Finding balance

Today's theme at the Runners Lounge is Time and Balance.  As in, how do you make time for running and balance it with the rest of the things in your life?

Like many moms, I don't have enough time in my day to accomplish everything I want to do.  No big surprise there.   I used to think I was busy before I had kids.  Now I look back and laugh.  BK (before kids), I went to bed at a reasonable hour every night, the house was mostly neat and clean, and I had time to do projects around the house.  BK, I worked out at the gym at my office (conveniently on the same floor as my office) and saved the weekends for gardening, hiking, and other fun stuff with Beer Geek.   I was awesome about cross training - I rode the stationary bike, did the elliptical, lifted weights...  After Jones was born, I continued to work part time and still managed to keep most of my workouts during the work day.  Running was just a means to an end - weight loss and less severe PMS.

I'm a stay at home mom now, so as you might guess, my life is a lot different.  My running is different too.  It's no longer just a quick 30 minute workout to stay healthy.  Now, it's my me time, one of the few things I do JUST FOR ME.   It's much more of a priority to me now.

So, how do I find time and how do I balance everything?  Well, the time thing is actually fairly easy.  I'm a lucky, lucky girl in that I have a very supportive husband who has a work schedule that gets him home by 4:15 most afternoons.  (Yes, you can hate me now).  Several days a week, I head out the door as he walks in and can manage to get in about 4 miles before I need to get home.  I also have one kid in grade school and the other in one day a week preschool (3 days next fall Woot!), so I do my long runs during the week.  Add in a friend who likes to trade off three year olds and enough time between church and lunch for a 5 miler and really I have plenty of time for shortish runs.

Therein lies the balance issue.  When I was training for the marathon, I did a very low mileage program and still felt like I was throwing our life out of whack.  It got me to the finish line, but if I run a marathon again, I want to run more miles in training.   Even though I had the desire to run another marathon as soon as I finished my first, I had to take a step back and put other priorities ahead of it.  It's been 6 months and I still haven't finished catching up on all the stuff that got set aside "just until after the marathon".   In order to find balance, I've focused on speed and shorter "long" races.   This seems to be working well for us as a family.  I get to achieve my goals without missing out on soccer games, family time, and just plain down time.

I will probably try to run one more marathon next spring.  Shoo will be in enough preschool that I can run more miles, but not enough to really allow me to find a job.  It's the perfect time to do some hardcore training, while still managing to be room mom, soccer mom, PTA mom, listserv moderator, newsletter writer...  Hmm, guess it's a good thing I don't need a lot of sleep.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Why my hair is going gray

What I heard from the other room:

"Han Solo, use the FORCE!"

What I saw when I walked into Shoo's room:

Notice that he had the cord from his shade around his waist.  I believe the next "scene" in his version of Star Wars was going to involve an attempt to swing down from the windowsill.  Oy.

My crazy life

I'm feeling really scattered, so today's gonna be all about the bullet points.

• Today I chaperoned a 1st grade field trip to the zoo.  I actually enjoyed it. (Yes, that's Jones in the dinosaur head)
• I also volunteered as the class mom for Shoo's class next year and accepted the nomination for PTA secretary for Jones' school.
• It looks like I may also be organizing the end of the season party for Jones' soccer team for the third season in a row.
• I'm still wondering how I became a "soccer mom", but at least I don't drive a minivan (instead I cram kids and stuff into a Civic.  My "green" side is happy).
• I'm throwing out the rest of the box of FiberOne bars.  Yes, I do learn from my mistakes - sometimes it just takes more than one try.
• I heard from a friend who volunteered at the race that as far as she could tell, the water we drank came from garden hoses.  EWWW!  Good thing I subscribe to the "exposure to germs strengthens your immune system" method of parenting.
• There was also some sort of problem with the mixing of the 'ade at the race.  I told her I didn't want to know.
• I ran a really hot, windy recovery run this afternoon.    Afterwards I looked at Garmin and discovered I'd run the three miles in 9:12. 9:06, and 8:36.  Where did that come from?

Every time we go to the zoo, we take a picture of Jones at the same tree to show how he's grown.  Today he insisted we needed a picture of me...

GW Parkway 10 miler race report

Short story:  I finished in 1:31:03 and PR'd by at least three minutes.  I was around 1400 out of 4000 runners and finished in the top 25% for women and for my age group.

