Having it All

Honestly, I don't know how all these folks run and work simultaneously.  Up until just last week, I taught 3 college classes each semester as an adjunct.  This basically means that you work super hard and get paid super low.  But it worked for me, since I was rewarded with being there for my kids when they came and went from school and I could also transport them to the zillions of places they had to go.  As a bonus, I kept current in my field so that when a full time position came up, I was at a good place in my life to apply.  I went back and forth trying to decide if this was the right path for me, and believe me, "making decisions" was not listed in my resume under CANDIDATE STRENGTHS.

 

I had to do some serious soul searching, and the conversations I had in my head all seemed to focus on my time management skills.  Could I work full time, run a house as a 5 day a week single parent, nurture my kids, and still have time for the things I love to do? I needed some help putting it in perspective.

As much as I stalled, it was a time sensitive matter.

 

In the end it was all good and I took the job, vowing that I would just highly structure my life to still accomplish everything I wanted to do.  Its been a week and a half, and I am exhausted!!

It seems that trying to do everything is really hard. 
But I haven't given up.  Finding the right balance might take a while, but I am not ready to  surrender any of the things I have love to do.  Creative solutions seem to work for a lot of people, so I have already got a plan to run to work 2 days a week.  That is after I get up at 4 to throw dinner in the crock pot, do the laundry, take out the trash and fill out multiple copies of  those blasted school emergency cards.  Who said  you couldn't have it all?

A Legend in My Own Mind

Articles have been written highlighting the differences between trail runners and road runners, and I don't want to contribute to that in any way...however, how do you think the vast majority of roadies would have handled this scene 15 minutes before their race was suppose to start?

Yes, this is indeed a line for registration

Now imagine the race director casually informing the runners that the race would start at 7:30, rather than 7 to give everyone a chance to start together?

I'm just saying...it could happen

Well, here is actually what did happen Saturday when I ran the summer edition of the Rosaryville 50K: nothing!  The trail runners after hearing of the delayed start, all casually either walked to their car to sit and relax, took off for the bushes for one last nature call, or milled around, happily talking with other runners.  It was so cool.

 

This race had many different options, ranging from a 10K to the full 50K, and it also allowed runners to drop down to a lesser distance at any time through the race, since it was a loop course.  So long as you told the volunteers you changed your distance, it was all good.  I think the RD said there were 130 registered for the 50K, and about 93 finished, so most did what they came to do, although there was some shuffling around.  That is always a risk when you pass close to the finish multiple times.  But for the folks that toughed out the full 50k, it was a beautiful day for a run.  The temps took a tumble in the days leading up to the race, but the humidity was still high enough to make everyone look like they ran through the sprinkler (hmm, that actually would have been nice!)

I never doubted or questioned that I would finish the 50, just kept plugging away.  By the third time around the 10 mile loop, I still hadn't figured out the weird trail decorations that have become so popular lately.  This is one such decoration:

This is an old picture, and now the baby head has been dressed as a jack-o-lantern and Santa is keeping it company.  You can make out a little in the picture below, but remember, I had already run something like 25 miles, so my camera skills are pretty pathetic:

Anyway, it never ceases to amaze me and also to entertain me with what is to be found on the trail.  I feel like I need to start carrying random things in my pack to leave at places like this, in case it is a geo-caching site or something!
I did put my speed training to good use and ran a smart race - I would always like to go faster, but I spent most of the 31 miles running rather than doing a lot of walking.  Considering I am not a good hot weather runner, and this race was dead smack in the middle of July, I am happy with the results.  Pretty certain I will never see my name and "first in age group" again (even if I was the only one in my age group! HA!) Still counts, right?

Oh, the Irony

Tapering has never been my strong suit, and today is particularly tough - after weeks and weeks of obnoxiously high temps, crazy ass storms, and humidity, today is clear, breezy, and actually cool enough to open the windows.  And I can't run.

You sissy, you don't want to run in that??

Well, I could run, but since I am doing a 50K on Sunday, I thought it best not to go out this morning.  Because if I went out this morning, say, for a little 3 miler, the siren song of the breeze would trick me into running way longer, say, 15 miles.  And that isn't what I need to be doing.  How do I know this?  Well, I have already taken a 13 mile bike ride today (because apparently biking doesn't count when you are tapering, of course) and tonight I plan to meet for the second of 6 pub challenge runs (which also doesn't count because it is at night, short, and how serious can you be when you are finishing at a pub).  I don't think I fully understand this tapering thing.

But it gets me every time.  I guess it is not that important since I am not a real contender or anything, but I still like to go into running 31 miles with pretty fresh legs.  I have promised myself that tomorrow I won't do A THING!  Friday might be a short shake out run and Saturdays always suck with way too much to do anyway, so I can hold off then. 
This will be my first ultra since Umstead.  I don't count AOR, since 1) my total was only 20 miles and 2) we actually did get to sleep for a couple hours, and 3) we were civilized and used port-o-pots.

this  is actually one of my worst fears

I am looking forward to another play day on the trail.  The cut off is 9 hours and this is a pretty flat run, so I could probably set up a picnic lunch complete with checkered tablecloth and still make the finish on time.  But all these summer runs trying to get my times down has given me the incentive to actually try and go fast, so that is the plan.  The weather looks like it is going to cooperate, and word has it that the trails are in great shape.  Whatever the outcome, it is good to be back in the woods!

Status Report

So far, I am doing pretty well on my summer goals.  I managed to get my personal e-mail down to 17 before it crept up again and is hovering at 33.  That is a manageable number that I can deal with.  The work e-mail, well, lets just say that will take a lot more time and a lot more discipline.  WHY do I get so much mail???

