Oh, My ...

Let's just say that when I finally managed to pull down the calendar and map out the miles between here and September's Half, I was a little taken back by how fast that date is going to come! Gulp! I'd fantasized that there were enough weeks between now and then that I had the luxury to pick and choose if I was going to run this weekend. Apparently, it would serve me better to get back out there!!

Seeing as I just finished the room painting I planned for today, I'm not inspired to run tomorrow. At all. (I was inspired to let a potty word slip out when I mapped my miles, though, just sayin'.)

Yes, it's time to get my eyes back on a prize to motivate myself! And, the prize I envision is always, always, the finish line. The literal finish line. I love crossing it almost more than I love getting a medal (after all, the finish line can be blurry; I can check and recheck out the medal after I'm showered and have the sweat out of my eyes!). I always love the after-run huggin', too, so that's also always in the prize picture, too.

I was thinking earlier today about how easy it would be to just let this running thing go -- not because I want to, but because there's that much of life that would easily fill its slot. Two different grocery store stops, an outing with my young Crewer, painting, swimming (and, oh yeah, working*) ...

*

... and everything involved in making all of the aforementioned activities happen today ... yeah, none of that screamed there's so much extra time, why don't you consider running ?! I'm saying I get how it never feels like there's time to exercise. And, there's always a reason not to. I totally get it. I just refuse to get swallowed by it. And, if I'm being honest, the only real thing I'm trading to run is sleeping later. That's become too hard to justify no matter how crazy crabby I am most mornings about having to trade sleep for a run.

With that, you and I both now know what I'm doing tomorrow!! It's a super-short one (yeah!!!), but it's still necessary (sigh!)! Apparently, Elly and I will see you after our morning run!

The Other Side of the Run

Every so often, the I Love To Run Facebook page posts: "You either ran today, or you didn't." I'm here to say I TOTALLY DIDN'T. It didn't even cross my mind. So, there!

Yes, yes, it's a Rest Day anyway. It's also post-Half time where the euphoria of the run wanes and normal life resumes, medal- and fanfare-free! It would be something of a let-down, but along with the waning comes the return of muscles feeling normal again. So, you give and you take. And, you make another goal, and you start all over again. Whee!! By mentioning that, you'd think I spent time today mapping out what I need to accomplish September's Half. But, I did not.

Other things I did not do today:

• Get up early
• Miss seeing and snagging three dimes in three different locations while out and about
• Win at Quiddler against Pit Crew #3 who destroyed my score
• Lose at basketball BACON (known as HORSE to everyone else in the world) in the pool again against PC#3
• Get my work done so I now have to finish it tonight (whoopsie)
• Care that I didn't get my work done so I now have to finish it tonight

I love that it's summer so those can top the list of notables today.

One thing I did do is stumble upon what is probably the greatest surprise ever ... Am I the only one who didn't know about this???

And, do you know how awesome this is in the Outside-In Turkey Tamale Pie recipe (here! it's right here!)!! IT'S SO GOOD. Check it out, and try it out. Easy, easy on the tummy, so so so yummy!

I had to share the update! Give it a whirl!

I have no plans to run tomorrow, but I am definitely figuring out my schedule!! Until then, I hope you stumble upon a happy surprise for yourself, and I'll see you tomorrow with a plan!

Virtual Sparkle Cupcake Race: The After-Party!

What's a race run without some celebration?! There was no exception to that sentiment for this virtual run!! So, today, instead of resting, we check out the rest of the fun!

I routed our run to end about two blocks away from a local cupcake shop! Luck had it that the shop also serves breakfast, so we were good to go on it being open upon our arrival! Whee!! However, before scarfing down a sweet treat, I requested we side step it to a market for some Gatorade. I could just feel the need for something besides water ... but, not yet a cupcake spike!! The market was only a few more blocks away, so Pit Crew #2 and I walked it while the boys drove (refer back to Diet Coke indulgence, and you'll understand the need for speed to the place with a restroom). I also wanted to walk so as to keep moving and not cramp up. See? Always thinking!