The rest of the story:

The GW Parkway race begins at Mount Vernon and ends in Old Town Alexandria.  Like many point to point races, this means a shuttle.  I got up at 5 am in order to leave the house by 6 for an 8 o'clock race.  I was already tired (Jones woke up twice and Shoo wet the bed 5 minutes before my alarm went off) and in a fragile emotional state (due to the death of our friend), so when I realized how hot it was going to be, I seriously considered going back to bed.

Instead, I took a quick shower, coated myself in sunblock, and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  After I gathered all my stuff (I decided to run without my Fuel Belt this time), I headed out.  I parked my car by 6:15am and immediately boarded a very full bus, so I got to stand for the 10 mile drive out to the start.  We were at the race start by 6:30am, which left an hour and a half to kill before the race start.  I visited the portapotties a few times, drank a bottle of gatorade, and chatted with a few people, but I spent way too much of that time in my own head.   Usually that's not a real problem for me, but it wasn't a good place for me on Sunday.

Finally, the people started lining up to start.  I needed to pee, but the potties were a fair walk away and the lines were long.  I figured it was just jitters and tried to keep my mind occupied.  Finally, the race started!  Because the race started with a downhill and I knew that the first mile was mostly downhill, I went out fast.  Mile 1 and 2 were finished in 8:44 and 8:40, respectively.  I walked the first water stop at mile 2.5, where I saw a close friend who was volunteering that day.   By the end of mile 3, I was starting to get uncomfortable, not because of the running or the heat, but because I REALLY needed to pee.  Those of you who've birthed kids know what kind of issues I was having.  I finished mile 3 in 8:57 and mile 4 in 9:01.    Finally, I spotted a portapotty with no line at the waterstop at mile 5.  I ran in and OH did I feel better.  Quickly ate a gu, drank a water and a gatorade and headed out again.   My splits for miles 5 & 6 are messed up because I didn't pause Garmin for the stop.   Thanks to the stop and the Gu, I knew I was feeling really good at this point, but I was worried about how hot it was.  I had planned to slow down to a 9:30 minute pace around the halfway point, but was still feeling good enough to run mile 7 in 9:16.  I walked the water stop around mile 7.5, drank two waters and a gatorade (it always amazes me how much liquid I can drink during a hot race and not get sick), and saw my friend again.  It was a real boost and I managed to finish mile 8 in 9:17, even with walking the waterstop.  I was feeling pretty good, but I made myself walk the last waterstop at mile 9.  I normally would have skipped it, but it was getting really warm and sunny (and I didn't realize how close to a 1:30 10 I was).  Even with that stop, I finished mile 9 in 9:10.  Somewhere in there, I heard my name called and saw DC Running Mama walking past in the other direction (she finished #10 for women Woot!).  Hearing my name filled me with adrenaline and I knocked out the last mile in 8:25!

All in all, it was a good race. I was a little disappointed in my time, but given the heat and the potty stop, I did well.  I probably would have tried to spend less time at the water stops if I'd realized I was close to an hour and a half, but it leaves me with goal for the Army 10 miler in the fall.  It was well organized and I liked the actual course of the race.  I really could do without the whole "hurry up and wait" thing at the beginning.  I'm unlikely to run this one again unless I make plans to meet up with a friend.

I wore the new Lululemon shorts and they didn't disappoint.  They have a small pocket where I stored a Gu.  I ended up running the entire race with it there and I had no chafing from the pocket or the shorts in general.  They were MUCH easier to get back up after the stop than a pair of compression shorts would have been.  Also, at one point, someone was shooting a hose across the road.  I intentionally ran through it, but ended up only getting my shorts soaked.  Amazingly, this didn't make them feel heavy or cause any chafing.   Yes, I do plan to buy another pair soon.

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Thank you for your kind words about our friend.  I'm not overly sad for him as he was a man of very strong faith and was ready to go home.  I am sad for his children though, who've been my friends since high school.  It was a huge reminder of how lucky I am that my dad is not only alive, but able to run races with me.

Long Day = Short post

I finished the 10 miler in 1:31:02.   Details tomorrow.

Today was quite hot and way too busy.  After the race, the boys and I laid the bricks to start a small garden - we'll have cucumbers, tomatoes, and arugula.  If history repeats itself, we won't have much of any of them.  Then I headed out to a visitation as the family friend I mentioned a few weeks ago passed away on Friday.  After a short prayer service that I was happy to have attended, I headed out to Jones' second soccer game of the weekend.  His team played a tough game in 93 degree weather.

