Excellent Week of Running

This past week was spring break, so there was no preschool for Isaac. I thought my running may suffer a bit. Happily, I was dead wrong! On Monday we dusted off my running stroller and headed to the Olive Branch City Park just before a major rainstorm. I had forgotten how hilly it is over there. Plus, pushing a 35-pound boy is no easy feat, even on flat ground. We got the job done, albeit slowly.

On Tuesday, thanks to a quirky flight plan for Chasen, we all loaded up and headed to my hometown, Little Rock. Isaac and I planned to stay for two days as Chasen jetted off to California for work. We stayed with my old pal Jennifer.

Isaac investigates a small tractor parked at her condo lawn. Cute, huh?

I had concerns with accomplishing my training runs while away, but Jennifer assured me that they would happen. Bless her!

On both Wednesday and Thursday we headed to the Big Dam Bridge. It's HUGE.

Isaac did not sleep well in LR, thus neither did I. But I was determined to have some fun. And so we did! We went to eat at a few of my favorite places, and we visited the Museum of Discovery. Finally - somewhere Isaac can go and touch everything.

Here we are learning about gravity. Very cool stuff!

Here we are learning about sound waves - and doesn't my 8-month-old hair color rock?

He was less impressed with learning about light and colors, I must say. But he tried.

Playing with electricity -- right up his little daredevil alley.

He stayed at this magnetic maze for longer than any other display. Very hands on!

On Tuesday afternoon we headed to the Big Dam Bridge. I was to run for 40 minutes. I went all the way up and over twice, plus a bit more to accomplish that, I think. Hills, hills, hills. Sweet Jennifer strolled Isaac all over the place while I was running. He loved to look at the boats, cranes, geese, etc.

Here we are post run. Isaac is sporting his new Razorbacks cap.

And back down we go! It is a very popular place.

We went back to the bridge first thing the next day so I could walk four miles. Jennifer again tended to Isaac so I could cover the miles. But I did have to push him down and up once for a potty break and - HOLY COW! - pushing him on that bridge was some serious resistance training. Thank you, Jennifer!

We departed that day. And I immediately began catching up on all of the sleep Isaac didn't let me get while away from home. Know why? I had to prep for a 20-miler!

I woke this morning at 4:30 to tackle this course:

I planned to use the Galloway 30:30 method, since it seems to get rave reviews. You know what? I do believe it was my best 20-miler ever. EVER. Seriously. Chasen remarked that I didn't look bad for 20 miles at all. Ha! I did it at 1:30 over goal marathon pace per minute, which is right on track for how Galloway recommended handling the long runs. Go me!

So this week was just incredible on the running front. I logged 29.99 miles total. I have some challenging days ahead, as Chasen is jetting off to China on Tuesday. Here goes nothin'!

Counting Down The Days

I am loving the Galloway training plan. Granted, you train for about twenty years for one race, but it fits in very nicely with my busy life. As you can see, I have lots to do!

I have to love on this growing boy ALL the time! And I must document everything on film. :)

There is always something going to at preschool to prepare for, such as Dr. Seuss Day.

So, "only" having to run for less that an hour most days is quite handy. How on earth would I otherwise get to my chiropractor and optometrist appointments?

Seriously, though, my hip is 100%. Now I am having the chiro work on my problematic right foot. You know, the one that led me to go and get my new shoes laced in an odd way after having to go and get new orthotics after having to go to the orthopaedist about my pains. Note to self: next time just go straight to the chiro. This has been a worrisome, costly issue for four months!

My eyes cleared up just over two weeks ago. Yay! That was NO FUN. Today, however, one is flaring up again. I do believe I am turning into an old lady and I DO NOT like it. On the bright side, the eye doctor is nearby and very nice.

Two weeks ago I ran seventeen miles. It went GREAT! As I said, Galloway is awesome. I get out there and cover the distance without any worries. Walk-run is for me, I tell ya! In fact, when I do twenty miles in another week, I think I am going to try the 30:30 method. Everyone seems to rave about that.

