Training Widget

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Big Three-Six

I turned 36 on Saturday.  Not a landmark birthday in any way shape or form, but I find the way I celebrated to be a little remarkable.
I spent the day with this fantabulous group of people.  My husband and kids, Kam and Alayna, and Felipe the great.  Exactly half of this group (or more than half if you count my hubby) is made up of people from the greatest run club ever.  Here's a picture of the whole blam dam runnin' fam:
I think I've written before about how much I think of this crew.  If not, I'll just say it:  I think a lot of this crew!!

Anyhoo... the group in the top picture helped me celebrate my birthday with a road trip to Ames, Iowa to watch the KU/ISU game.  Kam's from Kansas, Alayna went to ISU, and Felipe's always ready for an adventure.  Kam & Alayna are a whole lot younger than us.  They are kid free and fabulous.  After six hours in the car with my kids, they're likely to stay that way!!!  

We watched the game.  KU played like complete crap.  ISU, not so much.  They done good and beat my Jayhawks.  But, hey, we'd won the last 13.  All good things must come to an end.  After the game, we loaded up to head home.  We dropped the kids off at my folks' place and got cleaned up to hit the bar.  
Good Peeps here, even if they do look a little demonic.

Why, you ask, do I describe any of this as remarkable?  Well, it's just kind of amusing to me that I spent my day with runners, fellow marathoners, people from my gym of all places.  It's amusing because if you'd have told me 10 years ago that I'd run a marathon, or that I'd be spending my b-day with runners, I would have told you to lay off the crack pipe and get serious. You just never know where life is going to take you.  I'm thankful mine's brought me here.  Running is great.  The people it brings into your life are way better than great.

I am, admittedly, a little mushy and gushy with this post.  I once wrote a small blip about Heather.  I know Heather because she is best buds with Tiffany (seated next to me in the pic) and because she works at the YMCA.  She beat breast cancer.  I learned last week that she now has spots on her brain.  I am but a peripheral by-stander in this whole scenario, but seeing someone so young, with kids near the same age as mine, who is clearly so loved by so many going through such complete and total bullshit is shaking me a bit.  I want to be a better person, and I want the people in my life to know I value them.  Life is too short and too uncertain to behave any other way.  Please keep Heather in your thoughts and prayers.  Be good to everyone you meet.  





Monday, January 9, 2012

Bolder Options Update/ Running Minutiae

No, I haven't quit mentoring.  I'm just a crappy blogger.  
We did run (run/walk) our first 5k the first weekend in December.  It wasn't too cold, thankfully, and we had a pretty good time.  Other December activities:
The Bolder Options holiday party-- good times
Another swim


I haven't seen my mentee since before Christmas due to holiday craziness, but on Thursday we're headed to a photography exhibit, 'Of Sadness and Hope:  Images from the Northside Tornado.'  This is definitely a perk of volunteering... I'd never take the time to go check this out, even though I really want to see it.  Mentoring gives me a great excuse to take the time.  


Overall, so far, this has been a great experience.  It can be a bit of a struggle to find the time some weeks (this issue is further complicated by my better half's lack of wheels).  But, so far, a great experience.  


In non-mentoring related news, I am signed up for marathon #4.  Craziness!  Since I've been through this a few times and had a little success (in my own mind, anyway), I'm trying something new this time.  I paid for a training plan made by Luke Humphrey.  I received said plan yesterday, along with an email containing the following statement:


As far as your schedule goes, I think your biggest thing will be getting mileage and maximizing your aerobic fitness first. I really think you can run 3:45 from just that. 


I don't know about any 3:45.  He's a pretty smart guy, though, and seems to really know what he's talking about... so we'll see.  The plan itself is going to be an interesting ride.  It starts gently, with a lot of miles at 'easy' pace, then after a few weeks he's thrown in some tempo runs that are going to be pretty intense for someone as completely genetically un-predisposed for running as myself!