I love Friday night long runs

Just finished a 14 mile long run today after school. I procrastinated and stood around making fun of all our students and coworkers until 4pm and then headed out the door. Holy crap it was hot, 85' but there was a nice breeze. That nice breeze seemed to suck all the moisture from my mouth though!!

I finished a 8 mile loop in 73 minutes, then I refueled with some vanilla gu and grabbed some water for the next six miles. I felt really good the whole run, the uphills got tough after about mile 7, but hopefully there are not hills in Memphis!! I hear Tennessee is pretty flat in December!! Can you tell I am a little punchy right now, it is almost 10:00pm and my house is disgusting and I should be picking it up, but instead here I sit, procrastinating for yet the second time today!!

Take care!

1st Annual Hartford Women's Triathlon

Hello all, today was a brisk 40' when I ventured out to my car to warm it up so my then sleeping children wouldn't have to sit on cold leather seats only being half awake!! I was so nervous about this tri! We made the trip in no time and did not get lost. I set up my transition area quickly and found my friends. We were all excited and nervous.

My friend, Farrah, and I were in the first wave, jumping in to 70' water at 8am! The water felt great actually. I on the other hand, felt a little panicky. My last two lake swims sucked and this one was starting out pretty shitty. BUT I used my strong will and perservered! I just told myself to slow down and I would probably get there quicker. Which for the water, I think it might be true! I slowed down and just plugged along and ate a LOT of humble pie. I was passed by about 15 people that were in the second wave!! It totally sucked, but my goal was to get my ass out of the water and I did in about 16 minutes. That was my time for a half mile in the last tri, so I guess my strategy worked.

I saw my kids when I got out of the water and they were so excited to cheer for me, it gave me the surge I needed. My legs were rubbery and I was a little dizzy. Getting that damn wetsuit off took some effort too!! I got to my transition area and was disoriented. I somehow managed to get my socks and bike shoes on and headed out to the course.

The bike route was cut down to 10 miles due to road construction and it was mad flat. I don't know what I averaged yet. The results are not posted and I forgot to reset my little thingy. But I was keeping probably a 17 mph. This tri was much more competitive that the Danskin Tri I did in July. I was keeping between 17-18 mph and I got passed by about 5 women!! I passed more, but still... wow. I like the competitiveness, it pushes me to go harder. I was finished with the swim-t1-bike at 55 minutes.

My transition to the run was also pretty silly. My ASS was FROZEN, after riding in wet shorts at 17ish mph, my cheeks were pretty jello-y. When I got off my bike, it just felt like my bottom half was not attached to my top and I could not get it to move the way I wanted. Somehow I reracked my bike, but no thanks to the chick that threw her gigantic bag in my bike slot. I quickly threw her bag, racked my bike and threw on my sneaks.

The run was all trails. I was running along in sort of fog, not a "zone" like I would have prefered! I have been suffering from allergies and my eyes watered the whole 3.1miles. I passed my friend Farrah early in the run and she looked great. As I was running along, I realized that I had just run on these trails last week with my friend, Chris. That made me happy and I just plugged along. I finished very strong, it was a downhill finish at 1:24. I was happy with that time.

I can't really compare my two tris since the first one was a shorter run and the second one was a shorter bike. I think the swim laps were the same, they felt the same anyway. My transition times were longer since I wore my bike shoes this tri. I feel sad that the tri season is over for me. The weather is too cold. Today was pushing it really. I am already trying to figure out my tri goals for next year. One major skill I plan to work on this winter is my swim stroke and getting my comfortable and effecient.

Now on to training for a marathon in Memphis, Tenn on December 1, 2007. Five chickas and I are bringing our "girl power" down south to conquer the distance!!! I can't wait!!! I am totally loving being single and making my own decisions. I can't believe I waited this long to grow up and take control of my life!!

1st Annual Hartford Women

Great Kids and Cold Tri Temperatures!

Tommy ran an awesome time at the Windham Invitational. He raced against about 300 freshman from all over CT and finished 29th overall. His time for 2.1 miles was 13:05. He looked great!

My little son, Travis, wants everyone in cyberworld to know that his U-10 soccer team is 3-0.

I am sitting here sipping hot cocoa because I was standing around all day working the rainy, cold check in table. Tomorrow I participate in the Hartford Women's Sprint Tri at 8am. The bike club just moved our teams ride to 9am since the low is supposed to be 40s tomorrow morning. I am freaking out about the temps for tomorrow's race. I am not really worried about the swim since I have a wetsuit (a really sexy one at that!) BUT I am totally scared about the bike ride in wet clothes. I guess I'll bring a warm shirt to throw on at the transition. I hope by the run I'll be warmed up again.

Full report tomorrow!

Proud Mama Shout Out!

Since I am truly a single mother of my two older children, I don't have anyone to share in their accomplishments. Sooooo I have decided to rave about my children over the blogger world! My oldest son ran in his first cross country meet of his high school career today and he finished his 5K run in 20:31 and he said he could have ran even faster but didn't want to beat his teammates. He came fourth overall out of about 30 runners. He was so proud and so was I!!!

This weekend he participates in a HUGE invitational at our local high school. Over 2500 runners will be heading to our area to run their little butts off! I'll let you know how he does!

New Haven Road Race Report

The New Haven Road Race experience started on Sunday meeting Chris at the expo. We looked around at the expo a few minutes and I bought a "swim, bike and run" car magnet and now I am kicking myself for not buying a gym bag that was only $7. Oh well hopefully the bag lady will be at the next race I do.

Then Chris and I met up with Dianna, the running chick with the orange hat and Jon, the chocolate runner. We waited for David and his family and headed out for pizza. We ravished a variety of pies and had wonderful conversations. It is so cool meeting bloggers face to face. I feel like I know people from reading and sharing their blogs and it is definitely different when you are actually looking and speaking with someone. After pizza, we all went on our way to try to sleep before the big day.

I got lost on the way to my friend's house, but I find that New Haven is a friendly city and a nice big man gave me directions that were perfect actually. When I arrived at my friends' house, I had the house to myself which was weird. I settled in and luckily figured out how to operate her TV and plunked myself in front 'Titanic'. I have only seen Titanic about 99 times, but the whole sinking ship and love story get me every time. I love that old lady, I hope I grow to be just like her.

I had a pretty good sleep and headed over to New Haven at about 7am. I met up with Chris, my running coach and buddy, at about 7:45. We met up with the other bloggers, put in one last potty stop and headed to the start line. Dianna decided we would be good running partners for this race. At first I was nervous, I know Dianna can run a LOT faster than I can, but lucky for me she has been riding her bike more this summer and her legs were heavy.

The beginning of the race flew by, it felt like the first five miles were over in a flash. We were having fun, gabbing and teasing each other. The three of us ran together for about the first nine miles, but then they started to pull away. I knew I wasn't going slower and my 10k split proved me right. My 10K split was 53 minutes and my finish was 1:46, so they sped up and finished about two minutes ahead of me. I was very happy with my time and feel really strong about my running right now.

My favorite part of the day though was the visit afterward. All the blogger buddies drank beer and refueled together on the green. What a great group of people. I often curse the evils of the internet, but after sitting and sharing with such a neat bunch of friends, I have to say it can't be all that bad. Without the internet I would have never met any of these people. One of them is quickly becoming one of my best friends and the rest are people that have given me support and kindness in ways I am sure they don't even know matters.

I can't wait for next year!

New Haven - the best race ever!

Just a short report for now, more to follow. I had a great time and a great "time"! I ran a personal best of 1:46 for a 20K and was very happy with that finish. More details to follow, have to go put the kids to bed!

On to New Haven

This week entailed getting back to school and the routine and seeing all my old work buddies really helped me feel better about life. My work friends are a very strong support for me, I didn't realize how much I missed them this summer.

Tomorrow I'm going to New Haven to meet Jon and Dianna at the New Haven Road Race Expo and then load up on the carbs (and hopefully chocolate) at dinner. Then I'll run with Chris as long as I can keep up with him. I am pretty tired, my body has been aching lately. I hope to finish around 1hour 50min. I think I can make that goal, we'll see.

Run hard, play harder!

Blessed Be

Thank you, thank you, thank you

I am blessed with cool blogger friends that make me laugh and feel supported.

I am blessed with friends that offer me a place to stay with my three wild boys...oops I have to make sure my dog can come too! They tell me good things about myself and eventually I will believe them!

I am blessed because I have sweet friends that text me encouraging kind words.

I am blessed to have a family that offers me financial support, kind words, dinners, and will go to stupid meetings with me.

I am blessed to have the most fun and rewarding job in the world and they pay just enough to pay my bills and get a massage once in a while!!

I am blessed to have a strong body that I am able to push to the limit and it always keeps working.

I am blessed to have the sweetest dog in the world, she follows me everywhere I go in my house and is licking my leg right now (I am still sweaty from my bikeride, but hey its the most action I've had in a long time!) She barks at everybody that comes to my house and makes me feel safe.

I am blessed that I have faith that somehow I will survive and come from this abusive situation a stronger woman.

Wicked Sad

Today I brought my oldest son to his first day of HIGH SCHOOL! How did this happen? When did he grow up? I felt soooooo alone bringing him today. I miss his dad beyond belief. He would have been so excited and happy for him. He had a devotion to his children that I rarely see in fathers and I miss that so bad.

