Wow, Now That Is What I Call a "Hiatus!"

Sooooooo, here we are my last post was in April 2012 right before my Iron Girl climatic race, and then my blogging class ended and the pressure was off in having to post for a grade.  I made an "A" for my efforts and  I thought I really liked doing this blogging thing and "SWORE" to my professor I was going to keep this up.  And for all intents and purposes, I was planning on it, honest!  I was actually going to use it to track my Chicago, first marathon training.  So yes, I was going to continue to blog.

I know...I know.....I coulda and shoulda still dropped a few lines or two.  Gosh, I have experienced so many wonderful running things!  But I dropped the ball, and as days progressed, I kept telling myself, I should blog again. 

BUT then I had LIFE kick me in the female "cojones" You know, the mom, wife, runner, you are just insane kinda thing or things that got a bit in the way such as: the training for my first marathon, the Chicago Marathon thing, getting injured, feeling sorry for myself thing, the OMG why did I decide to run the Chicago thing, psycho mom at school thing, having to entertain two children not enrolled in any summer camps to do fun stuff with over summer thing, Tropical Storm Debbie, the very sick stepdad, hospice, kids back to school thing, the death of said stepdad thing, then school starts (yay *breather*) - for one week because the RNC visiting my town so kids out of school for a week as a safety precaution thing.  Ohkay....... so back to school, again, thing, then kids' school work, science fair, veterinary visits of two dogs, Halloween, Thanksgiving,  and then very sick mother in law, ICU, hospice, daughter's birthday and then death of said mother in law, funeral, Christmas, and now New Year's.

Hello 2013.  Seriously.  

Although 2012 had its highlights, it was overshadowed by some serious low lights.  But as one of my resolutions is to stay positive...the core of my writing will remain positive with a twist of sarcasm and humor on the not so positive parts.  Hey we always have humor and that has always been my go to in handling almost all my situations.

I really NEED to blog again!!! There is something so meditative about it.....so here is one of my 2013 resolutions.

It really was neat looking back to all my old blogs and it did bring a ton of smiles to my face. I have to remind myself that I have honestly accomplished a lot in my 1 1/2 years of running and I should be pretty darn proud.  So blogging if anything serves me a neat memento.

So those that have checked up on my blog, I am going to attempt to give you a "Cliff Notes" version of my life since the Iron Girl, April, 2012, but not all at once, I will attempt to do it in short entries until caught up.  Sound good?  Hope so.

Iron Girl was THE worse time I have posted EVER for a half marathon and for me, it was the worse race I have participated in. Iron Girl was supposed to be the upper echelon of all half marathons of my fledging half marathon racing career before embarking on the training for my first full marathon.  Boy, I think I was somewhat cocky but very unprepared.  I did not run for almost two weeks prior, as I went skiing for Spring break and then getting vacation packed away took time, too and running took a little backseat.

So on Iron Girl Race Day, there was rain coming in sideways, it was cold, and there were gale force winds, so when you went over a bridge, (one of three, steep loooong-ass bridges we had to run over) the added wind made you feel as though you were dragging a tractor tire behind you.  Yep. Awesome. I so just wanted to just quit at mile 9 and I started to walk in sniffling protest.  I finally saw my running group sponsored water stop at Mile 11 and I started to cry when I saw my Run Tampa familiar and encouraging faces. Especially my running partner Patricia, who had been ill with the flu prior to that and chose not to participate.  So to finish strong, as chanted by Patricia, I took off running to just "get it over" and finally, no wait, and finally, no wait, and finally, no, no.....where the heck is the dang finish???!  Oh yeah those crazy winds knocked it over, people, race coordinators, were running crazy trying to find cover as wind was howling and the rain was coming down as orange sized hail.  CRAP!!

