Distance: 11.01
Time: 1 hr. 57 mins 22 secs
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway Trail
This week was a bit of a rough one running wise. It started off okay, but I pulled my right quad on Wednesday. It wasn't too bad, but it was a little more sore than usual. I figure that I'd just do an easy 3 on Friday and voila, all is good. Hahaha...didn't happen. Friday was another busy day and I just couldn't squeeze it in. I forgave myself and moved on. That's been a really important thing I've learned to do--not beat myself up if things don't go the way that I want them too. I did that the last time I trained for something and mentally, it just beat me up. Negative Nelly would just creep in and I would crack and just hate the rest of the run. Not any more.
This morning, my alarm went off and it was admittedly hard to wake up. I just wasn't feeling it and I kept thinking, "Why on earth am I doing this?" And then the answer came up as clear as day, "Because I can." I got up, grabbed the gear and headed to the trail. I decided to start in the middle of the trail this time. It was really dark and really cold this morning. If I started at Stoner Boat Launch (totally not kidding...this is the name of the marina) and then headed to downtown Shreveport, I'd be on the most well-lit part of the trail and would hit the darker part of the trail when the sun came up. Plus, it mixed it up a little bit.
I took it easy for the first two miles. It was nice because I was able to warm up the legs and the quad. It hurt a little, but not as bad as I had expected. Maybe the extra day of rest really did help. When I turned around at Sciport, the dawn was absolutely beautiful. Purples and pinks colored the sky. I kept going and by the time I reached the Jimmy Davis bridge, I was really happy that I left my jacket on...there was a bunch of fog. At mile 9, I started to get tired and I still had 2 decent hills left. I started thinking of this run as a last chance long run...last long one before San Antonio. I needed to make it count. I ran up the hills and then saw the boat launch. I hit the marker and was done. I looked down at my time and was shocked. My Nike+ is totally inaccurate, so I ran by the mile markers and used the timer. It was a good way to finish the run.
Two weeks until San Antonio. I feel very ready for this. After San Antonio, I have two weeks to recover and maintain and then I pick the training back up for New Orleans. Let's see how much this old girl has left in her. :)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Moving.
No, we're not moving ...yet. No idea of when or where, but being a military family, it's an eventuality that happens for us every few years. We have been here in Louisiana the longest thus far. By the time we hit the road in the summer next year, we will have been here for 4 years. Amazing how fast the time has gone.
I've been thinking about it a lot lately--the whole moving process. Most of my non-mil friends think we're crazy for doing what we do. I always get the question of "How do you do it?" or "How can you just pick up and move?" The answer is simple...we do it because this is the life we chose. I can't imagine settling down in one place yet. We haven't found that one elusive place yet. I think we've narrowed it down to someplace with a temperate (read: warm) climate and by the ocean or near the coast someplace. I would love to go to San Diego or the Gulf Coast, but each has their negative drawbacks (money and hurricanes).
This move is probably going to be one of the hardest that we've made. I've been very careful in the past about not letting too much of myself out. I know that we aren't permanent, so I always thought that if I kept myself guarded, that it wouldn't hurt so much to have to leave a few years down the road. After our assignment in Okinawa, I decided that something needed to change. I had a couple of good friends there, but I realized that maybe the assignment could have been even more enhanced had I let my wall down and just thrown caution to the wind. When we found out that we were coming to Barksdale, that's exactly what I did.
The internet has been a fabulous thing for people in the military. It allows us to connect to the past and to the future in one fail swoop. I joined a Yahoo! group for Barksdale Spouses, which is where I met another one of my sisters...Lynley. She is the first person that I met here and I am so grateful for that. I have a couple of them here and had I not stepped out of my comfort zone, I would have missed out on so many awesome friendships and experiences.
