May Mileage and Memorial Day

Total miles for May – 127.75

Total hours running- 25 hours 8 minutes
Total hours exercise- 39 hours 8 minutes


That sounds like a lot doesn’t it? I put in almost a 40 hour work week worth of exercise…awesome! This completes the first full month of getting crazy strong. I’ve successfully upped my strength training to three sessions a week lasting one hour each. And I’m not dying! I can really feel it in my running as well..or maybe not so much my running but my recovery time from running. Not much is fazing me lately. My long runs are not wiping me out and I can just ‘feel’ more power…as lame as that sounds. I was discussing this yesterday with Traci and the rest of my Sunday girls on their second 5 mile run. She has hit a plateau in her weight loss and was asking for suggestions. Mine was strength training…sighting how muscles burn more calories at rest, will help prevent injury in her running..and make her a stronger runner. She didn’t seem to be buying it…..but hopefully…she’ll give it a go. They did amazing yesterday! Our pace was the fastest we’d ever done together…and they felt really good at the end. They seem to be excited about Lighthouse and two out of three of them are already signed up. I’m excited for them to see what a ‘real’ race is like.

So Memorial Day…I love this holiday…and not just because both Skip and I are off. Although I have no military in my family….I have the deepest respect and admiration for those that dedicate their lives and lost their lives in order to see that my life and the lives of my family..are safe and free. There is no bigger responsibility…and no greater honor..then to be able to devote a day to these amazing people.


On that note….lil T and I are off to put little flags all over our front yard…and finish the preparations for the cookout that our fallen have made possible.


Have a safe and wonderful Memorial day everyone!

Thursdays Intervals and Bloodletting.

I hate Thursdays. It should be a happy day because I get to sleep till 5:30 instead of 4:30 because I’m off Thursday s. And speaking of being off Thursday s…..I need to figure out something for the fall with lil T. If I don’t adjust my work schedule…she’ll be at school..including before and after care…for 10 hours a day…and that’s just bullshit. I don’t want that for her….she’s flippin 5 for gods sake. So I spoke with my manager yesterday about leaving by 3 one day during the week…at least until fall sports are over and the boys will be home for her…and she ‘didn’t know if they could do that’. Really? Now they can adjust the schedule around our student…and god FORBID if it’s something with someone else’s kid…but to hell with lil T right? Skip and I both work a half hour away from our home…in opposite directions..so neither of us are even in Racine till 5 pm….errr…I am crazy pissed. I promised Skip I would be out of there before T started kindergarten…maybe I need to start working on my resume. Nine fucking years I’ve given them…most of them without insurance as a ‘per diem’ employee….now tell me how many ‘per diem’ employees do you know that have a set in stone schedule of 32 plus hours a week and no insurance, retirement, 401K…etc. Blah



So I had an ok run today…intervals. I was going to start with 1600 and move down…but 800 meters into that first 1600 I realized that it was going to be 800s at best..with 400 recoveries. I’ve been exhausted this week. I donated blood on Monday night and it completely wipes me out. I had to wait a year after surgery before I could start donating again and this is only the second time I’ve even tried it because it just kills me! I specifically did it on a day that I’d already done weights thinking that ‘all’ I had to do in the morning was run…not lift..so I’d be fine. WRONG! My pace on Tuesday morning was awful and I took walk breaks on a 5 mile run and barely made it home. Note to self…while still in race training…do NOT donate blood…HA HA! I couldn’t hit my paces this morning either…but at least it was nice out.

Lighthouse is in less then a month. I’m excited!! I love this race…it’s along a beautiful route and hopefully the weather cooperates this year unlike last year when it was about 90 degrees and MUGGY! My time last year was 1:47 for the 10 mile so my only real goal for this year is to beat that. It should happen…as I’m in much better condition this year and 10 miles is something I do on a ‘short’ longrun day. Not to mention…it’s my Sunday girls second race and they are stolked! They did 5 miles for the first time this last Sunday and did great! So the 4 mile should be a piece of cake for them. And they serve beer at the end of this race…nuff said.


Well…I need to get lil T out of the tub and start our day. I think we may go down to North Beach if the weather holds. Everyone have a great Thursday!!

Tagged By Anne..7 Things About Me

Thanks for the Tag from Anne over at http://asthmaandthegiftofrunning.blogspot.com/ Because she rocks!

1. I had never run before 2 years ago…my highschool was ‘alternative’…meaning we played hacky sack on our smoke breaks between classes…and ping pong during gym.


