My Husband Ran Instead

Huh. If I don't run soon, there will be no point in my having a blog with running in the title. I worked a few minutes late tonight and then came home and got sucked into a TV show one of the kids was watching. (No, I won't tell you what it was because then you'd know that I watch Nickelodeon and Disney.) We turned it off and I started making dinner. My husband had a softball game and wasn't coming home for dinner, so there was no running instead of cooking.

After dinner I helped my son with homework, cleaned up, helped my daughter with her hair, did reading time with the kids and it was all of the sudden 9pm...way too late to run 12 miles. I also had some freelance work that I really needed to do. I sat down with my laptop and my husband went for a run.

I have a video editing class today for work and it's over an hour away. I'm really hoping that I get home in time to eat a quick dinner (breakfast casserole in the crockpot!) and then run in the evening. Oldest daughter has art lessons, but I think husband can handle that. I need to get this run in before it's really time to taper and do light runs before the half.

So, hold me accountable, ok? Let's talk about how the run went in my next post instead of talking about why I didn't run. Again.

Crazy Weekend With No Run

I recently read a tweet that talked about how everyone is busy and it's really annoying to have to read or listen to someone complain about their particular brand of business. I kind of agree with this statement, as those conversations tend to turn into people one-upping each other instead of listening with compassion and empathy. In light of that, I won't really go into why this weekend was so busy but I will say that it was busy to the point that I didn't run. I'll also admit that there were a couple of missed opportunities due to some poor decisions on my part. My plan, though, is to run after dinner and just run up and down my street, treating it like a track workout.

Some of my weekend did involve rest, which was lovely. Because I needed to do 12 miles, I decided not to run at all when I had the chance on Saturday. I figured that if I couldn't do 12, I shouldn't do any at all. (Flawed logic for sure.) Instead I drank a vodka tea, ate jalapeno chips and read. I don't recall where my children were, but my husband was watching football (this will be the norm for the next 3-4 months) so no one even spoke to me. It was heaven.

My half marathon is approaching on the 21st, so I certainly can't afford to ignore running altogether. I'm going to forgive myself for allowing my schedule to interfere with a planned run, though. If I make it to much of a chore and force it in where it really doesn't fit, then I think I'll resent it and that won't do at all. But acknowledging that this weekend was going to be tough, I let it go and figured out how I could do it this week. Will it be a lot to do 12 miles on a work/school evening? Sure. Will it be better than cramming it into a ridiculously scheduled weekend? Definitely.

Did you get any runs in this weekend? What else did you do?

Update about me

So, summer was rough. Well, not rough in the bad-sense, but rough in the scheduling sense. As much as I really wanted to blog and get out there, life just took over and I would run out of time and just get too tired. I really like to write, though, and I really like to blog. Here's to another shot!

In running news, my daughter and I did the Color Run here in Buffalo. I highly recommend this 5k - it was so much fun! Everyone was really friendly; lots of high-fives and encouragement. The volunteers were really excited, which always makes a good race. We obviously ended with lots of color on us...which is exactly what is supposed to happen. It was great!

Me and Meg, August 2013

Training is ongoing for my September half-marathon. My friend and I have 12 miles on the calendar for this weekend. I haven't been as good about my weekday runs, but I'm making an effort to change that. The same schedule the got in the way of blogging impacted my running and my contract work. But, I'm making a weekly schedule for the week and getting back to it. (I'm also trying to stick to a dinner plan, which makes school and work days so much easier.)

So, plan to keep coming back...ok? I'll have some recipes, I'll have some stories and I'll talk about some running. For now, I'm going to work on next week's meal plan and keep baking the chocolate chip peanut butter (gluten free) cookies I'm working on. Yum :-)

Here I Am

Huh. It has been a while since I've here. I'm a little over a month out from my half...and I guess I'm getting closer to being ready. I've got 8 miles to do tomorrow. I guess I can do it, right? (Hint: the answer is yes.)

We just got back from a neighborhood party where there may have been some adult beverages. I'm doing everything in my power to ensure that I still get my run in, though. I can't miss it! Perhaps I should check back in tomorrow to let you know how I did?