However, the inevitable will happen and I know that it will happen sooner than I want. I think about all that is to come and how fast the ball will roll once it starts. Mark will find out if he's on the Vulnerable Mover's List (VML), submit his preferences, the Air Force Personnel Center will match available positions with his preferences and then notify us in the springtime where we go. Then, we pack up and start everything all over again. Some days it's overwhelming thinking about having to start all over again. Packing the entire house, trying to find a place to live, unpacking, enrolling both kids in new schools, meeting new people, Mark getting acquainted with a new job and hopefully, I'll be able to keep the job that I've had for the past few years. It's enough to make your head spin.
But it's all a part of the life we chose. I always look for the good in each location. If you focus on the negative, then it really sucks. I know this from experience. As long as we're all together as a family, and as long as we have the means to keep in contact with everyone, then this is one adventure that I wouldn't trade.
I've been thinking about it a lot lately--the whole moving process. Most of my non-mil friends think we're crazy for doing what we do. I always get the question of "How do you do it?" or "How can you just pick up and move?" The answer is simple...we do it because this is the life we chose. I can't imagine settling down in one place yet. We haven't found that one elusive place yet. I think we've narrowed it down to someplace with a temperate (read: warm) climate and by the ocean or near the coast someplace. I would love to go to San Diego or the Gulf Coast, but each has their negative drawbacks (money and hurricanes).
This move is probably going to be one of the hardest that we've made. I've been very careful in the past about not letting too much of myself out. I know that we aren't permanent, so I always thought that if I kept myself guarded, that it wouldn't hurt so much to have to leave a few years down the road. After our assignment in Okinawa, I decided that something needed to change. I had a couple of good friends there, but I realized that maybe the assignment could have been even more enhanced had I let my wall down and just thrown caution to the wind. When we found out that we were coming to Barksdale, that's exactly what I did.
The internet has been a fabulous thing for people in the military. It allows us to connect to the past and to the future in one fail swoop. I joined a Yahoo! group for Barksdale Spouses, which is where I met another one of my sisters...Lynley. She is the first person that I met here and I am so grateful for that. I have a couple of them here and had I not stepped out of my comfort zone, I would have missed out on so many awesome friendships and experiences.
However, the inevitable will happen and I know that it will happen sooner than I want. I think about all that is to come and how fast the ball will roll once it starts. Mark will find out if he's on the Vulnerable Mover's List (VML), submit his preferences, the Air Force Personnel Center will match available positions with his preferences and then notify us in the springtime where we go. Then, we pack up and start everything all over again. Some days it's overwhelming thinking about having to start all over again. Packing the entire house, trying to find a place to live, unpacking, enrolling both kids in new schools, meeting new people, Mark getting acquainted with a new job and hopefully, I'll be able to keep the job that I've had for the past few years. It's enough to make your head spin.
But it's all a part of the life we chose. I always look for the good in each location. If you focus on the negative, then it really sucks. I know this from experience. As long as we're all together as a family, and as long as we have the means to keep in contact with everyone, then this is one adventure that I wouldn't trade.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
San Antonio Half: Week 14 - I'm a Wuss
Distance: 10.06 miles
Time: 1 hr. 49 mins. 18 secs <--- Another PR for 10 miles...woot!
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway Trail
I'll admit it. I'm a wuss when it comes to running in less than ideal conditions. A little drizzle? Sure thing. A little breeze? Bring it on. Fog? Not a problem. Thunder, lightning and gale force winds? Um yeah. Not so much. This week, I kept a close eye on the weather forecasts. It was looking like there might be some good storms brewing for Sunday, so I decided to move my long run to Saturday this week. Jenn is in Memphis with some girlfriends this weekend, so I was on my own. Saturday it was.
