Run Thru The Woods 2008

My Thanksgiving was lived out in such a surreal way yesterday. After so many weeks (seemed like years!) of not running, I was able to put my first "race" in the books. Of course, I was only racing against myself, not the true winners of the race.

I was able to run with Mike, Boo's godfather, which made the event even better. I know many people like to run races alone so that they can "run their own race", and if I was in top shape, I may have decided to do that as well, but yesterday, just being able to run, to run in my town surrounded by so many people that I know, (and even more that I don't know), was a real gift.

I will admit, over the last few weeks, I have seriously wondered if I would ever really be able to run again. I had to weigh the benefit over the cost. I would hurt so much after the runs I did do, that it impacted how I lived the rest of my daily life. Playing with the kids, walking around, sleeping, etc., were all painful as a result of running. My attempts to be "healthy" were not amounting to an overall health that I could accept.

For whatever reason, last weekend when I ran in Huntsville, all of my pains disappeared. Maybe it was because I ran on dirt, maybe it was just finally time to be healed, or maybe it was something bigger than myself that intervened. All I know is that I was in a fair amount of discomfort before even beginning the run and at the end of the run, all pain was gone and has not come back.

I decided to run yesterday not really to race, but to test the waters on concrete. I really expected to have the pain return, but to my great joy, it has not. And I am so grateful for that.

This is the 3rd time I have run this race. The first time, I had only been running about 6 weeks. I was insane to even consider running it, but I ran it on pure emotion. My mom had passed away the year prior to that race and I ran it in her honor (as I do all of my races). I recall many years prior to beginning running, I had envied people who could run that race. I never believed that it would be something that I could ever do. When Rick convinced me that I could run it and he would help me, I believed him. He did help me cross that finish line and I will always cherish that moment.

Last year was the second year I ran it. In spite of some nasty weather and very cold temps, I was able to run that race with a dear friend (now soon-to-be brother-in-law as of yesterday!) and finished at a pace that I was happy with.

Two weeks ago, I registered for the race not really knowing if I could run it. I knew I could probably finish the thing, but how much discomfort I would be in afterward was my primary concern. I don't mind the typical muscle aches, but stress fractures and muscle spasms that last for weeks at a time are not my idea of fun.

Running yesterday was a gift and I understand this. Why should I be able to run, to do something that brings me such personal joy? Others in this life have so many struggles and my issue is whether or not I will be running? I don't want to go to deep here, but I'm sure you can see where this leads me when I enter that classroom of silence.



I finished the race with my son's Godfather and enjoyed every step (well, ok, not the ones coming back over the 45 overpass...) My spirit was renewed and I felt reconnected with myself.

He's Back!!

Doesn't Chelsey look happy?!


We can't believe it, but Chelsey is back! He was found by some wonderful folks who noticed something swimming in their pool last night. Funny, Chelsey is terrified of water, avoiding it at all costs.

Then they took him to the vet to see if he was "chipped", which he is not. He doesn't ride in our car much because the stress of it causes him to, well, shall we say, "loose control?!"

Apparently, the people that adopted him for the night are also dog-sitters and happen to have 3 dogs of their own, plus another 2 that were visiting for the weekend. Chelsey was apparently the most well-behaved. I have a hard time believing that!!

The kids went out for another ride to see if they could find him, and were fortunate enough to see a FOUND sign.

It's nice to know that there are still people in this world who care...

Update

We still can't find Chelsey. I hope to find a picture of him, but I'm a bad puppy mama. All of our pictures are old of him and in the non-digital format.

On a lighter note, Fish has been sick with a stomach bug the past few days. Last night he felt hungry so I made him some dry toast with a side of apple-sauce. He began to eat it and yelled out, "What is this??!!" I informed him that he was eating toast. "There's no butter on this toast!" he replied. I explained that he needed to eat dry toast without butter because of his stomach virus.

"Mom, that's not called toast...that's called bread!"