2. I hate being in the water…but I love to be by it.


3. I never planned on having children…funny because I ended up with 3 of em.


4. I only started blogging because the people on facebook were sick of hearing about my running.


5. I’m afraid of the dark…at 34 I still reach around the corner and turn the light on before I enter a room.


6. I tend to ‘keep’ people…if you’re with me…you’re with me for life. I’ve had the same close group of friends since I was very young…and add to them very rarely.


7. I have no real personal ambitions..never have. Not interested in making money or being the best at anything. My ambitions are to make sure that my husband and my children do great things and are great people…the man behind the scenes if you will.


So there are my seven things…and I guess I’m supposed to tag 7 people...but I'm only taggin 6..so there!


Kelli- My long time babymaking friend.
Katie- My partner in half friend.
My Garden Runner
Carly- makes me laugh runner
The Caratunk Runner
My newest follower runner!

Reflections At Almost 34

So tomorrow morning….34 years ago…I decided to grace this earth…or so my mother says. For the life of me…I can’t figure out why she likes me so much….lovely woman…wouldn’t be me without her.

I’ve come a long way in my running since this time last year. I could barely run 10 miles and was getting ready to run Lighthouse for the first time…on a bum knee and little strength. This morning I ran 13 miles and had plenty left…although my legs were feeling a bit rough at the end. I just wasn’t feeling this run…even though the Root River was beautiful and I hadn’t been down there in awhile…blah..whatever.


I decided in my early 20’s that my life was going to be perfect at 30. Maybe it was my way of looking forward to ageing instead of dreading it like so many women do. I enjoy getting older…maybe even wiser…although once in a while I’m taken aback when I see a picture and see I have lines in my face. Or I look at my children and realize that I look UP to my boys now…and my daughter is gaining on me every day. I realize that when I’m 35…I will have a son that can drive and is only a couple of years away from leaving my shelter forever…or at least for awhile.


So here is a recap of my life up till now…from say….18 on? I married my first husband…and had V not even a year later. When V was 5 months…said first husband decided he didn’t like being married…and gave us the boot. When V was 9 months old…on a ‘lets get back together weekend’…I got pregnant with Dom…*we didn’t get back together…kind of hard when he had a girlfriend at home I suppose *. When Dom was 3 months old…I met Bill…and stayed with him for 4 years. He was a wonderful, troubled man who loved my boys…but died..right before V started kindergarten. When Dom was around a year old…I discovered Tae-bo and stuck with that for many years. During this whole time…I struggled with my weight, went back to school…and continued to raise these incredible boys…and bought my first house. A bit over a year after we lost Bill….I met Skip. By that time…I knew what I didn’t want in a man…and what I HAD to have in a man if he ever had a shot at keeping me. I married him 3 months later…I was 26. My boys fell for him as hard as I did…and it was beautiful to see. When we’d been married for about a year….we had the BRIGHT idea to add to our family. After trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for almost a year…we finally did. My weight didn’t skyrocket…but I didn’t come through this pregnancy as easily as I did with the boys. In January of 2005…enter Tinky. She was amazing…and cemented our family and turned it on it’s head at the same time. My weight crept and crept upward till I was 250lbs. No matter what I did..or how hard I worked out…I just couldn’t get it under control. I started researching weightloss surgery when I realized that our insurance covered most of it. It was scary….a HUGE decision at 30 years old…because I’d reached that age…when my life was supposed to be perfect..and the only thing that wasn’t wonderful was my health. But I finally set my mind to it…jumped through the 8 million hoops set up to discourage you from doing it by insurance companies…and in October of 2007…had RNY Gastric Bypass. I was back to work and back to working out in under a week. I dropped 102 pounds in around 8 months and started running. My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer not long after I had surgery and a gal from work was doing a 5K walk/run for the American Cancer Society. I told my mom about it and we both signed up. When I filled out the form…it had a section that asked if you were going to walk or run…I looked at that for a bit…and marked ‘run’. It was 3 weeks before the race.


I did a VERY modified Couch 2 5K and ran that race..in it’s entirety. I really don’t know what my time was…all I know is that I loved it and…and my mom was so proud of me.


During the next couple of years I kept running. Life didn’t always stay perfect. Skip and I separated…things happened with my children…my friends…my parents…my brothers….but my running was always there.


So what do I know at almost 34? Not much more then I did at 24 I’m afraid. I still have the same amazing family and friends..and have added a few more people here and there. Weight loss surgery fixes the weight…if you work it right…but doesn’t fix anything else….and it WILL come back if you’re not vigilant..and change your entire life. Your plan and Gods plan are often two VERY different things…although sometimes you can meet in the middle.