That Gatorade was some good stuff:

Ohmygosh I do love orange Gatorade at
those times I want Gatorade!

My real intention was to buy one bottle to share with PC#2 because (a) we were about to get more water, and (b) I'm that cheap and no one was dying. But, then I get to the register, and the conversation went like this:

Clerk: You know, these are two for $3 if you want another.
Me: But, are they $1.50 if you just buy one?
Clerk: Yes.
Me: Then, I'll just take one, thanks.
Clerk: Okay. That'll be $2.38.
Me: So, you're saying they're not $1.50 for just one. (brain: still working after long run)
Clerk: Oh, yeahhh ... 'guess not.

That's when I asked him to ring me up for two and sent PC#2 back to get her own! This turned out to be a good thing. I'm just saying there was no problem finishing both of them. (There was no problem finishing the cupcakes, either. You're about to see.)

Oh, and upon leaving the market, Aaron saw in the donut case a pastry that looked like a brain.

Nice!! Breakfast brain!!

Okay, with replenishing drink in hand, we headed to the cupcake shop!! And, do you know upon entering, I heard a Neil Diamond song coming from their speakers?! Serendipity, Baby!!!!

Choices ... such good choices ...

We totally made it!! My fave is there ... White Wedding. The
others are too rich for me, but outtamyway for one of the white
cake-white icing one!

We inquired but didn't buy. They were
made with rose oil which you can evidently
taste and smell ... I'll leave the rose smell
in my garden and take the icing and cake
smell, please!

It's a very small shop seating maybe 16 people with two tables for four people. Both were taken, so we walked to Starbucks with our treats ...

White for me, red velvet for the kiddos, tons-o-chocolate for
Aaron ... I had a teeny taste ... delish, but one bite plenty!

Remember PC#3's Pop-Tart indulgence of earlier in the morning? Yeah, we're pretty sure it's between that, his Diet Coke and partaking in some of my Gatorade that caused him to not be able to finish his cupcake. PC#2 said she'd "have a bite but couldn't eat all of the rest, no way !" Ummm ...

No way? I think she meant No Problem!

The cupcake plan was a perfect end point for this run, but the celebrating didn't stop there!! Now, you all know that the Expo and it's fun little prizes is one of my favorite aspects of an official race. I also dig the swag bag containing the race shirt! Well, between us and Mary Kate, both ends covered it all in one unplanned swoop! Check out what Mary Kate sent!

The cupcake goodness just kept pouring out of the box!! Lip balms a go-go,
shoe laces, nail decals, lace charms ... wow double wow!! Of course, we
called her and yelled in her voice mail again!

Um, did you catch the laces smell good?!
They smell like grapes!! It's that yummy
grape smell (not like scratch-n-sniff
chocolate that never smells good,
am I right?)!!

Cupcake charms!!! My blingy runner lace charm she sent
before April's Half is now chasing a cupcake!

SO MUCH GOODNESS!!



And, from our end, we took care of the shirts! Don't they look awesome with the bling?!

The Pink Ladies ... very different from the ones in Grease ...

There it is! The 2013 Virtual Sparkle Cupcake Run is (finally!) in the books!! Another virtual run is on the October horizon!! Keep your eyes peeled for me to pass that info along because I know you want to do it!!

Until then, running must resume ... at some point! I took today off (yay!), and tomorrow is a normal Rest Day. With a Half on the schedule for late September, it's time to take the calendar and the training schedule and have them do some talking together! Maybe that's tomorrow's project so I know what to do on Wednesday (rest or run ... currently, I do have a preference ...!) I'll check in tomorrow with that outcome! Until then, I tip my hat to the Run Find Your Happy Pace Facebook page for her organization of this virtual run and for the following Monday motivation pic ... Enjoy it, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Virtual Sparkle Cupcake Race: The During

With the run and a night's sleep behind me, it's time to recap the Virtual Sparkle Cupcake Race!! Today, we race; tomorrow, we after-party!