Friday afternoon, my brother-in-law, Matt, called and asked me what was for dinner. He's been down at Ft. Polk (about 2 hrs south of here) for the past week and we've been trying to figure out a way to squeeze a visit in. When he called, he told me that he was going to come up, visit, spend the night and then head back down to Ft. Polk in the morning. One condition: Don't tell Mark. I was too excited, so I had to tell the kids, who were equally as excited. They adore their Uncle Matt (and he's pretty much my favorite BIL). I received a call from Mark telling me that he was on his way home early...I did some quick calculating and realized that they would both be getting in at the same time. Lauren almost spilled the beans, but I'd like to think we pulled off the surprise pretty good. It was so nice to see Matt and have a kick back family night! I debated switching my run back to Sunday, but decided to keep it for Saturday. Odds are, everyone would still be asleep and just waking up by the time I got back, so I wouldn't miss anything.
I woke up at 4:45am anxious to get the run going and get home in time to visit and get the kiddos ready for their soccer games. Lauren's game was scheduled for 9am and it takes us about 20 minutes to get there. Basically, I needed to be home no later than about 7:50am in order to get showered and fed. I hit the trail and realized that in my haste, I left my Nike+ receiver at home. Thankfully, I always wear my sport watch, so I just hit the shuffle on the iPod and started the timer. It was a beautiful morning. A little more humid than usual and it was a little warm. I was glad that I chose the short sleeves this morning.
I've realized that I definitely enjoy running on Sundays because the trail is usually void of life. Saturdays are insane...even at 5:30am! Today was especially so, as there was a crew setting up for a road race at the boat launch. The Autumn Breeze 5K and 10K. I had signed up for the 10K, but after looking at the calendar of events and what time it was slated to kick off, there was really no way that I could do it. But, I got a pretty sweet sweatshirt out of it and I ran along the course, so it was a win-win for me. :) When I hit my turn around, I shot a Vanilla Gingerbread Gu (AWESOME!) and off I went again. There were so many people of the trail that at one point, I ended up running off the trail just to avoid running into anyone. I guess all of the running clubs around town get together on Saturday mornings. There were at least two clubs out there.
When I hit mile 7, I felt like I was flying. I didn't feel tired at all and just kept on trucking. I hit the end and felt really good. My legs were tired, but the spirit was good. I looked at my time and realized that I hit another PR for 10 miles...only by about 30 seconds, but hey, a PR is a PR and I'll take what I can get. I'm definitely ready for San Antonio. I'm getting really excited for this race. I haven't done an individual race like this for awhile, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to seeing my friend cross the finish line for the first time. I'm so proud of her and everything she has accomplished. One more long run, one taper run and then the race. Bring. It. On.
Time: 1 hr. 49 mins. 18 secs <--- Another PR for 10 miles...woot!
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway Trail
I'll admit it. I'm a wuss when it comes to running in less than ideal conditions. A little drizzle? Sure thing. A little breeze? Bring it on. Fog? Not a problem. Thunder, lightning and gale force winds? Um yeah. Not so much. This week, I kept a close eye on the weather forecasts. It was looking like there might be some good storms brewing for Sunday, so I decided to move my long run to Saturday this week. Jenn is in Memphis with some girlfriends this weekend, so I was on my own. Saturday it was.
Friday afternoon, my brother-in-law, Matt, called and asked me what was for dinner. He's been down at Ft. Polk (about 2 hrs south of here) for the past week and we've been trying to figure out a way to squeeze a visit in. When he called, he told me that he was going to come up, visit, spend the night and then head back down to Ft. Polk in the morning. One condition: Don't tell Mark. I was too excited, so I had to tell the kids, who were equally as excited. They adore their Uncle Matt (and he's pretty much my favorite BIL). I received a call from Mark telling me that he was on his way home early...I did some quick calculating and realized that they would both be getting in at the same time. Lauren almost spilled the beans, but I'd like to think we pulled off the surprise pretty good. It was so nice to see Matt and have a kick back family night! I debated switching my run back to Sunday, but decided to keep it for Saturday. Odds are, everyone would still be asleep and just waking up by the time I got back, so I wouldn't miss anything.
