Random Friday Randomness

I have a long list of things I want to accomplish this weekend and posting here isn't one of them. Unfortunately, the long list begins with doing the dishes, finishing work emails and then running and I'm just not ready to get started on that. So, here I am.

Here's some randomness for you...

Tessa has discovered Nutella again. Lately, she's been making a graham cracker sandwich out of it. My personal favorite was the Ritz cracker/Nutella sandwiches. You're welcome.

I had my second failed shopping trip to the mall today. The first time I had Tessa and was getting out of the car to walk in and realized I FORGOT MY WALLET!!! Ugh. It takes about 30 minutes to get there so didn't want to go back and get it and then come back again. Today, I forgot what it was like to take a whiny 4 year old shopping. Next time, I will go WITHOUT my kids but WITH my wallet.

I noticed this week that the close parking spots at the gym are always taken. Not judging as I do the same but it does seem ironic. Maybe it's that everyone is so anxious to get in and workout that they don't want to waste a second?

Girls had a little role reversal in school this week. Tessa, our social butterfly and the one who struggles with the chit-chat,  had two days on "Green" which is good and two days on "Blue" which means she did something especially well on those days and got to move her clip up instead of down. Josie, our perpetually well behaved child, came home with a mark on her behavior card for... get this... doing cartwheels in the picture line.

Speaking of pictures, today was picture day at school. Remember the black combs we used to get? I don't think they do that anymore. The girls did come home the day before picture day with blue rubber bracelets reminding them of picture day the next day.

Jack started preschool this week. This kid always cracks me up. I have about 25 photos from a 3 minute photo shoot on my phone. He will NOT look at the camera!

Yesterday was red day for Jack. I've heard more stories of his first preschool year than I did in a whole year of preschool for the girls. He's having a blast!

When shopping for a backpack, I was so excited to show him the Spiderman backpacks at Kohl's. I specifically made a special trip out there so he could pick it out. He went with a Minion instead. I have no idea why. It's bigger than him!

I've had to wake him up every day this week for one reason or another. Today, it all caught up to him.

That's it for now. Time to the tackle the dishes and the rest of the list!

Indianapolis Monumental Half - Weeks 1 & 2

Three blog posts in a day! Don't call it a comeback! Call it a quiet afternoon at home. :)

I talked about my running goals for 2014. I will run 4 half-marathons and beat 1:50 on one of them. I've already done two and signed up for my 3rd on October 18th (Indianapolis Marathon) at which I did the full last year. Mom has signed up for this one too so I'm excited to run with her again!

I will be using this race as a training run for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (I'll do the half) which is two weeks later. This will be the race where my 2014 goals come to fruition. It will be my fourth half on the year and I'll be gunning for the 1:49:xx.

I am excited about this race for a few reasons. First, I always get excited when I think about new PR's. I think this is attainable - Tom had one last year at this race. Second, this is one race in Indy that I have never done. Third, this is the race I had registered for just before becoming pregnant with Jack and decided to back out. Finally, as I already mentioned, this is where I achieve my 2014 running goals.

This one won't come easy. I'll be leaving the country for two weeks in September and October. I am just guessing that my mileage during those two weeks will be low. It's entirely possible that I won't run at all. I have no idea what to expect. All I know to do is train hard for the weeks leading up to the trip and the weeks following the trip.

For this go round, I am using a half training plan I found in Runner's World. This article spotlighted the women in the Impala Running Club and related it to "amateur" runners like myself. While I do have some fast running friends, I usually run alone due to scheduling etc. However, I loved the plan that was printed along with the article. I knew that I would have to stack two races this fall to hit my 4 races, so this plan was perfect with a 13 mile run two weeks prior to the big race. This is the one I will do with mom at the Indianapolis Half.

The other thing I really like about the plan is that it has very easy Monday runs. I don't know about everyone else, but getting motivated to do anything on a Monday is tough. This plan calls for 30 easy minutes with 5 strides (run fast for a little while) on each Monday. That is one workout I can always do. It also focuses on when to run at goal half marathon pace along with some speed work. I think this plan will keep me interested.

I've done just OK so far. Last week, I got in 4 runs but my "long" run of 6 miles was only 4.5. The heat was unbearable! This week, I've done 3 runs with plans of a 6 miler tomorrow with 3 easy miles and 3 at goal half marathon pace. Next week is when the mileage really kicks in so we'll see how that goes! So far, I feel pretty good. Knees have warned me every once in a while so I'm trying not to push it too much.

The treadmills at the new gym displays stats after each treadmill workout. For the last 4 runs I've done there, I've ranked #1. I have no idea what that means or if there is actually any significance to it, but it always makes me feel pretty good. :)

Here are the stats so far...

