a life beyond running shoes.

but i finished the LA marathon last sunday morning while my family sat in church. i can honestly say i am was not sure that i would have but sweet friend, T, pulled me through every step of that blasted marathon!!! we were shooting for a 4:30 (4 hours and 30 minutes) finish time. mom and dennis took us to the start (traffic to dodger stadium will be another post). we got to the starting line 3 minutes before the gun went off.  we were behind the corrals where the handy dandy pace groups were situated.  somewhere in there we passed the 4:45 group.  then somewhere in there we managed to pass the 4:30 group.  i was pretty darn pleased with us.  we were feeling good.  mom and dennis saw us at miles 6....  then saw us at mile 12...... then saw us at mile 17...... where i know i was not feeling good and was starting to worry that with over an hour and a half left to the race, i would not be able to finish.   then the 4:30 pace grou...

we had a great thanksgiving with my mother-in-law in town.  we visited "the city" on the best weather day of  her visit.  we feasted with friends and had my new niece come visit.  we took her to a local brewery. i also trained and ran my first half marathon on this coast.  i got  my personal best time!!! 2:10 guess all that backyard circuit training we are doing really might be making a me a stronger runner.  and of course threw in some advent wreath making!!  merry christmas!!!

was full..... we had a passover meal and a good friday service. it was delightful. then an easter morning with egg hunts and friends over for lunch. can't complain at all.  strange not to celebrate with our normal brooklyn crew or a house full after service but still quite able to celebrate a risen savior. and a side note, i ran a 5K over the weekend and got my fastest time yet (28:27) for a new PR..... there was even a hill in there. i was actually second in my age group. that is just crazy! 

okay friends.... i have a had a great group to run with.  i have always had awesome running partners...... but never a full group.  when we are all there (which is seldom), there are eight including me. i will miss this group.  and yes, i might find others to run with in california but none like this.   so i came up with some adjectives (and specific definition that suited) for each since it is such a funny, strange, awesome, random combination of individuals...... i have enjoyed every lap, mile, and conversation. thank you for letting me join your group. you were a balm to my wounded soul...... MS - GRACE (a temporary immunity or exemption; a reprieve). it was (is) so nice to rest in your gentle spirit. in you i found a reprieve. CS - HONEST (not false or misleading; genuine). you are refreshing, straightforward, and a faithful companion. in you there is no guile. SS - UNDAUNTED (resolutely courageous). you gospel orient the group with your bo...

unless you are the 25 year old running in front of me wearing hot pants and a really tight hot pink racing shirt with a rear-end you could bounce a quarter off of..... then yes, i am competitive because i really , really wanted to pass her. i ran a 5K today.  i was telling myself that i was just out there to have fun....nope, i had a goal. i got to run with two of the ladies from the early-morning running group.  it is so much nicer to run with people than by myself...... and yet.... i left them at mile 2 to see if i could push myself to the finish. it was flat and i had the straight shot to the end.  i got a PR (personal record)! it felt so good..... 29:20. YEAH, me!!! what a fun way to end the thanksgiving weekend. it was a full weekend, full of lots of family. i got time with all my in-laws...plus some of my side of the family. my mom & her hubbie joined us in florida and got to spend some time with all her grandbabies. what a ...

holy cow. i did my first trail run here in florida....actually, my first trail run ever. i should have considered the 5K but went for the 13.1 (half marathon distance). again, what was i thinking. it was hot. it was complicated (roots, sand, rocks, terrain). it was hot.... did i say that. my running group runs in the dark...that means, no matter what the high of the day is... it is much cooler than during the day.  this run was during daylight....mistake number 1. a trail run..... mistake number 2. here is what i was thinking: something new, something challenging, something unique, something different. unfortunately....and i have to admit for the first 8 miles, it was kind of fun.  it was different country side, unique terrain, fun people. and then i hit mile 9. i was struggling.... i hit the water stop at 9.75 and actually considered turning in my bib number and walking to the finish line.... there was a 3 mile loop and then and half ...

but i entered a raffle..... a contest....in 135 characters or less "why i want to run the ING NYC marathon 2012." here is what i wrote: i became a wife, a mother, a homeowner, and a runner in brooklyn. we lost a job and moved. i wanna come home and run.  i think that about summarized it. i have been running a lot since here in florida.  the weather is warmer to say the least.  i miss the fall leaves, i have to admit.... but i am still running in shorts. i could be bothered that it means i still have to shave my legs but i will try and enjoy the camaraderie that i am finding early in the morning.  it is a consistent and faithful group. every morning someone is there. i am thankful. so while i have been running more, i have been reading less. homeschooling has drastically diminished my time for reading..... sigh. i am hoping that i can finish my current read before christmas. happy reading & running, friends. 11/09 update: ...

