Five

I meant to get out over the weekend for a long run, but a few too many fun things got in the way. That makes me sound like I have zero dedication to my running, but I made sure to get out on Monday evening. I was planning a 5 mile run after work. Not knowing this, my husband asked early in the day if I wanted to go on a family run after work. I told him I'd be running 5 and he and our little guy could join me if they so desired. He said that he'd do 3 with me, which is fine because 6'5" guys aren't your typical long distance runners. Is 5 miles even considered long distance? If you want to know my opinion, the answer is yes.

Summer already seems long gone and fall has definitely made an entrance. It's been cool and a bit rainy, but yesterday afternoon was just beautiful. I had to take the opportunity to run outdoors while I can (I do not run in the cold if I can help it). My boy was excited to go running as usual. As soon as we set out on a course near our house that I had mapped on MapMyRun.com, he knew we'd pass by the bulldozers working on building the next step up neighborhood. He was beside himself with excitement. I love that my boy is filled with so much joy. You can see it in every ounce of his body and being.

Mile 1: Great start. My husband and I are talking. We get to the bulldozers and our boy is in awe. The bulldozers are still out working and making all sorts of noises that two year olds adore. We slowed down a bit so that our boy could take it all in, but continued on our route.

Mile 2: Our boy is begging to go back and see the bulldozers. An almost two year old begging? Seems weird, right? Mmm hmmm. No. Not weird. He continues to beg the entire second mile. We ran up a giant hill and a semi truck and UPS truck passed us, which helped distract him for a while. At the top of the hill, I wanted so desperately bad to stop and catch my breath, but my husband told me to keep going. I did. It was really, really hard.

Mile 3: We were on a straight road. No elevation change. No curves. It was a long road. It never seemed to end. My husband and son started on their way back on a different path. And yes, this path would take them back to the bulldozers (where they happened to stay and watch them work for a good 15 minutes). Our boy's lucky day!

Mile 4: I was on my own. I stopped to walk for a minute and put my ear buds in. Pandora played some great Mumford & Sons-like music. I looped through a neighborhood near our house. A whole bunch of people were out walking their dogs and I nodded and smiled as I ran by them. One guy was out walking a Westie and I could've sworn it was Anthony Bourdain. Tall, slender, grayish hair, black jacket. Looked a bit like he might have an attitude. I passed him a second time and wondered if his camera crew was out hiding somewhere and I was going to be on his show! But then I remembered I was running and really didn't want to appear on TV in this sweaty state. My mind wanders as I run and sometimes this works in my favor. Unfortunately, after I realized I wasn't being taped for No Reservations, I noticed that I had a horrible side cramp. I walked for about 5 minutes to help it go away, which made me feel a little lazy, but it felt like a good decision at the time.

Taking a breather around mile 4.5

Mile 5: The majority of mile 5 was a series of little rolling hills. Up and down. Up and down. I ran this entire last mile and I think I ran it with a bit more pep in my stride than the fourth. I could sense that the end was near. I just had to get to the stop light up ahead and be done with it.

Annnnd, done. Whew. I walked about a quarter of a mile home. I caught my breath and enjoyed a few minutes of alone time. When I turned onto our street and walked up our driveway, my son, who was playing outside with my husband, shouted, "Bullsosers!!! I saw bullsosers, mommy!"  Joy.

A Date with My Boy

Over the weekend, I took my baby boy (who really isn't much of a baby anymore) out for a morning run. My husband was out of town and it was just mommy and son. My baby gets excited for runs. He likes to say, "Go running! Go running!" He loves to go fast, look at dogs, and is always on the look out for bullsosers... bulldozers. So, that morning I asked him if he wanted to go running with mommy. I knew he'd say yes.