And maybe most importantly…you can have it all…you may just have to adjust what your idea of ‘ALL’ is.

All City and Sub-10's for Mama

Had a beautiful, hilly 6 mile run this morning and I am now consistently running sub-10 minute miles. Why has it taken over 2 years to do this? Beats the hell outta me but I’m glad. I have hit them the last 4 or 5 weekly runs I’ve done. Even my long run time is getting better. Wonder what’s up with this.
Anywayyyyssssss.....on to more interesting things....


So last night was All City for middle school track. Both the boys competed and I was so happy to finally get to one. V did the mile, mile relay, and the shot put….Dom did the long jump and the 200 meter. I hope the coach from V’s school doesn’t get any extra cash for coaching…because dude doesn’t do shit. I didn’t see him even. No coaching, no guidance…ridiculous. And as far as V has said..practice has been the same thing all season. Hopefully next year they can find someone who actually gives a shit weather or not these kids do well…or hurt themselves…something.


V had the shot first…wasn’t pleased with his performance but it was nice to see that the time Skip spent with him in the backyard wasn’t a waste. He looked wonderful and was one of the few kids that looked like he knew what he was doing….if he did know or not is another story. A while later they called for the boys mile and I had V do some light warm-up running…gave him the best pep talk I could and he headed to the start. Basically what it boiled down to is he got smoked by 2 boys. He took 3rd All City and first for his school. The first two boys were just gone…it was crazy…but you could tell those boys trained because holy shit…they were fast. V struggled…almost from the start..but finished that mile in 5 minutes 50 seconds…which is outstanding….but he was at least 20 seconds behind the first kid. It’s funny though…because he has run a 5K in around 17 minutes…..but he can’t seem to get that mile any faster. I think he may be better suited for longer distances…but we’ll probably never really know because football runs at the same time as cross country…and football is what he’s ALWAYS wanted…and I can’t even mention sidelining his DREAM for my own dream for him. Then came the mile relay….nice recovery right? V ran the first 400 meter and ran it in a bit over a minute…passed the baton and that was that. His school came in 4th or 5th for that. You could really tell the schools that had actual coaches and the ones like V’s school who had a guy who didn’t know what he was doing..or just didn’t care. Ah well…I still deem his first track season a success because he had fun…and learned from it.


Now Dom wasn’t even supposed to be able to participate. His coach told him the day before that he wouldn’t be doing any events because he’d missed practices….I bet that would have been a different story if Dom was fast…ha ha. But he wanted to go anyways to support his school and they ended up having a sick kid so Dom subbed for the guy doing two events that he’d never even done before…go Dom!! He was horrible at the long jump…..I’ll admit that. Dom is a BIG kid and just doesn’t have that kind of thing in him. Then he did the 200 meter and although he came in last…I really got to watch him run..and what I saw was potential…LOTS of potential. He has a beautiful LONG stride and heart to spare. I had tears in my eyes watching him finish….for getting out there…for loving his school…for running with that HUGE heart of his that has room for everyone and everything…my boy…amazing.


So tonight they both have band concerts at the respective schools. And I’m off to clone myself so I can be at both concerts…although I’m leaning towards Doms because his will have cookies.


Hope everyone has a great day!

For Amy and her Monday Reading Pleasure

Sending out Mad props to Amy today for completing her first EVER 5 mile run and taking it like a champ! This girl.. who has never run longer then 4 miles didn’t even balk at me throwing that one down. And her pace was the fastest we’ve ever done on a Sunday run. It was gorgeous and windy and sunny…perfect weather. Great job Amy….I’m SO proud of you!!!!

Summary



Overall


Time: 01:10:15


Distance: 5.00 mi


Elevation Gain: 41 ft


Calories: 405 C






Timing


Time: 01:10:15


Moving Time: 01:08:38


Elapsed Time: 01:10:24


Avg Speed: 4.3 mph


Avg Moving Speed: 4.4 mph


Max Speed: 5.0 mph


Avg Pace: 14:02 min/mi


Avg Moving Pace: 13:43 min/mi


Best Pace: 11:57 min/mi







Laps 6


View Splits SplitSplit Hour:Minute:SecondTime MilesDistance Minutes per MileAvg Pace


Summary 01:10:15 5.00 14:02


1 00:14:15 1.00 14:16


2 00:13:49 1.00 13:50


3 00:14:05 1.00 14:05


4 00:14:30 1.00 14:30


5 00:13:31 1.00 13:31


6 00:00:02 0.00 12:40

16.2 Miles

It was supposed to be 10….but I was feeling it..and when you feel it…you better grab that bitch and go. And that’s just what I did. It was funny..when I was looking at my splits after I got home I realized that my fastest miles were the last 7 or so. This run told me several things.


