Thursday, May 22, 2014

And you thought you'd seen random...

More random thoughts today. With the pace of life right now, I think (and now post) just in very short snippets.

We left the garage door open last night. We also forgot to put out trash the night before last. We also had a full trash can in the garage and two bags that didn't fit in the can so were on the floor. We also had a cat or coon destroy those two bags of trash last night.

Adding to the fun of the morning, Jack wet the bed.

After watching this video that hit the viral scene today of a kid at a talent show, I am now listening to all five Michael Jackson songs on my phone - PYT, Billie Jean, The Way You Make Me Feel, and the Man in the Mirror. And now, later in this post, I am listening to the Michael Jackson Pandora Station.

I had to change my pants after getting half way to my first meeting this morning because there were pen marks all over it. More pen marks after I changed. It kept happening until around 1:30 when I realizes an ink pen had poked through a bag and was writing on my clothes every time I carried it.

My car also just stopped driving today. About 1/2 mile from the house, it just stopped accelerating. I managed to coast into the subdivision and then couldn't get up the ever so slight hill and had to park it there. It did work in reverse though and Tom managed to drive it backward and into our driveway. Tessa actually came up with the idea at the same time as Tom. My little creative thinkers! (And yes, I had plenty of gas... we're thinking transmission... fun!)

I think it's funny that sometimes the things that bug us the most are things other people admire. Case in point... Yesterday, someone commented on my bangs and how they always just looked great and swooped to the side. My bangs are my least favorite part of my hair and I feel like I never get them "right" - mainly that I can't get them to swoop right. Here's a pic of me in Jack's Spiderman sunglasses that I wore around all day and kept forgetting to take off in public. See the bangs? These wouldn't be my favorite but maybe I'm too hard on myself... :)



I managed to lose Tom's brand new GPS watch. We found it in a stack of his workout shirts. At least I had the right idea. I did manage to organize two drawers and clean the rest of the house while searching for it. Now, if we could just find his key fob for the gym.

Speaking of the gym... we joined Hancock Wellness last week on Monday. I'm super excited about it and really like how it works which is really for another post. I've been there every day this week - Monday through Thursday - doing everything from running to yoga to weights. (It helps that the kids beg to go to the kids area.) And, I ran on Sunday. That's five days in a row. Tomorrow I rest.

I ran a 7:42 mile on the treadmill today. Someday, I'd like to break 7:00. I'm not sure I ever did that in middle school/high school track, although 6:56 does stick in my head for some reason. Why not in my 30's?

Tom and I had our 14 year anniversary this week. We've officially owned our own business together more than half of our marriage. That would be two partnerships that are tough and even tougher when added together. I think we've done a pretty darned good job. We celebrated with tacos. :) The biggest difference I've noticed between us and other couples? We have never sat at a table in a restaurant and not had something to talk about even though we share an office the size of a large bathroom and see each other all the time.



We honored our Veteran's at our local Veteran's Memorial as part of our Rotary meeting today. This is one of my favorite meetings of the year. The man playing Taps on the bugle was fantastic. It reminded me of Girl Scout Camp.



I realized today that our kids will be able to say that three out of four grandfathers served in WWII. And, the fourth wanted to serve but couldn't due to medical issues. I'm sure that has to be rare and I also know it's something of which to be very proud. This is my dad's dad, Grandpa Chuck who was in the Army.



I'm so much happier when I have a clean house. And, a clean car helps too. Cleaning the house sure shook me out of my funk tonight. I always read those little, cute quotes about how when you die, you'll wish you hadn't spent as much time cleaning, etc. etc. However, if a clean house = a happy mama, just clean. Your kids will thank you for your mental sanity. If not now, it will come later when they become parents and they finally get it.

Four more days of school. And, they can't come soon enough.

Told you it was random. It's been a long, eventful day and now, it's time for a late dinner.





Sunday, May 18, 2014

Race Recap - Indy Mini 2014

I think this is my most delayed post-race recap yet! I am beginning to see a trend on the blog front. Life just keeps getting in the way! Here it is - well, what I can remember anyway!

Friday was race expo day. In the past, just Jack and I had gone to collect everyone's bags. This time, Tom wanted to come along so we went to breakfast first at Cracker Barrel. Delicious pre-race carbs! I ordered Jack an extra pancake so I could have some and then he wouldn't let me have more than three bites!

Off to the expo we went. I tried on a few pair of shoes that aren't in typical stores and didn't like them. I did walk away with a new, highly discounted, sports bra and Tom got new compression socks. As always, it was a great expo with lots to see and do.



In the afternoon, my parents arrived bearing meatballs and pasta. But, first, we were off to the soccer game. Man it was COLD!!!! Winter coats and coffee was the only way to get through it. Tessa scored her first goal though so it was all worth it!


We came home and turned on the fire. In the first week of May! The kids and dog loved it and Josie and Tessa snuggled up with books while we finished prepping dinner.


Dinner plate looks pretty familiar. Look at what we had before the last race!

