Tessa Writes

Tessa has been writing more and more these days. Way more than Josie ever did. (I really try hard not to compare the girls, but it is inevitable.) I'm amazed at the things she will get out on paper and fearlessness with which she will spell things. They're rarely right but she tries so hard. I talked with a kindergarden teacher in another school who is a friend of mine and she says she sees that more in second children. First borns are afraid to get it wrong so they only will write what they know. Tessa is the exact opposite.

I bought them white boards and dry erase markers for the car trip down to Florida - best dollar I've ever spent! They got really simple on the trip home. This was a story about a unicorn pooping. She proceeded to illustrate it.

She also makes cards and writes notes. She wrote and illustrated a whole book that my mom gave her for Josie's birthday. 

I frequently come home to messages on the white board that has taken up permanent residence in our living room next to the decorative snow shoes. This was one welcoming the Easter Bunny to our house. (Josie wrote instructions for the different colors for each kid.)

Earlier in the week, I picked them up at the sitter's. Tessa had written a poem. Here it is. I'm so proud. I have no idea why bells stink, but now you know.

{Translation: I stink. I stink. I stink. So bad you wouldn't want to smell me. I smell better than a stinky bell. I stink more than my stinky shoes. I stink more than my stinky feet. I stink more than my stinky toes. I stink more than my stinky socks.}

For good measure, I recorded her saying it on my phone. It really does have a good rhythm to it. Iambic pentameter maybe? I'm totally kidding - I never really "got" poetry.

She and Josie also worked on some "nonsense words," which is a component of their standardized testing they had this week. Here is her list. (I hope this rotates - Photobucket is not cooperating today.)

Then, she proceeded to write a poem about those too. This one isn't quite as goofy as the first. Nor is it as much "poetry."

Maybe we'll have a writer on our hands. Maybe it's a phase. Either way, I'm proud of her for trying, even if it is silly. At least it's not potty humor. This time anyway. 

Race Day Wrap Up - Indy Mini - May 2013

I'm not big on suspense. Let's just say I crushed my "stretch" goal of setting a personal best. My time was 1:54:51 and a 8:46 pace. I am beyond thrilled. I beat my previous best (Indianapolis - October 2012) by almost three minutes.

Now, on to the specifics...

On Friday, Jack and I headed over to the expo to pick up our race packets. I picked up a few friends' too so I walked out with 8 bags! I also walked out with a pack of Yurbuds. I bought the ones that have call and track control. These things are awesome. I've been thinking about them for a while but couldn't really justify spending $40 for a pair of headphones. They're worth it. Not only did they stay in my ears but they were super comfortable and have a great sound.

I'm always amazed at the port-a-johns. I don't know why. But, I am. So, I took a photo on expo day. I am proud to say we avoided those bad boys on race day.

I enjoyed the expo more this year. I don't know why. Jack spun a few prize wheels and I managed to win a $5 gas card. :) I also got a $10 coupon for the Indianapolis Half-Marathon I hope to do in October.

This was a cool count down clock they had before packet pick up.

I spent the morning (pre-expo) working on my playlist. I came across this gem and considered adding it in but decided against it.

I did end up rearranging the playlist so that I had a few fast and pace setting songs together and then a slower song to catch my breath a little. Mom and dad arrived around 5 or so on Friday night. After taking a look at the house we're building down the street, we settled in for an awesome meal of Turkey/Bison Meatballs and spaghetti. We hit the hay early - 10:30 or so. Dad wasn't feeling great - cold symptoms - so he was out by around 8:30!

Carbing up!

We were up around 5:30 the next morning and I downed two cups of coffee and a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter for breakfast. I took another cup of coffee and water in the car on the way downtown. I drink entirely too much coffee, so three cups is nothing for me. (I did drink a boat load of water for the whole week leading up to the race and I think felt much better because of that.) 

We left the house around 6:10 (planned on leaving at 6) and made it to the parking garage at 6:40 or so. We hit up the bathroom at the Westin - highly recommend by the way - no one know and/or cares that you're not staying there. Dad took advantage of the warm temps inside and stretched a bit. 

Then, we booked it to gear check with a light jog. It was nice to warm up a bit, but honestly, we were just running a little close on time. I made it into my corral around 7:15 or so. But, not before a photo op!

This year was the highest corral I've ever had. I was in D and felt surrounded by men! I seriously only saw three women. And, the wind was whipping through there like crazy. It made me really cold and made me think about regretting my outfit choice of shorts and short sleeves. I was afraid the wind would follow us and mysteriously be in our face the whole race. Luckily, it didn't. Maybe something about being so close to the JW Marriott? Wind Tunnel? 

See the sea of men?

Then, off we went. I crossed the start line after only 1.5 minutes or so. Everyone started running way before the start line which was kind of nice actually. Our GPS watch didn't charge right overnight so luckily, mom and dad both brought theirs, and I was able to wear mom's. I would have been a little lost without that on this race.

