tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75632457706434921142024-03-21T13:15:45.737-05:00She Runs Everywhere6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-34516420086342498132023-01-03T13:24:00.002-06:002023-01-03T13:24:49.760-06:002023<p>Seriously, if I could make money off of every time I thought or even every time I actually said on here that I was going to revive this blog then I'd be just a little bit richer. So, yes, here I go. New year, let's do this!</p><p>I will need to go back and do some recaps of things that happened last year in previous months. If for anything, for myself. That way I have something to look back to and reflect upon. However since it's the beginning of 2023, let's start here and look ahead for the moment.</p><p>I'm not so much into making specific running goals. I already spent many running years doing that and achieving many of them. However as I have gotten older I'm finding that I just need to run and not worry so much of the specifics of time. I'm not exactly thrilled with this idea because yes, I want to run faster. I want to shoot for a PR. I want to get back to having a BQ. But my last few races have simply just been about finishing. So I'm going to keep going with that idea.</p><p>To start off this year I officially signed up for my next marathon.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTpNc7HbsWuf0q8fdZgg1It5kLWPVJ3HQhD-Z6cOAUepUjekfZraNF5cDRLTJ9X5RbW14b3Pfl4PfEl8l6EGa5uhqBBg6mdYsMmdLcyRoc4Y4pWjD6e0JevddAsHddbZTg1RULnsag7gG6sSYmPTW_l8FUEf-3R9vcHHevrwe2IZO44MBaSyIt6Rv/s1422/IMG_5497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTpNc7HbsWuf0q8fdZgg1It5kLWPVJ3HQhD-Z6cOAUepUjekfZraNF5cDRLTJ9X5RbW14b3Pfl4PfEl8l6EGa5uhqBBg6mdYsMmdLcyRoc4Y4pWjD6e0JevddAsHddbZTg1RULnsag7gG6sSYmPTW_l8FUEf-3R9vcHHevrwe2IZO44MBaSyIt6Rv/s320/IMG_5497.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last summer I went out & visited my daughter who lives in the Sacramento area. We spent the last day in the San Francisco area and I made sure I had a run out there too. Of course, living up to my She Runs Everywhere theme. The day I flew out I found out that the San Francisco marathon was that day. I honestly hadn't ever paid attention to that race, but now it was on my radar. I looked ahead to this year's race & realized that it would be run on my daughter's birthday. I don't need a reason to go out to visit my daughter, but throwing in a big race would definitely ensure that I get out there again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I talked about and toyed with the idea over and over for several months. I came up with a lot of reasons not to go run the race, yet I kept going back to thinking that I should. So despite my what feels like endless health issues (minor in the big scheme of things, but still a pain to be dealing with), less than stellar end of year running and having an upcoming wedding to focus on (yes, I definitely need to blog about that!) I went with my gut and got registered for the race.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since this post is about 2023 I will throw a few other running/race plans out there for the year. In April I plan to run the Lincoln Presidential half marathon in Springfield, IL. I've done that race many times & it is a favorite. July will be San Francisco. August will be my annual ultra at Howl at the Moon. To round out the year I am hoping to run the New York marathon. I won't know that for sure until February/March. I will have to enter the lottery and hope to get chosen to run. There may be other races in there too. I just don't have them on my radar or made any plans for them yet. And of course, plenty of running here, there & everywhere. Running adventures as I always consider them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2023....I'm ready & waiting, so here we go!</div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-16342119404241240582022-05-26T12:21:00.000-05:002022-05-26T12:21:19.574-05:00126th Boston Marathon<p>For years, even before I ever ran my first Boston marathon in 2015, I became completely infatuated with this race. I don't know if I can actually pinpoint it to an exact day or timeframe that this happened, but I know its been in my heart and on my mind for a really long time. The words Marathon Monday or even Patriots Day means something and gets me all excited and ramped up like a teenage girl screaming over the latest boyband. I'm sure that my path to this was led by the discovery and fascination with marathon runner Ryan Hall which took me into the deep depths of marathon running. Prior to that I really was a solid 5k person in terms of my own running and really only paid attention to track & field since I had run that in high school myself. I did also run cross country in high school, but for some reason, I didn't have any exposure to the larger scope of this field other than what I ran in my high school years.</p><p>It would personally take me into my late 30s, now mid 40s before I would run the Boston marathon. What's great about this race is that each runner has a unique and personal story that leads them to this time in their lives. No matter what that journey looks like it's often viewed as a success and triumph in every way. It's not exclusive to Boston, but often it is seen as the mecca of marathon running. Anyway....I'll stop being all philosophical and give you my account & thoughts of my running of this year's Boston Marathon.</p><p>We arrived in Boston 3 days before the actual race. By then we were pretty vacationed out and had done A LOT of sightseeing. While we did some looking around I really just wanted to focus on everything surrounding the race. Some of that was easy to combine, while other things just went undone/unseen. The expo takes a big amount of time and I went through just about every inch of that place. There were things to buy and just neat things to look at. Its even just fun & fascinating to be surrounded by so many like minded people. I like to people watch too! I'm pretty sure I went by every booth more than once and just took it all in. </p><p>It paid off when suddenly I saw someone standing by the Alta booth. No big fanfare or attraction, but a person that I knew and immediately began fangirling over. I tried my best to keep cool, but deep down I was having a major OMG moment. My kids looked at me like I had just grown a third head and they were confused by my complete state of freaking out. It was none other than Kara Goucher!! I swear if you don't know who that is then don't ask me....just google it and impress me with such knowledge. I'm kidding....I will tell you all about her once I stop giving you the ¨are you crazy¨ look. Who doesn't know who Kara Goucher is?!?!?! Ok, turns out a lot of people don't. But in the world of Carmen Peterson she is amazingly everything. One of my idols and role models that I completely respect and look up to.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJa1oEBTqXmFgoBW3myT_hjeEvw2Is4hMG39i4AveUf49Hp3ZGS8IWXEDxsHfmeUB4es-r0oNd1EastILWqd55EP9LvX8L859Nlh1fkW1d89jgJmCop5EaKHD7vPU_9NWXD3D1sp49OHC_upILhEF_-BsbqPU7j3cgMbHu8uF_Bde0xMclMiS5_9G/s4032/IMG_7438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJa1oEBTqXmFgoBW3myT_hjeEvw2Is4hMG39i4AveUf49Hp3ZGS8IWXEDxsHfmeUB4es-r0oNd1EastILWqd55EP9LvX8L859Nlh1fkW1d89jgJmCop5EaKHD7vPU_9NWXD3D1sp49OHC_upILhEF_-BsbqPU7j3cgMbHu8uF_Bde0xMclMiS5_9G/s320/IMG_7438.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">She signed my shirt that I was wearing. I'm never going to wash it!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PPyReiwddNPQuXy7VV4xfe05oHThIE4c69HbczwHHB7wcYeS5uQqeqGlIwbAnt6lsvZQzwbSRBTzqkIHvT8qddJQ_9l52uvm9gnWjFRqTKtzCH03Neow81T7CeDjwBqJMc8woZQh72EGDzQfBoVZNecPH5AJHZjUPBAJ-nHouoW24Z0UDxu3s47/s4032/IMG_7442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-PPyReiwddNPQuXy7VV4xfe05oHThIE4c69HbczwHHB7wcYeS5uQqeqGlIwbAnt6lsvZQzwbSRBTzqkIHvT8qddJQ_9l52uvm9gnWjFRqTKtzCH03Neow81T7CeDjwBqJMc8woZQh72EGDzQfBoVZNecPH5AJHZjUPBAJ-nHouoW24Z0UDxu3s47/s320/IMG_7442.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The next day we went back down to the expo to give it a final walk through and then around the finish line area. There I was minding my own business when a crowd caught my eye and I look over and see 2 ladies taking pictures and signing autographs. I once again went in to fan girl mode and took off to join the mob of people to vye for their attention. My boyfriend is knowledgeable enough to know who I was freaking out about, but my kids and my dad were left clueless as I completely abandoned them in this pursuit. This time it was Des Linden & Molly Seidel that I spotted. If you know anything about me personally you know that if I fan about something then I fan hard. If you could choose a word to best describe me then PASSIONATE might be a very top contender. It's pretty easy to keep cool & collected about any of my passions when I'm going about my daily life, but when face to face with it I just go all in and let it explode out of me in every way possible. It paid off and I was able to snag autographs and pictures with both ladies.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHPjahQdIfLgKj0T0-wNLtwhcwZ19AkqqekpYvijgiaM0KWwxLQwKfIn1NE68QjAR0ALu9GTxHFnjSrFbwGWN-iZXBr3QWGuQGV-XkottI7aqnINa3_djfByTQPNH2LiZxvD-u082k2HGQR0oZTKdj4mcVtaOye72D9HSpR2I3UXufSewUcOiXqio/s3088/IMG_7537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHPjahQdIfLgKj0T0-wNLtwhcwZ19AkqqekpYvijgiaM0KWwxLQwKfIn1NE68QjAR0ALu9GTxHFnjSrFbwGWN-iZXBr3QWGuQGV-XkottI7aqnINa3_djfByTQPNH2LiZxvD-u082k2HGQR0oZTKdj4mcVtaOye72D9HSpR2I3UXufSewUcOiXqio/s320/IMG_7537.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">With Molly Seidel. I cried watching her run her Olympic marathon finish last summer!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM-UJGqg91GdWJnkPVz7wzTrlpNCGmm43AOZvjlUZxeAOlVepEAQ-rXD81py9cs6YW-xNoc7mw3IvK2WItMt1y96vpwIcogu5kth5-zlYCvQo45RBsxMIJ156csvupVUAvKVa_6KyEXXGOAVF7Fo9RKtuQFqzXA_PhZfEN8l4BHmWRgUIwr_CoRbm/s4032/IMG_7538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM-UJGqg91GdWJnkPVz7wzTrlpNCGmm43AOZvjlUZxeAOlVepEAQ-rXD81py9cs6YW-xNoc7mw3IvK2WItMt1y96vpwIcogu5kth5-zlYCvQo45RBsxMIJ156csvupVUAvKVa_6KyEXXGOAVF7Fo9RKtuQFqzXA_PhZfEN8l4BHmWRgUIwr_CoRbm/s320/IMG_7538.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">With Des Linden. I also cried when I watched her finish & win the Boston marathon in 2018. Funny story about this picture though, it was taken on the camera/phone of the lady next to me. There was quite the crowd vying for her attention & Des had already signed my jacket. Instead of also thrusting my phone in her hand I smiled for this picture then chased the woman next to me down and asked her to text me the picture. I also love the face of my daughter who has no clue who Des even is or why I was freaking about her. The look on her face was priceless.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvOqvzsfFKsQei6CoRPNLnxWM0Oi-AkNka7H46zXb_vmlayt3IGPSI7-5VrhwciDYFQGIVbkhhQy135RjKYpp0Ha9z_AWwJ5vuM4FFEJSPKGBVMnOUVgdbhXTYSzzdFxdBPeCzWoGnVvNBtAPJjHNaO2MUKot0K0XrbCERPoRZS4Xi66M75isxem_/s4032/IMG_0106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvOqvzsfFKsQei6CoRPNLnxWM0Oi-AkNka7H46zXb_vmlayt3IGPSI7-5VrhwciDYFQGIVbkhhQy135RjKYpp0Ha9z_AWwJ5vuM4FFEJSPKGBVMnOUVgdbhXTYSzzdFxdBPeCzWoGnVvNBtAPJjHNaO2MUKot0K0XrbCERPoRZS4Xi66M75isxem_/s320/IMG_0106.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Where my jacket had been signed by these ladies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-MhF7a-66ul3uMSmUh1lI-Yq1d95ZB0UNy1pPjcj-KLeJUxQuZ8GQFpKb0ufBSRZHSNMwEAA2TZjWHfT2DzJRW1_9lQDXb93102ihqklojbI2jc4LWhpfNENAO30jK3DTMifuH5kWfr0jX7YOhpm9sHkIE-D-f7pzedBaSCr9wH402YNpDfbf1s8/s4032/IMG_7548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-MhF7a-66ul3uMSmUh1lI-Yq1d95ZB0UNy1pPjcj-KLeJUxQuZ8GQFpKb0ufBSRZHSNMwEAA2TZjWHfT2DzJRW1_9lQDXb93102ihqklojbI2jc4LWhpfNENAO30jK3DTMifuH5kWfr0jX7YOhpm9sHkIE-D-f7pzedBaSCr9wH402YNpDfbf1s8/s320/IMG_7548.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN75ZtEsWp8U0a11bZRW1r88eXJJ_yJu4pIaO4ZosPAtA6SBvJmAaruComzaqfqjojpVtcGBA75vdAqfyBPy9WAhY2IJjQJpIye3gdngEKsnzUeZH13zW9Fo6LAYhP1lyogkzc_53LL8qFIKgyrrWNGfRS7b5tzZuNGLR08ehAeKO3lO0lGLTFF_q-/s4032/IMG_7547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN75ZtEsWp8U0a11bZRW1r88eXJJ_yJu4pIaO4ZosPAtA6SBvJmAaruComzaqfqjojpVtcGBA75vdAqfyBPy9WAhY2IJjQJpIye3gdngEKsnzUeZH13zW9Fo6LAYhP1lyogkzc_53LL8qFIKgyrrWNGfRS7b5tzZuNGLR08ehAeKO3lO0lGLTFF_q-/s320/IMG_7547.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Right as I walked away I turned around and saw a very familiar face.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNocPOd-sBERqO_9h9pG7fY3QqMTKetOJ-usB2jnicUcqgsDZv0HZIESH3MPnNFyVpnqqca9Ku4JECnnpBCs-ViIdhY8Q8-FVfn-4ZL8pePkITN55oBW_gfhzncIMzIO1yIX6Kmvq2fskDXHNh1QuKQqKA18pqZcc9DflLTNjsDxP4uiVqZwYSEwOl/s4032/IMG_7550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNocPOd-sBERqO_9h9pG7fY3QqMTKetOJ-usB2jnicUcqgsDZv0HZIESH3MPnNFyVpnqqca9Ku4JECnnpBCs-ViIdhY8Q8-FVfn-4ZL8pePkITN55oBW_gfhzncIMzIO1yIX6Kmvq2fskDXHNh1QuKQqKA18pqZcc9DflLTNjsDxP4uiVqZwYSEwOl/s320/IMG_7550.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p>Now in the midst of a city with hundreds of thousands of people, not to mention the additional 30 some thousand of runners from all over the world to turn around and completely unplanned see someone you have known for 30+ years is, to me, a God thing. I knew Dave was a runner & was wanting to get to Boston, but had not spoken to him in 10 months to know that he was going to be there to run as well. What a fun moment to pause & chat with him and connect.</p><p>Sunday was a big rest day for me. We found a church to attend since it was Easter Sunday, but other than that I had one thing I wanted to accomplish: the start line in Hopkinton. On race day the place is packed, not only with runners, but media, press, etc. So going in advance is more ideal to grab those iconic pictures and better scope out the place. This also frees one up to really just focus on the race come Monday morning.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO-MiP9YPQOVL6WTdAERE-PX5nPlJ6zqJ0XO0PCM3qng353HW3D9L3oXS_PhJo0AAgPCh4MMcNwyLTi1b0pxHXEL1gGn6zhdXq5y_6AynnRyxZkiL7yTTCG-oT1FudbJwKTTJZ9S5brqibX0cHbCLQ6Bv-kb5jBDObCSPoM5C6r9xyephUeOa9DA_/s4032/IMG_7590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQO-MiP9YPQOVL6WTdAERE-PX5nPlJ6zqJ0XO0PCM3qng353HW3D9L3oXS_PhJo0AAgPCh4MMcNwyLTi1b0pxHXEL1gGn6zhdXq5y_6AynnRyxZkiL7yTTCG-oT1FudbJwKTTJZ9S5brqibX0cHbCLQ6Bv-kb5jBDObCSPoM5C6r9xyephUeOa9DA_/s320/IMG_7590.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They actually have police monitoring the road and will stop traffic so you can get a picture!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqzkXqvc8vM2yJrOVjjlnwqrBYqudRee3e-uyxe0AhdMVSJzbMB2o01ZyeXQk7Re4rsKxDOam7Rn2eV-_GbdV1t4oHHldqRMJKKRiTW5WXHZS4gYHv6IJZogCoDTzAtbiUBkaMes981H8yZgMOaSwDczjz2Fxhd9YdMxtzUinIhb9b9S458wdxbxD/s4032/IMG_7602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqzkXqvc8vM2yJrOVjjlnwqrBYqudRee3e-uyxe0AhdMVSJzbMB2o01ZyeXQk7Re4rsKxDOam7Rn2eV-_GbdV1t4oHHldqRMJKKRiTW5WXHZS4gYHv6IJZogCoDTzAtbiUBkaMes981H8yZgMOaSwDczjz2Fxhd9YdMxtzUinIhb9b9S458wdxbxD/s320/IMG_7602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcfmoMEgObkr8RV6Y3_VB3Cx_NcbBQ45frHfTAtFHxSlV2hL1vhKf3KwxymfiR9QYEb7LPGql7XPstUwDeI8h4_Dfn2Jhh7KI2hq_3GrDVvxBUTp0fUSJsQELYgGKaEwiTPIkABflxW771KrrLUnknSTd8pD0kzuvjUoYfvkUM35AuTdMPJwkFt_b/s4032/IMG_7618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcfmoMEgObkr8RV6Y3_VB3Cx_NcbBQ45frHfTAtFHxSlV2hL1vhKf3KwxymfiR9QYEb7LPGql7XPstUwDeI8h4_Dfn2Jhh7KI2hq_3GrDVvxBUTp0fUSJsQELYgGKaEwiTPIkABflxW771KrrLUnknSTd8pD0kzuvjUoYfvkUM35AuTdMPJwkFt_b/s320/IMG_7618.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b><u>RACE DAY</u></b></p><p>Like any race I've ever done I did not sleep very well the night before. Aside from dealing with the sickies during the week, which was mostly gone, I was feeling very good and confident about how my run in Boston was going to go. Even though I wouldn't start running until almost 11 a.m. I still had to be downtown to catch my bus by 8 a.m. Since we had stayed outside of the city I had to be driven in and dropped off as close as I could to Boston Commons where the buses wait to transport us out to the start line.</p><p>Nerves and excitement were definitely setting in, but that's about expected with any race I do. Once I was off the bus I milled around the Athleteś Village waiting for my start time. In true mom & coach fashion I was also still fielding phone calls and getting things taken care of before I got to the start line. It always seems like there is plenty of time before the start, but then all of a sudden youŕe in a coral and off you go!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CJymEaDPTd1xsJUrkL-2gs42wN06lKM-xANe9rkh0UCRwd8XcLcAJ6xF34XlwhanOPtOmzQQSIfUzJC1_qE113Ap823RHed-UXGjLHYUJtMY-1HJ-2i5PuWh3yU-_KQSfaXvyvr2CfwbkL1BSyaZdHxtSkdsamhXmhKcjzSk156Ra5xGLhhK7nzX/s4032/IMG_7658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CJymEaDPTd1xsJUrkL-2gs42wN06lKM-xANe9rkh0UCRwd8XcLcAJ6xF34XlwhanOPtOmzQQSIfUzJC1_qE113Ap823RHed-UXGjLHYUJtMY-1HJ-2i5PuWh3yU-_KQSfaXvyvr2CfwbkL1BSyaZdHxtSkdsamhXmhKcjzSk156Ra5xGLhhK7nzX/s320/IMG_7658.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The start crowd is amazing. I've done A LOT of racing in my years, but there is nothing like Boston. I took off moving along the best I could. The weather was amazingly wonderful! The sun was shining bright and the temps were mild in the mid 50s.