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)