I had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night off this past week which should have made me really productive. Instead I returned to work on Thursday night feeling exceptionally disorganized and unaccomplished. Indulging my sweet tooth made me feel tired. Hormones made me feel crabby. I think my husband and son would agree that I was not a joy to be around. The good news is that by the end of the weekend I was eating a healthy diet again and very quickly that bloated, heavy feeling disappeared once I cut the crap out of my diet.

I think because I was feeling so badly about myself I also projected those feelings onto my training for the week. In my head I insisted that I had an off week, but looking back at what I actually did makes me think otherwise.

OK so enough whiny negativity. Let’s talk about something really positive like my long run this week. I had 11 miles scheduled for Friday morning while Carlos was in school. The bugger had borrowed my head phones the day before and when I arrived at the reservoir I couldn’t find them in my gym bag. That combined with a suddenly full bladder made my decision to return home easy. Back I went. I searched everywhere for the headphones at home to no avail. Lo and behold they were in the car all along stuffed in between Carlos’ coloring books.

I decided to return to the reservoir since it was such a gorgeous morning. My window of opportunity for a long run was closing quickly. Carlos had an early release day so his normal pick up time of 11am was 10:45 on this day and by the time I returned to the reservoir it was almost 9 o’clock. Off I went. Despite feeling really awful about myself all week I was feeling pretty good on the trail. The loop around the reservoir is about 3.5 miles. Although I had my Garmin on I decided not to look at it until I completed two loops around. I was more interested in going the distance rather than running for a good time.

My pace felt light and consistent. After two loops I checked my Garmin and discovered that I was pacing just under a 10 minute mile. My time at 7 miles was 1:08:43. Woo hoo! I high fived myself…not really. I knew I could make it another full loop around which would put me around 10.5 miles. I finished the loop and made it another .15 back to the car. I know I only had .35 to go, but there was no way I would be able to make it to pick up Carlos in time.

Nonetheless I ran 10.65 miles in 1:44:25 for an average pace of 9:48!!! Now that was a great run.

I’m really glad that Easter is over. Despite my pleas candy was plentiful and my son now has a bowl full of it high on a shelf in the kitchen. I cracked yesterday and ate chocolate. That’s all I will say about that. I’ve decided it’s over and I’m moving on.

Here is what half marathon training looked like last week.

Ice skating has caused my shins and ankles to be sore. I ice them after skating and take some Ibuprofen which has been helpful. I’m not in pain, but it’s uncomfortable. It takes me a few minutes into a run to feel comfortable again. Once I get going I don’t even feel the discomfort. For the past week and a half it’s been only my left shin. I’m paying close attention to it and if it gets worse I will adjust my workouts accordingly.

My workouts went half as planned. Towards the end of the week I took some liberties with my schedule. Thursday was a great non-running day. Carlos and I went to public skate for about an hour and a half of ice skating. He kept saying, “Mommy I’m having so much fun!” Then I got a text from a friend asking if we wanted to go hiking. I’m always game for get togethers. So off we went with my friend and her two kids to a local hiking spot. The kids were incredible. They charged right up Mt. Norwottuck and we all enjoyed the beautiful views.

Carlos atop Mt. Norwottuck

The next day I felt fine despite all the activity the day before. Carlos was off from school because it was Good Friday. We spent most of the afternoon at the playground with a friend. By the time we got home, I got dinner on the table and eventually got Carlos into bed I just didn’t feel like working out. I had some errands to run and when I went outside to leave my car was as dead as a doornail. I knew it wasn’t the battery because I just got a new one a few months ago. By 9pm my car was settled in for the night at the dealer thanks to AAA towing.

My husband’s pickup truck was also having problems and was supposed to have work done on Saturday. We postponed that in hopes that my car would be sorted out by Saturday afternoon. All looked good around noon. They were certain that it was the relay sensor and were just awaiting the part from another dealer. By 3pm we received word that the new relay sensor blew a bunch of fuses in my car and no one knew why so they would have to keep the car.

Saturday morning I was on edge about my car. My husband had things to do in the morning, Carlos had a birthday party at noon and we were supposed to go to my friend’s for dinner. I didn’t get out for my run until about 10am. I decided to skip the 90 minute run and opted for the missed 50 minute run from the day before. It worked out much better.

I have since tweaked the rest of my training schedule to avoid having a semi-long run followed by a long run which always seems to pop up on Fridays and Saturdays. Things will look a little different in the weeks to come.

My car is back and it wasn’t as financially painful as we anticipated thanks to Honda and our very helpful extended warranty. My husband’s pickup truck is another story. We are still waiting to find out if a few repairs will save the transmission. If not then he will need a new (used) transmission.

One of the things I loved most about living in Mozambique was the fact that I never needed to own a vehicle. I could walk, ride my bike or take a bus everywhere. Hitch hiking was also acceptable and relatively safe depending on how many people were already in the back of the truck!