I woke up at 4:45am anxious to get the run going and get home in time to visit and get the kiddos ready for their soccer games. Lauren's game was scheduled for 9am and it takes us about 20 minutes to get there. Basically, I needed to be home no later than about 7:50am in order to get showered and fed. I hit the trail and realized that in my haste, I left my Nike+ receiver at home. Thankfully, I always wear my sport watch, so I just hit the shuffle on the iPod and started the timer. It was a beautiful morning. A little more humid than usual and it was a little warm. I was glad that I chose the short sleeves this morning.
I've realized that I definitely enjoy running on Sundays because the trail is usually void of life. Saturdays are insane...even at 5:30am! Today was especially so, as there was a crew setting up for a road race at the boat launch. The Autumn Breeze 5K and 10K. I had signed up for the 10K, but after looking at the calendar of events and what time it was slated to kick off, there was really no way that I could do it. But, I got a pretty sweet sweatshirt out of it and I ran along the course, so it was a win-win for me. :) When I hit my turn around, I shot a Vanilla Gingerbread Gu (AWESOME!) and off I went again. There were so many people of the trail that at one point, I ended up running off the trail just to avoid running into anyone. I guess all of the running clubs around town get together on Saturday mornings. There were at least two clubs out there.
When I hit mile 7, I felt like I was flying. I didn't feel tired at all and just kept on trucking. I hit the end and felt really good. My legs were tired, but the spirit was good. I looked at my time and realized that I hit another PR for 10 miles...only by about 30 seconds, but hey, a PR is a PR and I'll take what I can get. I'm definitely ready for San Antonio. I'm getting really excited for this race. I haven't done an individual race like this for awhile, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to seeing my friend cross the finish line for the first time. I'm so proud of her and everything she has accomplished. One more long run, one taper run and then the race. Bring. It. On.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
San Antonio Half: Week 13
Distance: 11.08 miles
Time: 2 hrs. 5 mins. 26 secs.
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway
*First off, giving a big shout out to my Howzit Sistahs from the Rock N' Roll San Diego Relay...all 3 of them are running a half marathon today!! Mary and Tricia are running in Long Beach and Julie is running the Nike Women's Half in San Francisco. Way to go, sistahs! Much love from Louisiana!*
I'm still trying to figure out how on earth to write this one. If I didn't have a decent sense of humor, I think I would probably have thrown the towel in after my first 5 steps. My alarm went off at 5am. Normally, I wake up before my alarm, but apparently, my body had other plans. It really, REALLY did NOT want to wake up. I trudged out of bed and was very grateful that I had gotten everything ready and laid out last night rather than this morning. I bought a new camelbak yesterday and was happy to get the chance to use it...I felt pretty lucky, a new iPod and a new camelbak in the same week!
I met Jenn across from Sciport and we both were a little tired this morning. I think we both had the same mind set of, "Let's get this mother done with." I decided not to listen to any tuneage this morning, but would instead use the Nike+ function on the iPod. Normally, I keep it in my pocket. Since the Nano has a snazzy clip on it, I decided to clip it to my camelbak. Note to self: If something works, don't change it. Especially when it comes to a pricey piece of equipment. Can anyone guess what happened? If you're guessing that I took 5 strides and the sucker went flying off the camelbak, landed face down on the ground and shattered the screen, then you win a cookie the next time I see you! I immediately picked it up and wanted to cry. Surprisingly, it still works perfectly in spite of the screen. So for now, it will remain...it is what it is and it still works. Jenn looked at me and said, "Don't let it shake you!" I told her that it would not be indicative of how the run would go.
