Running in Circles

Well, we did the Hinson Lake 24 hour yesterday or in my case, the Hinson Lake 18 hour! That's a new PR for me: 18 hours! We stopped at 2:00AM. It was a great event and lots of fun. I wasn't sure what to expect but as soon as we arrived we were greeted by fellow MTC members with hugs and good wishes. We set up camp next to Marie and Chris and were ready to go. The event is very low key and after a few words of advice from the race director, we were off. The course was a 1.52 mile loop and although I thought it would be boring, it turned out great. Doing so many loops alloyed you to see everyone and to run with various runners as the day progressed. I had some stomach issues and had to visit the restroom on multiple occasions. Fortunately, I felt no pressure to do any particular distance or time so I took a couple of breaks of about 30 minutes and that was great as it allowed me to chat with various other runners and friends. There was no pressure and many of the runners that I hooked up with hadn't determined their goal yet either so I felt comfortable with my lack of decision about what I was going to do. As the day progressed, most of my loops with completed with a women I met from SC named Teri. She is a feisty lady with multiple ultras in her life with 4 starts and finishes of Western States. She was a ultra chick way before it was mainstream. Anyway, 34 loops seem to fly by when you're chatting away and chat we did. My voice is a little horse today from all the talking.
I ended up running about 52 miles which was much further than I thought I would and what I was trained to do but I walked after about 20 miles, so I was comfortable with pushing the envelope although I am wondering how I'm going to run a marathon next weekend as my legs are a little sore. No worries, all will be fine.
Frank came out about 11:30 and walked for a couple of hours and after 34 loops, I had made the top 10 on the leader board (I had been there earlier but dropped off after too many breaks) Once I was assured of my status, I decided to call it a day. For a brief moment I thought about going for a few more loops to move up the leader board with more miles, however, thought about my running plans and realized that if I continued, I'd be recovering for longer than I want to as the start of my "training" for Umstead kick-offs. I have to admit, it was not bad running for 18 hours, although many were actually spent walking. I walked at about a 15 minute miles so that allowed my to achieve my target loop time of about 25 minutes, very doable. My feet started to really hurt on the last loop and I am a little concerned about how I will be able to continue forward motion in the 100 if my feet continue to breakdown as they did in Umstead, but hopefully training will toughen them up.
Well, better go fix breakfast. A full day of relaxing and recovering. Makes it all worthwhile! Bring it on!

Prime time

Well, after 2 two days of painting, removing paint, priming and then repainting, we're done. At least for now. That was just the doors! We sure learned our lesson to prime before painting, especially metal doors! What a difference. Still more to paint and spruce up but I think we'll take a much deserved break. I can't get over how much there is to do around here. I don't think I realized just how much I'd want to change. We decided to order new coffee and end tables for the living room so I'm very excited about that and we're also going to buy a new refrigerator. This one is just too annoying. We'll be able to use it in the garage to store extra stuff in so it'll come in handy.
Tomorrow we're going to take our drivers test. I better do a little more studying tonight.
Gotta get ready for the long run on Saturday. I think I'm going to run/walk for several hours but not 24 hours. Frank will run a few hours, go home and get Chico and then come back to the race. That should be enough, whatever it is. The next weekend is the Triple Lakes Marathon so we'll be doing lots of running! (and walking)
That's all for now. I'm pooped and going to relax. No spinning tonight!

Ready Set Go!

Okay, I'm ready to start moving forward and doing what I need to do in order to fullfill my goal of running a 100 mile run. I've decided to use the 24 hour run around the lake event next weekend as a confidence booster. My goal is to walk/run/or simply stay awake for the 24 hours. I walked for 2 hours today (4 times around the the reservoir for about 8 miles) to check out the mindset. It was actually kind of fun. I mostly walked but did manage a little "running" every now and then but mostly it was walking and thinking and planning. I'm ready to get ready! Part of being ready will also include dropping about 20 pounds. A challenge but one that I know I can accomplish. Stay tuned!

The following week we're going to do the Triple Lakes marathon. Last year we did the 40 miler but decided that we really are not ready to do 40 miles. (especially after the 24 hour event this week. My training for Umstead kicks off on October 1. It actually works out perfect and I excited to start making plans. Currently the plan is to run Triple Lakes Marathon on Oct 6, the Raleigh Marathon on Nov 3, The Sunmart 50 Miler on Dec 9, the Frosty 50 on Jan 6 (unless baby Whiteside comes early), Rocky Raccoon 100 miler (I'm only doing 80 miles) on Feb 2, the Umstead Trail marathon on March 8 and then the Umstead 100 miler on April 5! So basically we have a long run every month and will work the rest of our training around that. I'd like to work up to about 60 miles a week but we'll see. I guess it will depend on whether I can find a job or not.
I will be creating a training schedule that I plan on posting so I can have a sense of accomplishment as well as a commitment. Look for it soon!
All for now!

