Tomorrow

I am sitting here getting taking a break from getting ready for bed. Tomorrow I will be running the Colorado Marathon as a half marathon for the first time.  This race was the first full marathon I had ever run and I love it.  The entire course is pretty much down hill, the scenery is just breathless for the first 20(ish) miles. The last 10K is ok, but not as good.  About a week and a half ago I won a free entry into this race, knowing how mad a lot of people would be at me if I tried to run it as a full I decided to go for the half.  I am very relaxed about tomorrow and I am really looking forward to enjoying the last part of it! As far as my outfit goes… (I took a picture but it doesn’t want to send L) I am going with a Moving Comfort running bra, Nike bra shirt, Skirt Sports Runners Dream Long Sleeve shirt, a Canine Cancer Shirt, Mums Midnight Capri Skirt running skirt, Gizmo Duck Socks, Asics running shoes  and of course my Colorado Running Company visor! I will also be equipped with my Garmin 310 and my iPod (of course!).  OH! And I will be hanging out at the start line (for over an hour) in my Old Navy sweats! My watch is currently at 58% charged, good thing I checked it because I would not have been happy had I have been up at the start line to find out my watch was dead. 

Anyway, I guess I really should be off to bed; I will let my watch charge overnight. My iPod is charged and will be put in my jacket pocket (I will have my Champion jacket with me because the race does start up in the mountains and I will have gloves). 

Good luck to my friend Lynne who will be running the Flying Pigs Marathon, Cindy who will also be running the Colorado Half Marathon and to my boss who will be running the OKC half marathon tomorrow. 

What a day off!

On Friday I took a much needed “ME” day.  Thursday night was filled with “Mommy, my science project is due tomorrow!” Friday morning we slept in until 6 (I know, talk about late!). The boys were funny, when I woke up Jose I head “but you said we would get to sleep in” ‘Babe, it is 6:00’ “oh”.  Cuervo, on the other hand (always takes his shower first)… ‘baby, time to wake up’ “Tyler can go first” ‘sweetie, he has already taken his shower’ “oh, fine, I’m getting up” Once we were finally out the door we had to make a few stops, I even bought them breakfast.  Dropped them off where they need to be and off to Manitou I went! I found a parking spot, paid my $5 and, for once, started at the VERY bottom of the Incline! About an hour later I finished my first mile of the day! Once I finally made it to the top I took a few moments to enjoy the view and a snack.  Then it was time to head back down.  Once I got to the trail I was able to run most of the way down, but getting to the trail can be a little dangerous (I slept once, but didn’t get hurt). One the way down my knee buckled backwards a couple of times but I was fine.  Got to the bottom of the trail and then it was time to get to my car which was about another ¼ of a mile of downhill.  As soon as I got to my car I chugged 2 bottles of OJ and ate a Rice Crispy Treat (hey, it is what I keep in my trunk) and headed back to town.  I had no blood sugar issues so YAY!!!! I swung by the house got changed and went and had lunch with a friend.  All in all I would say it was a wonderful day off!

Saturday was group run day.  It was chilly, but I had a thick shirt on, some sleeves and a jacket.  I found out that the Incline kicked my butt more than I thought it had (oh, my legs!!!!) and the crud in my chest isn’t a cleared up as I had thought.  I only completed a little over half of the miles I had planned on doing.  I was walking hills but when I got to the top I could not catch my breath, I was unable to take a good deep breath in.  Since I do have a long run next weekend (I am not calling it a race because I am not racing it) I didn’t want to push myself to hard.  I was happy with the miles I got in. Sunday before starting Easter activities I was going to try to get a few more miles in, but my legs were so sore it wasn’t even funny! (oops, felt good though).

This week, I will put some good miles in the first half of the week, the second half is rest time!

Pictures from my day off:

Coming back down the trail

Looking up the incline (you can't see there is even more that you can't see)

Looking east (you can see the lower part of the Incline)

At the top of the Incline looking down on the city)

Getting ready to come down the trail

Coming down the trail

10 more days!