two books from last month.... see, i am behind. having so much summer fun, i just have not sat down to blog all about it. shocking!! the dew breaker . by edwidge danticat she uses the history of haiti and immigration to new york as the backdrop for this collection of vignettes that are all tied together. it is like reading eight short stories that are all linked together.... there was only one that i was thoroughly confused on how it connected. this is where i am thankful for my book club to enlighten me.... and help me appreciate a good haiitan fish cake. i think part of why i loved this book is the connection to my own neighborhood of brooklyn. the streets i walk, the neighbors i pass, could all have been part of this story..... strides: running through history with an unlikely athlete . by benjamin cheever. okay.... i am a nerd. i am also on a reading about running kick. cheever sort of goes through the history of running. but i can't say it is complete or thorough. it is...

if you run, you are a runner. it doesn't matter how fast or how far. it doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. there is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. you just run. -- john bingham disclaimer, i did not READ these two books.... i skimmed them. but i have changed the way i run. it is crazy. it is a bit like following alice down the rabbit hole. i am not kidding. i am a little obsessed. poor little bit has had to watch more than just a few you*tube videos on all of this. barefoot running . he is an advocate of barefoot living.... but as it relates to my post born to run running life.... he is in agreement regarding the forefoot strike. since i don't plan on running barefoot (often), it was a bit too much for me in terms of how to strengthen up my feet. but the take away is about posture, strike placement, and some toe & foot strengthening exercises. chi running . using methods and philosop...

i ran the brooklyn half marathon today. finally, a day with no rain..... but only after a fully water logged week. in terms of race prep, it made me nervous not to have a week of any miles. but i got up early... well, normal early for a running day. walked three-fourths o f a mile to the bus. ran into a few folks i knew..... but then found my corral.... and waited for the start. i hate standing around at the start of a race by myself. i feel self-conscious. i start analyzing my training... i start to psyche myself out. no good. i was missing stef this morning. this was my first brooklyn half without her. it was also my first brooklyn half running the opposite way. we started in the park. did a full two loops (which means i met the hill twice). ran down ocean parkway. turned on surf avenue and finished on coney island's boardwalk. i had a great race. i found someone i knew and ran with her and her friend from mile 1 - 9. that made all the difference. at mile 9, i...

i read this book in a few days.... what to do with it now will take forever to figure out. i mean, running barefoot... that is crazy talk. born to run . christopher mcdougall how do i even begin..... it is fascinating, if nothing else. it might totally be nuts. or he might be just enough genius to be right. i have no idea. i don't know enough. just the story of the ultra-runners was so fascinating. those people are nuts. and the journey is full of such characters.... and they are real people. but i can tell you i have been googling him and this line of thinking ever since i finished the book. and i bought it for my dad and brother. there. that is endorsement if ever i've had one.... especially since in my "green" moments, i am all about the library. i mean, i really have to want a book OR i must be really behind in requesting it from the library for my next book club meeting.... and here i went and ordered two copies of the same book. maybe i just want someone e...

by kristin armstrong. i like her. i love her blog.... and her book is just a long blog post. i always feel like i can relate... she is accessible, honest, funny, self-deprecating in an appropriate and human sort of way.... and she loves running....for so many reasons: for health, for mental sanity, for camaraderie, for space, peace, and well-being, for the challenge.... and while the book itself can be redundant and things don't connect linearly.... i loved it. it was far superior to the other running book i read earlier this year... it was more personal without being trite. i love her perspective... and wish i was in her running group. it did make me miss stef terribly.... and cause me to evaluate every woman running at 6:15 in the morning as a potential running partner..... but i loved how it challenged me to consider challenging myself more as a runner.... since i am one. and i was sad when it was over, almost like i had gained a running friend for a brief moment in time.......

run like a mother: how to get moving -- and not lose your family, job, or sanity. by dimity mcdowell and sarah bowen shea. i have to admit, i wanted more from this book, not sure what.... it was cute. a bit funny. mostly anecdotal....with a few running tips thrown in. and more than a few endorsements for running skirts. i might be convince to get one this summer. i did laugh. for that i am thankful to have spent 26 (.2) chapters with these authors. but my overall impression was that this would have been a very good article in runner's world. i think the pitch to make it a full 200 page book made the information too thin..... but that could be because i am a runner and some of the information was not new...... but if i was just starting out as a runner.... i think this might have been perfect for me...but that sounds really elitist of me..... there was some good stuff in there....helpful, funny, relevant. i did appreciate many of the quotes from other mothers and also the reality th...