It has been eight years since he died and time really does help, but grief pops it head up at transitions like these. I am probably even more emotional since I am also dealing with such shit from the current husband.

I think I'll treat myself to a brownie sundae tonight. I swam a very tough swim this morning with very windy currents and it will be good to drown myself in chocolate.

Thank You

Your well wishes, hugs and prayers worked because today I feel better and stronger. I have been able to ask for help and have been able to establish some better boundaries with the poop. I just have to stay on top of my game so I can keep on the offense rather than get defensive which is what he loves when I do.

My running and biking have been soooooooo slow this weekend. I think the emotional stress is taking its toll on my physical body. Today I got a massage and a pedicure, they were awesome.

Send me postive thoughts and prayers, I need them.

My personal life is in such utter and complete chaos that sometimes I feel like I am being slowly tortured until I finally give up and die. I truly don't know if I am strong enough to fight anymore, everyone tells me I am but I think they don't really know what is going on.

The only thing that is keeping me sane is my training. When I complete a physical goal, I feel empowered and gain a smidgen of confidence to get me through for awhile.

I know I can only take it one day at a time and that is what I am going to do. I just hope that one day I'll realize that I am not struggling to get through the days, but actually enjoying part of them.

Wow, running is hard

Today I ran a route I normally bike and wow the hills are much harder to run up. I finished 12.5 miles in 2+ hours, I pretty much sucked. But I got it done and its in the log.

Steeple Chase Bike Tour 2007

Yesterday I participated in a local fundraiser called the Steeple Chase. They offer a 20, 50, and 100 mile route for a wide range of biking abilities. My tri chickas were doing the 100 miler, but since my longest ride in my whole life was only 30 miles, I decided to try the 50 miler. I rode the first 40 with my tri chickas and then rode the last ten myself. If it weren't for a very sore butt, I could have gone further. My neck was a little sore too. I was psyched since I know both of those things are more equipment issues rather than physical ability issues.

It was a blast. A social event really. Every twenty miles a local church offers a rest stop with a potty and LOTS of yummy treats, I mean food to refuel our tired bodies!! One church had some awesome brownies. I am doing this next year just for the brownies!

Another wonderful thing that happened from this ride was I realized I know how to ride my bike now. Well sorta. I got this bike at Christmas and call me stupid, but I could not "get" the shifting thing down. Now I get it, totally. Well I still sometimes shift into a harder gear when I want to shift into an easier, but at least I know what to do to fix it. AND I rode the whole 50 with my clip on shoes and DID NOT FALL!! A major accomplishment!

Summer Sickness Sucks

Since Thursday night, I have been down for the count. I came home Thursday evening and almost immediately had a fever and chills. All I could do was lie down and pray to get better. Well that didn't happen until this morning. I haven't been able to do anything for two days and I feel like I might go crazy. I always thank me lucky stars that I have a strong and able body and today I extremely thankful. I plan to take another day of no exercise to really make sure I am recovered.

Hope everybody else had a great weekend. Summer vacation is over in two weeks! Yikes, back to reality!

It worked a few hours later

The internet is a strange thing sometimes, huh?

Post won't publish

I wasn't able to post a minute ago, I am testing it again now.

God Bless Commuters

Yesterday I picked up my children from LaGuardia Airport in NYC. The trip should take about 2:45 hours, not yesterday. NYC saw a tornado and it backed up all the transit systems so more people tried to drive to work. The trip took me over 4 hours. The boys flight was delayed and the airport was packed. The trip home was only a little better. I did stop for an ice cream sundae, that made the trip better for sure.

Today I am nursing a sore back, how do truck drivers sit in their trucks all day? There is NO way I could ever be a truck driver, that is for sure. Hopefully a little run will help loosen everything up later.

Run hard.

John Kelley Road Race Report

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny 88' in New London, CT and it was a great day for a race, well if you like racing in the heat. My sister, her friend and my youngest son and I left the house at 7am to make the half hour drive to New London Ocean Beach Park. With our free race entry, we also got into the park free - caching, save $15 parking fee, baby.

I got there and set the kids up on the beach and then proceeded to obsess over what to wear running. It was a scorcher so I opted for the sports bra and shorts as did many women, but depending on my mood I am shy about showing so much skin. Especially since I was running the race with Chris, at http://www.rsqboss.blogspot.com and I didn't want to A. make him throw up at the sight of my white belly or B. distract him with A-cups LOL!! I decided that keeping cool was more important than vanity and I am glad that I did because at one point when we were running through a heavily traveled part of the town, my body felt like it was about 116' degrees. I am not kidding, at least 116'.

Chris and I started the race thinking that this was a training run, we both have longer race distance goals for the Fall. We wanted to get in 15 miles for the day so we said lets keep between a 9:30 - 9:45 pace for the race portion so we could add some more on the end of the race. After mile one, Chris told me we were a minute off on our pace and I assumed we were going too slowly!! He said we were at a 8:15 pace, so we brought it down a notch to about 8:40s. We both felt great, I don't remember anyone passing up and we were passing people left and right.

At about mile four, Chris tells me to walk through the waterstop. I figured just while I was drinking water, right. Nope, he told me to trust him and do what he said. So every three miles after that, we stopped and walked for a tenth of a mile. I was amazed at how that strategy worked for me. Walking for that short time gave my body the rest it needed to refuel and get ready for the next burst. I basically never pooped out, I had to dig in the last two miles to complete my goal, which was beating this young 30s woman that beats me ALL the time. She passed me at mile nine and said what good pace runners we were. I kept her in my sights until mile 11 and then I was able to push ahead. I never looked back and was scared to death she was right behind me and lo and behold she WAS!! I saw her time and she finished .2 of a second after me!! BUT I still beat her, baby.

Chris uses a garmin and now that I have run with him a few times, I am hooked. I have to get one. I think it would help my training so much. My time was 1:39 for 11.6 miles, we held a 8:35 pace pretty easily. I won third in my age group, which is even more impressive due to the overall women winner was in my age group too. Both these women make turning 40 next year a little easier! Our next run is the New Haven Road Race, I will have to get my own garmin by then, because I think my new partner will leave me in the dust. He had more reserves after mile 9 than I did. I think I have to refuel with some gu at about mile 7 or 8, because I always fade at mile 9.

A great day for a great race for some great racers!!

The tri photos are in and every time I look at them I get psyched! Go check them out - http://www.brightroom.com/go.asp?21925749 !

Danskin Triathlon 2007

Sorry to take so long before reporting this awesome race experience but I came home to a tremendously scary lightning storm and was out of electricity for the last day, it sucked. I hate living in the middle of nowhere, nobody cares about us out here. BUT anyway, who cares about that, that was yesterday!!

On to the Danskin Tri experience, it started early Sat. am meeting up with my tri chickas to load the bikes and make the hour trek to Webster, Ma. When we arrived it was raining and thundering. Fortunately the expo was indoors, we got our numbers, shirts and free gym bags and then went hunting for other free stuff. Isn't that what everyone does at expos, I dont' care if I have 18 pens littering the bottom of my pocketbook, if there is another free pen at an expo I want it!! We got free hats, water bottles, sports beans, peanutbutter and "i am loved" pins in many different languages. We also bought running socks for only $5 a pair and new Tifosi sunglasses with three lenses.

Then we went to a course review which was very informative. We needed that info since it was our first tri. Then we went to a first timers seminar and it was more inspirational than informative. It was very "girl power" which I can only take for about ten minutes before I think I taste throw up in my mouth!! There was one part of the girl power pow wow, when Sally, the speaker, said "Now we are going to approach this tri like women and if you see a woman needing help, you are going to help her, right?" I was looking around with guilt in my eyes wondering if anyone else was thinking, "what the f#$k, I came to compete, let the medical people help the wounded." Of course I didn't say this aloud, no I just kept high fiving all the women and yelling "you go, girlfriend" each time the puke getting closer to my throat.

After the formal preparation, we drove the bike route and I was very glad we did. It was very helpful on the ride to know what was coming. After that we checked into the hotel and went out to dinner. Got to bed around ten and did not sleep all night, that is how I always am and I am used to it. I just lay in bed trying to think happy thoughts to pass the time and wake up at the crack of dawn.

Then it was finally RACE DAY. We arrived at the race at 6am and went right to the portopotties. Then we set up our bikes and transition area. At around 7:15 the first wave of women entered the water, we still had another hour before we got our chance. We decided to take a little swim and I am really glad we did because my goggles were letting water in on one side, so I ran up to my bag and got my spare.

Finally it was the purple caps' turn to head to the start of the race andI was totally scared and psyched at the same time. My three friends and I held hands so we could start together and we did. The swim was not physically challenging for me, but it was difficult for me to figure out my groove with all those bodies next to me. I was kicked and swatted often and never found a good spot the whole 1/2 mile, but it was over before I knew it and I looked at my watch and it read 16 minutes and I was satisfied with that since this was my first experience swimming competitively. Next time I will finish the swim faster.

Then out of the water, found my sandels and run the tenth of a mile to my bike. I squirted my feet off, threw on some socks and my sneakers and a tank top. I chose not to lock into my bike since I am not experienced with those shoes yet and wore the tank top because I am too shy to show off all that skin!!

