Wednesday, June 13, 2012

My Girl

I took 2 rest days post race & today it was time to get back at it. The oldest girl child, Jackie, decided she wanted to work out with me.  She got her presidential fitness results yesterday & was none too happy.  The girl can read, write, spell, tell a story, shoot a basketball....but she doesn't do well with fitness testing apparently.  I decided to try a workout I found on Pinterest (I know you're shocked that I have found ANYTHING on that site!) called Killer Kardio.

Isn't it so colorful?

We went out to the garage & after Set 1 Butt Kicks, we really couldn't sustain a full minute of everything & decided for our first try at this we'd just do 1/2 of everything listed.  That made it more do-able for the Not-So-Fit Wealer Girls.  

Here's just a little glimpse into our conversation:

Mom:  That sweat is just your fat cells dying!  
Jackie:  Oh...I thought sweat was just a sign that I needed to take a bath. 

(while doing our second set of burpees)
Mom:  These are the ugliest burpees ever done!
Jackie:  I bet it's really hard with your long legs!
Mom:  Yeah, and just think about how old I am too!
Jackie:  Oh, you're not that old...it's not like you're even 45 or anything.

(walking to the street to start 3rd run)
Mom:  You ready?
Jackie:  Yes.
Mom:  Ok good, cause I'm not. (panting)
Jackie:  Really?  I'm not either.  I just said I was because I thought you were.

When we got back to the house she decided she'd like to work out with me over the summer to work up to doing this entire workout in full, so that's our goal.  We'll keep you posted!





Monday, June 11, 2012

And It Went Like This...

Saturday:

7:30am--Husband drives Jamison to a friend's house for the day.

8am--9 girl scouts & 7 adults set off in a caravan to downtown DC to celebrate the 100th Year of Girl Scouts at the National Mall.

10am--We are in our spot, blankets spread, chairs unpacked & ready for the day.  Husband leaves us to meet a friend whose picking him up for the wedding he's in at 4pm.

11am--Everyone is HOT.  We're in a field by the Washington Monument & it's at least 90 degrees with no shade & minimal breeze.

12pm--Girls are dropping like flies.  No one wants to eat.  The water line is taking 45 minutes to an hour to refill bottles.  Everyone is CraNkY!

2pm--Done. Stuff is packed. Just waiting to do the Guinness Book of World Records biggest flash mob dance.

2:30pm--Give up on the dance & start to walk away.

2:35pm--Dance starts.  We drop everything, participate in the dance & THEN continue towards our cars.

3:30pm--At cars.  Girls cooling off & perking up a bit.  Load everyone up with snacks & drinks.  I wave goodbye as my girls head home with friend for a sleepover.

4pm--I'm in the parking garage bathroom.  I have a wet washcloth from home, a stick of deodorant, *some* of my makeup (as I forgot my foundation), and a dress.  I do what I can with my hot sticky mess to get ready to meet hubby at wedding reception.

5pm--Arrive at wedding reception. (after roads were closed & the directions I printed were useless) Hubby is super handsome in his suit & I enjoy visiting with friends.

8pm--Remind hubby that I have a 7 mile race in the morning so we should be leaving soon.

9pm--Tell hubby it's TIME to leave.

9:05pm--Tell hubby to say goodbye to bride & groom.

9:15pm--Grab keys & tell hubby I'll meet him in the car.

9:20pm--Watch hubby run across lawn to get into the car that is running & in front of the wedding location.

9:45pm--Rub hubby's back while parked on side of 495.  (I won't go into the details...)

10:15pm--Put hubby to bed with fan & glass of water, big kiss on the forehead & appropriately call him stupid.

10:30pm--Shower the layers of sunscreen & stink off.

11pm--Finally crawl into bed.

**Wake every hour worried that I'm oversleeping.  Or from stomach pain thanks to my nerves.  Or from husband snoring.**

Sunday:


5am--Alarm clock goes off.

5:15am--Can't decide what to drink and/or eat, so make both coffee & water bottle.  Grab granola & nuts, Access bars & backpack.

5:30am--Head to pick up Michelle.

5:45am--Realize Michelle can't get into passenger side of my car without getting hand *dirty* from 495 incident night before.

6am--On the road in Michelle's van to Baltimore.

6:15am--Realize I've forgotten my stop watch.  DAMMIT!

6:45am--Park van on random road near race start.

6:55am--Find one dollar bill lying on sidewalk while walking toward race start. (lucky day???)

7am--Approach Team Fight tent just as they begin Dedication Circle.

7:15am--Meet Sam, who is running with me for this race.

7:30am--Head to race start.  Pretty much feeling like throwing up.  Wondering WHAT I WAS THINKING!?!?

7:35am--Race starts.

**Here's the point where I usually give a play-by-play of my actual race, but this one was so long, that I'm not sure I can remember all the details.  I'll just give some highlights.**

*Since I forgot my stop watch, I had to use the stop watch on my non-smart phone which kept shutting off on me.  And I thought that was super dandy at 7:30am.  No, my race partner Michelle NOR Sam remembered watches either.  We were quite the team. :)

*Sam was a trooper to hang with me.  I told him I get whiny--he said he has 2 sisters. I told him I start to swear when I'm toward the end--he said it would not offend him at all.  We were the perfect pair!

