Run log & life

June has been an exceptional month with lots of excitement.  Our NERC Thursday morning group run has attracted more NERCers than just me and Kelly this summer.  (and John & Mike, not because they wanted to be there, but because we dragged them)  This particular Thursday started with a bike ride...and a storm rolling in.  We sent the HS girls home & waited out the storm doing core work in the pavilion.  Then we ran.  Fun to exercise with Angela, Leslie & Brenda!  All people I've met through NERC.

But the most exciting Cleveland happening is that we FINALLY have a champion sports team.  It's been almost two weeks...and it still gives me goosebumps & feels unreal.  We fell down in the series 0-2 at Oakland, came back to Cleveland and only won 1.  Went back to Oakland down 1-3.  No team in NBA history had EVER won the series when down 1-3.  We won game 5 in Oakland.  We won game 6 in Cleveland.  And with 10 seconds to go in game 7 we were winning.  LeBron went down {like he always does} and all I'm thinking is...so this is how we lose with 10 seconds left to go.  LeBron breaks his arm.But he didn't.  He made a foul shot.  Kyrie sinks a 3.  Cleveland Wins.  WHAT?!?!  CLEVELAND WINS it's first Championship in 52 years.  Here's the USA Today story ~   Mike asked Jacob if he wanted to haul the old couch into the road and burn it.  But he was the only one thinking destruction.  The streets of Cleveland filled and people danced and partied.  We looked good to the rest of the world.  

And then 1.3 million people filled the city on the following Wednesday for the victory parade and rally.  I tagged along with the Ayala family & we stood for hours waiting & finally were witness to the party.  A day to remember & hopefully the next one isn't 52 years in the making.

Last Friday and Saturday we were in Alliance, Ohio attending Jacob's Mount Union Preview Weekend.

He had a good time & so did we.  Met some great parents & visited The Hood & spent a great deal of money getting more Raider Gear.  It still feels like home & I'm excited for Jacob to begin his adventure there.

Finally, back to running!  Run for the Hills 10k was last Sunday.  After two pretty rotten 5k's, I decided I would sit this race out.  I volunteered to work registration (and it's a good thing, as only Phil and I showed up to help)  Mike and Dodd both raced and did well.  I got in 4 miles and was able to see the winner of the 5k (former XC runner) and then both boys finish.  I'm glad I didn't run, but there were so few people who did, I would have placed & gotten some good NERC points.  However, I would not have enjoyed myself, so I still think I made the right decision.

Knowing that I had MEA negotiations this week, I tried to pack a lot into Monday...a super hot run, HIIT class, and then Kelly said she'd join me stand-up paddle boarding.  I've always wanted to do this & it was so much fun.  It was easier to stand up than I thought it would be, but we found you went faster if you sat down.  The lake was taking us out and east at a pretty quick rate of speed, so we had to work to paddle west.  The people who went out right before us had to be rescued, but Kelly and I have fantastic skills so we were able to successfully make it back to shore unaided. {I did think that it might  be a good idea to wave our paddles & just let them come and get it...but we persevered}

Negotiations...always an experience...are done, hopefully with a contract the membership will like.  Completed in two days instead of 3 ~ so today is a 'free day'.
Yesterday I went out on my run and at .38...my right calf decided not to work in a very painful way.  I tried to stretch it out & hobble on, but quickly decided it would be stupid to risk further injury.  So I made a mile total, mostly walking back and have been icing & biofreezing and stretching ever since.  Today I went on a 18 mile bike ride to Lakeshore Reservation, where I found a great amount of beach glass.  Collecting beach glass is the most addicting thing I do.  It's a think I could do it all day, but my neck gets sore from looking down so intently!

The beach a Lakeshore is very peaceful.  I only saw one other person while I was there.  I will have to do that little adventure again.

So I'm nursing my calf & hoping to try & run tomorrow so I can get in a long run on Saturday.  Marathon Training has begun!  Did I mention I GOT A BIB FOR MARINE CORP?  Yes, I did.  So excited.

June Running Log:

JuneTotals:

101.85miles for the month 
709.17 miles for the year 

242.32 miles in my Gortex Ghosts ~no Gortex runs this month

411.40 miles in my Old Brooks Glycerin 13 (the gray ones)

154.84 miles in my PINK Brooks Glycerin 13

Training for:     MARINE CORP MARATHON, October 31, 2016!