There are 58 days until marathon #7. Yay! Chasen's fifth business trip to China is in 9 days. Boo! His sixth trip to China is in 59 days. Yep - that's right - he leaves the day after I return from the Flying Pig Marathon. No rest for the weary!

Isaac's First Dental Visit

Isaac had his first dental check-up today! I figured he'd do just fine, and I was not wrong. I am "all about the teeth," so he pretty much is, too. I talked up the visit, and he even got to go with me for my most recent dental visit. I knew he'd be interested in all of the equipment and gadgets.

Here he listens to the hygienist with Stinky Dog by his side.

I'm so proud of this big boy! He was up for the task.

First she counted his teeth and let him pick out his flavor of toothpaste.

Then she cleaned his teeth! He did not complain one bit.

He was in charge of "Mr. Thirsty" and loved using him.

All done! He was pleased with his bag of loot.

Finally the dentist came in and checked for cavities. All clear!

I am so pleased with his calm, easy-going experience. The hygienist and dentist both said that a lot of kids won't let them do "the whole job," so Isaac was a pleasant change. Have I mentioned how proud I am?

Enough Is Enough

Why does life seem to pile up on us? Ugh. Here's the story.

After Isaac's round of eye infections, which he passed on to me in one eye, I skipped my run on Wednesday because it was his birthday and he was home from school. By his bedtime I was too worn out to face Teddy Tready. So be it, life goes on. He was able to go to preschool on Thursday, so my 4-mile walk happened. By Friday my bad eye was much better! On Saturday I was only slated for four miles of speedwork. We were in much need of some quality family time, so I opted to put it off until the afternoon or evening. It didn't happen.

But I did get this cool picture of the two of us at the park, thanks to Chasen. Love it!

By Saturday evening my eye had relapsed. Ugh! It's always painful in the beginning. So I skipped church on Sunday morning to get some rest. Literally the only thing that helps the eye is being able to keep it closed, i.e. sleeping.

I was going to do those measly four miles on Sunday if it killed me, because Monday being President's Day meant no preschool (thus no easy running). I got out and was 'out for blood'. My left hip, which has been giving me fits for over a month, let me know that I just HAD to stop. Well, Ms. Hip and I had a talk and compromised to just slow down (funny how I always win). I got home and I was in such severe pain. I literally could not walk upstairs. I took a hot bath, applied Biofreeze, took ibuprofen, and I even got a bit of a massage from Chasen. Still miserable! And -- this is the kicker -- now my other eye was feeling bad. [If you're counting at home, we're up to left, left, and now right.] Calgon, take me away!

So today, President's Day, Chasen headed out to travel for work for the first time in 60 days. Isaac and I headed to his 3-year-old checkup. The good news is that he is a big, healthy boy! 90th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight. The bad news is that the pediatrician thinks he needs to have his frenulum (the membrane that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth) snipped, which is an outpatient procedure. I am NOT looking forward to that.

Isaac accompanied me to the dentist, and then this afternoon he accompanied me to the chiropractor. My hip had left me limping all day, even though it felt a tiny bit better than yesterday, so something had to be done... and I am very much pro-chiropractor. It seems that --duh!-- I was out of alignment. Get this: my left leg was shorter than my right leg! Dr. T took care of that in about five minutes, and I will return in a few days for a follow-up adjustment. Yay!

I am very proud of my big, well-mannered boy for doing such a good job going with me to doctor's appointments today. He also did great when we went to my eye doctor last week. I may be falling apart, but at least Isaac isn't stressing me out when he goes with me to see just how badly I am falling apart! And my foot, by the way, is feeling fine. Thank heaven for small favors.

I am set to run on Wednesday prior to my next adjustment. I hope I am feeling better. At least I know I'll be feeling better after the run! And hopefully my eye will clear up so I will look less like an alien. Here's hoping!

Isaac's Third Birthday

Today is my baby boy's third birthday. I'd say "Oh where has time gone?" but honestly it feels like about three years of experiences and memories. Three good years.