We set out on a trail that runs along the Mississippi River in St. Paul. It was beautiful. The sun was warm, but the air was cool. Perfect. I like running with my boy because he loves to be outside and I just like being with him. But it is really, really difficult. He's not light, the jogging stroller is big and the path was slanting towards the river just enough that I had to force the stroller to keep in line. All in all, I had to expend more energy than I really wanted to (if I'm being honest...) for a leisurely morning run. After a few minutes, I felt okay and had gotten into a rhythm. We got to a turnaround point and headed back. My boy really wanted to see a boat on the river and I could hear voices coming from the water. We came to a clearing up on the bluff overlooking the river and there were a few crew boats going by. Man, I have great timing! My boy got to see the boats, but I told him we had to keep going. I shouldn't have stopped. He wanted to stay looking at the water and boats. I snapped a quick photo with my phone because it was too beautiful not to capture it. The leaves are just starting to turn orange. In a few weeks, this whole bluff will be orange, yellow and red.

And then he started whining again, so we made a mad dash for the car and I told him we'd go get a treat. We had run about 1.5 miles, which I was okay with, and then drove up to Starbucks. I bought him strawberry mango fruit snacks and I enjoyed a grande Pikes Roast coffee with a vanilla shot (and maybe a drop or five of half-n-half). We sat across from each other at a little table by the window in the coffee shop and talked... as much as you can have a conversation with a toddler. He had no idea where he was, but he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. It was a good date.

I'm meeting a long-time friend for a run tonight. I'm looking forward to having a girl talk. Later this weekend, my goal is to run 5 miles. It's nearly two weeks til race day. I'm excited!

Whew... that was fun!

I set out on my run the other night just as I had planned. It was a gorgeous Minnesota fall evening. The sun was warm, but the air was getting cooler as the day went on. Perfect. I drove to a lake just a few miles from my house, parked where I could find a spot and hopped on the trail along with all the other runners, walkers and bikers out that afternoon. The loop is about 2.6 miles, and I had planned to do two loops.

The run started out great, which is partly due to the Mumford & Sons music coming into my ears. Now that I think about it, that's not really workout type of music, but it worked for me that night. I set out with a decent pace. My goal was to run slowly in order to do two loops, but sometimes you get in a groove and you just go with it. I finished loop one and felt like I had done a good job. I looked over at my parked car and really wanted to get in and go home. The other part of me knew I should run more. The sun was setting more and I really hate being alone in the dark despite the high traffic path I was running on. There was time for a little more, so I went on.

I decided turn around once I got to a certain point. The certain point was a big curve in the path that overlooks the lake. There's a little bench for people to sit on and relax. The certain point is also at the top of a little hill. Seemed like a natural place to turn. When I got to that little bench on top of the hill, I turned right around and headed back for the car. My body felt great. This was a fun run because while I didn't do 2 laps, I pushed myself more than I thought I would.

Right before I got to the car, I looked out over the lake and had to stop to take a picture with my phone.

These 4.6 miles, in this beautiful weather, in this gorgeous area of the world, completely brought my sanity back.

Sleep Deprivation

I am sleep deprived. How did I ever make it with an infant and function at work on 3 or 4 hours of sleep on a consistent basis? Maybe I didn't function well. Let's not ask my boss.

My boy is sick. Cough. Snot. Sleepless nights. No appetite. Around 3 AM last night, my husband and I hear a sad whining sound coming from our boy's room. My husband goes to check on him. After some high-pitched screaming, my husband returns to our room, gets back under the covers and says, "He wants his mom." I feel delighted that my boy wants his mommy in the dead of night, but so frustrated that these sleepless nights are continuing. I go into his room and he screams, "Go away! Go away!" I didn't even know my boy knew those words. I got down closer to his head (well, as close as I could without actually getting into his crib) and quietly whispered, "It's mommy... are you ok? It's mommy." After a few moments, he opened his eyes noticing it was me standing there. He grabbed one of his blankies and nuzzled his head into my neck as if saying, "I'm ready to come sleep in your room now. Thanks." And, so he did. I'm a pushover. The kid is sick and I just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, he sleeps sideways when he comes in our room and I generally get kicked in the head or ribs until sunrise. But my little boy wanted to be with me. I can handle the kicks. I think I can handle the sleep deprivation. I'm not sure I can handle leading a meeting in a few short hours at work. Can I just please stay home and sip on a pot of hot coffee in the morning? Please?

