95 degrees. That was the temperature at the starting time of my second race. This one was in Lakewood and it was a full-fledged 5K. 3.2 miles. And my world, was it HOT!
I'm talking hot! Hot, like, you sweat standing. Just standing. There were huge beads of sweat rolling down my back and I hadn't even moved yet. It was hot.
It was me and about 140 other insane souls who decided to do this run. I knew I was in trouble. With a crowd that small, there's no where to hide, and when you come in near last, there's no hiding that, either. (And yes, I came in very near last.)
I made a "friend" right off the bat. This woman... for no reason... out of the blue... decided she's going to hold my hand and braid my hair as we run. Oh, and towel me off apparently, too. That is how close she ran next to me. I've read that people will latch on to you during races some time to pace. I get that. It's cool. But I'm not kidding when I say we bumped shoulders on multiple occasions. At one point, she really did offer me her towel to soak the beads of 95 degree sweat that were pooring down my head. First of all: GROSS! And second of all: GROSS!
The first mile was awesome. My split was 10 minutes and some change. Wooohooo! (Except for pacer lady, who was still shoulder to shoulder next to me.)
At a mile and half, I started seeing the leaders double back. I'd later come to realize just how freakin' far I was behind them! I had FOREVER to go until I got to turn around and they were basically on the home stretch. This is when I really start to dwell on the embarrassment factor of me being in this race. But I forged on.
I... err... WE approach mile 2. I'm still cruising! My split was 20 minutes and some change. Holy cow, I'm running 10 minute miles! I was so very pleased. And then I hit mile 2.2'ish....
I'm not sure what happened at 2.2'ish, but it felt like 20.2'ish. The heat was really starting to get to me. (For some history, when I was 9, I used to sit in an air conditioned car in between innings of my softball games. That's how well I've been able to manage heat in the past.) I started getting the chills. Yes, the chills. In 95 degrees. I started running through the warning signs of heat exhaustion/heat stroke and decided to take it down a short notch and walk for a few driveways. Coming in 135th out of 140 instead of 134th was NOT that big of a risk for me at this point.
I walked for 6 driveways, then started running again. Then came more chills... 3 driveways of walking.... running... chills... walking. When I got to the point where I could see the finish line, I sucked it up and ran the whole time. Chills be damned! At this point, I just needed to be done with this day and get in my air conditioned car. (Ahhh, how times have changed?!)
I finished in 34 mins, 20 secs. Not that great, but considering the heat and the lady I was carrying with me, I found it to be a huge success. My goal for my next race is 30 minutes, but I'd be pleased with 32 or less.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A Shot in the Side
I ran my first race! It was a 2-miler in downtown Cleveland that was sponsored by The Winking Lizard. The event was called "A Shot in the Dark". Here's a recap of events.
Mike went with me and we arrived about an hour early. This was ideal, since it allowed us to take our time parking, walk to the Lizard and got Mike the perfect spot at the air conditioned bar.
The next hour took about a year. Or so it felt. I was nervous as all get out and anxious to get going. Finally, about 15 minutes to post, I went out and took a brisk warm up walk. Then I headed to the start.
It was very exciting! I had my number pinned to my shirt. I had my race tracker timer thingy attached to my shoe. I was crowded in to a group of people who were all like me. Ready to go!
It was about 86 degrees at the 5pm start time and being that it was downtown, there was no
shade on the course. So, yes, it was HOT! But I was still feeling really good, even though Mr. Heat and I don't get along so well.
The bell finally wrang and we were off! I started out fantastic. I felt really good. Ran to the beat of my music, as I always do. One mile in, my legs are great, my conditioning is good... holy cow, I might actually hit my 20 minutes or less goal! Or so I thought...
One and a half miles in, I feel a pain in my side. And out of nowhere, it completely takes me out. The cramp was so intense that I couldn't stand up straight and breathing was very difficult. That was my worst fear for the race... a cramp... and it happened. Boooo!
So I had to walk about the last half mile. I ended up finishing in 24 minutes, which was 4 minutes past my goal time. But these things happen. I finished! But there's more work to do and more races in my future.
I'll be trying to redeem myself this weekend at a 5K (3 miles) in Lakewood. If nothing else, I get 2 free beers for running in it. Woohoo! Let's see how it goes!
Mike went with me and we arrived about an hour early. This was ideal, since it allowed us to take our time parking, walk to the Lizard and got Mike the perfect spot at the air conditioned bar.
