The Boston 5K

To say this post is overdue is a bit of an understatement. But I'm writing it anyway.

Getting ready for my trip to Boston was overwhelming. It was just really difficult timing with my classes. So by the time I got to the airport Saturday evening, I was feeling a little wiped. My day had been a flurry of cleaning and list-making and laundry and packing.

I called my Mom on the way to the airport. She was staying with my kids and assured me she was on her way. I called the kids to make sure they knew I loved them. And before I knew it I was in the familiar surroundings of Mitchell International Airport. I even scored a mighty fine parking spot right near the door on Level 3 of the parking garage. Things were looking up!

I was cutting it pretty close to boarding time, so I hightailed it to the gate. I had printed my boarding passes online and was only taking a carry-on, so no need to visit the fine folks at the ticket counter. I breezed through security relatively painlessly. I actually enjoy traveling alone. It is so much easier.

Turns out I was cutting it closer than I thought. I found my gate and realized I hadn't eaten all day. So I was gonna grab a sammie for the plane. No go. They were just about to begin boarding. No big. I would just get something during the flight. Again....that would be a no go. I'm so used to my three hour flight to Florida that I forgot this flight was just barely two hours. So they were not serving anything but snacks. Oh well, I could eat something once I got to the hotel.

I boarded the plane and took my super-comfy Business Class seat. Oh yea! That was certainly one of the best decisions I had made all week. When I was checking in online I saw the flight was full. I had a choice of a window seat back in the tail end of the plane or a few options of middle seats throughout the plane. The bad thing about not traveling with my kids is that I don't have the comfort of sitting next to little people who don't mind my cushyness spilling over into their seats. The good thing about not traveling with my kids is that it is much cheaper to upgrade one ticket than it is to upgrade three. So I splurged. It was worth every, single dime! The seat was awesome. The free vodka and cranberry soothed my nerves. And the nice flight attendant was practically throwing snacks at us. Not the ONE bag of pretzels the poor schumks in the back of the plane got. No. We got to choose from a basket of cookies and snack mixes. Multiple times. Its the little things that make me happy :)

So it was an uneventful flight. I got into Logan around 10ish I think. I called my friend Lynda who had flown out from California two days prior. She had a rental car and offered to pick me up. This went waaaay beyond the call of duty. She was driving in a strange city, in a strange car, at night, in the rain. She had to wait in the cell phone lot until I landed so I scurried out to the pick-up location. While I waited I called my Mom to make sure she made it to the house safely. She still wasn't there! What the heck? I'm already in Boston and she was still 30 minutes from my house. Apparently, she needed to stop to do some shopping. I gave her some flack about it, but was thankful she was almost there.

Soon Lynda pulled up. I waited at the back of the car for her to pop the trunk for my bags. I had forgotten this was a rental and poor Lynda had no idea where any of the buttons were. She gets out in the rain and had to  use the key....oops. I suppose I could've just put that in the back seat. But I did just get out of Business Class and I was accustomed to being waited on.

The ride to the hotel was a quick one. Lynda gave me the run-down of her last two days. She had attended the expo with Deb (who is running the marathon on Monday) and filled me in on the goodies they bought. We finally get to the hotel and I realize there is nowhere nearby to eat. Oh well. Thank goodness for the snack fairy. It also dawned on me that I had to get up in a few hours to run a 5k. When was this a good idea?

Now here is the fun part. I walked into the room and Lynda had already picked out her bed. There are all sorts of presents strewn on my bed. It was like Christmas! I really wish I had gotten a picture, but I was just too excited to think of it.

She had picked up my race packet for me, so that was there. The shirt was AWESOME! No advertising on it at all, which I LOVED! She had picked up a poster from the expo for me. Some samples of sunscreen and wraps and whatnot. Plus there was the Bondi Band I had "ordered" from them. They found the exact perfect one I wanted. She gave me a tech shirt from the Princess that didn't fit her and a cool hanger for my medals. It was pretty awesome. I totally recommend rooming with Lynda if you ever have the chance.