You might remember the sponsor of this virtual run had a target date to run the same weekend I'd already registered for the Go Girl Half Marathon back in May. Even though you could pick your own date and distance for this virtual run, I wanted to pick a distance meaningful to me to earn the medal. Enter the idea of imposing a Half Marathon on myself! Da-da-daaaaaaaa!! I really wanted to take on the challenge of pushing my milage through the summer, and this seemed the way to do it. Big bonus: By pushing off the date for this run, both Pit Crew #2 and virtual running partner extraordinaire Mary Kate were able to run, too!

Ready? Here we go!

I've come to expect a really crappy night of sleep the night before a big run. I'm pretty certain this comes from a fear the alarm won't go off in time, and I'll be late to the start. You'd think that would be alleviated when it's a virtual run, but Mary Kate and I planned a 5:58 a.m. phone call from our starting points, and I did not want to be late for that!

Unfortunately, I was still a couple of minutes away from my starting point when she called, but she very sweetly kept me company while I got there. Along the way, I saw one of the mile markers Aaron had gotten up at 5 a.m. to put out for me! Between seeing the markers and talking with my running partner, who lives many states away, I was getting all kinds of excited to take this on!

Normally in a starting corral, it's very loud from so many people and the event fanfare, but I'm never talking to anyone. All of the voices become a lot of white noise, so my time then is pretty quiet. But, for this race, there was no shutting me up! I loved this particular moment of camradarie and basically had to cut my talking off so we could both just start! (Mary Kate's too nice to tell me to shut it!) With last minute good luck's, have fun's and call me when you're finished! exchanges ...

There's Mary Kate on my phone!

... it was time to hit the road!

Keeping in mind this is the end of July, who knew we'd get so lucky on the weather?!

Are you even kidding me?!! I'll take it!! Oh, and see those spots?
Yeah, that's water from sprinklers ... sprinklers I'd normally jump
at the chance to run through at the end of July while running.
This morning? Total avoidance except for the spray I didn't
see coming ... but, I sure felt it!! Brrrr!!

My first five miles were on my own which was actually particularly cool for me because it's also the same stretch of road I used to train for my very first Half in 2010. That stretch of road and some of its hills almost broke me a few times back then. Now, though, it's one of my very favorite places to run. The hills don't feel as steep as they used to. There can be a lot of traffic, but I've figured out the easiest ways to work the route. It's a nice place to just go.

It's a nice, long stretch without much weird happening to the terrain, too, so if you're in need of shutting your eyes for a few seconds while you're running because you got up too early and are still tired, it can totally happen on this route. Just sayin'.

Along this stretch, just before I hit this ...

You know it was dark when he put these
out there ...!!

... I saw these!

So many! And, so small and cute!

The next mile is a little more higgly piggly in terms of traffic patterns and getting to where I was picking up PC#2 to join me, so I had to pay more attention and not do things like stop for pics or shut my eyes. (Had I found a coin, however, that would have -- and has -- been a different story.) Even though I truly was paying attention and being very mindful of cars, I made a point to mentally embrace what I was doing. This was just as real of a Half Marathon as any I've done. Along those five miles, I also thought a lot about Mary Kate picturing her running "with" me at the same time. It's one thing to know you have a friend who is running; it's quite another to know you've worked to coordinate it from afar so as to do it together. Frankly, it was even cooler than I already thought it would be!

Because the weather was so nice with its low temperature and dropping humidity, I cruised those first five miles without the issues we've been having like major thirst or the inability to breathe like a normal person. I rounded the corner, and I saw The Crew waiting at the 5-mile mark ready for some hugs and to pick up PC#2 for her first-ever 8-mile run!

PC#3 was all about running up to greet me!

Five down for me, eight to go for both! Little did PC#2 know
she was about to go eight point one ...!

With a quickie bathroom stop because it was there so why not, the girls took off while the boys went their own way picking up the already-passed mile markers and heading to their next Crew destination!

