Move with me, People!

It's more than time to dust off the ole blog and to get moving again.  I did a lot of running and blogging in 2007 and 2008, but injury forced me to stop.  I'm still not healed, but I need to figure out where I'm at and that involves MOVING!! I'm also not too happy about what all this (mentally and physically) has done to my body.  I promised a virtual race and even dubbed it, the DIAGNOSIS DASH, to get me back on track and moving through the holidays.  Unfortunately I really did almost nothing to promote it.  A little word of mouth and a little prodding of friends...

Anyway, it did get me moving over the holidays so that part was successful, and it's also gotten me to be a little more honest with the scale.  We were definitely going in the wrong direction. 

SO, I did my 5k this morning.  About 1/3 was jogging, the rest a brisk walk.  It was just me, the dog curled up in a soft blanket, and a good re-run of CSI. Oy, the life of a dog!  The crazy thing is, it is the fastest 5k I've probably managed in at least couple years and the scale was the lowest it has been in several months.  Trust me, neither of these data points is anything to write home about but at least we are now trending in the right direction.  It was a low bar.  :D

Anyway, if NO ONE did this with me, it was still a success in my book.  And from what I'm hearing, a few people really ARE joining in -- either in spirit or moving along with me.  My sweet niece has suggested we make our virtual run a monthly event.  I think it is a great idea, especially since she could probably do 6 in the time it takes me to do 3, but virtually, it doesn't matter:  we were out there together today and we had a ball.   :D 

If you decide to move with me, either today or tomorrow, post something here or on Facebook, and I will include you in the "Race Report." ( no need to duplicate if you've already let me know).   It won't be as fancy as some of the Virtual Race Reports of the past, but I will try to make it interesting. 

Thanks, everybody!!  HUGS!!

Kicking Off the ONE POUND DECISION

I started blogging when I started running, and I fell in love with both. I was not a good runner, not even an average runner!!  However, life at the back of the pack brought out the best in me!  I'm not terribly used to being so bad at something, but it forced me to develop a persistence and positivity that suited me well.  I even ran through the pain of torn cartilage for several months.  I've had some issues trying to get through the injury, and two surgeries later, I'm still dealing with it.  I'm not running right now, but I decided I can stand to get the attitude back.

I have long been a fan of self-improvement, specifically, health-related behavior change and how to help patients find their motivation.  Just because I teach the stuff, doesn't mean I'm always good at it!  When I was a little more successful with my diet, I had a little trick called the "One Pound Decision."  Any decision could mean the difference of a pound on the scale tomorrow.  I realize this might be a bit of a stretch, but it helped me immensely in the moment. I've decided to reinstate the One Pound Decision through out my life. What could I accomplish if I made these decisions with... my husband, my house, my work, my diet, exercise?  I plan on having fun finding out!

Thanks to everyone who has followed me here and to those who have given me encouragement for the past several years.  I still miss running like crazy and miss the community, comradarie and creativity.  I wish I could say I was healed, but I am not.  I am deciding next steps on possibly a third surgery, but there is no reason I should have things on hold forever.  It may be a bumpy road back, but I'm going to give it a try! 

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Man, You People are Loyal

Thank you so much to everybody who didn't dump me!!

YYYYYYY

I remember now how much you all mean to me and how you've helped me to stay positive even when I am at the back of the pack. I've missed you all, even my nemesis. :D

I think you've inspired me to work on the blog. I have to migrate away from http and I need to migrate away from 26.2 as a goal, at least for now. I was driving and thinking about a lot of things, my life, you, my husband, my house, my weight (blah), the decisions I need to make, the actions I need to take and follow through on.......

An idea was born.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a start! I have no idea if the migration is going to bring you all along or not. Hopefully it will. If not, I'll try to let you know some other way when it is complete.

I'm excited!!!

It's Been a Year...

and I'm guessing no one will even have this in reader any more. Oh well. I need to get a few things off my chest. I met with Amy and Art today, running buddies extraordinaire, and I decided I need to do something.

I had surgery in March of last year to fix torn cartilage, rehabbed all summer and did not really improve although I had some killer muscles in my legs. We started investigating things and decided I probably had a lot of scar tissue tethering in my hip. I had another surgery in December only to find out the tear was still there and the stitches were gone, and yes, scar tissue. After fixing it a second time, I was in heaven for about 10 days. Then all the pain came back. :( It isn't awful, but it seems to be always with me.