I finished at 2:40-something....the medals were nice, but the box lunch they gave us at the finish had only a dry protein bar, water and some kind of jelly beans - and well to put it nicely...WTF!!!!!  This is NOT what I was craving to help lick my battle wounds....where the hell are the donuts and bagels????  Come on...cofffee?  Beer???  Ummmm......Hellllooooo, I paid $90 to run this?! I was NOT happy.  Until I saw my friend Carla come through and I had the pleasure of witnessing the same quizzical "I can't baaaaaaaaalieve I am still alive" look on her face (like holy moly Auntie Em Auntie Em, I thought I saw them flying monkeys that gave me nightmares as a kid!) BUT rather the look she gave at the "here you go and thank you for your effort "box lunch" was nothing short of classic!   She, too was like, "Hells Naw!!! After this shizzle, I want effing waffles!!!" Oh yeah, exactly why she and I are friends. I heart her.  So there you have it...Village Inn was the "highlight" of the Iron Girl race and yes the waffles were hot, gooey and Oh. Em. Gee. Perfecto....so was the weather...that evening. Suckas. Ugh.  Please Iron Girl race directors. Take notes.

Run Like a Kenyan....Me? Bwaaahaahaa!

The 2012 Boston Marathon, one of the most elite marathons in this country, was held this past weekend.  Of course, because I run, I now get why bumper stickers exist that read:

"Run Like a Kenyan."

Because the winners were that, Kenyan. 

The Top Three Males and the Top Three Females - were, you guessed it, Kenyan - long and lean running machines.

I do not EVEN want to go into their numbers.  Let alone that this year's, 2012 Boston Marathon, on its 116th year, had unusually high record temperatures.  It was 86 degrees on the hot asphalt and the medics were on full alert for heart attacks and heatstrokes.  The runner Wesley Korir came in after a FULL 26.2 miles, at 2 hours and 12 minutes....!!! Wha, what?!!! Yup, 2:12 and change. Oh and he was "slowed down by the heat." (Remind me to use that excuse!) The last time an American won the Boston Marathon was in 1983 and his name was Greg Meyer in case you get on a trivia game show, that tidbit might come in handy.

DUDE, that is seven minutes lower than my 2:19 time for the Gasparilla and Rock N' Roll HALF (13.1) marathons!!

<-----Do I look Kenyan?
No? I do not? Wheeeeew!  
Let me pull up a chair and enjoy some taffy as the pressure is OFF!  

All I know FOR SURE is that I will never, EVER see the finish line tape at Boston, New York or Chicago....so I will not lose sleep over that; that I can push myself a little bit harder to make my time of 2:05 for the Iron Girl HALF marathon this coming Sunday; and that Kenyans are fast, really, really fast, period.  Do not try, it is not in your genes (nothing short of a miracle, a wayward relative in my family tree that may have traveled to Kenya, or the help from the bionic factory that made Jaime Sommers into the Million Dollar Woman - in 1970s dollars).

This year's Boston Marathon inspired me but also makes me so antsy and anxious for the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon - my first marathon, ever.  Wow, cannot believe I am actually signed up for it.  Let's hope all my planning and training in the next few months will fall into place and I get to finish in the nice and impressive non-Kenyan time of 4:15.  I would be so darn proud of that.  Honestly, I would.

I will hold on to that medal...and decide if it was worth it and whether I want to go through all that trouble next year when I decide to do The 2013 ING New York Marathon for my 40th.

The point is....  
if I look this HAPPY------------> after finishing my first FULL marathon, the answer will be a resounding YES!!! Let's go to NYC!

So if you are bored on Sunday, and wish to see a bunch of women running, as if their lives depended on it, come on down to beautiful Clearwater Beach.  Look for me, Bib # 1301....and chant "2:05! 2:05!"  

Since this race is going over several bridges, (Sand Key and Memorial Causeway), look for a group of women wearing turquoise colored dri-fit shirts with the words: "Bring it, Bridges!" and Run Tampa on it.  I will be one of them. 

Come and chant.  Please.

I may need the motivation.

Running More Than Just Errands

Running around doing errands......
    Running around like a chicken with its head cut-off.....

Not exactly the "running" quotes I had in mind, so I did a little research to find some inspirational quotes to help me get by since I will be running the IRON GIRL (grrr) in two weeks.....

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack or last.  You can say, 'I have finished.'  There is a a lot of satisfaction in that." -Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-Founder.

So my training has been slooooow-mo, but I have to keep reminding myself, that I am a soooo much better than I was at this point last year when it took me two long months to run a full mile without wanting to stop and walk (and whine).