By the way, did you know Pit Crew membership has its privileges? Oh, yes ... our Pit Crew has a long-standing tradition of getting Pop-Tarts during the race! See?

Back to the running -- I could tell PC#2 was totally feeling the great weather because she had a spring in her step I've not seen for a couple of weeks! Frankly, I had the same one, but that made it all the more important to remind her (us) we needed to chill the pace because we had a long way to go! The great thing about PC#2 is all you have to do is remotely suggest she slow down, and she just does. When she first started running, she was all about being fast which I attribute to the emphasis put on their timed mile run in school. That, and she's naturally pretty fast. However, distance running is a much different beast from timing a single mile especially for we who are not going to the Olympics, so she knows running with me means covering the distance the safest and most enjoyable way we can on a given day no matter what how we ran yesterday or will run tomorrow. It was beautiful weather; it was worth chilling out and enjoying it!

During our run, Mary Kate called to announce she's completed her 10K portion of the virtual running program!! PC#2 and I whooped it up the best we could for her while we were in motion!! Yup, right there in the middle of the street we were crossing, we yelled a big ol' cheer for her!! I so loved getting that call!! She was so excited and just so happy!! The only thing wrong with that moment was that we all weren't together for an in-person smelly group hug!! She was with lots of family, though, so I knew she was getting good hugs there!!

And, with that call, PC#2 continued on a good two of incline. This stretch isn't all that fun, but between the humidity not killing us and my knowing this was the most difficult -- and, almost behind us -- stretch of the route, it wasn't that bad. And, as we were heading toward my 10th/her 5th mile, I had a feeling we'd be seeing some familiar faces very soon!

And, I was right!

There they are! They set up a water station for us at a perfect
junction!! Water for us, Diet Cokes for them!

I did snag a very quick, very small sip of PC#3's Diet Coke
before we took off ... big mistake, by the way. Diet Coke does
not settle in your stomach very well very fast. It did, however,
lend itself to a righteous belch that I presented PC#2 with at
the nearby stop light.

Before we knew it, we hit the 11 and 6 mile markers! Usually, Mile 11 is my most difficult in a Half. I don't know why, it just is. It wasn't better this time just because of the weather even though that helped. Considerably. This time, I was having a lot of fun with PC#2. We'd just seen the boys which was awesome. We also saw them just ahead of us in the car as they'd planned to pick up the 11/6 mile markers when we passed, but someone's Diet Coke abruptly kicked in changing that plan ... So, anyway, I was nicely distracted here where I'm usually not. And, perhaps knowing exactly where I was (it being my own town and not a route in an unfamiliar city) and where we were going helped. Whatever it was, I call this my best Mile 11 ever!

Those last two miles were awesome and finished in what felt like a blink! In a moment I would have never guessed, I'd just finished my third Half Marathon this year (who is that girl?!), and in a moment PC#2 never saw coming, she ran -- without stopping, she noted! -- 8 miles!! Can I get a WAHOO!!!!

The boys had set up their water station again along with holding out a streamer finish line! It was then time for the medal ceremony!

My girl does love sparkle and cupcakes ...
this medal was made for her!

Happy girl and Proud Dad! Seriously ...
8 miles!!! WOW Double WOW!

My boy did the honors!

We weren't the only ones with a very special medal ceremony!!!

There is Mary Kate having broken through her green
streamer finish line (held by her kiddos!) being
awarded her cupcake bling!!

Of course, we had to call Mary Kate to announce our finish, too!

There we are ... yelling at her again!

It's very clear to me that virtual running is exactly what you make it to be ... and, we went all out!! This was a seriously fun run that included seriously fun people!!

Of course, we can't forget a particular supporter:

Elly says, "I cannot believe I didn't get to go. At all. I dressed
in my cupcake duds and everything."

"I forgive you if I can lick that cupcake. Slluuuurrrrp !"

And, tomorrow, we celebrate ...!

Got Our Sparkle On!!!