Yesterday between work and Weight Watchers I managed to get a second workout in. I had planned on doing an additional three miles but I got out of work later than I had expected so I had to settle with 1.5.  I wanted to get weights in so I did ½ mile then a set of weights. Before I knew it was supposed to be at my meeting and I had only finished my upper body and 1.5 miles, put my mileage yesterday to a little over 5 miles.  I felt great! Since I was the only one in the gymlet I had the chance to think.  The past year has been pretty rough, but I have made it through with my head held up high.  Winning that entry into the Colorado Marathon made my entire month!  It was four years when I ran my very first full marathon and it was the Colorado Marathon. I went back the following year to complete my 5^th marathon in a 12 month period (hey, it squeaked in by one day so it counts!). Due to my race schedule last year (and injuries) I was not able to run it. This year I really wanted to but it sold out to fast.  This weekend I have an 8 miler on the books, but I think it will be bumped up to a 10 miler, but I have been putting in some good miles on hills, plus I have 5 hours to finish.  “A participant has 6 hours to complete the marathon and 5 hours to complete the half marathon. Walkers are welcome. No baby strollers or wheeled conveyances are allowed.” I would have almost 23 minutes per mile!!!!  I think I will do just fine! Because I am coming off the crud my plan is to do a nice run/walk I am thinking 4/1, but I am not sure yet. I will see how my runs go between now and then.

Tonight I am on full mommy duty “Mom! I have a science project due tomorrow!” We are doing the egg in the bottle experiment! We are going to see how small of an opening the bottle can have while keeping the egg intact! We are also going to see what happens when the egg still has its shell!!! Tomorrow I am taking a ME day! I plan on hitting Pikes Peak after dropping my boys off, going to lunch with a friend and who knows what else!

Saturday is another run in Garden of the Gods – gotta love hills!!!

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!

This morning was in par with all the mornings this week. No one wanted to get up, no one wanted to get dressed, and no one really wanted to do anything.  We finally got out the door 20 minutes late.  I dropped Jose off at daycare, the check I dropped off yesterday appeared to have gone missing. I got to work about 15 minutes late. I couldn’t remember where I put my car key, I checked my pockets, nada; I looked around the back of my car, nada; I looked on the hook attached to my purse, and there it was!

I finally made it to my desk, turned my computer on, opened my email and found…

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are a winner of one of 10 COUNTRY Financial Colorado Marathon complimentary race entries! We look forward to cheering you on at the race. In the meantime, please print and fill out the attached entry form (be sure to sign under #4…

Huh? AHHHH! I get to run my favorite marathon in two weeks.  DON’T WORRY I am not running the full marathon I am only doing the half.  Geeze, please! Give me credit! I am going through the roof right now.  This marathon is beautiful!  I love going to Fort Collins and my boys will love the fact we are taking a road trip! It is just over the weekend head up Saturday and come back Sunday. I am on the roof right now!  I mean YAY!!!!!!

As a smart fur child mommy, I called the doggy hotel and made reservations. The nice guy and I started talking and he said he can’t run a race because of a bad knee, I politely replied that I have a bum knee too, and nerve damage in my leg and lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and asthma! He changed his tune! I understand not everyone is a runner, I get that.  But simple say that running is not your thing, don’t give stupid excuses!

Now comes the big issue, what to wear!

So tired!

Yes, I am still seriously fighting with fatigue, I think it is mostly related to the fact my body is fighting like hell to prevent me from getting the dull blown version of what my boys had.  This weekend I was feeling worse than I had been this entire time so I decided I would have a stay in bed day on Saturday.  Jose had other plans in mind!  He took his shower got decent enough to come into my room and asked me to re-tape his finger. HOLY CRAP! How long has it been like this? ‘I don’t know’ When did you notice the tape was tight? ‘This morning.’ His finger had more than doubled!  I grumbled as I got out of bed and got dressed.  He grabbed a bag of frozen fruit out of the freeze (we don’t have ice packs) and back to Urgent Care we went.  A lot of the same staff as there that had been there on Thursday night, funny thing, they remembered us! The nurse say his finger ‘Oh my God!’ I wonder if she was ever taught she is supposed to keep the patient calm, maybe she wasn’t worried about us because we were having to much fun watching Achmed the Dead Terrorist on my sister’s phone.  The doc came in looked at his finger, relooked the xray, camed back in and explained that sometimes for whatever reason the swelling will go nuts up to 5 days after the injury.  We did the right thing by coming back in because it was slightly whitish, but he should be fine in a few weeks.  EXCUSE ME?  It will take a while to heal.  I keep a very close eye on his finger when I tape it up to make sure the swelling isn’t getting worse. 

