I'm Back! Well, almost!

I set out this morning to run a 25 mile training run to be more mentally prepared for the 50 miler next week feeling pretty good. Armed with my new asthma inhaler, I felt great! I could breathe. The first loop was great, 12.5 miles and I was ready to go back for the second loop. I set out for the second loop to discover that my body was rebelling! I guess the fact that my running had been comprimised during the past 3 weeks due to contractors and holidays and then coming down with a virus, had affected me more than I realized. I ran/walked (mostly walked) another 3 miles and decided it was probably not in my best interest to keep going. My doctor said that I probably had a virus and it could come back. She even gave me a prescription for an anti-botic just in case. Anyway, I decided that I would best be suited if I allowed my body to recover and get ready for next week. Frank and I have been contemplating doing the 50K instead of the 50 miler. I am waffling back and forth but if I keep my goal in mind, which is Umstead, I would probably best be served to back it down to the 50K. The longest run we've done was the trail marathon in October and it probably makes more sense to build our mileage gradually. The MTC group also has a couple of 25 mile training runs planned at Uwharrie on the 22 and 29 of December. Uwharrie is similar to Round Valley and would be a good training run. Jan 5 is the next 50K that we're planning on doing so I guess our training would be best served by getting a good training base and increase from then. We have until next Friday to make our final decision but it looks like sometimes, you have to follow your head and not your heart. We'll see. I haven't made a final decision and will continue to explore all options! I like those courses when you can decide on the fly!
Stay tuned!

Feeling Better!

I'm feeling better so looks like my babying myself has paid off. I ran this morning and felt great. It was a perfect day, crisp and sunny. I ran around the house on streets I hadn't explored before and it was really fun. It's really a great area to train as it's loaded with lots of hills but none too steep, just lots of ups and downs! I feel so much more relaxed now that our work around the house is almost done! How freeing a feeling is that? A couple more things and we're done!
Today we had a electrician come by to check out the TV Bose Sound System and discovered that there's a problem with it and we have to send it back to Bose for repair. We have hooked up our old DVD player in the interim so we can at least watch a movie!
Friday Bob will be back to finish the bathroom and install the new mirror and frame. HR will also be here to install the whole house water filter. I'm really looking forward to that as our water is pretty bad. It actually is clogging the refrigerator filter so hoping that will be cleared up as well.
Frank and I are really looking forward to the break from all of these intrusions. It's been great getting everything done in such a timely manner but it will be nice to have some peace and quiet. We've both decided that when we get back from the Sunmart 50 Mile Run, we're going to really get serious about our training for Umstead! Hopefully we'll be able to get by for 4 more months without finding jobs! We want to get much more consistant with weights and cross-training as well as running. If we're both on the same schedule hopefully we'll encourage each other to stick with the plan! We will be ready!

Under the Weather

After a night of not sleeping well I woke still not feeling great. Not really sick, just blah and a little achy. Tried to run but decided it just wastn't going to happen. I did make an appointment with a doctor for the rash on my leg that is not getting better as well as my cold. Hopefully she'll tell me it's just a cold and not the flu. While I'm there, I'm hoping I can get a flu shot and hopefully it's not too late! I'm a little concerned about running at Sunmart but the good news is that I'll be way rested! There's still 4 months until Umstead so I'm not going to panic but I am anxious to get back to my training especially now that our work around the house is about done. Now I've got the time to train, just not the energy!
Our new TV Media Stand came this morning and it's very nice. I'm very pleased with it. I had to move the Christmas tree to the other side of the room as it was just too much in the corner. Anyway, it looks great and was a good choice after many weeks of searching online. Frank was giving me a hard time cause I couldn't make a decision but it was really just that I hadn't found the right one. And the best part was that once I found it I still kept searching and was able to get it for $175.00 cheaper from a different online store! Plus no tax and no shipping. Tax is very high here so I'm also happy when I can get something without paying tax!
Frank is heading back to Sandhills College this afternoon so I think I'll take a nap and hopefully feel better. It's so frustrating not feeling well but I guess that I'm lucky it's now and not closer to Umstead. Maybe I was due!