The bike route was rolling hills with one big hill at mile four. I was never passed once on my bike. I also rehydrated well on my bike too. I forgot to eat my GU, but luckily I never crashed. The bike portion seemed to be over very quickly. I arrived at the transition area and this volunteer was yelling at me to dismount and I tried to really, but I couldn't get my right leg over my seat and down I went in front of hundreds of spectators. Recovered quickly and got outta there as fast as I could, more embarrassed than hurt.

I reset my bike and threw off my helmet and threw on my Red Sox hat and was out to run in one minute. During the run I was completely in the zone. If anything hurt I did not feel it, but people kept looking at my leg. It was bleeding pretty good, but I thought it was kinda cool. I drank water four times on the course and at the same time would pour some water on my cut to keep from totally grossing out the spectators. I don't remember anyone passing me on the run either, but I was totally concentrating and did not really notice anybody even existing. That is a cool feeling, I was totally focused on the task at hand and nothing else mattered. I really need moments like that right now, because for most of my waking moments (and sleeping for that matter) I am stressing about my life and how screwed up I have made everything.

I stepped over the line and looked at my watch 1:28, whoa I was shooting for 1:40 so I was very happy. I hugged all my fellow triathletes and then revelled in our accomplishment. We went out for burger and beers, a tradition and headed home.

What a day! I can't wait for tri number two!!

Here are my stats:
1/2 mile swim 16:40
transition 1: 4:48
12 mile bike 43:29
transition 2: 1:01
2.8 run 22:42

Total time 1:28:41
overall rank 318 of 2129
class rank 11 of 440

Photos to follow!

I am a triathlete!

All I can say right now is:

I FU#*ING ROCK!!!

First Tri Jitters

Today I am packing for my first triathlon and I am sooooooo excited and scared. I am not daunted by the physical demands for I am ready, but I have no clue about what I am about to go do!! The logistics are what I am thinking about, like will I be able to find my bike after the swim, what the heck am I going to do if I get a flat, what if I lose something along the way, etc. But the jitters are what makes doing something for the first time so exciting too.

Wish me luck and I'll post some photos (omgoodness, I have to charge my camera batter right now) and a report Sunday night. WOOHOO, I can't wait!!

Running with Friends

This weekend I had two totally great runs.

My first was Sat. morning at 6:30 with my running buddies from the WAC. I am amazed at how fast my run goes when I am talking with other people. It is also cool running with a group. We got to support one of our runners to complete her longest run yet. She was so thrilled and that excitement is contagious.

My second run was on Sun. I met Chris, a friend you can read about over at http://www.rsqboss.blogspot.com. We met in between our homes in a town near the shore and just ran wherever our spirit moved us. He has a garmin so we could keep track without getting too lost or going too far. It was soooo fun. Again I was amazed at how fast the run went when you don't know where you are going and it is an adventure. I have to thank Chris because he gave me a piggyback ride over a cut of ocean so I wouldn't have to get my new sneakers wet. Very cool friend.

Empowered

Today I swam a 1/2 mile, rode my bike for 12 and ran 3 miles in 1 hr and 50 minutes!!! I am really glad I did this "dry" run before next week because I learned an important lesson, I can not run in only my two piece top. Yes my boobs are small but they still hurt as much as big ones when they bounce!! I guess I'll have to check out a tri top. I don't think I could use a one piece tri suit without having a nervous breakdown. I hate anything squeezing my stomach too tight, yes I know I sound like I must be nuts, but in the business we say that I have sensory issues, okay!!

I felt great doing this activity and can't wait for my first time. It is so exciting being a virgin again!!

I just have to shamelessly plug physical fitness as a way to deal with abusive soon to be ex husbands. He has really been doing a number on me lately and last night I felt like giving up, rolling over, calling it quits. I was so depressed I ate three brownies with a huge bowl of chocolate chip ice cream and hot fudge!! But after this morning's workout, I felt like I could take on the world! Pushing yourself and coming through to the other side is so empowering.

Incredible Kids

Today I ran with my 19 year old sister and 14 year old son in the woods in the rain. Oh yeah our dog came too. We ran to a beautiful vista called 50 Foot Cliff, it really was beautiful through the rain. It looked so mystical.

My son was born to run in the woods, he leaps like a gazelle over the many rocks that scatter the trail. He told me to write this but it is true too!

And he beat my butt in the Boom Box Mile, yeah we'll see in a race over ten miles okay buddy!

I love my bike

Today I rode for 15 miles and was so happy. I cruised up my last two gigantic hills to my house. I think I am really getting the shifting thing down. Now I just have to order some shoes with the clips thingys. Yikes, something new! Can't wait!

Pool = Hard to breathe

You know what I find strange is that while I was training in my local pool all winter I was really struggling with my breathing. I just felt like I could not get enough air in while doing the front crawl so I would resort to the breaststroke and would be able to go back and forth and finish the distances I wanted to complete. BUT now that I am swimming in ocean or lake water I can swim the front crawl and get in plenty of air.

My very smart first-marriage mother-in-law (she is also one of my favorite people because she takes my kids for as long as I want all summer- allelulia amen to her) told me that the chlorine affects her ability to breathe while swimming. What do all of you tri people think of that theory?

By the way, Happy Birthday to Me. Someone told me today that I look more like 29 than 39, I almost married him right there on the spot!! Then I decided since I have failed now at not just one, but TWO marriages in my 39 years I better stick to romance novels. Men are a mystery I am not sure I will ever solve :-)

Comment problem

I keep trying to leave comments or look at mine and the little message about secure and nonsecure items pops up and no matter what I press it won't go away. It is a pain in my buttocks as Forrest would say. Anyone have any ideas what I can do about it? Thanks.

Here we are at the Boom Box Mile. Quite a crew. My right shin continues to bother me so I have taken to bike riding. I went 30miles on Monday, 15 on Thursday, and 26 today and let me just tell you that my ass is killing me. Tomorrow I don't care if my shin still hurts, I am running. I even have those cushiony pants too!

See ya, going to watch the Red Sox try to beat the Tigers.

I just realized the kid that is eating is the only one that did not run the race. Yikes.

Boom Box Mile

Yesterday, my family and I raced in a mile race that happens right before this huge parade in our town. The race runs the same route as the parade, so the runners get a lot of support. It is a lot of fun. The results are as follows:
Tommy, age 14 finished in 5:30
Me, age 38 finished in 6:37
M.E., my sister, age 19 finished in 7:00
Travis, age 8, finished 8:07
Wouldn't you know we all placed in our age groups except for Tommy, the fastest of us all. He had a lot of competition in his age group.

Then we went to a party where I ate WAAAAAYYYYY too much food, I am feeling it this morning.

My shin still hurts

Today I am sticking to my bike, yet I have to start training for the de Mar marathon in Sept. sometime soon! I was hoping to do 13 this week, but I want to nurse this boo-boo alittle. Here is photo of my family enjoying a great local band, at a beautiful beach with a breath-taking full moon while eating ice cream, of course. I love summer.

The funny thing was the cost to park and get into the concert was only five bucks, but the five small ice cream cones cost 15 dollars. They were huge though!

Wow, the trails kicked my butt

I ran with two friends and my sister on the trails yesterday and my body is feeling it. It is weird because my arms are tired. But also my right shin feels like I bruised it, you run into things without even knowing it until later when it starts to hurt. Sticking to the bike today, what a beautiful morning here - sunny, 65' with a light breeze. I can't wait to get out there!

So what do you think?

So here it is...my new wheels. So this entry still had something to do with running, I had my son take the picture right after I came home from running in 85' and I think it was probably 150% humidity. I was drenched. Tomorrow I am going to ride my bike to a swimming hole and try to double up to get ready for the tri. Only four more weeks to go!

I love my job

I know most you are travelling to work right now cursing those overpaid teachers with the summers off. But right now I am loving my job, baby!! Yes I may be broke each summer, but there is no price on recharging and rejuvinating my spirit and body (there really is no cure for my crazy mind;) Since school ended, I have had so much fun and relaxation. I have also exercised everyday and it feels easy.

This weekend I have three parties and going to see a great local band - The Quiet Life - check them out on their myspace. They are out of New London and they are four talented young men. I love them, can't wait to see them. I played one of their songs - How It Goes- FOUR times in a row the other day while driving. That's how much I like them.

Well gotta go leisurely prepare and eat a healthy breakfast. Bye!

Getting the first tri jitters

Okay I know I said my training was going great in my last post, but I am starting to get nervous about it all. It is unchartered territory for me and I am thrilled and frightened all at the same time. Of course I am most concerned about the swimming portion. I know I can complete that short distance, but I have never been in the water with that many people at the same time. I have never raced on my bike either,well not since I was ten years old :)

I am slowly but surely recovering from this freakin' divorce crap. I bought a new car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Lauredo. It is really nice. I'll post some pics as soon as I get my camera battery recharger back from my classroom which I haven't stepped into since the last day of school.

My baby turned eight years old yesterday. We had a great day. Both of his big brothers had sleepovers of their own, so we were on our own. First, he played in the All-Star game for baseball, then we went out to dinner to Friendly's, and finally we had a slumber party in my room. He and I cuddled up to watch the Red Sox kick some butt. It was probably one of my top ten best days ever in my life.

Graduations, Car buying and Training

My oldest son graduated eighth grade on Monday. It was intense. I really miss his dad when we hit these milestones. He would have been so proud of him. There is nobody on earth that really gets how great your kid is except the other parent and his dad and I really loved these kids. I guess every big event has that sad undertone because his dad isn't there to celebrate with us.