Hitching a ride in Mozambique

I realized while looking back at the calendar that I did two double digit runs this month. That made me smile. I tweaked my training this week to avoid running too many miles on consecutive days. I’m also trying to incorporate more strength training and alternative cardio into the schedule.

A note on what I mean by strength training; I do not follow any specific strength training routine which may cause some to gasp and cringe. Prior to my pregnancy 6 years ago I worked with a physical trainer for about 6 sessions. I learned how to use my gym’s equipment as well as some basic free weight exercises so I continue to utilize that information in my strength training workouts. I use the Nike Training App on my phone which demonstrates various exercises. I also mimic what I see others doing asking for tips if I’m not quite sure that I’m doing the exercise properly. Because my strength training is not very organized I don’t provide a detailed description of what I do. I am hoping to further my knowledge in this area once my son begins full day kindergarten in the fall and I have more time to spend at the gym.

It was a busy week with some workout ups and some workout downs along the way.

Sunday morning I hit the gym right after work. Since I had run 8 miles the day before and I knew that I was going to ice skating lessons that evening I decided to switch up my cardio activity. I haven’t used the elliptical in a long time. I tried to push as fast as I could and I was sweating by the time I finished.

Later in the day I had ice skating lessons. I love it so far though I’m pretty sure people who know me think I’m a bit of a kook. I mean who takes up ice skating as an adult? Well me and about 30 other grown ups! We are learning proper form, falling and getting up, turning, stopping, cross over skating and backwards skating. It is not easy, but we are all quite serious and working very hard to learn. The instructors have the patience of saints. They are so incredibly nice and encouraging. It is a very positive and supportive environment. Learning how to ice skate at nearly 40 years of age is quite humbling. Raising a child, I now realize how much easier it is to learn certain things when you are young. I am so grateful that I am able to provide my son with the opportunity to learn a variety of activities while he is young as well as instill the importance of being active.

Monday morning I decided to run at the gym because of the weather. I noticed my ankles and shins were bothering me. I adjusted my sneakers and tied them a bit tighter. It helped a bit but not entirely. I pushed through because I wasn’t in pain but I could sense the discomfort particularly in my right foot. I assumed it was my sneakers. On top of the ankle/shin issue I had a little stomach trouble and had to abandon the treadmill after a couple of miles. I returned and kept going, but it wasn’t a great run. It took me over 55 minutes to do 5 miles. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized my lower legs were sore from all the bending we did in ice skating. I iced my shins and took some Ibuprofen. By work that night I was good as new.

On Thursday I had great intentions to get up at 5am and go to the gym, but the alarm never went off (probably because I accidentally never set it) so this meant a late in the day workout. I did my best to convince myself all afternoon that I wasn’t going to run. Finally I ignored the devil telling me to scrap the run and changed into my running garb so I was ready to hit the road once my husband got home. Before I knew it I was out the door. It was cold and a bit windy, but I maintained a decent pace. In no time I was home again feeling really great about having gone out for a run.

The week ended on a high note. My 10 mile run was fantastic!! Despite not going into it with a 100% positive attitude because I was tired from work I went out there and killed it. As I neared the end of the 10 miles I did some quick mental math and determined that if I could have held onto that pace for another 3 miles I would be looking at a pretty awesome PR for my next half marathon.

From a crappy run at the beginning of the week to a stellar double digit run that filled me with possibilities of a half marathon PR, this is why I love running. One day, one workout, or one run does not define me. It is the cumulative actions of my commitment to running and exercising that fills me with the confidence to run races, try new activities and challenge myself to go further, do better and become stronger.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.  ~Edmund Hillary

St. Patrick’s Day started with a nap. I got home from work that morning and decided to rest for a couple of hours before heading to the race. I was asleep in about 0.7 seconds.

Around 10:30 we set out for the Kids Fun Run. We live about a mile from where the festivities were taking place, but we live in the next town over. You have to cross a bridge to get there. We might as well have just walked because cars were parking along the bridge. My husband maneuvered our car into the weirdest spot on a traffic island in front of a yield sign. He didn’t seem to think there was any problem with his creative parking spot.

There were tons of people out. We found the starting ares for the kids races. It was packed. They had it divided into age groups but there was no way we could get Carlos into the 5-6 year old section because of the crowd so we snuck him into the 4 and under. He ended up running with a friend from school. The other mom and I ran along behind them. They were so cute and held hands the entire time. The spectators for the kids races are more than I have seen at some of my races. It was awesome. At the end the kids get a package of cookies and a T-shirt. The shirt has a #1 on it so Carlos told everyone he came in first!!

My husband had left us to find my mom and my aunt. They waited at the finish line. Then we walked around a bit before the Mummer’s Parade. Somewhere along the way my mom bought a bag of green popcorn. Everyone loved it. I didn’t try any because I am a bit superstitious about eating anything other than my usual peanut butter and banana toast. It did look good though.