Ohhhhhhh yeahhhhh ....

We did it ...!

She did it ...!

They Pit Crewed it ...!

We ate 'em ...!

Yes! Yes! Yes! The Virtual Sparkle Cupcake Race was a huge success all the way around!! Thank you so much for all of the cheers for all of us!! Today we rest; tomorrow, we talk!!! Stay tuned because there's lots of fun stuff to share!!

In the meantime, might I suggest diving head first into a cupcake for whatever you want to celebrate today?!? See you tomorrow after sleeping in later than today!!

Cupcakes, Here We Come!!

The map is routed (and, it's one I'm actually very excited about!), and plans are in order ... it's almost big run day!! And, we are going to entirely luck out because the forecast is awesome for the morning!! As long as rain doesn't sneak back in, we're golden with a major, so-not-July drop in temperature!! It's not supposed to rain; here's to hoping!

So, early to bed, early to rise, tomorrow promises to be a great day! A thank you in advance to the male Pit Crewers who have been working hard to make this a great celebration for the females!

I can't wait to share the details! Until then, check out one of the post-race shirts I made! We all have a pink version ... this one is Mary Kate's:

Blingy cupcake on the front ... yeah!!!

Mmmm ... I wish she could partake in our cupcake shop
celebration, but the virtual part of this run kind of prevents
that! I sent her a box of mix in the spirit of solidarity!

Stories and pics this weekend! See you after the very long run!

The Unexpected (Unsuspecting?) Partner!

Okay, this virtual running thing rules ... just before staring to write, I received an email from Virtual Running Partner Extraordinaire Mary Kate confirming our starting line phone call (ohhhh yeahhhh! ) AND (I love this) asking about who's wearing what color to see if we can coordinate!! Does she rock or what?! I'm the loser blowing that one, though, because Pit Crew #2 has her favorite shirt, I have my favorite, and, really, they don't go together at all. BUT, by the end of it, we'll all coordinate because we'll smell and be gross. Yet again, winning at the finish line!!!

To get there, I had one more training run today. I hate this training run. It feels ... useless? That's not really the right word. Annoying? Yeah, that's one. Here's the thing -- by this point in the schedule, I'm kinda tired. And, this run is short. And, I don't want to do it. I never do. Before my Half in the Spring, I blew this one off completely (and had my best Half ever, so go figure). I'm totally committed to the schedule except for this run. I got myself up this morning, and those three miles were just staring at me. It was an ugly stare. I soooo did not want to do them. They're not going to make or break Saturday's outing. Period. But, I felt like they might break me today.

On top of it, my human running parter had another commitment this morning, so I didn't even have that accountability. (Elly can sad-eyes me all she wants, but all I have to do is shower instead of put on my running clothes, and she just moves on with her lazy morning.) My legs were kind of tight, though, so I knew I needed at least a shake out run. And, who better to recruit ...

That's right: Pit Crew #3!!! He has very much enjoyed our outings in the past, but he hasn't been running this summer. This isn't really something to spring on a person, so I gave him a bit of a plea reminding him of how awesome it would be to come with me and a promise to only go two miles at whatever speed he chooses. It didn't take much convincing, but he still had to pour on the drama:


It's not that I was sorry he was with me, but it is very difficult to run while laughing. Just sayin'.

I barely remember the run itself because we were locked into conversation the entire time. (He is his mama's boy, and there's not much shuttin' up with him.) Currently, he's reading Shaquille O'Neal's autobiography, so we was educating me on Shaq's childhood telling me what surprised him about it, relating it -- or not -- to his own world, etc. My very favorite kind of literature is biographical, so I wanted to hear all he wanted to tell me. That worked great for both of us because, before we knew it, we were finished! But, not without a last nod to some drama. Oh, brother:

"That run was awful! I almost died!" he said.
"I hope my eyes don't roll straight out of my head," she replied.

I must note that the very first thing PC#3 said when we stopped running was, "That was fun!" He always says that ... running is a perfect platform to talk! How fabulous is that?!