I have unsubscribed from about every professional posting site and still, it barely made a dent.  Oh well, I still have until August 15th before I consider it a miserable fail.
And as for the running goal, I am pretty pumped that I did a crazy hard  6 mile hill run on Sunday without walking one single time!  That might not be so impressive for you elites, but my asthma has been a bear since May, and there were even a few times I was worried I would die right there on the road.

Luckily, my doc has no trouble prescribing multiple drugs that work wonders.  And while I really hate taking medication, I hate dying more, so I am okay with it.

And on the subject of drugs, we only have two more challenge runs to complete the Elementary School Challenge, so my running group has decided to jump the gun and start another challenge tonight that involves starting and finishing our runs at local pubs.  And while I don't drink, these challenges are so good for me, because I really am a solitary person who could easily go days without seeing another soul.  And don't even get me started on phone calls. 

I guess that is why I love the trail so much.  But I know I have to make more of an effort, so these challenge runs force me to get out and be social.  Its a struggle, but I do it!  And hopefully, the more I step outside of my comfort zone, the more I will  be able to feel "normal" and actually start a conversation.  Oh great, another goal for the summer!

me at every party I have ever attended

Squeezing Out Every Bit of Summer

When my kids were little, we would celebrate the summer solstice (aka: the longest day of the year) by spending all night at the pool as we anxiously waited for the lights to come on in the water, and then taking a final swim before changing into pj's right there at the swim club and stopping for ice cream on the way home.  It was my way of holding onto every second of light before the days started to get shorter.  Even though there is a lot of summer left, it feels different after that one day.

This is the best night of my entire life

There is something about summer nighttime running that  is magical.  Maybe it is the long shadows, or the smell of  honeysuckle, or the feeling that the day will never end, even as the sun is fading.  I have had several of those runs these past two weeks as we ramped up the Elementary School Challenge into a summer series of just 3 weeks.  4 runs a week, following the same pattern we began last June at our first challenge run.  That is a lot of running and a lot of pretty sights along the way.  We have finished runs just drenched with sweat on  95 degree evenings, as well as slightly damp on an unexpected cool and breezy night.

Each run starts where the previous run finished, so we have made our way from one side of the county to the other, and I am amazed at all the beauty that surrounds me.  As many times as I have driven these same routes, I have not fully appreciated how pretty the farms look at twilight, or how sweet the log cabin is surrounded by wild flowers.

The hills are tough to run up, but those views from the top make the trip more than worth it.
Summer should be about exploring, playing, and squeezing every moment out of every day, and that is what I am doing!

Aiming High

I have two huge goals this summer before I start back working full time - one is running related and one is "life" related, although it is really hard to separate the two.  You know, the whole "I live to run, I run to live" equation.  Basically, anything that helps my life must make me a better runner, right?

Usually, organization comes pretty easily to me.  Clearing out, sorting, and throwing things away is not something I generally have trouble with....until it comes to e-mail.  For some bizarre reason, I just can't hit the delete button.  Or the archive button.  Or any other button.  So all my mail is either "old mail" that carries this distinction until AOL has had enough of my hoarding ways and gets rid of it, or it is still in my inbox.  This has become a problem as I tetter very near the 200 threshold.  That just seems unreasonable.

So my plan is to start at the bottom and just  get rid of stuff.   What is really interesting is that when I go out to my mailbox (the real kind, you know, in the dirt, by the street), I have no problem at all standing over the recycling bin and just tossing stuff.  WHY CAN'T I DO THAT WITH DIGITAL MAIL????

My second goal is a direct running goal:  lower my weekly average pace.  It doesn't have to be all Usain Bolt fast, but I have found myself creeping towards comfortable running, rather than that place between "that was awesome" and "I may throw up".  I miss that.

I wanna do this happy dance again

At least for some of my runs.  I have added some more road races into the schedule, thinking that might provide incentive to kick it up a notch, so we'll see how that goes. It'll be tough for sure - this season has been a bugger for allergies and asthma.  Saturday's 18 mile run on the Catoctin Trail was pretty hard, but damn, was it beautiful!

maybe this was why I was wheezing??

Still, I know that I won't get any faster without working on it, so that is the plan, and I have been here before. It sucks and it hurts and it feels so good!  It takes discipline, just like clearing my e-mail.  But at the end of the summer, I am hoping that the results were worth the pain of the struggle.

Running the Numbers

Every December I spend some time with my running calendar, looking over the past year.  Nothing extraordinary about that - in fact, I am sure most runners do something similar.  Or did something similar until they discovered Strava, GarminVivo, Map My Run or DailyMile.  I was late getting on board with the technology thing, but I will tell you, I am really starting to like the weekly pep talks I get from DM, my new best e-friend.

Reading  "awesome training this week!" or "great running week!" gives me purpose and just the dose of enthusiasm I need to get out there.   And instead of having to dig out my calculator on a snowy pre-January 1st weekend, I now rely on my app to figure it all out.  See, who needs Common Core Math anyway!

What this is all telling me is that I am running.  A lot.  I am nearly to my goal of 1000 miles by June 30th.  For the past few years, I have wanted to run 2000 miles in one year.  But not by being all freaky and PLANNING to do it.  I just wanted it to happen.

So every December I tally and see if I made it.  Then I wring my hands when I see I am 134 miles off, 79 miles off, or 26 miles off.  I do realize that if I counted earlier than December 31, I could actually go out and run the remaining miles (okay, maybe not the 134) but it doesn't seem as much fun that way. Its the mystique of not knowing that makes it a challenge.