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aNzO5CopDlTIiXywsnoS0BULTYfrxD6JRCg2Mncg_rVFzuTqrDcVCTOUaLzmM4ELHLyqZOMTQMviwRtEIOneXJvrJw1GvSM-GRF_gsNM66ApNm5Sk_EufYpXNqrdcxflGqsNR9iqg1MbmTSf0fSbqRk6gcZ3xfbppH5cNe3HY6KSWvKKrCj7liT_/s3088/IMG_7661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aNzO5CopDlTIiXywsnoS0BULTYfrxD6JRCg2Mncg_rVFzuTqrDcVCTOUaLzmM4ELHLyqZOMTQMviwRtEIOneXJvrJw1GvSM-GRF_gsNM66ApNm5Sk_EufYpXNqrdcxflGqsNR9iqg1MbmTSf0fSbqRk6gcZ3xfbppH5cNe3HY6KSWvKKrCj7liT_/s320/IMG_7661.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I was moving along at a comfortable pace (8:15ish) all the way through the 10k point. This pace is not all out too hard for me, but not taking it easy either. I was completely content to keep this pace the whole way. It wouldn't give me a PR, but still a good decent race. Suddenly I rolled my ankle really hard. I didn't fall, but I had a good stumble and pain shot through my foot. I came to a limping walk and could barely keep going. Rule number 1 for me when I get hurt is to keep moving if possible. The last thing I want is my foot to swell up and get tight. So I walked the best I could even though I was limping horribly. The thoughts shot through my head: this is it.... I'm done....I can't keep going.....this hurts REALLY BAD. But we all know I'm a fighter and just as quickly as those thoughts came I also pushed back and thought: NO! I DID NOT come all this way just to quit! I don't care if I have to walk this entire race....I WILL FINISH! So I kept moving. It was a lot slower and it hurt, but I kept pushing forward.</p><p>I had a childhood friend waiting for me at mile 10 and that was definitely a highlight to look forward to seeing her.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6Wf3XtFx6Sdpy7dnJQdeeToTs9yVZO0o5HW_CoHj92htcybh-133iPhWdGfrKIYahHUVKXX-RglxQSS6jbVqrjvsg-r9PF7FT018C7wGx0nXJz9YfszRqSzDRnrjRQUxsn_Iumw8JeRIsn_amwcKktOE8fr4wEyj8Xh8NWnNGtkQNj-AdmmsxQtR/s1454/IMG_7677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6Wf3XtFx6Sdpy7dnJQdeeToTs9yVZO0o5HW_CoHj92htcybh-133iPhWdGfrKIYahHUVKXX-RglxQSS6jbVqrjvsg-r9PF7FT018C7wGx0nXJz9YfszRqSzDRnrjRQUxsn_Iumw8JeRIsn_amwcKktOE8fr4wEyj8Xh8NWnNGtkQNj-AdmmsxQtR/s320/IMG_7677.JPG" width="317" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oak St. and Muskie girls for a really long time!</div><p><br /></p><p>I kept moving through the miles. Some were good and a few times I gained momentum and I was able to pick up the pace. Others were absolutely awful and I wondered how I was ever going to finish. They talk about hitting the wall. I've had that happen in other marathons, but usually only once around miles 18-20. This time though I hit several walls. I have never taken so many walk breaks ever in all of my marathons. It was honestly kind of awful. But I. Kept. Going.</p><p>The whole time I was worried about my ankle rolling again. So I kept my stride small and my feet closer to the ground to minimize any possibility. This particularly made tackling the hills very challenging.</p><p>Through all the miles I stayed determined to take it all in, have fun & mentally note all of the memories. I allowed myself to soak in the sights and sounds along the way.</p><p>There seemed to be a lot of screaming and pointing when I was running with this particular runner. I had no clue who it was, but he certainly seemed to be attracting a lot of attention. So I got in front of him and snapped a few shots with him. Later I found out that it was Matt James from the Bachelor.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8iKI6_e3fsCK0YDVxpHtiEaoOMpwTCTTJ9zgmAGfulNXS8ozTJ1rWzaqHKHvYMwFfaGEVdVZRPDnolU0kFZayU8GzlTcMFGkuQV14p3tueMtZWHw3cwBr_bJUupT7XxrCNlH_LR2uP_cmX-W1JX5DHOM0gaCTmIcu6IlOhU9MAjf-YVSr6WPHEHk/s3088/IMG_7666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8iKI6_e3fsCK0YDVxpHtiEaoOMpwTCTTJ9zgmAGfulNXS8ozTJ1rWzaqHKHvYMwFfaGEVdVZRPDnolU0kFZayU8GzlTcMFGkuQV14p3tueMtZWHw3cwBr_bJUupT7XxrCNlH_LR2uP_cmX-W1JX5DHOM0gaCTmIcu6IlOhU9MAjf-YVSr6WPHEHk/s320/IMG_7666.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I also realized later that I saw & ran past Shalane Flanagan. She was running as a guide to a impaired runner and I remember when I saw them I noted their cute matching outfits. Beyond that I didn't pay too close attention to the pair. Only to realize later who it was. Even though I didn't get a picture with her it still made me fangirl even after the fact that I was able to see her up close & in action.</p><p>The miles slowly ticked on. I kept playing the mental game of trying to figure out if I just ran this pace then I'd finish with a certain time. Of course as time went on that kept changing and I kept getting slower. My son called me from back home in Illinois at mile 16 and gave me nice words of love, support & encouragement.</p><p>At some point I had to accept that I was not going to finish under 4 hours. I had previously been guilty of saying that if I ever ran a 4+ hour marathon then I clearly failed at my racing endeavor and would be so embarrassed at such a time. Ha, well I guess I had to eat those words. I'll admit I did feel like a failure. I had to fight against the mental thoughts of I suck. How can I even be proud of this? and so on. </p><p>Coming up on mile 24 I finally was able to see my family. Seeing the look on their faces, their joy and excitement to see me in the crowd made it worth every hard miserable step I had to take to get there. They didn't care if I was running with the elite pack of dead last they were there proud of me and I could feel that as I approached them. I have the great ability of despite being horribly miserable I perk up, have fun & make it a celebration. Probably a surge of adrenaline, either way, I was just as excited to see them too!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F7roWPLYYVyjXPeOw2h7TBHS-USbzoyR0BUiV2r3koVaLZZQpWBaMIf5RwC_WZmzmzP9toe9sAXj4GBDpD0_alRvGHK7zY2BFnYyoawjIFgjMelGrGzNbzhQoW3zGJZ-SmEw7hZttVViZhZQ6JluF-qGCeAub7o-xMbJQ62DdzUE_XrQiYMUAy-_/s4032/IMG_1270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F7roWPLYYVyjXPeOw2h7TBHS-USbzoyR0BUiV2r3koVaLZZQpWBaMIf5RwC_WZmzmzP9toe9sAXj4GBDpD0_alRvGHK7zY2BFnYyoawjIFgjMelGrGzNbzhQoW3zGJZ-SmEw7hZttVViZhZQ6JluF-qGCeAub7o-xMbJQ62DdzUE_XrQiYMUAy-_/s320/IMG_1270.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My fan club: my daughter, my boyfriend, my son, my German daughter (exchange student) and my dad.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERrEnQcqWkrez-AMDM2wICcBKXUCECzW2LvBfdx-b25kqrhxnOlLbM-l9qdBauP5ffZVNB72plqDZhRptYlL5lj73IJ17lhxkKYsHfV3M3ZIst1iOORELbEHThnvRL7Y9stz7llnDp-KvZwizvYggJzZ2SjhErMyrypsXQ3aMGm1KkU_LVfbfHKDG/s3088/IMG_7667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERrEnQcqWkrez-AMDM2wICcBKXUCECzW2LvBfdx-b25kqrhxnOlLbM-l9qdBauP5ffZVNB72plqDZhRptYlL5lj73IJ17lhxkKYsHfV3M3ZIst1iOORELbEHThnvRL7Y9stz7llnDp-KvZwizvYggJzZ2SjhErMyrypsXQ3aMGm1KkU_LVfbfHKDG/s320/IMG_7667.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6bUg1qUVkaBJ4diYdNFeihbRSDfov_Wo8H16N1_lY2hTidfRU4YNXrnw_3JV7J-yao3Zcb5e0Xe6oUX2YmOMwQ8CsXtiG_94JddD_5uHKTIh7Sy9dkN8AwYZ0BR-YFBSAMVYjNI_1FgrvQeMOU9T1-a1x-hpQMlSVTutaSCGObKFk1Llirgnjgfk/s3088/IMG_7668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6bUg1qUVkaBJ4diYdNFeihbRSDfov_Wo8H16N1_lY2hTidfRU4YNXrnw_3JV7J-yao3Zcb5e0Xe6oUX2YmOMwQ8CsXtiG_94JddD_5uHKTIh7Sy9dkN8AwYZ0BR-YFBSAMVYjNI_1FgrvQeMOU9T1-a1x-hpQMlSVTutaSCGObKFk1Llirgnjgfk/s320/IMG_7668.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTYGzyyrXz2PDqtYLVjqPJs1ljzqcip9wE7J5xNGsjr58PSHnoKcl-k7-e4xy8JEhluwF-fTO7t27TGghCjOCt8auNFZ7iWEaYTDLx_pH3y5_W-03DjvGjTXsty50ZCqurVzCx7kTc-w2DfxL2ZeMYsq_tpTDPKrfrU5zrA79hiy9r3w9lJeoMezF/s3088/IMG_7669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTYGzyyrXz2PDqtYLVjqPJs1ljzqcip9wE7J5xNGsjr58PSHnoKcl-k7-e4xy8JEhluwF-fTO7t27TGghCjOCt8auNFZ7iWEaYTDLx_pH3y5_W-03DjvGjTXsty50ZCqurVzCx7kTc-w2DfxL2ZeMYsq_tpTDPKrfrU5zrA79hiy9r3w9lJeoMezF/s320/IMG_7669.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>In my final miles I finally accepted that I wasn't going to get a sub 4 hour marathon. Well, I kind of had to since the clock was saying otherwise, no matter how much I didn't like it. It took a lot of mental back and forth, but I focused on the good. I focused on all the people that I knew loved and supported me every step of the way, I focused on continuing to take in each and every moment. The sights, the sounds, the feelings.</p><p>As soon as I finished I was brought to tears. Despite not having the race I wanted I was very proud of myself and kept thinking ¨I did it! I did it!¨ I honestly don't know if this will be my last Boston....my track record isn't too great here, or if I'll come back....I mean three times a charm!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-HywUCKH-SwemphjrW3rFvAKvZcAA8ilx07C7C94amHYEjRwBm64gHlGdWdjgP1pz8iOrYtuyS5_G7rEUNx3qO_PXTEO2TuNclIu4GeFC4KSl9tyOivQYJnNrFlnfHiaJ8BxS6OaH2WWlbLoMM6Ciwh8-IvNta5cWX6_mO_jVDvXOt25F8cQKQ2T/s4032/IMG_7672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-HywUCKH-SwemphjrW3rFvAKvZcAA8ilx07C7C94amHYEjRwBm64gHlGdWdjgP1pz8iOrYtuyS5_G7rEUNx3qO_PXTEO2TuNclIu4GeFC4KSl9tyOivQYJnNrFlnfHiaJ8BxS6OaH2WWlbLoMM6Ciwh8-IvNta5cWX6_mO_jVDvXOt25F8cQKQ2T/s320/IMG_7672.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_cMy5gKWk-r2e4o2Yx_ooOBfWAH0BWwbTV_qnwLf4InsSJNNyczDLhMOGemzEcAOUkhnEFK-u57j0Xc2DFXHWdak_PvvGoJQPlGX5jaWf1cZwWz2GWQASxqmDiOigkr_TsnZpYozCsPDBMwan2KwjvizQ71gbKwB0h9AcFPto8-AKPaySZJCrZ-z/s3088/IMG_7674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_cMy5gKWk-r2e4o2Yx_ooOBfWAH0BWwbTV_qnwLf4InsSJNNyczDLhMOGemzEcAOUkhnEFK-u57j0Xc2DFXHWdak_PvvGoJQPlGX5jaWf1cZwWz2GWQASxqmDiOigkr_TsnZpYozCsPDBMwan2KwjvizQ71gbKwB0h9AcFPto8-AKPaySZJCrZ-z/s320/IMG_7674.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-76598758149519008832022-05-03T09:39:00.001-05:002022-05-03T09:39:31.891-05:00Boston - the prequel<p> Ok....ok.....I KNOW I haven't said a peep about Boston and it's been almost 2 weeks since I finished that race. And really it's good to write out my thoughts anyway. If anything for personal reflection & processing I want to get this down and out there for the (Carmen) history books.</p><p>Despite my best intentions and planning I did not get a post written about me even doing the race. A lot of times I have things planned out in my head. Thinking and planning are two of the things I do a lot of when I workout and run so much. Then reality hits and I either completely forget or other priorities take over and it just doesn't get done. So this morning I was thinking about how I could break this down into a prequel, the main title & then a postquel (an actual word....I looked it up!!)</p><p>So let´s rewind.</p><p>Last fall I had the idea to run the Quad City Marathon so I could attempt to qualify for Boston. While my running was so so I felt confident that I could get this done. Especially since being a bit older my qualifying time had been bumped up to 3:50. Long story short (cause I'm not going to go back and write a whole post about it) I accomplished my goal. My running was still pretty sketchy and being hit and miss with a lot of struggles and a lot of lows. One thing about me though is that hard things tend to push me even harder and I just don't like to give up without a fight.</p><p>My running took another big blow when I sprained my ankle really bad in a trail race in November. Despite that I still registered for Boston knowing I had months to recover and waited to see if I was going to make the cut off. In a good twist everyone that registered made it into Boston and I was ready to keep recovering and attack this marathon training cycle at the beginning of the year. </p><p>I completed one week of training at the end of January/beginning of February, even had my first long run done and then I was in a bad car accident. I completely totaled my car when going about 60 mph my car spun out of control, went off the road and flipped on its side. I managed to physically walk away from the incident with very minor injuries. However the emotional & psychological trauma, along with some other events in my life had me absolutely spinning out of control. Suddenly I could barely function (but of course I did on many basic levels) and every run became so incredibly hard. When I did manage to get myself out the door for a run every step became a fight to keep going. Never before have I ever struggled through so many runs.......and I have done A LOT of running in my years and have been through A LOT of really hard times in life. This took the cake and then the weather this past year was just one big fat cherry on the top. Despite all this I kept going. My training cycle was not really going like I wanted, but I made the best of what I could.</p><p>Due to my work schedule it worked out that I had the entire week off before Boston and I really wanted to make a vacation out of that time with my 2 youngest kids & my exchange student that I still have living at home. When you work in education you often have limited times during the school year to actually take a big vacation and this seemed to line up perfectly with going to Boston. My kiddos have never been to the upper East coast and I wanted to make this all happen. In true mom fashion I was thinking about their opportunities & experiences along with mine too. I was more than willing to sacrifice my perfect ideal vacation that could completely revolve around me and include them in it and make it more about us. Life IS short. Your time with your kids IS short. TAKE THE VACATION NOW!!</p><p>10 days before the Boston marathon I set out on vacation. My training was all done (even if it was crappy and hard) and I wanted to enjoy every moment leading up to the big day. We drove to Philadelphia, then New York City and then lastly Boston. We packed a lot of sightseeing and traveling into those days. Most days we were exhausted, yet our hearts were full from all the time together and memories we were creating. While in New York I started to get sick. Not like contagious sick, but my seasonal allergies flared up really bad. Massive head and sinus pressure, runny nose, sneezing, congestion. I made sure to still enjoy the vacation and smiled for all the pictures, but honestly I was miserable. I started a regime of Day/Nightquil, claritin, zyrtec, etc. You name it, I was probably on it, just so I could get some relief. Our last night in NYC I slept sitting up just so I could breath & get some relief from the pressure. It was no fun and the symptoms carried over to my first few days in Boston. After several days of serious medication I finally began to get a little bit of relief.</p><p>During all of this I still made time for some runs to keep me loose and ready for Boston. It's one of the reasons I embrace my whole SHE RUNS EVERYWHERE mentality. I take advantage of my love of travel to really get out there and run everywhere. In Philadelphia I had and I mean HAD to run down toward the art museum to recreate the infamous Rocky scene and see the Rocky statue. Turns out a lot of people do this, it's totally a thing and as cliche as it was I had fun going on that run.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxYDzhHPtXZfwsXqelDHv1on_sH5JQc3_hAF59ZzeGoebXBt5U6sn77LIhpZ4xhnBLr8eZPWV3g1aR6xZXTlQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltdUun1caaMeH2Y1koOQqec6_paGlmEzv0DgwcTO1ks-bCrQ4Rmn8MYdIKVy3vgMCjAySeyop1FTSsLNgTY8CuOlpJmxb4sDivEvfNcLeQBw36qIw-cNSu31PK5MFfz-NEStcKiWoXjVUU8bt9RJ4SxkyqqIXOP0rMSnxmqzuYJEXtTinZjDEVFej/s4032/IMG_6957.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltdUun1caaMeH2Y1koOQqec6_paGlmEzv0DgwcTO1ks-bCrQ4Rmn8MYdIKVy3vgMCjAySeyop1FTSsLNgTY8CuOlpJmxb4sDivEvfNcLeQBw36qIw-cNSu31PK5MFfz-NEStcKiWoXjVUU8bt9RJ4SxkyqqIXOP0rMSnxmqzuYJEXtTinZjDEVFej/s320/IMG_6957.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Rocky statue off to the side of the museum steps. Someone told me a few years ago that he thought I was like a female Rocky because he´d always see me out running in the early morning hours.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>In NYC I had a run where I left my hotel and ran through Times Square, then the Broadway district then toward the Hudson River where I was able to see the USS Intrepid before circling back to the hotel. I had previously spent a weekend in NYC with my daughter just the month before and that time I ran the other way toward the East River and was able to see many sights on that run as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsFUIrEhBs2TnycL9r2yxoLIp73wHvxw3kPLkLKFQRgRoN6yIRdkkaS6naEclAAV0LV7EbY8f9rSpoS48M7f6XnZcGXgszqK-b5TB9399so-HGPm29U-01vvhvrk5TvMULL812nGa8P7Y0Zp7kLsXUOGJtxxvUvHAvLVZLQyEBNuCURwD904k6Zzz/s4032/IMG_7174.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsFUIrEhBs2TnycL9r2yxoLIp73wHvxw3kPLkLKFQRgRoN6yIRdkkaS6naEclAAV0LV7EbY8f9rSpoS48M7f6XnZcGXgszqK-b5TB9399so-HGPm29U-01vvhvrk5TvMULL812nGa8P7Y0Zp7kLsXUOGJtxxvUvHAvLVZLQyEBNuCURwD904k6Zzz/s320/IMG_7174.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>My time in Boston was much different than 7 years ago when I was out there for my first Boston marathon. Instead of staying in Boston we were at a hotel about 15 miles outside the city. Even though my allergies were still kicking my butt, I still went out for a run and was rewarded when I found an amazing view of Boston even though it was from far away. Maybe it's a downfall, but I'm so guilty of taking in the view when I run. I don't hesitate to stop, smell the roses so to speak and just enjoy the experience instead of making it all about the run. Not every run is this way, I have plenty when I push forward and grind to get the work done. When it does happen though I feel like I'm always winning. The peace, the moments, the complete happiness that fills my soul is always worth the experience.