The first two mile were rough - I'm not going to lie. I didn't feel good. My right, outer shin really was giving me problems. I have never had that happen before so it was concerning. I told myself to just get through the first two miles and see how I felt. I remember feeling like my first two miles were not "fast enough." Usually, I start out faster than I finish (maybe this was key to my PR?) but this time, my watch told me that miles one and two were only slightly under 9. Although, looking back at my splits, it looks like I was about 10 seconds under a 9 minute mile.

I think part of the problem of the first two miles was that everyone was passing me. I'm not used to that in this race. Usually, I'm bobbing and weaving to get moving. This time, I was the person people were bobbing and weaving to get past. I talked with my other friend and she said she noticed the same thing. She felt like she ran the first bit too fast for that reason. I remember telling myself over and over again, "Run your own race."

Either way, the rest of the race was a blur. Somewhere, probably around mile 5, I realized that I was feeling awesome and a PR was certainly a possibility. I took a Gu pack around mile 4.5 and remember just thinking how good I felt. The track was a breeze and I took another Gu pack at mile 9. They handed out Clif shots at mile 10 and I grabbed one, thinking why not? I ended up "sipping" it from mile 10-12. I'm glad I did. I think the extra sugar rush kept me going.

I grabbed water at every water and Gatorade station but didn't walk through any of them. In fact, this was probably the first race in which I didn't walk at all.

I have to say that I really just felt great for the whole race. Miles 10 & 11 were rough, but no where near as rough as last time. I don't remember a whole lot other than I thanked God a few times that I felt so good. (I must have really felt good!) I was totally in the zone. I felt cold chills three or four times out there and my face broke into a big, stupid grin. But, I've only had that happen once before - I think it was a true endorphin buzz. So much of this race felt "in the zone"and that helped the whole thing really fly by.

Toward the end, I was feeling tired (bored?). I started up with the self-talk. "If you've got it, give it" was something I started repeating in my head to will myself forward and to will myself faster. I will say that the last mile was very tough. At some point, (mile 11 or 12?), I was still thinking I could get in the 1:53's but my head wasn't working the numbers quite right and I don't think that was actually possible. Coming over the last bridge felt pretty fantastic, but the finish line was so far away that I was surprised I didn't see it sooner. Once it finally came into view, I rubbed at something in my eye and my contact popped out! So, I ran the last half mile with one eye closed. My vision is ridiculously horrible and I am so thankful that didn't happen sooner because I wouldn't have been able to finish without major depth perception problems and vertigo most likely.

I had just enough kick left at the end to speed it up. I don't remember any of the last half mile other than not thinking people were cheering loud enough. :) I finished strong and was bent over at the end trying to catch my breath and take in what I accomplished.

Here are my splits according to my watch and the recorded splits...

Mile 01 - 8:42:53
Mile 02 - 8:50:12
Mile 03 - 8:41:26
Mile 04 - 8:38:32
Mile 05 - 8:40:36
Mile 06 - 8:40:36 (Is that really possible to have two exactly the same?)
Mile 07 - 8:44:26
Mile 08 - 8:49:19
Mile 09 - 8:40:98
Mile 10 - 8:41:08
Mile 11 - 8:40:57
Mile 12 - 8:32:68
Mile 13 - 8:38:90

Fastest mile at #12?!?!? I'll take it! (The watch was obviously somewhat off because these don't average 8:46, but it's probably close enough.)

Soon after gathering my gear, and most importantly my flip flops, at gear check (no major blisters by the way - yay!), I found our neighbor and went to the beer garden to meet a few others. So many of us had gotten our PR! I'm convinced it was the weather - a nice 50 degree or so day with no rain but no sun either. I found mom and dad a little later and they did great (better than last year!) considering dad's cold and cough.

We headed back home and had a family lunch at Applebee's. I felt surprisingly great on Saturday and pretty good on Sunday too. Today, my legs are really feeling it, but all in all I had a great recovery and a really great race.

I'm not sure how I'll top this one, but I sure want to try! In four weeks, I head out to Colorado with my friend, Claudia, and sister in law, Katie, to run the Steamboat Springs Half Marathon. No major aspirations there other than to finish close to two hours. But, you'd better believe that I'll be gunning for another PR come October. :) The thrill of competition, with myself, is unlike anything else I'm used to feeling. And, I like it.

I'm not gonna lie - I've been pretty much been giddy about my athletic performance since I saw this screen shot. :) What a weekend!

Mini 2013 Playlist

Some old favorites. Some new additions. Nothing too new - I've run to everything before - I like the monotony. There is something calming about hearing the same music in the race as I do in training. It is in a totally different order though. It's just my little way of rebelling. :)

I still need to work on the order. I think I'll do a few songs with a little faster beat and then one with the "wrong" beat to give me a little recovery. I also have it planned out for 121 minutes. :)

Butterflies have officially kicked in this morning! Wouldn't trade the feeling for anything though. Bring it!

Another Mile

I ran another mile with Josie tonight! That makes two all together. She did great again but got tired (or bored) when we were almost done. It was her idea though so I made her finish. :)

On a similar note, it is HOT today! And, I am NOT complaining! But, I did forget what it feels like to really sweat when running. Really dripping with sweat. It feels good! However, I do still hope it's cool on Saturday. A little drizzle would be ok too. Just not lightning. Please no lightning.

