June run log

I didn't hit 100 miles this month...huh.  The last time I was under 100 was October 2014.  Wow.  What's going on there?
I'm getting lazy.
This month had 4 races ~ the first was the worst...the Hill, Yeah!  Mentally I wasn't ready for that.  And I still have some fear about killing myself running.  I guess this is a healthy thing to fear ~ but I need to figure it out so that I can run another marathon {successfully}.
Yes, some day I will run another one.  I'd been tossing the idea around my brain, "how can I train and run a marathon & not tell anyone?"  When Mike mentioned that he really wanted to run one more...but NOT Cleveland.  Tentatively we've discussed fall of 2016 ~ maybe the Marine Corp?  I'm doing a fall marathon {where the starting temp is 32 degrees!}
Running in June:
* recovery from Cleveland
* running Hill, Yeah...followed by a 5k three days later...followed by a 5k three days later...followed by a 10k 8 days later...and now a longish break from racing until the middle of July
* MMS XC summer running ~ the smallest turn out has been 12 kids...today was 18.  It's RAINED on us all but two weeks {ugh}  but they keep coming.
*started TRACK WORKOUTS {those are bad words} with Dodd ~ we've done two & now he's on vacation so we won't meet again until the middle of July.  I'm told these will make me faster.  The first week we did 4 x 400 with about 6 minutes of recovery [OMG]  The next time we did 4 x 400 & 2 x 200 with 1:30 recovery. [yes, it was 'easier' the second time]
*NERC group run is gaining people {high schoolers doing summer running, but that counts}  I'm met some fun people through NERC & Kelly & I need to find a way to keep this group run going...
*I finished June with 5 Grand Prix races & 580 points, which puts me Overall 5.  I'm happy with that {goofy as it sounds, I'd rather be #1 in my age group than #5 overall...#1 just sounds so much better}
*I turned Mike on to the Marathon Training Academy podcast...  I feel like he's made friends with my friends!
*taking a HITT class at the Y ~ which is amazingly hard & I discovered my KNEES sweat.  UGH.
*taking a yoga class at the Y ~ love the end when you LAY DOWN & it's still considered EXERCISE!  Seriously though, Yoga so helps me not get injured.

June Totals:

97.4 miles for the month ~ Missed 100 ~ 
760.01 miles for the year 

196.08 miles in my Gortex Ghosts ~ didn't think I'd be wearing this over the summer ~ Rain Rain GO AWAY!

573.62 miles in my pink Brooks Glycerin 12.  I just can't retire these...I like to race in them.

71.08 miles in my Nike Vomero ~These will be my new shoes forever at this rate!

Training for:   The Columbus Half October 18 ~ week 2 of the 20 week training.

Podcasts I'm listening to: Marathon Training Academy, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Dear Sugar, Stuff You Should Know, & This American Life.  {but I've been running so much with people, I haven't really listed to any this month.}

My WEIGHT:  Was at 136 yesterday.  Spent a week counting my calories.  Then I got hungry.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month:  13.1 ~ Hill, Yeah half. 

Highest  weekly mileage this month: 36.24 ~ (5/17 through 5/23) 26 of that being the marathon

Favorite place to run this month: The 9.5 I did on Friday ~ I needed a solo long run.

# of bags of Candy Cane Kisses left in my cabinet:  eating the last one...so ZERO
# of books I read this month: FOUR  Must be summer
Monthly mileage record: 156.69 ~ March 2015 {purposely ran 8 (on a treadmill) on March 30 to beat the August 2013 record}
Highest mileage ever-at-one-time:  26.36 ~ May 17, 2015 The Cleveland Marathon

PR's:
5K: 22:30 (Run For the Grapes 9/28/14}
10K: 50:13 {Run for the Hills 6/22/14 & TIED the time Run for the Hills 6/21/15)
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)
half-marathon: 1:44:58 (Northern Ohio Half Marathon 10/12/14)
marathon: 3:57:31 (The Cleveland Marathon 5/17/15)