2014


2013


The kids entertained us during dinner. Both by dancing and flexing their back muscles. 




I had said all night that I didn't want to be eating dinner at 9PM. We sat down at 8:45. Good enough! After dinner, we gathered our things and set our alarms. I think we were asleep by 11 which was great. 

The morning of the race, the sitter arrived around 6AM. The weather report, which had looked good all week, was dismal. 


Off we went anyway. In the car, I snapped a photo of my bib. And, then we arrived to a beautiful morning!




We parked near the convention center and hit up the Westin again. I feel fairly experienced at races by now and I'll tell you that they are by far the most accommodating and runner-friendly that I've seen. So many of them try to block the doors and even put security out. At the Westin, we were greeted by two doorman who opened the doors for us. There was in info table in the lobby. They even had staff directing us to the restrooms. Really, why not embrace it! What does it really cost other than some extra toilet paper?! Plus, I'm convinced it has to be their highest grossing morning for Starbucks!

I was pretty nervous. Next year, I may even split from the group a little earlier as I was really itching to get to gear check and the start line. I know it doesn't really matter and I could jump in at any time, but I don't like feeling rushed. We took off toward gear check and I immediately noticed something was up in my sock/shoe. I worked on it and it still seemed off but it couldn't have been too bad as it didn't bother me during the race. 



Tom and I split from my parents at this point. The plan was for Tom and I to start together in wave 2, in his corral. I had in my head that he was in corral E so we jumped in right as the race started. Turns out, he was supposed to be in corral F which was the start of wave 2. So, we kept moving right up to the start line. Due to satellite issues with our watches, we hung back. Mine got service first and he sent me along. Come to find out, Tom had major issues and was the only one from the first wave to not cross the start line for about 4 minutes. He got out of there when he heard the Colts cheerleaders were on their way. He did get an individual wave from Mayor Ballard though!

The first few miles definitely felt as crowded as previous years. I was bobbing and weaving pretty good. As usual, in mile 2, I started to second guess things and felt a side cramp. But, I powered through. I remember very little about this race and even remembered little right after it was finished. 

A few memories...

1. I felt really good and was really impressed with my time through mile 9. I started to hit a wall there. However, around mile 8, I started to tell myself that it was supposed to be hard and not meant to be easy. 

2. I also told myself that once finished, I never had to run again. 

3. I wish the course had Gatorade and Water at each aid station. One time, I took a gel expecting water up ahead and it was only Gatorade. Sticky gel mixed with thick Gatorade tasted pretty nasty. 

4. It started to get hot toward the end. I would take two water cups and put one on my head or shirt and drink one. 

5. I felt like I majorly slowed down in the last three miles. My Garmin says differently. My slowest mile this race was still faster than my average from my previous PR. 

6. Everything else was a bit of a blur. I think I kind of just let my brain take a break. All I managed to do was keep calculations going in my head. 

The whole time, I was convinced I needed an 8:30 pace to finish under 1:50. That was, in fact, false. I started to realize my mistake around mile 11 and I knew I wouldn't be able to hit it but I wasn't off pace. However, I managed to end the race with an 8:24 pace (for 13.2) which was better than I thought my goal actually was during the race (8:30). If I had run exactly 13.1 at an 8:24 pace, I would have beat it. So, I'm counting it a win. :) Plus, I didn't majorly slow down in those last few miles. Mile 12 was the absolute longest mile of my life. It felt like it would never end! But, it did and I had a new PR. By 4 minutes! 1:50:58.



Tom was waiting for me in the finish area and first thing he said was, "You did it! Under 1:50!" Well, not quite, but I'll take it! Then, he said, "That mile 12 was the longest of my life!" Ditto! He managed a course record which is impressive since it was only two weeks after his hell-ish trail half. 
We recovered a little while waiting for mom and dad. 



(total staged photo)

Mom and dad crossed shortly after with a PR too! Under 2:30 which was a huge goal!


Home we went to relieve the sitter and get some lunch. I felt surprisingly good even this was my first race where I felt like I may have tummy troubles after but I didn't. After lunch, Tom mowed the grass and tackled a few other projects while I took a three hour nap in bed. :) 

We finished out the weekend by letting Josie make dinner for everyone. She choose pancakes and asked it they could put Nutella on them. They've never done that but why not? They loved it and Tom and I loved hanging on the couch while they handled dinner. 


By Sunday, we felt back to normal with minimal soreness. All in all, great race and great weekend. I am so thrilled to have that PR under my belt. That feeling alone is why I do this. I will likely never win a race or even my age division but I can certainly keep beating myself. 

Next up is another half but I'm thinking fall. (I have two more to hit my goal for the year.) We just joined a gym and I'm enjoying doing anything but running. :) Plus, I'm working on leg strength, intervals and flexibility/yoga in hopes of improving my speed. Hopefully I stick with it and don't fall back to my comfort zone of just running. 






