In order to unload all the crazy that has been going on in my world lately, I am planning to hit the trails this afternoon. I am going for a run by myself to clear my head and to continue training for a new race! A few weeks ago, I signed up for the TC 10K with a couple friends. The race is in 24 days and I'm really looking forward to it. First, I'm excited that it isn't 13.1 miles. Second, I'm excited it is more than a 5K. Basically, I'm excited that I have to train, but I don't have to kill myself training. This will be a good distance for me. I hadn't been doing much plain old running while soccer was in full swing this summer, so getting a race on the list of things to do this fall is a good thing.

My soccer season ended 2 weeks ago and I'm so proud to say that our team came in second! Go Club America! Playing with this team was certainly a highlight of my summer. I scored two goals, played a lot of center forward and played a lot of defense. I had horrendous shin splints during and after each game for days, but I didn't let it slow me down. Soccer ended up being a great (and healthy!) stress reliever for me in the midst of a very stressful time at work. I'm thankful to have such a fun team to play with and I love that we all enjoy playing together.

But the soccer season is over. I don't have that once a week 90-minute exercise time built into my schedule anymore. The TC 10K comes at a great time. The race is about a month after soccer ended, which doesn't allow me to stop running. I can't stop running. No matter how sleep deprived I am. Gotta keep going. My body is telling me "noooo..." but I know my mind could benefit from sweating a bit.

More to come on the training!

Vote!

The Livesays have a chance to receive a $50,000 grant, which would allow them to build their much needed maternity center in Haiti. Please vote for them! You'll find the link in this blog post.

I'm hoping to revive this blog soon. I've taken some time off from running even though I'm still playing soccer and took a great tennis class back in June. My right foot hasn't been feeling the same since the half and rest from distance running is what I've needed.

Back soon!

The Run for Harbor House

The half marathon was last Sunday morning. It was a bright and beautiful summer morning. It had been forecasted to be bright and beautiful all week long, which made me excited about the race. I feared a downpour or humidity so bad that you sweat without even moving. The weather was perfect last year and good weather just makes everything better, right? If I have good weather, the race just has to go well. Or so I thought.

I woke up on Sunday at 5:15 AM. It's the first time I set my alarm clock in months and months and months. I checked about 4 times to make sure I set it correctly. We have the early rising son, remember? When my alarm went off (what an awful sound), I didn't even remember how to turn it off. That's how rarely we have to use our alarm clocks. But I really needed my alarm to work on Sunday because race start was at 7 AM. One of my pet peeves is being late. I hate being late. To anything. It bothers me. Being late for my half marathon was not an option. We planned to leave the house at 6:15 and because we left at 6:17, my stomach started to ache. Will we get there on time? Will I have time to line up in the back of the pack with the rest of my fellow slow and steady runners? What if I have to use the bathroom? If I'm late, I won't have time to go! I can't run if I have to go!

My husband sensed my anxiety. He must have seen me glancing between the car's clock and looking out the window. And again. And again. Back and forth. Finally, he calmly said from the driver's seat, "Don't worry. We'll get you there in plenty of time." He patted my knee. I relaxed.

We arrived downtown Minneapolis ON TIME and I jumped out of the car at an intersection 1.5 blocks from the race start. My baby boy was in the back seat and gave me a look that said, "Wait... where are you going? She's leaving us!" The adorable little guy was still in his jammies. How cute are toddler boys in their truck jammies?! I walked fairly confidently to the start. There were crowds of people everywhere. Music was blasting. The sun was shining down on us, but it wasn't too warm yet. Runners of all shapes and ages lined up according to their pace. I chose the 11-minute mile pacer. I am willing to admit that I run slowly. I got lined up and had about 5 minutes to wait. I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't put in my headphones so I could take in all the excitement. I just stood there looking around thinking about what I had to get done and why I was doing it. Deep breath in.... Out.... And then we were off!