Sunday I tried to sleep in but Charlie just HAD to go pee and when he was done (Jose let him out) he just had to come back to bed and get loved on.  Every time I would drift off he would whine until I started scratching him again!

Today I made it down for another walk/run.  More hills, less flats today, so more walking less running.  Felt good though.  Tomorrow I am shooting for more time running, less time walking. 

OH! To make my runs even better my new running capris made it in.  I am SO excited!!!! Thank you Running Skirts!

The Best Laid Plans

Yesterday I had Mommy duties during my lunch break so I figured, not a big deal, the boys have their activities in the evening, I will get my training in then. Until I got a phone call letting me know Jose got hurt. I love my mom but she has no medical knowledge. She said Jose hurt his finger, my first question… what does it look like? She hands the phone to him so he can explain to me.

‘Which hand?’

“The one I write with”

‘So your left?’

“Yes”

‘Which finger?’

“My pointer.”

‘Which part?’

“All of it!”

‘Is it swollen?’

“Yes”

‘Is it straight?’

“No, I can’t bend it”

‘Let me speak to Grandma’… ‘Is his finger straight?’

“No, it looks like a hook”

‘Is it in alignment?’

“ummm, I don’t know”

‘What color is it?’

“Finger colored. Should I bring him to you?”

‘Yes please, if you don’t mind!’

10 minutes later I am down stair looking at his finger and speaking to the doctor’s office. Well, our doctor is out of the office until sometime next week. His finger was nicely swollen, the closer to the tip the more purple it got, it was bent but could be straightened (causing a lot of pain), for the most part it was in alignment. Was it broken? Dr. Mom says no. But the nurse said because of the color change I should bring him to Urgent Care to make sure there are no blood circulation issues. So, I went back upstairs, told my supervisor what was going on, grabbed my stuff and headed out. I thanked my mom for helping out (I don’t know what I would do without that woman!) and off to Urgent Care we went. Got in, there was one child out of control running back and forth (I think there was a mental disorder) but mom was doing nothing about it, she was just sitting there watching TV. Then a bigger baby (18 months[ish]) was raising holy hell and poor Jose was trying to read, ignore the pain and ignore the baby scream; he wasn’t having much luck. Cuervo made buddies with the child running back and forth and they sat at a table and played quietly (I love my kids!). Finally it was our turn to head back, Cuervo bet that Jose had fractured/broken his finger, I bet is was sprained/strained and Jose bet it was bruised. I kept saying we need to amputate and the nurse thought we were a really fun family! I have to say, we never take anything to seriously, if we did we would all die of heart attacks at an early age or being fighting with ulcers all the time, not worth it! Long story short, he managed to sprain his finger, we didn’t get out of there until after their activities were over (and I think at that point Jose just wanted to go home) so my miles did not happen!

To make life even more entertaining Freddie thought it was necessary to make the bathroom sink overflow and pretend like nothing happened at 1:00 this morning so I got up to deal with that and couldn’t get back to sleep for another 2 hours. I don’t think I am getting my miles in today either because my cough is hitting even harder, but I will drag my butt out of bed tomorrow and at least get something in, not sure how far, but I will be out there making an effort!

Saturday starts recovery week, I think this week was more of a recovery week, but whatever.