Podcasts I'm listening to: Marathon Training Academy, Dear Sugar, & Story Corp, Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder, More Perfect & Invisibilia is BACK!

My WEIGHT: I need to stop eating.  141.  but my clothes still fit...which is not good, because I won't try real hard to eat better.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month:   Hill, Yeah half marathon

What hurts?:  tight hamstrings all month...and now this right calf thing.  

Highest  weekly mileage this month:  35.84 ~ June 5 - Jun 12

Favorite place to run this month:Hogback Ridge.  I love that off the path trail

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:  49:40 (Greenway 10k 3/20/16)
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)

20-miler: 2:45:15 (20 mile Drop 4/10/16)
half-marathon: 1:44:42 (Northern Ohio Half Marathon 10/4/15)
marathon: 3:57:31 (The Cleveland Marathon 5/17/15)

Flag Day 5k

2 5k's.  2 over 25 minutes.  I'm getting slower.  My mind is telling me not to run so fast.  My mind doesn't want to work so hard.  a 9&1/2 minute mile is so easy to run.  a 7:40?  not so much.  After Johnny's Run, I wasn't sure I wanted to race again...until I got faster...but, you can't get faster if you don't run fast.  And what better way to run fast than to race.  This course is hard because there is a really long hill in the woods.  But it's pretty in those woods and shade.  And the start is a sharp downhill.  And you run that downhill twice.  I just need to let myself GO and run.  Or be happy with times of 25 minutes and more.  That's where I am.  Learning to get older.

This is me and Leslie, who has gotten faster as she ages.  She has always beat me in the 5k...but she's speeding up.  And she's super fun.  And I love this picture of us...at the bottom of the first big hill.  I actually look like I'm enjoying life.  Leslie sure is.

Mike at the finish.  He a racing rock star ~ with a hurt knee.  And I know it's really hurt because he had me make a doctor's appointment for him.

.  

So even with my slow time of 25:05, I placed second in my age group.  Dodd also placed second and Mike placed third.  We complain...but we compare pretty favorably.

NERC friends...Mary on the left who didn't race but was forced to hold Mike's third place finish plaque

June Garden

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. 

Luther Burbank

Hill, Yeah

Don, some girl, me, Dodd, Mike are ready to run

I knew I wasn't ready for this race.  The last time I ran this distance was the Chardon Half {and I've been "Chardon Sore" ever since} and I really don't like this race.  It's hard.  It's hilly.  It's mentally tough.  But Mike convinced us to sign up for it, way back when.  Since we paid, we ran.  

Representing Team Beef

A day {maybe two} before the race, a fellow NERC member posted on the Facebook that he wanted to do push-ups and burpees at each water stop, as well as the start and finish.  He was asking if anyone wanted to join him.  Mike was intrigued.  He's still "CLE Sore" and thought this would be a fun way to get through a tough race.  He convince Dodd to join him ~ and that's what they did.  At the start they dropped & did 20 push-ups and 10 burpees.  I ran with them to the first water stop, about a mile and a half in and left them to do their thing.  There are quite a few postings on the Facebook of their craziness.  Verdi, who ran the first leg in a relay, ran back to them after his exchange and ran the rest of the way in with them, joining the challenge.  I enjoyed watching them stop just before the finish line to do their last set.  With their stops & extra workout ~ they finished in 2:05:59.  Ran faster and stronger than I did and did more work.  Impressive.

one armed push-up at the finish

I need to start by saying I hate this race.  I've run it three times now & the only time I've felt ok about it was the time I actually trained hills.  You would think I would train hills to run this race, but I'm not that smart.  My first Hill, Yeah, I did it as a challenge to myself.  I trained on my 12-14 mile course that takes South River Road to County Line over the crazy bridge.  That's a hill.  And when I trained on that course, I was strong enough to run this race.  Last year Mike wanted to run it because we had trained for the Cleveland Marathon & this was just a half.  And that sucked.  This year I've been "Chardon Sore" and couldn't risk injury training hills.  I've been running like crap and this was not a race I was looking forward to. I decided I was just going to run & try and have fun.  I did handle it better than last year {when the heat got to me & I thought I would have a marathon repeat}  It was raining.  But it was a light rain and 68ish degrees.  It wasn't bad.  I was just wet.  I made it to Chapin Forest & up up up those hills in good mental shape.  My legs were tired and sore, but my hamstrings were doing ok.  I could feel them, but they didn't ache.  My IT band started to get tight, but that too went away.  I was not fast.  I got to Penitentiary Glenn and knew the hills weren't as bad as Chapin.  I got through that and entered what I think is the hardest 5 miles of ANY half marathon.  Three miles on hilly roads back to the Farmpark.  Around this time Nick Tanko, who was the 2:00 pacer passed me.  He asked me how I was doing, and all I could reply was, "The 2 hour guy is passing me.  How do you think I'm doing?"  That was rather bitchy, but it was true.  I felt ok.  I was working hard.  My legs were tired.  I was mostly sad I was going to be over 2 hours.  I've never been over 2 hours.  I spent the next mile or so trying to figure out how I felt about over 2 hours.  I didn't like it.