The latest, after another MRI, is that we think the plastic anchor of the stitch came loose and is sitting in my joint. We can't be sure, but he thinks that is what it is. A big piece of plastic in my joint!! I have to decide do I want him to go back in a third time or maybe send to his colleague in Vail to get his opinion. I am sick of this and you see why I am not blogging. I'm heavy, sedentary, and kind of a mess. I have nothing to say about running and no encouragement to give. I used to be Miss Encouraging, Miss Positive, Miss i don't care how bad I suck I still love running. I feel like that was someone else now. (see why I don't blog? I read old posts and I can't believe that was me. I love that me but I feel like I lost her...)

Still, after seeing Amy and Art, I felt a little encouraged. I really don't care if I have to have another surgery. I just want to be better. But maybe I could at least get back to some decent workouts. Amy had done a slow 9 and Art is working out like a fiend. Man, I miss them.

Trying to decide what to do with the blog. It is not going to be supported much longer so need to migrate to a blogspot. I used to the love the nonrunner thing, now I just hate it. :P and Nancy 26.2 is out of the picture. :( I'm still waiting for some inspiration... I guess I better think of something soon.

I miss you all tons and keep up with you on Facebook if you are there. I still am in awe of all your accomplishments. I feel like I know so many of you and you have been such good friends to me. Thanks for all the encouragement and hanging in there with me. Keep running as long as you can and enjoy every step.

A few days after surgery

Hey Everyone!! Thanks for checking in on me. It's been fun keeping up with people on Facebook but I've decided to do a post since I've been away so long.

My surgery was scheduled for March 6th but was delayed by 1 week due to the surgeon working on a trauma patient all night. It was an ugly phone call that morning as I had a lot of things ready to go (my mind being one of them) but I quickly decided whoever it was needed him more than I did (after a couple tears and some help from the Hub).

So I had arthroscopic surgery on my hip to repair the labral tear on the 13th. As it was explained to me, repairing this is a bit odd in that I am not a young athelete, but the surgeon wanted to do the repair to give me some stability for the Freakishly Flexible Joints. The repair is generally not done because there is little blood flow and it is difficult to heal. I'm finding that out.


if you follow the crescent that is the socket all the way out to the tip, you can see a white space that looks like the tip is cracked. that is the tear in the labrum.

I have a restrictive brace (6 wks) and crutches (3wks). I am about 12 days into that. I've had more pain than I expected or at least for longer. It is still bothersome to sit very long so I hang out a lot in bed with everything I need around me!! (books, mags, laptop, tv, phone, remote, movies, knitting, tray for food and drink, newspapers, purse for on-line purchasing - hee hee) (if anyone has fun websites to check out I'd love to get recommendations - nothing nasty please!) :D Actually nothing is very comfortable with the brace on all the time, but I am trying not to get too worked up about it. At least I can shower now!! I had to wait about 10 days until I got the stitches out. I just cleaned up and washed my hair in the sink. Weird, but I made it through that.

the brace. this will be the only time you will ever be granted a close up of my hips with no lipstick to bring your eye upward. the boobage will have to do. interestingly, that is my lair in the background. i can't for the life of me figure out how my crutches are clear over there. i haven't been cheating I must have slid to the egde of the bed and hopped into place but i don't remember doing it.

this is a picture of me showering...

what you can't see it? hee hee. jk.

I have never been so rested. Wow, 12 days mostly in bed. But, it has been the most comfy place so far and I have lots of stuff around me to do. I am reading 992 page novel, Pillars of the Earth. I never get time to read so this has been good! We did have poker last Friday and I made it down the steps and won the first game!!! (9 people, thankyouverymuch) We've had some dinners but mostly I hang out in the bedroom. One of the poker players nicknamed me Cyborg for all the metal. :D

That's about all for now. I still have a little trouble with blogs. Every time I see a run or read a race report all I can think to comment is Lucky You or I'm jealous or something preachy like ENJOY IT, at least you are running. I figure people would get tired of that so I am trying not to do that too much. I guess I have a ways to go on dealing with the not running but I'll get there. I did meet the Tri coach at our gym and she gave me her masters swim work outs so maybe I will get excited about that when it is time to get in the pool. I don't think I even start any rehab until 6 weeks.