Fall has arrived in Northwest Louisiana. It was cold this morning. Poor Jenn was in short sleeves and shorts. I had my capris and a long sleeve on and I was still cold. I can't imagine how cold Jenn must have been. The first half of the run was actually pretty uneventful and it seemed to be a lot faster than normal. We ran the loop around the pond and it was really pretty with the sun coming up. About a mile after our turn around, we got tired. Really tired. The funny thing is that both of us were tired. Neither of us wanted to say it, but we were just ready to be done. We saw a hill and decided that we could run up it and then we'd walk a little. Needless to say, it was the wrong hill to pick. We started climbing up and we're both vocally encouraging ourselves to get up this hill. Jenn is so sweet...she started saying, "Come on girl, get yourself up the hill". I, on the other hand, had been possessed by a pissed off sailor. I was saying things that I can't post. Lots of s-bombs and f-bombs were dropped in a matter of about 2 minutes. We were about halfway up, when we looked at each other and just about died laughing. It hurt and we could barely catch our breath because we were laughing so hard. I told it was stupid and I was going to finish the hill by walking. Oh, and for the record, you're probably thinking that it must have been one heck of a hill. Um yeah. Let's not forget that this is Louisiana. A good chunk of this state sits below sea level.
We had about a mile left when we saw Mark drive by with the kiddos. They decided to meet us on the trail rather than hitting the track. So, we made that our new goal--to see the kids and Mark. We kept trucking and we couldn't see them. We started to get mad because we knew they were there, but we couldn't see them. Finally, we caught up to them with about a 1/4 mile to go. Gav ran the rest of the way with us and then turned around and ran back with Mark.
Overall, it really was a good run...minus the shattered iPod screen and chub rub on my legs. It was a beautiful morning, fabulous company and I'm still standing. So, I think we'll put this in the win category. 4 weeks remain...two more long runs to go, one taper week and then the race. I cannot wait. :)
Time: 2 hrs. 5 mins. 26 secs.
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway
*First off, giving a big shout out to my Howzit Sistahs from the Rock N' Roll San Diego Relay...all 3 of them are running a half marathon today!! Mary and Tricia are running in Long Beach and Julie is running the Nike Women's Half in San Francisco. Way to go, sistahs! Much love from Louisiana!*
I'm still trying to figure out how on earth to write this one. If I didn't have a decent sense of humor, I think I would probably have thrown the towel in after my first 5 steps. My alarm went off at 5am. Normally, I wake up before my alarm, but apparently, my body had other plans. It really, REALLY did NOT want to wake up. I trudged out of bed and was very grateful that I had gotten everything ready and laid out last night rather than this morning. I bought a new camelbak yesterday and was happy to get the chance to use it...I felt pretty lucky, a new iPod and a new camelbak in the same week!
I met Jenn across from Sciport and we both were a little tired this morning. I think we both had the same mind set of, "Let's get this mother done with." I decided not to listen to any tuneage this morning, but would instead use the Nike+ function on the iPod. Normally, I keep it in my pocket. Since the Nano has a snazzy clip on it, I decided to clip it to my camelbak. Note to self: If something works, don't change it. Especially when it comes to a pricey piece of equipment. Can anyone guess what happened? If you're guessing that I took 5 strides and the sucker went flying off the camelbak, landed face down on the ground and shattered the screen, then you win a cookie the next time I see you! I immediately picked it up and wanted to cry. Surprisingly, it still works perfectly in spite of the screen. So for now, it will remain...it is what it is and it still works. Jenn looked at me and said, "Don't let it shake you!" I told her that it would not be indicative of how the run would go.
Fall has arrived in Northwest Louisiana. It was cold this morning. Poor Jenn was in short sleeves and shorts. I had my capris and a long sleeve on and I was still cold. I can't imagine how cold Jenn must have been. The first half of the run was actually pretty uneventful and it seemed to be a lot faster than normal. We ran the loop around the pond and it was really pretty with the sun coming up. About a mile after our turn around, we got tired. Really tired. The funny thing is that both of us were tired. Neither of us wanted to say it, but we were just ready to be done. We saw a hill and decided that we could run up it and then we'd walk a little. Needless to say, it was the wrong hill to pick. We started climbing up and we're both vocally encouraging ourselves to get up this hill. Jenn is so sweet...she started saying, "Come on girl, get yourself up the hill". I, on the other hand, had been possessed by a pissed off sailor. I was saying things that I can't post. Lots of s-bombs and f-bombs were dropped in a matter of about 2 minutes. We were about halfway up, when we looked at each other and just about died laughing. It hurt and we could barely catch our breath because we were laughing so hard. I told it was stupid and I was going to finish the hill by walking. Oh, and for the record, you're probably thinking that it must have been one heck of a hill. Um yeah. Let's not forget that this is Louisiana. A good chunk of this state sits below sea level.