We ordered Thai food for dinner as I'm completely drained - emotionally and physically.  Hopefully a good night's sleep will get me back on my feet.

40 oz and some 50 state musings

No, it wasn't one of those 40 oz beers you can buy at a gas station.  

Last night we went out to one of our favorite "good beer and kid friendly" places - Rock Bottom Brewery.  A long time ago we joined their Mug Club (last night was my 20th visit LOL) and when you are a member, you get a 20oz beer for the price of a pint.  In order to carb load for the race, I had two of their brown ales.  I planned to come home and write a blog post, but instead, I came home and went to bed.  Yeah, I'm quite a party girl. ;o)

We have a number of stressful things going on right now, none of which I can actively do anything about.  I'm not very good at just letting things ride and tend to get a bit obsessive and worry non-stop about things I can't control.   To prevent spending my runs worrying, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what races I want to run as part of my goal of racing in all 50 states.  What follows is a bit of a "mind dump" as I need to get some of this down on "paper".

I've lived in or visited all 50 states, thanks to my dad's military career and Beer Geek's love of travel.  There are some states where I don't care very much what I run, as long as I run, but there are other states where I want to run in a specific area or in a specific race or definitely with my father.

States I want to run with my dad:

Wisconsin - while it would make more sense to run in Madison because we have a lot of connections to it, we have signed up to do the Lighthouse Run this summer.

North Dakota - this may be the hardest to manage.  We lived in Grand Forks for twice for three years each time, so we need to race there, but there don't seem to be a lot of races.

Louisiana - I'd like to run in Bossier City or Shreveport, but Beer Geek's family is near New Orleans, so we may do that instead.

New Mexico - Albuquerque.  This has to wait until the boys are older because I also want to climb the trail up to the peak.

Nebraska - I want to do the Market to Market relay, but we need to find some more runners.  I have a cousin who does triathalons, so we can probably convince him, but that leaves us 3 short.

California- we lived in Sacramento, but we'll probably race in San Diego because my brother lives there.

Alabama - Dad would want to run in Montgomery, but I've got those three months of my life pretty well blocked out, mentally. LOL

Other states with "meaning"

Alaska - we took a small ship (60ish passengers) out of Juneau for our honeymoon, so I definitely want to run in Juneau

Washington - somewhere on the coast.  We had an awesome, pre-kids vacation there that involved visiting something like 21 breweries/brewpubs.

Michigan - we spent an awesome weekend on Beaver Island and now they have a marathon/half marathon

South Carolina - I want to run the Cooper River bridge race since I got to run that bridge last September when visiting Beer Geek's brother.

Things that look fun:

Kansas - Brew to Brew Run

New York - The Boiler Maker

I feel like I'm missing something important, but I need to get ready for Jones' soccer game.  Now that you know too much about where I've lived/travelled and hopefully learned of some cool races, where would you recommend I run in YOUR state?

Fab Four for Reese

I ran my four miles for Reese's Run (there's still time to sign up!) today because I won't run tomorrow or Saturday in preparation for the GW Parkway 10 miler on Sunday.  I planned to take it really slow and easy, but apparently I suck at pacing myself.  The first mile was 9:05.  A little fast, but mostly downhill.  About a third of the way through the second mile, I was really regretting it, thinking I'd gone out way too fast.  Then I looked down at Garmin.  I was running uphill, into the wind, at an 8:50 pace.  Oops.  No wonder I was dying!   I ended up doing the 4 miles in 35:43, including a few stoplights.  Not exactly the slow run I planned, but it felt good, nonetheless.

The Lululemon shorts totally rocked the run!  They were so comfortable.  It was warmish today and I found them much cooler than my compression shorts.  They are about 2 inches shorter, plus they feel lighter and looser, so it felt like the breeze (or very strong wind as the case may be) was able to cool my legs a bit.  So, two thumbs up for these shorts!  (No, I have no connection to the company, but if they want me to be their heavy thighed guinea pig, I'd be happy to try out other stuff for them LOL).  

I've been trying to figure out my goals for the 10 miler on Sunday and I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I'm just going to run what feels good and enjoy the run.  It's supposed to be pretty warm, which tends to slow me down.  Also, my quads are still a bit sore from Tuesday, so my legs may not be their best.  Since this was an impulse buy LOL, it wasn't really planned with my other races and I don't want to mess up my half that's in two weeks.  

