Happy Bloggerversary!!!

My actual handwriting...

Today is my bloggerversary and I had planned to write about my half marathon experience in Chicago. Instead, I will say that I am honored to have you as readers. Thanks so much for your kind words on Facebook, your re-tweets on Twitter, your comments on the blog and your sincere thoughts when face to face.  

 I signed up to run the Women’s Half Marathon in Chicago on June 23rd. I was actually very excited about it. My friend was going to run it with me. We have both been running for years, but have not run together in quite some time.  She told me that she was going to register but I have not heard from her since she said this. Despite being stood up, I was still determined to run it alone. I even took time off of work for a recovery day after the race. At the last minute an opportunity to go to Puerto Rico arose and I had to choose between going to Chicago to run 13.1 miles or going to Puerto Rico to soak up sun, sand and warmth. (I don’t want to take too many trips without The Joes.) I chose the later. I have never been to Puerto Rico and I am very excited. We are staying on Vieques. I am also very excited to hang with a long time friend. I have been religiously perusing all sites related to our trip and I have narrowed my choices for activities down to horseback riding on the beach, bike tours of the island, and a kayaking tour of the Bioluminescent Bay. If you have other suggestions feel free to share!  I also plan to eat lots of good food. I am not a modest eater either. I plan to demolish some seafood while I am there. 

I will see the Ocean again soon...

My pettiest blog post to date...

I was in the gym, with headphones on, minding my own business, when I noticed a fellow watching me on the leg press. I was doing my usual 400 pounds. (I have yet to use the machine with free weights and the highest weight on the machine with pins is 400 pounds.) Anyway, I was pressing away and he was watching away. I felt inclined to toss in a few extra sets for his viewing pleasure so I completed about 10 sets of 10. I had recently cut back to 5 sets of 10 and added a new workout to my leg day routine. I felt he deserved 10 sets of 10. When I got off the machine, I headed to the calf raise machine, not because that comes next in my routine, but because I knew I’d have a good view of the leg press. Sure enough, he hopped on and without one single thought of adjusting the weight, went at it. Of course, he didn’t go too far because he couldn’t lift the weight. At All. I saw him decrease the weight. I was tickled but he WAS working out. Good for him. I did 4 setsof 25 on the calf raise machine and in that time the gentleman gave up and walked over to me. He asked my name and told me his and proceeded to ask how was it possible that I lifted 300 pounds. I politely corrected him and explained that it was 400 pounds. He blew that off and kept asking questions about my strength and insinuating that there was some trick I had used to press this amount. He then said he was amazed that a lady could press 300 pounds. By this time, I felt he was being condescending. I explained again that I had pressed 400 pounds and asked did he need a demonstration. Amazingly, he said he needed to see this. I walked over to the machine, noticed he was pressing 190 and dropped the pin to 400 pounds. I happily pumped away and then explained to him that 190 is a good number and that I sometimes press 190 per leg for a good single leg workout. As petty as this is, I thoroughly enjoy when I can lift more than a young man in the gym. I am not as defined as I would like to be. I am working on that. It is always interesting when someone assumes based on my juiciness that I am not strong and especially fun to prove them wrong. I am developing a love for the weights. It’s a great way to burn calories and strengthen your muscles. Try it!!! You’ll like it! Happy Lifting!!!

I survived 9th grade...TWICE

I have no significant recollections of my ninth grade year. I was not traumatized. It was merely a very long time ago. I remember people and classes. I think my mother bought me a "pity bra" this year. (You know...flat chested, didn't need it, but everyone else had one). Nothing specific. I remember that I survived it. I survived ninth grade again this year. This time I survived as the parent of a ninth grader. Amazingly enough, I did not go to jail. Not one time. Despite the one hundred million times I wanted to physically harm my smart mouthed, hard headed ninth grader, I survived. I did threaten him about 2,900 times that I was going to send him to live with his father and despite his assertion that this was not at all what he wanted, I was able to make this threat 2,899 more times after the initial threat. We started this year with a speech from me, The Tyrant, explaining that ninth grade is important and will set the tone for high school and subsequently what college he gets into and attends. He expressed an understanding of this concept every single time I said it. Maybe I was getting through to him? 

Homecoming

 Big Joe and I had a problem every single morning. He did not want to get up. He did not pack his lunch at night. He did not shower before bed. He stayed up too late. He didn't plug his phone up in my room. (They are supposed to plug their phones up in my room at 10pm). He wanted to wear sweat clothes to school ( I think sweat clothes are for working out and don't allow them to wear them to school). He wanted to wait until the morning to alert me to activities or the need for money. He would not be ready when I was ready to take him to school. Every morning with this child was a test of my patience. I am so grateful to God for summer vacation because if I had to deal with this child in the morning year round, I would pull my eyelashes out. Amazingly, he survived.
 