#15 Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty is #15 for the year.  Finally a book I had trouble putting down.  I think I read all 462 pages in three or four days ~ staying up until 1:00 last night {this morning} to finish.
Liane Moriarty can weave a compelling story ~ full of characters that seem real to life ~ with flaws and strengths I can relate to.  This story is about mothers who meet when their children start kindergarten & is fraught with fictional school politics ~ that are far fetched ~ but also true to how people behave.  You know from the start that there is a murder...and the questions of who dies & who did it kept me turning the pages.
SPOILER ALERT ~ what I like most about the two Liane Moriarty  books is that they end the way they should.  Maybe not how they would in real life, but they way they SHOULD.  The right people get what they deserve & happily ever after is a real possibility.

fl: "That doesn't sound like a school trivia night," said Mrs. Patty Ponder to Marie Antoinette. "That sounds like a riot." ll: "This can happen to anyone."

Good Word:
p 50 ~tetchy ~ bad-tempered and irritable

Quotes:
p5 ~ Ask any man--not some new-age, artsy-fartsy, I-wear-moisturizer type, I mean a real man--

p58~ ...the most ridiculously tizzy pink crystal champagne stopper.

p384~ So many calamitous catastrophes!

Throughout the book, when something bad happened, the line was, "Oh, calamity"  Love it

#14 ~ Strange Fits of Passion

#14 ~ Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve has been on my 'to be read' list for a long time.  As always, Shreve tells a very compelling story.  A story of domestic violence before we talked about domestic violence and a story of telling a story.  How a story told is never the actual truth.  Interesting take on reporting.  People really don't ever know the truth.  Do the people involved actually understand the truth behind their own motives and decisions?  


fl: On my book tours, I am often asked a number of questions: Did he really do it?  Do I think that she was justified?  Did they do it for the money or for love? ll: There was no hope, in the darkness, of remaking a neat bundle.

Run for the Hills weekend report

The weekend started Saturday with a wedding in Columbus ~ We got to dress up like real adults & drive 2 1/2 hours in the remains of tropical depression Bill {read: lots of heavy rain} ~ to go to the wedding of a co-worker.  It was a fun crowd & we almost got to witness a groom barf on his bride in the middle of the ceremony {but that didn't happen, so it's really a non-story ~ it had the makings of a GREAT story...now it's just a woulda coulda story}  The whole group of sped coworkers were sitting & drinking & talking when we saw the bride & groom taking pictures.  We agreed that it would be amazing to get a picture with the bride & groom ~ so we all ran outside & said, "let's all take a picture."  Yeah, no.  So we took a picture of ourselves & the bride and groom so rudely photo bombed us.  {can you believe the nerve?}

Today is Father's Day & I am forever grateful for my wonderful father who taught me everything I know & tried to teach me the stuff I still struggle with!  I also thank him for being an example of a great man.  Because of that, I feel, I picked a great man to be the father of my children.  20 years of being a father...and we've raised two great boys who will be ready to forge their own paths in life & always have a dad who will be there to help them solve their problems.  He's also an amazing husband...so I bought him an amazing shirt.

But that amazing man is also amazingly competitive.  He's currently #1 in his age group in the NERC grand prix standings {as am I} and he has to "defend my position".  Therefore, it's vitally important to run all the grand prix races...today's being Run for the Hills 10k {which, as I noted last year, is really just run a 5k ~ run up a 1/2 mile hill ~ and run another 5k.}  Another hot and very humid day ~ about 99% humidity.  I got so very sweaty on our very short warm up...and was soaked through by the end of mile 1.

I enjoyed this year much more as I KNEW there was only one massive hill to climb ~ and again, I climbed it like a BEAST!  The best part was that Mike and I pretty much ran the race together {at least by each other}  He was right ahead of me on the hill {I actually caught him there}.  As everyone else is slowing down & walking ~ we attacked.  And this year I didn't DIE on the last three miles.  There were a few times I started to go to that dark place.  {I wish I could put it into words...it's the place where I'm sure I'm going to die.  My head gets a fog, my body is heavy, I'm hot...and I'm ready to quit}  anyway...I'd start to get that fog & I was able to 'clear it out' and focus on the moment and regain my strong.  It was a good hot humid run that DIDN'T beat me.