When I ran my 12 miles on Tuesday, I wore my Fuel Belt with one of the pockets filled with Gu and the other filled with my license, cell phone, house keys and $10.  That's pretty standard for me for my longer runs.  When I got home, I pulled out my keys and went into the house.  Later on, I emptied my belt and couldn't find the $10.  I figured it fell out when I pulled out my keys and put it out of my mind, assuming someone would pick it up (we live on a major road with a bus stop one yard away).  Today, when I got the mail, I found the $10 at the bottom of my mailbox.  Apparently someone found it on my yard and put it there so we'd find it.  What a nice surprise!

 

I also found out that Gap now owns Athleta.  I'm totally psyched because I have $70 in gift cards to Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic and now they will also work with Athleta, which may mean trying some of their running stuff.  Woot!

Lululemon running short review and crazy 8's tag

I took my new shorts (they are the Relaxed fit shorts in Tall) for a short three mile run on the treadmill today.  It was too chilly outside to run (but apparently not too chilly for Beer Geek to make me take a picture outside).  So far, so good.  They stayed in place and were quite comfy.  If they do well when I run four miles outside tomorrow, I'll wear them for the 10 mile race I have on Sunday.  They pull a little in the crotch (an appearance issue, not a comfort problem).  I wouldn't want shorts that fit up quite so tightly into that area for anything but running, but they do prevent the top of the thigh "chub rub".    Please excuse the "Casper" look of my skin.  LOL 

RunningLaur tagged me with Crazy 8's and since I don't have much to say today, I'll comply...

8 Things to which I am looking forward:

1. Savor and a night away with Beer Geek to celebrate our 14th anniversary
2. My upcoming races: two 10 milers and a half marathon
3. A field trip to the zoo with Jones' class
4. Two full weeks in June and a week in August at my parents' house
5. Brew at the Zoo at the National Zoo
6. Being a buddy runner at Girls on the Run
7. Vacation in Maine
8. A little time to myself when both boys are in camp this summer (a first!)

8 Things I did yesterday

1. Ran 12 hilly miles
2. Got a little retail therapy by buying some new shorts
3. Walked Jones to school
4. Drank way too much coffee
5. Enjoyed the sun while the boys played outside
6. Picked up my race packet for the race this weekend
7. Did some ab work
8. Folded laundry

8 Things I wish I could do/I want to do

1. Find the perfect PT job - one that pays well, uses my skill set, and allows me flexibility to be with the boys most of the time.
2. De-clutter this house
3. Run another marathon and PR
4. Come up with a creative masthead for this blog
5. Figure out what to do with my hair, which is in desperate need of a cut and color
6. Find a way to do everything I WANT to do each day, in addition to those things I NEED to do
7. Break the snack habit
8. Get back in the habit of reading (from a book - not the computer or a magazine) every night before bed

8 Shows I watch

1. The Colbert Report
2. Whatever is on the Food Channel, TLC or Discovery Health when I'm running on the treadmill

Yes, really, that's all the tv I watch.  I'd rather read or spend time on the computer when I'm not busy with the kids or running or socializing or...

8 People I tag

1. Laura
2. Heather
3. Jennifer
4. tfh
5. Carly
6. Jess
7. Melanie
8. Sara

(I don't know what is up with the fonts and I'm too tired to fix it...)

12 miles, fiber, and a white cardigan

It was beautiful here today.  When I headed out for my long SLOW 12 miles today, it was right around 60 degrees and sunny.  I went out with a goal of staying really slow and running 12 miles in two hours.  I ended up doing it in 1:56:43.   I thought it was going to be an easy run, but I chose a really hilly route and ended up with a couple of miles at a 10 minute pace and I was pretty tired by the end.  I did manage to do negative splits and pushed out the last three miles at 9:37, 9:27, and 9:00.  I really needed this run.  I haven't run more than a 10 mile run since the half in mid-March.  I have another half in three weeks, with a 10 mile race this weekend, so this was really my last chance to get in significant distance.

Several bloggers have posted PSAs lately regarding the FiberOne granola bars.  Last night I was craving something sweet and that was the only thing I could find.  It didn't seem to bother my stomach and I had no intestinal issues last night.  I thought I was out of the woods.  I was wrong.  I'll just say that when I weighed myself after my run, I was three pounds lighter than when I got up (and today I didn't sweat overly much and stayed really hydrated.)  Umm, yeah.  Those things are dangerous.