Photo Updates

The calm after the storm! It's so nice to have a few days to relax. All is done with the house for now and it's time to sit-back and enjoy the fruits of our efforts. It was great having the kids all here for Thanksgiving although the day flew by. Looking at the photos, as usual, my thoughts and plans were not totally fulfilled. I wanted to have more group shots and family shots but "forgot"! It was such a crazy day especially when the sink got backed up. But all in all it was great. I can't wait to have everyone together again! Maybe Christmas next year. It would be so nice if Julie and Tate could move down here. Hopefully they'll be working on making that happen. I think it would be wonderful for them to be near family and being closer to Colleen and Erin would be a plus for them as well. I'm still not feeling all that great today so it's another easy non-workout day. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be back to hitting the trails. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy the downtime. I'm probably run down from trying to do too much with training for the 100 miler, getting the house done and planning and fixing dinner. It's all fun and I love it but I guess it does wear you down!
Well, I'd better get started with my day and even though I'm relaxing there is always something waiting to be done! Happy Day!

Post Holiday Blues!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone. It's now Sunday morning and all is quiet once again. I started coming down with a cold on Thanksgiving Evening and am hoping that it will be a quick recovery. I slept all afternoon yesterday after our trip to the airport with Tate and Julie and Ada and then went to bed early so hopefully I can just baby myself back to health.
It was really fun to have everyone here for Thanksgiving. I spent the morning cooking and preparing the feast and then managed to clog our garbage disposal just before everyone arrived. That was quite a stressful event. We managed to get dinner back on track but it was a little harried and stressful. After dinner Tate tried something that his plumber had done for their clogged drain and voila, it worked! Crisis averted! I had no idea how we would wash dishes, etc. What a relief. Mcgiver to the rescue!
After dinner we just hung out and talked. It was so nice to have everyone here. Colleen is getting very large and is due in about 6 weeks! Erin and Josh brought there newest bundle of joy, Nola, and she is quite the bundle of energy. She's bigger than Chico now so he was a less tempted to try to dominate her his visit. Tate and Julie loved the house and it was fun to show them everything we had done since moving in. Ada was a lot of fun and loved having her bed set up in the den behind the desk. I think she felt safe and cozy. She is so smart and was a lot of fun. She loved the alphaphet mat we got her and I think she'll have a lot of fun with it.
It was pretty emotional bringiing Tate and julie to the airport yesterday. Ada was tired and cranky and woke up crying after fallling asleep in the car. Tate got all stressed out and it was prety ugly saying good-bye. I left them feeling really sad and can only hope and pray that that it becomes easier for Tate to deal with stressful situations like that. It really stresses him out when Ada cries, but guess what; kids cry and get frustrated just like us. And they learn how to handle it by how we handle it. I remember having a poster stating that Kids Learn What They Live and thinking how true it is. They imitate us and want to be like us. Hopefully he'll work on staying calmer and learning to relax a little. Kids are very frustrating and they certainly know how to push our buttons, we just have to learn to be ready for that and to not just react. I know that Tate and Julie want only the best for Ada, and will work on that. She's in the terrible two's and is no exception to other two year olds. They know just what to do!


I was planning on running 25 miles today but have decided to bag that and just get back to feeling better. Hopefully I'll be back on par in a day or two. We have the 50 mile run coming up in a couple of weeks and I want to be ready for that but it looks like ready or not, here it comes!
I'm attaching some photos from Thanksgiving. Tate took photos of the whole family and hopefully he'll send files of those so I can put those on here as well.
Happy Thanksgving!

Waiting for the paint to dry!