We figured out logistics for the next day and chit-chatted for awhile until finally going to bed sometime after midnight. I did not sleep well at all. It was kind of noisy in the room above us. And it rained all night. So, again, I was really not looking forward to running.

I think we got up around 5am or something stupid like that. I got all primped up. The irony of drying my hair before I went out in the rain to run 3.1 miles was not lost on Lynda. She just shook her head and looked the other way.

So lets speed this up......no breakfast, short walk to train, 25ish minute ride into downtown, found friends near the start line, rain had pretty much stopped.

Deb was there to support us which was super awesome of her. We were also meeting up with a Massachusetts friend who was running with us. (Well, really running in front of us!) I was tired, but really enjoyed the excitement of the city. You could feel the energy and anticipation all around. And it wasn't for this race. It was for Monday. And everyone knew it.

The three of us: Lynda, Tracy and I waited for the race to start while Deb found a place near the finish. Lynda said how she only has about 40 seconds of run in her at a time. I was totally cool with that. There would be no PR this go-round. She urged me to go ahead if I felt like it, but I was more than happy to take it slow and easy this morning.

The race started and Tracy was gone like the wind. After about two blocks I realized I might not have 3.1 miles in me after these last few days of hell. I was beat. So the walk break came quickly for me and Lynda. I enjoy city races. You get to see so much from the those streets that are usually packed bumper to bumper with cars. The crowds and volunteers were awesome. We were eyeing the jackets they were wearing knowing we'd get hooked up with some ourselves the next day.

Right after the first water stop we encountered a nice little hill. Neither of us were amused. We talked, we ran, we walked. I'm not sure it really qualified as a "run". But I was suprised at how much effort I had to expend to lug myself those 3.1 miles. My laxidasical training and lack of sleep were catching up with me. But I was so enjoying the scenery and I wasn't gonna beat myself up about it. This was just a different kind of run for me. By the time we neared the finish line I was ready to just be done. So when Lynda got all geared up to run again, I was ready to take off. But no sooner had we taken two steps than I looked over to my left and she had stopped. And with a face as serious as I'd ever seen, she says, "I only had two seconds in me that time." Oh man! I still laugh out loud thinking about that. It was hysterical!

About 50 minutes later we crossed the finish line. Deb was there to cheer us on. Tracy had finished long before us. We shuffled into a tent to get out medals. Which were very cool. Here is a picture of the finish line before we started.

After getting our medals we hooked ourselves up with some bagels and fruit and were off to find the Westin for brunch.

Since we were volunteering with the Liver Foundation the next day, we were invited to brunch with the runners. I was just so happy to see food and wasted no time in filling a plate. It was great food for a buffet. The program was a little long, but I was happy to sit. There were a couple speakers from The Biggest Loser there. They would be running the next day. I know one of them was Patrick House. I forget the other girl's name. Elizabeth, I think.

After brunch we said goodbye to Tracy and Deb and went to check out the expo since I hadn't been there yet. It was crazy busy, but I just wanted to check it out. Lynda talked me into registering for the Wine and Dine there in order to save the $10 active.com usually charges. Plus the price increase had happened the day before and they would let you sign up at the cheaper price. So I HAD to do it. Plus I got a runDisney tote bag out of the deal. I love me some free stuff. Other than a stop of the Bondi Band booth, I just didn't have it in me to fight the crowds. So we headed back to the hotel to shower and rest.

I will tell you all about volunteering at the marathon in my next post. It was truly an amazing experience. I was so inspired and overwhelmed by the whole day. I met remarkable people and witnessed the power of human determination up close.

All or Nothing

That's me! Either I am 100% onboard, rockin out 20 miles a week or I'm avoiding all physical activity and logging a big goose egg. I really need to figure out how to find a happy medium when life demands it.

But when things get crazy I tend to lose complete focus on myself, my nutrition, my training, and even my sleep. I'm not so good with balance.