Home at last

Well, I'm home and now recovering from the pysical as well as mental stress. I never expect such a reaction but I should be used to it. It seems to happen every time. I don't have the motivation to get back into it yet but hopefully that will return soon. I feel heavy and tired. I want to snap out of it, but it just isn't happening. I guess I need to detox! Anyway, back to working out and feeling better tomorrow. (in the words of Scarlett!)
Next weekend is the 24 hour run? What have I gotten myself into. I can't even run for 1 hour, how am I going to run for 24? I don't even know if I'll be able to stay awake for 24 hours! That will be my goal. Forget about running or evening walking. Just stay awake. I think it will be fun though as I will get to know the members of MTC a little/lot better!
Well, one of my goals today is to finish the hallway painting and the trim is waiting. I went to Lowes this morning to buy paint and an entry way light fixture and when I got it home, discovered it was broken! So much for finishing the room today. Isn't anything ever easy? Okay, no complaining. Back to gettiing in the game!

going Home

Well, I leave for home tonight with mixed emotions. i'm glad to be going home but I'm sad that I won't get to see Ada until thanksgiving. It's so hard when your loved ones live so far away. I'm still hopeful that one day they will move closer to us in NC and we can be a support for them. It's so important to have family around but for now that is not the case.
It looks like I won't get a workout in again today but I guess I have to realize that that just doesn't happen when I'm here. I am going to take Ada to the park this morning so that will be fun. I'll miss my little Adalyn but will be glad to be home agai. There's no place like homme, there's no place like home!

fly away home!

On being a Grandmom

Well, I'm still in cleveland with my little Adalyn. She is really growing up and soooo smart. She can count to 15! How cool is that. She's a lot of fun but being here visiting is very stressful. I guess having your parents visit causing stress. Tate and Julie seem to be doing well one minute and then the next minute it's chaos. I feel very uncomfortable and just want to disappear. I wonder how much of Tate's behaviour is my fault. As a parent you want the best for your kids and want them to be happy. I don't see them as being very happy. It seems that they are dealing with so much pain and hurt that they totally miss noticing that the other is hurting as well. I wish that they would stop and listen to what the other is saying. They seem so sad and probably depressed. They have started marriage counseling and I hope that that will help them to stop with the blaming each other for whatever they are feeling and start learning how to heal and listen to each other. I feel responible for the fact that Tate has so much anger. He had a tough childhood and I'm sure that that contributes to his anger issues now. I really hope that they can make it work and be happy. I don't want them to look back 20 or 30 years from now and wish they could do it over. We don't get a chance for do overs so it's important to do the best we can every day. I was watching Oprah the other day and it was about children of 9/11 and one thing struck me hard and that was that the children want to live up to their parents legacy! They will go through life trying to be as good a person as the parent that was killed that day, was to them. How great is that. They could be angry and sad and I'm sure at times they are, but they all said that they want to be the kind of parent that their parent was to them. Another similar topic was addressing how some people are successful and others are not with the same or similar scenerios (professional sports players making lot of money) and how different they live their lives. The difference according to one who made it says it's all about having a good role model or someone to look up to and to not want to disappoint. The athlete was Tiki Barnes who said his mother would have beat his butt if he did wrong and he still looks up to her today and still continues to live up to her standards and wants to make her proud. It made me realize that perhaps Tate never had that role model to live up to and is still finding his own way and learning how to deal with the anger and disappointment that he feels. I do hope that he can find his way and learn that life is to be lived and to be happy. Each day with a loving family is to be treasured not wasted feeling sorry for yourself or looking outside for happiness. It starts by looking inside and living each day as you would want to be remembered for. You are your childrens legacy. I wish I could have a do-over as well and I wish that I was as good a parent as I am a grand-parent. I guess that's god's way of geving us a do-over. We get to be grandparents. Tate and Julie are great parents and Ada couldn't be loved more or treated better however, children do live what they learn and learn what they live and it's important to know that they do understand much more than we give them credit for and they don't miss a thiing. I love Tate and Julie and want to spend time with them and Ada but I hope that life around here will get better before I visit again. I'll pray for them and support them as much as I can.