I have knitted 4 scarves - they are an Easter Egg colors one with Fun Fur, a snow white fuzzy one, a ribbon one that is light and more for clothes accent than coat, and a big variegated brown and cream one for my mom. She picked out the colors. I didn't like it but it is what she ordered. My MIL thinks it looks like a stole (translation: dead animal). eeuuww.

The ribbon scarf up close. I haven't quite mastered good pictures of these like Running Knitter.

My boys tonight at bedtime. They've been great little helpers.

Freakishly Flexible 5k (FFFK) !!

Imagine my shock upon finding this!!!

I gasped, I laughed, I cried... you guys are so cool. USJogger set this up: a race in my honor!! I really don't know what to say. Thank you so much. I so wish I could run it with you. Go to his site for more details. I'm still cracking up that he used that picture and made a logo.

I am hanging in there. My surgery is March 6th. Thank you all so much for your prayers and kind words. All the support is really helping me.

I can't wait to see the outcome of FFFK.

There's Good News and Bad News

Alternate titles for this post that I considered:

• I Never Should Have Chosen That Damn Name - Nonrunner Nancy
• Trust Me, Freakishly Flexible is so NOT a Good Thing
• I'm Mourning 13 Minute Miles
• I'm a Freak
• Only Read This if You Need to Feel Better About Your Situation Otherwise It's Too Much of a Downer and Way Too Long

Well, now, I really have some answers. I never wanted to be one of those people that posted every ache and pain and complaint and that is why I have disappeared somewhat. I wanted to be fun and funny, creative, motivational (if not fast). But the answers are none of those things.

I DO have a torn labrum (the cartilage in my hip) and it probably CAN be fixed. However the sit-i-ation is more complicated. This injury likely WAS caused from running, somewhere around the 6 mile point. I am so damn freakishly flexible that my bones rattle around in the joints and just bang the $hit out of each other. To the point of injury. This injury is usually caused by tackling or falling down, but some people that are really flexible can get it from repetitive motion.

I have choices, clean up the broken stuff and just get it out of there (3 weeks on crutches, back to normal activity) or try to repair it (6 weeks of crutches and brace, more extensive healing, then back to normal activity). The doc says he never usually repairs anyone over 25 years old because healing capacity declines. However, he suggests repair in my case just to try to give my joint a little more stability. Freakishly flexible, people. I'm a freak. I feel old.

The reality is I really am a Nonrunner. My body was never made for running. I have too much flexibility, not enough control and my bones are beating up on each other simply from running. (do you have a picture in your mind of me flailing about? well I never thought it was that bad but apparently it is bad enough) It explains why my feet would just literally blow up at 8 miles and be so sore I could barely hobble. I am so sad right now, I can't even tell you. I sucked at running but it was mine. I made so much progress, I shocked even me, I loved the creative posts, the awesome, funny, sweet, ever-supportive bloggers, the time alone, the time with friends, the saying, "yeah, I ran a half" and meaning a half marathon, the beautiful days, the rainy days, the cold days. When I ran a half, I remembered to marvel at my strength even from the back of the pack. Now it seems like the holy grail.

I'm so sorry for the drama, I just needed to write. I really am mourning the loss of running. If I get all fixed, I will need to be a lot more careful and that probably won't involve much running at all. This isn't gut it out and make progress, this is gut it out and risk inury, go too far and need another surgery. I'm mourning the 12 miles I did with Amy and Art and the fantastic tailwind, the day we ran in an absolute snow storm, the day Cavey Girl ran a record pace and God smiled down on her chipped tooth and all, the day I ran my one and only famous Dam to Dam 20k and so many other runs that I captured on my blog. I'm mourning the lessons of being so bad and having to remain positive and everything it taught me. I'm mourning the tris I wanted to eventually do. I'm mourning the virtual races and all of you.

I know life will go on. This isn't loss of a loved one or loss of a limb or something equally as crappy. But I am going to have to find a new holy grail. I am a swimmer and I can certainly do that. But you don't meet your friends at the pool and have a great swim with chat, laughter, tears, hugs, etc. I have to find something that keeps me energized like running did. And, I have to find the creative outlet that it gave me, as well.

I have read that many people live just fine with the freakish flexibility but a chosen few have it so bad they get injured. Their best bet is to be freakishly thin and freakishly in shape. Geez. Can we rub it in any more? Those are two things I'm clearly not. And, if I were those two things, how much faster could I run?