We passed the 6 mile mark & Mike says, "if you want to win your age group, you better get moving"  We turned to the finish next to each other & raced it in.  He says he wanted to stroll in hand-in-hand...but he raced me.  They gave the win to me, but our time was the same, 50:13.  Ironically, the SAME EXACT time I ran last year!  I tied my PR, but I don't think that counts for PR ice cream.  I was surprised that I didn't run a faster time.  I felt better this year and I felt I ran stronger.  I'll have to plug in the Garmin & compare the splits. 

Dodd came in third in his age group {first time he's placed in a while! GO DODD!} and I placed second.  A great race.  Glad Mike made us run it.

Purple Stride

Joined Anita & Bob & Mom Tucker for their yearly support of waging hope against pancreatic cancer.  Thinking of all that my friend, Janice, has gone through this year made the discomfort of my third race of the week seem like nothing.  We woke up Saturday morning to a downpour & a line of rain headed across Cleveland for what looked like two or more hours.  Lots of debate about what to do...I suggested we drive downtown & decide if we wanted to get out of the car or not.  It wasn't raining...so we got out of the car.  And it didn't rain at all the whole time we were there.  

We all wore our purple...and as you can see we all had smiles.  I wondered what I was thinking as Sunday was a half marathon, Wednesday a hilly 5k & another 5k on Saturday.  NUTS.

But it must work for me as I ran 22:48 { a full minute faster than I have been running this year}.  I have no explanation.  The route started up a hill, but the rest was pretty flat.  There was a downhill going behind Brown's Stadium, and an uphill on the other side {and the 5 guys in front of me walked at the end of that one! ~ Felt pretty amazing to run by them}.  My watch had it as 2.95 miles...but 22:48 makes me very happy.

The other thing that made me happy was the bloody mary bar at West End Tavern.  ~ where we went for lunch.  I made a life decision.  I will live in an old folks home that has a bloody mary bar every morning.  Wouldn't that be the life?

#13 Further Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman

JB Lynn has a whole series of her Maggie as a hitwoman story.  #13 is the second ~ Further Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman.  The story line is very interesting.  Maggie becomes a hitwoman by default, as a way to fund her niece's medical treatment.  She also has the ability to talk to animals ~ specifically her dog, Doomsday {aka DeeDee} and her lizard, God {short for Godzilla}.  The things she gets herself into are humorous ~ and similar to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum character.  Following the changing emotional reactions can be tough...as they flip-flop without real reason... he's my mortal enemy, but I've always loved him, but he hates me, but he keeps telling me I'm beautiful... It's rather 8th grade lunchroom drama.  Entertaining, but not very believable.

fl: You just know it's going to be a bad day when you're stuck at a red light and Doomsday is breathing down your neck. ll: But another nightmare was beginning.  {which I most likely won't be reading about}

Wild Wednesday

Wednesday started off EARLY with 4:30 alarm & a trip to Cleveland Hopkins Airport ~ to drop the 17 year old world traveler off for his Florida/cruise trip.  It's to the point now, that he is dropped at the door.  I did go park in the cell phone lot & wait for the text letting me know he was through security...which came less than 10 minutes later because he got to go through the TSA pre-approved line!  I hung out a little more because I wasn't expected at the Ayala's until 7:30...and who wants someone to show up before 7:30 am?  Good friends to have coffee and bagels and good conversation bright and early.

Then the girls {me, Jen & Zoe} went to the West Side Market to meet the ESL campers.  {This came about because the two kids in our math class, one day handed me a post-it on which was written "Tell Mrs. Barton about ESL camp"}  Priceless was the looks of surprise and hugs we got when the girls saw us!  I so enjoy middle school kids :)   Zoe and I had a mission to find all the gross things at the market.  She brought pen and paper so she could record them.  There were three things that made the list: 1. cow's tongue  2. a whole octopus  3. a pig head (with grosser fake eyes)  She decided that they were all equally gross and couldn't rank them.

We did buy lots of yummy things including lunch and dessert.

 

Then it was time for race number 2 of the week ~ The Flag Day 5k.  Everyone I've talked to loves this race, but yesterday was the first time I'd ever run it.  It's at Deepwood Center in Mentor and the pre-race activities include a race by the special Olympians.  So cool to cheer them on before we run the very hilly course.