Catching Up

Wow, I've been gone a long time. I kept thinking I need to post and then...I didn't.

I didn't get up to do anything on Friday. But, I did go to spin on Saturday. I had a pretty bad headache and contemplated not doing it, but I perservered. I'm definitely glad I did. Later that day Meghan had softball practice, then Brett had his first house baseball game and then we went to dinner at some friends house. It was a great day! It was the first warm day we've had here in a while.

Sunday, we went to Sunday School and then came home. Dave and I did week 3, day 1 of C25K, which ended up being a mile. I had every intention of doing another 2 - at least - after that. But, after 1 mile I was dying. Seriously. It turns out that only eating edamame for breakfast wasn't enough to fuel me through a run. Who knew? So, after 1 mile at 11:33, I stopped and sat with Dave on the driveway and enjoyed the sunshine.

I was pretty annoyed with myself about not doing a longer run, even though I know 2 miles is better than nothing and I didn't eat enough. But, just to make sure I got something else in, I did 50 regular crunches and 25 on each side. Then, I did some  work on my triceps with the medicine ball.

Brett had a travel game in the afternoon and then we went to my parents house for dinner with the family. It was a great weekend and I really didn't want it to end.

I didn't get a workout in today. I slept really poorly last night and have literally not stopped since I left for work this morning. Actually, since before that since I had to run to the store so we had food for breakfast :-/ Guess what I did after work and taking Meghan to swim practice? Yep - I actually did some grocery shopping.

Did I mention that I've given up caffeine after noon every day to see if it helps me sleep better? Does anyone else do that? I'm a big black coffee drinker, so this is a big deal. I hope giving up my afternoon cup helps! Today I had a cup of decaf hot tea instead.

Let's hope for a workout tomorrow, shall we?

That Time I Had a Non-Race PR

I was out way too late last night, having a great time with a friend. We worked on baby shower stuff, drank wine, ate dinner and laughed. Then, just as we thought the night was winding down, friends of hers got engaged and we ended up going out to meet them - at 11:15. I crawled into bed at 1:30! I was pretty tired today.

We made it to Sunday School and church. All I wanted to do when I got home was go to bed. It was cold here today, which made snuggling in for a nap sounded even more appealing. But, Brett had a baseball game (first travel game of the season!) and he needed to be there at 3:15. I didn't have time for a run and a nap. I groaned and moaned and finally got ready to go.

I convinced myself that I only had to do two miles. I figured even two would be a decent workout and was better than nothing. Somewhere around mile one I decided that I should just do a 5k. My first mile was 11:22, which surprised me. I felt pretty good, maybe a bit winded, and actually ended up 11:23 for the second mile. At that point, I was getting pretty tired. I walked a house at one point and then ended up walking a house again after a quarter mile. I figured my third mile was going to be pretty slow. Then, when my watch finally beeped, it said 11:19. 11:19! I ended up finishing the 5k at 35:14!!!! I actually ended up beating my 36 minute goal, which I was working to complete in June.

Brett ended up winning his game, too. I still haven't been to the grocery store, so we ate dinner at a local Chinese buffet to celebrate his win and my run. It was really a great day. But, it also meant that the dishes didn't get done and there's still laundry left. But, we had great times with family and friends and I am beyond thrilled with my run.

How was your weekend run? Anyone else wish we had just one more day?

A Nice Run

Dave and I ended up sleeping way too long to get a run in Tuesday morning. (It's inhumane that too late is 5:15am. But, whatever.) He said we'd go in the evening, which sounded like a great idea...at the time. It turns out, though, that getting up that early and not running meant that I would be essentially asleep all freakin' day. It was great!

Anyway, after work and dinner (crockpot sloppy joes! I took a picture, but it was awful. You'll have to take my word for it - they were delish!), we took Meghan to swim practice. We got home close to 8 and I literally ran up to my bed to snuggle in. Apparently Dave remembered that we needed to get a run in, though, and started getting ready. He said I didn't have to go, but I knew that meant I really did.

Once we got out there, I was glad we did it. I know a lot of people went on various runs for Boston and I was glad that, even though this wasn't a declared memorial run or anything, I had some time to reflect and make sure that I contributed to runners get back out there. After we finished the C25K portion, Dave cooled down and I got another mile in. It wasn't fast and it certainly wasn't long, but I did it.