For those of you who will be running Boston this coming week… Good luck and I hope you win! J

Divorce

One of goals has been to get in all my FIT training sessions accomplished, well, I am sick! One of my evil little germ buckets shared with me so I have done some serious modifications. Instead of running 4 miles, then 5 miles, then… I have been doing some pretty good walking. I have been hitting the treadmill and setting it to hills and walking at a 4.0 pace; every time it goes to a 0% incline I jog a little. Yesterday I was able to get a two-fer in. I enjoyed a walk during lunch and I had wanted to go to Zumba but I wasn’t out of work in time to get to the class. I went down to our wonderful little gymlet to get a full body weight session in. One of my co-workers came in and we started chatting. This gentleman is more than just a co-worker, he is a friend. A few years back he took me and, later, my older son rock climbing. He is a very kind person. He asked me how I have been feeling (he knows about the whole lupus thing and the fact I am a runner and this that and everything else) and he was happy to hear I am feeling a lot better, still fighting with fatigue but all in all, better! We talked about work, and then I find out he and his wife (of 12 years) are separating! WHAT??? Why? “She says I am not crazy enough about her anymore.” I am the first to admit, when it comes to marriage I have a VERY pessimistic person when it comes to marriage. I could not believe how much pain I saw on his face, his heart was truly breaking.

8 Years

Ok, it is actually eight years and a day! Yesterday was my eighth anniversary… of my divorce! Since then I have been in one semi serious relationship, a few dates and a lot of life changing events. I met my ex and about a year later we were married, the majority of this time he was deployed to Bosnia. It was less than six months from the time we started actually dating to the time we stood in front of the judge and said ‘I do.’

There really aren’t words to explain these last eight years. I have accomplished so much, the most important is I have found out who I am. I have learned that when I stumble there are people there who will catch me and help me on my way. I have learned you can’t do a damn thing unless you try. I quit smoking. I have completed a number of triathlons to include a half ironman and my full ironman is on the horizon where I can see it. I have run 5Ks and marathons (I lost my marbles), and everything in between! I have successfully dealt with two children with special needs. I have, not accepted the fact, but dealt with the fact that I have multiple autoimmune diseases. I have started working on my Bachelor’s Degree and I am now more than half way to completing it.

Eight years ago, I didn’t know who I was. I thought the only way to survive is by having a man in my life. Well, the men in my life today are there because I want them, not need them. The men in my life today know how to treat a lady. Ok, the men in my life right now are the two cutest young men I have ever seen (one of them isn’t far from being taller than I am) and the other two are bed and/or blanket hogs. But I am proud to have them a part of who I am.

Eight years go by and a lot changes!

30 Days Hath September, APRIL, June and November

You would figure with the number of times I write about 30-day challenges something would change. I am happy to report for the most part when I go to Starbucks I only get a tall iced latter; every once in a while I will get a venti, but that is so infrequently I am very proud of it. I am still doing pretty well with no TV after 10:30, once in a while I get a nice case of insomnia and all bets are off. So here we are, April Fool’s Day, there are 30 days in this month so I am hitting the 30 day challenge, yet again! I know, why don’t I just give up. Well, I refuse to just give up!

A few things about this blog have changed. First and foremost, the weight tracker. It is a little disconcerting seeing how much weight I have lost vs. the total amount I am shooting for. So, it now reflects my short term goal (I shoot for 10% of the total amount at a time). At the bottom I also have added my countdown to my two “A” races this year. I have my half ironman in September and the Denver Marathon in October. The half ironman is not so much an “A” race more like a test to see how I am improving.

In March I had 68.5 miles on the books but only completed 52.23 (yuck!). That is definitely something that needs to be worked on! That barely over 75% of the miles I should have completed. I have a 4 mile run on the books for today that got moved to tomorrow (Monday was a little rough so everything got bumped back a day) with that miles included I would have been over 80%.

April has no races scheduled! Nada! Nothing! So this will be a good quiet time to continue training.

Attend Weight Watchers meeting every week (even bad weeks)

Complete all BRC FIT training sessions each week (doesn’t have to be on the exact days)

Water – 75 oz every day (this includes weekends)