Gearing up

So, my friends and I are gearing up for our next big event this weekend:

The Raleigh's inaugural "City of Oaks" Marathon and Half-Marathon....we're doing the half marathon (13.1 miles).

Currently most of us are still recovering from the last few weeks long and hard runs......I know I am....yesterday was our first dip into morning temps in the 30's......makes your lungs a little tighter.  I took my asthma medicine last night and this morning, and was out their this morning for my last 6 miler before the half marathon......it was better than yesterday.

But, we're glad we got a few cold runs in, as it's supposed to be chilly this weekend, too.

 

Check out YOUR miles!

So a friend I run with sent me a link to a very cool site:

Gmaps Pedometer

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

Go check it out.  You can zoom into where you walk or run and then double click on various points to chart your course and see the distance covered.   Then you can click on elevation and even see the elevation (how much you go uphill or downhill0 on your course.  Pretty cool.  You can use the satellite version if you need to see actual buildings, etc.  Let me know what you think.

20 miler

I ran 20 miles today.

It took a long time.

My feet hurt.

I only made it because of the 3 friends I was running with.

We tried the Power Bar recovery powder afterward.

Halloween fun!

Here's the front door at night:

And here are some fun yard stakes:

One broke....so I hung the piece on the house by the door:

Encyclopedia book

This is the book I mentioned in last blog.

Check it out at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Ordinary-Life-Krouse-Rosenthal/dp/1400080460/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-9777520-7395835?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192302909&sr=8-1

Like minds

Occasionaly  I stumble across something someone else has written that I really relate to---one was a book a read a few years back that was written in encyclopedia form---I so totally related to the woman---I think she was born just a year before or after me, so we had several similar life experiences.  I was so inspired that I even started my own encyclopedia entries of things from my life.  I don't know where it is now....I stumble across it every now and again....which brings me to why I'm writing this blog.......I stumbled across the following blog today and could really relate.....Look at the Thursday Aug 2, 2007 post: http://expatriateskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/08/incredible-shrinking-brain.html

Here's an excerpt from the above blog:

I heard about a study published sometime last year, I forget the date, about women's brains shrinking during pregnancy. My first instinct was to laugh and guess that the study was likely done by men with stay at home wives. Here's the actual story and some good commentary on it.

See, I have my own theory on this whole idea. I don't think my brain got any smaller at all, I think that post childbirth, I am now trying to cram so much into it by remembering everything for me, for work, for my spouse and now my child, that there's just a whole lot more to cart around up there. There is no more vast, open space up there to contemplate things such as the meaning of life, the mystery of the universe, or why anyone finds Paris Hilton interesting.

No more space for such pursuits. At. All. Instead, we women must now drag around the following information at all times:

1. The location and estimated expiration date of every item in the refrigerator at any given moment.
2. Every social commitment, personal calendar of each family member, birthdays of obscure relatives you've never met, and thank you notes required for every occasion throughout the year. Even if you are still trying to get last year's thank yous written.
3. What the entire family needs from every different store at any given time, every week.
4. The theme song to Reader Rabbit (or whatever DVD you play for the kiddos). No need to try and remember this, it sticks really well.
5. What to fix for dinner for every day of the week after you forgot what you really needed from the store or market earlier that week.
6. Which of the 1,000,000 toys was recently recalled by Mattel that you thought you saw buried under the other 1,000 plastic toys made in China that could be recalled next.
7. Where you put the 20 lists of other things you need to remember to do.
8. To breathe. Must remember to breathe.
9. The complete details of every one of the ten different projects on your work desk at any given time.
10. The last time each of your household chores was done, and which one most needs to get done next. Has it really been a month for dusting, or can it wait another week?
11. Every bump, scratch, fever, strange rash, new tooth, illness, vaccination, allergy and any other incident by exact date and location for your child's pediatrician who supposedly keeps these records for you, but doesn't seem to have them.
12. Which socks match which tie, jacket, shirt and pants in your husband's closet even if most days your personal fashion high point is not having anything on backward, or "too many" wrinkles or food stains in obvious places.

 

I found this blog because of #1 above....about things in the fridge and expiration dates....we had a bottle of applesauce and I started wondering "how long DOES a bottle of applesauce stay good in the fridge??"

 

Along the lines of the blogger above.....I somehow have to keep track of when 6 people have had their latest physicals......dental appointments......refills on prescription meds......school project needs......shoes......changing clothes by season and EVER- CHANGING size......glasses.......eye appointments......when does that contact prescription run out??? (The prescription is only good for a year you know......Do I need another mammogram soon? Did I sent a birthday treat to my daughter's class at school, Sunday School? ....have I taken my neighbor cookies lately?.....what IS for dinner tonight anyway???

 

My daughters and I decorated our front door area today:

                      

 

 

 

 

 

A tough workout

So today was an interval training day in our marathon training plan.  We were supposed to do 7 mile repeats at or just below race pace.....which I think is around 9 min 30 sec. After some discussion, we decided to change it to repeat half miles as we hadn't really done any mile repeats up to this point.

I was late to meet the group, so I ran the first 3 "warm up" miles very hard in order to catch up to the group...which I did at about the half way point of the 3 mile loop.  I almost gave up after the first half mile and they weren't even in site.  I turned around and started walking back to meet them after they finished, but then I told myself, "NO! Don't give up!"  I was feeling pretty crummy after perhaps too many miles this past week, and several late nights and long drives to my two son's soccer games....but I turned back around and KEPT GOING!  I was so happy when I did catch up. :)

Then a friend and I set off to a place on the trail that has mile markers (and 1'4 and 1/2 markers) and we decided to give the half mile repeats a try.  We ran them faster than race pace, since they weren't mile long....our goal pace was 8 min/mile pace.  So we ran 4:02, 3:50, 3:52, and 3:55.  It was very HARD....especially the hilly parts.  We came to the conclusion that four half mile repeats were good enough and we switched to quarter mile repeats.  We did four of those between 1:37 to 1:58.  The last one was particularly tough.  Then we walked back to the cars and ate some Jelly Belly Sport Beans (Like candy Gatorade) and drank some water.  Then we ran another mile and walked another 1/2 mile to warm down.

After some house work and a shower I went to my daughter's class to help celebrate her birthday.  I had sent in the birthday treat in the morning.....cookie dough pressed in to a baking pan frosted with homemade butter cream frosting and topped with green sprinkles and cute pumpkin candies.

After school I watched my other daughter play intramurals (volleyball), then took the girls home for a quick snack, some homework and then we were off to soccer practice.  Busy day.

Right now David and I are working on birthday party invitations.....but we have to put that aside as my son #2 is waiting for us to come watch our taped copy of tonight's Survivor......which consequently has been a little over the top this year.

Here are the invitations....pretty cute don't ya' think!