1. Not only do I have a full marathon in me…I have it in me to do it soon…if I want.


2. I run better the longer I’ve been out. I still had plenty left when I was done..and ran around the rest of the day with the kids.


3. There are plenty of places in Racine that I haven’t run in….and I ran in a bunch today.


4. Running early Saturday morning is great for scoping garage sales.

I think upping the strength training is really doing something for my endurance…or at least my ability to do long distances and recover fairly easily. I felt great all day…very little soreness…I could have gone farther. So I think I can do this one of two ways…I can run one this fall…and be pretty prepared…having run the distance multiple times over the summer….*Skip will MURDER me as I told him specifically NOT to let me do this*. Or…I can just keep running..stick with my original plan…and run Kenosha next May. Another angle is that doing one this fall will mean I can forget any idea of having my dad be there….he’s not well enough to trek to Milwaukee or wherever I may have to go to find one. So honestly….doing one this fall would be selfish…and mostly about me. So I guess there really is no question. Kenosha opens in September…I think Papa will look splendid with a cheese shaped medal hanging around his neck.

In other news…we booked a *non Skip finding another job* camping trip today. We’re heading up north mid-July to go camping for 4 days. Some little hole in the wall place that had a cabin and a lake..and a place for Mama to run….all is good in my world. I can’t wait to get the hell outta here for a little bit. In other other news….I’m getting the new tires put on my Charger tomorrow. I’m really glad this is getting done due to the fact that I can’t even stick a finger tip in the tread of the ones that are on there now.

Meeting just Amy tomorrow morning for a run. We’ve never run just the two of us before…and we’re heading down to the big lake instead of Lake Andrea. It should be interesting because by watching her…I think she’s capable of running faster then she does….I’m going to test that tomorrow. Jules and Traci are up in the Dells raising hell at the state dart tournament….no more wooping people’s asses Jules…at least not till you’re home.

Who Let The Dogs Out

So today was supposed to be another 10 mile day…easing back on the mileage and all…and it turned into 12. I looped…and looped a bit farther then planned. It was bitchy windy and cold to boot. Yuk…I was spoiled with last weekend…tank top and shorts…today I was in full pants, two shirts and gloves…ha ha….have I mentioned that I HATE Wisconsin? I also ran into two dogs today. One was behind a fence…but could damn near launch his giant ass over it trying to kill me. The other was loose…wearing a collar so he belonged to somebody….and decided he was going to chase me until I screamed him into submission…..have I mentioned that I HATE people? If you can not keep your dog contained/controlled…you don’t deserve to have a dog. I had several incidents last summer over on the trail near my house…one being a dog ATTACKING my 9-year-old dog and biting her in the head. I kicked the shit out of the dog to get it off of her…and called the dogs owner…who just stood there watching…every name in the book…and I can be VERY creative. Ugg…what a morning.



After coming home and showering…we headed out to price tires for my Charger. Now there’s 600 bucks I really don’t feel like spending….but mine are completely bald…I have almost 70 thousand miles on them…so it’s time. But..we ended up finding some at Sears that will come in under 600 and include lifetime rotation…which I’m sure they don’t bank on people doing…but I’m one of those people that actually does rotate their tires…every other oil change. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my car? I also picked up a couple of tank tops for running and some fitted shorts to try. I don’t mind baggy ones….but I figure I’d give these a whirl and see how the go. Nordic Track actually has some decent running stuff…or stuff that can be used for running. One of my favorite long sleeve tech shirts came from them….good stuff.


Meeting the girls at Lake Andrea in the morning…I think we’re going to attempt 4 miles…that’s the full distance for their next race. And on that front…I signed up for Lighthouse on Friday…I can’t WAIT to do that one this year!

I also wanted to share this picture….some of the most influential men…boys from my childhood. It was taken by his wife at the 35th birthday party of my best friend growing up. From left to right..

Kelly- Moved in across the street when I was one. He was my VERY best friend and we played together every day for years. We started fires together, ate cat food in his barn, caught snakes and held onto the horse fence so we could get shocked. It was his 35th birthday…and I wish I could have been there.


