Nine miles.
I have never even come close to anything resembling nine miles. But I finished nine miles today, in better shape than I thought I would, tired and sore to be sure, but still moving well at the end of it all. And definitely better than the girl who fell apart last week. Still slightly off my fifteen minute pace, but it's getting back to where I was before vacation.
On July 22, my schedule says I'm supposed to be doing 13.1 miles. That's a half marathon! It's the day of the Fit for Life Half Marathon here in Boise, and while an option for everyone in the group, there are many who are signing up to officially take part in the race. I've been on the fence about it, but I've decided to go ahead and do it. I have a bit before I need to sign up, but I'm thinking it will be good to get a race under my belt so I can see what the experience is like. Watch out for that old dog, she's learning!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Saturday Morning, Day 6
(Note: Since I've been gone for the last two Saturdays on vacation, this is my 6th Saturday BRW long run morning, but it should be my 8th. So, I'm just going to keep on counting my Saturdays in a row.)
I've already mentioned that our house in Cabo was on top of a hill. While on vacation, I didn't do any long runs. We did a lot of walking everywhere, and swimming. On three days, I got up early, ran/walked down the hill, ran/walked on the beach, and then walked back up the hill. I spent an hour each of those days attempting to keep some workout in my schedule. It wasn't a seven mile run, but I was still doing something. I hoped that I wouldn't be wrong.
Last night we went out to dinner, Fujiyama's, a favorite Japanese restaurant. Something didn't sit well and decided not to stay in my stomach. Concerned that I would be dehydrated for this morning's run, I drank 30 oz. of water before bedtime. I didn't eat anything though.
I was up this morning at 6:00 a.m., got dressed, and ran out the door with just my bottle of water. I realized that I wouldn't have a chance to stop by Starbucks for a coffee and a bagel. Oh well, no big deal, I did have a cup of yogurt for afterward.
I started out slow, not having had a long run in two weeks. Took a good mile to get back into the swing of things, but then I felt OK. I wasn't on my fifteen minute pace, but I expected that, too. Everything was going great. And then suddenly, and I mean suddenly, it got ugly. Two and a half miles to go, and my body crashed. I literally felt it downshift and it was an absolutely awful feeling.
I gave up the run in run/walk, and continued moving forward, pumping my arms when I could to help with the forward motion and some consistent pacing. Then it happened again. My body downshifted again, and I thought I was going to throw up, right there on the Greenbelt. At that point, I wasn't going to try for anything other than getting back to the group and my car, still just under two miles away. We had had to take a deviation on the way out, due to the high stage of the river, and since the coaches didn't want anyone to try and cross a five lane one way road, we were crossing at a signal light down a way from the where the path goes under the road. Screw that! I figured traffic wouldn't be so bad at 8:30 in the morning and I just crossed the road (thank goodness I was right!)) instead. But I still had a mile to go.
Slowly, painfully, I walked back to the starting point. Last one in. I didn't care, I was just glad to have made it back. It was awful, I have never felt anything like that before. I assumed that was the "Wall" I've heard about, that point where you begin to think you can't complete your marathon; I hear it often happens around mile 20.
I got my yogurt, did my stretches with the group, and sat down to slowly eat my yogurt and listen to the seminar. Today's topic -- Strategic Hydration and Nutrition. How appropriate!
I've already mentioned that our house in Cabo was on top of a hill. While on vacation, I didn't do any long runs. We did a lot of walking everywhere, and swimming. On three days, I got up early, ran/walked down the hill, ran/walked on the beach, and then walked back up the hill. I spent an hour each of those days attempting to keep some workout in my schedule. It wasn't a seven mile run, but I was still doing something. I hoped that I wouldn't be wrong.
Last night we went out to dinner, Fujiyama's, a favorite Japanese restaurant. Something didn't sit well and decided not to stay in my stomach. Concerned that I would be dehydrated for this morning's run, I drank 30 oz. of water before bedtime. I didn't eat anything though.
I was up this morning at 6:00 a.m., got dressed, and ran out the door with just my bottle of water. I realized that I wouldn't have a chance to stop by Starbucks for a coffee and a bagel. Oh well, no big deal, I did have a cup of yogurt for afterward.
I started out slow, not having had a long run in two weeks. Took a good mile to get back into the swing of things, but then I felt OK. I wasn't on my fifteen minute pace, but I expected that, too. Everything was going great. And then suddenly, and I mean suddenly, it got ugly. Two and a half miles to go, and my body crashed. I literally felt it downshift and it was an absolutely awful feeling.