I am still buying a car and it sucks. I just hate it.

My training is going GREAT! I love swimming, biking and running!

Buying a new car - yikes!

My old shitbox car, a 1999 Mercury Villager, has finally pissed me off long enough. Every time it rains, water gets in the engine and it doesn't work until my soon-to-be ex-husband fixes it. So basically he dangles control over me every time it breaks down so today it rained and he was mad at me and did not offer to fix it.

Soooooo I called my stepdad and we went car shopping today. I drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee Lauredo, it was sexy and awesome. I also drove Chrysler but it was too squishy and claustrophobic. Then I drove 2006 Ford Explorer, black and sleek. It has seven seats without the look of a minivan which I am ready to give up since now I am hunting for men!

So the very cute but too young for me car dealer let me take the car home for the weekend to see if I like it. Well wouldn't you know my oldest son was checking the car out and he locked the keys in the car. GREAT, right? So I have to call the cute, but young dealer to figure out what I should do. He proceeded to drive over to my house to open the car for me. He TOTALLY thought I locked the keys in on purpose just to get his cute little bod over here, but I swear I did not. It was quite embarrassing. Luckily I had five little boys over here so he only flirted for a few minutes.

Tomorrow I complete a duathlon of sorts. I am riding about 20 miles to a park in Hartford, then doing a run for autism and then riding my bike back the 20 miles. I am so excited, I can't wait!

Race for the Cure

Yesterday, I traveled in a mini-coop to Hartford, CT to run a 5K race for the cure. It was a blast. I finished in 24:40 and had a great run. I had a little left at the end, so I am looking forward to next race and pushing myself a little harder. With the recent life changes, I have lost about 15 pounds, so from here on in you will not hear about my fat ass anymore, it is pretty nice actually and can move up hills a lot faster!! So cheers to not being able to eat or sleep for two months, it does wonders :)

One cute little race story. There was a former soccer coach of my middle son running the race. I had a problem with him because once he told my ten-year-old at the time son that he wasn't going to play anymore that day because "they wanted to win". So yeah, I hate him. But anyway, he lined up near me at the start of the race. I kept him in my sights for the first mile and then freakin' passed his loser ass on a hill at the end of mile on NEVER TO SEE HIS SORRY BUTT AGAIN!!!. It felt so good to beat that bum.

Healing - inside and out!

My life has been a tornado of events since my last post. I fell and injured myself at the same time as my marriage fell apart. I am not sure what was more painful, just kidding. So now I am a single 38 year old nutcase, but at least I can now run, bike and swim again. I think my injury was God's way of making me slow down and take care of my kids and myself. Now I am can rebuild my life one day at a time. Wish me luck, I hope to post a little more now that school is winding down.

I am a pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird.A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone.You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are.You get along well with: The Ring FingerStay away from: The Thumb

I took a test I learned from Trisaratops, but I can't figure out how to link you there. Sorry. Wait I'll try again www.trisaratopsadventure.blogspot.com
Ok go there and she knows how to link you to the finger test. Bye from the pinky!!

I am a pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird.A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone.You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are.You get along well with: The Ring FingerStay away from: The Thumb

I took a test I learned from Trisaratops, but I can't figure out how to link you there. Sorry. Wait I'll try again www.trisaratopsadventure.blogspot.com
Ok go there and she knows how to link you to the finger test. Bye from the pinky!!

Crazy and I am taking a break

Hi my running friends,
I need to take a blogging break. My family needs me and I can't be distracted right now. Be back to report on races from time to time and I will miss reading all about everyone's adventures.

Bye for now but not forever.

ps I only have 25 more days without chocolate. God help me.

I can't stand the rain.....

"I can't stand the rain...I know a song with that in the title. Yesterday we picked up three inches of rain that settled on top of roads and snowy yards. It seeped into basements and underneath the hood of my car. Therefore, my Friday night consisted of a pissed off husband whom had to vacuum out about three hundred gallons out of one of our rental properties. Then he had to deal with my whining about my car needing its sparked plugs replaced before the water in the engine froze (oh well too late, he never got home to fix it).

I was already bummed out about not running very much this week and now I wouldn't be joining my running group for our Sat. morning run. I rolled out of bed around 7am, hoping some of the black ice would have melted.

I was wrong.

I slipped and slid the entire five miles this morning, by the time I got back to my last hill by my house, I was so pissed off. I have a full day of basketball games and a birthday party tonight, so I won't be able to enjoy the warm temps projected for today. Sometimes you just can't get it right.

But I have NOT eaten chocolate in TEN whole days. I even had to bake a chocolate cake last night and not lick the bowl, that was temptation, let me tell ya!

Another Snow Day

Last week we had an awesome week off and this morning we awoke to yet another snow day! WOOHOO! The snow was amazing. My little son said when he woke up it looked like the Chronicles Of Narnia, the movie.

Taking the day off today, maybe I'll practice a little yoga and lift some weights, but my legs are heavy from the rockin' race on Saturday. By the way, I came in 155th out of 210 runners. Right smack in the middle!

Colchester Half Marathon

Today I walked my sweet doggie at 7am and the temp was 18 and the wind was whipping. I went back in and crawled into bed with my husband and said, "oh my fu@*ing goodness, what the he!! am I thinking running a fu#&ing half marathon today." I watched the weather just hoping the meterologist would say that by 10am the winds would calm and it would be a balmy 40'.

NO. SUCH. LUCK.

Well I got to the race and my stepdad convinced me we could do this and we went out for a mile warm up. I instantly felt better about the whole idea. I warmed rather quickly. I had a great race. Every mile came so quickly it was great. At mile 6, a huge deer darted out of the woods and scared the heck out of me, but it was cool too. Then at mile 11, we have to finish going up a long, long did I mention long hill. The last two miles were in the wind too. They really really really sucked. But I got it done and finished six minutes faster than last year. Let me stress this is no candy-pants half marathon, it is very HILLY and with the wind today, it was killer. But now that it is over, I feel GREAT!

A weird thing that happened was after the race, I bought a large decaf and bagel to refuel and warm up. I continued to rehydrate myself and I just now peed. I went four hours drinking mucho water and only now just peed. Wow. I pee often, so this is weirding me out.

Sorry no race pics, my camera battery was not available.

Winter Fun

Every Lenten season I start anew!! I ban sugary treats and chocolate decadence from my belly for only the Lenten season mind you! But it is the cleansing my body really needs. I always feel like crap around this time of year, I feel bad about my skin, my butt, my overall mood is usually kinda sucky. This winter hasn't been horrible so my winter blues have only been aquamarine not midnight blue! Yesterday was my first day without inhaling, I mean ingesting, at least my daily pound of chocolate and I could tell I really needed to do this, because I had a strange calmness about it. Like, girl, you know what you have to do, just do it.

Not Enough ;)

For those interested, I did not do enough of my hopeful activities on my weekend away. My husband was sick throwing up all night the night before we left, so he was a little weak and couldn' t keep up .... on the hike!

Happy and Thankful

I had a great weekend away with my husband. We had lots of fun and relaxation. Today I did a mini-tri. I rode stationery bike for seven miles, ran three miles and swam for twenty minutes. It was fun, can't wait till race season begins.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today we are finally having a winter storm. It is not the cool kind of storm though, where the trees and yard look pretty and white and you can build snow forts and have snowball fights or make snow angels or snow people. No it is a snow that hurts called sleet and freezing rain. That did not stop my wild boys from sledding down our driveway that is a sheet of ice!

Been running some, swimming some, today I plan on using my bike with the trainer in the garage. Got the Colchester half marathon in a week, can't wait! Going away with my sexy husband for our anniversary this weekend! He asked what I wanted to do this weekend when we went away, I told him two things: hiking and f#$king! He is one lucky man!

Thank you

A big thanks to the helpful hints for more effecient breathing while swimming. I'll let you know how they worked. Today Sadie, my new running partner doggie, went on the rail trail for 6 miles and then she relunctantly waited in the car while I ran another four. I am trying to get ready for a half marathon in three weeks. The picture on the left was me at the finish last year. I was TIRED! I plan to run between ten and twelve each weekend before the race. I am happy with today's run because it is ten degrees and I couldn't find my face mask. My cheeks were FROZEN! I also was full of energy the whole run which felt really great.

I have to get on the bike soon. It is lonely out there on the trainer in the yucky garage!

Swimming Issues

I know this is a "running" blog family, but I hope some of the triathletes will read my blog and help me resolve my swimming issues.

#1 I have a hard time breathing, I have the mechanics down for the front crawl, but by the end of lap one, my lungs are burning. Then I switch to breast stroke for a length and do another two front crawl laps. All my other body parts are able to do the front crawl without incidence, but I am not breathing effectively. I breathe on alternating sides every three strokes. Help me, please!

#2 I have chapped skin from the chlorine, some embarrassing areas too! Any ideas to protect my delicate skin?

I know I have a third one, but I can not think of it right now!!

Bye!

Cute Kid Story #2

Our dramatic play center is currently a doctor's office. One little four year old today was the doctor while I was the patient. Imagine a very cute little kid that we affectionately have nicknamed Phillip Johnny Bob at our house. My kids often delight in hearing Phillip Johnny Bob stories and this one is to be added to the list.