dear sole sister, thank you for joining me on my journey in becoming a runner. the journey of discovering how to do something for myself..... something that challenges me..... frees me..... you were my pavement pounding partner during my discovery that i am a runner; that it really is something i do. thank you for being a wonderful friend.... counselor.... listener..... encourager..... pacer..... leader.... supporter..... training partner...... confidante..... friend. we met and i was not yet a fully actualized mom..... prego and therefore a mom, but not fully actualized...... in six and a half years, you have traversed some of my most major milestones ....... 3 babies, 4 apartments, parents getting married, parent dying, grief, silly anecdotes, identity crisis, depression, contentment, relief, humor...... and then there are the running milestones....... 3 half marathons, 1 full marathon, 15k, 5 milers, a personal best mile time.......and many, many, many, many loops around the par...

our first time to go and engage the macy's day parade..... we saw them blowing up the balloons. done and done. my family thinks we can mark it off our "new york to do" list. i vote we try again in about five years. turkey trot. my fastest race ever!!!! 5 miles - 47:10 stef and i rocked it!!! turkeys fried. table set. napkins sewed. wine poured. tiramisu eaten. advent begun: three days ago we celebrated the beginning of advent. tree decorated wreath made. charlie brown christmas soundtrack playing. as with every year, i try and figure out how to make this season more theological than material... more about the what....or actually the who. in the church calendar this season is marked by the color purple. (and this year g'ma sewed the church vestments.... all weekend) we have a christmas tree with purple lights and purple ornaments. we light the purple candle this week. we will take down the purple ornaments the week before christmas and put up all of our ...

it was awesome!! sometimes i make the caveat by say, "as much as 26.2 miles can be." the honest truth is that it really was awesome. i had a blast. i woke up around 5 am.... the alarm was not set to go off until 5:30. my brother was actually awake as well. we just laid there talking to each other until the alarm. he showered..... i prepped: peanut butter sandwich, protein shake, body glide, teeth, socks, hat, clothes. i had made walnut bran blueberry pancakes (recipe from runner's world) to bring while we were standing around.... packed those in my sweatshirt i planned on tossing when the race started. we got downstairs around 6 and met dad & lois (our designated documentarian). we were only a few blocks away from union station to catch the metro. we were all pretty excited. we got to the pentagon before the sun was up! the 10 minute walk to the actual start felt longer than it was partially due to nerves and my need to use the potty! i ate my pancakes while i wait...

week total: 7 miles. training is over! now it is race time. i have already packed my bag. i don't leave for two days but i am ready. last weekend i was starting to get really nervous. then i had a shift of perspective. i will remember this weekend for the rest of my life. ...and it will have NOTHING to do with what time i cross the finish line. my dad, brother, and i are running this together. we are going to take tons of pictures. we are making memories. we are going to have a blast..... and run a marathon in the midst of it. i am hoping for a good race. a great race would be awesome. but a terrible race wouldn't change the absolute gift that this weekend is going to be!!! i am totally excited!!!

long run: 6.6 miles i was supposed to do 8 but i was late meeting stef. i got stuck behind the garbage truck and then behind 3 school buses. since i didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn, i forgot that i was going to have to contend with traffic. weather was spectacular. two loops, some good conversation, and easy legs. it was a fabulous run. week total: 14.3 this time next week, i will be packed and be going to bed early. it is hard to believe that the race is a week away. it is hard to believe that i have done all the hard work. it is hard to believe that what i thought i could not do (train), i have done. now i just have to run the race. simple..... right?!

taper: to diminish or lessen gradually. long run: 11.6 miles it was chilly this morning. it was 51 degrees at 6:30 but it was the 20 - 30 mph gust of wind that caused to wear my ear band. my ears always get cold. i wore too many clothes but never really shed my outer layer. i guess i wasn't really that over dressed. week total: 15.6 miles i guess my normal three times a week run has diminished to two. hopefully this upcoming week, i can get three in. my legs have been tired this week so i have really tried not to push but have tried to push myself to at least get out there. only 15 days to go!

spectacular weather this past week. i hit my highs and lows of training. long run: 20 miles week total: 32.85 recovery from my 18 miler last week was slow but i did some stretching and yoga before i hit the sidewalks with the jog stroller for the first time in this training process. my high was my speed work. i did 5 one-mile-repeats and hit a first in the fast mile division. i didn't have anything left at the end of that mile but i was not dying. a narrow division but significant. long run today was my all time low for training. i really had not given myself enough recovery time between these two long runs but i wanted to get the distance in.... i got it in. if i could have quit at mile 13, i would have! thank you stef for telling me stories from mile 13 - 18. and tiffany, thanks for the company for miles 6 - 12. i was at least conversational still....poor stef got no conversation. i really could not have done this alone....any of it. thanks for all those who have run with me ...