The psyching yourself up to begin the run is the hardest.  When I started on Monday after my glutton-infested week(s), I posted on Facebook that I WAS GOING TO RUN 6 miles today.  I got dressed in my new (and seriously cute) Nike running pants and shirt, laced up my sneakers, and decided, today IS the day I get back to my running form again.  So I opened the front door, and was shocked at how nippy it was at 5:45 a.m. and, oh boy, how dark it still is.  Oooh it took every bit of my will power to NOT go back in the house and enjoy a fresh cup of hot coffee and watch the early news curled up with Simon the foster kitty (which FYI- looks like he might be a permanent addition and boy he looooves to cuddle - such an aggressive beast-not!).

But oh no, I cannot stop nor waiver!!! I have already publicly posted my goal run that morning on Facebook....and I was not about to lie - it was hard 'cause now I owned it. I already had friends posting "go guuurrrl.."  "Yay good for you!  You got this!!" and "Jo is back - Look out Iron Girl!"

I started slowly and kept convincing myself, internally, that really, 3-4 miles will be just as good and quite adequate, especially since I am just coming back.

Then something miraculous happened, I
"Forrest Gump'ed" it.
Yes, I just kept on going and going.  It just got easier with every step after mile 2.  I got my breathing and running matching a close pattern.

I. FELT. GOOD.



"Remember the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running." - Sarah Condor

Clearwater Beach, Sunday April 22, 2012

It's official!  I just got my Bib Number for the Iron Girl (grrr) 
I am runner 1301!

So here it is......two weeks, baybeee!  My third 1/2 marathon in three months. WOW! Who knew I had it in me?

Last year's 2011 Iron Girl Half Marathon 
(courtesy of the  TBNweekly.com)

I came back strong and finished my Monday run, 6.55 miles in 57 minutes.  Yep, I AM A BAD-ASS!  Follow up Facebook postings (of course after posting that yes, it got conquered): "Girl you are a speed demon."  "Now that's what I am talking about!" Awesome job!"  Aaaah the joys of admiration from my fellow runners! It honestly helps in keeping me going - just knowing how many people are on my team!  Love my Run Tampa Peeps!

"Don't bother just to be better than your predecessors.  Try to be better than yourself." -William Faulkner

(This quote is so personal to me as I need to beat my last PR of 2:19 for my last 1/2 marathon, Gasparilla.)

My new goal is 2:05 and yes I am making it publicly known, so I cannot back down now.   And lastly, I will leave you with my final quotes:

"It's supposed to be hard.  If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it.  The hard....is what makes it great!" -Tom Hanks in "A League of Their Own"

"Running should be a lifelong activity.  Approach it patiently and intelligently, and it will reward you for a long, long time." 
- Michael Sargent

I hope to run until I can't no more!

So Here I am...at the Crosshairs

So, recapping on my last month....

1) I ran another 1/2 marathon, The Gasparilla, and PR'ed (personal record), by 41 seconds.  Eh, thought I was going to do better, but if you read three posts ago, you will see I had "issues."  But there is another one in the works....and yes, my goal is to sub-2 hours, but it would be difficult to shave off 19 minutes from my time....but try I will.

2) I was coerced to run another 5k (The Oldsmar Armadillo 5k) the weekend right after Gasparilla, and *woo hoo!* I broke the 10 second curse and finally did a sub-30 minute 5k, at 27 min. and 53 seconds! FINALLY, now what stinks is that I want to now break that record....I aim for a 25 minute 5k.  Never happy....for long.

3) I went skiing for the first time in Maine, not an impressive first time because I was too chicken to attempt any more difficult slopes other than the bunny or the smaller blues.  I was ok with that.  Three days of skiing and was good enough. But I am still alive, ACLs intact and walking on twos without any apparatus....so 'nuff said.

So...what's next for this girl?  Oh yeah...ta-Ta-TUM!!!

 grr....

Yes, I feel like a bad-ass.  Iron + Girl - Dang! Who wouldn't?!

So, Sunday, April 22nd at 7:30 a.m., is my big day and I am hoping to kick some major bootay.   Training is coming along after a two week hiatus.  So come on sub-2 hour goal....which would be nice (that is my mental goal) but I put down 2:05 as my official goal!!!  It is my final 1/2 marathon this Spring before my Chicago 26.2 Full in October.  On my birthday!  *woo - hoo!*

courtesy of coloradorunningmagazine.com

SO EXCITED!!!!

