Big Blue Cow & the Daffodil "Ditch"

I had signed up to do the Daffodil Dash 5k today. I knew it was probably not a good idea considering it hasn't even been a week since Little Rock. Besides, what's 3 miles to a "marathoner" Ian had wanted to run this race with me so I didn't think twice about it. Then Thursday nite, his best friend's mom called to invite him to spend the nite Friday and spend the day Sat. What was an 11 year old boy to do? Well, it was a no brainer -- he planned to ditch me. His dad, however, would not allow it. So off I go to the race with my son in tow. By "in tow" I mean dragging him kickin' & screamin'. Ok, so maybe I'm being a "little" dramatic. When we get there it starts pouring down rain and the temps are in the low to mid 40's. Oh & did I mention he's in short sleeves? Yeah, there goes my nom for mom of the year! Normally, a cold rain with a throbbing knee less than a week after a marathon would not scare me away. But here I have this boy that I'm hoping will someday develop a love for running and I'm not certain that coming down with pneumonia will get me any closer to that hope. So, we picked up our shirts, crept shamefully back to the car and tried to drive away without being noticed. Oh the disgrace! But the boy, he felt no shame. He was happy to be leaving until he realized that if only his dad hadn't made him come to the race, he wouldn't have been here in the 1st place. Then he got an attitude. I know, an 11 yr old boy with an attitude, what a stretch. He was ticked that we didn't run the race and he was equally ticked that he didn't get to spend the nite with his friend. So I did what any mother would do in this situation & I took care of that attitude...I took him to Target and bought him something! Ugh...guilt is so powerful especially when wielded so artfully by a manipulative pre-teen with big brown eyes... So there you have it -- the race report for the race that never was.

Now, as promised, I leave you with some pics that my sister took in Little Rock last weekend. Enjoy!

Approaching the Finish Line!

Still Approaching the Finish Line!

Finished!!!!

Gotta run...

Lisa

Long Awaited Race Report - No Photos Yet

While I am waiting for my photos (used a disposable camera instead of my digital), I decided to post a pic of the biggest finisher medal I have ever seen. You could serve a meal on this thing!

I decided I better go ahead & post my race report before the details start to fade rather than wait on my photos. 1st glance of the race photos, however, lead me to believe I may not be sharing photos at all but that's a post for another day. Can you say "big blue cow?"

The weeks & months leading up to this race have been difficult for me. Going into this race 20 lbs heavier than last year and problems with my knee made me think this would definitely be my last marathon. I just didn't feel like I was in the proper shape & this run would be my undoing. I am happy to report, however, that I WAS WRONG!!!!! Although I crossed the finish line with cramps in both calves and my left knee throbbing, I felt strong and confident that this was not my swan song.

Last year, my struggles started between 8 & 10. This year, my struggles started at 19!!! Can you believe that? At mile 15, I was ahead of my pace by 5 minutes. My plan was to cross the finish line in 6:30 -- that's an average pace of 15 minute miles. Totally doable, even for someone as out of shape as me. My strategy was to walk "Mt Everest", take is slow on the downhill and then make up the time on the out/back (it is very flat) At the 20 mile mark, I was dead on my pace. Now, I was thrilled to be on my pace but totally disappointed that at that point I had not made up any time as I had planned to do. It was here that the cramping in both calves started and refused to let up. Mind you, this is the farthest I have ever gone before without cramping but it was still frustrating. At 21 there were bananas and I was sure with some stretches & potassium, I would be good to go...NOT! At 22 I realized I was not going to make my goal but I was not upset. I was still doing better than last year and felt very happy for that.

Then came mile 25. I thought that I had hit the wall before but boy was I mistaken. At 25, I literally could not put one foot in front of the other. I wanted to lay down on the road -- I was absolutely spent. I have never felt anything like that before and I hope I never do again. I'm ashamed to admit that at mile 25, I actually considered quitting. I came to a dead stop & said to myself, "this is NOT worth it!" About that time, I hear a voice behind me say "nobody quits @ 25. 1 more hill and you're there." I turned to see where the voice came from & saw a man in a wheelchair. Not the hand-cranked, aero-dynamic kind you see at races mind you. This guy was in a regular wheelchair. He was feverishly cranking the wheels on this massive hill telling ME not to quit. I can't tell you what that did to me. I had no choice but to get moving and that's just what I did.

That was the longest mile I have ever endured in my entire life. I thought it would never end. When I reached mile 26, I still couldn't run. I resigned myself to the possibility that I would be walking across the finish line this time. There should be no shame in that I thought -- at least I'm finishing. But when I looked up and saw my wheelchair friend flying across the line, I started to run. I didn't even think about it -- I just did it. It wasn't fast and it was a little wobbly and it hurt like heck BUT I had a smile on my face.

