I'm still here! No really I am!

I think it's been about 3 week since I posted. My last post was about the 5k I had done and then I went quiet for awhile.

Do I want to blog? Yes.

Do I have anything positive to blog? Hmmm probably not hence why I went quiet.

It's May. The time of the year I used to normally enjoy. It's my birthday month.  Woot! It's also Mothers Day. Which this year the loss of my Mother has saddened me more than in years past. I was pretty much a hot mess crying on the treadmill at the gym last week.  How would you like to be running next to that gal at the gym?

Yes I mentioned gym twice. I now belong to a new gym in town. In fact it's a national chain. And you've probably seen the really annoying commercials for it on tv lately.  Planet Fitness is cheap, nice and updated (well it should be since it's brand spanking new!!)  I've been there a lot in the past 3 weeks so my membership is getting it's use. Once school ends in about 2 weeks I'll have to figure out what to do before they wake or after they go to bed since they have no daycare.

The kids will be getting out of school in a few weeks. While the oldest will be out for the summer the youngest is only out for 3 weeks. Then she starts at her new school!!! It's very exciting and we are all very hopeful that we will see lot's of good improvement from the little one. I came to the realization a few weeks ago that Avery is basically a mischievous unrestrained toddler in the body of a very physically capable almost 5 year old. She climbs things. She get's into messes. She's very impulsive.

One of the reasons why I went silent is that we were trying to get Avery's sleep issues under control again. Back in the winter of 2011/2012 she had major sleep issues and it took us months to get her back into good sleep habits.  This time was worse as that I alluded just above that she's very mischievous and insanely strong for a 5 yr old. We finally resorted to small doses of melatonin to help her go to sleep. I was hesitant to start melatonin because I've read stories where that it could increase waking at night. Which she already does on a regular basis. Since starting the melatonin there has been an increase in night wakings, but it is also high allergy season for her and she's having a break through when it comes to potty training. The melatonin has worked in the sense that what used to be nightly fighting and taking almost 2 hours to go to bed is now about less than 30 minuets from receiving the melatonin to her hitting the sack!!  If you think a 2 year old who takes off a diaper after it's soiled is a lot of fun, try a freaking 5 year old! This whole I am too wet for a diaper and I'm going to whip it off ASAP is new and messy but it's also a sign that she's finally sensing that a wet diaper is a horrible thing to have!!

I am also suppose to be signing up for school...but I'm terrified. Not so much of going back to school but of the debt. I could convince myself that it won't be bad but then if I see the numbers of what I can get for next year I'm not that freaked out. It's all the other stuff after that. I'm considered a senior who still has to take like 54 credits to graduate!! ARGHHHHHHH!!! That's a lot!!!


Is it going to be worth paying student loans before I hit retirement age? (not like I'm going to be able to retire hahano)

2013 Race that's Good for Life race report

I headed to Oak Park this morning to run the 32nd annual Race That's Good for Life. This is my 3rd year running this 5K. It's a great race, flat course. The first year I did this race I was much, much lighter and much faster. In 2010 I completed the race in 36:59 and earned 2nd place in my Clydesdale division. You can go back down memory lane here. I then did it again in 2011 and wow I got so slow down to 40:12.

Normally I would have many, many pictures. Well the day of the Boston marathon bombing I accidentally dropped my phone in a public toilet. EWWWWW. Yup I know. It then went and sat in rice for about 5 days. When it came out of the rice about 1/3 of the phone's main things worked. I can talk on it and get texts. BUT the camera is dead (shutter won't open) and the speaker is gone as well. I can't hear music on it either. When someone calls I have to have it on vibrate for me to know. Texts are the same way.

So there ya go. First world problem at it's finest. I could tell you about how I was designated my very own personal parking spot at the school I will be attending this summer, just for coming to meet with a counselor.  When I got there someone had parked in that spot! And no camera on my phone to take a picture and make fun of my misadventure. There are other things but you have no idea how much you use your camera phone until you can't anymore. Oh and I'm not due for a phone upgrade til September. Yup. Good times.

So I went and got there bright and early to pick up my race packet (love race day packet pick up!!) and to weigh in for the Clydesdale/Athena division. 

Awesome nice shirt! V-Neck's are my favorites for race shirts. I really dislike regular collars in general. 

The weather this morning was pretty near perfect race conditions. My first time wearing a short sleeve shirt to run in this year.  Yesterday we had absolutely beautiful sunny day but I was stuck in a car all.day.long practically. Today it was overcast and had rained over night. It kept looking like it was going to rain during the race but it held off as well.  This race is unique as that the women start first 9:10 am after the kids timed 1 mile run. The men then don't start til 9:50.  There were a few men running during this part though.

I felt pretty good for the first mile (14ish). Entering the 2nd mile my Garmin was telling me I was way off (????) and my hip issue that I felt during the Shamrock Shuffle was getting pretty obvious. The pain is on the inside of the hip, and goes down to my groin. I told my husband this morning that I didn't think it was bursitis because I've had that in my right hip before but now that I'm typing this up I am not sure. It would not surprise me if that's what's going on. Sigh.