I gave up the run in run/walk, and continued moving forward, pumping my arms when I could to help with the forward motion and some consistent pacing. Then it happened again. My body downshifted again, and I thought I was going to throw up, right there on the Greenbelt. At that point, I wasn't going to try for anything other than getting back to the group and my car, still just under two miles away. We had had to take a deviation on the way out, due to the high stage of the river, and since the coaches didn't want anyone to try and cross a five lane one way road, we were crossing at a signal light down a way from the where the path goes under the road. Screw that! I figured traffic wouldn't be so bad at 8:30 in the morning and I just crossed the road (thank goodness I was right!)) instead. But I still had a mile to go.
Slowly, painfully, I walked back to the starting point. Last one in. I didn't care, I was just glad to have made it back. It was awful, I have never felt anything like that before. I assumed that was the "Wall" I've heard about, that point where you begin to think you can't complete your marathon; I hear it often happens around mile 20.
I got my yogurt, did my stretches with the group, and sat down to slowly eat my yogurt and listen to the seminar. Today's topic -- Strategic Hydration and Nutrition. How appropriate!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Falling into chaos
We got back from vacation yesterday and had a fabulous time. I'll share the highlights in another post later this week.
This morning, the kitchen began its transformation into a larger usuable working kitchen. They gutted the whole thing. I am exhausted from the events of today, and I didn't pick up a sledgehammer. Why am I so tired?
I'll post more later this week.
This morning, the kitchen began its transformation into a larger usuable working kitchen. They gutted the whole thing. I am exhausted from the events of today, and I didn't pick up a sledgehammer. Why am I so tired?
I'll post more later this week.
Friday, June 02, 2006
And the F became...
...a B-. I know I owe an explanation for the teaser from April 29, I just never got around to writing it, until now.
I am blessed with two intelligent kids. This isn't motherly pride, both David and Mackenzie have been blessed with some amazing talents. However, maybe to offset those talents, there are some less than wonderful abilities that they also have.
David doesn't move at more than one mph. He expends no extra energy or effort, no more than necessary. A fifteen minute chore can easily become a two hour ordeal, complete with bathroom breaks and liquid refreshments to sustain him. Motivating him proves to be difficult because I haven't found the thing to get his butt in gear -- I've tried removing the video game systems, the computer, TV time, playing with friends in the neighborhood, grounding him altogether, cleaning his room when he's at his dad's and not giving him his stuff back (it goes up on eBay, so I can't give it back), and on and on. He's not malicious or sneaky, he just doesn't really care. And since he's only here half the time, I know I can cave although I try not to.
He reads at 9th grade level. He has great retention and understanding. He reads 45-60 minutes every night. Every night. But he chose not to write down what he's been reading in his reading log. So, in four weeks of the last quarter of the school year, he was sporting a 32% in reading.
Now while I don't expect straight A's, I do expect an effort. I laid down the law. After verifying that it was possible, I told him I expected nothing less than an A on his report card. Anything less would result in the loss of Y Summer Camp and the two sports day camps we had talked about for this summer. And I didn't want daily updates and I told him I wasn't going to check in with his teacher either. His responsibility, not mine.
I asked his dad to meet me when school was dismissed so we could both see the report card and resulting reading grade. That way, we could get it all out of the way at the same time. When David came around the corner, I could tell that he hadn't opened the report card.
He had brought just about everything home earlier in the week. He was carrying one folder, a pencil bag and his yearbook. Out of the folder, he produced his report card and handed it to me. The reading grade was toward the top of the page, neon lights couldn't have it made it jump out at me more than it already did: B-.
David seemed genuinely confused. He said he knew the grade wasn't an A, but he was expecting a B+.
My head went into Mom processing mode -- no summer camp, no basketball or lacrosse camp. Overall, it was a great report card, all A's and B's. And while I felt bad for him, I knew what I had said and I had to stick to it, otherwise, my words would have zero effect on him, even less than they do now.
And then, he stuck a wrench into it all.
David begins to hand me his yearbook, and as I reach for it, he hands it to his dad instead. Then he says, " Hey Mom, I've got something else to show you." It looked like a certificate, which had me confused since the awards ceremony was earlier in the week. He had received a couple of awards, for band and choir, and recognition for being on the 5th Grade basketball team. But academic achievements were only recognized in the middle school at the ceremony. Not in the 5th grade.
I read aloud, "Presented to David Ybarra, for overall academic achievement in the 2005-2006 school year, this recognition of his standing on the High Honor Roll, made this day, June 2, 2006."
Still in Mom processing mode, my head begins to ache -- not just Honor Roll, High Honor Roll, above a 3.5 GPA, he managed to achieve that with all the extracurricular stuff, band, choir, Cub Scouts, basketball, lacrosse, oh sure, he's only in fifth grade, it can't count that much, right?, after all, he's not trying to get into Harvard in two years, I need him to see that this is a big deal, that not just the school is recognizing him for his work, but I think it's a big deal, too, but how big do I go?, do I rule it enough to overrule my earlier edict? -- oh my head.