I haven't had a Fishism in awhile.

This morning he gave us another...

Mark asked him to go upstairs to wake his siblings to which he replied, "I can't, remember, I'm sick!" Mark firmly asked, "What are your legs broken?" Fish responded "Yes!" Mark said, "uh, huh!" To which Fish said, "Seriously, they just broke!"

Yep, life is a non-stop laugh-fest around here!

A small prayer request

*This is the only picture on the computer of Chelsey. I think it was taken by one of the young children. His face is covered with fur right now. He doesn't like to be groomed and has become very difficult to groom, so we don't do that very often. It freaks him out too much. I guess he really is a crotchety old man...
Our fence is currently is a state of disarray as it is being replaced after the damage from good Ol' Ike.

Our elderly dog has gone missing. He is very old (16 years!) and I know he probably won't have enough sight or hearing left to help him find his way back.

Not to mention how chilly it will be tonight. He is a mostly indoor doggie. His name is Chelsey. Please pray he returns soon.

8 Miles

I was able to spend sometime this morning in the classroom of silence. It was wonderful. I haven't run trails in over 3 months. I have really missed them, but today, I finally felt back at home.

The legs felt great. The hip doesn't hurt at all. I did forget to use my inhaler before my run and that gave me some problems, but after a few miles, I was able to watch my HR and keep my breathing in check. A great exercise in asthma control.

I am planning to run on Thanksgiving, not racing, but a nice run. It will be nice to be out there again.

Ten for Texas

Oh, glorious day! What perfect running weather God blessed us with this morning! Brisk and breezy, yet sunny and bright! I felt like I was back in Colorado!

Today did not mean a run for me, however. I debated giving it a go, but I heard Bill's words of wisdom in the back of my mind telling me to be patient. Not my strongest virtue. Not by a long shot. But I listened and I instead headed out the door this morning to support those who did run. Lem and I met up with Jon, Bill, Holden, Debbie, Waverly, and Natalia for a fun morning of handing out hydration. We were the last fueling station on the route. It was great seeing so many runners that I know and even more that I don't!

Everyone looked like they were feeling good and having fun, and that is the most important thing, well except for winning, but only a few get that treat!

Tonight I am enjoying pancakes for dinner and Pink Panther..."I would like to buy a damburger!"

To all of my friends running in San Antonio, I wish you well. I will try to get 7 or 8 miles in myself depending upon how the hip feels. I can't wait to hear the race reports!

It might be nice to be 13 again...

My son, Foo, is 13. His appetite is huge, but usually consists of a fairly healthy selection of foods. This weekend found some exceptions.

At the Children's Festival at our Church, the boy ate 4 or 5 hot dogs and then was served 3 more after LifeTeen! He also ingested 2 servings of blue cotton candy, some nachos, and a few tacquitos. Gross. Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn.

Today he topped it all... literally. As I was finishing up with one of my students (a 14 year old boy), I noticed Foo was making a snack. I warned him that it was close to dinner time. He said it was a healthy snack, peanut butter and wheat bread. Not too bad... until he topped it off with whipped cream!! We are talking completely covered the thing in cream!! My student was quite impressed and I think he would have loved a bite or two!

I might be jealous if I wasn't so nauseated by it all...

Could it be?

I actually was able to run on a Fit run today? Yes, I did! I considered crying, but sucked it up and enjoyed the beautiful weather, the great company, and the blessing of being able to put one foot in front of the other, if only for 5 miles.

The hip feels great, it's the muscle spasms that continue. Tonight I took a large dose of Advil. I've been doing stretches all day. The Advil wins.

Bean had an interview with her college of choice today. It was a great experience, minus the very long car ride which only exacerbated the muscle spasms.

For a mere 26,000/year, we can be assured a wonderful college experience. I appreciate that this is a well-priced college, but OUCH!

My plan is this....