Well, I have to move on and try to be thankful for all the stuff that remains.
I can be fixed.
I have all those sweet, strong, beautiful runs captured on the blog and can read about them any time I want
I have met some lovely people.
I AM a runner, I did a half marathon and a 20k. I rocked. I have medals.
I learned how to be positive and keep going even when I kind of suck.
I learned how to run my own race, something so valuable in every day life.
I still have lipstick.
I still have my club.
Of course, I am blessed beyond belief with husband and kids who will support whatever the new holy grail becomes.

I will still be around. I have to figure out what to do with this blog. Maybe I will continue to be Nonrunner Nancy but swimmer or cyclist extraordinaire. I have a little road in front of me with surgery, rehab, and figuring out how to be freakishly thin and freakishly in shape as well as a lot of creative energy that needs to go into something. But I do want to thank all of you for your inspiration, support, laughs, friendship. You all and running have meant so much to me. Please go easy on yourselves, be thankful every day that your body allows you to run, no matter how slow, marvel at your strength and remember to enjoy all the details.

Here's the Dealio

Hey Everybody I Miss Like Crazy -

I finally have some news to share. Here is what I know...

• I've mostly been trying to keep the hip and back quiet by not aggravating them much.


• My hip pain doesn't really change but the back was flaring some in Nov/Dec so I was just going to PT to survive it.


• I continued to pursue care with an orthopedic guy. We tried ultrasound with drug, full course of anti-inflammatories, core work, etc.


• Finally, when these weren't working at all, we moved on to the MRI's.


• My back MRI shows 2 degenerative discs but no real complications.


• If I can keep them in check with core work and knowing my limits, I can exercise!


• My hip MRI shows a real injury, a labral tear, but no real complications.


• I have had this pain in my hip since around August of 07!!


• The good news is that this is an injury that can be repaired, not some condition or disease that I have to live with for the rest of my life. I'M NOT CRAZY EITHER! It really was NOT RIGHT. I kept saying it doesn't hurt THAT bad, but something in there is NOT RIGHT. I'm so glad I continued to pursue and my doc was willing to continue to pursue until we had some answers.


• I suppose this is a new and unique excuse for my eternal slowness. :D


• The bad news is that it will require surgery to fix, crutches, rehab, etc.


• I am meeting with a surgeon on Feb 2.


• Also, I can't really make the tear worse so I am free to exercise until surgery!


• I went yesterday and did 20 min elliptical, planks, pushups, situps and jogged 1 mile.


• Yes, I jogged one mile!! YEAH.


• I think I was the biggest girl there. :P Everyone looked just amazing. Geez, I am so jealous of everyone and how little I can do and how pathetic I looked.


• Despite this really mild sounding work out, I was light-headed and spent. So sad. I have so far to go. I was going to swim too, but didn't think it would be a good idea with already being light-headed.


• I'm going to try to put some really meaningful exercise in until I get this surgery going.


• I am trying to remember how fast it can come back with some diligence.


• Appreciate your cheers, prayers, words of wisdom, etc, whatever your inclination, as I may need some major support through surgery and trying to make a comeback to some running.

Happy Holidays

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE !!

the picture is from the Old Course Grill, overlooking St. Andrews and the 17th and 18th holes, from our trip in June.

Thanks for all your support this year. Looking forward to 2009 and hopefully some running and training in moderation.

This Just In

Guy Who Does A Lot of Hips (also known as Ortho Guy) is completely perplexed. He cannot put a label on it or give me much of a plan.

On to an MRI tomorrow morning. Wish me luck and think very still thoughts. 45 minutes is a long time.

May be some answers soon??!!

No Real News Yet

Here's the latest on me. Thanks, everyone, for checking in on me and for your concern and caring.

I've been to an ortho who thinks I have an inflammed TFL. (that's the muscle that the ITB turns into at the insertion point) All I need is a little ultrasound, some stretching and a 4 week stint on anti-inflammatories. Ah, not so much. I'm not better by any stretch of the imagination. Pt Guy is sending me back and recommending an MRI. My next appt is Dec 4th. It has been a huge challenge trying to figure out if hip and back are related or separate and just what is going on.

Meanwhile, I have been doing very little, only a few swims. I'm afraid to run for fear it could actually get worse. I read an occasional blog but it is a little depressing. I'm wondering if I could still run a mile or two? I put running shorts on the other day for my treatment and they actually felt strange. Oh, that made me sad.