Decided to take the day off from running after running the half marathon yesterday although I felt really good inspite of running on the roads so I finished painting the bathroom. I tried to do the wash paint effect with a light glaze but it just didn't look right so I decided to forego the special effect treatment and go with the standard painted wall at least for now. I also painted the trim white and it really looks nice. The wall color is a peanut butter color again a color that is a surprise to me but it looks nice with the shower tile. Tomorrow I hope to get the border put up and I think that will really give it a finished look. I'm not sure when Bob is coming to put the frame up around the mirror above the tub but it should be this week. Hopefully I'll have the border up before he gets here. Tomorrow the mirror and glass people will be here to give us a quote on a glass shower door and a large mirror for the vanity. I'm pretty nervous about that expense as it's not one we were planning on and money is running out.
It'll be a busy week as we're getting ready for the kids to come for dinner and the weekend. I'm really looking forward to Tate and Julie seeing the house and of course, to us seeing Ada. I think she'll love the house as she'll be able to really run around. I ordered her some Christmas presents and hope that they arrive before she does!
As far as getting ready, I guess the biggest thing I want to do is to decorate for Christmas although I'm not sure if that will include the tree or not. I'm kind of thinking that we could put everything out except the tree. That way it'll look Christmasy but not too much. I still have a little shopping to do but we have about everything. I want to buy new towels and mats for the masterbath now that we've settled on a color. It'll really help polish it off. A lot of sales (okay, Belks) going on so hopefully we'll get a good price.
I'm hoping to run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as I'm sure that the rest of the week will be spent doing last minute stuff and then we'll want to spend time with the kids. We are planning on another 6 hour run on Sunday so that will make up for not running Thursday, Friday or Saturday. I'm not sure what we'll do with the kids while we're here but there are a few things going on so I'm sure we'll find something fun to do. We only have Friday as far as actually doing something, so it shouldn't be an issue. I'd like to go to the Horticultural Center at the college and show them around downtown Southern Pines and Pinehurst, if only driving around.
Hopefully I'll be able to cook a few things in advance so it won't be too crazy on Thursday but it shouldn't be too bad since I don't think anyone will arrive until early afternoon. I will make the deserts earlier in the week.

My goals for the week:
Monday - AM Run 6
PM Body Pump

Tuesday AM Run 6
PM Spin

Wednesday AM Run 10
PM Body Pump

Sunday AM Run 25


This is a little ambitious with getting ready for the Holidays but at least it's a goal. Bob may end up affecting it slightly but hopefully I'll be able to come close to my current plan.

Turkey Trot Half Marathon

We just got back from running our first half marathon road race in many years. It was a very hilly course but a beautiful day with perfect weather. We went to a pasta party last night at one of the Striders house in Southern Pines. They lived in gated community - very uppity although the host and hostess were very down to earth. Their house was very oppulent, not our taste but incredible to say the least. We met with our new friends from both the Striders and the Mangum Track Club. It was a lot of fun. The MTC group is great and we joined them for lunch. A couple of them decided to not run the race this year so they were out there taking photos and cheering us on. Frank placed second in his age group so he was very happy. My age group was a very full group this year and even Barbara Mack who won her age group (50) at Western States and is an awesome runner, came in second so I was at least 5th but don't know yet. I was very happy with my time however coming in at 2:16. I was hoping to break 2:30 and did even better than that. I realized out there that we really should do more road racing just to force ourselves to run a little harder! There's a 5K coming up in a couple of weeks that we're planning on running. Unfortunately a couple of the upcoming races conflict with other things that are in the works.
So now, it's time to paint the bathroom. It's going to be really nice when we get it all together. I didn't think we'd be painting until after the holidays but I found some paint (had it made) and now I'm chomping at the bit to get it down. We're heading down the home stretch so it's very exciting. Our mirror and shower door won't be done for Thanksgiving but hopefully everything will be done before Christmas.
Off to paint! Look for more photos!