The school year was not a bust. He played football for the first time in the Fall and also played in the marching band. He seemed to manage both well. This was his first season playing football, so he did not have as much experience as some of the other players and therefore did not see as much playing time as he would have liked. He talked about quitting and just sticking to skateboarding. I hate football. I think it's dangerous. I don't want to raise a quitter though. He stuck it out and plans to play again this Fall. He impressed his mother with his determination. Big Joe has struggled with school in the past. He is a very intelligent kid and his grades rarely reflect that. This school year was a sigh of relief. His grades were finally reflecting what I knew he was capable of all along. Of course, he did not bring home perfection, but I am pleased that he is beginning to see the importance of doing well in school. He even earned Merit Roll a couple of times!!!! He ran track in the Spring and did pretty well. He worked hard and showed that he could follow through with goals that he sets for himself. He attended the Senior's award night at his high school and was amazed at the number of scholarships for music. He came home determined to practice his trumpet more. If only someone had said this to him before (his Mom did)....If only someone had paid for private lessons (his Mom did) and encouraged him to audition for outside opportunities(his Mom did). Sometimes you have to learn things on your own.

My goals for next school year are: 1. Make him more accountable for his time. He will use his own alarm clock to get up in the morning. When I say be ready or I'm not taking you, I will hold myself to that consistently. He can ride his bike if he is not ready. 2. Push getting ready at night. No TV until lunches are made or showers are taken is hard for me because I want to go to bed. If I'm in bed, I cannot monitor this. I will have to change my bedtime and stop being a little old lady. UGH!!!! 3. Show up to more events. I missed some this year. I started a new job and it was difficult to take time off to attend games or meets. I have figured out how to flex my hours so that I can be present at more of the Joes activities.

Big Joe will be 15 on June 17th. Lawd have mercy. 6 months until a learners permit. 3 months until Sophomore year. I think we are ready for Sophomore year. I think....
Big Joe is number 85!!!

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Weekend

Some of the Cleveland Marathon Bloggers

All gussied up...

The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon was a weekend long event for me. The marathon organizers hosted a VIP cocktail party on the Friday night before the race at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cleveland. I did not have a date to this event and none of my friends were available to attend with me. I was reluctant to go (I'm socially awkward) but put on my big girl pants and went anyway. As I was signing in at the door, I ran into a friend from social media whom I had never met in real life, Tara. She is the Program Director for the We Run This City program in Cleveland and happens to be a pretty awesome human. She was there with four of the children she works with. We sat and ate and talked together. When they were about to leave, I walked around to speak to the other bloggers and ended up chatting with Joe(and wife) and Stephanie(and boyfriend). We talked about all things running and I felt beyond motivated after chatting with Tara, her students and the other bloggers.

Me and my Littlest Joe

 On Saturday, I headed to the Expo with my littlest Joe. We were pretty excited to have some girl time. We picked up my bib and shirt and visited quite a few booths. I bought compression sleeves and a Spibelt and she picked up a head band for running. She also stopped by the American Greetings table to make a sign for me. Apparently, The Joes were going to come to the race to cheer me on and to go to the VIP brunch that the Cleveland Marathon was hosting!!! I wore my superman shirt to the Expo. I needed the superpowers that come with it to resist the call of Krispy Kreme donuts, which would have been an exit away from the Expo, as opposed to the usual 40 minute ride it would take to get there from my house. I was able to resist those sugary sirens....until the next time I have to drive west.

New Compression sleeves! Love green!!

The sign...

The headband..."Some girls chase boys. I pass 'em"

I got up pretty early on the morning of the race. According to the parking pass, I had to be in the lot by 5:30. I got up at 4:30 and awakened The Joes. Big Joe got up, took our dog (Honey) out and then explained that he was too tired to go. He was bailing. The littlest Joe was my last hope. I woke her up (or tried to wake her up) three times. She never got out of her bed. I was on my own. I hit a bit of traffic coming into downtown but I made it to the lot at about 5:35. No one seemed to care about the time. I was relieved. I pulled in and decided to do my favorite thing in the world. Sleep in the car. My race started at 7:30. I had about an hour and a half of down time. I had brought a pillow and a quilt with me. I headed to my back seat for a snooze. I have no idea why I love car sleeping so much!!!! My alarm awakened me at 7am and I got out and headed to the start line. While I was waiting, I ran into a co-worker from a previous job, Dan. We chatted about the race. He shared his goal time and asked what was mine. I answered "Oh, probably 1:10". I hadn't set a goal time but this sounded about right. The race started out great. I ran for a while and then realized that we were running over a bridge. I have never read a course map before a race. I probably should have checked this one out. I am afraid of bridges!!! Running over it was pretty easy. Running back was a little harder. I was a little nervous. I did a good job of pacing myself. Sometimes, during my practice runs, I had run the first couple of miles too fast and tired myself quickly. I ran this race pretty consistently between 10:50 and 11:10. I wore my new compression sleeves for the race and my legs felt great. I should admit that my toes were a little tingly around mile 4. I added some sport insoles and I think that maybe the running socks and insoles made my shoes a little too tight. Note to self: Don't experiment on race day! When I crossed the finish line, I thought the clock said 1:11 and some seconds. I assumed that my time was about 1:09 and some seconds but I had to wait until the results were in to find out for sure. I met up with one of my running buddies, Rebecca, who was at the race cheering on her husband as he ran the half. I invited her, her husband and their son to enjoy my tickets to the brunch since my dates stood me up. Actually, there was no standing...They were laying...in their beds...snoozing. When I got home and checked the results, I was surprised to see that my time was exactly 1:10. No seconds. 