Although I didn't make my goal, I did shave 6 minutes off last year's finish time. Although it didn't work this time, I still think my strategy was good. I'm thinking if I did this well for not being in the best shape, what will I be able to do if I AM properly trained and in shape. On the ride home, I began mapping it all out for next year. Yes, that's right, NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!

So, once again an unlikely marathoner has another finisher's medal on the wall and there's no obvious signs that I will be giving up this addiction any time soon because it all boils down to this...

Gotta run!!!!!
Lisa

8 days & counting...

Today was my last "long" run before Little Rock -- 6 miles -- piece of cake, right? WRONG!!! The 1st mile was rough. It was very windy and my legs felt SO tired. I about decided to call it a day but decided that I just couldn't let that happen even if it meant walking the whole darn thing. So I continued and decided to take in the sights of my surroundings rather than focus on the aches & pains. I enjoyed watching a hawk soar overhead, in search of its morning meal and tried to capture it on my cell phone but wasn't able to. As I made my way to the other end of the pond, I saw something I've never seen before -- a duck sitting in a tree.

I've never seen a duck in a tree before...

Close up

Ok, so maybe this is not that strange but it struck me as odd. Then I got to thinking, I'm like this duck in the tree. The duck looked really out of place to me -- ducks can fly so why should it seem unlikely for one to be in a tree. Like me, I'm feeling really out of place with this upcoming marathon. But why? I'm a runner and I've been here before so why should I feel strange? While I was pondering this question, my garmin beeped to let me know I had gone a mile. My pace was 13:00. Are you kidding me? A mile without a walk break and a fairly decent pace for someone who's nursing a very sore knee. I decided to keep running and didn't take another walk break until I reached mile 3. After a 1/4 mile walk break, I started running again. At mile 4 I looked at my garmin to find that I was off my race day pace by 1 minute!!!! WOW!!!! Mile 5, I made up the 1 minute deficit and finished at the 6 mile mark. It was in that moment I realized that ducks sit in trees and 43 yr old back of the packers run marathons! Bring it on Little Rock!

After a GREAT run, I had the privilege of taking a 2 mile walk with my favorite new mom, Susan, and her sweet little boy, Isaac. Wished I would have taken a pic of them instead of using up my cell phone memory on the duck...live and learn, I suppose...

Gotta run...

Lisa =)

Winter Wonderland

The view from my patio this morning.

Even taken from a cell phone, this is a pretty pic. But 24 hours prior, the scene was not so beautiful -- it was downright nasty. Having put off my 20 miler last Saturday because the weather was "icky", yesterday was do or die. Little Rock is in 2 weeks!!!! Friday nite, as I listened to the forecast for Sat, I knew I had made a fatal mistake by waiting. If I thought last week's weather was "icky" it was sure not to compare to what was in store this weekend.

I woke up Saturday with nausea and cramping. I'm on a new medication and boy am I experiencing every side effect. I headed out the door a little past 8am -- an hour later than I intended but still pumped. It was cold, windy and damp but not raining or snowing - so far so good. 1st 5 miles felt great -- had to dodge some puddles from the heavy rains the nite before but so far, the elements were not a problem. When I get to the park, it was practically under water, making it increasing difficult to dodge puddles. It would have been easier to swim in some places. My feet get wet -- it's unavoidable and certainly not a good thing. The wind picks up. Bad for me, good for the water as by the time I'm headed out of the park, the puddles are practically dried up. At 14.5 miles, it starts. The temps begin dropping, the wind picks up even more and it begins to rain/sleet/something! My face, which by now is wind burned, cannot handle this precipitation -- it stings! I decide to call it and head home. Home is either 2.5 miles or 5 miles, depending on which route I take.

Next comes the great debate. I know I need to get in 20 -- this is my last chance!!! But the cold, damp conditions have caused stiff muscles, throbbing knees and ankles and I honestly can't remember a time when I experienced this much pain. I opted for the 2.5 mile route and vowed to finish up on my treadmill. The closer I got to home, the more I hurt. I was literally chilled to the bone and there was nothing dry on my entire body.

When I got inside, I just started bawling uncontrollably. I left a trail of wet running clothes and gear that led to my bedroom, quickly put on something dry and did the one thing you should NEVER do -- I climbed into bed and shivered off to sleep. You don't have to be a seasoned runner to know that laying down after a run is a sure fire way to invite soreness to set in. And when you have it there to begin with, well, it's just a double whammy.

Fast forward to this morning. Yes, the snow is beautiful but the events leading up to it, not so much. The good news for me is that I'm FINALLY warm. The bad news, I can barely walk. While I didn't get in my 20 miles yesterday, the 17.5 I did manage to crank out felt like a marathon to me. So I might not shave any time off my finish at LR in 2 weeks but after braving the elements that yesterday threw at me, I KNOW I will cross the finish line. I'll do whatever needs to be done to earn that medal & that shirt -- afterall, that's what it's all about right? Clothes and jewelry!!

Gotta run...

Lisa =)