Quiet Day

Today was a pretty quite day and that was really nice. I took a Body Pump class this morning and then a yoga class. I decided to give my legs another day to rest. I plan on going to the gym in the morning to run a few easy miles. The half marathon is on Saturday and although I'm not "racing" (like I ever do) I don't want my legs to be too tired. The course is very hilly and I don't want to be last. Tomorrow night one of the women in the running club (the Sandhills Striders)is having people over for a pasta party. She seems very nice. I actually met her at the reservoir and have even run with her on occasion. She's also in the her 50s so that's nice although she's fairly new into running and pushes all the time. She's not realy for ultras yet! I think the one thing that I've learned from ultras is patience. Sometimes I feel like I'm too laidback at times. I don't ever remember being like that but I must say, I do like being like that and would not want to be in a rush all the time. I really just enjoy going out for a run and taking my time and smelling the roses although I prefer smelling coffee. Anyway, it's a good thing at least in my mind although I'm not to sure many understand that or agree with that point of view.
Tomorrow Bob (the carpenter) is stopping by to repair a couple of eyesores that the removal of the old vanity created. He's too much. Who ever thought a contractor/carpenter would care enough to just stop by for a couple of minutes. He's really quite a find I must say and he goes above and beyond what you'd ever expect someone like him to do. We were really lucky to have found him. It's truly amazing that we've been able to get so much work done in such a short period of time. I'm sure it will all be worth it but at this point I feel like it's just been too much, all encompasing. Hardly a day goes by that we don't have to go to Lowes or somewhere to buy something else. I'm not sure what we'll do once all that is done but hopefully it'll be fun stuff, like working out!
I do have to study so most of my evenings will now be devoted to studying my Anatomy class. That is not so much fun but I really hope that it will get me ready to pass the massage certification exam. I actually met a women today who is a massage therapist and she said to really study Anatomy and Oriental techniques. It'll definately be a challenge. Oh well, time to hit the books!

Bathroom update

Today has been a productive day and we were able to cross some of the items off our do to list! First we got our run in. We decided to run long (3 hours) and I quickly discovered that my legs were still a littel fatiqued from the 25 miles on Saturday. I did the run/walk thing and got it done. It was pretty warm and hard to believe that it's almost Thanksgiving.
When we got home, we got right to work moving out stuff from the guest bathroom back into our remodeled bathroom. It sure is nice having my stuff close at hand! We've got so much storage in all of the cabinets in the new vanity that a couple of the drawers are still empty although I'm sure that won't last too long. Here's a photo of the vanity and new shower. We're still waiting for the shower door so we've put up a fabric shower curtain in the meantime and the mirrors are temporary as well. We're also getting ready to add paint and a wallpaper border but that may take awhile. We're getting ready for Thanksgiving and need a break from the house remodel.
Today I also started an online Anatomy and Physiology class. Hopefully that will give me the edge I need in order to pass the Massage Certification test that I need to do in order to work in this state. It's going to be tough but I'm going to give it my all.
Stay tuned!

Closer to Done

It's Monday afternoon and we're one step closer to being done. Tim, the cabinet maker just left after finishing the new vanity. It looks great now that the trim is on and the hardware. Now, we just need the faucets (they'll be done tomorrow) and then the mirror. We've decided to get a new mirror that will extend the entire length of the vanity. It will be a lot of mirror but I think it will look great after Bob frames it. That will take a little while as we're going to have to order the new mirror and he'll have to buy the frame and then Tim will have to stain it again. We are close to done though and all's well that ends well. It will be worth the wait and additional expense. Henry also came today and sealed the shower so we'll be able to use it tomorrow after HR comes and connects the new shower trim. The shower came out beautiful. We love it and once the trim is in, it'll be perfect. We'll be able to move our stuff back in tomorrow and get the house back together just in time for the holidays!

HR (the plumber) is also going to install a reverse osmosis water filter. The water here really tastes and even smells bad. I'm not sure if the drought is making it worse or if it's what it's treated with but in any event, I can't drink it. I'm really looking forward to good tasting water.

No running today but I am going to do a weight lifting workout and maybe a spin class. Gotta get in shape for Umstead. I think the spinning is really helping to strengthen my hamstrings and they really need it.

Okay enough babbling for now. Off to workout!

I did it! Yea!