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSg_rJlKzyuweAtwdTCYYHYLW4iEticny2ljZl1hACcZiGIbCUiFgYaAiofvNZi-yMKuv5E7oRwS3tNYzv7BqLT-0-9V1h-oxyrOQZSFDLYRGX9yfMyx9Y-VdAQ7DYGPFMuobTSivT2xf0kiDv4nPjJiAPxCyDxMSdU9D3KB7ApPguYnTACbj58xvZ/s4032/IMG_7399.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSg_rJlKzyuweAtwdTCYYHYLW4iEticny2ljZl1hACcZiGIbCUiFgYaAiofvNZi-yMKuv5E7oRwS3tNYzv7BqLT-0-9V1h-oxyrOQZSFDLYRGX9yfMyx9Y-VdAQ7DYGPFMuobTSivT2xf0kiDv4nPjJiAPxCyDxMSdU9D3KB7ApPguYnTACbj58xvZ/s320/IMG_7399.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>You have to zoom in a little, but in the distance you see the skyline of Boston. Pictures rarely ever do the view justice. It´s always better in person. So if you can just stop and enjoy the moment! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPJox3GZ6kR4wljepTxIubRseyEm2_LNcM-W4M5iimo61Zte6eJD4T39VUZZLjLqt70rjU-X1LTwmihzpnWdiTL1d6B5r26k4oR3VytetvFH8cffLndC5aR6g-Hg8t3hd_O0SKTfgwuK07EzRoei59yAPFBM8yJBUp_Tf1yFcKFto8T9kam6TX_FE/s3088/IMG_7400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPJox3GZ6kR4wljepTxIubRseyEm2_LNcM-W4M5iimo61Zte6eJD4T39VUZZLjLqt70rjU-X1LTwmihzpnWdiTL1d6B5r26k4oR3VytetvFH8cffLndC5aR6g-Hg8t3hd_O0SKTfgwuK07EzRoei59yAPFBM8yJBUp_Tf1yFcKFto8T9kam6TX_FE/s320/IMG_7400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><p>Finally, I was at a point where there was nothing else I could do. Boston was here and I was ready to go! </p></div>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-87567761218916826702022-04-08T10:57:00.001-05:002022-04-08T10:57:51.544-05:00Race Recap<p> No, I didn't forget about you or this race update! I just have dreams & ambitions to do things that my schedule doesn't really allow for, but I try to make them happen anyway. Life is usually a struggle in one way or another and its often what we do with those struggles that count. So finally here I go......</p><p>It helps that a friend saw me on Tuesday morning and was like WELL?!?!? What happened?!?! You never told us. Ok...ok, I'll get to it. Part of me just wants to put my head in the sand anyway and be all ignorance is bliss, but sometimes it's not. So fine, I'll deal with it and talk it out.</p><p>For those that are on my social media, I did post a post race picture and only mentioned how disappointed I was. Now keep in mind, I am my own worst critic. I set the bar really high for myself. I push myself more than anyone else. We could theorize about the why behind that, but maybe I'll save that for a session with my therapist. I´d rather just assume that is the way I am wired. Move, move, move. Push, push, push. Go, go, go. Do, do, do. Yes, that can be a fault at times, but mostly it serves me well.</p><p>Keep in mind that my goals and expectations may not be what anyone else thinks is normal. While I'm far from any professional athlete, it's fair to say I'm not your average mid 40 year old mom either. So please allow me to just talk about this race and keep the perspective that this is normal for ME!! Maybe crazy as well, but hey, I'm good with crazy!</p><p>The Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon is a favorite race of mine. I went back and did some personal history look up and here is what I found. I first did this race in 2011 & have ran it 6 times, now 7. This is where I ran my half marathon PR (1:37.34) back in 2014 and I was the masters (over age 40) champion in 2018 (1:39:37). Interestingly the next year in 2019 I ran a minute faster and was not the masters champion. It always comes down to who is there that day & how they run. Sometimes it's enough to snag that top place, other times not.</p><p>Despite what people think I almost always <b>never </b>win a race. Well, I mean I have won races. Lots of them. I have a basement full of dusty, cobweb filled trophies to show for it. Those races though are local hometown type of races. Maybe 50-100 runners. Small in a world full of big races. I'm not diminishing what I've accomplished. A win is a win & I've won plenty of races. But you take this little fish and put her in a big sea and yeah, I'm not winning too many of those races. I have also been able to snag many age group awards. Those typically are either 1, 2 or 3rd place compared to other people in my age group. I have even placed in my age group in a slightly bigger marathon (the Illinois & Quad City marathon.) I have plenty to be proud of and while I dont expect a trophy every time I have won A LOT of them!</p><p>I wasn't sure how my body was going to hold up on race day. I've done a lot of training runs in preparation for my marathon so this should've been easy peasy. However my body is stuck in this icky phase with a lot of inflammation going on. Some days it's almost like my body has never been a runner and it is very frustrating. I made sure I got a lot of sleep and took care of my body to get ready for this race. When I headed to warm up I was feeling good. Not amazing, but fairly good, Now days I will take what I can get! Temps were on the cool side and there was this never ending wind that I've dealt with for the last few months of training, Overall slightly cooler than I would prefer, but not horrible.</p><p>Once the race started I settled in to a pace. Nothing slow, but nothing fast either. I'm notorious for going out too fast, which I can survive on a 5k, but not for a longer race. I was right behind the 1:45 pace group, but that was ideally a little on the slow side that I had hoped for so I worked for a few miles to get ahead of that group. Ideally I wanted to be around 1:40. Faster would be even better, it even crossed my mind that if I could have an awesome run and pull off a masters win then that would be total cake!! But knowing how my body has been I also knew that would be a stretch, I felt good and solid those early miles and saw several sub 8:00 miles on my Garmin. My knee started hurting at mile 6, an on/off side issue I've been having, but was manageable. The later half of this race has some hills, nothing massive, but certainly noticeable and would make my pace dip down and I'd have to work to get my pace back on track.</p><p>The last few miles I had to dig deep to keep on pace and not fall back too much. The 1:45 pace group passed me back up, but was just ahead of me the rest of the race. That did not help my confidence, but I focused on myself and just pushed to finish strong. When I crossed the line I had a time of 1:45.13. Not horrible, but not where I wanted to be either. At the moment I was just happy to have finished!</p><p>I walked around a little, hoping to see some friends finish, Tightness was setting in, the wind picked up and even though I tried to eat my stomach was just not having it. I was sent a link with the results and looked that up. I felt completely deflated when I saw that I didn't even place in my age group. I'll be honest that hit me harder than I wanted it to. I know that is not the end all measurement of success, but I suddenly didn't care about hanging around anymore. I just wanted to be back in my hotel room recovering in a hot tub & away from the race. I felt like a failure. </p><p>One of the hardest things for me right now is that after years of dedicating myself to running, which came oh so naturally and thriving so much, my body has hit a big road block. Yes, I am getting older, that is a big factor, but I've also done a lot to be proactive to stay healthy and strong. Those 2 elements are necessary to keep running as I age. But no matter what I do my body is still just fighting me. I tend to be a very black and white person in this area. You do A, you get B. I want answers as to why this is happening and there is no solid answer.</p><p>My big takeaway is that I CAN still run and this race, although not as fast as I'd prefer, was still a solid run needed to get me to my big marathon in 2 weeks. This may all be a struggle, but I'm going to keep on smiling and I will not quit!! That is a win-win no matter what.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEam3aJ4BQSJct70b8MMu2TN-3egm8_QJoaelkq2rEL_2EY0cDhpHE0jEWWXy_BGDftr6SWanBh4k1uh_cPLdVvs79nY0GY3mds9NbFiPcCoOA3qlSN1zx3jvtRXXTXa0neSZCFktkWGnowjg3ySDmvrrpvcvDywOyOZW0czHvq7WOWBIp43lpcfyl/s1031/IMG_6802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="688" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEam3aJ4BQSJct70b8MMu2TN-3egm8_QJoaelkq2rEL_2EY0cDhpHE0jEWWXy_BGDftr6SWanBh4k1uh_cPLdVvs79nY0GY3mds9NbFiPcCoOA3qlSN1zx3jvtRXXTXa0neSZCFktkWGnowjg3ySDmvrrpvcvDywOyOZW0czHvq7WOWBIp43lpcfyl/s320/IMG_6802.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj2DAZyV1YRhmQaN8VBm6sKFwoSPIwL5u197GtACFYZA-FX9Sh-ctJ8KbfSAZJWqzCGznvhYF9vIwZTC_dMm1psJHpEwzy_S01wJ1dCv4V19KqA4fAIgw3f7hkg-gydfY3hyNBV7US1Lbd1AsckXuJX1ghrOlaNrwUrKL4kM4bP-qNEOhmjdPyR2I/s828/IMG_6765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="828" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj2DAZyV1YRhmQaN8VBm6sKFwoSPIwL5u197GtACFYZA-FX9Sh-ctJ8KbfSAZJWqzCGznvhYF9vIwZTC_dMm1psJHpEwzy_S01wJ1dCv4V19KqA4fAIgw3f7hkg-gydfY3hyNBV7US1Lbd1AsckXuJX1ghrOlaNrwUrKL4kM4bP-qNEOhmjdPyR2I/s320/IMG_6765.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-21546030684892511462022-04-01T14:54:00.001-05:002022-04-01T14:54:25.354-05:00Here I go....AGAIN!<p> I think of this blog from time to time. I´m pretty sure only 5 people read it. Maybe 10-15 if I post the link on my Facebook. Sure I´d like to have a following, but I was never driven by numbers of followers. This was always more of a journaling opportunity to following all of my racing adventures. I like having this history out there even for my own personal record. If you follow along, that´s great as well. I like having company along the way. </p><p>This isn´t going to be a great revival like 2 years ago. Haha, one that didn´t last that long. However, I do have some big races coming up and thought I would document them and make it easier for my ¨fan club¨ to follow along and hear all about it.</p><p>First up, this weekend I am running the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon in Springfield, IL. I first ran this race back in 2011 and it has always been a favorite of mine. I'd have to go back and look to see how many times I have competed, but off the top of my head I know it's been several. It may even be the race I have run the most. Hmmmm, may have to look into that more. </p><p>This will be serving as a tune up race leading to me running the Boston Marathon on April 18. I have also run this race before, however this time is different. Very different. </p><p>I look forward to these next coming weeks and what it's going to include. And I look forward to having you along with the journey with me too!!</p>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-52938607622380914552020-05-01T15:48:00.000-05:002020-05-01T15:53:49.285-05:00May GoalsWhen I rewind my life about 50 days or so I had no idea what my future would hold. Really, none of us do ever. But I had at least a general idea or direction that my life was going. A lot of that based on planning, scheduling and the normalcy of which I lived my life. Sure, it can always be expected that little bumps come up in the road or even slightly bigger ones. But I always press on and get back to life as I knew it. This, however, has been different than any other time in my life and it's not only effecting me, but everyone around me.<br />
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It never occurred to me to set goals during this time. I was naive to grab hold of the mind set of ok, I got this, it's just a few weeks, maybe a month, then everything will just resume. Life as I knew it would return. Specific goals were not necessary because this was going to be very short term and my goal in general was just to hunker down and survive. Slowly, as I now realize, this has not turned into something short term. Yes, it is enough to declare and even be happy with the general goal I set. I'd say I've done it fairly well. </div>
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As I look ahead, I know this new normal is here for the time being and it's not anything that I'm used to. There are also other factors in my life that are a new normal for me that have coincided with this global change making this extra. In many ways those changes I can handle because I was in control of them and brought them on myself through other life events. The global changes though are being handed down through things that have nothing to do with me directly, yet they have drastically changed how I live my life.</div>
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Since today is May 1st, it's a good time to take a step back and set some goals for this month. The last 50 some days were a grace period of sorts, but now it's time to focus and be intentional. Here in short is my list in no particular order:</div>
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1) Run 200+ miles in the month of May. My running has really taken off like crazy. I have run such milage before, but it's probably been 5-6 years since I was at a peak and routinely running this much. I looked late last night and was just 2.5 miles short of 200. I honestly considered going out and logging those few miles real quick, but decided not to. At that point I was honestly truly tired and talked myself into being sensible. So for all of you who deem me craaaaazy, I'm actually sometimes not. Sometimes. </div>
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2) Read 4 books. I love to read. I don't love to sit still. Those two opposites keep me from getting much reading done. Yes, I know there are audio books. I've tried that. Not my cup of tea. Yes, I know there are e-books. Also not my cup of tea. Perhaps old fashion, but I really like to sit and read an actual feel it in my hands book. Often once I sit and get in the groove I can knock out books left and right. But that first step is the hardest for me to overcome. I'm working on this. I did read 4 books in the last 50 days. So I'm making progress.</div>
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(Just a few of the books I've read recently)</div>
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3) plant my garden and pay a lot of attention to it. I love to be outside and be a total soak up the sun and fresh air person. I've attempted to have a garden before, but it was in my years of having younger kids while also trying to work outside the home. Since I work for the school system now I am afforded summers off to be home during this time. My kids aren't so little any more either. Yes, they still need a lot of my time and attention, but I've turned that corner to having self sufficient humans and that makes a big difference.</div>
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4) organize and purge, specifically my basement and garage. I still have many boxes from my divorce that are packed up just waiting for me to go through. Honestly a box could disappear and I might be none the wiser which begs the question do I even really need it. Yes, I have slight OCD issues and being extremely sentimental have a hard time getting rid of things. I'm far from being on the show Hoarders, but don't touch my boxes cause I will likely freak out. So let's goal this issue and go through, purge and organize.</div>
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5) weight management. Don't even roll your eyes and tell me how great I already look. Even before all this hit I was packing on weight and it was getting out of control. Maybe not My 400 lb. Life out of control, but for me it was! This pandemic and stay at home stuff made things even worse. I wish I can say that I knew exactly what got me in gear and turned around, but in the last 40 days I have lost 10 lbs. and am working on a little bit more. It has helped that I joined an online fitness challenge that is helping me zone in on my eating and food habits. We know exercise isn't my issue, but food is. This Spring Into Action fitness challenge is exactly what I need to help reel things in and tighten up this ship.<br />
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6) play my french horn. I picked up my for the first time in many years and began playing to have something to do and pass the time. I wish I could say I was more consistent, but it's a struggle and I easily put it off and before I know it, it's 11 p.m. and I'm tired and want to go to bed. So I'd like to set a goal of 2-3x a week to pick up my horn and practice/play. I don't need to be perfect. I don't need to be ready to try out for an orchestra. I just need to play.</div>
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I can sit here much longer and come up with some more goals to focus on. The list and possibilities are endless. These are some that have come to mind and I want to focus on. I hope that by taking the time to sit and write it all down it sinks in even more and gives me that mindset to go after it and get it done!</div>
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What about you? Do you have any goals for May? What are you working on? Let me know, I want to hear!</div>
6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-53889537273204303132020-04-27T11:53:00.001-05:002020-04-27T11:53:52.742-05:00GratitudeI know I'm not the only one stuck in this endless cycle of stay at home order. I have such a wide variety of thoughts and feelings about all of this. Everything from "this is stupid" to "we'll hunker down as long as we need to" and so much more in between.<br />