PJB, "I have to look in your ear." Uses plastic doctor light scope thingy.
PJB, " I see your brain", pause for effect "It's a pea-brain"
We both start cracking up. PJB obviously has an older brother, a normal four year old is not that sophisticated in their play!

Ran 12 miles yesterday, some trails incorporated. I thought I was only doing 10, so I was way happy when I got home and mapped my run. I wonder if I bought a garmin if it would steal some of the excitement from wondering how long I am running sometimes.

Cold here, taking tomorrow off! Yah, I love sleeping in!

Cute kid story

I have a little sweetie pie that is pretty quiet in my class that always sits right next to me during circle time. He is on the small side. His head is just below shoulder height and he looks over at my chest yesterday and says with all certainty and matter of fact, "My mom has some of those." Wasn't sure what to say!

Fun and VERY COLD Week!

Well here she is, my new weekday running partner after a three mile trail run. She is the best dog. She runs ahead about 20 feet and then turns back wondering if I am still with her. If I am "doggin'" it, she will run back and get me, if I am keeping up with her, she'll continue on ahead. She had a bit of a stressed out weekend, but all in all she is still a very well behaved doggy.

Not much going on lately. My sweet swimming and running buddy, Deb, has had a minor surgery, so I miss her and hope she gets back out there soon. We have had some very cold temperatures, yesterday we ran and it was 16', today it was 9'. The funny thing though was yesterday felt colder due to the wind. I hate windy conditions, hate them.

We ran at the Edwin Way Teale Sanctuary yesterday. It is my assignment from my naturalist son, Tommy, that I must read his book entitled A Walk Through The Year. I'll let you know what I think.

Naughty husband, bananas, albino squirrels and A NEW DOG!!

On Sat. night my husband stayed out too late at a setback card tournament and kept me up late deep into Sun. am, 12:30am to be exact. So he got into big trouble and I also woke up late for my Sunday run. I was sorta disoriented the next morning and forgot to eat my before run banana. I'll tell ya, I felt it. I just did not have as much umph! Lesson learned - eat your banana!

While on my run, I saw an albino squirrel. It was orange, I am not kidding. I ran home all excited and told my kids about my new scientific discovery and my oldest son said when he was in Washington, DC, he saw a variety of squirrel colors. In CT, we have the regular old grey squirrel and that's it. Orange, no kidding.

Well, back to the bad husband. He played cards against this guy, John, who has been looking to place his brother's dog with me. I love dogs, well dogs that don't chase me and try to eat me while I am running that is. This guys brother is getting divorce and neither one can take the dog with them, so they need to find a home for her. I was working on my husband letting me take this dog in and then he shot himself in the leg with a nail gun and I felt like I better not bring up the dog thing again for a while.

Whatever John said to my naughty husband convinced him to give the dog a try. I LOVE HER!!!!! She is soooooo cute. I will post a photo asap. My oldest son is in trouble and can't use the computer and he is the one who transfers all my pictures to the computer from my camera for me, I am too busy. I guess I'll have to give him a break so he can do that for me! Anyway, my new old dog's name is Sadie and she is a yellow lab and is eight years old. I took her for a three mile run on MOnday in the woods and she almost had a stroke, so I'll have to scale back a little. I am so happy, I love her. The End.

Lazy week

I love blogging because I could go back and research when I was last sick. I was sick in the beginning of November for two weeks. On Thursday, during a high school freshman orientation (YIKES, I am that old to have a son going into high school!!!!), I felt a sore throat coming on so I pumped myself with tea and vitamin C. Got worse on Friday. Got my period on Sat. Needless to say, I am bummed. I hope to take a hike or walk today since it is 50' and it is going to be like 5' this week coming up. I got to get out there while I can, but my house is a disgusting mess and I have three basketball games to watch today.

I guess it is a hazard of caring for thirty 3 and 4 year olds all day long that I would get sick every two months. Luckily it is just a little cold and period cramps. I'll be better soon!

Brian Aselton Road Race

It was a beautiful day to run a short race commemorating a young police officer that was killed in the line of duty. It was 50' at race time and there was a record number of runners this year due to the warm weather. I started off strong with a 7:24 first mile split, then the second mile I was at 15:25 and I fininshed the race at 24:10. There were three hills at the end that kicked my butt. I think I have to insert some hill workouts for myself, they could only help.

I am on a new healthy eating kick ( except I just finished a small cup of chocolate almond chip ice cream, oops!). I went to my doctor on Friday and my cholesterol is up to 245!!!!!!!!! Instead of coffee with cream and sugar, I am drinking green tea, honey and skim milk. I am changing my eating habits one baby step at a time. I can't give up the chocolate goodies right yet. Better yet I have to find some not so fat chocolate treat that will satisfy my cravings.

Have a good week!

Disgusting!

Yesterday as I was leaving school, my husband calls me and tells me to meet him at the emergency room. Yikes!

Then he says, "I just shot myself."

I shriek, "What?"

Well I guess he still had his sick sense of humor during the pain, because then he explains that it was with a nail gun while on top of a roof!! Luckily he did not fall off the roof, his brother helped him step down one ladder rung at a time.

We waited in the emergency room for four hours before the er doc tells us he can't remove it because it is a roofing nail which has prongs coming out of the side. They call a surgeon in. He shows up an hour later. He was one of the running club guys that I ran with on New YEar's Day, we did not recognize each other at first due to not wearing lots of hats and tight clothing, I guess.

Two hours later, I was brought to my recovering husband in the maternity ward, the hospital was PACKED! They only had room in the maternity ward for him. We left at 11pm hobbling home in pain and embarrassed.

Today was filled with lots of persaset and ginger ale. Oh wait, don't let me forget the best part of today, we had to "pack" the wound since it is a "dirty" wound and can not be stitched. Let me tell you folks, it is disgusting. It is an open wound the size of a quarter that we can't allow to get infected. Oh great.

I am going running tomorrow am, I don't care, I need to run off the stress or else I might do something really stupid like take up smoking!

Lessons Learned

I have noticed two things about my running that might help you. I have way more energy and speed if I eat a banana or apple right before I head out to run. Sipping water is also a help. Sleep does not matter on the run, but it does effect my condition later.

Number two is that I started wearing a headlamp, that word cracks me up, and it really helps to know where you are setting your foot while running at dawn. And by the way the moon this morning was AMAZING!!!

See you later, I have to go find my goggles and head condom thingy for tomorrow's am swim!

Year in Review

I am ending 2006 on a very positive note. I love running right now, it feels soooooo good. I know it has A LOT to do with practicing yoga, so therefore I say namaste to my best friend, Deb, for introducing me to yoga two years ago. She again has been my lifesaver!

• Below is a breakdown of my race performances this year:
• Jan Brian Aselton 5K 24:43
• Feb Colchester 1/2 marathon 2:05
• March Pi Race 5K 25:02
• April BOSTON MARATHON 4:40
• June Xtreme Scrambler 5kish 28:30
• July Glorious Gallop 5K 23:30
• Aug Xtreme Scrambler 5kish 27:40
• Sept New Haven Road Race 20K 1:57
• Oct Mystic Places 10 Miler 1:26
• Nov Thanksgiving Race 5 Miler 48:01
• Dec Santa's Run 3.5 miler 28:53

I am really proud that I did a race almost every month, all except May. In May, my son and I volunteered at the Nipmuck Trail Marathon, so I kinda count that as a "doing" a race. Of course, my high point was the Boston Marathon. That was so awesome. Someday I will qualify to run the race on my running merits, not just having family up there to get me a scrub number.

I also enjoyed running the Xtreme Scramble in Hartford, Ct. That was a race with all different terrains and challenges and it was also a series so I could see how I progressed. They also had bands to entertain us afterward and great food to replenish us.

I only hope I can stay healthy and compete in 2007 as effortless as I did in 2006. I will say this though, I started 2006 with the mindset that I was running races for ME, not to beat the smoe joe just ahead of me. I would set a goal for myself and run MY own race. It was not easy, but it did allow me to run injury free the whole year!! Knowing your limitations is definitely a plus when it comes to running.

woo-hoo!!!!!

I just finished an awesome 11 mile bike ride on my new beautiful bike. It was a very hilly course around my house. I had sooooo much fun! It is so fun exploring new territories, that is hard to do running sometimes. You don't want to go to far off course when you have another six miles to get home, you know? But on a bike, who cares about a few more miles!! I was only cold on the downhills. I was psyched to be out riding on New Year's Eve in Connecticut!! It is a balmy 39' but no wind. I was actually hot on the uphills and there were many! I had two pairs of pants and three shirts and gloves and a headband under my helmet.

When I got home I was so psyched I ran three miles! I am an ironwoman in the makking, HEAR ME ROAR!!!

Happy New Year!

ps photos and a name for my new best friend the bike to follow!

Oh I must have been a good girl!

Yah for me, my husband bought me a racing bike for Christmas! I will post a photo when I actually pick the bike up on Thursday. I was running yesterday and started to panic because now my name really should be run, bike and swim for chocolate, actually I should probably throw in something about yoga for chocolate as well!!! BUT I resolved my angst by telling myself that running is my favorite activity, although as I sit here writing, I don't know if that is entirely true anymore. I freakin' LOVE swimming in the ocean, because I really should be a mermaid, I love the ocean so much. Hmmmm, I may have to think about this a little longer, a new name may be in order.