I'm stressing out with the end of the semester coming up. There are lots of projects and papers due. I have to have my portfolio in tip-top shape for an inspection in two weeks. I'm getting ready to go out of town this weekend to support a friend of mine in the Boston Marathon. I'm super excited about it. But the timing is not ideal and I'm not sure how I'm gonna get everything done. Plus my Mom is driving down to stay with my kids and my dog while I'm away. I'm oh-so-grateful for this. But it does involve cleaning all the nooks and crannies. Much more so than if I were boarding the dog and dropping off the kids. And, oh yea....I haven't even filed my taxes yet!
On top of all that I'm dealing with some other issues that are demanding much more thought and energy than I can currently afford. And we might as well just mention that I'm sick with worry about my half marathon on May 7th.
I know everyone has their own struggles and worries. And mine likely pale in comparison to some. But that is why I haven't been around. I'm too busy stressing out about all these things that seem incredibly urgent each day. And neglecting things that I should be doing, even if they don't seem as urgent. I'm just not sure how to squeeze it all into 24 hours. Like I said, I need to work on balance.

But regardless of how these last two weeks have been, I am SO looking forward to Boston! I just know it will be an amazing experience to be right in the middle of such an incredible event. Plus a break from the craziness of my life will do me good. I hate leaving the kids. We always travel together. I homeschool them. We're pretty tight. I don't even remember the last time I was away from them for four whole days. But now that they are 13 and 14, I suppose I need to know what it feels like to actually have a little time for myself.

It will be a whirlwind of a trip. Here's a little breakdown of what it will look like:
I won't get into town until late Saturday night. Then I wake up bright and early Sunday to run the BAA 5k. Afterwards I'm going to a Team Brunch hosted by the American Liver Foundation with some friends. It will also be my first chance to check out the expo. Monday is the big day and I will be reporting bright and early to the water stop at mile marker 13.2 in Wellesey for my seven hour shift. At 3:00pm I will be frantically trying to get downtown to see my friend cross the finish line. That evening we'll be at the post race party at the House of Blues. Tuesday will be the only day I really have to do anything not race related. I had wanted to revisit the Boston Public Library to follow up on some leads I found there a few years ago about my family tree. But, realistically, I don't think I'll have enough time.

I promise to share all the details of my experience once I get home.

And sorry about the "Nothing" last week. I'm really shooting for "All" next week. And maybe someday I will learn how to balance the two.

The Doggy Incident

The plan called for my long run to be on Friday this week instead of Saturday because of my scheduled 5k. But Friday it rained all day. One of those soakers that just never let up. And, to be honest, I wasn't feeling 8 miles that day anyway. I really like Sundays as my rest day. It works best for me. But I decided to make it up on Sunday, so that was the new plan.

I haven't been doing my runs very early because it is so cold here in the mornings. So I figured I would get out there around 10ish. But as the morning progressed I realized there was just so many other things I wanted to get done. It was cloudy and windy. I was totally looking for an out.

Then I logged into dailymile to see how everyone else was doing on their long runs. I saw that Nora over at Nora Does Grandma's gave me a shout-out on dailymile saying how inspiring I was to her. Awww schucks....now I was gonna have to run that lousy eight. Besides, I'm kinda addicted to watching the little bars turn green as I add up my mileage for the week. I was at 15, but I wanted to be over 20. And today was the last day. So no more procrastination.

I begrudgingly got into my running clothes and headed to the trail.

About a mile and a half into my run is this big farm with a ginormous field. There are these two dogs that are always roaming around there. They usually leave me alone and watch me from a distance, but it still freaks me out a little. There is not a human in screaming distance, so I just imagine having to deal with rabbid, Pet Semetary-like monsters one of these days all by myself. (I think we've established my over-active imagination in The Scary Run post.) But, like I said, they will usually just perk up, take notice of me, and watch as I ever-so-calmly walk away. But inside is goes a little something like this:

Today I approach the clearing by the farm and hope, like I do everyday, that they are not there. Then I see these two black figures waaaaay in the distance running full-speed right at me. Oh my goodness! They are still pretty far off so I do a quick turnaround and slow things to a walk and move quickly and with purpose in the opposite direction of the attacking canines. I hear the jingling of their collars and the panting of their breath as they get closer and closer. I tried to remain calm. Stayed walking at a steady pace. And just looked straight ahead while I tried to mask my fear....'cause I hear they can sense such things. By now I am well away from "their" field, but they were still following me. I even heard one of them growl, but I didn't react. Straight ahead. Walk with purpose. Not afraid. Nice doggy. At one point they were so close that I felt the cold nose of one of them on my leg as he checked me out. Seriously too close for comfort. I was wearing my heart rate monitor and you should've seen that thing spike!

Finally, after a full five minutes, I couldn't hear them any more and I thought it was safe to turn around and look. They were both in the distance, pacing back and forth on the trail near their farm. It was as if they were warning me not to come back. I swung around quickly so I wouldn't catch their eye and just walked until I couldn't see them anymore. Then I ran back to the car, with only three miles logged on the Garmin. Boo!

After this Doggy Incident and The Scary Run, I'm just not feeling the love from my beloved trail anymore. But I decided that I would not be deterred and I would just drive to a different section of the trail and get my five miles in over there. Of course, then I had to go potty. There was a port-a-potty by my car. Its not like I've never used a port-a-potty before. But I live two miles away. It just wasn't happening.

Once I got home it started raining. Lovely. I waited a few hours and decided to get the rest of those miles in around the neighborhood. The bad thing about that, is that there is always a shortcut home. And around 3 1/2 miles I succumbed to the shortcut. My knee was bothering me and I've never had any pain in my knee before. I think it was just a little sore from yesterday's exposure to the hillyness of the forest preserve. But it was all the excuse I needed.

So I got in 7 miles of the 8 I was supposed to get in. But it certainly did not qualify as a long run. I'm bummed about that. But, it could've been worse. It could've been a zero.

The Bunny Dash 5k

I finally got my first race of the year in!

My son, Cory, got the first 5k of his life in. It was so much fun! He's 14 and has started to show interest in running. He joined me for some of my training these last two weeks and I decided to sign him up for this race with me. We had such a great day together!

The Results
Lets just get this out of the way. I stunk it up out there. I have excuses though. It took me 50:03 to cover the same real estate it took Cory to cover in 32:27. I would've been depressed by that if I wasn't so stinkin' proud of the boy. And he totally could've shaved a few minutes off that. When we were lining up for the start I stayed to the back by the 14 min/mile folks. I knew Cory was faster and I told him he could move up. But he said he wanted to stay with me. Once we got going I could tell I was holding him back, but he didn't say a word. He just looked over at me and smiled from time to time. Finally, I just told him he should go ahead and that I would see him at the finish. I really think if I hadn't said anything the boy would've stayed with me the whole time. He's such a good kid!

The Excuses
Firstly, you would think a race with the rather unassuming name of Bunny Dash would be a pretty simple walk in the park. And, coincidentally, it took place in a park. A forest preserve, to be exact. And it was beautiful. But there were LOTS of hills in this place. Not super big crazy hills. But the small rolling hills that never seem to end. I run mostly in my neighborhood or on a trail that is part of the Rails to Trails program. Its a program which repurposes old railroad tracks into running and cycling trails, which, of course, are flat. And straight. So I run on nothing but flat routes ALL the time. And these hills totally snuck up on me. My poor little calves were burning and my shins were even starting to hurt....which never happens to me. Total wake-up call. I need to find me some hilly terrain to train on.

Secondly, the last 5k I ran was about 20 pounds ago. I have packed on a significant amount of poundage since I ran the half last October. And I've been wondering why the heck this training has seemed so hard for me. I realized it just takes more effort to move the larger version of me, as opposed to the lighter version. Another wake-up call. I need to lesson the load for the poor tootsies to carry.