There's a Solidarity Run on Sunday here in Buffalo at 9am. I really want to go, but have my daughter and I have a meeting about a mission trip we're going on next February to Belize. It's crazy that I: 1. have multiple places I could be that early on a weekend; and 2. am going to Belize! Amelia really wants to do this trip and she needs an adult to go with her. We've never done anything like it.

Between work and dinner yesterday, I made muffins. The kids are going through NYS testing this week (let's not even get started on that) and Meghan said they needed a hearty breakfast. They are typically frozen waffle eaters. However, yesterday I made them egg sandwiches and tomorrow I'm making them smoothies (with fruit, PB, chocolate soy milk and spinach). Today, they're eating muffins. I got the recipe here.

Horrible cell picture with glare from window

We each tried one last night and they're So. Good. Meghan liked them. Amelia said they were ok. Brett said he liked them, but he didn't like all of the oats on top. (I think I can chop them finer, though, so he'd like them more.) They're definitely hearty and I think will get the kids through testing and me through the morning at work. I also think they'd be great to munch on after a long run or something.

Keep running!

Sadness

It's hard to say much after what happened in Boston. I had planned to talk about how I didn't go to yoga today because I didn't sleep well. (I think having at coffee at 4:30pm on Sunday wasn't my brightest choice.) But, I'm sitting here consumed with thoughts about the tragic deaths at the end of what should have been a victory for so many. I'm worried about a woman whom I've never met. I know she was running today and I've seen no action on her blog or on Twitter. I do know that a coworker's friend is ok...so there's that.

On top of the feelings of grief over a senseless tragedy, I wonder about those who trained for so long for this chance at running at one of the greatest races in the world and have to stop without ever finishing. People were redirected. People died. So many emotions.

I'm going to go for a run in the morning with Dave. I'm going to run for those who can't. I'm going to run and think of Boston. Whoever is responsible will not win - because we're still going.

Who is running today?

I Did It!

Don't worry - I went for my run, so you can allow me back. That was a close one!

My friend and I went for a 4 mile run on a local bike path. She wants me to help her get faster, but I really wanted to focus on distance instead of speed today. (Please understand that speed to us is not what speed is, to say...a turtle. Ok, we're not that slow, but we're not speedy at our speediest, either.) I think the run went really well and I'm thrilled that we got it done. I was in a pretty lousy mood and really didn't feel like getting out there, but we did. We rock.

For dinner, I made pork roast that we won at a meat raffle. Do you have those near you? It's a fundraiser where they raffle off meat by selling tickets and spinning a wheel for each game. (We also won 2 racks of ribs, a corned beef brisket and a pork tenderloin.That was a good night.) I also served white beans and green beans. Can anyone tell me why one of my children always has to dislike something that the other two like? (I'm referring to the white beans.) They do take turns being the one who dislikes something, so at least there's that.

I didn't have a big enough pan.

Yum!

Yoga is definitely planned for the morning. Then, I'm heading to Rochester for work. It should be a decent day, though, since I'm going there for a brand launch celebration. My manager and director made sure to get gluten free food for me to eat - and my director is making a flourless chocolate cake! It should be a pretty decent Monday :-)

Have you ever heard of a meat raffle?

What does your Monday look like?

Early Morning Run, 2

I had decided yesterday that running 3.1 miles this morning would be a good thing to do. My husband decided that he would go out, also, although he would do the next scheduled day in C25K. I was undecided as to whether I would run outdoors or go to the gym and figured it would be a game time decision.

Husband's alarm went off at 5. I was not pleased. He immediately got out of bed and went downstairs. I heard him letting the dogs out, but then it got awfully quiet. I stayed in bed, wondering if I really wanted to go running or not. It was cozy in bed and I went for a (short) run yesterday, so it's not like I needed to go. I argued with myself for a while. (This went on for almost 30 minutes. I apparently like to talk to myself.) Actually getting up won, though, because I know I won't do anything until Monday because we're going to Philly for the weekend!  I have to work a half day today and then we're heading out.