One thing I do need to change over to is a tri-training log rather than a running log. I don't log as many miles running now, since I am swimming more. And now I am going to be biking too, so I want my exercise log to be reflective of the activity I am doing. Do they even sell tri-training logs, I am sure they must, I will have to check that out after this entry.

Oh well can't wait, see you later!

My Possibilities Are Endless

Yesterday my family had our xmas celebration with my dad's side of the family. It was a lot of fun. We had good food, a fun walk to a beaver pond, and yes lots of chocolate (yum)!!!! We pick names out of a hat to buy presents and my cousin and I had eachother. She gave me the greatest present. It was a silver bracelet with the inscription of "My possibilities" on the outside and "are endless" on the inside. It was so perfect for me since we had just talked about training for triatholons. I would like to tackle a long tri, but I am starting out with a sprint first to test the waters! I also am trying to get speedier in the marathon in order help complete the longer tris a little faster.

I love that saying My Possibilities Are Endless , I am wearing the bracelet everyday :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you

I often thank my hard-working body after a good hard run or race. I am amazed at what I can do. Sometimes I feel like wonder woman, I can even hear that music! Today I am even more thankful. I attended a friend's funeral today. He was only 38 years old and had battled drug addiction most of his adult life and finally the drugs won. I am soooooo grateful I have never had struggles with substances, it looks awfully painful.

Thank your hardworking body every day!

Running Wild

I had an incredibly busy weekend. I had two Athena's parties, one was in Boston, which is two hours a way and the next night was only in Manchester, CT, about a half/hour away. They were fun, but pretty low in sales. But now it is Sunday and I am exhausted and have to still clean my car out, because it is DISGUSTING!!!!

Oh yeah I have to plan for the week of preschool as well. The kids behave at this time of year though, hoping for the last minute good impression on Santa!!

I missed my group run Sat. am, and was really bummed. BUT our club has the CAN RUN on Tues night. We all meet at our local soup kitchen and bring donations and then we run together checking out the Christmas lights displays and then we have our annual planning meeting. I won't be able to attend the meeting portion, because #2 has a school concert.

We have a busy week:
Monday: cub scouts
Tuesday: can run and concert
Wednesday: basketball practice
Thursday: Scouts holiday party
Friday: Church stuff

Holy crap, when will I be able to run!? Luckily none of those things take place at 5:30 am when I go running.

ahhhhhhh jury duty

uuuuugggggghhhhhhh, I have to go to jury duty tomorrow. I am nervous, I have never had to go before. I don't know what to expect. I doubt they pick me because I have very little faith in our law enforcement officers at the state level, they are prejudice and unfair. I'll report what happened tomorrow. I don't even have a good book going right now to be psyched up to read all day. I hate sitting on my butt all day too. Maybe I will dress really inappropriately so they send me home right away, I know I will wear my stinky running clothes, that will do it!!!

Been Sooooooo Busy

I have been so busy, I may decide not to use punctuation for this entry! I ran in a Thanksgiving race with my sisiter, father and future brother-in-law. It was POURING!!! I was fine until I stpopped running, then I was freezing. I had a good time and a good running time too!

Running a Santa's Run this Sunday, let you know how that goes. Hosting a runner's breakfast Sat. am also. Selling sex toys on Friday night. I don't know how I am going to get it all done. Oh yeah my three boys have basketball games on Sat. and our local high school is in the state finals on Sat. and I HAVE to go. I love watching kids play sports, it is the way it is supposed to be, with all those mistakes and then every so often a great play.

See you!

I am a braggart

Yes I am about to brag this whole flipping entry! Last week, I only had a short time to run due to hungry kids and husband that I told I would pick up bagels after I ran, so I had to drive to my running route, run, get bagels and get home all in a hour. I decided to run a local trail at a local park. It is supposed to be 2.4 miles, but I am not sure it is that long. So I ran it last week with the pressure of having to get back for my family. I timed in at 20:34, I felt pretty good running that with no warm up and it was really hot and muggy (well, for November in New England, 60s is really hot). Wellllll, today I decided I would try the same route and see if I could improve. I had time to run a warm up 1.5 miles and timed in at 19:26 with ease. It was a normal 40s with a little wind. I felt great and was super-pumped!!

Bragging point number two, my oldest son is in eighth grade at our local middle school. There are about 1200 students in the school and he was picked to represent our region at a Superintendent's Award ceremony. So last week, our family had two nights of award banquets. I was so proud of him. He looked so grown up on that stage. I am especially proud of him that he has been so successful in school since he lost his dad at such a young age. He has overcome so many obstacles in his young life.

Well, we have a lot to be thankful this year in my family. I have new baby cousin, Isabella. I am feeling especially kick-ass as a runner lately, I hope that lasts!! And my kids are in a good cycle too! WOOHOO!

It's dark in the morning again :(

Well for about two weeks, I had a smidgen of daylight at 5:30am, but no longer. I just can not get up easily when it is dark outside. And besides, I run alone and it gets a little creepy out there. But I have prevailed and have run for three days this week anyway and felt real good while running as well. I missed my swim day though, too lazy.

Run strong (I am stealing from Wes)

I get by with a little help from my friends!

At about 2:30am, I started in with my own version of the dreaded stomach flu and it SUCKED!! But what sucked even worse was

1. Sat am is the only time I have friends to run with and I was too busy running back and forth from my bed to the toilet.

2. My husband had committed to working a side job this weekend and that meant I had to deal with my three lovely, high energy boys. Let's just say they conveniently forgot how they were only able to lay on the couch and moan when it was their turn to have this bug.

Sooooo, I braved it, took a shower and brought them to their basketball clinic. At the end of the clinic, the BEST BASKETBALL COACH IN THE WORLD told me they could go over his house until BEDTIME!!!!!!!! I would have kissed that man right on the lips if I wasn't afraid I might throw up in his mouth! So now after lounging around undisturbed ALL DAY, I feel better enough to blog. A HUGE thank you to best coach and friend, I know you are reading this!!

Hopefully the feel-better trend will continue and I'll be able to blog about running tomorrow!

Ouch, those darn leaves!

Yesterday while running I missed a lip in the sidewalk and fell flat on my face. Luckily I was entering a footbridge and I don't think I was seen!! It is so funny what goes through your mind right before you fall. You have about one second to know that you are going down and there ain't nothing you are going to do about it. The words "oh shit" are all that come to mind. My legs were pretty sore after I fell, but I was more worried about my mp3 player. It got a little banged up, but it still works fine. My shirt ripped on my elbow too, but I can live with that too, I guess.

No running today, too rainy and my little son was home throwing up all day. YUCK! I'll be out there tomorrow though very carefully looking for little lips in the sidewalk under the leaves!

On the mend

I was lucky enough to run yesterday and today, each time feeling better. It would be more accurate to say that I jogged, because I can't really run due to decreased lung capacity! It felt great to be out there though, but it is getting cold up here- today was about 30', but it was crisp and clear and refreshing and the coffee tasted that much better when I finished!

On Friday, my coworkers and I trekked up to Amherst, MA for a training at the Eric Carle Museum for Picture Book Art. It was a blast! We talked about how to expand children's vocabulary with the use of studying art pieces and then we created some of own art pieces. It was totally fun. Then we went out to eat in Northampton, MA - a funky college town with awesome places to eat. I went to a fun mexican restaurant and I ate a gigantic spinach and chicken quesadilla! YUM!!

Woe is ME

I have had the worst asthma-y cold thing in my lungs this whole darn week. I have not run in five days, I think I am going to have a nervous breakdown. Today I turned the corner and I think I will run tomorrow morning. I am a little nervous though because just bringing the garbage down the driveway set me off on a coughing fit. But I just can not stay in bed another morning, especially since I am inhaling my children's halloween candy by the bag ful!! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

The above photos are from last week's awesome

race. It was a beautiful autumn day and we all had a blast.

This week when I went swimming, I got the same feeling you get when you are a little kid and you can't wait to jump in. I was thrilled to see that water. It is so funny because it isn't even a nice pool, it is old and junky actually! But it had clean water and that's all that matters.

Running has been awesome this week too. I ran twice at a very strong pace. That is my new goal, to run with intention. I plan on only running four days per week, with yoga and swimming taking the other two and one day of rest. So far my plan has worked, we'll see!

Mystic Ten Miler Race Report

Well, what a beautiful day for a race! Sunny, 50s, with a light breeze. It was easy to know what to wear - shorts and a t-shirt - although half way through the race, I wished for a tanktop. I hosted a birthday party for my brother in law last night, so I was tired, but I did get enough sleep. My sister and youngest son left at 8:30, stopped for coffee and bagels and arrived in Rocky Neck state park by 9:30. The race started at 10:00 and I had plenty of time to change and have a short warm up.

The race started without a hitch but somewhere there was a break in the plan with the ten miler route and we got all screwed up. I met up with a wonderful friend running her first marathon at about mile 2 and we ran together for about four more miles until she had to buckle down and get to business. I felt good those first six miles, but around mile seven even going downhill was an effort. The mile markers were very screwed up at that point and I could not tell how I was doing with my pacing. I arrived at mile 8 with 1:06 on my watch, but I know I was running faster than that. Then at mile 9, my watch was two minutes faster than the race clock, I don't know what happened. Then I finished in 1:26, a minute slower than last year. I just feel like I was running faster than that finishing time, but I'll never know what really happened, but that is how the cookie crumbles.