Don't worry, I'm not really sitting around moping. Too much to do, too little time. We celebrated 6 years of the oldest boy and 4 of the youngest. Parties galore, the piece d' resistance was 31 kids at Pump It Up. What chaos and what fun. There was only a small amount of blood shed and luckily everyone signs a waiver. hee hee.

The kids are growing before my eyes so I am making a conscious effort to be with them and enjoy, not always rushing them here and there and drill sargenting them around. We've now made pretzels and cookies in the new Easy Bake oven! (yes, they are both boys and they love it). First conference was interesting, the oldest is doing really well but I never expected the word "womanizer" to be used. What a kid. :D

Work has been really busy and we are awaiting another reorg. I try not to even think about it anymore. Although VIV brought me crashing back to what life behind the counter was like. :D Thanks for that. I love my job so I'm hoping for the best. We are also keeping busy with college basketball, 4 year old soccer, swimming lessons, and a few symphony and musicals. And December brings a bit of travel and whole lot of shopping. I'll try not to stay away so long.

Thanks for checking in on me. I am currently solidly in the nonrunner status but hopeful we will find some answers soon. Send good vibes...

XOXO

Too Funny Not to Share

Tired of the campaign rhetoric, the commercials, the call in shows, the newspapers, the debates, the phone calls, the signs....





So you turn to Dancing With The Stars for a little mindless relaxation and what do you find?

• Back and hip still hurting, sans running
• Appt with ortho in less than a week
• A little nervous there will be no answers but there's no sense in worrying about it
• Really don't want to bore anyone with my whining
• Swimming 3 - 4x per week.
• I hate counting laps but I think 30 minutes is around a mile.
• Last night I did 32 minutes of continuous swimming.
• I get a foot cramp at 25 minutes every single time I swim. What up?
• I attempted a couple flip turns - they quickly reminded me of the decade or two that have passed since being competitive. hee hee
• I bought some flip flops for keeping at the gym. Somehow I thought I bought 8's and got home with 11's :S
• Rough start to the Viv Weight Loss Challenge but I think I've righted the ship.
• I'm thinking of dressing as a scary Cavewoman for Halloween and suprising the kids. I could use a little club right now.
• Took my little one to the ISU game last weekend on a date.
• We lost but I had the time of my life dancing and cheering with a 3 year old.

The Plan in Bullets

hMy doc and I have agreed that I will see an ortho guy who does a lot of hips (here to for referred to as He Who Does Hips, only because I couldn't think of a cool symbol). :D @ this maybe?
+I don't see him until the 30th.
xIn the meantime, I am not running
(I'm sure you don't want to read my daily pain scale reports so I probably will not post very much.
IWe did join a gym with a pool right up the street so I am over the moon about that.
'I did 1250 tonight, kinda PO'd it wasn't 1600 but what do I know? I really haven't swam much in years.
JIt could easily have been 1600, I'm horrible at counting and didn't time it.
sI think it was around 35 minutes of swimming??
"My racing suit is still from another decade. eek
NNo amount of lipstick can really overcome my thighs in a decade old suit ;D

YOne minute they are crying and fighting, the next they are reading books and telling me about the Eiffel Tower.

Speed Round

• I'm here, I'm just swamped
• I'm also hurting and haven't felt like blogging
• I miss you all
• My corneal ulcer is now just a scar, but only after being "debrided". UGH.
• I've worn my contacts for a total of 4 hours. :D
• NYC was fun although I wasn't able to garner a blogger meet-up :(
• I could hole up at the Alex hotel for a month in Manhattan and be happy as a clam
• I'd love to do a "secondment" ( I had to look it up ) and at least be there a little.
• I also went to Chicago for a couple days for meetings
• My colleagues are so dang smart and it's usually a little daunting
• I haven't run in over a week
• I finally faced facts that my hip and back hurt almost all the time
• Apparently limping for the first 4 or 5 steps you take after any sitting isn't normal
• It's worse after sex
• This has been going on for a year
• I know, I know, I don't like to talk about it (one of the few things)
• I am saddened by my loss of mileage and endurance but I think I have to figure out what is wrong
• An MRI is probably next
• The words spina bifida were used about one part of one of my vertebrae in an xray overread- the guy said not remarkable, but STILL!!
• Muscular versus skeletal? Can't seem to make the call.
• It's hard to read marathon reports when I suck, but I still do read them. You guys really rock and I am so proud of you. And Tri people just rock times three :D
• We might join a gym that has a pool. I'm.so.excited.
• My baby finds out if his broken arm is healed tomorrow
• I am starting to realize what life is going to be like with two sports-minded little kids
• I wish the Cubs would win a game
• That's about it for now
• Thanks for friends who inquire if I am okay. :D I'm okay.

