new treadmill record: 22 miles!

Treadmills get a bad rap.  I personally don't mind them but have always had limits to how far I can run on one.  My previous treadmill record was 10 miles and that was on the gym's treadmill where there are visual distractions.  At home, my treadmill record was 6 miles.  Last weekend's run was cancelled due to a storm that brought heavy rains and gusty winds so what was I to do?  Run on a treadmill.  It was my longest run of this marathon training -- 22 miles!  Weekend plans were set in stone so I had to do my regular Saturday long run on Friday.  With two young children and a spouse who was traveling, I decided to wake early and get in some miles before the kids woke.  I ran 10.5 miles before my kids woke, took a 15 minute break to get them set up with some breakfast and a movie (they thought they were the luckiest kids EVER), and ran another 7.5 miles to get in 18.  The kids had a birthday party to attend so I showered and wore compression socks for the 3.5 hour (standing!) party.  When I got home, I ran another 4 miles to get my 22 miles done.  I didn't watch t.v. but did listen to music for most of the miles.  And the miles were run at a pretty slow pace because of the distance.  I don't recommend running that much on a treadmill, but as moms who run we know that sometimes you just have to do whatever possible to get those runs in.  I'm very much looking forward to a run outdoors later this morning!!

1.11 miles

1.11 miles  That's about 9 minutes of running for me.  Not at an all-out pace, but a comfortable tempo sort of pace.  And it's exactly how far off I am from hitting 100 miles for the month.  That's not even my monthly goal (125 miles a month), but a nice round number that I always figure is my absolute minimum for one month.  Yet, it's the 31st day of July and it's now after 9pm.  The kids are asleep and so are half of our house guests.  I could run on the treadmill but it's on the second floor and that might stir the kids.  I could run outdoors but it's awfully dark.  The gym has been closed for over an hour.  And the fact that I'm just 1.11 miles short of 100 miles is driving me nuts -- absolutely, positively, certifiably nuts.

Tomorrow morning I will join my running group for our usual Monday 6 miler.  However, I will be waking 15 minutes early so I can get in an extra mile (plus some).  I've got to hit August hard and early before another month goes by and I fall short again... by a silly 1.11 miles. 

race bibs

2411. That's my bib number for my marathon this weekend - #2411. Whenever I get a race number I always look for some meaning in the number, something to tell me that it's a lucky one and that I'll have a fantastic race. But I'm not seeing anything in this one. Do you? It'll be my 5th marathon. Race day is May 1, 2011. I'm not 24 years old. I have 2 kids and 2 dogs so collectively they are 4 kids. Maybe I'm running this for my 2 (human) kids, my 4 kids total and the year is '11...? Anyone see any special meaning in 2411? I've got nothing.

I'm a runner.

Last Friday evening a friend's husband threw her a surprise birthday dinner at a nice restaurant. The guests? Her running group and their spouses. One spouse who does not run jokingly said to a few of us, "Tonight I want to talk about not running. Not the things one does when they aren't running, the weather or politics... but, not running. I want to talk about how to not run." I found it funny and later thought about how much I talk about running, even to friends who aren't runners. It's a lot but it's what I like and when you are in the room with a group of us, the talk will definitely always return to running...

What did you do this weekend?

Guess what I did this weekend?  Want to read more?  Check it out here (www.runningfromthekids.blogspot.com)

Midnight Run - New Years Eve 2007

Finally! Here is the video my husband took of me, M&M, Ranell and Jen crossing the finish line at the Portland Midnight Run on New Years Eve (5K). We had a blast! It was crazy and fun (not to mention COLD!) starting a race at the stroke of midnight. I was lucky enough to have my husband with us as our chauffeur, photographer and chaperon, so I even got a kiss at midnight just as the gun went off. Considering the fact that I usually spend my New Years Eve curled up at home with a movie and ample treats, this was different in a very good way. What a great way to begin the new year!

The first segment shows the start of the race, the second is me crossing the finish, the third part is M&M, but it is hard to tell which one she is. (sorry!) The last segment shows Ranell and Jen finishing together. I hope we make this a tradition for years to come. Join us next year!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You Know You're a Crazy Runner When........

When you are taking a trip to Hawaii for the first time with your husband, kid free, in four days and before you leave you notice that the Honolulu marathon/10k happens to fall on the following weekend when you will be there and you can still register. Then your heart pounds like crazy because you can't even believe this good fortune! So you try to think of a way to not hurt your husband's feelings by telling him if you don't run the 10K, your life may never ever feel complete. Then you notice that the race is actually on Sunday and not Saturday like you first thought. So part of you is really relieved that you can't race because you don't race on Sundays and now you don't have to hurt your husband's feelings, but the other part of you is so sad you can't run a race in Hawaii. That's when you know you're a crazy runner.