 The route starts at the top, so the start is down hill...then there are two inclines, including a big up back to the top of the hill at the start of mile 3.  The last half mile is DOWN to the finish.  It's a challenging course and it was HOT and HUMID {and HILLY}.  My first mile was 7:05 (oops)  But I was able to mentally hang on & finish pretty strong {easier to do when the last .5 is downhill}  I placed first in my 45-49 age group.

I enjoyed seeing so many running people I know & running a hot evening race.  I really enjoyed the stop at DQ afterwards.  Not PR ice cream, but my friend Brenda {of the PR ice cream} says you can get first place ice cream too.
Yesterday was not good for my diet...but I think I'll survive.

Hill Yeah

This half marathon happened for us because Mike wanted the Grand Prix points...I knew it was stupid going in.  I did this race last year & they call it Hill Yeah for a reason.  Just a few weeks ago I had an epic fail at the Cleveland full...so I think that mentally I wasn't ready for this.  I tried to take it as a training run...but that never really works for me.  My legs were tired, but mentally I didn't have it.  I was hot & worried about that.  Mike passed me and Dodd early & never looked back.  At that point Dodd took off and was ahead of Mike.  I could see the two of them for most of the race.  I actually caught Dodd at 11 {as we turn into the Farmpark & still have 2 miles UGH}  He pulled ahead {after pointing out the car}  Passing under the starting arch for the second time is rather demoralizing!  We ran to the back of the Farmpark and then the next 1.5 is UPHILL to the finish.  At 12.1 I started walking.  And weaving.  I don't know if it was mental or actually physical, but I did not feel well.  I tried to run a little more, but it wasn't there.  I kept telling myself I'd run at the top of the hill.  Well, that top of the hill happened .1 from from the finish!  I saw the clock & it read 1:58 so I kicked it in & was able to pull off a running finish...and was under two hours.    Did not feel on top of the world.  Needed to grab the fence to steady myself & I really don't want to run this one again.

Failed to place for the first time since I turned 45.  Fourth...but a pretty big gap from #3.  

And Leslie was right behind me.  Don't we look cute in our matching outfits?





















Mike was 1:52:28! Dodd was 1;55:26.

Yep, that kid

And he wasn't at the award banquet to receive it.  

We are that family. 

Pretty garden

Love the big peonies.  They remind me of my grandma's backyard.  I wish I had some pink ones, but I think the touch of red in these white ones is beautiful.  The only flower I've cut & brought into the house as they are laying on the ground outside!  I need to cage them or give them something to hold up the huge flower.

My favorite...poppies.  I love these giant red flowers and all of my poppy pictures look the same, but I continue to take them.  I have them growing in three different places in my yard & they continue to make me smile every time I look at them.

Pink carnations.  Last year the chipmunks ate every single bloom.  This year, they seem to be leaving them alone.  {I hate chipmunks}

These are pretty in my container. 

The iris.  Such a delicate and beautiful flower .  These are going crazy in my garden...and I need to think the plants, but they are so pretty!  It's hard to dig some up.  

#12 The Invention of Wings

#12 is one that took me longer than 3 weeks to read & I had to turn off my wireless to keep it today!  The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd was a compelling story of two sisters and their quest to end slavery.  It's told alternatingly from the older sister, Sarah's point of view, and a slave named Handful.  Both are trying to be free in a society that is set up to keep them imprisoned.  It was very interesting to me to learn that Sarah and her sister Nina were actual people & the major events in the story were factual.  Their work was highly influential to Harriet Beecher Stow & they seemed to have essentially started the women's movement in America.  I'd like to believe the novel ends happily ever after.  I believe Sue Monk Kidd believes the same thing.

Quotes:
p 8~ Everyone thought I was a plucky girl, but in truth, I wasn't as fearless as everyone assumed.  I had the temperament of a tortoise.  Whatever dread, fright, or bump appeared in my path, I wanted nothing more than to drop in my tracks and hide.  If you must err, do so on the side of audacity.

p 8 ~ ...she terrified us with tales of the Booga Hag--an old worman who rode about on a broom and sucked the breath from bad children.

fl: There was a time in Africa the people could fly. ll: We rode onto the shining water, onto the far distance.

Healthy?

4 grams of protein!

It's like eating a grilled chicken breast.