I'd Rather Be Running

My running pals had to meet without me as I made a semi-urgent visit to the eye surgeons. Holy crap. Surgeons?



Yep, it's a corneal ulcer. Something I should have never googled. Glasses and looking like a dork until Friday is nothing if this thing will heal. I don't like some of the alternatives.



I will definitely keep you all posted.

That eye doctor took forever to see me.

By the way, totally off the subject but.....

Is anyone using iGoogle yet? OMG. I.LOVE.IT.ALMOST.AS.MUCH.AS.TIVO.

DOathlon for Life

DOathlon for Life sponsered by the local Osteopathic Society.

Amy had the duathlon on the schedule and got her husband to agree to do it with her. She was asking me to also, but I really am not properly bike equipped. In the end, I agreed to do one of the legs for her Hub and we became Team Underdog. Note the resemblance :D

It was a good thing to get my feet wet with one leg only. I am not really duathlon material either. We had quite the laugh checking out all the zero body fat hardcores and trying to find any one who even looked normal or.... like us. HA HA. None of them even wear lipstick. Can you imagine? I wish we had a picture of the bikes, the seats were the tiniest little slivers, I do not understand it!

Anyway, Amy and I did the first 5k and it was pretty respectable for me. I think we were in the 32:45 neighborhood. I'll take it.

I don't know how she did it, but Amy went on to the horrible head winds and hills of the bike leg and came back with an even quicker 5k. My hero!! Jim did a great job on the hills and the last 5k also and as Amy noted on her blog, NONE OF US WERE LAST !! After my leg, the DO students gave me quite the work over and I became their teaching case. Oh, look at her flexibility. Are there any tendons in there? Can you say hyperextension? How many times have sprained this ankle? Are you always that tentative when you roll over? Can you balance on one leg? Does this hurt? Anything in the name of science. :D

Last night I got a corneal abrasion, so PT and running are on hold for today. Nothing serious, I should be fine in a day or two. Tomorrow, an official meeting of the EWF running club!! Can't wait.

Mental Notes of a NonRunner

Caught up on a very few blogs last night.
Raring to go
I miss running
54 gorgeous degrees
I need my favorite nike 50 degree outfit
Where is my favorite nike outfit
Oh my god, i've lost my favorite outfit
There are like 5 pairs of gross shorts in this drawer I never wear
Goodwill calling
This cute white running skirt is just slightly too big and doesn't look right
I wonder if anyone would want it (it's a white skirt with pink piping from Target, XL) Vanilla? anyone? Bueller?
Okay, I'll wear lime green but I'm not happy
I love that nike outfit
The landscapers are here to do the rock wall
I'm so excited

It is gorgeous out!
How far can I go
Which way should I go
I never plan a route any more since garmie
It's usually sort of dangerous, I end up dying miles from home
I should be able to do 4 without dying since it is cooler
I'm going to do the clover, in reverse
I feel great
I love running over the interstate
I've really missed everyone
I can't believe the miles everyone is putting in
I'm not crazy busy like I can't stand it
Life is really good busy right now
Someone is adding an entire story to their house
Ouchie twinge in my left foot

Why did I think I was all hot and have to wear those heels all day

Why did I do this run backwards

I had a reason for doing it the other way

I guess I could turn around and make it 2.5 miles

Do I have to forget practically everything I know and keep re-learning it?

Don't I always say, if you learned something it's not a bad run?

The clover is cool (run plotted around an interstate clover) but that bridge up and over looks like a freaking mountain

Jess looked cool in her bowling shirt

I told her I'd like to be that tiny for a day but I'd probably be unbearable

I'd be all like, I'm so hot

I'm too sexy for my shirt

I'm too sexy for my car

I'm too sexy for my love

I'm too sexy for this run

shut up, it got me up the mountain

hey, I still have energy

oh yeah, I ate some, um, extra carbs around midnight

no wonder I have so much freaking get up and go

4 miles and still running, uncharted territory at least for the last couple weeks

I wonder if anyone is doing that 101 day challenge
My hip is hurting
It feels like a vice around it
I really gotta get those xrays to PT guy and get back
Pain into my left quad
Hey, at least I have a quad
4.5 and a couple block walk
Sad that I'm a little gimpy
The rock wall looks fabulous
I'm too sexy for the landscapers
The dogs go wild
Powerade Zero rocks

I wonder what Brendan James will be like tonight.