Sunday, May 4, 2014

Moment in Time...Captured

Every once in a while, I get in a panic and worry that I will forget all of the little things that happen in our daily lives as the kids grow up. That panic has set in recently, so here are the memories of this sunny, yet cool, day in May.

JACK

We had a Mother's Day event at Timber Run today. Toward the end of the afternoon, Jack climbed up on a stool, turned around and jumped off. This is not something he would usually do. Did he land on his feet? Nope. His knees? Nope. He landed smack on his forehead. Much crying and a cold compress later, all that remains is a big strawberry.

TESSA

At the same event, there was a word scramble filled with words used to describe mothers. Tom was helping Tessa and asked her what were some words she would use to describe me to see if any were obvious on the scramble. First word that came to mind? Bossy. Amazingly, not on the list. She thought for a while and then said "Well, she does a lot of laundry. Is that one of them?" Also, not on the list. Apparently, our last bout of putting away laundry may have been a bit tenuous.

JOSIE

As second grade comes to a close, Josie's spelling words are getting much more difficult. I am not kidding when I say that I struggle with spelling, and even pronouncing, some of them. In fact, I can't even define a handful of them. I'm glad she's being stretched but man, I'm thankful for spell check!

Last week's list:

incident
avarice
moderation
score
nimbly
poised
derisively
lea
jutting
indignant

This week's list:

dully 
glinting 
exhaustive
dabbed 
rubbish  
proprietor
pleasantries
acquiring
crockery 
briskly 

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Two Days Away! Indy-Mini Thoughts!

I'm so glad I write this blog.

I was all ready to post something like this...

I can think of a lot of words leading up to this race.

Unconfident
Unprepared
Unexcited

And, then I read all of my Indy Mini posts from other years.

This happens almost every year. Well, except for the unexcited part. Now that I see I've had these same thoughts every year, I think the excitement may kick back in.

I was doing OK with this training cycle until about 2 or 3 weeks ago when I got a bad cold/cough and took a week off. I think that shook my confidence. My 11 miler two weeks ago was painful and not much fun. That also shook my confidence. My hopes of doing 9 this last weekend were dashed and after only 4 miles, I called it quits. On top of all of that, I just haven't run the miles. So, yeah, my confidence is low.

But, here's the thing. When your confidence gets low, your performance suffers. The "I can do it" attitude turns into "No way I can make this happen" and "It hurts" and "I'm tired" and "This sucks."

When reading my most recent Mini thoughts (my PR race), I saw a pattern. It was a pattern of positivity. From the first mile, my time was good and my thoughts were upbeat. At the end of the day, these races are a mind game over anything else.

So, for the next two days, I will be changing my thought pattern. I will be switching out my nervousness about being unprepared with nervous energy.

Here is why this could be a great race...

1. Weather - It's calling for a high of 69, which would be really too warm. But, a 0% chance of rain! After my last two races in a torrential downpour, this is welcome news. My guess is that it will get warm near the finish line but be OK the rest of the way.

2. Time - We have a little later start time this year. I believe it has started at 7:30 in the past and we're in the second wave so we'll be closer to 8AM instead.

3. Waves - This is a first for this race. I'm not sure how it will work but Tom and I will both be in the first corral of the second wave so I'm hoping for less bobbing and weaving.

4. Long runs - The long runs I have done for this cycle have been faster than normal. (We're just not going to talk about the last few miles of the 11 miler.)

5. Course - This is a flat course. Great for a PR.

6. Weight - I've lost some weight since last year. I'm not exactly sure how much since last May, but I'm down a fair amount since the marathon this fall. I recently read that 10 pounds can take as much as 20 seconds off of your mile pace. (It has to do with your VO2 Max. Google it - I can barely understand it let alone explain it!)

This will be our 5th Mini and my 8th Half. When I look back at my times for this race, I notice a big difference in 2013.

Indy Mini - 05/03/2013
Time: 1:54:51
Pace: 8:46
Overall Place: 5074/30,059 - 17%
Division Place: 229/2516  - 9%

Indy Mini - 05/05/2012
Time: 2:03:33
Pace: 9:26
Overall Place: 6,789/31,170 - 22%
Division Place: 403/2739 - 15%

Indy Mini - 05/07/2011
Time: 2:02:43
Pace: 9:22
Overall Place: 8,973/30,649 - 29%
Division Place: 561/2759 - 20%

Indy Mini - 05/02/2009
Time: 2:04:51
Pace: 9:32
Overall Place: 10,238/30,280 - 33%
Division Place: 709/2905 - 24%

Here are my goals for this race...

A - 2014 Goal - under 1:50 
B - PR - under 1:54:51
C - Finish under 2 hours

Honestly, I'm thinking I'll be somewhere between B&C but a PR is not out of the question. I'm thinking my 2014 goal of sub 1:50 may have to wait for another race, but it could happen I suppose. My biggest question mark in my head right now is how fast do I start. Do I shoot for sub 1:50 or do I shoot for a PR? Thinking PR at this point.

Enough about that. Off to drink some water and eat some carbs and work on the positive self-talk!