The Free Stuff
I'm a big fan of the free stuff. I don't know why, but it just makes me all giddy. Here's what we got:

There is a reusable grocery bag from Whole Foods that had some coupons in it as well as some bars by Clif, Raw Rev, and LaraBar. There were also FRS energy chews in there. And, of course, the shirt. I'm pretty sure Cory doesn't want a reusable grocery bag, so I get two. Even better! There was a lot of other stuff around that they were handing out too. Bagels, bananas, juice, cereal bars, and tons of LaraBars. I tried the cookie dough flavor for the first time. Yum! I'm so hooking myself up with more of those.

The Fun Stuff
There was this cute little photo op.

And a petting zoo. I almost got attacked by a llama!

But these little guys were cute:

And, of course, there was this guy!

Cory was not entirely amused by all of this. But he took great pleasure in making fun of me and my excitement. Here he is before the race started:

The After Party

This race started at 9am. Not bad. But we live 1 1/2 hours away. And I was doing a same-day packet pickup which started at 7:30am. So we left our house about 6:30am. This was way earlier than the boy likes to start his Saturdays. After the race we stopped at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Cory LOVES him some Five Guys. And since we don't have one by us, it was a no-brainer. Of course, I had to pass a little time shopping before Five Guys opened, which made me almost as giddy as the free stuff.

And while we were both feeling great and energized after the run, it quickly wore off during the drive home. He caught up on his beauty rest while I tried to think of the next run I should sign him up for.

Reflections

A beautiful day. A gorgeous course. A well organized event. A proud Mommy Moment. And a couple swift kicks in the butt. I'd say a success all around.

The Scary Run

I know its Thursday, but I need to tell you about Monday's run. Actually, I can't really qualify it as a run. It was more a runish-walk, if that.

I was having a crazy start to the week. You guys know the drill. Just way too much to do and not enough time to do it. And it seemed like there was a deadline looming for every single thing on my To-Do List. So I would work, work, work on something Sunday night that was due Monday morning. Then I would work, work, work on something all morning that had to be submitted at 1pm. And then get the daughter somewhere at a certain time, and pick the son's friend up at a certain time, and, oh crap! I need to get gas cuz the Mountaineer does not work on love and kind words alone. For the record, it has been like that ALL week. On one hand, I'm being uber productive. On the other hand, I'm sleep deprived and really looking forward to the weekend.

Okay, back to Monday. So I knew I had to get five miles in. And most of the day it was just in the back of my mind, but there was certainly nothing I could do about it in the midst of my chaos. Around 5:30pm I stopped to take a breath and feed the children. The lingering thought in the back of my head, you know, the one about those five miles? Well, it found a way to jump to the front of the line and I couldn't ignore it any more. I got dressed, laced up the shoes, and headed to the trail.

Once I got there I knew I had made the right decision. I needed a break from sitting in front of a computer and the peacefulness of the trail was a welcome change of pace. I didn't care about my pace right then. In fact, I told myself I would walk the first mile just to decompress a bit. I tried to pick up the pace after that, but the legs weren't moving. I wasn't sore or anything. It had to be a mental issue. I didn't have it in me to push myself. I tried to give myself permission to just walk/jog/wog the thing. But I felt guilty the whole time.

At 2.5 miles I reached the turnaround point and enjoyed the serenity of a gorgeous sunset. It was postcard Wisconsin farmland with a painted violet and orange sky offsetting the silhouette of a solitary barn and silo. It was like I was on a movie set. And then it dawned on me. I started this runish-walk awfully late. And I'm moving awfully slow. Its bound to get awfully dark once that sun goes down. I sure hope I'm not on one of those scary movie sets!

Now anyone who knows me knows that I am easily startled. I can not handle scary stuff. Complete wimp over here. So I tried to pick up the pace. I mean, I wanted to get out of there. But my legs were not cooperating. I had to fight for every inch of ground I covered. Had I known I was gonna totally flake on this run, I would've stayed in town. I don't mind walking in town at night with street lights and other humans nearby. But on this trail it seemed much darker and I was very much alone out here. We all know that is when all the really bad stuff happens in the scary movies.