Get 1,000 of my closest friend to donate 1 dollar for each mile I run at the next marathon... BAM 26,000 good to go!! Should I set up my paypal button now?? LOL


Lem and I went to a volleyball game yesterday and she is so on fire to play. We are a week too late to sign up at the Y, unless I want to coach. Looks like we'll have to wait until the spring.

We also visited Luke's for her first official pair of running shoes. She is so excited! She got a mile in last night and wanted to get another in tonight. She already had plans to see a play, so that won out, but I will try to get her out there tomorrow.

Even Bean mentioned today that she is seriously thinking about trying to run. I love how teenagers consider things. It takes more energy to think of excuses not to do something rather than to just do it... oh, wait, that's my approach to laundry!! Dang, I guess she comes by it honestly.

Not-so-active Recovery

In running news, I've had 3 fairly decent runs this week. The fracture appears to be healed, however, with each run the psoas muscle appears to go into a spasm that takes awhile to work out. This is concerning because I believe that my stress fracture was partly caused by the psoas spasm that I couldn't control in the first place.

I've tried numerous stretches with little relief. The best I can do is return to the massage therapist, but honestly, I can't afford to pay 80.00 after each run! There must be something else I can do. She has shown me some stretches and I will try them. I will admit, it is frustrating.

I bought some new shoes to see if that helps as well. I invested in a pair of Mizuno Alchemy 8s. They feel wonderful and during the runs, I didn't feel them at all. A good thing!

I plan to run tomorrow with Fit. It is the last run before San Antonio. I will not be running their mileage, but my own. Hopefully, next week, as they run San Antonio, I can be somewhat helpful here at the Ten for Texas.

I restarted the 100 Push-up challenge. This time I was able to start at the mid-level rather than the 1st one. Definitely progress from my first attempt at the challenge. I finished week 1 today. It was tough to get the last set of 12 in, but I did it. Total push-ups today, 45.

The People have Spoken

Congratulations to Mr. Obama, our president-elect, on his historic campaign and election to the White House. Politics aside, I can not help but feel such joy for his accomplishments and sorrow that his grandmother, mother, and father were not here to see this day. I do know what it is like to lose those closest to you and to miss them so terribly during times of great emotion.

I am proud to be American, proud to be living in a time when race does not determine your ability to become president, finally.

Mr. Obama is our president. He is my president. He will have my prayers as he enters into the White House during a very uncertain time in our country's history. This will not be a picnic for him. I pray that he can surround himself with the best of the best and glean from their wisdom and experience. This country can turn around, but one party can not do it alone.

So I will watch. I will stay informed. I will pray. I will not lose sight of the dream of our forefathers. And I will thank God that I live in the United States of America, where to disagree represents the truest form of our freedom and democracy.

Election Night Festivities

No news. None. Nada. That is first and foremost. We've had it with watching people tear people apart. I voted early and have no intention of watching the coverage until sometime tomorrow, after all the expected lawsuits begin to get filed.

I can't stand polls. I hate being a prediction, a number, a non-issue. When I start to lose hope in the electoral process, something is definitely wrong.

My prayer is that all that have been so energized by this election season continue to stay involved in holding our government accountable.




So tonight we've rented movies, cooked up some mean tacos, some even meaner chocolate pumpkin cupcakes (thanks Tiggs!), and plan to enjoy the freedom that we take for granted most days. Oh, and I ran. Again. More on that later...

Stranger things have happened!

(stolen from Nancy's blog)

All Hallow's Eve

I had to post this for Barbara today. My godson came to visit last night...



What was scarier? Today, my neighbor, not the sharpest crayons in the box I might add, decided to power wash their area rug today...
***You must enlarge this picture to get the full effect, cigarette hanging out of the mouth, crap falling out of the garage, etc. Is this really an approved means of cleaning an area rug?



The best part is that the beloved truck she is standing upon has been broken down for about 6 months now. Gotta love The Woods!