I set the scene last night so that he could wake up to birthday goodies. I also set my alarm for 6 AM so I could go and get him a special birthday breakfast treat.

Yes, we're all about the undies around here. Whoo hoo potty training!

He dove right into that iced donut with sprinkles. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Isaac has been home for a few days due to pink eye or some sort of eye infection, which he has now passed on to me. Generous guy, huh?!?! So we got to spend the whole day together, and it began with a trip to the eye doctor. Sure enough, I have a bacterial infection. I look like an alien. But my birthday boy doesn't care -- he was too enthralled with the idea of getting to help make his birthday cake.

He chose yellow cake over chocolate... I demand a maternity test!

After the baking there was some soccer time in the back yard with his new ball.

Oh yes he does... nearly every day.

After a morning of fun, then a nap, we got to ice his cake. He wanted blue icing, so we dyed it just so.

His eyes still look a bit swollen, but he is clear otherwise and can return to preschool.

As soon as we got done with his little cake, Chasen got home. It was time for the BIG REVEAL. You see, we opted to not have a big birthday party this year so we could spend our funds getting Isaac something he would absolutely adore... and it wasn't cheap.

My big boy got his very own battery powered tractor! This guy LOVES construction sites.

One day he will learn to steer. He's darn cute running into things, though.

After dinner it was time for cake! He wouldn't eat a single bite. :(

He really enjoyed us singing Happy Birthday and then blowing out his candles.

Here are some tractor videos. He really, really loves it. We chose wisely!

Coldest Run In History

This has been a rather busy week. Hmm... I seem to say that every week. Such is the life of a marathoner mama with an often traveling husband. A highlight of this week was getting a bit of relief from my foot pain. I decided to call my favorite running store, Breakaway Running, in Memphis. They are always very nice and helpful. They suggested I come in when possible and they'd take a look at my shoes and try to figure something out. Off I went the very next day.

With a simple, short explanation on my part, and a 'consult' with the back room, a kind gentleman laced my problem shoe in an alternative way.

Which one of these is not like the other?

I left there with the hope that maybe, just maybe, this would help me. Guess what... it did! I did another 40-minute Galloway run within a few hours and felt nearly 100%. Whoo hoo! I was quite speedy, to boot. The next day I did a 4-mile walk with some minor discomfort. Somehow walking is always harder on me, no matter what. I still felt confident to at least attempt my 15-miler on Saturday.

Saturday morning came and off I went. I set my Garmin to alert me to run 0.19 miles and walk 0.06 miles... sixty times (that's 15 miles). It was soooooo cold. Sub-freezing, extremely windy... even with snow flurries. I was underdressed, not that there is any amount of clothing that can keep a Southerner warm on a day like that. It. Was. Miserable.

By the halfway point of my out-and-back course I wanted to throw in the towel. I felt frozen solid. It was ridiculous! But somehow after I literally turned around and headed home two things happened. My foot was holding up and I actually started to feel a bit warmer and I got MAD. Mad at the weather, mad at my lack of warmer pants on my legs, mad at the wind, mad at the cold... mad at the world. I was cooking with gas then! I stopped in at a local fire station and asked to sit for a minute and warm up a little, although by that point I hardly needed it. Anger will get one's blood flowing!

I made it around 13 miles before I began to feel spent. But the beauty of the Galloway plan is that I really always had gas in the tank. Sometimes during my running stints I was clocking 10-something paces (although the average was closer to 12, I'm sure). Minus the biting cold, it was a very strong, accomplished run with only minor discomfort in my foot.

This is probably the first time in my running history that my ice bath really didn't feel like much. The ice really never melted all the way since I was a runncercicle. But I stayed in it, anyway. I feel like I ran a whole marathon: tired, sore, spent. One victory, however, was remembering to wrap my big toes in duct tape, plus some over the toenails. I got zero blisters and zero toenail soreness! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Here is the bigger winner, who has been accident free for two weeks now!