Week 1 -  16.5 miles
Week 2 - 15 miles + 6 planned for Sunday

Feels good to be back in the saddle!

Dawes 5K 2014 Recap

I've said this every time I've posted, but man, I'm so behind on keeping this thing updated! I'm thinking I'll need to do the NoBloPoMo thing to catch up with life updates. More on that to follow... Maybe...

Well, we didn't get our PR at the Dawes 5K a few weeks back. But, the surprise was phenomenal! It was a very rainy morning and the boot camp group was huddled under a grove of trees. We snuck up on mom and Kathy said, "Diane, are you ready to meet your runner?" She said yes of course and turned around to find us. It was fantastic. Totally surprised!

Then, I proceeded to be surprised at the massive hills on the course. Wowzers. I know Indiana is flat, but you don't know how flat until you run in a hilly area I guess. After a 15 minute thunderstorm delay, we got started. My thought was that we would run 1:55 quarter miles. I had used a Sharpie to write out our 1/2 mile split times on my wrist.

Well, that was all for naught as neither of our watches would get a signal. I felt really bad after a little while and wondered how slow we were going. As we passed the 1 mile mark, someone was yelling out split times. "6:55, 6:56, 6:57" No wonder I was beat! At least I had my sub-7 mile! 

After the mile mark, things started going downhill... actually, they started going uphill. There were two long hills on this course. We walked for just a little while after the first big hill. Someone at the top was telling us no more big hills and we're almost done. If you ever spectate a course, don't do this unless it is literally downhill and the finish line is in sight. There was in fact, one more hill that was not much of an incline but certainly long. And, we had about a mile left.

I sent mom ahead as I was done. She finished with a 24:37. Wow. Totally impressive! Not the PR she was gunning for but a really great time for such a tough course. I just hope I didn't hold her back!

I rolled in at a 25:12, just 6 seconds away from a PR. While I was beat and exhausted, I haven't stopped thinking about those 6 little seconds and how I could have found those somewhere along the way.

Time for the award ceremony! Mom and dad were the honorary chairpeople for the event and so dad talked for a bit and then he and mom helped hand out awards. 

Mom and Tom both took 1st place for their age divisions! Tom had a PR with 22:47. This is even more crazy since he really wasn't able to run until just the week before this race due to a stress fracture.

So proud of these two! It was a very large crowd and mom was 1st out of 13 and Tom was also 1st out of 13 in their age divisions! 

Sour grapes time for Sara... If I was disappointed with my 6 seconds from PR, I was just plain mad when I found I lost my age division by 15 seconds to someone who passed me in the last 1/2 mile. I had that. I keep thinking if I had my watch working, I would have had it. Then, I think, nope. I gave up. Even though I felt like I didn't have anything left, I could have done more. Who knows. The optimist in me says that there is always next time. The pessimist asks why I didn't try harder. 

Good thing these times really just don't matter. The important thing is that we were there and we're running and we're fit and we had a lot of fun doing it. That being said, I'm ready to try again. I know it's within reach on a flatter course. I'll keep after it and I'm sure I'll get that sub 25 one of these days! 

Surprise! It's Race Week!

{I wrote this post forever ago and forgot to take it out of "draft" mode after the race. SPOILER ALERT: I didn't get a PR and neither did mom. There is always next year...}

Back in May, I received a Facebook message from a friend in Newark to contact one of my mom's running buddies, Kathy. I texted her right away and here's what she had for me...

Perhaps I said yes too soon. Here is what followed. 

Yes. It is fast. In fact, it is a 7:44:30 per mile pace. I'm not sure I had clocked a mile under 8 since high school. But, I was up for the challenge as I've never really done any training for a 5K and I wanted to see what I could do. 

At the beginning of June, I started working on a training plan I found online. I don't remember where I found it and it doesn't really matter anyway since I didn't really follow it. 

What I did do was run faster. 

To run faster... you have to run faster.

Every time I went out, I tried to stay under 9 minutes. Once a week, I would run two miles relatively fast (8:45/8:30 ish) and then run a progressively faster mile. Last week, I hit 7:16 on my third mile and was thrilled! 

Other than that, I didn't do too much. I just ran and ran faster. 

This week, I sent Kathy a text asking how mom was feeling and if she was thinking of doing anything better than 24:00. They agreed that much into the 23's wasn't super doable which made me feel a little better. I was glad to hear she wasn't thinking totally crazy thoughts.  I was heavily doubting my ability to string two miles under 8 together. Although, I know she can do it. She's a beast. :) She ran a 7:15 the day after I ran my 7:16. 

My guess is we will push each other through it on Saturday. And then, she will be beat me. 

By the time you all read this, we'll know the results. It's been fun training for a short race and learning to run faster and not longer. I think it will only help in my half training for the fall. If for no other reason, now I know I can run faster. Plus, I've had the pre-race butterflies just like every week but with less stress on my body.