And then there's the story of the white cardigan.  Back when we were newly married, I got it into my head that I need a white cardigan (yeah, what can I say, I'm a librarian.  We wear cardigans).  I even knew exactly what I wanted it to look like.  I dragged poor Beer Geek all over trying to find the perfect white cardigan.  I never found it.  Now whenever I'm looking for something and having difficulty finding what I want, Beer Geek asks me if what I'm looking for is a "white cardigan".

I think a running skirt that works for me may be a white cardigan.  I tried on 7 different skirts today.  With the exception of one, they all had inner shorts that had a 3-3.5" inseam.  This hits my thighs at the worst possible spot and is horribly unattractive.  The last one had what I think was closer to a 4" inseam.  I liked the way the shorts fit, but the skirt was cut too straight, so it was tight around legs.  I couldn't go up a size because the waist was already loose.  On the bright side, none of the skirts I tried were the sportskirts or runningskirt brand.

I did end up buying a pair of shorts to try.  I stopped at Lululemon and tried on some of their capris and really liked them.  The sales woman said that they offer free hemming, so I was going to have them turned into shorts.  Another saleswoman suggested that I try on a pair of their shorts in the "tall" version.  Perfect!  Longer than typical, but still a good bit above the knee.  They are snug enough that I think they'll stay down, but not as snug as compression shorts.  I'll run in them tomorrow night and report back. ;o)

I also picked up my race packet for the GW Parkway 10 miler while I was at the running store.  I really like the tech t-shirt that we got.  Too bad I can't wear it for the race.  ;o)  It's a women's fit, but a bit longer than most.  I think it'll come in handy as most of my tech shirts that are cut for a woman's body end right about where my fuel belt hits, so they ride up and become uncomfortable while running.  Hopefully this one will work better.  It's a good thing I get most of my shirts "free" from races.   It leaves me with more money for skirts and shorts. LOL

Shorts weather

Spring is definitely here.  Yesterday and today were both in the low 70s by late afternoon.  While that's perfect capri weather when hanging out, it's shorts weather for running.

I hate running in shorts.  I have rather heavy thighs (seriously, my thighs could be the "before" picture in a weight loss photo and the rest of me would be the "after" picture.)  I always thought that eventually they'd slim down with all of the running.  Instead, they are stronger and more muscular, but still large.  Because of that, I find wearing compression shorts with a long inseam to be the only comfortable way to run.   Somehow, I feel comfortable running races in them with just a short tech tee ('cause I'm more concerned about speed than appearance LOL).  However, I don't really feel comfortable running like that in my neighborhood.  I end up wearing a long tech tee, which gets somewhat annoying.  I've been thinking about trying the skirtsports running skirts as they get good review for the undershort staying down, but I'm not sure if they will work.  Guess one of these days I'll have to order some and just see how they work.

Today's run was nice.  I did an easy 4 miles (37:26).  I just took Garmin along for the ride so that I could track mileage and discovered I still start too fast.  I did try to keep my strides shorter and footfall more under my body, but I was still slower in the last two miles.

Life starts getting crazy soon.  Jones starts soccer next weekend and he has two games next weekend and two games the weekend after that.  I have the 10 mile race this coming Sunday, then possibly a 5K, then the half marathon, then the "Girls on the Run" 5k where I'll be a buddy runner again.  Then I have a couple of weeks off and then a 10 mile race in Wisconsin with my dad.  I have to admit, I do thrive on being busy, so the next couple of months will be fun for me.

Knew that was coming

Running has been going really well lately.  I've been been pretty speedy, but fast has felt easier.  It's felt really good to get out there.

So, of course, it was time for a not so pleasant run.  This morning was perfect running weather.  About 55 degrees and sunny.  I hit the road around 7:30am (which may have been part of the problem since I don't usually get up early to run).  The plan was a 6 or so mile tempo run with the fast part at about an 8:40 pace.  I did a mile warmup at a 9:21 pace and it felt like I was running at a much faster pace.   Not a good sign.

I managed to push myself and finished the next four miles in 8:42, 8:33, 8:29, and 8:25.  Then I did a cool down mile around 9:30.  On paper, that looks like a great run.  In reality, it was really really hard for me to maintain those paces and I was DONE at 6 miles.  I actually walked a half mile home because I was too tired to even jog it.  On the bright side, the tempo part is usually only 3 miles and I did manage to do four at tempo pace, so in the grand scheme of things, I think this run will help my speed.

