Sometimes you need to mix it up. I should have mixed it up a bit this past Sunday, but instead I ran on the same old trail. No matter which part of the trail I park my van at, it is still the same old trail. 12 miles of Ho-hum! The only excitement was running into an old friend along the way. We caught up a bit on eachother’s running and then continued on our merry ways (in the rain). Okay, so the rain changed things a little. I also did it as a 3:1 workout finishing strong with the last 3 miles at a faster pace (< 8:00/mile) to add some needed variety. When I was a kid, I used to complain about the lack of variety in our nightly meals at home. Hamburger, chicken, potpies...(repeat). Meatloaf must have been a frequent meal on his childhood menu. I used to hear him complain about it. Well tonight, I took a chance, and made meatloaf. Mine, however, was made out of turkey meat. I served it with red potatoes, asparagus, and some gravy. Tom took one look at the meatloaf, asked what it was and laughed when I told him what it was. He laughed long and hard. But the family ate the light colored meatloaf and the even liked it. As I think about my 20-mile run for this weekend, I need to consider driving a bit farther for it. I am contemplating a run somewhere where the run is more difficult, but also more scenic. I need to keep my enthusiasm for my training. The final 4 weeks of my training might as well be enjoyable as well as challenging.
Don’t Let the Fun Stop
If you’ve trained for a marathon, or any other big event, before you will know what I am talking about when I say that I don’t want it to end. I’ve been training since January 1st and am now 4 weeks away from my 10th marathon. While I am excited about running Grandma’s Marathon, I also recognize that after the marathon there is a feeling of loss. It’s when you say to yourself, “now what?” It’s not about how well you do in the race itself; it’s just that your running from that point on lacks the same focus – until you sign up for something else.
I thought about this phenomenon today as I watched BoBo’s team play the first game of the final season tournament. They are a great team. All of the boys have talent that they lend to the team. Today, however, the teamwork just wasn’t there. Balls were dropping, strike outs were happening, and innings were ending with runners left stranded on the bases. It was a sad day for the players, the coaches, and the parents watching.
I remembered, when the season was starting, wondering how on earth I would find the time to make the time for consistent, focused training AND be supportive at BoBo & YaYa’s baseball games. In baseball season the saying “Baseball IS life” takes on a litteral meaning. Now, it is months later and I don’t want the fun to stop. I love watching the kids play. I love the sun and the seeds and even the challenge of fitting it all in. Please boys, play your hardest…don’t let the fun stop now.
Baseball in the rain (for YaYa)
Can you believe it. It’s pouring down rain and my 7 year old is out playing a baseball game! The rain stopped by the time I returned from home with a sweatshirt for under his uniform. Then I had to practically wrestle him to get it on. And he was soaking wet.
Now, the final score of the game tonight was 19:8 and *we* had the 8 but the game was GREAT anyhow.
Picture this:
It’s the last inning and the other team is at bat. The bases are loaded. Our pitcher has hit his pitch maximum (40) and there are two outs. They call YaYa (MY son) to the mound.
As he is warming up, the pitches are going wildly ALL OVER. I hear the other team’s 3rd base coach say to the runner that “it’s a good thing that there is a 5 run rule.”
Happy Mother’s Day!
YaYa sat on the floor, leaning against my dresser, quietly playing his Game-Boy. I was half-asleep feeling the effects of a night of very little sleep. I was unable to sleep due to the right side of my neck/shoulder being sore. Tom eased the trauma of waking up with a cup of coffee that he brought to me in bed. Then YaYa asked if it was time for him to bring me the Mother’s Day present that he made for me in school.
He carried in a small pot with a white paper bag covering the contents of the bag. I’d seen it when I picked him up on Friday – hinting, “do you have EVERYTHING?” He had said yes, but something was missing. The bags were lined up on top of the cubbies with “MOM” written on them. I asked him if he was sure, “Perhaps you made something in school?” That got his attention. He went back in and retrieved the bag. It was the one that I had admired, with the pink and green crayon drawing of a girl. “She is running,” he explained
I pulled off the bag and discovered a little plant (possibly basil) and a lovely card made with watercolors. Inside the card he wrote:
Dear Mom,
I appreciate all that you do for me, like you look out for me. Another thing that I appreciate about you is I love you. The most important thing that I like about you is that you love me.
Recovering My Losses
I’ve spent the past two days getting used to the fact that I might not be able to run my marathon after the accident. The back pain was lingering and I was fearful that my old disc injury from my last pregnancy my have been awakened. I began calling and emailing to find out my options. Things were not sounding all that good.
Marathon fees: no refund, no transfer of registration.
Airfare: Non-refundable w/$100 charge to re-book within 90 days
Hotel: Cancel by June 1st without penalty
Time and costs of training: lost
I finally saw the doctor on Wednesday. He did an exam, x-rays, and checked my urine to rule out kidney injury. The good news is that nothing is broken. My muscles are in spasm and the effect is that they are yanking on my spine and causing an abnormal curve.
The doctor admitted not knowing enough about marathon running to be able to tell me if I’d be able to run my marathon in June. He said that when I felt okay, that I could give running a try and see what happened. He cautioned to start out slow and stressed the importance of listening to my body. He couldn’t tell me when I would feel okay enough to give it a try. So I walked 1 1/2 miles to pick up YaYa from school. I’m icing and taking 800 mg Ibuprofen. I am going to have some body work done by a sports therapist and see what she thinks about my return to training. After that, I’ll just have to see what happens.