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I'll be honest and admit that I'm not doing it perfectly either. To me there's this big black hole of doing exactly what we're told to do vs. me assessing each day, my life (and my children's), each situation and making decisions based on what I think is best. Sometimes the two do not match up with each other. That conflict and what I do/don't do can end up with so much stigma, judgement & criticism. I've had to work long and hard to simply not care about what others thinks, say or do about MY life. Yet being a highly empathetic person and simply caring All. The. Time. fights to put me right back in that box. It's an endless cycle of who I am.<br />
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Despite all that is battling within me each day, one thing I've tried to control is my gratitude. This takes constant effort and some days or even moments are easier than others. This is an area that I don't think I struggled with before, but feel like this pandemic and all the life changes that are happening with it are really testing me in this area. I'm also guilty of making my gratitude bubble very small and focusing on only the closest of things that I have any control over. While there's nothing wrong with that, it makes it pretty easy for me to feel challenged by other bigger situations and happenings. It makes me realize how much I need to focus on gratitude no matter how big or small the situation.<br />
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I woke up this morning with a renewed sense of gratitude. This was the view as I sat in my bed. I'm not 100% sure why, but I LOVE this view. I felt calm. I felt at peace. I felt SO thankful to be alive for another day. For me, this was a moment that God had put in my heart.<br />
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Perhaps it was too easy to embrace this feeling since it's such a small controlled environment. I'll admit that in the time since I took the picture and now, even as I wrote this post I've been tested A LOT. And being my emotional self have shed some tears and struggled. I'm going to go ahead and keep focusing on all that I'm thankful for. Big and small. I have so much to live for and for that I am thankful!<br />
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What are you thankful for? Is this something you struggle with? Talk to me, I want to listen 😊6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-80995778505240150752020-04-13T12:51:00.002-05:002020-04-13T12:51:33.912-05:00So Emotional Everyone experiences emotions differently. I for one am a very emotional person. I tend to feel and experience any/all emotions deep in my core and with every fiber of my being. It's not an exaggeration or me being dramatic. I am just wired to be this way and it's in no way a bad quality to have. I've had to learn and work on keeping my reactions to those emotions in check. It's not an excuse to let myself be out of control, although some times that does happen. <br />
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It can be frustrating when people don't know or understand how deep rooted my emotions can be. One of the worst things you can tell me is "calm down, don't be so emotional about this!". While I can work to calm down in many situations, there is no way I can not be emotional about things. I know I'm not the only person who is wired this way, a lot of people are. And probably just as many are wired to not be an emotional person. It's one of the many things that all makes us different and I strive to accept every person's differences.<br />
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One of the main emotions that most people are experiencing right now is grief. You usually think of grief as something that someone goes through when they've lost a loved one to death. However, I've read many articles that talk about the grieving process that many of us are going through right now. You may not even realize it or be able to identify it yourself. But our lives have all changed in the last month and we've all lost something(s) that at the very least was normal to us. Some of us have lost more than others, but we're all at a loss for what we knew as our life.<br />
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When I left school on Wednesday, March 11 I thought I was going to be gone for a scheduled 4 day weekend. In addition to my primary job in the classroom, we had just started track practice and the season was on the verge of getting in to full swing. <br />
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This was not any regular track season. Not only for me, but for the school itself. After 4 years of being an assistant coach, I was promoted to head coach of the boys and girls Lombard track team. I was scared, but so excited and ready to take on this role! Not to mention this is Lombard's last year as a Jr. High. The schools here are restructuring and after this year Lombard will be a 5-6 building with no track team. That also means there will no longer be this historic Churchill vs. Lombard divide. All year there has been plenty of focus on this End of an Era between the two Jr. High schools. One that dates back for over 60 years. I didn't grow up here, but my kids have all attended Churchill, but I've been equally loyal to the kids I coach at Lombard. To be honest they are both great schools and a part of the larger Galesburg school district, which I love and support. So I've never been a fan of the rivalry, but was honored to be the one to lead Lombard through it's end and final days.<br />
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In the beginning days of the quarantine and stay at home initiative I was hopeful and optimistic that we could still have a track season. Even if it was a shortened one. I encouraged my kids to remain active so that we wouldn't lose too much ground. As a mom, I have a son who was hopeful in that *perfect* 4x4 team that could honestly make it to state this year. So we tried to hold onto that hope that things could still happen and if it was not the norm, it would still be something!! We wanted to be ready to go when all of this was lifted. <br />
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As the days turned into weeks, my hope began to fade. I had to begin to accept that we probably wouldn't have a track season. I kept telling myself it was what was best and simply something we had to accept, even if we didn't like it. Finally the silver bullet came in an email from the IESA which officially cancelled the State Track Meet. I knew then that my track season was officially cancelled. I was crushed. Devastated. I knew somewhere deep inside this would happen, yet it did nothing to lessen the pain or stop the flood of tears that engulfed me. Was I being too emotional? Absolutely not! My heart and soul was being crushed. Not only for my personal reasons and goals, but for my students who have been robbed of this track season. For the 8th graders, my son included, who would never get this track season back.<br />
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It's been weeks since I got this news and even as I typed this out I still had to fight back the tears. I know and understand it is what is best to keep everyone safe and protected. It's nobody's fault. It's the reality of what this entire nation is going through. I know this adds to a long list of other life events that have changed for many people. Events, moments, dates they have been robbed of. Some things can be postponed or still held, but in drastically different ways than one imagined. However, many will have last moments, last chances, last events that they will never get back. My heart, my head, my body will grieve this for a long time. I won't forget it too easily. I never do. Not because I can't let go of things and move on, but because of the deep emotional attachment I have to them.<br />
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Has there been anything that you are grieving for during this time? It can be anything, big or little, if it's important to you then it's important! Are you an emotional person? I'd love to hear about it!<br />
6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-88699414455251742632020-04-01T20:10:00.001-05:002020-04-01T20:12:09.403-05:00Feast or FamineOne thing I know about myself is that I tend to be a feast or famine person. I'm either on or off. Often times there is no in between for me. However at the same time I feel like I'm a very steady, reliable person. I'm predictable.<br />
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A few weeks ago I came on strong and ready to change the world with my blog and each post that I had in mind (and I have plenty in my mental queue, plus all the ones that I'll write about as they happen). It was on like donkey kong. Then just as quickly I was nowhere to be found and no matter how much I thought about posting I just couldn't seem to get it done.<br />
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If there's one thing I can't complain about during this shelter at home time is that the time does not go slow. Days are clicking away faster than I want them to. I have a mental to-do list each and every day and it never fails that I can't get that list done. It's not even a long or big list. Some basics to get done, sprinkled in with some bigger projects that I want to work on. Some days it's a struggle to get even just the basics done.<br />
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It's no surprise that I have horrible time management skills. HORRIBLE! How I've managed to survive years of not only managing my own time, but that of my 6 pack, is beyond me! Granted the important stuff always got done one way or another. It never failed though that I would often get so many compliments about how I just had it all together and managed things so well. I always wanted to yell "I AM A MESS! AND DEFINITELY DID NOT HAVE MY SH*T TOGETHER!"<br />
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Either way, none of that has ever kept me from pushing forward through life. At some point I realized that nobody has it all together. While I can certainly have goals or work to improve in certain areas, I really just have to keep being and doing me and that's all I can focus on. If I can own and acknowledging my strengths and weaknesses (ie my feast or famine qualities) I can better tackle each day. It's an unspoken on my list and maybe one of the best things I can focus on during this time!<br />
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What are some of your best or worst qualities?6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-10053954976674035682020-03-28T17:54:00.001-05:002020-03-28T17:54:56.114-05:00Panic ShoppingA relatively new term that's surfaced amongst this pandemic is panic shopping. I can attest though that I recognize this process. It was often seen before when a big snow storm was coming. Many would rush out to the store and stock up and get ready to hunker down for a few days. Things like bread, milk and other essentials would be cleared off the shelves in a hurry from anyone and everyone. Having at one point 6 kids at home which to hunker down with I know I did this on occasion as well. Not sure I'd say I was in a panic though, just went out cause I knew I needed to be prepared. Having a cart entirely full of groceries was not unusual for me at all. It was a normal reality or #bigfamilyproblems as it's referred to. Sometimes I needed 2 carts. That was normal every day shopping.<br />
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Two weeks ago when the beginning of this pandemic started to hit our nation even more I was needing to get groceries no matter what. Just my normal routine of shopping. It was a Thursday and reports of stores being out of toilet paper were going around like crazy. I didn't really want to go to the store. Time got away from me and it would've been easier to put it off until Friday. However a little too much time on social media combined with some anxiety and gut retching feeling had me going to the store no matter what. I did not want to be among the masses of people who waited too long to go to the store so I went out and got it done.<br />
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Some may call it panic shopping, some may call it getting ready to hunker down for awhile. Either way I completely gave into this anxiety and uncertainly that was looming over me. Again, I needed groceries no matter what. Not only did I buy plenty of food, I bought 2-3 of each item. When I saw that toilet paper and bottle water had a limited quantity one could purchase, I called my daughter and had her come and buy some too. I definitely don't feel like I hoarded anything. I took a respectable amount to be able to feed and provide for my family for quite some time and left plenty behind.<br />
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The next day came the first of many announcements that began to change how we are living our lives. Social distancing. Ok, I got this. I am set with food so no worries and I was so thankful that I was not out battling the public at this point. After a couple days of this though and I heard the first of many "I'm boooooored" and "there is NOTHING to do!". So I ventured to the store again, just to grab a few would be nice activities. Books, puzzles, games, etc. No problem, I got this and certainly no harm in all this family fun and bonding I was envisioning us having. Except panic crept in again and before I knew it I had a cart full. Trust me I had a moment of what the heck am I doing?!?! Anxiety, fear and uncertainty gave way though and I bought it all anyway.<br />
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A week later and with news of a shelter in place directive coming I panicked again. Once again I headed to the store and bought even more food. In case anyone was worried, it will be a long time before we starve. I know and understand that I can still go to the stores during this time. However I can be a worse case scenario thinker. In my mind I played out the idea of while there's plenty of opportunity to go to the store now, what about down the road?!?! What happens when a new directive comes into play and marshal law goes into effect. Stores are on lock down and guarded by the military with special requirements needed before one can go in a buy things. I know, I know!! My mind is my own worse enemy. <br />
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I'm being honest and just admitting that I panicked. And yes, I gave in to panic shopping. While I'm sure to many others I was seemingly fine, calm and going about business as usual. However I know that deep down I was stressed and freaked out!! I still don't feel like I've hoarded anything, but I am certainly very well stocked up. To look at the positives of this situation I don't need to go to the store for a very long time. In fact, it's now been over a week since I have set foot in any kind of store. To help justify my craziness I did tell myself that I would NOT go out any more after these several trips of panic shopping. I know I can if I need/have to, but I am trying my best to stay home & away from people. I've also tried to use my abundance to help others when I've known they needed something. I reached out to my community and neighbors and offered up anything they might need. Helping others is definitely something I always strive to do. My panic may have been unnecessary, but I'm determined to use it for the greater good and to help keep my family home and safe.<br />
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Did you do any panic shopping? Buy anything in crazy amounts?6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-56540623918406092082020-03-26T11:16:00.000-05:002020-03-26T11:19:28.551-05:00HomeschoolLike many others in this nation I have been thrust into the world of homeschooling. To begin with here's a great summary of what the 6PM (6PackMomma)School looks like:<br />
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For over 20 years I have chosen to send my 6pack through the public education system for their <b>formal</b> <b>education. </b> For the most part I have been extremely satisfied with what has happened through that process. It's not a perfect process or system and perhaps I just chose to see the good in most things, but really I think our school system (or really it's the people in our system) is pretty darn good.<br />
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I purposely stressed the word formal education because I believe education happens in many different ways at many different times from the moment someone is born. I have always been my children's educator. I kind of thought that's what everyone was supposed to do. Granted we live in a flawed world and no, not everyone does do that and even then despite anyone's best efforts no one is going to do it perfectly. However I chose to focus on and hold myself responsible for my own thoughts, beliefs and choices. So yes, that is what I have done since the day my child(ren) have been born. I've been homeschooling all along. Even though most of my kids are adults, if/when given the opportunity I will continue to teach them in any way that I can. In a twist of things, sometimes the student also becomes the teacher and vice versa. Life is an never ending process of learning. (Remember my <a href="https://sherunseverywhere.blogspot.com/2020/03/this-is-me.html" target="_blank">favorite quote</a>).<br />