I tried to keep the positive thoughts flowing, but they were interrupted by the wildlife scurrying around. Remember me? Easily startled? I wish I had my heart rate monitor on just to see the effects those furry friends were having on me. Plus, have you ever heard of the Beast of Bray Road? Here's a picture of him:

I don't know if its just a Wisconsin thing. But, apparently, we have werewolves here in the Land O' Cheese. Normally, I would not be inclined to believe such tales, but I live about one mile from Bray Road. And my mind is still traumatized from watching Pet Semetary when I was a teenager. So I really didn't want to take any chances. I just wanted to be back at the car.

So I'm practically speed-walking by now. Because, for some reason, the legs were not running. It was all very slow motion - you know, like in the scary movies. I used to read a bunch of Stephen King when I was a teenager. I don't know how on earth I did it. 'Cause now I get nightmares if I see a bad movie poster or a trailer for a horror movie. They say those things are approved for all audiences....but I beg to differ.

You wanna know what I see next? Someone had written the name "Kelly" in the mud of the trail. Really big. Like two foot high letters scratched into the trail. Oh. My. Gosh. That is totally part of the foreshadowing thing that happens in those scary movies. I seriously couldn't breathe. It was getting pretty dark by now. And after a second or two I realized the name written was "Katie". Whew! Thankfully the scary ending was meant for someone else. But my heart was still beating at a mighty fast clip.

Still. I needed to get the heck off of this trail. I was only about a mile to the end and the adrenaline was helping me move a little quicker now. Then, right at the head of the trail, at the entrance by my car....guess what I see? A man in a Carhartt jacket with his hood up. Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously? There are no houses around. They guy was clearly not working out. Just standing there. With his hood up. Right at the entrance to the parking lot. Waiting to kill me.

It was really dark by now. And I had nowhere to go. I totally had to run up to the guy. This was it. I was gonna die. I knew running would kill me some day. I mean, who would be on a trail at this time of night just lingering around?

I was worried the man could actually hear my heart beating. It was pounding away like a high school band at homecoming. I hoped he wouldn't sense my fear as I said, "hi". Hopefully, he would be disgusted by my fat, sweaty self and just walk away. But he said "hi" back. In a creepy, soft-spoken, I'm-gonna-kill-you-and-hide-your-body-in-a-cornfield kind of a way.

Then I saw it.

The most welcome sight I'd seen all night.

A little rat terrier came bouncing out of the brush. Whew! That's what scary-looking, hoodie-disguised men do on a trail at night. They let their dogs take a pee!

I got in my car. Locked the door. And swore never again to be on this trail at night. I better start that 8 mile run that's on the schedule this week reeeeaaally early!

The Frozen Ponytail Run

It was 28 degrees on Saturday. It was snowing and crazy windy. Not the best of conditions.

My daughter had a friend sleeping over and I had promised to take them shopping at the mall. But I was determined to get my miles in. I made them some blueberry muffins to eat in my absence, left a note, and headed to the trail.

The beauty of running the trail is that the out and back route makes it so I only have to force myself to do 3.5 miles. Then I have no other choice than to finish all seven. Had I had the choice at mile 4, mile 5, or mile 6 to turn home - I just may have taken it.

A little after mile two, I realized my butt and thighs had frozen solid. The rest of me was just fine. So I had two theories. Either,

1. All that 60% of water we're supposed to be made up of was residing solely in my butt and thighs, hence the blocks of ice I was toting around.
2. Fat freezes faster than muscle.

I'm not sure. But strap on a big ol' block of ice to each of your thighs and to each of your butt cheeks and this will give you a pretty good idea of how I felt around mile two. I picked up the pace just to try to thaw out my poor gluteus maximus. That must've worked. Or I just went numb. Because I didn't feel the pain after that.

