Seriously?

I’m sick..again. I have managed to stay pretty much sick free all winter and now in the last 2 weeks I had a 24 hour flu…complete with vomiting and me calling into work for like the second time in 10 years…and now as of yesterday morning…I have a hellacious sore throat and head cold. Oh well…better now then in a week right? And this will insure I don’t blow my taper because I feel too awful to train hard…HA! God knows what he’s doing I suppose…and knows me all too well.

I ran with Lori this morning…a beautiful VERY windy 6 mile with the last two barefoot. The boys ended up having to help their dad move this weekend and since they failed to mention their race to their Dad I made them go and help him…and not race. I kind of felt bad about doing it…but if I don’t teach them responsibility…who will? And 5K’s are a dime a dozen around here…there’s always another one.


So with a week before my marathon I’m feeling burnt. I don’t get the taper tantrums that you read so much about…maybe just because I’m too damn tired to care…and now sick to boot. I feel like I may have over trained…and like I peeked weeks ago and I’m going to blow my race. But hopefully these is just my VERY overactive mind dickin with me. I also dreamed last night that my race was in Paris and I lost my pace group when I went into a place to pee…and never found the race again. Weird. There are no pace groups for my marathon and it’s in Kenosha..

6 days

Finally Hit It

Goal pace that is. But still kept banking time every mile…so I guess I really didn’t? This was my last run of any real kind of distance. Marathon in 8 days….ran 10 miles today under marathon goal pace. The key to finally not blowing myself up? Pace band. Runners world has these rad things and you just enter your goal time and it prints out a mile by mile time that you need to hit to get your goal. I wore one today and the only problem I had was trying to keep myself where I needed to be…but at least this gave me a pretty good idea. 10 miles at a 10:06 average pace. And I felt great when I was done…and if I could hold it for 10 miles..what’s 16 more right?



The kids are off this week for spring break. Dominic has his first official race this Saturday and is very excited. V is also running this…and is very pissed off at me because I told him I wasn’t going to pay for a race he hasn’t trained for. This is the one he took third in last year…and he has big plans to win it this year. He’s going to do some work for grandma today to earn his entrance fee. He’s done little to no running and I’ve kept my yap shut except for telling him I wasn’t paying for it….so we’ll see what he can do. I don’t think Dom has a goal time..just a finish time. He’s trained exclusively in his Skeltoes *ghetto Vibrams* and is feeling pretty confidant. He did his last run last night and is feeling ready. Saturdays forecast is calling for thunder storms and a hi of 59…which is just fine…except the wind is calling for 23mph winds..and it’s always way winder out there…that part will suck. Either way…I’m excited to watch these guys race and to be a spectator for a change.
8 Days

100 Barefoot Miles and a Quick Note

Yeah…I hit that this Sunday. I’m back up to 1.1 miles barefoot out of every run I do. I’m not risking any more with this little marathon looming in ….yep…less then two weeks.



My taper is going ok. This training cycle has taken a lot out of me…as in…I am so OVER training right now. My longrun last week was a mere 15 miles at marathon pace. I almost hit it. The pace I need to hit to run the race in my goal time is just so damn awkward for me. Basically I’m taking every run till the race and doing marathon pace runs..just to finally nail down that pace. And honestly..I still don’t think it will happen. I’ve almost resigned myself to that thought..but you never know come race day.


Alright…I’m back off to crawl back under my taperrock…peace out.

21 Miles Brings the Taper

Last.Long.Run


Anyways…so it’s over…the hard part..except the race of course. I planned 20 for today, finished 21 because I just hadn’t had quite enough of the 38 degree weather and howling winds. What the hell is wrong with me anyways? But for miles 9-12 there was a stellar dude making the same laps I was doing in the park….but in a wheel chair. And I thought to myself…how can I complain…even in my head…when that dude would probably kill to be able to run this 20 miles I’ve tied myself to for today.