I may have to find one more 1/2 marathon before October as my training suggests that at week 9, I need to run one.  But in 9 weeks, I am dreading the Florida heat as we are in the mid-80s now and quite the sticky, humid kinda-heat.  Aww man, thinking about it, it looks like we will be smack in the middle of June....ugh, bring on the swelter!  Usually races in Florida during the hot months revolve around some body of water to cool you off, so I am hoping a half running through a river, in the shady woods is in the works 9 weeks from now.  I have not found one yet, but trust you me, the running fanatics out there will create one.

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE, I LEAVE YOU WITH A CUTE PICTURE.....

Wha? Wha? Wat-chu-talking 'bout Willis?

This is Simon.  He is a cat I am fostering right now.  Not all that ready to replace the cat of my life Hootie that passed away in February hence the fostering status...BUT, Simon was there at Hootie's veterinarian's office each time I took him in.  Apparently, this cat, Simon, has been dumped there FIVE times by different owners in 2 months because he was "aggressive".  It just so happens that each time I went to the vet, he was just returned because of his "crazy" nature.  So my vet who indicated "he is a declawed 15 lb cat that wants to play, a bit rough, but he does not know any better"  said that unless she was able to place him one more time, he was basically labeled aggressive and that does not bid well for his future...actually he would not have a future....he would have had to be euthanized.  He was already picked up once by Animal Control and was labeled the same.  So the sucker that I am for the underdogs or "cats",   I offered to take him in and evaluate.  He has been with me for a month....and he has been AWESOME - as a declawed Siamese can be.  He cuddles and does get on the key board while I am typing this and keeps pressing his forehead on my face because he seeks attention and a cuddle.  Yep, such an aggressive beast.  I will keep you guys posted.  Oh and by the way, NEVER declaw cats, it is just awful....and sad.

I Made It In ONE Piece...Whew....

Arms, Legs, Ankles, Knee Caps, and Neck...still intact! Whew....Skiing is definitely not for the light hearted!  


But I am still here and THAT is a good thing.

So this Florida girl went skiing.  I had some private lessons, and mastered the bunny slope they call a "green", I call it what it was....an easy, bunny slope, and I was ok with that.  No pride hurt. YAY!  They were like, "you strong like bull, you go blue.."  Um no thanks.  I shake my cotton tail and tuck my bunny ears in my helmet.  Perfectly content. But I will have to say, I am still not enamored with skiing as it will take a few tries and a few years before I can come to a complete conclusion of either "hated it" or "loved it." (or somewhere in between!)

But I will try again.  Saddleback Resort in Rangely, Maine was great and I am so glad that my first go was here.  It was nice, good Ol' New England skiing.

I will say I was more chicken about me possibly losing and tearing my ACL which, according to my ski instructor, Bill, happens when you fall backwards...(I am like..."duh, is there another way?")...he was very descriptive..."oh, with skis on your feet, if you have to fall, you have to try to not  fall backwards because that is how your ACL will simply just go *snap*" - the magic two words...."ACL" and "snap" exactly what I was terrified of.  My eyes glazed over.

My kids, who have never even seen snow, well, they were naturals.  I swear kids do not fall.  SO not fair! Well, my son had to be ski patrol-assisted at one point, but the upside is he was not medi-vac'ed via helicopter like one of the other kids in our group did.  That kid was ok and suffered just a slight concussion.  A rogue snowboarder came out like a bat outta hell and smacked into this 9 yr. old boy....and kept going.  Not cool!  But my son, he kept at it like a champ and was skiing blacks by day three.  Still falling - but with a confident SMILE on his face.  Love that chutzpah!

Maine also had record high temps the week we were there that ranged from the mid-70s to a high 81 degrees on Thursday.  It was record breaking for that time of year as the second highest temperature ever recorded at that time of year was 67 degrees. Some of the teens that were skiing in our group were skiing with Florida-style clothes.  Adriana and Mish were sweating in their t-shirts and they thought...hey...why not? So off they kept peeling layers by layers until that photo above.  They even made it on the news!  A few others started to follow suit.  Having not ever been to Maine, I so did not pack correctly.  Eh, you live and you learn.  I am sure next time I WILL under pack and I will hate myself for it too!