Most importantly, it has motivated me to run this summer. I usually take the summer off or at least slack off. Mom has always set such good examples for me in so many areas of my life. This is no exception. 

If my mama can do it, so can I. :)

Next Adventure - Ready or Not!

{This is a series in posts about our trip to Uganda for the Riley/Rotary Vocational Training Team. To start at the beginning, go to this post. Check out the team blog at rileyinternationalheartmissions.blogspot.com. If you visit the team blog, please leave a comment! The team loves to hear your encouraging words!}

While in the works for a while, I officially bought my first ticket to Africa!

In September, I will be tagging along with a team from Riley Children's Hospital to Kampala, Uganda. This is their 5th trip to the Uganda Heart Institute and the team's trip (not mine - my accounting experience won't get very far in a medical grant :) ) is funded with a Rotary Foundation Global Grant, funds raised by our club at our Annual Gift of Life Auction, funds from the Kampala-North Rotary Club and funds from our District (also through the Foundation). The purpose of the mission is to work with and train the doctors, nurses and staff of UHI to help build their capacity as a fully sustainable Pediatric Heart Center. The Riley and Ugandan teams will also operate together on quite a few kiddos while we're there.

You can read all about the past missions to UHI here.

Here is a brief excerpt from one of the posts which explains the program a little more.

This (Uganda Heart Institute) looks to be the most promising program in all of Uganda and Eastern Africa to care for children with congenital heart disease. Gift of Life International, through the efforts of Rob Raylman, the Executive Director of GOLI, and the first Gift of Life patient ever, Grace Agwaru, started a program of “Our Hearts Are in Uganda” in 2009 to help address the vast needs in this country. Our Riley team, specifically Dr. Turrentine, has cared for several children in Indianapolis from Uganda and in 2010 our team traveled to UHI with the first Vocational Training Team completed in the world under the Future Vision Plan of Rotary International. Each year, our team has expanded and worked together with local Rotarians from Kampala and surrounding clubs to build on the work the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff do at the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI). Gift of Life in turn helps to coordinate 3 other visiting teams from all over the world throughout the year to share their skills and expertise with the wonderful surgeons Dr. Tom Mwambu and Dr. Michael Oketcho, as well as cardiologists Dr. Sulaiman Lubega and Dr. Peter Lwabi and the rest of the nursing, OR, Cath lab, anesthesia, and perfusion staff at UHI who will be mentioned by name throughout the week.

(I've posted before about Gift of Life International and our club's involvement when we brought Baby Sara and her mother Mira to Indiana from Kosova. This is another way the Auction funds are used through a partnership with Riley.)

Don't know much about Uganda? Don't worry. I didn't either. Here's a map...

We'll fly into Entebbe (via Detroit and Amsterdam). Then, we'll drive to Kampala which is the capital city. 

For more facts about Uganda, go here to WorldAtlas.com where I found these maps.

I have a general idea of what to expect as my neighbor and friend, Stephanie, has been the Rotarian Team Lead on all of the trips and is a veteran. Although, with my absolute lack of any medical knowledge or training, I will not be helping on that front. I hope to interact with the families of the kids as well as the local Rotarians. And, of course, I'll do whatever I can to help out with what needs done once we're there. I helped to write this grant and will help write the final report, so I'll be collecting info for that as well.

The very cool thing about Global Grants through the Rotary Foundation is that a partnership is required with another club in the grant recipient's district. We are partnering with the Kampala-North Club so we will get to interact with club members there as well. I hope to visit with Rotarian's and see some of the other Rotary projects happening around the area.

Once we're done in Uganda, a few of us will fly to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The plan is to meet with Rotarians and medical staff to discuss the possibilities of partnering with a new hospital and staff there.

I had to look Dubai up on a map as well.

And, now, in relation to Africa.

I am excited and nervous and anxious and lots of other things right now. Mostly though, I'm excited to be able to see it all happening in person. My biggest hope is that I will have an experience that I'll be able to share with others back at home to further the cause of saving kids lives and changing the future for these families.   

More to come...

Day One has been posted! Go to this post to continue the journey!

Running Update

In honor of my first "long" (ish) run since the Indy Mini, I thought I'd give a quick running update. (This is another one of those self-indulgent posts I write just for my own records. Feel free to ignore.) :) 

This summer, we joined the local gym as I mentioned in this post. This has meant luxurious running in the air conditioned comfort along with access to Bravo and the Real Housewives (my favorite is New York). Don't you have a treadmill in your basement you ask? Why yes. We do. But, our basement doesn't have child care (nor a TV) and I'd rather run without having to stop and break up arguments or make drinks. 

I do find it ironic that we decided to join the gym during one of the coolest summers I can remember. 