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Everyone learns differently and I would be the first to claim that I am not smart. Book smart that is. Wait, wait, wait! I did <u>not</u> say I was dumb or stupid. Although to be honest this is an area of low self confidence I do struggle with. However, aside from any joking or silliness, I stand firm that I am not dumb or stupid. In fact, I am very smart in many different aspects. Perhaps genius from time to time, just not very often in my case. And really, that is ok! I don't need to be perfectly smart and genius all the time. I'm just over here trying to be me, embracing who I am and the strengths God has given me.<br />
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The public school system seems to thrive and be based on being book smart. I'm not claiming that to neither be good or bad. I'm certainly not wanting to debate anything about this topic either. Just my perspective. So a system that is based on lots of formal benchmarks of reading, writing, math, science, etc. that mostly involve BOOK WORK is not really my jam. While there has not been any mandated e-learning put into place yet many teachers and putting forth an effort to get some school work and activities out there to the students. Bravo and thank you for those efforts. Unfortunately I'm failing miserably at even enforcing such work. (I am trying though!!) I've seen many claims that the ages of my children should only need 2-3 hours of school/book work every day anyway. TWO to THREE HOURS?!!??!!? Sheesh, even I'm the first to jump in and protest and say whaaaaat that is just too much. Tell me I have to spend that much time cooking in the kitchen, doing P.E., cleaning out and organizing something....OK! No problem, I've got this.<br />
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Interestingly, for anyone who doesn't know this about me, I work full time for the public school system. I fully recognize and conform to this system mentality and formality every day all the time for my employment. And honestly I LOVE it! It's not what I personally prefer, but I roll with it and enjoy it so much. My 6pack, for the most part, have always enjoyed and thrived in this environment as well. However without this formality in place it goes to the wayside, but really for the most part though we are still learning a lot every day and all the time.<br />
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Right now I'm really rocking my version of school which is pictured above with a few minor book academia sprinkled in. Honestly though it's probably less than 1 hour a day right now. Depending on what happens with this quarantine and pandemic we are all trying to survive, it might change. If the school system implements some formal e-learning I will oblige. In the mean time it's time to wake the natives (yes, I know it's 11 a.m.) for a day of life and learning at 6PM School.<br />
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<br />6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-24525337282761370682020-03-24T14:31:00.000-05:002020-03-24T14:37:37.395-05:00Must. Not. Complain.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh the great roller coaster of this shelter in place directive. Trust me, I'm all supportive of it. However as an extrovert this is really REALLY hard for me. But I get it, let's do this and kick COVID-19 out of here. I am completely enjoying this time home as it's left me with plenty of opportunities to participate in more of what I wish I had more time to do. More time to run ✔ More time to clean ✔ More time to organize ✔ More time to sleep ✔ More time with my kids ✔ (unfortunately some of them don't live at home any more). My list can go on, but I'm seeing the positives here. So me? I'm not complaining.<br />
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For the most part I'm just taking it well and in stride. Or I thought I was. Until I just had a complete toddler meltdown. I was already on edge because they just made the big announcement about the Olympics being postponed. Which I understand, but it's tough for me to digest and think about. Sports are a huge part of my life. Especially running. They already had the marathon trials and knew who was going to represent in that event. Pushing it back another year changes so much. The realistic effects of this are just mind boggling. It's easy to roll with the punches until the effects of it start to trickle down and change so much.<br />
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Within a short time frame of hearing this official Olympic news I saw an update about Les Miserables. My FAVORITE musical of all time. I had been planning to see it in July in Toronto. That is months away. In a different country. I know a lot of things in the here and now, maybe even for the next month or two are going to be postponed or cancelled. But July? Toronto? Surely we'll all be over this quarantine and readjusting to life outside of home by then. Well, they just announced that the entire North America tour is cancelled until the END OF JULY.<br />
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And insert some screaming yelling, thrashing around and throwing a fit like a toddler. Fortunately my kids were outside playing and the house was empty. But to be honest it wasn't my finest moment. We're all guilty of them. Complete meltdown over something semi (or completely) trivial. It's not like I'll never get to see the show again. My life isn't over. But I had a moment, several of them in a row. And then was like Wow! Where did that come from?!?!? I'll get over it. Move on. See it somewhere else at another time. But it was still emotionally crushing even if just a little bit.<br />
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What has effected you with this quarantine and shelter in place directive? It can be big, it can be trivial. I want to hear about it.<br />
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<br />6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-84544285908547567522020-03-24T12:40:00.001-05:002020-03-24T12:40:42.537-05:00This is Me<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Woah-oh-oh-oh</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Woah-oh-oh-oh</span></span><br />
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<span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Come on, you totally heard that title in your head & you probably sang it too! Of course, some people who are not musically inclined have no clue what I'm talking about and that's ok.</span><br />
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<span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I got started last week of my Great Revival and then promptly had my "normal" schedule changed up for a few days which left me days without sitting down and touching a computer. Granted I was on my phone plenty, but I don't blog from my phone. Something about sitting down to a computer is easier for me. More official and stately, professional perhaps about being on a computer to do some blogging & writing. But then again, I am sitting here in my jammies, hair pulled back into a messy bun and glasses on. Yeah....official, stately, professional..... ok......</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Before diving into my blogging mind I thought I'd start with a post about me! Many of you may know me. I'd venture to say many of you know me in a very superficial social media way. That's neither good nor bad, just an honest truth. If you stumble across this blog, you may not know me at all. Either way, I would suggest that you go back through & read my blog from it's inception and get to know me that way. Although I would throw the disclaimer that there is a lot about me that has changed. Oh yes, I am still a mom with 6 kids, although most of them are grown now. Still mom none the less. Forever and always a mom. Running is still a passion. Albeit now in an older body. Ugh, don't get me started on how my body has changed so much aka gotten older and falling apart. Still a runner none the less. Those are my 2 main identities that I had previously put forth on this blog. Those while ever changing are yet still the same. However me, so much of me has changed. I am not the same person that I was even just a couple of years ago. I have a completely different lense, filter, mind set than in previous years. Everyone is ever changing, life has a way of doing that to us. I get that. I will certainly explore this topic more, but wanted to put a disclaimer out that I am not the same person at all!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I won't write a novel on this topic. Trust me, I'm such a verbal processor, I could! I thought I would start with some basics. I'll list it is simple fashion. Some I plan to write about and explore even more. Others will just be or can maybe speak for themselves. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">1. I am a 43 year old mom to 6 kids ranging in age from 24-12.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">2. Music & movement are ingrained in me to my core. Has been for as long as I can remember.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">3. I am very spiritual. I believe in God.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">4. Running is my jam! Old falling apart body and all. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">5. Life is a two way street. I am entitled to my thoughts and beliefs, just as you are yours even if they are completely different.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">6. One of my favorite quotes, which is actually a song: </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>The more I live - the more I learn.</b></i></span><br />
<i><b><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The more I learn - the more I realize t</span><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">he less I know.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Each step I take.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Each page I turn.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Each mile I travel only means t</span><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">he more I have to go.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What's wrong with wanting more?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you can fly - then soar!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">With all there is - why settle for</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Just a piece of sky?</span></b></i><div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Super bonus points if you know this song without Googling it. Be honest now!</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'll start with this and leave it be. With this stay at home directive I hope to write plenty and attempt to get back into a healthy balanced habit of writing. Personally I plan to soar!!</span><br />
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6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-58330733990671321212020-03-19T11:29:00.000-05:002020-03-19T11:29:19.841-05:00The Great Revival 2020In light of our worlds completely & drastically changing within the last week, I thought this might be a great time to revive this blog! When I look back I used to blog quite frequently. When I entered the working world, even at first in a very limited part time fashion, I slowly but surely stopped blogging. I tried to hang on for awhile, but eventually I started to work even more and then I just had to let it go. <div>
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I wouldn't say it wasn't important to me. Connecting has always been important to me and duh, of course running and my family has always been near and dear to me. I was ill prepared for how to balance and do it all. I mean do we ever really know how to "do it all" until we are knee deep into life or new situations? Social media made it easier to connect with others, but it's a much limited version of what I wanted to say.</div>
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Fun fact about me: I once dreamed of being a writer. Specifically a journalist. My Aunt Elaine worked for USA today and I wanted to grow up, go to college, get a degree in journalism and be just.like.her. In jr. high and high school I wrote frequently. I have a box full of stories and poems. Granted those deeply reflect my teenage mind, but it's where I can trace my early and beginning days of wanting to be a writer.</div>
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So I took classes in high school, entered a few writing contest, etc., which sounds like the equivalent of I slept at a Holiday Inn last night. Haha, so that sums up to me not exactly being trained or educated in being a writer and I won't claim to be the best at this. However, I have thoughts. I have ideas. I have things I want to say. I'm wired for connection, so many of us are. So I thought in light of having "all the time in the world" right now I'd breathe some new life into this blog.</div>
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Welcome and thanks for joining me for the ride!</div>
6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-74579357242906493832016-10-26T22:44:00.000-05:002016-10-26T22:44:24.931-05:00Chicago Marathon 2016 Race ReportWhen I posted last time I didn't expect it to turn into a 2 part series. I also didn't expect it to be over a week before I had a chance write up the second part. Sorry to leave you all hanging. Actually, I'm also aware that I left you all hanging about Howl at the Moon too and I'll be honest, too much time has passed and too much has happened to even go back and try and finish that post. Which makes it even more important to get this Chicago race report down & in the books. While this year wasn't my first Howl and I doubt it'll be my last, this year's Chicago will be it for a really long time. That I am fairly certain of.<br />
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As reported before I was dreading this race for so many reasons. Of the few good things I was looking forward to was the fact that we had a friendly, comfort of home place to stay the night before the race. I have nothing against hotels, but when it comes to an already costly race, adding the additional expense of lodging is not what we find ideal. Plus, with our busy lives and schedules, when we can work in a visit with a friend while traveling to a race then it's nice to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. So, on Saturday night after I was done coaching my team we headed to the suburbs to stay with a good friend. We didn't do much besides visit, prep for the next morning and get a good nights sleep.<br />
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Sunday morning we were up and on the road heading into the city by 6 a.m. We didn't want to make multiple trips to and from so even the kids were dragged up and out the door with us. Only 3 of our kids were able to make the trip, which actually made things easier. After having many years of traveling with 6 kids, it always seems easier when we have less kids with us. And as the kids are getting older, it's just a reality we face. This was, however, the first time we've ever traveled as a family to one of my races. In the past it's always been just my husband Jim & I going to a race. Sometimes he'd race, other times he'd be there to support me. I don't know if we'll continue to do the family thing or not, but since this was Chicago and so close to home it seemed like a good chance to do this as a family, Plus, it's about time I show my kids the fun and excitement that these big races bring. I never had such exposure to anything like this growing up and I don't want to completely shut my kids out of this process either.<br />
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<i>Heading into the city</i></div>
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Traffic going is was pretty light and fast. We were planning on it taking 50-60 minutes to get me to my race spot, but I was there and dropped off in 40 minutes flat after leaving my friends house. Getting into the city as no problem. Once in, it was a little more tricky trying to get me as close as possible to the start. We had to take a few U turns and long ways around, but eventually we were in an area that I knew was somewhat close to the start and I saw many other runners so I hopped out and started following the crowd. Since this was the first time I was doing this race there was a big internal sense of "I have no clue where I'm going or what I'm doing", but I'm a believer of fake it till you make it and I eventually found my way to where I needed to go.<br />
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Gear drop off was no problem, easy to find, easy to handle. I was expecting the temps to be a little cooler than what it was and had packed plenty into my bag. I was planning on meeting up with my family right after, but I'm definitely guilty of being a "what if" worrier. So, what if it was pretty chilly when I finish? What if I can't find my family? I'm going to be wet (from sweat) and cold. In hindsight it was likely a little left over worry from when it was SO COLD at Boston and how I had under dressed and was under prepared for that finish. I also had worn throw away sweats to the start, but even though there was a little chill in the air, it wasn't that cold and I ended up putting my throw away stuff into my gear drop bag. Chicago definitely gives you a really big bag to put plenty in to and the bag is very functional and easy to handle before and after the race.<br />