So I did not run for 9 days, but we had a terrific Spring break. Wearing ski boots kept my quads and calves in shape. We met some wonderful people from Maine and New Hampshire and some Tampa folks I would not have otherwise have ever met, made this trip so wonderful.  Also, our friends that have invited us, The Berry Family, which happen to be one of the owners Saddleback Resort, were such gracious hosts.  Their daughter, Lilly, attends my daughter's school and are great friends.

Well other than some there is some alcohol induced confidence in doing karaoke, my friend Supha decided to take videos of us.  Yes, after reviewing, I chose not to post.  You will need to come up and make your own memories....but keep in mind, if you HAD a favorite song, like say, "Stand By Me" it may no longer be your favorite song after the video.  But the list went on, and on "I Will Survive", "Friends in Low Places" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "Buffalo Soldier" were quite memorable.  They got people either laughing or dancing or both...good times, good times!


Amita, you and I owned the stage - submitting to Def Jam Records as we speak! Wha? Wha?

I highly recommend this resort if you do not want the glitz and name dropping like Aspen or Vail....I have been to both and I love them, and would love them more if I had won the lottery and have endless amounts of green to drop on lift tickets.  BUT there is something nice about a quaint and rustic lodge with some real good down home folks, awesome beer and spectacular slopes and views.  I would definitely go back!

The whole crew hailing from Florida, New Hampshire and Maine!  Spring Break 2012

Aaaah, still relishing it.  Next week, true training begins and I will conquer Iron Girl (grrrr) in 3 weeks.  NO JOKE, now, N-O J-O-K-E!

Skiing IS Freaking Me OUT!

Two planks on the bottom of my feet
        and a gentle push down a mountain they label "blue."

                    Whooooaaaa...whaaaa?!

Yes, so here I am, a Florida girl of Caribbean descent, pondering what to pack for skiing.  I have never, ever, ever, skied before.  I leave tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. and it is only Maine - not the 12,000 foot elevations of Colorado or the Swiss Alps, I am scared.
Very.

I am more terrified of skiing and hurting my knee or something because of my scheduled first full marathon in Chicago...I kinda have been a bit cautious....(I make sure the floor is not wet when I get out of the shower, cautious). Plain and simple, I do not want to get hurt.

I know of people that get injured, no wait, killed, while tempting that sport we all call "skiing."  Sonny Bono died at, ironically, Heavenly Ski Resort in Nevada, because he smacked into a tree in Wylie Coyote fashion.  Michael Kennedy died a year before him in Aspen, Colorado, again, a tree *whack!* Goodnight!

How 'bout Natasha Richardson?  Pretty actress married to Liam Nielson, remembered for her role in the Parent Trap, a Disney movie where once cute Lindsey Lohan played BOTH of her twin daughters?  Yeah, she gone....how?  Well, during a ski lesson....on the bunny slope....she gently falls and hits her head, gets up, walks away with a mere headache - decides to go back to her hotel room and take a "killer" nap.  Seriously that one freaked me out!!  

You do not want to be a wuss, but dang, how many times do we bump our heads and we do not rush to the ER?  Only because you do not want to sit there for hours and hours to finally have the intake nurse ask: "You are here for what?  You're serious?!  You mean to telllll me, that YOU are here wasting MY time because....because you bumped your little head?!"

Umm. Yes?

Let's not even go with Sarah Burke, come on!!! 

Here is a chick that lives, eats and poops adrenaline.  She probably began skiing soon after taking her first baby steps!  Seriously, as the photo above demonstrates, she made skiing looks so darn easy.  Yet she died demonstrating a half pipe or something crazy like that during an X-Games break, for her Monster Energy Drink Sponsor.  She has done this trick more than a dozen times. She was a bad-ass! "Was" being the key word.

Sara Burke Photo by: Alessandro Garofalo/Files, Reuters

So pray for me, please!  Know that I WILL wear a helmet.  Pray that I will have the courage to try the slopes after surviving the ski school lesson on day one (Surpassing the curse of Natasha). That I do NOT wuss out and honestly try to like it (channel my inner Sarah).  If after, I feel totally unsecured about not injuring myself, then I am going to *gasp* fake an injury, so I can just hang out at the toasty lodge with a good book and a hot toddy....because I do not want to end up like that guy below:

Dang....OUCH!!!!!!!!  Sometimes a girl has gotta do what she's gotta do!