Running at the gym has allowed me focus more on some speed work. Part of the program that was set on my initial visit included an interval session on the treadmill which is super nice because it just automatically changes speed when necessary. I've also been lifting weights twice a week based on a plan the trainer said would build leg strength. (Side note: My cardio test was sky high compared to my peers. My leg strength was below average! Sounds like weights are just what I need!) 

I mentioned in the earlier gym post that I would like to clock a mile under 7 minutes. I've been working on that too. Once a week, I run three miles - each at a faster pace. I set the speed at my goal pace around 1.9 miles and then I go for it. I started at 7:42. On Thursday, I did 7:28. (Mile 1 = 8:30, Mile 2 = 8:00, Mile 3 = 7:28). And, I wasn't totally dying. I think if it were my only mile and for good reason, I could get under 7 right now. For now, I'll keep chugging away. 

It's been quite nice to log faster times and fewer miles. My ultimate hope is that by the time I start training for my fall races, my work this summer will result in faster training times even on my "easy" runs. 

Thanks to Google, I have self-diagnosed myself with achilles tendonitis however. Here's what MayoClinic.com has to say...

Achilles tendinitis is an overuse injury of the Achilles (uh-KIL-eez) tendon, the band of tissue that connects calf muscles at the back of the lower leg to your heel bone.

Achilles tendinitis most commonly occurs in runners who have suddenly increased the intensity or duration of their runs. It's also common in middle-aged people who play sports, such as tennis or basketball, only on the weekends.

What?! I'm going with the first part of that description. Either way, I'm trying to pay attention to it and slow down when it bothers me. The worst part is getting out of bed in the morning. Ouch! 

I'm also going to head on over to Amazon after posting this to buy a new pair of shoes. Nothing exciting, just the same version of the pair I have now - Brooks Ghost 6. I should probably just go ahead and switch to the 7 but I know these work and they're now on sale. I realized on my run today that I've been wearing these since November which means they probably are overdue to be retired. 

I have also signed up for my third race of the year. I'll be running the Indianapolis Half-Marathon on October 18th. I did the full marathon last year and the half the year before that. I guess it's kind of becoming a tradition! My mom and I will run this one together again which will be great! And, Tom's running too. This race will be a training run for two weeks later, the Indianapolis Monumental Half, which is a new one for me. I was supposed to run it five years ago, but got pregnant with Jack instead. This is my "goal" race and the one in which I plan to get into the 1:40's. This will also be the race that rounds out my 2014 goal of 4 half marathons.  

Finally, I've been starting to think about how I will hit 5 races in 2015. Four wasn't too tough but five definitely approaches one every other month territory. So far, I'm thinking it will be something like this... February - San Diego, May - Indy Mini, September - Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania (Amish Country!), October/November - maybe the same as this year? I wish there were more races in June and July but it's just too darned hot! 

If you've stuck with me this long, I'm impressed. I think I'm finally cooled off enough from my HOT run tonight that I can finally take a shower! Until next time...

House Guests

We love having guests. And, we tend to get quite a few between neighbors, friends and overnight stays from family. This summer, we have a few weeks with two little girls, ages 8 & 9, at our house. This makes us a family of seven.

Observations...

- Going anywhere on a time schedule is a feat. We have to leave the house about 20 minutes early to get anywhere on time. But, we've made it on time, every time, to where we need to be.

- Having a clean kitchen/finished laundry pile is all that much more rewarding when there are seven people in the house. It is also undone in a flash.

- Having four girls between 7 & 9 makes for quite the chorus when "Let It Go" comes over the loud speaker at a store. I felt like the Music Man leading them through the store.

- Five kids can get really loud. And, when they all get quiet, I can get really paranoid.

- A quiet house when everyone is gone (right now) seems really, freakishly quiet.

- I have said "Go Play" more times this week than I have ever said it in my entire life.
- Five kids can play by themselves a LONG time. Even longer when the adults decide not to referee. :)

- Assigned seats at the dinner table and in the car are a must.

- Paper plates and plastic cups are also a must.

- When 8:30PM comes along, no matter how exhausted I feel, I always tend to get a second wind and stay up until midnight.

We've managed to go to the library, Walmart, VBS, Rotary, the pool, art camp, out to eat, gymnastics, and even played with the slip and slide. Tom and I have managed to work, get in some runs, read books, watch soccer, edge the driveway and plant flowers.

We have enjoyed having the full house even though it has felt a little overwhelming at times. It actually reminds me a lot of when we had a new baby in the house - like I can't get settled into a routine and I can't stay on top of things, let alone get ahead. But, in the end, it is all worth it and eventually I realize it's just a new normal. I think that's happening a bit this week.

I know the kids are having fun too and will have tons of memories!