I did it! I got my long run of 25 miles in! I decided it was more about training my mind than my body so decided to just relax and enjoy the run and the music. I felt great and ran the first 12 1/2 miles in about 2:45. I was very careful to not let me heartrate or my pace get to fast. Last week I think I got a little carried away and ran too hard and got tired and discouraged and I'm sure the fact that I decided to run 10 miles the day before a 25 mile run was not smart. Anyway, what a difference a week makes. I was reading my Ultrarunning book last night and it gave me some thoughts about walking and training and I think it also helped! I'm really surprised that I felt so good out there as the morning started out pretty rough. I didn't sleep well last night cause I woke up thinking about the issues with the new vanity and realized that there might be a problem using the mirror and I got very stressed out. Here I am at 1:00 this morning measuring walls and trying to figure out how best to handle this latest crisis. I wanted to just cry. Somehow I convinced myself that all would be okay and was able to get back to sleep but woke this morning with the same panic sick feeling that comes with making a stupid mistake. I probably would have stayed in bed and cried all day (pretry good coping skills huh?) but the tiler guy was coming to finish the shower so I decided the next best thing to do would be to get out of the house away from the bathroom that is now a thorn in my side. Out I went and voila! All is better. I had a great run and was able to work through the crisis and had a couple of options created in my mind for handling the situation that made me feel that all would be fine. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that we can "fix" the problem.
When I was at my car refueling I noticed a MTC (Mangum Track Club) sticker on a car in the parking lot and wondered if it was anyone I knew and then I realized it was Sarah Jane who I had met at an earlier event. I knocked on her car window and re-introduced myself. She hadn't run yet and ended up doing the second loop with me! How cool was that. She is 63 and is running JFK next week and although she ran about 20 miles at Chicago last month, hasn't run much since. The run walk that we did bolstered her confidence and it certainly helped me. It made the second loop breeze by and was fun getting to know her better. She lives in Southern Pines and hopefully we'll hook up again. She was easy to run with and I really enjoed the company. So what started as a terrible day, ended up being a good one.
When I got home I tried one of my thoughts for the bathroom issue and I think it will work perfectly (well as perfect as can be with an inperfect scenerio) I'm very relieved and will be really relieved after Bob (the carpenter guy) comes and confirms that my idea will work.
Well, I'm home,showered and ready to relax. Frank went to get subs (lunch and dinner) for us and I'm looking forward to some solid food. Yum! It makes it all worthwhile!
All's well that ends well! My motto for the day!

Bookcase reveal!

The bookcases are finally finished and the paint is dry. I've started to accesorize them and will have to do some shopping to fill them up although I'm planning on putting my Christmas decorations out next week so the house will be all ready for Christmas by Thanksgiving! Tate and Julie will be celebrating Christmas with us when they're here for Thanksgiving (next year we get Christmas) so it'll be more fun if the house is ready! Plus I love to extend the Holiday Season! Check out the photo. I'll follow it up with a Christmas photo but for now, here it is!

Week in Review

Well, it was another busy week with lots going on around the house. This week should be a little calmer although we're hoping that the shower will get tiled and the new vanity and top are installed and hopefully the electrition will be back to finish up as well. I'm hoping that we'll be able to have a better running week and get our miles back up. I ended up running only about 30 miles this week and my long run was only 13. I had planned on running two of my 13 mile loops but just couldn't get back out for the second loop. Now, I have to run long next week as that's the last opportunity I'll have to run long before Sunmart. We have Thanksgiving and then the shower and then Sunmart will be here before we know it! I do feel like my training is starting to pay off and I'm running "faster" than I was this past summer. (I suppose the cooler temps really help with that) My biggest concern is the mental aspect of getting in long training runs on my own. Training for Umstead is going to be tougher than I thought. My IPOD really helps but didn't get me there today. I'm hoping that the fact that I ran 10 yesterday contributed to the fatique and discomfort in my legs today. Looks like I'll get out there next Sunday again for another attempt but will take Saturday off so I'll have fresh legs! It's going to be a great week! I'm shooting for a 50 mile week so that's my goal plus a couple of spinning classes to top it off.

Happy Halloween!

We went to an outdoor Halloween Party last night! Frank and I went as a Police Officer and convict. Guess who went as who!? It was fun and we met a few more neighbors. Everyone was a buzz about all of the work that has been going on around our house as well as Grady Little. Grady "resigned" from the LA Dodgers so that Joe Torre? can take over managing the team. The joke was that maybe Grady will want his house back! Also, Ed,another neighbor is going to Russia next week to perform as a professional clown with Patch Adam (he's apparantly Patch Adams accountant!) A very interesting neighborhood to say the least. Check out the photos!