And I prepared so well last night by drinking two Kona Porters.

Getting back on track

I'm happy to be home, but I do miss the warmer Florida weather and views such as this:

I didn't do a lot of running while we were on vacation.  Dad and I did the 5K race and two other runs, for a grand total of 11.5 miles of running.  The two runs we did were really good though.  The first one was a 4 mile run on the water at a 9 something pace.  Nice, relaxing, beautiful weather, although at one point on the run back the wind was so strong that I was having trouble staying on the sidewalk.  The second run was a bit faster 4.5 mile run during which I nearly crossed the puke threshold.  My dad likes to sprint hills.  Me, not so much.  At one point, he decided to sprint up a bridge at an 8 minute pace.  I followed him and when we got to the top, I nearly had the opportunity to feed the fish LOL.  That which does not kill us, makes us stronger, right?

Thanks to traveling delays, rain, and Beer Geek's work schedule, I've only managed two runs so far this week.  The first one was a quick run on the treadmill.  Boring, but necessary.  Last night I got to run outside in beautiful 60+ degree weather.  I ran four miles in 35:31 (9:08, 8:48; 8:18, 9:something).  The amazing thing is that I felt like I was taking it easy, except during the 8:18 mile and even that one wasn't bad.  All the speedwork I'm doing seems to be paying off.

I should run this evening, but I'm planning a tempo run for tomorrow morning and a short run on Sunday.  Plus the weather is going to be around 70, so we'll be walking to a restaurant with outdoor seating for dinner and a few beers.  I love spring!

Why do I blog about running (and beer)

Today's topic over at the Runner's Lounge is "running and blogging".

I am approaching my one year anniversary of blogging.  I've already finished the original goal I had when I started this blog - running the Marine Corps Marathon.  As you might guess from my name, I didn't really think about where I would go from there - in regards to blogging OR running.  If I had, I might have chosen a different name.

I started blogging for two reasons:  my friends were getting tired of the "all marathon all the time" conversations and I wanted some place that I could record the experience of training for and running a marathon so that I could remember what it was like.  I'd been a blog lurker for years on blogs related to infertility and then pregnancy and finally parenting, so I was not really a newbie to the idea of blogging.  I just never felt comfortable about blogging about any of those as I'm a bit more protective of Beer Geek's and the boys' privacy.  

As I began reading and commenting on other blogs, I began to get comments on my blog and those comments brought about the purpose this blog now serves.  It keeps me accountable.  If I don't want to run, but I've mentioned on here that I plan to run, I'm much more likely to get out there.  Having my RBFs tell me that I could do a 2 hour half made me more willing to get out there and really go for it.  Having someplace to "cry" when a run turns sour helps me remember that not every run sucks.

I don't think I would have decided to race in all 50 states if not for this blog.  It made me feel that I needed a bigger goal than "get faster" after I finished the marathon.  The fact that people don't seem to mind reading about my other passion (beer and brewpubs) doesn't hurt either!

So, a big thanks to my RBFs for keeping me motivated to run and drink, not necessarily in that order.  ;o)

Drinking in Florida: the good, the bad, and the undrinkable

(If you don't care about beer, feel free to just scroll down to the picture of Jess and me. LOL)

I'm pretty particular about what beer I will drink (I'm sure you'd never guess that.)  Florida is not really known for its beer, so I was not expecting to drink a lot of beer while down there.  Luckily, I like girly drinks (margaritas, pina coladas, etc) and can tolerate most red wines, so I knew I'd be able to have a nightly drink or two without a problem.   

The Good:

The first night in Florida we arrived late and hungry, so we hit the sports bar at our hotel.   I was able to get a Guinness.  Score!  (This was the last dark beer I was able to get my hands on until we returned to the Fort Lauderdale area).

At one restaurant, I was able to get a Key Lime Margarita (YUM!).  During the rest of the week, I drank a LOT of Key West Sunset Ales (acceptable), some pina coladas made by my brother (very good!), and one Dirty Monkey (basically a chocolate banana shake made with alcohol.  OMG YUM!).

The best beer, however, had to wait until we returned to the mainland and went to the Big Bear Brewery.  I had their awesome Kodiac Belgian Dubbel.  It wouldn't compete with my personal favorite, Kasteel, but it was quite good.  Even better, we met up with Jess and Jerry.  Jerry and Beer Geek both had the samplers and they both seemed quite pleased.  Jess is just as nice as she seems on her blog and is quite a cute preggo.  Gotta love good beer AND good company!