Race Thoughts

I've been neglectful in my blog lately. We've had a ton of stuff going on and, honestly, I just don't have the mental power to put anything together these days. I feel like posts should have content that are meaningful to someone, even if that someone is just me. Today may be one of those "just meaningful to me" posts. So, go ahead and skip it if you don't feel like reading a self-indulgent post. :)

The Indy Mini is on Saturday. Each year since I've been blogging, I've put together some pre-race (and post-race) thoughts into a post and this post is that post for this race.

I'm nervous. I know I always get nervous and that energy is probably a good energy to have, but still I'm not very used to it. I am not typically a person who competes in any type of athletic event. Ever. It's a foreign feeling to have these intense butterflies in my belly.

This is a cool race. I found a video of the race course. (Yes, you do pass by the elephants at the zoo. I may miss the Brick Yard every year, but I always catch the elephants!) While it is definitely not a pretty course, it is SO flat. :) And, the crowd is great. I love the milestone of arriving on the track around mile 6 and leaving it around mile 8. It makes those three miles fly by.


I realized while re-reading my other posts that each race has it's own set of circumstances leading up to the big day. In 2011, I had knee problems two weeks before the race. In 2012, I had sprained my ankle in February, then got bronchitis and strep throat two weeks before the race.

This year, I've been injury and sickness free. {Insert Knock on Wood here.} I've felt relatively good on my runs even though I haven't fit enough in this time around. I get angry with myself because I think I could actually throw down an even better time if I would put in the effort to push myself.

I missed my long run last weekend which I think is really throwing off my mojo and messing with my confidence. I did squeeze in 7 on Monday, but per my training plan, I was supposed to do 13. Honestly, that was probably too much anyway, but I still don't like missing those long runs. Then, today, I choose to do only 7 instead of the 11 called for on the plan. 11 just didn't seem like enough of a taper. Plus, Tom made a good point that anything I do this week will probably not directly help me next Saturday. I'm past the point of improving so I just need to stay limber and not hurt myself.

So, while I don't feel extremely confident, I do feel like I'll be able to finish this thing no problem. Here's what I'll be thinking about this week.

1. I can set a course record for myself. This is totally within my reach. {This is my goal.}
2. I may be able to set a personal best for myself. Some of this will just depend on my feelings for the day, the crowd and the weather. But, it is within reach. {This is my "stretch" goal.}
3. I need to power through miles 10-13. I'll be helping myself along this time with some Gu packs (which is a 1st for this race) and working very hard on the self-talk. I've been working on visualizing the last two miles of my long runs as the last two miles of the race. I'll be visualizing those two miles, and how good it feels, this week as well.
4. Before I know it, it will all be over. And, that is an awesome feeling.
5. I'll be guzzling water like there's no tomorrow. I know I was dehydrated the last two times around. Last May, it was SO hot and I felt it. Then, in October, I felt horrible afterward, which I'm attributing to hydration. Water is on the menu all week.

So, that's that. I'll be back to post my results. In the meantime, here are the results from my previous races.

2009 Mini - Corral ? (Tom thinks it was something like W - whatever it was, it took 41 minutes to get to the start line) - 2:04:50

2011 Mini - Corral ? (I seem to remember something like L - this time it only took 16 minutes.) - 2:02:43

2012 Mini - Corral F (Only 5 1/2 minutes to the starting line!) - 2:03:33

2012 Indianpolis - 1:57:40

2013 Mini - TBD :) (I am in Corral D though, my best yet!)

T Minus 10 Days

So, race day has popped up on my 10 day forecast today. That means we're close.

I haven't run enough. Each time, I say I'm going to train harder. Each time, I'm disappointed in myself for not training harder. But, today, I choose the positive outlook.

I run and I am able to run. There are so many people who can't for whatever reason. So, I try to be thankful for the fact that I can. So what if I don't fit in every run? So what if I don't run faster each time? I'm doing it.

I'm nervous for the race. I'm always nervous. I'll try to get more thoughts out as we get closer. I'd really like to run this race faster than the one in October, or at least get a PR for the Mini. But, in reality, I keep telling myself that a few minutes here or there doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm running and staying fit. And, sometimes, I actually enjoy it.

For what it's worth, the 10 day forecast looks like pretty awesome race weather. Hope it holds. :)

Today I...

Worked on potty training Jack. Unsuccessfully. Three accidents. Two times making it to the potty. I'll try again another day.

Got all laundry done and put away. Normally, this would be enough to call a day successful in and of itself.

Finished prepping our taxes. Procrastinate much?

Went to lunch with my two favorite guys.

Snuggled with Jack while he watched cartoons.

Watched the kids play outside. In the sunshine!!!!

Organized the kids clothes and toys. And, rearranged furniture in all of their rooms. Once again, everything has a place. And that makes me happy.

Watched the kids have a dance party.

Ate grilled cheese for dinner. At 10pm.

Had a much needed day at home. Thankful.