Long runs make me grumpy. Skip being gone, my physical exhaustion and my kids being…well..themselves is just a recipe for a bad time. I have a pretty low bullshit tolerance to begin with and when they act like morons when I’m already tired…it’s not pretty. But tonight rejuvenated all of us. I took everyone down to Kenosha so V could play in the band with Papa at a nursing home. Dominic stayed with them and hung out with Grandma and lil T and I went to see her oldest friend. I don’t know that I’ve ever mentioned her…but there is a very wonderful woman that has been in my life since I was 15 and her name is Jackie. I got pregnant with lil T while Jackie was pregnant with Marty…so they were destined to be friends you see. And they have been. Jackie babysat for lil T from the time she was very small until she went to preschool at 3 years old…and our babies were stuck like glue the entire time. Lil T used to pick out Martys clothes every day when she got there and she has always led him around like a puppy…not in a mean way…..she adores Marty and he her. Circumstances being what they are and life just getting in the way…well..the kids haven’t seen each other in at least a year…and tonight we remedied that. T was a bit shy at first…but not Marty. After about 10 minutes it was like the last year or so didn’t exist and they were the same loving little kids that they always were to each other. Just beautiful to see…and I’m resting so happily tonight.


So the taper…yeah…I haven’t really tweeked that out yet…but I am sooo ready for a break…at least from the big ones. The totals you ask…or not? Two 20 mile runs, one 21 mile run, one 22 mile run and a 24 mile run. Total miles for this cycle…438.86…with 3 weeks left. Five runs at 20 plus miles…yeah..I think I’m ready.


22 days

South Shore Half Marathon 2011

Although cold, ugly, misty and crowded…it was an ok race.



I got up at 5:45 because I needed to shave my legs….didn’t want to be mistaken for one of the dudes from the waist down. After the deed was done I drug the boys out of bed and we hit the road. My GPS in my car had a few different ideas on how to get there and kept changing it’s mind but we did finally make it and ran into Lori and Mike almost as soon as we walked into the park. I kept waiting for the race day jitters but they just weren’t there….and never did turn up. Maybe because I kept telling and telling myself that this was NOT a race…but a training run with a few hundred of my closest friends..or at least other people that were running.

I texted Katie as soon as I got there and she turned up not long after I picked up my bib and rad gloves. This is a VERY low key race. No medals, no chip time..I don’t think. There’s barely even a course and much too small of one for the turn out they have. This is clusterfuck walltowall racing at it’s finest folks..and it never really let up until maybe mile 10.

Let me stop here though and say how amazing it was to meet Katie. I have whined to that girl…read everything she’s ever put in a blog. It’s unusual for me to take a real shine to someone. Usually I know someone for years before I really ever give a shit about them one way or another. But this little nymph…because that’s what she looks like…a little red headed wood nymph…has wormed her way into a very special little group of people that live in my head heart. It was the first time I’ve ever met her in person....and it was just normal…and I’m all about shit that don’t feel weird.


Anywaysssss…we started…and eventually even crossed the start line. Katie was going to run the first 3 miles with me and turn around giving herself 6 miles for the day..cool. It was congested…like I said..it’s a bike path and just not big enough…but whatever. We just ran…didn’t yap tons…didn’t need to. Coming up on mile 3 we said our quick goodbyes and she jetted. I have never run a chunk of a race with anyone but V..and this was very cool..and man did the time fly by.


I popped in my earphones and just went. I tried to maintain a steady pace. I really wasn’t racing…just trying to keep my pace below 10:25’s or so…and I did overall. But pulling up my splits….I am just ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE! I can’t hold steady worth a damn and I’m thinking unless I can get that under control there is NO way I’m going to be able to do that for the marathon. So does my goal change to just finishing…nope. I’m going to try to learn in 27 days to maintain a steady pace…and race day will be the test of that…God willing.

V and Me

Now I told Vincent to meet me at mile 11 and finish with me…but somehow…when I gave him and Dominic money when we got ready to start and told him when to start walking to meet me I just knew that wasn’t going to happen. So I wasn’t at all surprised when I rolled up on mile 11 and he wasn’t there. And I also wasn’t at all surprised when he was sitting at mile 12…with a big dopey grin on his face. “Lets go Mama. These people look like they’re dying and you look strong.” Sweet words and a mile late…little shit. I can’t explain how it feels to run with your child…this life that you’ve tossed into the universe. But it’s incredible. He’s so positive and just believes in me…even if it’s for just then.