The next hour took about a year. Or so it felt. I was nervous as all get out and anxious to get going. Finally, about 15 minutes to post, I went out and took a brisk warm up walk. Then I headed to the start.
It was very exciting! I had my number pinned to my shirt. I had my race tracker timer thingy attached to my shoe. I was crowded in to a group of people who were all like me. Ready to go!
It was about 86 degrees at the 5pm start time and being that it was downtown, there was no
shade on the course. So, yes, it was HOT! But I was still feeling really good, even though Mr. Heat and I don't get along so well.
The bell finally wrang and we were off! I started out fantastic. I felt really good. Ran to the beat of my music, as I always do. One mile in, my legs are great, my conditioning is good... holy cow, I might actually hit my 20 minutes or less goal! Or so I thought...
One and a half miles in, I feel a pain in my side. And out of nowhere, it completely takes me out. The cramp was so intense that I couldn't stand up straight and breathing was very difficult. That was my worst fear for the race... a cramp... and it happened. Boooo!
So I had to walk about the last half mile. I ended up finishing in 24 minutes, which was 4 minutes past my goal time. But these things happen. I finished! But there's more work to do and more races in my future.
I'll be trying to redeem myself this weekend at a 5K (3 miles) in Lakewood. If nothing else, I get 2 free beers for running in it. Woohoo! Let's see how it goes!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Here's what's been happening....
So, yeah, it's been a looooong time since I've written. Here's a bit of catch up.
Soccer ball is over. Peyton did AWESOME! She really did. She had one especially killer game where she scored, like, 15 goals or some crazy thing. We were the parents that week who felt badly that their child was out performing... and let's just be real here... embarassing the other pre-k'ers.
Aside from that game, Peyton was good for at least 1-3 goals each week. And she wants to play again in the fall! That is, if she gets "faster shoes". She's got this thing about fast shoes. Because the shoes, you know, are clearly what separates the men from the boys in 3-4-year-old girls soccer. (I'm going to bedazzle the crap out of her current soccer shoes for the fall. No need to buy a new pair!)
My health kick, I am very proud to say, has continued. I'm even down a few lbs. Maybe not as many as I'd like, but I'm still trying to be good about what I eat and my running is going very well. I'm up to a 30 minute non-stop jog and plan to do my first race on July 10th! I've actually become somewhat addicted to running. It's the best feeling... when you're done. Can't say that I'm loving life while I'm in the process quite yet, but it's not completely heinous and it's getting WAY easier to do. I'm not sucking air and end up in minimal pain now when I'm done. Whoop! Whoop!
I'm absolutely sure more has gone on in my world since the last time I posted, but for the life of me, I can't think of what. And that's a fantastic reason for why I shouldn't wait so long between chapters. But like I said in the beginning, I'll do what I can, when I can.
So there!
Soccer ball is over. Peyton did AWESOME! She really did. She had one especially killer game where she scored, like, 15 goals or some crazy thing. We were the parents that week who felt badly that their child was out performing... and let's just be real here... embarassing the other pre-k'ers.
Aside from that game, Peyton was good for at least 1-3 goals each week. And she wants to play again in the fall! That is, if she gets "faster shoes". She's got this thing about fast shoes. Because the shoes, you know, are clearly what separates the men from the boys in 3-4-year-old girls soccer. (I'm going to bedazzle the crap out of her current soccer shoes for the fall. No need to buy a new pair!)
My health kick, I am very proud to say, has continued. I'm even down a few lbs. Maybe not as many as I'd like, but I'm still trying to be good about what I eat and my running is going very well. I'm up to a 30 minute non-stop jog and plan to do my first race on July 10th! I've actually become somewhat addicted to running. It's the best feeling... when you're done. Can't say that I'm loving life while I'm in the process quite yet, but it's not completely heinous and it's getting WAY easier to do. I'm not sucking air and end up in minimal pain now when I'm done. Whoop! Whoop!
I'm absolutely sure more has gone on in my world since the last time I posted, but for the life of me, I can't think of what. And that's a fantastic reason for why I shouldn't wait so long between chapters. But like I said in the beginning, I'll do what I can, when I can.
So there!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pancakes are the devil
I'm on a bit of a health kick right now. We'll see how long it lasts, but for right now, I'm realizing that I've got a few post-two-babies pounds to shed before I can even pretend like I'm comfortable in a bathing suit. Or in a trash bag for that matter.