(No, I'm not a giant - I'm only 5'4")

The bad:

As one might expect, we had to go to Kelly's Carribbean Bar, Grill, and Brewpub.  Beer Geek got a sampler of their three beers.  None of them were particularly good, but one in particular had undertones of blue cheese.  Not exactly a flavor you want in a beer.  Thankfully, this was also the bar where I was able to get the awesome Key Lime Margarita and they had really good bar food (especially their wings).

The undrinkable:

We went to one particularly famous bar and had a drink with my brother and sister in law.  Bro and SIL had a rum runner that tasted nothing like a rum runner.  Beer Geek had some sort of drink (can't remember what) that was only drinkable because it included chunks of fresh coconut.  I had a drink called a "hog snort".  It contained Blue Curacao, coconut rum, pineapple juice, and sour mix.  I'm a big fan of Blue Hawaiians, which are very similar, but this drink tasted like a pina colada gone bad.  I'm not one to leave a drink undrunk, but this one got thrown away half full.

Surprisingly, the night before the 5K, I only had ice tea.  Just think how fast I would have been if I'd been fueled by beer!

(Enough details for you, Glaven?)

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

Jones and Shoo during the 8 hour delay at Fort Lauderdale Airport due to a problem with the plane's computer system.

State #4, 5K PR, and a bonus

While we were on vacation, my dad and I ran in a local 5K so that we could count Florida as done.  It was quite warm and we planned to take it easy with a 9 minute pace to start, working our way down to an 8:30 pace.  We had no plans to PR, just a plan to run a nice race together near the ocean.  It was a beautiful, flat race, on a big sidewalk along the beach.

There were no chips and it was a small group, so we started very near the front.  When the announcer yelled "go", we just went with the crowd.  Apparently it was a fast crowd. 

At the half mile point, I realized we were at a 7:30 pace.  Oops.  I told my dad that I wouldn't mind puking at the end, but I'd prefer not to do it mid-race.  We slowed down and ended up finishing mile 1 in a little over 8 minutes.   They actually had two waterstops and I grabbed a water at the first one.  I nearly choked myself on it, so we decided to not stop at the second one.  At the turnaround, we were at 12:40ish.  We figured we could keep pushing and manage a 13 minute return and I'd have a PR.  

The second half of the race was a bit harder, but my dad always manages to find reserves, just when I feel like I'm done.  No way was I going to be left behind, so I kept pushing.  We even managed to pick up the pace and race the last .1 into the finish line.

A new PR of 25:40 AND I was 3rd in my age group (just missed the top 10 for women overall) AND Dad was 1st in his age group!  Woot!  We came in to the finish together, but they wrote him down first, so I still haven't beaten him in a race. ;o)

Lots more vacation pictures and stories to come, but I'm still tired from our 8 hour delay at the airport.  I know Glaven needs to know what I drank while I was gone, I need to post the picture from the seriously fun meetup with Jess and her hubby, Jerry, and even a little bit of talk about the other running we did and my trip on the "yack yacht" with Beer Geek out to the Dry Tortugas.

A teaser

The beach we hung out at yesterday.  I can't remember the name and I'm too tired to go look it up.

Why am I too tired?  Today we spent our whole day out on a sailboat, with stops for snorkeling and kayaking.  I have a feeling I may be sore tomorrow.

View of snorkelers from the boat.  Shoo was not so enamored of swimming in the ocean, so we took turns spending time with him on the boat.

See how pale I am?  Yes, despite 70 SPF sunblock (applied multiple times) and a rashguard when we were actually in the water, I do have some sunburned spots.

The motley crew

Lots of sun, lots of swimming, plenty of alcohol.  No running.

Are you jealous yet?

A better goodbye

I'm in a better mental place this morning.  Beer Geek walked Jones to school, while I went out for a not so quick 4 mile run.  The radar lied and I got totally soaked while running and Shoo and Beer Geek got soaked walking home.  At least it was nearly 60 degrees this morning.

We are nearly packed and ready to go.  I had a minor panic this morning when I couldn't find Shoo's crocs.  He had them yesterday and took them off in a random place.  I finally remembered that the last time I'd seen them, he'd been in my room standing on my out of season shoe storage box while he attempted to climb the shoe rack on my closet door (yes, he was a bit of a challenge yesterday.)  Sure enough, the shoes were in the storage box.