In the coming days I will be as busy as ever. I have my cottage addition that some time must be devoted to, plus I will be baking Valentine's Day cheesecakes and making chocolate covered strawberries (pre-orders only). And I have to make cupcakes two days in a row for Isaac's MDO parties because he is going to be three years old on Wednesday. Where on earth has time gone? Into my excellent memory bank, that's where. :)

Using My Time Wisely

After beginning to show signs of metatarsal area soreness in my right foot, per my last post, I decided to skip last weekend's 5-miler. It's only five miles, after all. I made the decision after running 40 minutes, per Galloway, on Wednesday and feeling soreness, I decided to skip my 4-mile walk on Thursday and the 5-mile run on Saturday. Chasen noted that my lower legs had very tight muscles throughout the weekend. Finally, on Sunday night I was given "not tight at all" status, so I decided to set out on another 40-minute journey on Monday. But how on earth did I occupy myself for all of those days off?

I had the opportunity to do a bit of architecture work. It's a rarity, so I JUMPED at the chance. A couple wants to build a detached cottage by their house with a connecting breezeway.

The cottage will go in the space just beyond the driveway.

Also, as you know, I am an amateur cheesecake baker. I donated a certificate for one of my tiered creations to a local charity event. The winning bidder requested an LSU-themed celebration.

Here is the scrumptious prize. Looks straight out of Baton Rouge, right?

Timing really is everything. Thanks to my sore metatarsals, I had time to devote to work and cheesecake. I could have done it all, but deleting running from the equation allowed me to do the jobs well and with much less time stress. Thank heaven for small favors.

Today I got back out there. I thought about putting it off until Wednesday, giving me an entire week off, but I was pain free and felt up to it. I got through at least 20 of the 40 minutes without any discomfort at all. It was by no means awful, but I knew something was going on. Hmm... I have a 15-miler on deck for Saturday. What to do?

I am 13 weeks out from The Flying Pig Marathon. I have time. And I have built into a week of "fluff" into the schedule. WHAT TO DO? I want to feel 100%, but is that even possible?

Doing My Best

This past week was only my second "perfect" running week of the new year. That's the glass half empty view. The glass half full view is "I've had two perfect running weeks this month!" By that, I mean that I completed all scheduled runs. When I did miss, by the way, it was a mid-week run, not the long run.

My long runs are ramping up, so I am "back on the Garmin." But... only for the distance aspect of it. You see, I have been setting up interval workouts so that I may accomplish my Galloway style 'run this long, walk this long' training. Yesterday, for example, I did 13.60 miles that way. It was GLORIOUS from a cardiovascular standpoint. I never "gave out." I had other aches and pains, but I never hit the wall. Victory! What was even better, though, was receiving proud phonecalls twice from a certain toddler that he had gone poo poo in the potty. Now that is victory, people!

I have now officially registered for The Flying Pig Marathon, secured my free hotel stay and free-ish flight to Cincinnati (thank you, frequent flier miles and hotel points). I am now 14 weeks out! Because I am doing this Galloway plan my way, here are my remaining long runs:

5 miles

15 miles

4 miles of speedwork

17 miles

6 miles of speedwork

6 miles

20 miles

8 miles of speedwork (while Chasen is back in China - boo!)

7 miles

23 miles

10 miles of speedwork

6 miles

I can do that! Yes I can! I serendipitously left a free week for when "life happens," because let's face it -- life does happen. And just so you know, if I was following G-man to the letter, I would go all the way up to 29 miles prior to race day. No thanks, sir. If all goes well, this race will serve as a training run for yet another marathon about five weeks later. But more on that another day.

My only concern at this point is warding off a potential overuse injury of the metatarsals in my right foot. I will be treading lightly for the next few days.

So Long, 2011... Hello, 2012!

Well Happy New Year! Goodness, 2011 sure did fly by, as did the holiday season. As I type this Isaac has been on "winter break" from Mother's Day Out (preschool) for nineteen straight days. He goes back tomorrow. So what have we been doing to occupy ourselves, you ask?