Homework Hell...Marathon Swells...Ugh Too Damn Old.

So I am back in college.  Yes, in college where professors are younger than me and I feel like I stand out like a sore thumb....although some lovely, sweet young girls in a few of my classes make a point to say...."you're how old?!  Well, you look like, totally awesome.....for your age!" *Smack*  (Cue in Price is Right when you overbid: Womp, womp, womp)  Oookie Dokie! I know it is supposed to be a compliment (*totally*), but it is a reminder that the sand in the hourglass has trickled to a veeeerrrrry high peak.  Decided to take three classes which are all work, work, work, read, read, read, write, write, write. Oh. Em. Gee.  There is no backing down.  I mean, hay dios mio! I am falling behind in the best way I can and I have decided that sleep is for sissies.  Because this (3 a.m.) is THE ONLY time I can do any of this.  At least I look "good" for my "age"....have THAT going for me.

What the hell am I doing here?

Oh yeah, the bucket list.  Dang it.  At this rate, kicking the bucket might come sooner.  My stress level is in an ultra high level now and my poor kids only see the back of my head while I type, type, type away on the computer.  Hope they recognize me after this semester.

So what's a girl who is searching for her true self going to do?

Well, unfortunately THAT girl signed up for yet another 1/2 marathon before her first full marathon (Chicago in October) training begins in May.  My last half will be the Iron Girl Half Marathon! Wha? Wha?
(No seriously, grrrr, I feel like a bad-ass when I say: Iron Girl!).

Yes, I say unfortunately because I did not prepare for the second one as well as I have prepared for the first one and I feel as if I have been hit by a Mack truck.  Fortunately, Iron Girl (*grrrr*) is in April!

Courtesy of Q105

Although my first ever half was only 3 & 1/2 weeks ago, my second was just this past Sunday, the Publix 2012 Gasparilla Half Marathon.  Arrrrrgh, pirates in New Balance and Nikes were everywhere speaking pirate-speak and it was only a matter of seconds before you started to speak pirate-ese, too. I only, P-Arrrgh'ed by 41 seconds, my knee once again felt as if someone jabbed it with an icepick at Mile 7, and my bowels decided to do a cross between the Irish Jig and a retro-1980's Breakdance -Electric Boogaloo.  Back to physical therapy I go.  But it was fun dressed in a 3 ply lawn bag while awaiting for the storm to finish pummeling me at quarter to 5 in the morning as we are lining up to begin our 6 a.m. gun start.  Yes, waaay better than coffee for a wake up call...Oh I was awake....WIDE "deer caught in headlights" AWAKE, between the 55 mph winds and coooold rain, Oh dear God, please stop torturing me, puhleeese!?

Courtesy of www.tampabayrun.com

After finishing 13.1 grueling, cold, wet, blistering miles and getting my pretty sweet medal, I ate my stack of celebratory pancakes then got home to see pieces of my tile roof in the pool and on my dock. I looked down and saw that nice skull and cross bone finishers' medal hanging around my neck and said..."yeeeeaaaaahhhaaa it was so worth it!"

Courtesy of the http://mealsandmiles.com/2012/03/04/gasparilla-half-marathon-2012/

I hobbled back in the house, popped an Aleve and laid down on the couch. Eh, I will call the roofer mañana.

SO WHAT NOW?

Tomorrow I NEED to run, but can't.  Oh yeah LIFE is putting my training to a screeching halt.  Let's hope maybe it is a good thing....maybe with this much rest I might get my time: 2:05 if not better, for my next half marathon, in April...no wait...I want to sub-2 hours at my next, that should be enough time to regain my mojo.

I will be running a po-dunk race in Oldsmar called The Armadillo 5k on Saturday and I have been trying to go a sub-30 minute 5k, so I will try my hardest.....it has been alluding me by 10 itty, bitty seconds!  So now I am shorting this blog because I just cannot type one more word, this is my last homework....and apparently I cannot run one more mile either....ugh. Stinks being old....where is my Aleve?