Now I need to hop in the shower and finish packing, but we are in the middle of a thunderstorm (don't worry, I'm running on battery), so showering is not an option at the moment.  Thanks for all your kind words yesterday.  It's funny how even when you know something is on the horizon, it still surprises you when the timeline shortens.

Assuming the flights don't get screwed up, by this evening I'll be in a warmer place.  Possibly drinking a beer, although, if I can't find a "good" one, it'll be a fruity drink vacation.  If I get internet access while out there, I'll post a pic or two along the way.

Run safe my friends.  See you later.

Not my expected post

I was planning to talk about how excited I am about this vacation (now that I'm mostly packed.  I spent most of the day cursing as I tried to pack while a certain three year old tried to dismantle my house).  And I am excited, really.

But I just got news that a close friend of the family has taken a turn for the worst.  He's been fighting cancer for years now and has survived for much longer than we all originally expected.  Unfortunately, he's reached the end of all possible treatments and the tumors are growing rapidly and crowding his lungs.  My mom told me that if I want to say goodbye, I should call before we leave tomorrow.

Since I can't seem to put any words together, I'll just say I'm hoping to meet Jess while we are down there and I'll "see" you after Easter.  

March in Review

1) Run at least three half marathons, with the eventual goal of a sub-2 hour half.  Surprisingly, this seems to be my easiest goal!  I shocked myself by finishing the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon-2009 in 1:59:24. I did not expect that, given the hills, but I'll take it.  Now I'm aiming for a sub-9 minute pace.  I have the Pacer's Running Festival Half in May (and I still don't know what I'm doing about the Marine Corps Historic Half ).  I'm still planning to do the Philadelphia Distance Run in the fall with a friend. 

2) Run races in at least three new states (but I'm aiming for 5).
Still looking good here. Delaware is DONE.  Maine is back on, just a different race - the Lobster Festival 10k.  I've also signed up for an Earth Day 5K in Florida next weekend.  I'm also stalking the Wisconsin Lighthouse Run page to sign up for that one.  The cool thing is that I'll do the Florida one and the Wisconsin one with my dad.  As I mentioned above, I also am likely to hit Pennsylvania this fall when I run with my friend. So 5 is definitely looking good at this point.

3) Workout five times a week.  This one got a bit out of whack this month.  Between tapering for and recovering from the half marathon, I missed a fair number of runs.  I also missed a few classes due to illness and conflicts.  Hopefully April will be better.  My informal goal of hitting 20 miles a week didn't go so well this month either.

4) Stop stressing about my weight and start lifting weights. This has been kind of "eh".  I've managed strength workouts fairly regularly, but I had to take a mental step back.  I was trying to increase the number of minutes I did each night and I found myself just not doing it some nights because I was not sure I had more than five minutes.  I changed my goal to doing whatever I had time for and found that most nights I do at least 5 minutes and often more.  Funny how mindset makes a difference.  As far as stressing about my weight, I've given up not stressing.  All of my spring and summer clothes are tight.  I'm carrying the same 5 pounds I've been trying to lose since last spring and I just need it gone.  It makes a huge difference in how my clothes fit and how I feel about myself.  I'm trying to eat more vegetables and fruit and less processed stuff, plus I'm going to be including speed workouts a little more often.  Last month I set a goal of fueling myself better.  I'm doing a bit better, but a long ways from great.  When we get back from Florida, I'm going to write down everything I eat for a few days, just to figure out where my "weak" areas are and start working on improving them.

5) Run at least 8-10 races this year.
2 down, 6-8 to go.  I signed up tonight for the Army 10 miler.  I wasn't going to run it, but I'm feeling the need to see how much faster I can run it than I did in 2007.

Current schedule

February 1 -12k (done)

March 15 - half marathon (done)

April 11 - 5k

April 26 - 10 miler

May 10 - half marathon

June 21 - 10 miler (tentative)

August 2 - 10k

September 20 - half marathon (tentative)

October 4 - 10 miler

November 26 - 5k

Today I did a very wet 3 miles.  It started to rain just as I headed out the door, but I did it anyways.  My legs felt heavy because I ran long yesterday, but I managed to finish in 28:03.  Two more runs and then we head for Florida!  While I was out running, Jones was at soccer practice and Shoo was playing at the playground.  When Beer Geek brought them home, they were completely soaked and muddy, but in a fabulous mood LOL.  I imagine that they'll sleep well tonight!