I wore nearly the same outfit I wore last year. Black and pink tempo shorts, my new half marathon-sponsored white running hat and the black cotton tank from GapBody that is so old I can't even remember when I bought it. But that's my running outfit. At one mile in, I already sensed the temperature rising. I wondered if I'd regret wearing black shorts and shirt.


The first few miles seemed pretty easy. The course was slightly different than last year's. We crossed the Mississippi River three times on three different bridges, and on one of them, I could feel mist from the river. At mile 4, I had to stop and use the bathroom. Maybe I drank too much water before the race. I got in line and waited a solid 10 minutes for my turn. I nearly left the line because I got frustrated with how many people I saw run by while I stood there. The pacer I was following so well was long gone. I was convinced that I'd for sure come in last place after this stop. Finally, it was my turn. I opened the door and felt disgusted with what I saw in the port-a-potty, but I went in anyway. Thank goodness the hand sanitizer hadn't run out. After that stop, I felt the urge to catch up to the pacer, but in doing so, I got an awful side cramp and I think I blew a lot of energy just trying to get a good time. I'm not even sure what good is for me, so it was probably a silly idea. I'm also not sure why I cared about my time when I decided going into this race that I wouldn't be concerned about time.

I ran miles 5 and 6 trying to catch the pacer, but stopped at every PowerAde and water station along the way to hydrate. The sun continued to heat up the air and there were no shaded areas for a good distance. I felt very warm.

Can you sense the mental battle I am starting to face?


I turned the corner and came down a huge hill. It's the same hill that I would finish the race on because the course loops and mile 12 is completely uphill. At least this year I wasn't surprised by the big hill like I was last year :) Just before mile 7, I stopped to walk for a little bit. I felt discouraged and disappointed in myself. I kept thinking about my race last year and how I remember telling my husband at mile 8 that I felt fantastic. My mind was fighting against me. My legs felt like heavy weights even though my lungs felt perfectly fine. My right foot didn't hurt at all. Not once during the race did I feel pain other than my legs feeling incredibly heavy. I prayed to get that light, flying feeling as I ran.

A few things kept me going:


1. I knew that I had to and more importantly, wanted, to finish the race because despite the battle I was enduring, I was doing the race for the moms in Haiti. Despite everything I was feeling at the time, I wanted to finish it to represent them.
2. I knew that straight ahead at mile 8, I would see the faces of my mom, dad, husband and baby boy.
3. I knew that probably a little bit past that, I'd see the faces of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law cheering me on.
4. The weather kept me going. I tried to remind myself that it is sunny and beautiful. An ideal day for running. It might be a little hotter than I'd like, but at least it isn't pouring rain and miserable.

At mile 8, I saw those faces I expected and my mom immediately said, "You look GREAT! How do you feel?" I replied, "Horrible!" I took a picture with my baby boy just like last year, took a swig of my mom's freshly brewed iced tea (okay, I took two huge swigs), and off I went. About half a mile past them, I saw my sister-in-law and brother-in-law waving their arms to get my attention. More faces!! They both had cameras pointed at me, which reminded me to always keep good form while running :) It was refreshing to see them. I took the raspberry energy goo at mile 9 with water this year. Last year, I sucked the whole packet down without water and the goo sat like a rock in my stomach. I made a promise to myself that I'd never take the goo without water again. The goo + water helped.


Miles 9 and 10 were just as difficult physically. I ran some, walked some. I tried the running for one song, walk for one song thing. Around 10.5 miles, I saw my sister-in-law and brother-in-law again since I had looped back for the finish. They cheered and cheered. At mile 11, I saw my mom, dad, husband and baby boy. I took more iced tea from my mom. Part of me didn't want to leave them, but they assured me they'd be at the finish. My husband yelled, "TWO MILES! You've GOT this!!!" I've got it. I can do it.


The mile 12 hill appeared. No breaks. Just one giant hill. I wasn't the only one walking part of the way up the hill. Just past mile 12, a girl came up behind me and we started a conversation. She was so kind and sweet. She had run long distance races before and agreed that this particular run was a difficult one for her too. In half a mile, we talked about our jobs, my baby, where we live, other races we've run, our thoughts on the race we were doing at that exact moment, the weather, and spoke with other people around us. I felt like we became friends in those few minutes, yet we never exchanged names. So, wherever you are runner girl, I couldn't have done it without you.