Once I pushed through the initial butt-freeze I felt pretty strong. I was running more than walking and just trying to get to that 3.5 mile marker. Then I realized that 7 miles was the longest I had done on this particular trail. The longest run on this trail to date was 6 miles. So I got a little further into the trail and it was beautiful! It was a little more wooded than the first three miles. The path was less worn and less sloppy. Apparently, only the cool runners make it this far. So I did a little Sound of Music, open-armed turn-around and caught some snowflakes on my tongue. If they ever make a movie about me it will make a nice scene and give the composers a chance to write some pretty music.

The joy of my turnaround was short-lived when I realized I had to repeat those miles. The wind was picking up and I was ready for a cup of coffee. But those fourth and fifth miles totally flew by.

The last mile seemed longer than normal. But I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I finally reached my car. I took off my Bondi Band, which was doing a nice job of keeping my ears warm, and felt something hard in my hair. Then I realized it was my hair! My ponytail had totally froze during my two hours of quality time outside. I also realized I hadn't seen one other person the entire time I was on the trail. Either I was the only one stupid enough to be out there, or, as Lucy would say, I was just a total badass.

Oh yea...and then we went shopping. For SIX hours. I should so get extra credit for that!

Rockin' Out my Week

I turned a major corner last Saturday. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, or even what happened. I'm just glad it happened. Part of it probably had to do with me not feeling all sick and yucky anymore. But it was something else too. I just felt better. Happier and stronger and 100% more positive.

Now, last Saturday was supposed to be my first race of the year at the Get Lucky 7k in Minneapolis. I canceled the hotel for that trip early in the week when I was still sick. I had faced the fact that I hadn't trained and would not be running. I even had a cool St. Patty's themed outfit ready, complete with blinking shamrock necklace and festive hair accessories. So I was pretty bummed. I probably would've tried to suck it up and run if it weren't 5 1/2 hours away. Oh well.

So Saturday I wake up feeling great. It was bittersweet. 'Cause had I known earlier in the week, I wouldn't have canceled. But I was REALLY happy to be feeling a little more like myself. It was a beautiful, sunny, 58 degree day. I grabbed my son and decided I would walk on the trail a little. I wouldn't really call it a run because we mostly walked, but we did cover some mileage. Six to be exact. I still had a lovely hacking cough that reappeared from time to time. But it was great being on the trail with him. I don't run with music, but my son is never far from his iPod. So I was surprised he didn't bring it. It was just him and I talking about all things running and making plans for how he would complete his first half marathon in October.

So you wanna see what 58 degrees and sunny looks like in Wisconsin?

That is only one section of the trail though. Most of it looked like this:

But still. It had been above freezing all week. And above 50 for three days prior to this. This was a patch of mutant snow that would not melt. And, a week later, it is still there! (Although, thankfull shrinking.)

Monday began a new training week and I was determined to get in all my runs for once. Lesley over at Racing it Off has been coaching me and giving me all sorts of good running advice. All I've really given her are excuses lately. But Monday's five miles - done.

Tuesday was a rest day. Wednesday was supposed to be five miles, but I rescheduled it for Thursday.

Thursday I got those five miles in. Although, I had every excuse in the world not to. I found the time in the middle of my day and just did it. Yes, the mid-day shower was inconvenient. I had to drink a protein shake instead of dinner while I was headed out the door. And I had a four hour night-class that started that week so I didn't finally get home until 10pm. But, those five miles gave me all the energy I needed to motor through my crazy day. And I was mighty proud when I laid my head down on the pillow that night. Not to mention, it was kind of funny to listen to everyone in class griping about dropping their kids off somewhere or having to make dinner before class started and I was just thinking, "Dude - I just ran five miles and managed to get my kids fed." Yes, I kept it to myself. But it was a proud moment, indeed.

Friday I went out for three miles, which actually felt easier than I remember three miles feeling.

And then yesterday I ran for 7 - count'em - 7 miles. Can we talk about this run? This was an epic run and deserves its own post. You can read all about it here.

So, in case anyone is doing the math - that means I got in all 20 miles this week. (Not including the 6 from last Saturday.) I know some of you do way more than that. But I like how 20 miles feels to me. I almost feel legit.