After the race, I was joined with my entourage and we gobbled down chowder and chips and crispy creme donuts, YUM! Then we walked on the beach while we waited for our friend to come in from the marathon. And boy did she ever come in!!! She finished in 3:34 and looked great! I was so proud to even know her! Did I mention that she is only 18 years old and this was her first marathon!?!

Another great running day!!

Queen of the Slow Run

Ran two very slow paced runs this weekend. I just could not move my ass. I am fighting a head cold that actually I think it won. I ran just to get the gunk out of my lungs. It was also the first below 30' mornings we've had since last year and it was COLD!

I did a very stupid thing, I bought a bag of Halloween candy already. It almost gone. I guess I better run out and buy another one before they are all gone :)

Gearing up for my next race. A ten miler in Mystic, CT. It is such a fun race, it is part of the Mystic Places Marathon and it starts and finishes on a beach, which all of you know is my favorite place in the whole world to be.

I am totally is awe of the Running Chick, qualifying for Boston in the Hartford Marathon yesterday. She is my inspiration! Read about it at runningchick.blogspot.com, you will love it!

I hate McMansions

I just have to rant a little today. I enjoyed a beautiful eight miler today in the quaint New England farm town of Lebanon, Ct today. But there must be a Rotweiler breeder in town raking in the big dough, because I saw about three of them on my run. But I have to admit they really didn't even care about me, it's like they were saying, "Yeah, I could eat her for a snack ,but that would be so lame." I do like dogs, but not when I am running.

My other rant is to the pompous ass that decided to build his gigantic McMansion right in the middle of a breathtaking vista. Sure he has a beautiful veiw now, but the REST of us have to look at his ugly house. What is happening in this country that everything has to be bigger? Bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger sunglasses, what is the big idea?

Trailblazing

Today I ran with two of my favorite running pals and we just ran where the trails took us. It was a lot of fun, we decided to explore a trail that they are blazing for a local trust that is in our area and let's just say there really isn't a trail there yet. It was beautiful though and quite a slow pace!! I love spur of the moment urges that work out! You can't do that when you are marathon training!!

ughhhhhhhhh

I am totally freaking out about the Amish School shooting. I just can not fathom what happens to a person that would make him commit such a crime. I do not understand how a parent deals with such a loss either. My son is reading a book entitled GoneBoy written by a dad who lost his son to a college crime spree. Maybe I should read it.

Marathon Envy

There are so many people in my life training for marathons right now. I feel sort of like I am in a funk about not running a marathon this Fall. Usually I am sooooo happy I am not running one, but I think I got bit by the bug running Boston this year. The Boston Marathon is such an awesome experience, it is beyond words. I am now considering really marathon training, you know actually follow a plan and bite the bullet and speed train so I can actual qualify to run Boston and not depend on getting my number from nice relatives that live in Boston. Oh well, we'll see, I'll be watching all the bloggers and my friends and live vicariously through them this year!

Mr Universe

Today the most adorable four year old told me that his father has the biggest muscles in the whole universe. I hope his dad wears a tank top to Open House :)

It's all in the hands

This is a deep entry, so if you are not in the mood, visit me later. I am sure I'll be back to my happy go-lucky self before I know it.

So here goes. Due to time constraints, I ran by myself on Saturday rather than hooking up with the willi athletic club members. Sometimes I prefer running long distances by myself, I guess I really am an introvert down deep inside. But another reason I enjoy running by myself for a couple of hours is I get to really process or deal with some of my life's issues or demons. And usually these demons are unknown to me until they just sorta come up while I am cruising along on my run. This happened on Sat. am and luckily it was raining so it was unclear to passersby that I was crying.

Here's the story: As some of might remember I have suffered some great losses in my young life. My first love, Jeff, died of brain cancer when he was 32. That was six years ago now. We were still close friends at the time of his death even though we hadn't been together for ten years and both were married to other people. Jeff was an outdoor educator and was very physically active and strong. I mean strong. His hands showed his hard work. They were strong, beat-up, sexy, working-person hands. As a matter of fact, when we were in high school, he suffered an accident while working at a wood mill and almost lost two fingers on his left hand, but luckily they were saved but they were forever swollen and scar-ridden after that.

When he was diagnosed with cancer, he was unable to continue to work. I knew he was sick, but it wasn't until one day while I was bringing him to a doctor's appointment that I really understood how sick he was. Denial is such a strong defense mechanism to keep us safe from the harsh reality of truth. He had been battling cancer for about a year at the time of this appointment and he was sitting next to me in the car. As were we driving along, I stole a look at his hands and I can still remember how stunned I was when I saw his hands. Jeff's hands had completely transformed. They were still big, but they were clean and white and his nails were like regular not all beat up. I remember thinking that even his hands had lost weight. I'll never forget that feeling of doom set over me when I let myself realize how sick he was.

While I was running on Saturday, I was able to remember this lesson and have a little prayer for Jeff and all the people he touched. It is amazing what thoughts creep out while your body is so tired. So while I finished my ten miler in the rain, I let out a good cry missing one of my best friends.

Yeah, it's HUMP day!

Yes today is Wednesday ;) I woke up, ran three effortless, pain-free miles, lifted weights, and now I am eating whole grain waffles with blueberries while I update my beloved blog! I was feeling discouraged after Sat. group run because I had such a hard time staying with the group. I think when we run on trails I don't know how far back I am and then of course I don't really care, but when I could see how far back I was on the road, it kinda sucked. My partner that is usually back there with me is away for two weeks, so I have to brave another week without him. Running chick says she will circle back and get me, so that will definitely help! Thanks, Dianna, you know you've reached a certain runner's status when you are the one that circles back for people, you really rock, super speedy running chick!!

BUT since Saturday, my runs have felt AWESOME. I love it that when that happens. It's just like everything is well rested, well oiled and ready to run. I hope the feeling continues for a while.

Today is also a happy day for me, because I am getting my haircut. I LOVE getting my haircut. Well actually I love any activity that is about nurturing myself. That is one good reason to have some disposable income, massages, facials, pedicures, shopping - they are all good! I may have to cut back on some though, so I can get a road bike for my triathlon. I keep telling my husband, no jewelry for xmas, I want a bike. But I don't think he will be able to control himself, he has thing about having to get me jewelry. I don't know, I guess I could have bigger problems!!

Happy Surprises

Today was our club's group run. We started at the ungodly hour of 5:15, heading off planning a variety of distances depending on what marathon you were doing or not doing in my case. We ran a new route for me and I had no idea what the roads were like to run on and just chugged it out the best I could, which was not very fast, but good enough. I thought I was doing about seven or eight miles and then my watch read 7:15 and I was like whoa, I know I am going slower than all those other people running way ahead of me, but eight miles in two hours is a little extreme. But I was happily surprised when I measured it on mapmyrun.com and it read 11.65 miles, WHOOPIE FOR ME! It was like ordering a small sundae and the waiter bringing you a large one! I was psyched.

Happy International Chocolate Day

Today one of the nicest moms in my class packed a bag of Dove Chocolate Truffles for us to celebrate International Chocolate Day and she doesn't even know about my chocolate love affair! In the interest of my new good health regime, I only ate one and plan on sharing them and making the bag last longer than ten minutes. I have been eating very reasonably, but I just HAD to celebrate Int'l Chocolate Day with my kids at home, so we went out for ice cream after I got home from yoga. I only got a small cone. Well I did eat the leftover m&ms from my little son's sundae, I am sorry but those little candies were just calling my name!

Tomorrow I plan on running about two miles and then swimming a 1/2 mile at the school pool. Can't wait!

A New Blog Name?

I have been feeling like a fraud lately. My new blog name should be "Wants to run so she can eat chocolate, but she can't because her ass is getting too big even though she runs five days/week" I think that would be too long probably. I have started eating more reasonably lately, this always happens when school starts and I don't have the time to just eat whatever I want whenever I want. I stopped taking chocolate breaks everyday at work a couple of years ago, because the sugar dives would make me too tired to run around after all those wild preschoolers. So even though I wish the running and swimming I am doing would allow me to eat whatever amount of chocolate I want, I sadly no longer can. I eat small amounts of chocolate during the week and that works out for me, because I can't cut it out of my life completely. That would be like going blind or something!

Coed softball starts today, but I feel like an afterthought because the woman that runs the team just called me this morning to tell me the game time. I am not going to go today because the start is 10:15 and I have to run and go food shopping. Also when I never heard from last year's coach, I asked another friend if I could play on her team, yikes, what do I do now? On both teams I would be the suckiest player, but at least on the team from last year, they know what their getting and I think the sort of want me to play?! Running is so much less complicated! Just go out there and run, the only person you fail is yourself when you strike out or are afraid to slide or afraid of the 200lb guy sliding into home that your team expects you to try to tag!

Swimming - a new love

I have officially begun my quest to become a triathlete. I got the running thing down, I think. I am not that fast, but fast enough for me. The public preschool program I work for is housed in our town's old high school and low and behold there is a pool right at my school. I have started swimming at 5:30am on Thursday mornings, the janitor lets me in and makes sure I am not drowning. My oldest son also plans on joining me as well as another friend. My only problem is that I am not the best swimmer. I am struggling with the whole breathing routine, but I am excited about getting better. I absolutely LOVE the water and am glad I have the guts to pursue this goal.