More later

Leaving on a jet plane

I leave for Cleveland tomorrow to visit with my little grandbaby, Adalyn. It doens't get any better than that! The weather will be much cooler there so that will feel great but different.
I'm feeling fine today after having my tooth removed yesterday. It seems to be healing great and everything is almost back to normal. I ran today on the treadmill again. I got in 7 good miles using my new "interval" training with my IPOD. I'm trying to mix fast pace and hills, doing each for a song. Now I'm sorry that I always try to buy the longest version of a song. Suddenly 2 or 3 minute songs, seems like a good idea. I'm going to venture back out on the trails tomorrow so that should be interesting. I'd like to get a two hour run in as I'm afraid that my training will suffer while I'm in Ohio no matter how good my intentions.
It'll be fun to be away and see Ada (and Tate and Julie too) but it'll be good to be back home and get down to finishing up the painting etc. Today I went shopping and started looking for accessories but I don't want to make any decisions yet but I'm getting lots of ideas. Happy hunting!
Tomorrow!

Tooth be gone!

Well, I did it! I had the decaying tooth removed. All in all it went well and although I'm a little blah, I know that I'll feel alot better with that gone. I did get a run in at the club this morning and that was great. I ran for 5 miles and took a page from my spinning class. I've decided to run for the length of a song as well as the tempo. So the faster the song, the faster the treadmill and then the slower ballads are steep hills at a slower pace. It made it much more fun and a better workout. I can't believe how much I like going to the club. Frank actually stayed and took a yoga class without me. I'm very proud of him as I'm sure that was not easy. It's a great class though and is done lying down. Very interesting yet a great way to stretch and cool down. He better watch it cause some of those old ladies might try to hit on him while I'm away. They'll all be after a "single" younger man! he may even take a 30 minute spining class by himself. Wow!
I'm hoping to get another workout in tomorrow and Thursday morning before I leave. I'm not sure how much working out I'll be able to do in Cleveland but hopefully I'll be able to keep it up.
I'm still debating about the 24 hour run on the Sept 29. I know I want to do it but am now thinking I should just go for it and see what happens. Just run/walk till I drop. Maybe I'll make it the entire 24 hours. I even thought about putting a mattress in the back of the Subaru so I could take a nap. We'll see. I know that Frank is not interested in doing more than a few hours so that will make it tough on me to stay but I just may try it. The 40 miler is the following weekend and now Frank is talking about only doing the marathon distance so maybe I'll do that as well especially if I run the 24 hour run the week before. hmmmmmmmmm..

Monday Monday

It's Monday and I'm feeling much better. I'm not sure why but I'll take it. It's probably the weather and if it's not, so what. I'm getting my bad tooth pulled tomorrow that should help a lot as well.
I lifted weights this morning at home and then Frank and I took a spinning class as the club. It was a new routine for the instructor and it was a great workout. She said I inspired her to push harder! What a change from how I felt yesterday. I plan on running tomorrow at the club and then hopefully take another spinning class tomorrow night depending how my tooth feels. I'm thinking I'll be fine as soon as it's gone.
Tonight we're going to our first POA 6 Meeting and will be introduced to the other homeowners. It'll be fun to meet both other new homeowners as well as those that have been here for awhile.
Well, better get ready. I'm so grateful to feel better! Yeah!

September 9 and still HOT!

HI!
Well, it's still hot! It's supposed to cool down later in the week and hopefully get some much needed rain. It's still very humid and trying to run outside is a real challenge for me. I ran at the club today and it was much better although still a struggle. I'm not feeling very chirpy right now and am not sure what's going on. It could be my tooth and the antibodics that I'm on to get rid of the infection but I'm just not sure. All I want to do it sleep. Chico seems to be feeling the same way. I'm not sure if he's turned in to me or if it's the heat. It really gets to him. (and to me) I leave for Cleveland on Thursday so I'm hoping it'll be cooler there! I'm looking forward to seeing little Ada and Tate and Julie. I'm there for about 5 days and I'm sure it'll zoom by. I'm hoping to get a lot of running in while I'm there and going to the gym. I figure I won't have a car so I can walk with Ada to the club. They're pretty close to everything I could want.
Hopefully I'll be out of the funk by then.

Tomorrow night is the meeting for POA6. We get to go early and be introduced so that should be fun. Our meeting people has slowed so this will be a good thing. Hopefully we'll meet some people that are a little younger than the ones we've met and share some of our interests.

