a life beyond running shoes.

what a glorious day!!!! holy cow - sunny, 50 degrees, and stef was wearing shorts!!! we got a late start cuz stef has the day off - what a day to enjoy being outside.....it is supposed to be around 65 today! wow - can it be true - is spring really here? i'm not convinced yet. a thought about the camaraderie of running. it is indicative to me that i enjoy the partnership of it almost as much because we finish running and stand around talking for 10 minutes because we aren't finished catching up. stef even continued her story ALL the way up the hill.... no pause button this morning. now the stories aren't always about the high points of life, just as sometimes runs can really be a challenge even when it is the same course that you ran the day before but for some reason it is just tougher that day..... while our run was pretty easy, the tales were the challenge of the day. last week it was mine, today stef's. i'm glad i don't run alone - nor walk through life...

today's run was just a normal run around the park with one small twist - we went the opposite way. molly met me a bit after our normal time, so there were more people out than normal - plus it is getting warmer (no jacket, no gloves, no hat!!!). well i brought savannah with me so that micah could have "dad" time not involving the stroller. well, i had this brilliant idea to try running the opposite way. what was i thinking...... poor molly. her stories about her trip to LA were continuously being interrupted dodging people (we were going against the flow), dodging cars, and oncoming bikers. what an annoying run it was. it was great to hear about her trip - i an envious of her tix to the KCRW show featuring death cab & surprise guest franz ferdinand. we did get excited about the queens half marathon that is at the end of april - she has a car and is wiling to drive!!!! that rules out the subway which was the major deterrent in my wanting to run it - you take th...

as i pound the pavement this morning with savannah leading (or dragging) me on, i consider again that terminology of "runner." am i one? i mean it is 6:45AM on a saturday morning, i was out the three previous nights, i am tired, yet here i am doing 7 miles on a cloudy, chilly morning (40 degrees). so it was just me and savannah after a hard week. jesus was very kind to me this week as i struggled with my loneliness, my sadness, and my stubbornness. he was kind to meet me in all of it. he was a gracious father who loved this wounded child. this is part of what i was thinking about as i ran this morning - the comfort of god that was very real to me this week. to compliment my own struggle was the great joy and anticipation of a friend's potential adoption going through this very weekend. god truly does have perfect timing and i am so apt to forget that or even trivialize it. how small of me & how big is He! i also thought about my sister's wedding that i...

i'm not at the point yet to where i am craving the pavement, but i am still working on getting out of my hole, so for 3.5 miles, stef was my counselor. we did the park loop -a sunny and chilly 35 degrees. not a bad run but we were both kind of sluggish. i think we are both still working out the kinks from saturday - i know i am. when we hit that hill though, we could not help but recount what it was like five days earlier after ten miles. i can't say it was all the much easier today...... i am seeing the light at the top of my hole, so i think i am almost out of it. perhaps a run tomorrow might do the trick..... maybe a few psalms to relate to david and some quiet time praying.....that might help too. perhaps a concert & some shopping tonight might help as well. "a mighty fortress is our god, a bulwark never failing; our helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing."

i needed this mornings run for both my body and my head. i got some sad news about a friend on sunday and just wanted to crawl into a hole and hibernate. thankfully molly called to run! i am so glad for partners! molly and i rant the park in the chilly sunshine. it is not windy today though which makes the 27 degrees more tolerable. i know what you are thinking - how can 27 degrees EVER be tolerable, but it is. since i know myself, i'll have to recruit stef for thursday to make sure that i don't try and crawl back in the hole this week.

We clean up real nice!!!! My awesome cheering section that braved the wind and cold! now that i have had a day to ponder what i actually accomplished, i am more thankful for my "team" and for my support system. i could not have made it to the start line much less the finish without these folks. thanks!!!!

WE DID IT!!!!! yes, i think we rock!!!! 13.1 miles in 30 degree weather WITH wind in our face..... quite the accomplishment, for sure. let's start with the morning: janna woke at 5AM, stef at 5:30, myself at 6:15. little boy made a peep about two minutes before my alarm went off. proceed with peanut butter toast, grab bag, head for subway. as i am getting my metrocard out - i hear the train - start the sprint, get through turnstile, run down stairs, through the doors, sit down, sigh of relief as doors close, and we head the wrong direction - ARGH!!!! get out next stop, run to the other side and hope that stef & barb (member of our awesome cheering section) didn't have to miss a train to wait for me. luckily, the next train is only a two minute wait. as with savvy new yorkers, stef & i have coordinated how to get on the same car of the same train as a way of meeting up. funny note, almost everyone on that train (and it was kind of full for 6:45AM) had on running...

i didn't think i would run the park this week with the race coming up - easy week, steady on the treadmill....blah, blah, blah. but molly called and said she was good to run this morning. at 5AM when little boy got a bottle i was thinking that it would be okay if it was raining this morning and we just couldn't get out there. alas, it was not raining....cloudy, but not rainy. we met at the 9th street entrance and started along. it was a good run despite the rain on the other side of the park. molly is a bit faster than my other gals, but it was awesome to connect over life stories and pavement. ohio meets california in brooklyn over 3.3 miles. thanks for the push, molly! four days 'til race day!!!

in some vain attempt to increase my speed and keep up with janna & stef, i have been trying to do some speed workouts. obviously i have not done any since i started this blog. wake up call at 6:00 AM - diaper emergency. after making sure that the bottle stayed down, i headed out to the YMCA for some half mile repeats on the treadmill plus MTV & VH1 - almost my running heaven (except when both stations are playing the Pussycat Dolls). i did 6 X 800 - translation - six half mile repeats at just around a 10 minute mile with a 2 minute walk in between plus a warm-up and cool-down. supposedly it is suppose to be my 5K pace but since i don't know that i shoot for 10 minute miles. maybe one day i can keep up with my mom :) race day is five days away!!!!