At mile 10.5 you can see the mile 11 flag at the turn into the Farmpark.  You can HEAR Verdi on the microphone cheering people in.  It's evil.  I've still 20ish minutes from the finish & it's RIGHT THERE. And it all uphill to the Farmpark.  The whole time trying to psych myself up for the last two miles. "you can do this.  you will finish.  you know it's going to be hard.  you can do this.  you've done it before."  Up the Farmpark driveway.  Down to the back of the Farmpark.  Up Up Up to the mile 12 marker {really, just mile 12?}  Up up turn up up turn up up turn up up "where is that mile 13 flag?" up up turn up up "really! where is that flag?"  up turn "There it is!"  and Geoff Webber, "you can get under 2, but you have to go NOW."  1:59:35.  The last person to finish in under 2 hours.  Ugh that course SUCKS.  and I'm a BEAST for doing it 3 times.  Geoff said to me later when I thanked him for his encouragement, "you didn't look good, but I knew you could do it."  HA! 

I did have the best finish line photo I've ever taken.  You can see the joy in being DONE.  We had to hang out because even with this time I placed second in my age group (good for a glass milk bottle and $10 to Second Sole)  Next year it's the relay or nothing.  This race is HARD.

Mike telling John that the moving time on his watch was 1:57:00.

Life and may run log

May was the crazy month I knew it would be.  Mom & Dad flew into town on May 17 ~ just in time to sit through Senior Awards.  We had a good dinner & an hour and a half of awards.  Jacob received his four-year academic award and the Principal's award for 4.0.  We have sat through 7 of these ceremonies. (missed Jacob's junior year ~ because he had a tennis tournament, or something tennis related)  and now we are done.  

Then we woke up on May 18.  And it was Jacob's last day of school.  13 years of Madison, done.  I loved teaching in the district where my kids went.  I knew their teachers and they knew me.  For six years they came to school with me and went home with me at the end of the day.  I saw them in the halls and I knew what they were doing.  I could look out my window & see if the tennis match had started or not.  For 15 years I had a kid in Madison Schools.  And now it is done.

But we weren't done with tennis, just because it was the last day of school.  We traveled to Mentor to play a rematch of a rained out contest.  It was a beautiful day and Mom & Dad got to see Jacob play.  He didn't win, but he had fun.  I don't think anyone had their A game.  The team was 7 seniors and they were done.  But tennis wasn't done.  After the match, we drove back to MHS for the tennis banquet.  7 tennis banquets.  7 delicious meals. Tennis parents make food!  Jacob received his Four Year Varsity Letter.  I'm pretty proud of his high school tennis career.  He loves this sport & his hard work and heart have paid off.   And now high school tennis is done.

Saturday, May 21.  The day of the 2016 Madison High School Commencement.  The day of the National Robotic Tournament.

This is the weapon that Dreadnaught broke off the first opponent they faced in the competition.  Jacob got to keep it as a souvenir.  Lack of planning caused a moment of panic...but Dad came through.  Jacob and Frank had a robotic adventure as they went to Pittsburgh on Friday, ate duck at a fancy restaurant Friday night and then spent Saturday beating up robots...including their own.  They beat themselves again as they went dead in their two losses.  They came in 9th overall (out of 70 some teams) and had a great time.  Dad would text us when they were up & we were able to watch all but one of their matches on the live feed.  That was pretty cool.

Then came Sunday, May 22.  Jacob's grad party.  A grad party for the kid who didn't go to graduation.  Madison is blessed by a superintendent with a gigantic heart.  She agreed to come to JB's grad party & present Jacob with his diploma.  With his friends humming "Pomp and Circumstance", Jacob, in cap and gown, received his diploma from Angela Smith on May 22, 2016. 