We had about a mile left when we saw Mark drive by with the kiddos. They decided to meet us on the trail rather than hitting the track. So, we made that our new goal--to see the kids and Mark. We kept trucking and we couldn't see them. We started to get mad because we knew they were there, but we couldn't see them. Finally, we caught up to them with about a 1/4 mile to go. Gav ran the rest of the way with us and then turned around and ran back with Mark.
Overall, it really was a good run...minus the shattered iPod screen and chub rub on my legs. It was a beautiful morning, fabulous company and I'm still standing. So, I think we'll put this in the win category. 4 weeks remain...two more long runs to go, one taper week and then the race. I cannot wait. :)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
San Antonio Half: Week 12
Distance: 10.01 miles
Time: 1hr 57 mins 41 secs
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway Trail
I know I've been bad about blogging these things. I find that when I run by myself, a lot of the time, it's really not all that exciting. Last week, I posted a pic of the sunrise that I saw at my turn around point, so that was a little exciting because it was so beautiful. God's creations never cease to amaze me. I'm sure that most of you have realized by this point in time that our family doesn't attend church. Mark and I were both raised Catholic; we were married in the church and even had Gavin baptized Catholic as an infant. However, over the years, we have grown to be more spiritual than religious. I think I still feel a stronger connection to the Catholic faith than Mark does, but we made the decision to abstain from church. We have taught the kids about God and about how this world is so much bigger than us. Lauren attends preschool at the First United Methodist Church in Bossier City, so she attends chapel once a week and learns the bible stories. We want them to have the foundation to be able to make the choice when they get older. What does this have to with Sunday runs? Everything. I chose Sundays for my long run days on purpose. I use these runs in place of church. When I run solo on these days, I am able to clear my head and check in with the Big Kahuna. My life is so hectic, that these chats and this time that is carved out is able to bring a small slice of peace. Even if it's just for a couple of hours, it's still more than nothing.
Anyhoo, the run today was great. Jenn was back in town, so we finally got to run together again. She injured her knee a few weeks back, and I made the decision last night to go with her flow today. If she needed to walk, I'd walk with her. If she needed to run, I'd run. I wanted to be her cheerleader and just help get her mind back in the game. She's worked too long and too hard to quit now. It's not about time...it's about finishing. I'll worry about time later...just not today. We started off with two dogs chasing us for a few minutes. That's one way to get the blood pumping! Once we lost them, I asked how her knee was and she said it was all right. The weather was beautiful and is was so nice to catch up with her! We took a walk break around 3 miles and then again at our turn around.
At mile 7.63, her knee got the best of her. She told me to run ahead and I told her no. Some arguing and empty threats ensured (mostly on my part) and I decided to respect her wishes. At mile 8, I started running. Only 2 miles left, so I decided that I'd finish and then turn around, meet back up with her and finish up with her. To my surprise, when I finished, she was pretty much right behind me! She had stretched her knee, did some speed walking and then finished strong by running. We only had about a 3.5 minute difference in time! I chugged some Gu Brew (thank you for the recommendation, Sparky!) and headed over to the base track.
I received the October newsletter in the mail the other day for RnR San Antonio. I noticed that they have a special kids race...Kids Rock San Antonio. It is held at the SA Zoo and is the day before the big races. The kids run one mile and run in their grade category. Kindergartners can do it too, but it's only 1/2 mile. I showed it to Mark and we decided to see if Gavin had any interest in doing it. We did NOT push him. He decided that he wanted to do it. We told him that we would not be able to run with him, but that we would be watching and cheering him on and then would meet him at the finish. He gets a race bib, a medal, a t-shirt and free entry to the SA Zoo. He was so excited that he told us that he wanted to go to the base track and run some laps. We thought it was a pretty good idea, seeing as he wasn't really sure how long a mile was.