Anyway, I got up. I got dressed. I found my husband asleep on a couch downstairs. He mumbled something about not going today and I rolled my eyes. After grabbing my watch and ear warmers (it's still in the 30s - although it felt great today!) and headed out the door. (I decided to go sans music today - I think it was a good decision!)

I decided to do a warm up walk until my watch found a signal. I ended up not looking at my watch AT ALL until it  beeped for 3 miles and then I only watched to stop right at 3.1 (because God Forbid I do more than that).

GUESS WHAT?!?!?!?!??!!??!?!?!

I did it in 36:11! That's only 11 seconds from my goal! And, it's faster than the 5k I did on the treadmill a couple of weeks ago. I AM SO EXCITED!!! My splits were:

11:50
11:39
11:32

I'm definitely glad that I got up now :-)

Off to do a half day of work - have a great Friday!

Early Morning Run

I never made it to pilates last night, which had been the plan. Seriously - working out would be much easier for me if I didn't have three kids ;-) (Ok, I'm sure I would just come up with other excuses. But, they're just so easy to use!)

Anyway, no pilates. Husband mentioned that he wanted to do his third C25K of the week before work this morning because we'll be away this weekend. It sounded like a great idea and I was totally on board...until his alarm went off this morning. I have to tell you, 5:00am is pretty early. Also? It's below 30 degrees.

We managed to get his day 3 run in. I totally should've kept going, but I didn't. He insists I shouldn't worry about it, but I know I could've done more. I guess I really do have consistency issues. I do fine as long as I follow my routine, but as soon as something changes (like the kids being on spring break or a late meeting), then I lose my mojo.

Oh well. I can't worry about it. I'll shoot to do one more run tomorrow morning before we go. Hopefully I'll make it!

Sometimes It's Just Hard

I had to go to Rochester for work today, which meant I had to leave earlier than I normally do. I was initially supposed to meet a friend for dinner after work, but she cancelled. So, I spent all day thinking that I would get some sort of workout in before dinner. At some point my husband and I decided that we'd do the second day of C25K and I figured I'd stretch it to a full 5K when we were done with his part. Middle daughter decided that she'd join us, too. I spent all afternoon knowing this was the plan and feeling good about it...until I got in the car for my drive home.

The weather in WNY yesterday was ridiculous. Really. I'm not someone who complains about snow and late spring and all of that, but seriously, I think Mother Nature is having some issues. I drove through beautiful sunshine and near white-out conditions within minutes of each other. It was freezing. I'd need my sunglasses and then would almost have to rip them off because it suddenly got too dark. By the time I got home, running was the last thing I wanted to do. But, I rallied and got ready.

My husband has a hard time breathing in the cold, so I was definitely worried about how he'd do. I typically do better in the cold than I ever do in heat, so I thought I'd be fine. I set my Garmin (I really love that watch!), husband set his 5K app and off we went.

The first couple of runs were fine. Cold, but fine. After that, I could tell my husband was struggling. He kept asking our daughter for water and we were definitely slow. (I'm pretty sure our daughter could have lapped us. I was going slow for my husband, but wouldn't have been able to catch her even at full speed.) I began struggling at some point in the middle and was dreading the remainder of my run. I figured I had to get it in, though, and told them I was going to keep going after our final run (while they cooled down). Now remember, I finished the 5K last Friday when we ran, so I knew this shouldn't be a problem. Last night was different, though, and I was DYING. Like, I was pretty sure my legs were made of stone and my lungs were about to collapse. I forced myself to get to two miles. (I'd say we did not quite 1.5 miles with the app, so I didn't add much more.) That run was one of the hardest I've ever done.

I was surprised to see my splits at the end. The first mile, done with my husband, was 15:02. Then, sometime during the second mile I left on my own. I kind of figured I maybe did it in 13. Nope! I did it in 12:05. I made up some pretty good time there, which may have contributed to how hard it was. (The cold and going faster than normal for me.)

My point to this very long, rambling post is that sometimes it's just freakin' hard. But, we have to keep going...right? Maybe tonight should just be pilates or something a little less intense - definitely something inside, though. I'm sure that my next run will be better. It kind of has to be, really.