Larry pulled me aside and asked if I was going to make my original request stick. I told him I was going to have to think abou it. His scheduled summer camp is still over a month away; I told him I would think about it while we were on vacation and I would let him know when we get back.
David doesn't know I'm rethinking my original decision. I'll have a week to kick it around while I'm on the beach!
I am blessed with two intelligent kids. This isn't motherly pride, both David and Mackenzie have been blessed with some amazing talents. However, maybe to offset those talents, there are some less than wonderful abilities that they also have.
David doesn't move at more than one mph. He expends no extra energy or effort, no more than necessary. A fifteen minute chore can easily become a two hour ordeal, complete with bathroom breaks and liquid refreshments to sustain him. Motivating him proves to be difficult because I haven't found the thing to get his butt in gear -- I've tried removing the video game systems, the computer, TV time, playing with friends in the neighborhood, grounding him altogether, cleaning his room when he's at his dad's and not giving him his stuff back (it goes up on eBay, so I can't give it back), and on and on. He's not malicious or sneaky, he just doesn't really care. And since he's only here half the time, I know I can cave although I try not to.
He reads at 9th grade level. He has great retention and understanding. He reads 45-60 minutes every night. Every night. But he chose not to write down what he's been reading in his reading log. So, in four weeks of the last quarter of the school year, he was sporting a 32% in reading.
Now while I don't expect straight A's, I do expect an effort. I laid down the law. After verifying that it was possible, I told him I expected nothing less than an A on his report card. Anything less would result in the loss of Y Summer Camp and the two sports day camps we had talked about for this summer. And I didn't want daily updates and I told him I wasn't going to check in with his teacher either. His responsibility, not mine.
I asked his dad to meet me when school was dismissed so we could both see the report card and resulting reading grade. That way, we could get it all out of the way at the same time. When David came around the corner, I could tell that he hadn't opened the report card.
He had brought just about everything home earlier in the week. He was carrying one folder, a pencil bag and his yearbook. Out of the folder, he produced his report card and handed it to me. The reading grade was toward the top of the page, neon lights couldn't have it made it jump out at me more than it already did: B-.
David seemed genuinely confused. He said he knew the grade wasn't an A, but he was expecting a B+.
My head went into Mom processing mode -- no summer camp, no basketball or lacrosse camp. Overall, it was a great report card, all A's and B's. And while I felt bad for him, I knew what I had said and I had to stick to it, otherwise, my words would have zero effect on him, even less than they do now.
And then, he stuck a wrench into it all.
David begins to hand me his yearbook, and as I reach for it, he hands it to his dad instead. Then he says, " Hey Mom, I've got something else to show you." It looked like a certificate, which had me confused since the awards ceremony was earlier in the week. He had received a couple of awards, for band and choir, and recognition for being on the 5th Grade basketball team. But academic achievements were only recognized in the middle school at the ceremony. Not in the 5th grade.
I read aloud, "Presented to David Ybarra, for overall academic achievement in the 2005-2006 school year, this recognition of his standing on the High Honor Roll, made this day, June 2, 2006."
Still in Mom processing mode, my head begins to ache -- not just Honor Roll, High Honor Roll, above a 3.5 GPA, he managed to achieve that with all the extracurricular stuff, band, choir, Cub Scouts, basketball, lacrosse, oh sure, he's only in fifth grade, it can't count that much, right?, after all, he's not trying to get into Harvard in two years, I need him to see that this is a big deal, that not just the school is recognizing him for his work, but I think it's a big deal, too, but how big do I go?, do I rule it enough to overrule my earlier edict? -- oh my head.
Larry pulled me aside and asked if I was going to make my original request stick. I told him I was going to have to think abou it. His scheduled summer camp is still over a month away; I told him I would think about it while we were on vacation and I would let him know when we get back.
David doesn't know I'm rethinking my original decision. I'll have a week to kick it around while I'm on the beach!
Cabo San Lucas, Here We Come!!
We leave tomorrow bright and early! I wasn't terribly excited about our trip, but now that it's here, I can't wait. It's going to be an early day tomorrow, so it's an early post tonight. I'll post again when we get back (June 11), but that will probably be brief as the kitchen gets gutted the day after we get back. Spent today packing for both the trip and the remodel, boarding pets, and getting things ready.
It's going to be a wonderful trip, I know. I'll share when I get back!
It's going to be a wonderful trip, I know. I'll share when I get back!
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