The recipients of the Brunch tickets.

Me...after the race. Is she giving me the evil eye?

This race was important to me because this is the third year in a row that I have run this particular race. It is the first year that I have run it with my bib and had a time registered. It was also important for anther reason. A co-worker of mine, Sharella Thomas was killed in a car crash on the Friday before the race. She was a beautiful person. We worked together as social workers in a local emergency room. I learned a great deal about her when we worked 12 hour shifts together. One thing I discovered was that she was a runner. She was a group leader for the local chapter of Black Girls Run. She was passionate about her role in the lives of the women she ran with.  I never ran with her but when we talked running she was always encouraging me to run farther and longer. When I first started running, I would tell her my tales of woe and she would tell me that I could run farther than whatever distance I had mentioned. She believed I was capable of doing it before I realized it. She was a Master's level social worker. She was always my sounding board for difficult cases or situations.  She was compassionate and caring both professionally and personally. She was a supportive mother who encouraged her son to follow his dreams. She was an amazing person who touched many lives. I'm praying for peace for her family and friends and I am most grateful for the opportunity to have known her and for her many encouraging words.

New Shoes...

The Brooks Ravenna 4. See that spicy yellow strip?

During my last race it hit me that I needed to replace my running shoes. I had been experiencing aches and numbness. I ignored it and kept running. During the last race I ran, I actually had to stop to wriggle my toes because they were so numb. I decided then and there to get new shoes. My last 3 pair of running shoes have been the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10, 11 and 12. I love Brooks and I have had nothing but success with their shoes. I did some research to find similar shoes and came up with the Brooks Ravenna 4. I noticed that last year's model was the 3 and I figured I could find a pair of last year's model and pay less money for the shoe. I  had no success in locating a pair in my area to purchase. A wave of sadness washed over me. I wanted to buy inexpensive running shoes!!! My sadness was quickly replaced with giddyness as I now had to make a trip to a store to........SHOP. Something I love to do. I have probably visited every running shop in the area and can honestly say that I have had great experiences at all of them. I will say that I have a special fondness for Achilles Running Shop in Mentor, Ohio . They are located near our home in Lake County. I have purchased shoes there before and my son was fitted for his track spikes there. The staff are patient and knowledgeable and did I say patient???? They advertise that they are "the regions only physician owned running and walking specialty store". They seem to take that responsibility seriously. The staff wants to ensure that your feet are well taken care of. Last time I was there, a gentleman named Cody helped me to make a decision about my new shoes. He explained the difference between the Adrenaline and the Ravenna. He also encouraged me to try the new shoe, but only after I explained what I was looking for.  I also purchased new fluorescent orange Feetures socks and Honey Stinger Pink Lemonade Organic Energy Chews. You probably already know that I love running socks. So no new updates on the sock front. These snacks are dangerous because they score incredibly high in the tasty snack department. I gobbled them down very quickly! They did fuel a 4 mile run though... If you see me running anytime soon, you can catch me in my new Brooks Ravenna 4. They are a little spicier than my Adrenaline. They have a splash of color on them. This turtle runner is getting F-A-N-C-Y!!!

Your feet will thank you...and love you

Amazing little energy chew

How to poo in a portapotty

I used to be the girl that did not poo in public. I rarely even peed in public. I worked at an overnight job for