So it’s done. My finish time by my Garmin was 2:14:13…..over 2 minutes faster then my last half..although the course did measure long at 13.2 miles. I’m happy with it…I did what I said I was going to do and it’s one more race under my belt. And I won’t go into my marathon having not stepped onto a race course in 8 months!!!

27 days

Thought on Half-Marathon Eve

I remember last year around this time…like probably this day to be exact…I was sitting here having a freakin litter of kittens because I was going to run my first half marathon tomorrow. Now I’m sitting here…eating grapes…thinking I need to pull out race stuff and wondering if my running shoes have lots of gunk on them. And I’m running the exact same race that my bloggybuddybroad Katie ran for HER first half last year…and we’re running some of this one together. What a difference a year makes. Love.That.Girl.



So both boys want to come with me. This is monumental for two reasons. 1. They are voluntarily asking to spend time with me. And 2. They are voluntarily waking up at like 6:30 in the morning to spend time with me. I love my boys…and am so completely proud of them for such completely different reasons that my heart comes into my throat and just kind of hangs out there when I give myself a minute to think about it. So I usually don’t. It would totally ruin my badass image to walk around looking like my eyes are about to float all the time.


They both have specific jobs for this race…besides staying out of trouble. V and I are doing a trial run for my marathon next month. I’m going to have him hop on with me at mile 10 or 11 and pace/drag me into the finish. And Dom wants to pace Lori in and show her his new shoes…and she better not read this tonight because it will ruin his surprise.


It was such a wonderful experience running the end of a race with Vincent that when I decided to do the marathon I recruited him to help me finish. I figure he’d be just the trick around mile 24 or so to get me to the finish line….especially if I’m having a rough day. And what a memory for him to have to be able to do that? To see the end result of all those hours..all those miles..that he knows I did. I want to teach these guys something about commitment….about saying you’re going to do something…and then putting your nose to the grind and getting it done. And about humility…there’s no ego in running….at least not for me. And most of all I want them to see me hang that medal around my father’s neck…and thank him….for helping me learn to walk so I could learn to run.


So that’s it…all I’ve got. See ya on the flipside of what I hope to be a 13.1 mile marathon pace run….started with friends…finished with family.


28 days

33 Days and Another 20

I have consumed 2 mangos in the last 12 hours….and the third is sitting on my counter mocking me…but I know it’s fate. I love this time of year when the fruit finally starts NOT sucking. Yum…I’m going to go peel that thing and eat it as soon as I’m done here.



So my Thursday long run of 15 miles turned into 20 miles of foot feeling fineness…score! That puts me at 2*20 milers, a 22 mile run and a 24 mile run in this training cycle. I have a final long run of 22 or so miles 3 weeks out from the marathon and that’s it for my biggies. Am I crazy? Probably. I will have run 5 runs at 20 plus miles….although never the full 26 like I planned. But getting up to that 24 miles made me realize that two more mile on two different occasions wouldn’t make that big of a difference. What it also made me realize that topping out at 20 miles would not have prepared ME for a marathon…and sure the hell not only doing it once. But that’s me…I’m psycho like that.


Rewind to Wednesday night. Everyone bailed on going to the running clinic so I drug my trusty little brother who looks more like an convict then any kind of runner.. with me. At least with him with me I never have to worry about people talking to me.


Kevin ended up giving a WONDERFUL, medically backed, non-hippy presentation on the benefits of barefoot running. So needless to say…he left with his tires intact. He got shitswarmed by a million people afterwards so I waited till Friday….stalked his schedule…and called him when I knew he had 45 minutes patient free…and told him so. It was nice…I’ve never been particularly impressed with this dude and it’s always nice to remind myself that looks are VERY deceiving and you really don’t know shit about anybody.


So that’s my week in a nutshell. I’m going to go inhale some veggie fajitas..I’ve been experimenting with my own seasonings and leave the mango safe for now. It’s a blustery day here…and now that I’m in I’m staying in.


33 Days