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Right as I was dropping my gear I could hear them announcing that the first wave or corrals was going to be closing in 5 minutes and they were urging us to get into our corral. I really had to pee, but the lines to the porta potties were sooooo long. I was ready to just hold it, but then saw a hedge of bushes. I'm a firm believer when you gotta go you gotta go. And living in a house with 6 kids, do you think I'm used to a ton of privacy? No. So problem solved and my bladder was feeling so much better. I was ready to get to the start.<br />
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<i>In my corral, waiting to start.</i></div>
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I was in corral D and in the first wave to start the race. Since I waited until the last minute before they shut that gates, I didn't have to stand around too much. We waited through the formality of them announcing all the elite runners and the national anthem and before we knew it the race was off. Except in a race this big and being in the back half of the wave, it took about 10 minutes of slowing walking forward for us to actually get to the start line. It was certainly crowded, but not overly crowded. The weather was also near perfect. The temps were in the low 60's, which after warmer than usual temps the week right before, felt perfect!! The sun was shining bright and I felt extremely comfortable in just capris, a tank top and arm warmers. I actually didn't need the arm warmers, but it wasn't bothering me to keep them on so I left them.<br />
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Once I was past the start line & officially running I just moved as my body allowed. I was definitely very slow and hesitant, waiting and worried for that deep intense pain that I had experienced in previous weeks. One very good thing about this race course is that it is packed with people. That meant a lot of cheering, screaming supporters and a lot of funny good signs along the way. I served as a very good distraction. Not to mention with the streets cleared of traffic it provided a different view to be running down the middle of the streets and take in the sights and sounds of Chicago. It was an experience and a view of the city that I've never had before. This helped pass the time, kept me distracted and before I realized it I was enjoying myself and having a really good time.<br />
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At some points it was too much to take in, which allowed me to focus in on the actually running. By mile 6 I realized that I wasn't having any of the bad awful pain I was expecting. In fact, I felt really REALLY good. Between it all I almost felt like it was too good to be true. Upon further thought though it made me realize that deep down inside I am truly made for this kind of running. I've been so focused on many injuries and pain that I haven't been able to actually enjoy my running for almost a year now. Since I felt so good I decided to speed up and continue to enjoy this race to the fullest.<br />
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As previously mentioned there were many great spectators and signs along the way. I was snapping some pictures along the way, but couldn't possibly get every good sign I saw. Most of them made me laugh. If you have no idea what I mean, just google marathon signs and plenty will pop up. I was also fortunate to see my family twice along the way. Both times I ran right past them, but they had seen me & yelled out. It was fun and very nice to have them there to cheer me on!<br />
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I was also able to find another young lady whom we are good friends with her parents. She had mentioned that she would be at mile 11 so when I passed that spot I looked for her. Except I didn't see her. I was really looking! It's kind of a gamble finding someone in such a crowd. The entire street is filled with runners and there are hundreds of thousand of spectators on EACH side. For some reason my gut was telling me to stick to the left and after I passed mile 11 I decided I'd still keep looking for her. It paid off and I ran practically right up to her!!<br />
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I'm sure you can tell from the big smiles on my face that I was in fact having a really good time. My running was much better than I expected. Again I realized that I was just defaulting to natural basic instinct. Take away all the details and elements and man I can run. God put this love, passion and ability to run into every fiber of my body. I was BORN to run!! The miles ticked off one by one, I was having fun and really enjoying every aspect of this race. I was even on pace at one point to finish sub 4 hours. I had no solid goal for where I wanted to finish. I had mentally prepared myself for 5-6 hour finish. But, I'll be honest, finishing sub 4 hours was a very nice thought, especially with my lack of training.<br />
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I had a solid group of friends and family who I know were specifically lifting me up in prayer, which I have no doubt helped carry me through this race. Although I should also mention that I was popping extra strength Tylenol & Alleve like candy. I did a lot of other common sense things to keep me going. This race lacked nothing when it comes to support so I had plenty of water, Gatorade, energy gels & bananas to keep me running strong. Eventually though at mile 20 everything began to catch up with me. I was beginning to feel like slowing down. I kept pushing though. I knew if I slowed down or stopped that I would have a hard time getting going again. I could see my sub 4 slipping away from me, it was going to be close though. At mile 24 I completely hit the wall. I slowed to a shuffle and no matter how hard I tried I just felt like I was sloshing through mud. When I had reach mile 24 I had actually been thinking of my cross country team & since they race 2 miles I wanted those last 2 miles to be for them. Our team motto is KEEP MOVING FORWARD! So it seemed fitting that when I struggled the most I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and get to the finish line.<br />
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Those last 2 miles seemed the longest, but I finally rounded the corner to the finish line. My finish time was 4:09:46. I was so happy to be done I burst into happy tears. I've teared up before when finishing a marathon, but this time I actually cried and let a few big crocodile tears roll down my cheeks.<br />
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<i>Shortly after I finished. </i></div>
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I threw on my shirt after picking up my bag. I'm a little particular when it comes to wearing a race shirt. I very rarely will wear it until AFTER I've finished. It's an honor to be able to wear it. The lead up to the race wasn't ideal, but the race itself was a big success. All things considered this was a great & memorable race. It may still be a long time before I decide to run this race again, but it has a special place in my heart!!!!6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-16463685657474965832016-10-24T11:46:00.001-05:002016-10-24T11:46:38.932-05:00Getting back on trackI am this close *pinching my fingers together* to having my full Chicago race report ready to post. I Promise! However.....<br />
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It's been 2 weeks now since my running of the Chicago Marathon. Recovery has been pretty brutal. This turning 40 stuff has been a real game changer!! However, I am at least wise in my years and am taking my rest & recovery to a whole new level. One that I've never done before. So, 2 weeks of nothing! Well, I do teach classes, coach running & have a son in his last weeks of cross country so inevitably there has been plenty of movement going on. A by product of being an active person. Nothing formal to speak of & I'm actually pretty proud that I'm attempting to do this right. So all you well intended nay-sayers who like to lecture that I just do too much....shush!<br />
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Coming off this break though I am itching to get back to a regular workout routine. I'll expand in another post how I'll specifically handle my running, In the meantime I planned to get back to my normal routine, but scaling back on all the running I usually do. That means that Monday's start off with a solid chunk of non running cardio & weights. A good 2-2.5 hours of working out was sounding pretty heavenly. Except last night (or rather this morning) I didn't go to bed until 1:30 a.m. And my regular routine has me out of bed at 4 a.m. Do the math.....that just wasn't going to happen, Although being the eternal optimistic person I still set my alarm. And when it went off, I re-set it for 15 minutes later in case I somehow sprung out of bed all energized and ready to go. Yeah, no. Have I mentioned how things have really changed now that I'm 40?<br />
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I still didn't get a full night of sleep, but going on more than 3 hours was much more ideal. When I woke up, I was kinda mad and beating myself up. I mean it's not like I was up late for piddly reasons. Some days there just are not enough hours in the day and last night, actually all of yesterday, I was on a roll getting things done left and right. And it feels so good to be productive! So even with my good intentions and productivity I was pretty mad at myself. Kind of the wallow in self pity and want to give up and do nothing, but eat doughnuts and get fat kinda thinking.<br />
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But I realized that just because things didn't go perfectly, just because I wasn't up doing my ideal workout doesn't mean I had to give up completely. I threw some clothes on and headed out the door for a run. This worked out perfectly anyway because my return plan to running actually has me doing very little. So since I didn't have a lot of time I set out to run 1 mile. I'm testing the waters anyway to see how I'm going to feel in light of all of the pain and problems I was having leading up to Chicago, Since I didn't have time for a full set of weights I also threw in a Les Mills Grit Strength workout too. I need to be practicing that for my class that I'll teach later this week. In the end, I felt like it was a win-win.<br />
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While I tend to be a worse case scenario thinker and a feast or famine/all or nothing do-er, I also am eternally optimistic and will always see the glass as half full. Or if it's empty then figure out how to get it filled up again. So I'm back. It's not what I had planned for or wanted, but I never intended to walk away for good. I'm going to keep fighting to get me back on track.<br />
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<br />6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-32898107691798601502016-10-10T21:11:00.001-05:002016-10-10T21:11:19.249-05:00Leading up to the Chicago MarathonI had never been drawn to the idea of running the Chicago Marathon. Having grown up in Iowa, then living in Illinois for over 20 years, I just don't see Chicago as that big of a deal. Yes, there are a lot of neat things about the Windy City, but running through it didn't seem that enticing. So I had resisted ever getting signed up. I had my eyes set on other races. I'm not even sure when I ran my first marathon 6 years ago that I'd be doing bigger races, but after qualifying for and running Boston I had my eyes fixed on so much more. Still I was in no rush to complete Chicago.<br />
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I had actually wanted to run the New York marathon next. In talking things through with my husband though, he suggested getting Chicago done. Even though fall is a busy crazy time for me, it is closer and more logistic for us to handle right now. Knowing how the process is handled in getting into NY, I figured, why not, let's get this done. Even though I run a lot there is still so much I don't know about these big marathons. I'm really just a little fish in a big pond. But as I'm branching out to bigger races I'm learning more about things like the lottery, guaranteed entries and signing up months in advance.<br />
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Rewind to a year ago and my running began to fall apart. In November I decided to scale back my running and "take a break" which really meant I was still running, just not nearly as much. For awhile that was ok and when 2016 began I decided to launch back into running and training. Except that never really happened. I knew about the sign up dates for Chicago & assumed I was going to have to sign up for the lottery. Anyone I had known to do Chicago before had done this so I assumed that aside from the elites I had to as well. When I went to the website I kept seeing the phrase guaranteed entry. I almost ignored that figuring it didn't apply to me, but I did some digging around and realized that I in fact qualified for this type of entry, So I signed up and wham, bam, thank you m'am, I was going to run the Chicago marathon.<br />
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Fast forward many months and a lot of time with my physical therapist, my running was still in shambles. I did struggle my way through Howl at the Moon and ran 36 miles at that race in August. That gave me some hope that despite my issues I could in fact still run such a distance with little to no training. It certainly isn't ideal, but do-able, I kept trying to get my running back on track and it just wasn't happening. I could handle small distances, but anything more than 5 miles and I just hurt and it seemed impossible. Yet I kept trying. Thanks to insurance issues I had given up on seeing my physical therapist. She was wonderful enough to email with me and still guide me as I was attempting to train. Then my chiropractor came across an issue that really seemed to explain everything that was attributing to me/my body not being able to run. So I set out on a 10 mile run day & tried to fix it all. Which seemed to work perfectly, but fixing one thing lead to an issue on another thing. And suddenly I had a whole new set of problems and a lot of pain. The pain was so bad and persistent that I was constantly hurting and running any kind of distance became impossible. All of this was just 2 weeks before I was supposed to run.<br />
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Logistically getting the marathon ran was also becoming a messy situation. It turns out that the same weekend was our high school homecoming. I have 2 kids in high school and we as a family are very involved with the school on many levels. Luckily my 2 high schoolers were not interested in going to the dance so that let me off the hook, but there was still the assembly, parade and game on Friday that was going to occupy my time. AND on top of that Saturday was the sectional meet for my Jr. High cross country team. While there are 2 of us head coaches I would never want to miss this meet as it determined if we as a team or any individual qualifiers made it to the state meet. It's kind of a big deal. So Friday afternoon & evening was consumed with homecoming, Saturday morning with the sectional meet. I would still have time to shoot over to the expo, pick up my packet and settle in for the race.<br />
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EXCEPT 10 days before all of this was to happen I found out that our sectional meet was not going to start until 3 p.m. This changed everything. I would not have time to get to the expo before it closed and Chicago has very strict guidelines with picking up your packet. This was also complicated because my family was coming with me to watch me run. So the implications of zig zagging across the state with husband and kids in tow trying to get it all done just were not practical. Essentially nothing was going to be practical with getting this done. Unless I gave up not going to sectionals and coaching my team and I just couldn't bear to miss that either. Long story short as a last resort and even though I didn't want to do it I drove up to Chicago on Friday morning. I left early, when it was still dark out, drove 3ish hours, spent 1 hour at the expo/packet pick up and then got back in my van and drove straight back home to Galesburg. I arrived home just in time to get to the assembly that I've grown accustomed to going to that kicks off Friday's homecoming festivities.<br />
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I was bummed that I couldn't fully enjoy the expo. After I picked up my bib and shirt, I kinda zipped through a few of the of the booths, drooled over the amazing merchandise <strike> that I couldn't afford anyway</strike> and left. My parking ticket had me parked for 56 minutes and probably 20 minutes of that was just walking to and from the parking garage. And the whole time my hip/IT band is in excruciating pain. Even just jogging down the block was impossible. I had very serious doubts if I would even be able to even finish this race. So you mix my pain in with the craziness and non practicality of getting my stuff picked up, all while still trying to be fully present as mom and coach....it was all just too much. I actually resented this whole blasted marathon and it wasn't really the marathon's fault. If it wasn't for the fact of losing out on money I actually would've rather not even run it at all. I wanted to walk away and forget the whole thing!! This all makes me very sad because this is not the person I am when it comes to running and racing.<br />