That said, three of my coworkers have signed on to do a mini "Biggest Loser". We've got a password protected spreadsheet and everything! Our goal is to lose 1 pound per week for 10 weeks. Sound easy? Yeah, it won't be. We took our baseline weights this past Friday. For an added uber ego boost, one of the "Losers" starting weight is 2 pounds LESS than my end goal. Fatty fatty boomba latty.
Now here's what I'm doing about it. 10lbs in 10 weeks is gonna be hard. But I'm commited! I ate salad for lunch today. BLAMO! And downloaded a Podrunner thingy to my iPod called "Couch to 5K". (Not taking any credit here, it was another "Losers'" idea and I'm jumping on it.) Basically, over the course of 9 weeks, I'll gradually work my jelly up to being able to run a 5K. Without stopping. Running. The whole time. Three miles. Sound easy? Yeah, it won't be. Did I mention I HATE RUNNING? But I'm doing it.
Also signed up on dailyplate.com. It's an awesome... yet not overly user friendly... website that tracks everything that goes in your mouth and every form of excercise you can imagine. You can put vacuuming on this thing, if you really want to. (And I'm sure I will at some point.) So I added the pancakes I had for dinner tonight. HOLY HOLY HOLY COW! Pancakes are the devil. Carbs... fat... calories... sodium... DE-VIL. Obviously I wasn't thinking that popping a pancake was like eating a fruit basket, but for crying out loud!!! No more pancakes for me.
My goals are set. I have focus. I have a plan. We'll see how long it lasts.
That said, three of my coworkers have signed on to do a mini "Biggest Loser". We've got a password protected spreadsheet and everything! Our goal is to lose 1 pound per week for 10 weeks. Sound easy? Yeah, it won't be. We took our baseline weights this past Friday. For an added uber ego boost, one of the "Losers" starting weight is 2 pounds LESS than my end goal. Fatty fatty boomba latty.
Now here's what I'm doing about it. 10lbs in 10 weeks is gonna be hard. But I'm commited! I ate salad for lunch today. BLAMO! And downloaded a Podrunner thingy to my iPod called "Couch to 5K". (Not taking any credit here, it was another "Losers'" idea and I'm jumping on it.) Basically, over the course of 9 weeks, I'll gradually work my jelly up to being able to run a 5K. Without stopping. Running. The whole time. Three miles. Sound easy? Yeah, it won't be. Did I mention I HATE RUNNING? But I'm doing it.
Also signed up on dailyplate.com. It's an awesome... yet not overly user friendly... website that tracks everything that goes in your mouth and every form of excercise you can imagine. You can put vacuuming on this thing, if you really want to. (And I'm sure I will at some point.) So I added the pancakes I had for dinner tonight. HOLY HOLY HOLY COW! Pancakes are the devil. Carbs... fat... calories... sodium... DE-VIL. Obviously I wasn't thinking that popping a pancake was like eating a fruit basket, but for crying out loud!!! No more pancakes for me.
My goals are set. I have focus. I have a plan. We'll see how long it lasts.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
So here's the soccer ball update. We're two weeks in now and so far, so good. Peyton, for the most part, is still in to it. She even scored two goals at her first game! One was for the other team, but whatever. It was exciting. And, oh, it was also FREAKIN' FREEZING! It was about 34 degrees, windy as hell, and at one point, hailing. I gotta give it to Peyton, she didn't complain. She even took her gloves off at one point. I like to think it was because she's a warrior and wanted to show the other team how incredibly tough she is. In reality, it's because her Mother of the Year didn't pack her own gloves, so she had to use the 5-times-to-big version that I just-so-happened to have in my coat pocket. Ugh. But back to the action....
Three and four year old soccer is kinda like watching a swarm of bees running around the field. In one giant clump, they make their way up and down, back and forth, over and over. The energy at this age is *almost* endless. (I say *almost*, because even a 4-year-old has her limits!) But for almost an hour straight these kids run. And run. And run. And... WATER BREAK!!!
The water break has become Peyton's favorite part of soccer ball. The kids' faces light up like Christmas morn when the coach yells those magical words. "WATER BREAK!" It's a mad dash to the parents for a quick refreshment, then we're back to it.
Peyton loses a little focus at practice. This week I caught her sitting on her ball with two friends playing Patty Cake or some dumb crap while the coach was running the drills. Yeah, that ain't happening on my watch! So I got up, walked over, and told the girls to respect their coach and do the drills. Then quietly made my way back to the cheap seats for the remainder of the evening.
