Hardware Baby!

I have to admit I was kind of cranky when I went to bed Friday night. Our house was trashed and it was just kind of a long week. I woke up before my alarm on Saturday morning and seriously considered bailing on my race and sleeping in. I'm so glad I didn't!

I got up and went downstairs. Half an hour later DH joined me and encouraged me to wake the boys even though they both said they did not want to race. DS#2 was happy that I woke him up to run, DS#1, not so much. But we ended up getting out the door and to the race on time. The weather was in the low 60s and ideal.

I lined up near the front and the boys all went to the back. We were quickly off! I wasn't sure what to expect since I haven't run a 5K in months and have done little to no speed work. The idea was just to run hard and have fun. The course was lovely and flat - but ended on a big hill. I ended up 3rd female with a 21:35. Hey - not too shabby and definitely better than I had expected. I grabbed a water and waited for my boys to come through. Saw James fly around the corner and screamed my head off at him as he powered up the hill to the finish! He finished in 27:15 - a big PR and he was the first kid to finish. Jake and John were more leisurely during their race, but they had a great time and raced to the finish!

Awards were not until 11:30, so we went home and cleaned up. We weren't sure if James would win any hardware because the kid age group was 0-17. However, we didn't see many young runners there (only us old folks). Not only was he delighted that he won his age group, but Jake actually got second! Wow. But too bad only 2 young boys ran the race!

Fun time had by all.

This morning, I woke again before my alarm and ended up meeting my friend Michelle for a long run on the trail. It was a beautiful morning -low 60s! Michelle is a short distance runner and runs A LOT faster than me in training runs. We ended up logging 13.2 miles at an 8:27 pace. It was great running with her, but it was getting HOT. I stopped at home and relubed with Body Glide. I missed a spot on my underarm and it was SCREAMING at me. I took a gel and cooled down for a couple minutes then hit the street again. By now it was in the upper 70s and I let my pace slow by a good minute per mile. I was hoping to hit 20 total, but it was getting really hot, my pace was slowing, and I felt like I was arriving in the land of diminishing returns. So I came home with 18.25 miles under my belt. It was already 83 degrees. This was the longest run I have completed since Boston. Sweet!

Week Recap:

M: rest /core

T: 7 easy (9:00) / core

W: 4.1 easy after work with DH (9:10) / arms and core

R: rest / core

F: 9 (8:51) / arms and core

Sa: Just over 5 miles with 21:35 5K

Su: 18.25 (8:44)

Total: 43.7

While this is generally low, it is a bump in mileage for me. I only wish I had run on Thursday so I could have gotten closer to 50.

In sad news, it seems like one tragedy after another are affecting people I know this week. My sister's friend was electrocuted in a freak accident. He was 44 years old and left behind his wife and 3 teen kids.

Then, my husband's friend was in a car wreck last week caused by a drugged out driver while home in California visiting his family. He was the only survivor - in one foul swoop he lost his mother, father and younger brother. Thank God his wife was not there. He was airlifted out, in a coma and has sustained traumatic brain injuries. He is also now paralyzed from the waist down. Less than a week ago, the kid seemingly had everything. 24 years old, smart kid in law school, great relationship with his fun wife who was in school for her PhD, and a great family. In seconds, that all changed and now the kid can hardly communicate and likely has no clue his cherished family is gone. They are staying in CA and putting behind their school to rehab and recover. It makes me so very sad just to think about it. Live every day to the fullest and enjoy every thing you have. Including the ability to run, breathe fresh air, and enjoy those you love.