11 miles!!!! 60 degree weather - is it spring? no - just a foretaste, that's all. but for us gals it was a fabulous run. janna struggled there at the end but i think the game of extreme frogger mixed with a bit of follow the leader helped us all get through those last two miles. we met at stef's work and headed up to central park (21 street & broadway over to 8th avenue up to 59th street) and then did the six mile loop. who would of thought that our main obstacles would be pedestrian traffic - only in new york. the park was FULL today of joggers, bladers, sun bathers, the works. everyone else in the city seemed to revel in the sun as much as we did. the back side of the park, near the lasker rink, was awesome. quiet and cool - just enough to help us get through the other half. upon our exit of the park we followed our route back - this is where the games really began. we each got points for breaking out into the lead - janna & stef won even though we didn...

well it was not the aggressive training week that i had hoped for, but life sometimes just happens. i did get in 4 miles this morning around the park with a bit extra tacked on at the end. might i say that savannah is a terrible pace setter but the weather was amazing!!! sunny and 51 degrees - i was actually warm in my tank top & long sleeve shirt. i even pulled up my sleeves - imagine that - and the wind acted as a breeze versus a wind chill factor. it was a nice run that only makes me long for spring. micah has been sick most of the week with a tummy thing and fever. running just takes a back burner to cuddling with a precious little sick boy. through keeping the washing machines going constantly and just trying to get liquids down him, i opted for couch time with my little snuggler. i think my long run is still planned for tomorrow with janna & stef.

well, it was a sunny day around 32 degrees. stef & janna met me half way into the first mile... janna was cranky pants this morning. i think the hardest part of any run is just getting out the door. stef & i both had a rough night of sleep. perhaps i was too consumed with how dumb president logan is from "24" to get any good sleep. the hill felt easier today - probably because we weren't doing it three times!!! there was a small part of me that wanted to keep running with them and try and get in 4 miles instead of our normal 3.5, but john did have a full day planned and needed to get going. i think i am a bit consumed with trying to train really hard this week since the race is looming out there. our conversation have turned to race day logistics as we talked about our potential cheering section. we also talked about our long run this weekend - possibly in central park with forecasted 60 degree weather - i guess janna will have to run naked as to not overheat...

well, that was a tough ten miles!!! three times around the park which means we did that stupid hill three stinkin' times. while it was a glorious 45 degrees, sunny, and gorgeous - let me inform you that the wind sucked!!!! it really was horrible especially as we hit the hill and realized that we were running into the wind. boy, i am glad that it is over. okay, so janna i met stef a quarter into the first loop. i was struggling with my breathing and then stef and i struggled between being cold and warm - janna (miss hotbox) struggled through the last loop. stef and i finally hit the zone on the last hill - it was about stinkin' time with only half a mile to go. we finished strong and relieved. the race is TWO weeks away!!!! oh boy!!!!

while this won't be about my long run that may or may not happen today - it is about micah's first swim class. again, today must start with a bit about last night. we did the couple thing and went out with matt & deb to an amazing eating experience. we did the chef's choice five course meal with wine pairings. it was a tasty and fabulous experience. while i was not a fan of most of the wines, it was amazing how they went with the foods. my favorite course had to be the dessert course with the warm sticky date pudding - YUM!!! all of that to say it was another late night which leads to a sluggish morning. but, micah was in great form as we got into the pool with all the other pre-walkers. absolutely adorable..... i think he rather enjoyed himself until it came time to lay back and put part of his head in the water. not a big fan. he is quite brave when it comes to jumping into mommy's arms from the side of the pool, but again not a big fan of trying to get an...

today's run has everything to do with last night's outing. sandhya and i actually ventured out of the slope, past my 9:30 bedtime, and out to the lower east side for a kick ass show - Rob Dickinson, formerly of The Catherine Wheel. despite the painful Dovemen, the show was unbelievable!!!! Well that lent itself to a very late bedtime and that brings us to my run this morning..... sluggish. i opted for the elliptical machine due to a twinge in the knee and did a slow 3.5 miles. i am just logging miles and hoping my knee will not be a problem for the long run on saturday. as micah and i were heading out of the YMCA, the snow begin to peacefully & gracefully coat our walk home reassuring me that an indoor run was the way to go today (even though it is warmer than it was on tuesday). happy running!

Stef and I ran the park today - a quick 3.5 miles. It was a glorious & sunny 23 degrees outside with just a bit of snow. Yup, that's right - there was snow on the ground. It was beautiful though. Amazingly enough, we were not the only crazy ones out there. We really enjoy our runs cuz it keeps us up to date on the stories of our live, but we always ends up getting to the middle of Stef's story just as we are heading up the hill. Today was a great run and the company always makes the distance managable. We were missing Janna this morning, but she and Stef will probably get a run in on Thrusday without me since I have a late night scheduled for Wednesday (Rob Dickinson!!!!).