Okay, well, I'm off to try to shake off this funk. Maybe I'll work on my schedule or my To Do list for Frank while I'm away! It'll be so nice to have everything done around here so we can think about other things. The ice maker isn't working so now we're thinking about getting a new refrigerator. I hate to spend the money but on the other hand, I hate the fridge that's here. I was hoping that we could hold off for a couple of years so it'll last as long as we do. I'll call a service man tomorrow and see how much it will cost to service it. We did order a new microwave last week so that will be nice. Our's is ancient and ugly!

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Tooth update!

Went to the dentist this morning and have irrepairable root nerve damage or something like that to my lower rear molar. A couple of options, none fun or cheap! A slight infection was found and I was given anitbiotics to clear it up. I guess that's why I've been feeling kind of rundown. And I thought it was from overdoing it. Okay, this is the third health issue that has plagued me since my arrival in NC so it is the last, right?
I'm waiting to hear what my insurance will cover before I decide on my course of action. I have 3: 1 - extract the tooth and wait to see if the remaining teeth move enough to cause a problem, 2 extract the tooth and have a 3 crown bridge inserted (expensive but comprehensive) or 3 - a root canal and crown (also expense and will also involve a 2 nd crown of neighboring tooth. I'm thinking that option 1 is the cheapest and fastest fix and then can add the crown at a future date if necessary.
One of these days, my blog will be more about running and having fun.
I'm still hoping to get to the gym today to get a spin workout in but will see how I'm feeling in a few hours.

Oh my achiing tooth!

Now it's my tooth! I have an appointment tomorrow morning at 7:30 to see what is going on with that. Hopefully it'll be a quick visit and the pain will be gone. I feel a root canal is in the works! Not another one. Hopefully I'll be good to go and can get back on track. I didn't run today as we slept in after being awaken this morning at 4:00 to the blaring of our car alarm. How alarming. It kept going on and off for no apparant reason and then it did it again today. We'll have to bring it to Fayetteville next week if it continues.
I did do my weights today so all was not lost but I had planned on a 2 hour run as well. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to fit that in and a spin class. I babble. I'm tired and going to bed.

Tuesday September 4

Well, I finally was able to run today so I am very happy about that. I ran for about an hour at the club and then took a yoga class. Tonight I took a spinning class and finished off a good training day. (had to make up for missing workouts over the weekend. Another really nice spin instructor who gave me more ideas on where to run and bike around here. Everyone is so helpful and always willing to share. Tomorrow I hope to run for 2 hours on the treadmill. I think another day or two on the treadmill is better for my toe although it's almost 100%, I just don't want to push it.
Found a dentist to hopefully take care of my aching tooth. I go Thursday at 7:30 AM! Hopefully it won't need a root canal but ....
Off to relax!

Beautiful Pinehurst

Well, it's September and a breeze is in the air. I couldn't run again today because of my toe. I guess it's going to take a little longer than I thought! Hopefully I'll be able to get something in tomorrow. The swelling has gone done it's just that when my big toe has pressure put on it, it hurts.
We drove around Pinehurst today to check out the half marathon course that we're going to do in Thanksgiving. It is beautiful although hilly as we had heard. I guess I thought NC was flat but boy was I wrong. Frank and I do plan to run the course as training runs as well as to bike it. We're going to bike it tomorrow afternoon so that will be fun. Lots of great road, but no traffic. I can't believe this place. It is just beautiful and so perfect for our lifestyle even though we don't golf. I don't foresee us ever golfing either. It's too slow paced, even slower than me on the trails! So I'll keep running the ultras.
Can't wait to get out and explore more of the area. Now that it's starting to cool down (only in the 80s today) we'll be able to venture out. Can't wait to start biking. I think once I get back in the saddle, I'll be biking more or as much as running.

Broken Toe!

Yikes, it's broken. I woke yesterday with a very bruised toe and went for X-rays and confirmed my big toe is broken. Pretty minor and should be able to be back running in a few days, as soon as the swelling and pain are gong so all in all I feel fortunate. After just having signed up for Umstead, I was concerned about too much of a delay in my training.
So this weekend is a bust but we are going to venture out on the bikes. I think I'll be okay on the bike as my shoe is so stiff. We're going to try to ride the Pinehurst half marathon course.
The weather is breaking so it s a little cooler. I don't think it'll reach 90 today so that will be a real treat! Gotta get out there!