3 years and remember getting a call that my uncle died, going to the bathroom to cry and thinking "This is the first time I have ever seen this restroom". I am not a lover of public restrooms. At all. When I started running, this all changed.I mean, it had to. I can't believe that I talk about poo and all things poo-related so freely. Sometimes I feel like a 12 year old boy... I have to explain to people in advance what atrocities may occur if I use their personal bathroom after a race or why I may disappear for a prolonged period of time immediately following a race. I have run twice with my cousin J and he has heard ALL about my issues. He taunted me outside the portapotty at the Turkey Trot and after the Capital City Quarter he asked, very seriously "How do you poop in a portapotty?". I thought I should answer him. Here goes... Using the portapotty is completely different than using a toilet in a public restroom. There is a chance that the toilet in the public restroom has been cleaned. There is usually no poo piling up in the toilet awaiting your arrival. There are handy dandy seat covers to put down to make your experience more pleasant. And most importantly you can flush the toilet and wash your hands. The portapotty is a means to an end. That's it. Nothing comfortable about it. And if you are a turtle runner like myself, the chance of you getting a clean potty are slim to none. Someone will have already had their way with the portapotty stall you are destined to use. The first thing you should do is come prepared. Know that the toilet paper provided for you will not be two ply and will likely not meet your cleaning needs. Not even temporary cleaning needs. I run with a CamelBak that has a pocket. I keep wet wipes in it for such occasions. Secondly, keep up with your squats in the gym, at home, at work on your lunch break, in church in the choir stand....Squat. Squatting to pee takes about 2 minutes at the most. Squatting to poo could take a lot longer. Make sure you are prepared to get a good workout in for the time you are confined to that tiny little stinkpot. If all else fails, you can grab the bottom of the door for stability or sit on the seat. If you sit on the seat, you may feel disgusting afterwards. God only knows what you have just introduced to your nether regions. In the event that you must sit on the seat, first try to paper it. If you do not have time for that and you go all in, make sure you are hosed down by Hazmat teams before you return to your home. Or you could take a shower. No matter what....Portapotty pooing is gross. No one ever warned me about any of this. Hopefully, if you have never experienced it, this will prepare you for it. Happy Pooing!!!

2013 Capital City Quarter Marathon-Columbus, Ohio

First time having my name on the bib! Nice touch...

I drove to Columbus on the night of May 3rd with plans to run the Capital City Quarter Marathon with my cousin(J) and his cousin-in-law (L). I planned to leave at about 8pm and arrive at about 10:30pm. If you have ever met me, you know that this did not happen. My daughter had a soccer game and my son had a track meet. After both activities were done, I had to take them out to eat. I didn't hop on the road until about 9:30 which means I did not arrive at my cousin's house in Columbus until about midnight. I had packed my running gear and I laid everything out, plugged in my phone and hopped in the bed. I was beyond ready for a good night's sleep. My alarm went off at about 6am. I grabbed my phone and immediately noticed that my battery was on 2 percent. It had not been charging all night!!! I got up and got ready and started charging my phone in the car. We were stopped in traffic for about a half hour trying to get off the freeway to park so that gave me plenty of time to charge my phone enough to run with music and have my running apps on. We arrived at the race just in time to hop into our corral and start the race. L is a much faster runner than J and I and he took off without us. J and I ran together for the first mile but I felt pretty yucky and encouraged him to run ahead of me. The course for this race was great. I am not a Columbus native so I was able to see a bit of the city. There were many spectators and bands along the race route. I can honestly say that had I been forced to run without music, I would have been entertained throughout the run. I had to stop running at about mile 3 to untie my shoe and wriggle my toes a bit. They were pretty numb. As I untied my shoe, I made a mental note that I needed to look into replacing my running shoes. I found a partner for the next mile and a half but she started walking and I had to keep moving. At about mile 5 I ran into another lady who was running about the same pace as I. I ran with her until the end. My toesies were pretty numb but there were a few factors that played into me not stopping. 1. My cousin had thrown out an arbitrary goal of finishing in under 1:15. I knew at that point I was under 1:15. 2. There were people lined up against barriers for what seemed like the last mile of the race cheering, watching and holding you accountable. 3. This woman I was running with was an awesome running angel who was keeping a great pace. L finished in about 58 minutes. J finished in about 1:06. I finished in 1:12:31.

L, me and J with our medals!!!

Pretty fancy, huh?

My tummy was churning during the run but I was able to scarf down a bagel, a banana, a water and a chocolate before hitting the portapotty. These fancy portapottys that look like bathrooms on wheels are pretty convenient but everyone can see into it. Now, they can't see you using it, but they could see (for example) you telling the girl waiting that she might not want to use the stall you were just in. Embarrassing!! And this visual could potentially prompt questions from said person such as "How do you poo in a portapotty?" I have decided to answer that question...but in my next post. Anywho...When I got back to J's house my tummy was ready for round 2 and 3 and 4 and 5. This run was pretty rough on my tummy. When I finally managed to pull myself together enough to shower and get dressed to get on the road back to Cleveland, J offered me some Pepto Bismol. I never take medication like this. I figured it couldn't hurt. I took it and bought more when I got home. I took it every four hours or so after the run and did not have the same issues I usually have the next day. How could I have never tried tummy medication? It seems so obvious! I don't know if this is THE answer but it provided relief on this day so I am pretty excited about this new discovery. Now on to the Cleveland Rite Aid 10K on May 19th. I will have new shoes and Pepto on hand...