You never stop teaching. I totally want to be the parent who sits back and let's the coach run the show, but it's uber hard for him to keep up with 30 little 4-year-olds. This poor guy can't be putting the kibosh on every Patty Cake game that breaks out, so I made the assist.
Sports are about respect and teamwork. So far, Peyton is doing beautifully and I couldn't be more proud. She scored two more goals today.... both for her own team this time.
Three and four year old soccer is kinda like watching a swarm of bees running around the field. In one giant clump, they make their way up and down, back and forth, over and over. The energy at this age is *almost* endless. (I say *almost*, because even a 4-year-old has her limits!) But for almost an hour straight these kids run. And run. And run. And... WATER BREAK!!!
The water break has become Peyton's favorite part of soccer ball. The kids' faces light up like Christmas morn when the coach yells those magical words. "WATER BREAK!" It's a mad dash to the parents for a quick refreshment, then we're back to it.
Peyton loses a little focus at practice. This week I caught her sitting on her ball with two friends playing Patty Cake or some dumb crap while the coach was running the drills. Yeah, that ain't happening on my watch! So I got up, walked over, and told the girls to respect their coach and do the drills. Then quietly made my way back to the cheap seats for the remainder of the evening.
You never stop teaching. I totally want to be the parent who sits back and let's the coach run the show, but it's uber hard for him to keep up with 30 little 4-year-olds. This poor guy can't be putting the kibosh on every Patty Cake game that breaks out, so I made the assist.
Sports are about respect and teamwork. So far, Peyton is doing beautifully and I couldn't be more proud. She scored two more goals today.... both for her own team this time.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Dancing with SB
The snooze button (SB) is one of my best friends. We've got a fantastic relationship, SB and I, and we do this little dance every morning which goes something like this.
I set my alarm clock for 5:51am. This allows me one SB smack down before the alarm then goes off again 9 minutes later. Precisely at 6:00am. In my brain, this feels like a great start to my day. I wake up on the zeros and proceed to a perfectly timed morning. Seriously, how awesome am I?!?
Until I start rationalizing that hitting the snooze button one more time is only 9 more minutes, which doesn't even yet get me in to double digits after the 6!
BLAM! SB.
It's now 6:09am and I once again hear "akkkk! AKKkk! AKKKKK!". (SB gets louder if I don't tend to her immediately.) I wake up... again... and this time start having a much deeper conversation with myself. Eh, really? What's 9 more minutes?
BLAM! SB.
Continuing to rationalize, I decide that at this point, I'm no longer on the zeros anyway and who really cares about double digits? So I'll stay awake and stare at the clock until it goes off again. Yeah, cuz then it'll be 6:18am and THAT'S when I'm really ready to start my day. I'll just.... lay.... here...... and stare at........ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz".
6:25am. Panic ensues. Holy crap, I just overslept. Now for those of you doing the math at home, SB should have taken me to 6:27am, but alas, I've now co-mingled alarms!!! 6:25am is when Mike's day "begins". I have no choice but to bid SB a fine farewell by way of snoozing Mike's alarm and shutting mine off. I get out of bed and start on my way.
So why do I do this to myself each morning? It's such a pathetic attempt to just get a little more sleep. To maybe lay down for just a tiny bit little longer. To delay the inevitable of going to work. Maybe I'll try to work on it. See if I can at least keep it to under double digits......
BLAM! SB.
I set my alarm clock for 5:51am. This allows me one SB smack down before the alarm then goes off again 9 minutes later. Precisely at 6:00am. In my brain, this feels like a great start to my day. I wake up on the zeros and proceed to a perfectly timed morning. Seriously, how awesome am I?!?
Until I start rationalizing that hitting the snooze button one more time is only 9 more minutes, which doesn't even yet get me in to double digits after the 6!
BLAM! SB.
It's now 6:09am and I once again hear "akkkk! AKKkk! AKKKKK!". (SB gets louder if I don't tend to her immediately.) I wake up... again... and this time start having a much deeper conversation with myself. Eh, really? What's 9 more minutes?
BLAM! SB.
Continuing to rationalize, I decide that at this point, I'm no longer on the zeros anyway and who really cares about double digits? So I'll stay awake and stare at the clock until it goes off again. Yeah, cuz then it'll be 6:18am and THAT'S when I'm really ready to start my day. I'll just.... lay.... here...... and stare at........ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz".