We met at the base track after my long run. I figured I could walk and stretch the legs a bit. Gav and Mark ran a mile and a half and Lauren and I poked around for about a mile. I was so proud of those little monkeys! :)
Week 12 is done and in the books. 5 weeks left until San Antonio. Getting more and more excited for it.
Time: 1hr 57 mins 41 secs
Route: Clyde Fant Parkway Trail
I know I've been bad about blogging these things. I find that when I run by myself, a lot of the time, it's really not all that exciting. Last week, I posted a pic of the sunrise that I saw at my turn around point, so that was a little exciting because it was so beautiful. God's creations never cease to amaze me. I'm sure that most of you have realized by this point in time that our family doesn't attend church. Mark and I were both raised Catholic; we were married in the church and even had Gavin baptized Catholic as an infant. However, over the years, we have grown to be more spiritual than religious. I think I still feel a stronger connection to the Catholic faith than Mark does, but we made the decision to abstain from church. We have taught the kids about God and about how this world is so much bigger than us. Lauren attends preschool at the First United Methodist Church in Bossier City, so she attends chapel once a week and learns the bible stories. We want them to have the foundation to be able to make the choice when they get older. What does this have to with Sunday runs? Everything. I chose Sundays for my long run days on purpose. I use these runs in place of church. When I run solo on these days, I am able to clear my head and check in with the Big Kahuna. My life is so hectic, that these chats and this time that is carved out is able to bring a small slice of peace. Even if it's just for a couple of hours, it's still more than nothing.
Anyhoo, the run today was great. Jenn was back in town, so we finally got to run together again. She injured her knee a few weeks back, and I made the decision last night to go with her flow today. If she needed to walk, I'd walk with her. If she needed to run, I'd run. I wanted to be her cheerleader and just help get her mind back in the game. She's worked too long and too hard to quit now. It's not about time...it's about finishing. I'll worry about time later...just not today. We started off with two dogs chasing us for a few minutes. That's one way to get the blood pumping! Once we lost them, I asked how her knee was and she said it was all right. The weather was beautiful and is was so nice to catch up with her! We took a walk break around 3 miles and then again at our turn around.
At mile 7.63, her knee got the best of her. She told me to run ahead and I told her no. Some arguing and empty threats ensured (mostly on my part) and I decided to respect her wishes. At mile 8, I started running. Only 2 miles left, so I decided that I'd finish and then turn around, meet back up with her and finish up with her. To my surprise, when I finished, she was pretty much right behind me! She had stretched her knee, did some speed walking and then finished strong by running. We only had about a 3.5 minute difference in time! I chugged some Gu Brew (thank you for the recommendation, Sparky!) and headed over to the base track.
I received the October newsletter in the mail the other day for RnR San Antonio. I noticed that they have a special kids race...Kids Rock San Antonio. It is held at the SA Zoo and is the day before the big races. The kids run one mile and run in their grade category. Kindergartners can do it too, but it's only 1/2 mile. I showed it to Mark and we decided to see if Gavin had any interest in doing it. We did NOT push him. He decided that he wanted to do it. We told him that we would not be able to run with him, but that we would be watching and cheering him on and then would meet him at the finish. He gets a race bib, a medal, a t-shirt and free entry to the SA Zoo. He was so excited that he told us that he wanted to go to the base track and run some laps. We thought it was a pretty good idea, seeing as he wasn't really sure how long a mile was.
We met at the base track after my long run. I figured I could walk and stretch the legs a bit. Gav and Mark ran a mile and a half and Lauren and I poked around for about a mile. I was so proud of those little monkeys! :)
Week 12 is done and in the books. 5 weeks left until San Antonio. Getting more and more excited for it.
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