For real. Good stuff!

That's that. The training miles are in the books! There's just one more Rest Day and a route to map between us and finish line cupcakes! Yeah, baby !!! We'll check in from tomorrow's Rest Day!

Last One, One More

Exactly how did today's run become a little bit bitter sweet? With only one more to go after today, and with weather that took a turn for the much better, you'd think this morning would just cruise along and be nothing more than done.

However, even with one more training run on the schedule, I'll be flying solo or just-with-dog as Pit Crew #2's schedule prevents her from joining us tomorrow. Boo!! During today's run, I thought about our summer-o-running and how good it has been for us, and it felt a little bummer-ish that it's almost finished! I'm pretty certain the cupcakes at the end of Saturday's run will help take the edge off, though, just sayin'.

It was a really good run out there. With a significant drop in humidity, we could breathe the entire way without feeling like we're gasping for our last breath! Even Elly chugged along without issue! And, thanks to PC#2, the Food Bank will benefit from another nickel!

I saw that nickel out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look very carefully and thought it was part of a bird egg. Look, I also thought today was Thursday, and I thought a dentist appointment card was current when it clearly had 2012 on it. I'm not to be trusted on my keen observation skills right now!

It was a short run (which was very welcomed since PC#2 and I kept delaying getting out of our beds!), and it was a good one. I do so love doing this together!

Why, yes, we were a trio ... 'can't forget that!

Today's weather was a big payoff for pushing through what we've been going through, and it resulted in a good, solid run! (It also sent me over the 500-mile mark for the year ... booyah !!!) Just a couple of days ago, I thought I was the biggest moron for purposely scheduling a Half Marathon at the end of July; today, it felt like a perfectly fine idea! Let's hope this keeps up for a bit ... we sure could use it on Saturday! Before then, there's one more run for me, so I'll check in after the morning run!

Simplicity Preferred

Holy goodness, it's Rest Day which meant my body was reasonably restful, but my brain was not!! It was one of those days where I did all of those "this should just take five minute" things ... and, for me, many of those things have been put aside so they added up to a number of hours! It was also a day where many of these things were going on at the same time, so I was multi-tasking. My verdict on multi-tasking: Bleh.

I used to think that because I could multi-task that it was the equivalent of having some kind of super power. Then I had two little kids and a multi-tasked life, and I realized I wasn't enjoying a single thing. So, I stopped multi-tasking and streamlined everything I could whenever I could. Ahhh ... my brain relaxed, and I regained focus! The moral of the story: I steer clear of multi-tasking whenever possible. For real.

Is it a wonder, then, that I like running? There's not much to it: Me and the road. I love its simplicity!

I also love that our big run is coming up this Saturday!! Pit Crew #2 asked me earlier today if I am excited about it. I told her I'm looking forward to it and looking forward to it being behind me. She had a wee look of concern over that last part until I added, "I feel that way about every big run. Every one of them." It's true, I do. Running a double-digit run often feels like being so prepared for a test that you're actually annoyed you have to wait to take it. That and you just want it off your mind. I'm looking forward to it, I'll be totally fine during, and I'll be stoked after. It's become a very predictable pattern!

As it's a virtual run, there is (of course) no Expo, but! the Run the Edge Facebook people posted a great today much like the ones I love to see at Expos! ...

That's just good economic sense, right?!

So, no Expo BUT there are cupcakes at the end (yeah!!!) AND goodies in the mail between us and our virtual running partner, Mary Kate!!! Prizes weren't even planned! Man, pick awesome people to run with, and, evidently, you get prizes!! (She was already awesome; this is just the sauce on top!) I'll share what we sent later ... it's currently under wraps ...

With that, it's almost time to get under the covers!! Sheesh, it's late!! Yup, it's been that kind of day! But, it was productive, those little nagging things are in their proper places now and it's time to wind down for a good rest before tomorrow's run!! We'll check in when it's behind us!! See you then!