Runner girl and I approached the finish line. We could see the big FINISH banner ahead. With a little bit more giant hill to go up, a spectator started shouting, "KILL THE HILL!!! KILL THE HILL!!!" She was shouting and chanting. Runner girl and I looked at each other like "should we?!" with smiles on our faces. Where was that spectator miles ago?!


The runner girl and I so killed the hill. I gave her a "great job! keep it up!" and she returned the encouragement. When we got to the top of the hill, we both made a dash for the finish. I felt as though my legs were falling off. My headphones, which had been draped over my neck ever since Runner Girl and I started chatting, were flying behind me and getting tangled up in my arms. I crossed the finish line smiling. I nearly broke down into tears.


I finished it. Immediately after crossing the line, I looked up and made eye contact with my parents standing just feet from the finish line. My dad had his iPhone out snapping pictures of me. I felt such a rush of emotions. I felt that I pleased my parents. I felt that the young mothers in Haiti had a new representative for them. I felt that although I had so many hurdles during training, I still did it. It was a different kind of sense of accomplishment than last year though. Last year, I did it for me and only me. I had to prove to myself I could do it. This year, it was mighty difficult, but I made a promise to these moms and to Harbor House that I'd do it. You supported me and there was never a day I thought I wouldn't do this race. It was for them and for you. We raised 80% of the goal and I think that is fantastic. I've never met a single one of these Haitian mothers, yet I know they'd be so encouraged by your support.


Throughout the run, I prayed that these mothers and the Harbor House would be blessed by the money you've donated and that they would feel support, compassion, encouragement, and strength in the days ahead. Strength for the challenging days. And absolute joy in all the great days.

Mile 8

Thank you!

Almost here!!!

The big race is this weekend... THIS weekend! I'm really excited and a little bit nervous. It helps knowing that I was able to finish it last year. I'm excited because I'm looking forward to completing the race I felt so compelled to run months ago. I am so thankful to those of you who are supporting me in this run for the Harbor House. I know I'll be thinking about those moms a lot while I'm running.

I'm a little bit nervous because I've had a few hiccups in my training over the last 2 weeks. A pain in my right foot due to starting up soccer for the first time in two years lasted for about a week. For a few days, it was way too tender to run on and I didn't want to injure myself more than I thought I already had. I took a few necessary days off to rest. Last Thursday, I had the day off because my sister's wedding was over Memorial Day weekend and I took full advantage of a nice, sunny morning all to myself (my boys still went to work and daycare). I ran Nokomis twice around and my foot didn't bother me one bit. That was so encouraging. I finished those 6 miles feeling like I could do the race and not have to worry about an injury.

On Saturday, my sister and her groom tied the knot at a gorgeous wedding ceremony and reception. We had a great time! I was an obedient matron of honor and bought nude, closed-toed high heels to match the other girls. They looked great with our J.Crew bridesmaids dresses, but my feet hated the shoes. By the end of the night, I had a nice cut on the joint on my right foot big toe. Today, Thursday, is the first day it actually doesn't hurt all that badly and I am once again feeling like I can do this race. For a few days though, even putting on loose tennis shoes hurt and I was walking with a dorky limp at work. All for a little cut that caused an awful lot of pain.

Throughout these two weeks, I felt like my body was working against me. I started getting paranoid that I would only be able to walk the race. At times I wondered if I'd even be able to walk that far. My right foot has just been annoying.

The forecast for Sunday is sunny and upper 70's. I'll take it! My husband, baby boy and parents plan to come cheer me on and I'm very much looking forward to seeing their faces. Once again, thanks to all of you who are supporting the Harbor House through this run. It means the world to me and I'm so thankful to have an amazing reason to push through and complete 13.1 miles. If you're interested in supporting the Harbor House and the young moms, there's still time. Please click the Chip In button at the top of the blog.

Happy running!