Once I hit mile 2 I felt like I was still doing ok. Turned into mile 3 and while my time is not spectacular it has been a lot worse this year. So my final time was 44:06. Which I knew it was worse then the second year I ran this. I could probably go back and do a table about my running time and weight and body dynamics but I'll save the time. I'm about 25 ish lbs heavier today then 3 years ago. Plus 3 years older.  Eh. Any who.  I did not do well in the Clydesdale/Athena division again either. Last. Just like the last time I did this race.

I'm not really concerned about that right now. Yesterday at WW I was down 1.8lbs. Heading in the right direction.  I'm being more mindful of what I'm eating and making better choices. Most times ;) No wine either. I love my wine but I can nurse 1 beer all night. Whereas when I start with 1 glass of wine it can easily turn into 2 just like that. So back to making better choices and always keep moving.

Back to the race. If you live in the Chicagoland area I highly recommend this race. From the volunteers, race directors, to the Oak Park Running Club and the vendors at the mini-expo in the cafeteria they do this race right. There is even a Mother Daughter running team event thing that looks pretty awesome. All women get flowers to at the end of the race.

I'll definitely be back next year!

Spectating first - from my front yard!!

Yesterday when I returned home from WW (up .2lbs, go me) and running errands there was a little green note on my front door. The note said that a 5k race was going to be coming down our street today!! Wait what?? One of the local big parks that has little pony leagues was doing a 5k to raise money. It was their first time doing this event and majority of it was in my neighborhood! I wished I had known about it sooner and I would have signed up but alas I didn't have any extra cash for today's race but I was extremely excited that I was able to spectate a race in my town!!

I wanted to make sure we were out there from the first runner to the last walker. My oldest and I set up camp to await the first runner.

The first runner was a teenage boy. Then a few more teenage boys who were a bit of a distance behind him. Then the older guys and it was about after that that I saw the first female. More than a few people commented on our hills in our town. Snort. Yeah that's why I run in the next town over!

She was so excited and kept cheering on the runners.  Eventually we started to get more people running and many of them were happy to see us as I think we were the only one's out on the course. Some ladies even stopped and wanted to get pictures of the signs and with her. They even wanted a picture of the Run for Boston sign I made for today. They said it meant a lot to them.

Spectating is very hard for a 6 year old. She was pretty exhausted by the time we were done. She was running up and down the street with them and high-fiving all who would high-five her.

The first notice of this race we got from anyone was that little note on my door yesterday. I think our city dropped the ball on this. Plus the route had to go around one of the churches and hello we have a 8am mass. What time do you think it got out? Right during the race time. So odd about this.

My best friend and I both would have signed up for this if we knew about it. I mean our kids could have watched us do a 5k in my front yard!! That's a bit disappointing. If the other one was in a better mood we would have had her outside as well but she woke up a little spitfire.

Hopefully there is a next year!!

Run for Boston

I laced up first thing this morning.

No matter what today I was going to run.

I was thankful that my kids cooperated. The little one hardly protested going to school.
The other one listened and hurried out of the car. I dropped the husbands dry cleaning off and headed home to get my stuff together.

Then I stepped out of the house and started.

It was just picture perfect this morning.

I went my normal route. Past the school, cemeteries and back home.

My mind was lost on Boston.

From the families who were waiting for their loved ones.

To the people who ran towards the explosions to help.

My mind was just focused on Boston.

Not my life, not my problems. That's what running does for me. I was so lost in thinking about Boston that I forgot completely that little one was having her observation at school today from her new school.  I didn't think of that until I stepped into my driveway.

Since I started to run 4 years ago I've been called plenty of things. Selfish, stupid, injury prone (duh) but I know I'm not any of these things well except the injury thing.

I've raised almost $4,000 for different charities in that time frame. I run to help my friends get started in their running journey. I run for causes near and dear to my heart for my late mother and my little girl.

I'm more than proud today to be called a runner.

From today's run.

Pray for Boston

I was having a bad day.

I was cursing my insane bad luck.

I was cursing Autism like nobody's  business.

Then at about 10 to 2pm I checked Twitter.

The tweets starting coming in about explosions at the finish line. There was nothing on the national news wires so I googled Boston news.

It was there.

In full color.

The tragedy.

The terror.

The carnage.

The runners woke up today with only the thought of getting to that finish line.

And now this.

I've been to the finish line of many races. I know the crowd. The feeling of anticipation. The excitement. Waiting for your loved one to come across that finish line.  It's electrifying.

I will most likely never get to Boston.

I respect Boston to much to be wishy washy about it.

I cried for those killed in Newtown. As a mother of a 6 year old and of a child with Autism I felt that fear and sadness for weeks afterwards.

I'm a runner too and I cried today for them and their families.

Those streets are hollowed grounds for those who have worked so hard to make it there.

Now it's tarnished with this horrible act of violence to our citizens. 

When I lace up my shoes next I will cry on my run.

There is no if because I know myself well enough that when I run it's a release of my tension and feelings.

Pray for Boston.