6:25am. Panic ensues. Holy crap, I just overslept. Now for those of you doing the math at home, SB should have taken me to 6:27am, but alas, I've now co-mingled alarms!!! 6:25am is when Mike's day "begins". I have no choice but to bid SB a fine farewell by way of snoozing Mike's alarm and shutting mine off. I get out of bed and start on my way.
So why do I do this to myself each morning? It's such a pathetic attempt to just get a little more sleep. To maybe lay down for just a tiny bit little longer. To delay the inevitable of going to work. Maybe I'll try to work on it. See if I can at least keep it to under double digits......
BLAM! SB.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
I'm losing my mind
I don't know what my deal is, but I can't remember the simplest things. Case in point: Today I packed the kids up in the 'ol BBV to head to the Rec Center for soccer registration at 10am. (Peyton is sooooo excited for "soccer ball" to start.) I get there, unload, head in. I'm totally ready for sign ups... all excited... and way goobered up that Peyton wants to play team sports. (Can I be more proud?! This was totally unprompted by Mike and I. She asked to play all on her own. Yay!) We march in and I ask the lady at the front desk where to go. She politely tells me that registration was last week and the next registration is next week. Ugh. I'm losing my mind.
Going back to the conversation with the head league guy I had at work the other day, he clearly told me March 27th. I even wrote the damn date down. But in my fading brain, I thought that was today. So ask me today's date right now. Anybody. Ask me! BAM! It's the 20th. AND I KNEW THAT. So where was the disconnect and why would I think the 20th was the 27th?
I'm going to blame tax season and the fact that I'm a wee bit overwhelmed at the moment. It's the easiest explanation and one that I go to for about 3.5 months out of the year. After April 15th, however, I'll need to blame something new.
By the way, I played it off real cool with the front desk lady. "Oh, really? *tee hee* I totally thought it was today! *ha ha* Guess I got my dates wrong! *tee hee giggle giggle*"
Back in the BBV, kids, it's time to head home. Mommy needs a nap.
Going back to the conversation with the head league guy I had at work the other day, he clearly told me March 27th. I even wrote the damn date down. But in my fading brain, I thought that was today. So ask me today's date right now. Anybody. Ask me! BAM! It's the 20th. AND I KNEW THAT. So where was the disconnect and why would I think the 20th was the 27th?
I'm going to blame tax season and the fact that I'm a wee bit overwhelmed at the moment. It's the easiest explanation and one that I go to for about 3.5 months out of the year. After April 15th, however, I'll need to blame something new.
By the way, I played it off real cool with the front desk lady. "Oh, really? *tee hee* I totally thought it was today! *ha ha* Guess I got my dates wrong! *tee hee giggle giggle*"
Back in the BBV, kids, it's time to head home. Mommy needs a nap.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Hello, World!
I've been inspired! And now here I am. I'm a blogger. I have no idea what I'm going to write about... no clue how often I'll tickle the 'ol keyboard... and no real understanding for why I'm doing it. But here I am, anyway.
Warning: My punctuation will be terrible. I use "..." way too much. (Twice already for those keeping score.) And I'm bordering on paranoid that people will criticize my grammar. And don't get me started on spelling. Does this thing have a spell check?!
I'm the mother of a 4-year-old and a16-month-old. I'm the wife of a CPA. (Two words: Tax Season) I have a full time job. I've got friends. I do things. I swear, I do things! I hate it when people touch my toes. My favorite sporting event on TV is The Masters. I'm addicted to anything on Bravo and I Tivo "The Real Housewives of Whatever-the-Hell-City/State-They're-In-This-Time".
This is all a recipe for interesting writing, right?
So I guess that's it for now. My foot is in the door and we'll see where it goes next. And now I'm going to bed.
Warning: My punctuation will be terrible. I use "..." way too much. (Twice already for those keeping score.) And I'm bordering on paranoid that people will criticize my grammar. And don't get me started on spelling. Does this thing have a spell check?!
I'm the mother of a 4-year-old and a16-month-old. I'm the wife of a CPA. (Two words: Tax Season) I have a full time job. I've got friends. I do things. I swear, I do things! I hate it when people touch my toes. My favorite sporting event on TV is The Masters. I'm addicted to anything on Bravo and I Tivo "The Real Housewives of Whatever-the-Hell-City/State-They're-In-This-Time".
This is all a recipe for interesting writing, right?
So I guess that's it for now. My foot is in the door and we'll see where it goes next. And now I'm going to bed.
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