Trail and Track

So this week in running has been interesting.  Tuesday, after running 3 miles, I did some 400 meter repeats on the track with some friends at 30 seconds faster than her marathon pace.  We did 8 all together (that's 2 miles).

Then today, I ran 3 miles to warm up, then a HARD 5K.  I was breathing hard and there was no talking.  Then we ran 3 to cool down, then three more to reach our nine goal.  A friend still had 5 extra miles to do, so I went over to the track with her and did another  mile and a half.  I was tired when it was all done.  Sometimes it feels good to DO A LITTLE EXTRA.

Gotta go....David's waiting to watch Survivor!

Shofar

Interesting coincidence......on my word-of-the-day calendar today, my word was SHOFAR.....I guess because today is Yom Kippur.  Interesting because the word is somewhat unusual and that word is in the title of the Francine Rivers book that I'm currently reading --And the shofar blew. 

David and I went out for some dessert with friends tonight....that was fun. 

I felt fairly accomplished today as I:

*glazed almost 2 dozen plates in the church's ceramic studio

*processed another 8 new books for the church library

*bought a new pair of running shoes

*went to a wedding shower (bought the gift at Target right before)

*went to my daughter's soccer game

*had guests for dinner (David did most of the cooking)

*baked a batch of brownies

*fixed a clogged sprinkler head

*got a pedicure

Smile.  I promised myself that from now until the marathon I will go get a pedicure after every run longer than 10 miles.  She worked off a couple call that I had created on this weeks long run.  Got my toenails painted red.  I generally like red for fall and winter and hot pink for spring and summer.

SWEET SIXTEEN

I ran 16 miles yesterday....well, actually 16 and a half miles.  My knees hurt a bit.  We pushed the pace quite a bit compared to last week's 13 miler....or was it 14??

I work in our church library....sporadically.....poor readers...well, I do let people "preview" books for me that I haven't processed yet.  Anyway, a friend helped me on Wednesday, and we processed 24 books.  Then, today I did 16 more.  Maybe I should read the first 16 pages of our next church book club book, And the shofar blew, by Francine Rivers.  It's next Sunday night, and I'm leading the discussion.  My mother always told me that's what deadlines are for....to actually get you to do what you're supposed to.

Why don't YOU go read 16 pages of your favorite book at hand!

GROUP OF NINE

So today, my fun sister-in-law finished her ninth piece of art in nine days.....pretty cool....check it out:

e.beck.artist

She also mentioned that in her piece today she used an escutcheon......an "SAT" word......well, that made me think of an SAT word that I had last week on my Page-A-Day tear off calendar:

                      ennead: (noun) a group of nine

I was pretty excited when I saw this word, because, you see, I am part of an ennead........an ennead of children, that is.  I am number 8 of 9 children......we have a pretty cool pattern---as my sister Heidi explained in her blog a few days back

Everyday Cookies at Sweet Woodruff Acres

Now I don't remember exactly how many days ago.....but if you look a few blogs back, you can see some cute dresses she made to represent all the girls in the family..........what about the boys, Heidi??  Overalls??

I took a photo of the page-a-day calendar, which I accidentally tore.....but then taped......thank heaven for tape............but for some reason, the past few days I have been unable to upload photos.

Gotta go..........my son needs the computer.

Go find an interesting word.  :)

Made some yummy Raspberry Cobbler In A Skillet last night for David-- he loves this stuff.  Turned out better than the first time I made it.. Here's the recipe form Southern Living.....it's really easy.....Berry Cobbler Recipe - Fruits - MyRecipes.com

                          

 

 

 

Long Run

 

                                        

Yesterday was our jump from 9 to 13 miles in our training plan for the Disney Marathon in January......we actually ran 13 and 3/4 miles.  It was long.  It was pretty slow (we walked up 75% of the hills).  And it was a little difficult.  By the end my three little toes on my left foot felt squashed, and my legs were pretty dirty.  We ran most of the run on a hilly dirt trail.  We might need to call it a jog, because we were going very slowly, and we even had periodic walk breaks.  I must say, however, that I am surprisingly not that tired or sore today (or even yesterday afternoon after the run.....so Galloway's run/walk plan must have something to it!!!)

I was looking ahead on our schedule and noticed that next week is supposed to be 16 miler.  Yikes.  One of the 4 ladies signed up to run the Disney Marathon is headed to Hawaii today to run a Half Marathon there.  In our running group there are also 2 other ladies signed up to do the Disney HALF Marathon......so that brings our Disney total to 7.  There are probably at least a half dozen or more in our group who are doing neither, but they are lending us their moral support.

So, for any who might know or care, I am having my yard redone this week.......top to bottom pretty much in the front, and an irrigation system and some new grass in the back.  I had a truck accidentally discharge 30 gallons of Hydraulic Fluid into my yard last April.  Half of my front yard (sod, plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, dirt) had to be dug out and tested for Hydraulic Fluid in order to clean up and then certify that our spill site was clean.  Unfortunately. the company responsible has been quite unreasonable in how much they say they are willing to pay to put back what was damaged/removed.  So I'm still fighting that battle.  We are moving forward though.....and Monday when the nice GREEN sod comes, I will be able to look at an expanse of GREEN in my front yard instead of the SAND PIT that I was looking at all summer.  This morning I got to go the nursery and pick out all my replacement trees and shrubs....that was Fun!! I stuck with some of my old plants, but also am trying some new ones.

Old: Lamb's Ear, Bee Balm, Red Maple, Butterfly Weed, Dianthus, Aster, Butterfly Bush, Winter Daphne, Blue Mist Spiraea

New: Wax Mrytle, Lavender, Catnip, Coreopteris, And one more that I can't remember at the moment......maybe I'll try and post some photos.

Bee Balm:

Plan

So, yesterday, a few ladies in my running group and I sat down over breakfast at a local coffee shop to come up with our training plan for the upcoming Disney marathon. We're basically going to loosely follow the Jeff Galloway plan for completing a marathon.  We're only about 19 weeks out, so this week's long run was a 9 miler; we did that this morning.  The longer runs are at a slower pace, and we let ourselves walk up the steeper hills.

It's a little daunting to look at the schedule and see a 20 miler, a 23 miler and a 26 miler.  One foot in front of the other......I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend.....maybe YOU can squeexe in a little run.....that's how it all starts......