*I was very happy for all the water stops when they happened.  I took a couple swigs of Gatorade, one sip of water & then poured the rest of the cold water on my neck & down my back.  It was glorious.

*At every mile marker I shouted "YAY!  Mile 1 down!"  Sam said, "What's 6 more?"
  When I said "Yay!  Mile 3 down!"  Sam said, "What's 4 more?"  And so on...you get the picture.

*When we hit the Mile 6 marker, it was like hitting a sun-filled brick wall.  There was no shade, no more water & a mile to go.  On my first walking break of the first interval after that marker, I said "I'm gonna walk just one more extra minute."  I was feeling tingly & I thought "I'm not gonna pass out THIS close to the finish!"

*When that second minute passed, I just kept on walking.  I saw racers walking the opposite direction who had already finished with water bottles & wet towels.  I considered tackling one of them for just one swig of water!

*Then we saw Ben with his CT5K shirt & camera.  I said, "We can't be walking in the pictures Ben takes for CT5K so let's get back to it."  Sam figured we were only about 1/2 mile from the finish at that point & that's all I needed to know.

*As we turned the final corner & could SEE the finish, Michelle appeared on the sidelines (superwoman ran it out & left us eating her dust back before the Mile 1 marker) "YAY Jenny!  Sprint to the finish, it's all down hill from here!"  (It literally was a decline in elevation, not just a figure of speech) BUT I was close to the end & my sweet self was no where to be found.  Luckily Michelle loves me & just laughed when I screamed back, "Shut it or I'm gonna punch you in the face!"

*And then there was the finish line and the big clock said 1:33...which is 3 min past my goal time.  And I don't know my official time yet, but EVEN so, I'm way super duper extremely pleased that it was that close at all with the extra walking in the final mile.

*Lady past the finish line had a bucket of cold, wet towels.  She says to me "Honey, would you like 2?"  Um, yes, actually 2 would be great!

Big Goal Race #1 of 2012=DONE!  Next up, training for the half marathon in October.  As soon as we got in the car on the way home Sunday, I told Michelle I didn't know if I could actually run a half marathon.  She said "Sure you can!  We'll do it!"  And I was reminded of a time when I wasn't sure I could even run a 5K, much less 7 miles.  SO...I guess only time will tell.

All I know is THIS is a weekend we will NEVER forget!





Monday, June 4, 2012

6 Sleeps...

This was me one year ago this week...


I was nervously waiting for my very first 5K to begin.  I had trained for 12 weeks with the CT5K team & Coach Bob.  I had no idea if I could actually run 3+ miles without walking, but this was going to be my first ever try & I wanted to puke just thinking about it.

This is not the face of a confident runner...
But, I did it!

Survivors finishing CT5K Spring 2011

I ran with the team again in October 2011 & signed up for a 5K in December, just for fun.  

This year I am running with Team Fight, another program of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  And in 6 days I will run my first 7 mile race.  If you had told the me in the above pictures that in just one year I would be running a 7 mile race, I would've laughed in your face.  Seriously.  In fact, just a few weeks ago I was laughing at the thought!  

I have been training since January--worked up to 5 miles, 6 miles & even struggled through a 7 mile run a couple weeks ago.  Yesterday morning I got a text from my running buddy & partner in crazy...

One week from now we will be basking in the afterglow of our run!  I'm getting excited!

One week?  Crap.  After some joking back & forth, she sent me off for the day with much confidence that not only are we gonna rock the 7 miler next Sunday, but we'll kick butt in October when we do the half marathon together!  EEEK!  

Well, I decided to pull one more 7 mile training run out before I cut back for the week...and took off to the street with my iPod, inhaler & water bottle.  I was about 1.5 miles into the run, feeling good still, when I saw this cute man coming the opposite direction.  

With eyebrows arched, "Wassup?" he says.  This cute boy decided to run the rest of my 7 with me.  And we did it.  It was ugly.  I got to 5 miles feeling pretty good.  He asked me at one point if he was pushing me?  I said "Honey, you push me even when you're not physically here."  

But that last mile was torture.  Of course, if you know my husband, you know he's a chatty little thing.  He kept asking me questions, to which he expected me to have the breath to answer.  He is also the most optimistic person on the planet & kinda makes me crazy.  He says "Running is stupid" under his breath & then literally runs a circle around me waiting for me to catch up.  "You're doing great!"  "You're so awesome!"   When I told him to just shut up, I reminded him that this was like child labor--I love you, I adore you, I thank you for the thought BUT if you don't SHUT THE F#*K up RIGHT NOW, I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.  Yeah, it was kinda like that.  He just laughed & said "I know."  But he did shut it.  Until I hit the ever-so-slight incline on one end of our street & I started swearing.  He goes, "You got this!"  Yeah, it helped.  But don't tell him I said so. 

So, when we got to 6.8, he ran ahead the extra .2 & stood there with his hand out for me.  I hit his hand & immediately--like I had timed it somehow--Martina started singing "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" in my one ear that I still had the iPod attached.  I looked at that adorable smile on my man's face & started crying. He took my hand & we walked back to the house quietly.  

It was EXHAUSTING.  But I did it.  And I know on race day it will be fantastic!  I think Michelle was right--there's gonna be a whole lot of basking & glowing on Sunday!  I actually *might* be excited myself!