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Even though I was highly skeptical about being able to run this distance or finish, I had my bib. And everything else seemed to go smoothly. Homecoming was great, sectionals awesome and with 2 kids qualifying for state. From the meet my family picked me up and we headed into the Chicago suburbs to spend the night with a dear life long friend. My cross country kids were so sweet to send me off with a bunch of hugs and good luck cheers. They are the best and it lifted my spirits to have them send me off with such enthusiasm.<br />
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But deep down I left with a heavy heart, fully of doubt, confusion and anxiety. My hip/IT band still in pain and wondering how I was going to get through these 26.2 miles I had to run.........6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-22357311796641623372016-08-29T22:50:00.001-05:002016-08-29T22:50:50.579-05:00Caught in a stormI'm working on a Howl post. I promise. But in the mean time I thought it would be easier to rattle off a quick little post about a recent running experience.<br />
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Yesterday I was scheduled for a 10 mile run. Oh yeah.....because I decided to finally get in gear and train for the Chicago marathon. I scribbled a plan on paper and so far have been sticking to it pretty good. I wouldn't recommend to most people to train for a full marathon in 6 weeks, but you know....I'm not most people. Do what I say people, not what I do. haha! <br />
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We had a pretty busy day planned so I had to be very intentional and specific about getting out the door to get this run done. I had a course plotted out and everything seemed to be falling into place, although I was not looking forward to the 100% humidity that was hanging around. When I arrived to my run start/finish I noticed some cloud coverage. Nothing too worrisome, but I still checked the radar on my weather app. There was one little spot north of where I was running, but not over where I actually was. The prospect of a few sprinkles didn't bother me & the little spot was moving north so I set out on my run. The first portion of my run was going to take me on the main roads around the park.<br />
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I was only minutes into my run and the rain started. Again, I could see the clouds to the north. When I looked west it was sunny and blue skies. I still wasn't worried about getting a little wet so I kept running. A few more minutes though and the rain picked up to a lot more than a few sprinkles. It was raining enough that I was beginning to worry about my watch getting too wet. It's splash proof, but not water resistant. And my clothes were beginning to get pretty wet too. Plus running on the main road was getting dicey with the cars not able to see me well as I headed toward them in the rain. At this point I thought "ok, I can wait for this little thing to pass through." I clearly was not in any danger, it didn't appear to really be a storm, just a heavy rain cloud passing through. So I veered off the main road and stood over by some trees by the park path. And I stood....and I stood.....and I stood......<br />
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I found the situation a little comical and tried to keep it in perspective. I was getting a little bit wet, but for the most part the tree was providing me some shelter. The rain was a little persistent and went from a little rain to an outright down pour. Right about that time, the wind picked up a little and then the lightening and thunder began to strike. By then I was actually getting a little worried.<br />
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I have to rewind to about 6 weeks ago when I was out at this exact same park and a storm came up out of nowhere. I was out walking with a friend and we were fortune to be close enough to seek coverage in a picnic shelter, but also ended up underneath the picnic tables because the storm was so bad we could see and hear whole trees coming down from the wind and lightening. That storm was pretty serious & had wide spread damage all over our town. In hindsight though that storm was so much worse, but in the moment when I was stuck under this tree I was getting worried.<br />
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Before anyone says it.....I KNOW that standing under a tree or seeking shelter under a tree is not a good idea in a storm. Ok?!?! Really, give me some credit. This isn't my first rodeo. Except when I first went to the tree I thought I was just waiting out a little rain. If I had known what was coming I would've chosen differently. But I ended up being stuck between a rock and a hard place. And before anyone else even says it: a little rain wasn't going to hurt me either. I KNOW THAT TOO! And when it started to rain maybe I should've just kept running to a safer place, which was about 1/2 mile in one direction or turned back to my van which was about a 1/2 mile in the opposite direction. But I'm glad that I wasn't being stupid about running in this weather, I could've kept going and really put myself in danger. There are lots of shoulda, woulda, couldas in this situation. But there I was feeling stuck under that tree.<br />
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For the most part it was really weird because off the my right the sky was fairly blue, maybe just a big white puffy cloud or two lingering there. But to my left the sky was gray and dark and definitely the worse of the 2 sides. And of course, the direction of where my car was parked. Finally after 45 minute of standing under this tree and by now thoroughly soaked from head to toe I decided to make a run for it and head to my van. It was still raining hard, but at least the lightening, thunder and wind had died down. I followed the park trail to my van and some of it was barely passable because so much rain was rapidly covering the path.<br />
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I never felt in danger, but I WAS worried at a few moments. I know I tend to come off as this super strong, independent, I can do anything runner, but I am also very much human. I don't always make the best in the moment decisions and then am left trying to make the best of what I've done. And sometimes weathering a situation alone can make it 100x harder. (Although I never felt truly alone as as I knew God was there with me, probably the only thing that helped keep me at peace.) So this left me in a very vulnerable spot. In hindsight though I'm chalking it up to another wild, crazy running adventure. One I won't soon forget.....although for the time being I don't plan to run out there any time soon!!<br />
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The bottom rain pictures were taken when the rain had just began to start. I had my phone put away during the real heavy rain. Top pictures were taken toward the end after I was completely soaked.6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-7925343113695170822016-08-07T22:32:00.000-05:002016-08-07T22:33:23.525-05:00Race Recap: BIX 7Last Saturday, my 2 sons & I ran the BIX 7 held in Davenport. There's a bit of a story behind me running this race, but for now I decided to not indulge you with the History of Carmen 101. Long story short I'd say that I long resisted running this race and now I look forward to it every single year.<br />
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The BIX is always held on the last Saturday in July. The offer packet pick up on Thursday evening & Friday all day. It has a decent sized expo, although having run this more than once it's kind of the same thing every year. I still usually browse around though just to see if I find anything new. In past years I have not liked the race shirt they have given. It's always white and usually has a small logo up in the chest corner. Plain and boring. They say it's a dri-fit shirt, but it's one of those that resembles a plain white t-shirt. Personally I prefer a more tech feeling shirt. Anyway, this year I actually liked the shirt. At least the design & the fact that it consumed most of the front of the shirt. It's still plain white. But I'm not meaning to nit pick. I mean on one hand this is a BIG race that draws world wide competition. Can't they up their game a bit on the shirt front? On the other hand for it being such a big event, the pricing of said event is relatively low and reasonable. So, hey tit for tat. It's obviously not a deal breaker with me doing this race. </div>
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It's a bit of a tradition to lay out our running outfit the night before the race.</div>
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I typically don't wear my race shirt to the actual race. It's a slight no no in my running book. Since I actually liked this years shirt AND since my boys were planning to wear theirs I decided to match them and throw my running rules out the window (at least for this race).</div>
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The BIX is often times met with really hot, humid weather. We lucked out this year and had good temperatures. It was far from the ideal 60's (hello it IS July in the midwest), but we stayed in the low 80's. A nice break from the otherwise 90's we had been having.</div>
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Since we live less relatively close to the race we always get up race morning & drive over. Even with a planned bathroom stop before going to find a parking spot it takes maybe 1 hour tops to get from home to race site. If you know the area finding a close parking spot is pretty easy. I took us about 5 minutes to walk from the parked car to the starting area and that included stopping for pre-race pictures.</div>
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My son (on the right) who is in high school gets to line up with the other declared high school students, which is directly behind the elite runners. When you sign up for the race you enter your estimated run time and that is what places you in your start coral. Other than the elites, they in no way verify your race time, so it's an honor system and I know that most people don't follow it anyway. Heck, even I didn't this year. But there are advantages to being in the corals closer to the start, especially when there are 15,000 other runners/walkers involved. I learned this a long time ago. Doesn't make a wrong right when it comes to a honor system, but I won't be drastically set back and extremely frustrated by most others not being honest about their coral placement either. While they don't verify your time when you sign up they are extremely strict about what coral you enter. They have them color coded and you ONLY are allowed in the section you are signed up for. Shoot, I came within 25 feet of the high school entrance (I was walking my son up there) and was greeting by 3 volunteers firmly telling me I could NOT enter here!!</div>
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I wish I had more time and a better view to take pre-race pics. But being a *little* on the short side I'm easily engulfed by the crowd once I'm in the coral. And between picking a long bathroom line and car trouble I was dealing with when I arrived to park left me short on time. By time my other son & I entered the coral they were playing the national anthem and then we were off.</div>
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The beginning of the race is going up the infamous Brady Street hill. It's slightly what sets this race apart from others. Here is a good pic looking up from the bottom.</div>
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So you can see what I mean by good coral placement!!</div>
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My son & I set off to a good start. I'm not a lover of running hills on any day, doing so surrounded by thousands of others people isn't much more ideal either. But I've learned a few tricks of the race along the way that make navigating it fairly manageable. And really for this race I was following my son's lead. While I have run this race several times for myself I decided to make this year about him. He's 10 and been begging for the last few years to run this race. I'll be honest, I can be so driven and competitive that it's hard for me to not run a race all out. After all I'm there to at least compete with myself so that always means my goals and my race. And, of course, he always waited until the last minute to tell me he wanted to run too. So last year I told him he could run this year and that for a change I wouldn't worry about myself.</div>
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So on a personal level I had no goals other than to stick with my son. Which actually worked out very well since I've been injured and not up to par with running anyway. I hadn't even run 7 miles in many many months, but I knew this was do-able, especially since I was doing it with Andrew. There was that chance that he'd really take off and I'd struggle to keep up. My boys do tend to naturally take on running, but this turned out to be a very good set up for both of us. </div>
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Andrew did pretty well. Despite his intentions and eternal promises to train really hard, he didn't. But considering he's a 10 year old kid with little to no training he didn't do too bad either. He also wanted to have fun and enjoy his time. So along the way we stopped to look at things. Talk to people. I saw my friend Cathy and stopped to chat with her for a few moments. Scream & cheer as the elite runners went by. He was mostly looking forward to the slip n slide.</div>
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In theory I wanted to partake in this craziness as well, but it took him 10 minutes just to wait in line and go down, I didn't want to add to that as well. I had great pleasure watching him go down and simply have fun. After all he is 10. Yes, I'd love for him to eventually be some fierce competitive runner, but for now I'm ok with him just being a kid too.</div>
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Honestly I don't even know what our finish time was. I think it was about 1:25. I really didn't stress about the time. When it came time to finish I simply celebrated the fact that he had done it, he had finished. Little punk though, earlier in the race he talked about holding hands and we finish together. Then at the very last minute he sprints ahead a beats me!! Haha, he's got that competitive spirit in there somewhere....probably gets it from me too!!</div>
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The BIX has an excellent post race. Lots of food and drink afterwards. I've seen no better after race party than this one. There's always a costume party, lots of music and other entertainment. Of course, the last several years I've come to look for one thing: the award ceremony. Not because of anything I earn, but because the elite runners are there. And one in particular I've pretty fond of: Meb Keflezighi. He's such a great guy and well awesome runner too, but very nice & humble when it comes to greeting the pubic, signing autographs and taking pictures. Next to Ryan Hall, he's my #1 guy when it comes to professional runners. I get all excited and crazy. So I do a little stalking and make sure I get to talk to him and take some pictures too.</div>
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When it comes to running and role models, this is exactly the kid of man, personally and running wise that I want my boys to look up to! Although I also hope that these moments and memories that we share together as mother and son will carry them a long way through life too.</div>
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6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-41972443579008124752016-07-31T22:20:00.001-05:002016-07-31T22:20:33.811-05:00Broken-ishI really want to get back into blogging on here. I miss it a lot and still think about it quite often. I still compose posts in my head all the time while I'm running. I just need to get back into the habit of getting on here & putting pen to paper so to speak. It's really just a computer issues. Not a lack of computer, just the opposite. I'm on a computer quite often at work and spend my day getting things done electronically. By time I do come home I have so much to do within the home, if I even am home because my kids and coaching keeps me very busy too. The last thing I want to do while I'm home is be on the computer. I even tried putting the app on my phone. But I spend enough time on my phone, I don't need to add to that habit either. So that's what lead to my slow drift away from blogging. But I feel like I have so much to say & share about my running and/or life in general. Even if I don't have a lot of followers or become a big name in the world of social media/blogging, I still want to blog. I need to be doing it for myself anyway and not others.<br />
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To kick off this come back, of sorts, I actually started a post almost a month ago. Here is what I had started: <i> I’m going to attempt to jump back into my blogging. It’s like riding a bicycle, right? Once you learn, you just never forget. We’ll just overlook the fact that it’s been
over a year since I’ve posted anything.