4.5 miles ~ 57:17 ~ 12:43 pace
Random thoughts, courtesy of busy half assed runner data geek pharmacist girl soccer mom.
Yes, I wore lipstick Y

And tomorrow, it's EWF and maybe a couple newbies...

Still Struggling to be a Runner

I'm here, and I'm missing all of you, life is just winning out right now.

The Kindergartner broke his arm about a week ago but it hasn't been as bad as we thought. No cast, just a brace and no restrictions. The Hub and I were seriously excited as he started soccer and football and is such a sports hound. We understood how much it was going to suck way more than he did. Thankfully, just the brace...

About a week ago, I also tried to "go long" well, longer than 5 anyway. Amy had told me she did 9 and I was all like, "damn, girl, I've got to get out there." Well, it was pretty much a disaster very similar to Nitmos' Mirage post where he fell in love with the water at the laundro mat. I went out in the heat of the day and did great for 3.5 and then fell apart. I was about 2 miles from home and seriously delusional. Hee hee. I thought about drinking water from hoses, knocking on the old babysitter's door who I haven't seen in about a year, and even considered dousing my head in the scary gas station bathroom. In the end, I death marched it home and decided I better stick to some 3's and 4's for now. .

Amy and I then met for 3 last week and did an amazing clip (for us). I was esctatic at the company and the pace.

We had quite a fun weekend with ISU tickets and friends here and the 1 mile challenge. Our kids are members of the little clone club so we got to go out on the field with them and make a tunnel for the players. It was their first big football game experience. They were quite impressed with the "tailgating" which we had to explain and the smoke the players emerged from. Looking forward to lots more fun with them as they discover sports. As I said to a friend, "it's all sports, all the time around here." The Kindergartner also got to go see our friend's son play in a Grandview College Soccer game. It's amazing the things these kids get to do at 5, eh? (The picture is the soccer player and my son after the soccer game.) (Razz, do you remember Curtis Craig? That's his son!! His mom is my good friend and now their son is going to college in Des Moines)

Also this weekend, I really wanted to support Reid in his 5 minute mile challenge. I was going to shoot for a 10 minute mile which should be totally do-able. First I went out with the little one and he was driving his John Deere Gator around our circle - 4 laps would be a mile. It was his big thing since the older one got to go to the soccer game.... Thing is, he's a little herky jerky and I had my knees clipped a few times as he stopped abruptly in front of me. Three year old drivers, go figure. We did go around 4 times, but it was an unacceptable "race." Although I did consider that Reid would totally approve of a family event no matter the time.

We parked the gator and headed up to Valley High School Track about a mile from my house to have another go at it. This time we brought the Harley big wheel, my garmin and a parachute launcher (to celebrate afterwards!). I decided to run fast but not kill myself. I really have no idea how to pace it to go right up to the edge but have enough for a whole mile.

The track was nice and the little one did about a quarter of the track to each of my laps. We chatted and encouraged every time I passed him, not sure who was prouder. Unfortunately I did have a mishap, I was lollygagging at a car going by and stepped too close to the edge of the track. Down I went. Well, Reid got bit by a dog in one of my races so I guess I will provide the drama this time.

Got back up and kept moving but I knew I wasn't quite going to make a 10 minute mile. I ended at 10:07, slightly disappointed. I know this isn't my best as I have run faster miles in a 5k but that is where I was at yesterday and it was pretty fun to have the little harley rider there. He made it all the way around and was SO proud. We launched the parachute guy out of the tube a few times and watched him float back to the ground as we sat in the middle of the track. Good stuff.

I think I might do this 1 mile challenge a little more often. I know I have a 9 something in me.

What a weekend!! Thanks everyone for wondering about me. And BIG CONGRATs TO REID who did make his 5 minute mile!!!!

"Crazy Day" Jay

Blue hair (and a Cubs hat somewhere)

Swim goggles

Backwards soccer shirt of big brother

Green football sweatband

Purple basketball sweatband

Packer football pants

One soccer shin guard

Mismatched socks

Mismatched tennis shoes



That's my boy!!!