My school year has begun and I am going to be running my big ass off this year. I have two little ones with some pretty significant delays and they eat everything from playdough to tape and if you piss them off you should expect them to try to eat you! My plan is to wear long sleeve shirts to rest of the school year, pray for an early Fall!

New Haven Road Race 2006

New Haven Road Race rocks! It was a beautiful early Fall day with about mid-70s breezy weather conditions. My kids, sister and I left the house at 6:00am to arrive in New Haven at 7:30. We arrived with plenty of time to pick up my t-shirt, number, chip and still run it to the car and get back to go to the bathroom twice. After the potty breaks, I sent my sister and kids off to play on the inflatiable bouncy things while I met up with some of my favorite bloggers. I got to see what Chocolate Jon looks like and had nice conversations with Jank, Michelle, Dianna, April Anne and David. (Check out www.runningchick.blogspot .com for the links Sorry!) It was very cool to meet my cyber running enthusiasts and recommend RBF meet ups for any of you fellow bloggers.

The race itself was very satisfying, as I said I love running the New Haven Road Race. There is wonderful support, about 12 great bands, and a cool city route. It is always fun to meet new people on the course as well. Around mile eight, I passed a band playing Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and got to talking to some men about the era that Hendrix played. They were pretty amused when I told them I was born in that era and had a hippies for parents. They wondered how effective hippies were as parents. Not so much, I told them.

Then at around mile nine, you run through a barrio, a Puerto Rican neighborhood. The smells and yells were awesome and I needed them because I was starting to poop out at that point. Mile ten was a hill, but the rest of the race was downhill or flat and that was a good thing. During mile twelve, I was passed by Jank and April Anne. They were very sweet while they passed my dragging ass and Jank even took a picture!!

After the race, I was unable to meet up with my blogging family, because I was watching my human family jump in those jumpy things. I have to admit the jumpy things were awesome. I even went on one of the slides, but it was a bad idea because I got an atomic wedgie from the darn thing.

My time was much better than my times in 2001 or 2002, but I was still the last person in our running group to come in. My running group is getting pretty darn fast I tell ya. I am feeling like I better do some speedwork to be able to fit in!

Follower or Leader??

Have you ever wondered if you are a follower or a leader. I went on a trail run with my buddies yesterday morning and I had no freakin' idea where the hell I was and I could care less. I loved just going with the flow trusting that our leader knew where he was going. I have no problem in a leadership role either though. Once a month I am the host of the run and I really get excited thinking about where I am going to take me friends. I think for me the role as follower is comfortable for me only when the leader is someone I can trust. And in that trusting situation, I really love not having to worry or caretake. It is so relaxing to just let someone else do the work!

Ready for New Haven, now the big decision of what to wear. Almost as anxiety producing as a first date! Luckily I don't have as many clothes to choose from!

One Two Punch and I am OUT!

PUNCH ONE This week on our way to dinner at Friendly's Restaurant, a family dining place that specializes in ice cream, I stupidly asked my boys if my butt was the same size as this runner we saw. My oldest son said something like this, "Mom, that ass is big and beautiful, yours is big and droopy". OUCH! I know I was extremely dumb and a little inappropriate even asking my kids to compare my body with another woman (she looked like about college age, I could be her mother for pete's sake), but still the truth hurts. Your kids are always guaranteed to tell you the truth, maybe that's why I asked them. Believe me I won't be asking anytime soon. I settled for an ice cream cone of hunka chunka peanut butter fudge instead the regular hot fudge sundae. sigh

PUNCH TWO Same night My husband "plays" horseshoes in a league on Wed. nights, hence why I took the kids out because he is not around to complain that we spend too much money on eating out :0 Anyway, he comes tiptoeing quietly in around ten o'clock, I am already fast asleep but not too deeply because he kisses me goodnight and I wake up. Well my husband is a talker and when he doesn't see me enough, he goes through talker withdrawal. So he begins his diarrhea of the mouth and is just going on and on, but about nice stuff and how happy he is to be married to me and blahblah. Usually that means one of his horseshoe buddies was bitching about their wives and suddenly I am looking good until it's his week to bitch about me!! But somehow we get talking about this woman that his brother is dating. This woman has the same "curvy" shape that I have, but is about seven inches shorter so her curves look a little curvier. His brother was telling Eric that he just doesn't want to "settle" for someone that's not HOT. Ouch again. I could go on about how my brother-in-law should not be so pickey because he is short, skinny and has more hair on his back than his head, but that would be mean of me, right ;) !!!

Gearing Up for NEW HAVEN!!

I am getting psyched for the New Haven 20K Road Race. It is so funny how if this was a half-marathon, I would be totally stressing out about the distance, but because it is a whole .7 of a mile shorter, I feel like it is cake!

I love the New Haven 20K, it trails through the city of New Haven and through all these cool inner city neighborhoods and there are these little kids asking if you want to be sprayed by their hoses and you totally make their day when you say yes.

One year I ran the race, it was pouring rain and I missed the kids. One funny thing I remember about that year was that it was POURING and my girlfriends clothes started foaming!! Too much clothes detergent :)) It was hysterical and very wet! That same year, I took the free beer, because it was just one of those days and I don't regularly drink beer, but that beer tasted sooooo good. I tried drinking the type of beer at dinner once, but did not get the same taste. I guess you have to run a 20K first to appreciate the taste!

xtreme scramble #2

Last night was a beautiful breezy 70' night in Hartford, CT. We ran the second scramble race and I decided I only want to run these wacky races from now on. It was so much more fun than just pounding out a road race 5K. I think I am coming into a new era of my fitness. I have been swimming a lot this summer and I plan on training for a triatholon next summer. I just have to get a bike :0!!! I have the Running Chick working on that for me. She is the best as we all know!http://runningchick.blogspot.com ( i still don't know how to create a hyperlink, sorry).

Maybe Faster Is Better!

Today I ran four miles at a faster pace due to time limits and nothing hurt. I think my form is harmful when I shuffle because I am too tired to get after it and beat feet, as my dad says!

I also swam both Monday and Tuesday at Narragansett Town Beach in Rhode Island, it was absolute HEAVEN! Every summer I go through the same withdrawal, panicking about not swimming in the ocean for a whole year. I am skeeming right now thinking of how I can get one more day in before school starts!

How much is too much?

I have been running very responsibly this summer, only about three-four mile runs for about 4 days/week with a longer run one weekend day. Usually only logging in about 20ish miles per week. BUT my hip is still moaning a little and my knee on my other leg is causing me a little discomfort while running as well. I just don't feel like I am running enough to warrant any pain.

An interesting note is that I ran with two buddies this am and we ran a faster pace for about seven miles and I felt fine. Do you think I am just lonely during the week and all the little pains come to my attention?

Uphill Battles

Have you ever had a run that seemed uphill the whole darn run? I had one of those today. I was running in one of the most quaint, beautiful New England town centers enjoying the scenery and lovely homes with their gardens and I started to feel like, "what the hell, when do I just get to flat land?" It was one of those loops that was square and the first three roads were uphill and the fourth was a straight downhill. The last downhill kinda sucked, my legs were used to the uphill climbs and going downhill made them wobbly and my knee hurt a little. It was still pretty and awesome temp., so I am on to the rest of my day!

Today is my little brother's birthday, so I HAVE to take him out for ice cream, I just have to!!! And tonight I am hosting a Lia Sophia jewelry party, jewelry is a close second to chocolate when it comes to my obsessions! And it is so great because now I have the money to buy some! WOOHOO!

Back to Reality

I just spent a week at Cape Cod, MA. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the BEACH!!!!. Have I expressed my love and gratitude about this miracle. I love the sand, the salt water, the rocks, the waves, the lifeguards ;), the food while I eating at the beach, everything! I always leave the beach saying that I going to live closer to the ocean. Right now I am only about forty minutes away from the sound (no waves) and about a hour away from the ocean shore (big waves). I want to be like 15 minutes away from big waves water. I am a big wave chick, I live for bodysurfing and love the thrill of the waves. On our last day at the cape, we had gigantic waves and got my ass handed to me. But even that I love, I love seeing how powerful the earth is and how insignificant we as individuals really are. It makes me really grateful to be alive!

I ran my little heart out while at the cape as well. It always fun to run in a new place. I love running through little neighborhoods, checking out the property for sale.

My son recovered from his pneumonia just in time to have an awesome vacation. He was just sick for about the first day, but like me, he lives for the waves and willed himself to recover! Thanks for the well wishes and advice!

Head for the trails!

Today when I woke up at 6am to run it was a steamy 80' with 115%humidity. HOLY CRAP it was hot!!! I ran about a mile to the middle school track, did a lousy mile of intervals on the track then headed off the black track for the black road. When I didn't think I could stand it anymore, I found a trail behind the local university. IT WAS DIVINE.....I swear it was ten degrees cooler in the woods and I don't know if maybe I am not sweet enough, but no bugs bothered me in there either. I love trails for the cushioning on my joints, but now with the temp. factor, I will be heading for the trails more often.

My summer fun has come to a screeching halt since son #1 has walking pnemonia. It is scary and I hate that he is so sick, but I am a little bummed out that our regular summer adventures are on hold until he recovers. From what I know it could be awhile for that to happen. Anyone know when I can expect him to feel better?