I ran into quite a few people I knew. I realized something interesting. I am not that miserable self-conscious person I once was who would clam up in social situations and act as though I didn’t want to be there. I was smiling, laughing and enjoying the day. I still get self-conscious about my body, but not like I used to. I was wearing fitted capri running pants and a green t-shirt which accentuated my curves quite nicely as my husband commented when I put it on and over that a fleece sweatshirt because it was cool out. Though I thought to myself when I got dressed, “I wish my legs were smaller,” I didn’t think about it once I was at the race. Crazy things our minds do! Sometimes what I really wish is to just shut off my brain.

At about 12:40 I ditched the sweatshirt, pinned on my bib and gave hugs before heading to the 10K starting area. I walked and walked past the pace groups, you couldn’t get in because there were gates in place and people were already packed in like sardines. I walked some more, kept walking and finally squeezed myself in near the back of the line. People were commenting on how great the turn out was for this year’s race. I’m sure the weather report helped. Although it was still overcast and in the low 60s when the race started it was perfect running weather. The sun made it’s appearance as the last runners crossed the finish line.

I chit chatted with runners around me. Every runner has a story and conversations at races inevitably lead to the story. The woman next me told me that she started running after losing her husband to a heart attack a number of years ago. She looked to be in her 50s. She has run the Burlington, VT marathon and a number of other races. She said that running a marathon was one of the best experiences of her life because it made her realize how much she was capable of. Before I knew it the crowd started moving. We said good luck and off we went; sort of. We were moving at a fast walk at best.

As soon as I could I picked up the pace. There was a sea of runners in front of me. The spectators along both sides of the road were incredible. They were cheering, waving, blowing horns and ringing cow bells. The excitement was infectious. As usual I had a huge smile on my face. The course starts out fairly flat but around mile 1 the first of three major hills begins. I don’t know if it was the crowd of spectators or the adrenaline of the race, but for some reason the hill didn’t seem so bad this time. I have run most of the course a few times before and the hills were difficult. I felt really good. My pace was as consistent as it could be with so many runners. I tend to hang to the right hand side during races. I had to run on the sidewalk quite a few times because there was virtually no room to move. My heels and toes got stepped on and I’m sure I clipped a few too.

The second big hill was tough but again not as tough as I remember it. The miles seemed to go by quickly, but I didn’t feel as though I was running very fast due to the congestion of runners. I don’t wear my Garmin when I race so I had no idea how I was doing on time. The time clocks along the way didn’t help because I started so far behind the starting line.

The third hill is more of a steady incline. It is along a residential street which has a community college located on it. The spectators never seemed to let up. They were at every point of the race so far. It was such a motivation to keep going. At this point I was also motivated by the impending down hill stretch I would soon encounter. I was ready to fly. I let gravity take charge and down I went.

At around mile 4.5 I passed the hospital I work at and I was kind of disappointed not to see many spectators there. The hospital actually sponsored a 5K walk as part of the road race this year. They didn’t even have a water station. Maybe I’ll have to talk to someone about that!! It was at the hospital where the walkers merged in with the runners. The walkers were supposed to stay to the right, but things got a little crazy with that in my opinion. After an upward climb thus far we finally got to coast downhill and you had to negotiate people walking with strollers and dogs and also people meandering right into the runners paths.

We encountered another upward slope but then the course flattened out until just at the end where the last quarter of a mile was a slow incline to the finish line. That was cruel! The spectators were wild at the end especially in front of Griffin’s Tavern. Let’s face it many were well on their way to a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day! There were a few spectators handing out beer to runners as we neared the finish line. I picked up my pace and gunned it to the finish. The time clock read 1:07:47. Hmmm I thought not bad considering the hills and the amount of runners on the course. I knew my chip time would be a bit less so I was pleased. I hoped it would somewhere in between my two previous 10K times of 1:07:36 and 1:04:16.

My family is so supportive about my running. My husband and my son are at every race and my mom has been to a few including the marathon, my aunt and my sister have also come to races before. They are tremendous supports, but they haven’t gotten the hang of actually finding me on the course. Yet another race bites the dust where no one in my family saw me run. It doesn’t upset me. I actually think it’s funny. I think they need training on how to find a runner at races. They were really disappointed, but had a good time nonetheless.

We hung out in the park for a bit chatting with friends. It was probably the most fun race I have run. I would definitely do it again next year. I was a little bummed that I had to get back home sooner rather than later to go to bed before work again that night, but we had a great family day.

After finishing the Holyoke St. Patrick's Day Road Race

Much to my surprise shortly after arriving home I got a text from Racewire announcing my official race results. Are you ready for this 1:01:35!!!!! I drifted off to sleep wondering if it was just the luck of the Irish or if I really ran that time. Maybe it was a little of both.