!

After the 19 miles we did today, Chuck is more than halfway to his goal of 500 miles this year.  I'm so proud of him!

I would write more but my butt is tired of sitting.  ;-)

Loss

I've had good reason to avoid blogging these last few weeks.  You see, I was pregnant. 

Was. 

And we hadn't decided to tell anybody yet, and so it was a great big fun surprise. 

Was. 

And then we found out the baby had died a few weeks ago.  Probably about the time I had stopped taking the pregnancy test (okay, tests: there were three of them) out of my sock drawer to stare at it in disbelief.  Probably before I developed any symptoms.  Just as soon as I accepted there was a baby, the baby was gone.  But my body didn't know that yet.  Oh, no, my body didn't get the message so I stayed pregnant an extra six or so weeks; feeling sick and exhausted, feeling my tummy round out, even imaging I felt the earliest flutters of a baby's acrobatics.

There are things to be thankful for, always.  I am glad the baby's tiny (so tiny!) body wasn't lost; we were able to give the child a proper burial and a name:  Francis.  I am glad my body needed only a gentle nudge to let the pregnancy go naturally at home and avoid surgery.  I am so thankful for the support of my wonderful husband, and grateful for my children.  Finally, I am thankful that although I missed the chance to bring this baby into the world, my husband and I were able to usher a new soul into heaven.  I really believe that is my most important job as a mother; to receive the children God blesses me with and to return them to Him (in His time) with gratitude and awe, as well as sorrow.

So, I am doing okay, just sad.  Soon I will be back to running, training for races and writing up glowing race reports in no time.

Breakers to Bay 2012 Photo Album

The Oskar Dome doesn't look like a dome to me.

We don't know who that is.

Here's me, down the hill toward the finish!

Waiting on the slow ones.

There she is, in the sand trap.

Back home, with a Personal Best and a new shirt.