We went for our FREE photo with Santa at the Bass Pro Shop in Memphis.

I took Isaac and his BFF to see the Peabody Ducks in Memphis. Here, the boys wait.

There come the ducks! They were really a sight to see.

The boys were fascinated by those smart little quackers.

We went caroling with a few friends from my mommy group.

The biggest thing we have done over the nineteen day break is work on potty training. Phew - that's a job. I'm amazed, though, at how waiting until the child is ready makes it soooooo much easier than trying to force the issue (which I tried to do a year ago and then six months ago with no success at all). Isaac is doing well (most of the time...) but still doesn't particularly care for -- I'm just going to say it -- going poo poo on the potty. I am trying my hardest to be patient. God bless his preschool teachers!

Having him home for nineteen days has, I admit, impeded my running a bit, especially since he also had something along the lines of pre-pneumonia last week. I have not skipped a longrun, though! I am still going out sans-Garmin and LOVING it. I have run 6, 7 and 9 miles that way.

Also, I have secured my flight and hotel room for the Flying Pig Marathon on May 6, 2012! Thanks to the points/miles earned by my constantly-traveling husband, we have only spent $7.50 so far! I will actually register for the race in about two weeks (just prior to the price increase, he he). I just love it when a plan comes together!

Now I am just hanging in there, more or less. Getting back to normal or, better stated, a better normal. I am making positive changes in most areas of my life, which indicates to me that 2012 is going to rock. Cincinnati, here I come!

Shaking Things Up

I've had a model week! Even though my Monday run was less than spectacular, I got it done. On Wednesday I ran from my church, which I haven't done in a while, and it was really, really good. That night I went out with a girlfriend to, as she put it, teach her how to run. We did almost two miles by walking for about three minutes and then running for about one minute. She did great! She said that previously running had always felt too difficult. Well, start slow. Next thing you know, I'll have her running a 5k!

Today I was to walk. I used my treadmill and quickly put in four miles. After that I had to really book it because... I had to go to Isaac's Christmas party at Mother's Day Out! Even Chasen was able to break free from work for a bit and enjoy it.

The artiste paints some ornaments with a tiny bit of help from Daddy.

The finished, wet product, which is is proudly on our tree.

"Yay! Daddy came to my classroom!"

"Mommy wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Three happy faces after a potluck lunch, toddler style.

Now Isaac will be home with me, without school, for 2.5 weeks. How will I get my running done, you ask? Well, since I "only" run for 30 minutes at this time, he can come along in his stroller. Or I can run during his naptime. Heck, I could run at night, as well. Oh the options! The longruns, as always, will be spend doing "boy things" with Chasen - same old same old.

Happy Holidays!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

After a hectic time of torrential downpours followed by snow, I didn't do my second easy run of last week. I did, however, get back on track the next day with a 4-mile walk. I just love walking, especially with my ipod. This time, however, I accidentally left it at home. Doh! It turned out to be a blessing, as I had over an hour to sort out lots of stuff. That is priceless.

What is also priceless, is enjoying Isaac's favorite meal with him: anything that involves chips.

Making cookies with my boy is also pretty special. :-)

Isaac received a card from Santa -- all the way from the North Pole!

He sure did have fun helping me make cheese biscuits - a Greenville, Mississippi thang.

Looks like he's having fun to me! He is a big time helper.

According to Chasen, we could rent him out to rake leaves!

A very, very big "helper" in my running life is my friend Terry. He has been my coach since 2006! After lamenting about losing my running mojo, he made a very zen-like suggestion to me: leave my Garmin at home for my longrun. Whaaaaaa? No details? Well, guess what -- it was fabulous. I did way more running than walking! I never really "lost steam." I picked a known out-and-back course and six miles came and went.

What have I learned? Sometimes you've got to shake things up. I plan to do my upcoming 7-mile run sans Garmin, also. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!