 Here is the link to the actual video of his 2016 class graduation.  Angela gave Jacob and Zak a shout out just after the baby video (and a tribute to Janice Cassidy) around 58:45 in the video. And here is his baby picture that was part of the baby video.  It makes me miss the baby he was.  The days are long...but those years are short.  Blink and they are past.

Barb Hogan outdid herself with the cookies.  Aren't they amazing?  They are all done now.

On Monday after that crazy week/weekend.  I went back to work.  Three more days for the rest of Madison.  We had a great last day at the Outdoor Y with the 8th graders and field day with the 7th graders.  We also had the annual teacher party at my house that evening.  It was a fun time that didn't end in a trip to Jewels Dance Hall.

Finally the school year ended.  The first adventure was to Holden Arboretum.  A beautiful walk to the canopy walk and the emergent tower.  you can almost see Lake Erie over Mike's shoulder in the picture.  202 steps and 12 flights up in the sky.  It is a really cool thing to do.  Adventure #1 done.

This is a picture of the world's greatest DQ Blizzard.  Oreo Blizzard with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups & Marshmallow.  And it's a medium.  It's a medium because my mother is a DQ pusher.  Here's the conversation:

me ordering: I'll have a small...

mom intruputing: Small?  Don't you want a medium?  We're getting a medium.  This is lunch.  Get a medium.

me changing my order:  I'll have a medium.

In the two and a half weeks my parents were here, they probably went to Dairy Queen 10 times.  Maybe more.  Most days it was their lunch.  I am NOT done with DQ.

Memorial Day:

1.  Johnny's Run

Johnny's Run has been a tradition for two years now.  Mom and Dad walk/ran it as they started a couch to 5k app the day before...so they were ready after day one.

I'd like to forget my time as it was the SLOWEST I have EVER run a 5k ~ and I sure was working hard to run 25:02.  25:02.  UGH.  5th place in my age group (12th female overall)  Just about everyone had slower runs ~ People said it was a long course ~ but that really doesn't make me feel better.  25:02.

I decided to run without my watch...7:45 at mile 1 (thank you Phil Scinto)...15 something at mile 2...25:02 at the finish.  There is no way I ran a 10 minute third mile.  I have no idea what happened there.  I didn't like it one bit.  Especially since I was working so hard.  I was DONE at the finish.  Done.

We missed the NERC picture because we ran back to meet the parents ~ a few other people missed it too, so John photo-shopped us in.  I kinda like this picture a lot.

#2 Memorial Day Parade

Jacob's last marching band parade. He also played "To the Colors" solo when the flag was raised on the flagpole.  It was a little rough at the beginning, but he pulled it out. He's played many solos during marching band and jazz band.  He has always made me so proud.  That's really putting yourself out there.  

#3 Mrs. May's aMAYzing Farewell Tour

I don't know how they did it...but it was a surprise for Kristy.  The Barton family has been very fortunate to have Kristy May as band director.  So thankful she stayed one more year.  Madison will continue to have a strong band program, but it won't be the same.

And Jacob and the band got to march on the football field one last time.  And now, Band is done.

#4 Happy POPPY Day

May Running Log:

MayTotals:

100.13 miles for the month 
607.32 miles for the year 

237.32 miles in my Gortex Ghosts ~no Gortex runs this month

384.18 miles in my Old Brooks Glycerin 13 (the gray ones)

85.21 miles in my PINK Brooks Glycerin 13

Training for:     Hill Yeah THIS Sunday...fall marathon...started searching for a Marine Corp bib ~ and so are MANY people from the facebook posts.

Podcasts I'm listening to: Marathon Training Academy, Dear Sugar, & Story Corp

My WEIGHT: I'm afraid to check after all the DQ I've been eating.

Some interesting facts:

Longest run this month:   Chardon half 

What hurts?:   I've been fighting both hamstrings this whole month.  They are tight & have slowed me down.  I'm not looking forward to Hill, Yeah at all.

Highest  weekly mileage this month:  36.26 miles  May 1 through May 8

Favorite place to run this month: Lakeshore Reservation ~ our first summer running

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:  49:40 (Greenway 10k 3/20/16)
10-miler: 1:21:29 (Hermes Cleveland 10-miler 4/28/12)

20-miler: 2:45:15 (20 mile Drop 4/10/16)
half-marathon: 1:44:42 (Northern Ohio Half Marathon 10/4/15)
marathon: 3:57:31 (The Cleveland Marathon 5/17/15)