Scott- Kelly’s older brother…best friend to my older brother. He bought the house he grew up in and I see him often. I always figured I’d marry him when I was about 40 if neither of us ever got married to anyone else...*we both did...one of us twice :)*


Paul- My little brother..and one of the great lights in my life….nuff said.


Andy- Came along later…best friend to my little brother Paul. Lived at the very end of our dead end street. He’s grown into such a nice man.


Bruce- My older brother…best friend to Scott. When I moved back to Kenosha after my divorce…Bruce moved into my basement out of my parents house so that I wasn’t raising my boys alone in a house.


So there it is…in a picture…so VERY many things. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Track Meets and Why People Run

I have yet to be able to watch either of the boys at track meets this spring. It is both of their first year running spring track. Dom is doing the shot put and the 400 meter…and V is doing the mile, shot put and 400 meter relay. Skip was able to watch some of V’s meet after picking up Dom from his. My boys are at different schools even though they’re both in middle school….this makes sports difficult when they’re out for the same thing…except when their schools play each other…LOL.


Dom did horrible…his words not mine. I’m sure this isn’t true. He was 5 feet short of his best shot put tonight. I laughed and told him my last race was the slowest I’d ever run that distance. But he had fun…he runs with his heart..he runs for his school.


V won the mile…did it in 6 mins 14 seconds..and it was CRAZY windy tonight. I’m glad I’d had him on a track so this wasn’t his first time running on one. His school took 2nd in the relay…and he didn’t even mention what he did for the shot put…so I’m guessing it was less then Dom. But in my opinion..you have to have some meat behind the shot….Dom has it…V doesn’t. V runs with aggression…for himself…he’s like his mother that way.


I’ve worked it out so I can be at the last meet…all city…in two weeks. They’ll both be there and I can’t wait!!!! Wearing their different colors….there for different reasons.


But it got me to thinking about why people run…what different people get out of it. For me…it’s to get rid of some of that aggression…although most days…there aren’t enough miles in the world. It’s a way to exhaust myself..my mind and body…to leave room for the day to day stuff. I don’t run with my heart….maybe that’s why I never really get better? Maybe tomorrow morning…I’m going to try it…RESET…or something like that. So somebody give me something….why do YOU run..or whatever it is you may do???????????

Mondays with Jari and Hair loss

I hate Monday mornings till I get that first workout of the week on the books. I know the week officially starts on Sunday….but…my workout week in my head starts on Monday.



I’m trying to find a way to do my strength training 3x a week to the tune of an hour each time…and over the last 7 days I’ve succeeded. I did an hour on Wednesday, an hour on Sunday before I met the girls and an hour this morning. I really don’t want to do back to back days of lifting weights but without changing my running days and having Skip get up with Dom more…I don’t see an alternative. I’m sore…but still standing…or sitting presently. I did cut back my mileage last week..to the tune of just under 25 miles..and it was good. My run Saturday morning was beautiful. Jeff bailed on me but it was sunny and bright and peaceful. V had a jazz band performance down by the lake and I left a couple hours early and met the family there when I was done. Then I met Amy and Traci at Lake Andrea Sunday morning and they were able to complete 3.7 miles!!!!! They’re planning on running the 4 mile race for Lighthouse in June and they’re already almost there. These girls continue to amaze me and fill me with pride.


So I have an appointment with the dermatologist tonight. When you have gastric bypass surgery…one of the side effects for the first 6 months or so can be extreme hair loss…due to the massive weight loss, malnutrition, etc. Well I had this side effect. I had beautiful, long curly hair that I ended up donating to Locks of Love when it started coming out by the handful. This is usually a temporary problem….and although it doesn’t fall out like it used to..for me…it either never grew back…or continues to fall out more then it should. I am pushing 3 years out from surgery so this ‘should’ have resolved by now. On that note…it has not..and it’s to the point that I am getting concerned that I will be a skinhead by the time I’m 40 if I don’t address it now. I’m going to print off my last set of labs at work today and bring them with me and hope this dude has a clue. I’m not deficient in any vitamins…my labs are excellent…as is my protein intake…so I’m at a loss. Skip of course…has decided that it is exercise induced…like asthma?...ha ha… I think this is a crock of shit but I told him I’d ask. Although who knows…maybe I’m producing WAY to much testosterone making my hair fall out like a dude…..extra testosterone would sure the hell explain a few things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's funny...when you loose tons of weight...you really just exchange one set of problems for another...you obsess over different things because you can no longer obsess about your weight.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.