It’s not like I haven’t THOUGHT about blogging. I still compose posts in my head all the
time. I just never take the time to get
on here and get it done. I have no
“good” reason as to why I haven’t…..I just haven’t. As much as I love social media ie my blog, it
has taken a back burner during this time of my life. In hindsight what I didn’t realize when I ceased
to be blogging that it would kick off a completely different time in my running
life. A time for me to be BROKEN.</i><br />
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<i>This has been months in the making and I’ve been through a
lot of denial, tears and what seems like endless frustration to come to this
conclusion of being broken. To clear up
what I mean when I talk about being broken, let me be blunt. I am no longer running.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>I haven’t been broken all these months. In fact, my running came to a screeching halt almost 3 weeks ago. Again, insert a lot of denial, tears and
frustration. This came about after many
difficult months of injury and almost non existent running. But I was hanging on by a thread, a very weak one and it finally snapped.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I'm happy to report that I am back to running. Although I'd still say I'm kinda broken. Broken-ish. That meaning that I'm not 100% whole and healthy with my running. There's just so much that's happened in the last year that I can't even sum it up in one post. Regardless and perhaps not surprisingly, if you know me well, I'm fighting my way back into things. Yes, I took 3 weeks off. Yes, I broke my 4 year runningstreak. But I'm not giving up or walking away for good.</div>
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In the mean time, hang in there as I get back to blogging and build myself back up from rock bottom. I promise, it's going to be an adventure!!</div>
6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-1462444073031358252015-04-18T21:24:00.001-05:002015-04-18T22:27:53.971-05:00Boston goalsI used to write a post before each race laying out my goals for how I'd like to finish, etc. Going into my training for Boston I had definite goals. Big picture I wanted to make this my best marathon ever. My previous marathons I had raced well, but as soon as I finished I knew I had more to give. That I could run faster, push harder, do better. So what better race to leave it all out there than Boston.<div><br></div><div>My previous marathon personal best was 3:29:50. I wanted to run faster than that. With basic training I firmly believed that I could drop that down to 3:20 no problem. With really good, consistent training I thought I'd be able to drop that even more & run closer to 3 hours.</div><div><br></div><div>I indicated in a previous post that my training started to fall off course about 6 weeks ago. I knew my 3 hour goal was slipping away. There was still plenty of room for a completely awesome run. However once I hurt my foot I had to reassess everything. I began to focus on just being able to finish.</div><div><br></div><div>I'll admit that I've had a few moments of questioning if I'd really be able to finish Boston. While my break could've been much worse, it's not something I've ever dealt with before. And regardless of the brave face I was putting on my foot really REALLY hurt. A lot. I'd like to believe that nothing could stop me from one of my top passions, but I do realize that I am also human & flawed & have some kind of breaking point. And sometimes God has other plans that I just don't understand.</div><div><br></div><div>In the almost 3 weeks since I injured my foot I've been very very good at taking care of my foot. Maybe to a point of overkill, but I didn't care. If I truly was not going to be able to finish the Boston marathon it was not going to happen without a fight. I did see an orthopedic doctor to get some good, solid professional input on my injury. In a nutshell, if I can withstand running for 26 miles then good luck. Hearing that was the nod I needed to press on. I did add in some running. Basically some very slow easy miles. </div><div><br></div><div>Things have slowly, but surely been improving. I'm not back to 100%, but I wasn't expecting to. My goal remains the same & that is to finish. Yeah, it's a bummer that my perfect, ideal marathon won't happen. But I've been able to still fully experience this special achievement. And in a few days I plan to be able to say, I finished & that's all that matters!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7bew49zLVRaLbHtaAUefD3xrxXngIc11yUUPRGOzXgFRO_ZOqV8F-BGx4qiEHx_g75GUYDp080hNaqQ5XtqRdgiz5tFcwX2tEa7Wkdjd5e2tQcxdg5z1qNh0MqI2OJu4CUnLrFyH8BU/s640/blogger-image-402936264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7bew49zLVRaLbHtaAUefD3xrxXngIc11yUUPRGOzXgFRO_ZOqV8F-BGx4qiEHx_g75GUYDp080hNaqQ5XtqRdgiz5tFcwX2tEa7Wkdjd5e2tQcxdg5z1qNh0MqI2OJu4CUnLrFyH8BU/s640/blogger-image-402936264.jpg"></a></div></div>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-43618362941843775322015-04-15T00:51:00.000-05:002015-04-15T00:51:02.169-05:00Keeping tabs on me!!<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I've been asked many times about giving updates while I'm running the Boston marathon. While I will have my phone on me and you know I'm one to put it all out there on social media, I may be limited with timely or effectively posting all the details. However, there are many ways in which you can get up-to-date information on not only me, but any other athlete you may want to track.</div>
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First off a few details. I thought these were no brainer facts, but I've been asked several times these questions & many people don't actually know them. Which makes sense. I mean in my brain that revolves around running, and for the last 7 months Boston, this stuff is etched into my brain for life. I could probably recite them in my sleep. But for the rest of the human race they just don't know and ask these questions with best of intentions of wanting to know. Here are the highlights of the Boston Marathon:</div>
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DATE: Monday, April 20, 2015</div>
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WHERE: Boston, MA</div>
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TIME: While there are some earlier start times for the mobility impaired (8:50), push rim wheelchair (9:17), and hand cycle (9:22) the first wave of elite women runners starts at 9:32 a.m. (No, I will not be in this group. Yes, people ask me this all the time.) At 10:00 a.m. the elite men will start followed by the first wave of runners. I am in the 3rd wave of runners to be released and in the 1st corral. So I should be starting at <b>10:50 a.m. EST</b></div>
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Once I am running there are a few ways you can follow my progress and/or have updates sent to your phone or email.</div>
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You can sign up & receive email updates: <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"> Continue to the registration page for the AT&T Athlete Alerts on the race website. Sign-up using your mobile phone number for SMS text message updates, or by entering an email address for email updates. Click </span><a href="http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/participant-information/att-athlete-alert.aspx" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;" target="_blank">HERE</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"> to sign up now.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">You can sign up & receive texts directly to your phone: </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">Simply text the athlete's Bib Number to </span><strong style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">234567</strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"> using your US mobile phone. You will then receive an sms text response with instructions on how to submit a runner’s bib number. You will receive up to 6 texts per bib number. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;">Or you can download the Boston Marathon app & track my every move. S</span></span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">imply search "Boston Marathon," or update the 2014 version on your mobile device. </span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This year, fans will be able to get six AT&T Athlete Alerts on up to 10 people on race day. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">MY BIB NUMBER IS: 16665</span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">You can watch television footage of the race which will be broadcast on the Universal Sports Networrk. I don't know what channel that is on and more than likely you won't see me on television anyway, but you can have fun trying anyway. You just never know!!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">So there are plenty of opportunities for keeping track of me on race day! I can fill in the gaps with my Instagram account and facebook. I don't know what the day will bring and it doesn't matter if you're following me via text or just thinking about me during the process. I'm excited to take you along with me on my adventure!! </span></div>
6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-68532759719223673942015-04-11T20:34:00.000-05:002015-04-11T20:34:26.446-05:00Plot TwistSince the beginning of this year I've had one goal in sight: The Boston Marathon<br />
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For the most part my training has gone really well. At the beginning of March I began having problems with getting my speed/interval workouts done. This is my hardest area of training. My weakest too. I'm way too guilty of just wanting to run and not put a lot of effort into targeting a very specific pace. I naturally run an ok pace (depending on who you ask or compare me to), but I'm ok with how my pace falls. It's fast enough to be competitive in almost any race I run, but not necessarily enough to be in the top. I can almost always place in my age group in larger races. In smaller local races I often win. <br />
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I see many areas where it would be easy to improve my pace. I see a lot of potential within myself. Not that it's going to do a whole lot, other than give me more personal satisfaction. But I'm a pretty competitive person by nature and I have yet to run certain races giving 100% and knowing I've done my absolute personal best. I usually finished feeling like I had more to give. I want to change that!<br />
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Eventually my training fell off of pace. Or rather my pace training fell apart. All of my other training was going well. Long runs were happening every weekend, hill workouts were taking place (Heartbreak Hill has nothing on me!) & plenty of other conversational pace runs were happening without much effort. I was still very optimistic about how things were going to play out for finishing Boston. I had little doubt that I would go and run my personal best.<br />
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And then....well, I'm not 100% sure what happened. There was no hole, no crack, no stick or rock.....nothing, as far as I know caused my foot/ankle to give out. I didn't fall. That's exactly what I was trying to prevent because I was running toward traffic and a truck was coming at me. So instead of falling or even stumbling a little bit I snapped my foot back up in one quick motion and immediately I was feeling pain. This (my foot/ankle buckling and me maneuvering to prevent a complete fall or injury) has happened plenty of times, probably once a week or at least a few times a month. Normally I shake it off, take a few more steps then get back into my pace. But this time was different. I did keep running, trying to "shake it off", but I quickly realized this was no pain like I've ever felt. I walked a little bit and tried to run again, but with no luck. I walked back to where my van was in complete pain.<br />
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In case you've forgotten, I could write a book on any given subject. I love to hash out all the details. But, long story short.....I broke my foot. Which was not listed anywhere in my training plan for a successful Boston!!<br />
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I've been left to just deal with this plot twist that has been thrown at me. I've been completely blindsided with this turn of events. There are worse things that could happen & yes, I believe, even worse timing that it could happen. So I'm choosing to see the bright side of things and continue to be optimistic. It's been a process though as I've had plenty of moments of frustration & doubt. But I still keep coming back to being positive.<br />
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Big picture, I'm still going to be able to run Boston. Yes, with a broken bone in my foot. I have a pretty high pain tolerance and have really come too far and *this close* to Boston to not run. Of course, my doctor has advised me not to run. Once I made it known that I was running no matter what he gave me some tips of how to lessen the pain or any potential damage and then wished me good luck. He seemed very skeptical that I'd be able to endure to pain & discomfort for 26 miles. He apparently doesn't know me very well!!<br />
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<br />6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-37863315169216845602015-04-08T23:59:00.000-05:002015-04-08T23:59:40.800-05:00It is what it isI've had this post in my mind for a very long time. I've written it in my head a million times over. I just don't sit down and pound all those thoughts into this keyboard for you all of you to read. It's not like hundreds of you even realize I've been MIA, but even if it's only a few of you I feel bad for not keeping things updated on this blog.<br />
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Recently I've told a few people about my blog. Mostly to explain why I'm so attached to using #sherunseverywhere so much. And then I realize.....eek! what? I have a blog?!?!?! Which is true, but why tell anyone about it if I don't keep it updated??<br />
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Well, I didn't plan to stop updating le blog. I just kind of happened. On the running front things have been moving along nicely. Well, until last week, but that is a whole other post!!. But the rest of my life has been cra-a-a-a-a-zy! Which is no news flash, my life always has been. I think a lot of it came down to my job as well. My job, that I dearly love, has kept me SO busy & I spend a lot of time on the computer doing that job. Leaving me with no desire to come home and be on the computer even more. I literally go days & don't touch my home computer. Now I did install the blogger app on my phone, but that can be a little tedious to use for posts. And, I, no doubt, already spend plenty of time on my phone, why add to that too?<br />
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So, it is what is it. I have a blog. But at this point I'm just not updating it very much. Although that might change in the next week or so. And last for about a week or so. Because the Boston marathon is in 11 days & boy do I have so much to keep you all informed & posted on. Take it for what it is for now. It might last a week, maybe longer. Either way, I'm still a blogger & hanging on full force to She Runs Everywhere!!6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7563245770643492114.post-79346424662134967222015-01-01T00:29:00.001-06:002015-01-01T00:29:32.700-06:00Run Your Ice Off 5kI have about 15 minutes left before I officially ring in 2015. We had some friends over earlier this evening. Nothing big & fancy. We had plenty of snacks & played games. <div><br></div><div>Earlier today I ran the Run Your Ice Off 5k in Kewanee, IL. I've lost track, but I'm pretty sure this is my 6th year running this race. It's become a favorite standard race that I look forward to running each year.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKQy4Sfsh8TOs5q9vR4OAu8WhYcZCs1b7FsLv8ty8dVd0GVwtDKO9vqUrhvKiMCqFZLACm3w_3vK2RGXM6MDftqofH4rs05pN6XElw-b9D5LwreUyHoC0_udlLYOeuJLxcRsK0h3cs_w/s640/blogger-image-1955602534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKQy4Sfsh8TOs5q9vR4OAu8WhYcZCs1b7FsLv8ty8dVd0GVwtDKO9vqUrhvKiMCqFZLACm3w_3vK2RGXM6MDftqofH4rs05pN6XElw-b9D5LwreUyHoC0_udlLYOeuJLxcRsK0h3cs_w/s640/blogger-image-1955602534.jpg"></a></div>(My friends that went with me)</div><div><br></div><div>I went into this race knowing full well that it would not be a pr or anything super fast. I fully realize I've done ZERO speed work this year. In fact, overall it's been a down year with my running (and I don't mean that in a negative way). But I was still planning to race & put it all out there.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZyPQ-sJqjkH8zLLUATObMtd2jV-Rc8_Z0w01_BOMFgq_uFcemVBDTmIvOPuPVQiY6bYFgqMkxF7pVUV_EY3eDyAMy1xggZ3ESrDudMeSEW13-W2VurAmxjZY-_xdsEm8DTSxmsi4Dow/s640/blogger-image--48647368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZyPQ-sJqjkH8zLLUATObMtd2jV-Rc8_Z0w01_BOMFgq_uFcemVBDTmIvOPuPVQiY6bYFgqMkxF7pVUV_EY3eDyAMy1xggZ3ESrDudMeSEW13-W2VurAmxjZY-_xdsEm8DTSxmsi4Dow/s640/blogger-image--48647368.jpg"></a></div>(My bib number & the race sweatshirt)</div><div><br></div><div>The thing about this race is that every year the weather is something completely different. There have been years with ice & snow on the ground. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. One year it was so warm I ran in a skirt & a single layer shirt. This year it was cold & windy. The windchill was -1. Going out the wind was to our backs & it didn't feel too bad. Coming back though it was a nice brisk slap in the face that, for me, made it very hard to breath. Add in me running at a pace that was too fast for what I'm trained for & it was a tough race. But I was able to pull off being 3rd female overall & had a time off 21:40. Not too shabby & nothing to complain about.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVxzVSAOO1cl59pYcTB7H0oUIKck-9GQYEhKRgzwiT9iufNQECXhfJEO16Jg9xEal7paEd-47Hcb1HyqOC5VdQkEfBvipZ-awzg9c9rWSmteipOhFNoS5_62FSi7BCXVv0l7E8IetQ9c/s640/blogger-image--1449200076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVxzVSAOO1cl59pYcTB7H0oUIKck-9GQYEhKRgzwiT9iufNQECXhfJEO16Jg9xEal7paEd-47Hcb1HyqOC5VdQkEfBvipZ-awzg9c9rWSmteipOhFNoS5_62FSi7BCXVv0l7E8IetQ9c/s640/blogger-image--1449200076.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Well, it's officially a new year. I'm more than ready to say good bye to 2014 & ready to welcome 2015!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFTC4r-Ypa3aKPOsk5mmrZzBg0tRk7cJLQjjEj6pD88crMsBogKpr9Of0_A57wMyrkDnJA9TBVJWMVy4RcI2jqHOYXVQWDEElUHjN_0Drr1W-G2tmoVfkHeGHEi_Zx_ZYUh3gpXmPr18/s640/blogger-image--1608873449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFTC4r-Ypa3aKPOsk5mmrZzBg0tRk7cJLQjjEj6pD88crMsBogKpr9Of0_A57wMyrkDnJA9TBVJWMVy4RcI2jqHOYXVQWDEElUHjN_0Drr1W-G2tmoVfkHeGHEi_Zx_ZYUh3gpXmPr18/s640/blogger-image--1608873449.jpg"></a></div></div><div>I can't wait to see what awaits me this year!!</div><div><br></div><div>HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!</div><div><br></div>6 Pack Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396117511075836581noreply@blogger.com0