There is something to be said about LOVE

First of all, thank you to those who left me messages about my previous post. I truly appreciate it and your good vibes were helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

There are things I've battled with from the time I was little and dealing with the memories over the decades doesn't make things any easier. On the contrary, sometimes things feel harder and harder to deal with as I get older.

When I feel defeated or like I'm falling into the depths of sadness that lead to depression, I do two things. I pray, and I go to my loved ones for support. Praying helps me forgive. Going to my loved ones helps me survive. My children will never know the details about this battle. I will do everything in my power to make certain of that. But they see me sad sometimes, and I feel horrible that I don't hide it better, but nevertheless they are the sweetest children ever. Just to hear them say, "We love you mommy and we hope you feel better soon," is enough to get me going in the right direction. Thank God for the love of family.

And then there's my husband. God bless him. There's something so special, so blessed, so, so beautiful about somebody knowing every single, deep, dark secret of your past and still embracing you like you're perfect, even though you're not. My husband is the most loving, selfless human being I have ever known and will ever know. He's the perfect one. While he does NOT let me walk all over him, he is completely supportive. He just knows when to call bullshit for what it is, and when things are for real. I wish I was more like him!

Love is the most powerful thing in life. I am convinced.

Depression makes everything difficult...

... including running. But I'll snap out of it. I have to.

Memorial Day 10K

It was a perfect day for a 10K and Marin County does a good one every Memorial Day. I ran this one in uniform with the team and from beginning to end it was just a blast!

The course is flat and fast, save for the multiple turns in the 4th mile. Otherwise, it's smoking. I believe 6 men finished in under 30:00, and 3 women finished in under 36:00. Of course I was nowhere near them, but that's beside the point.

So my goal for this race was to improve upon the 5K I ran in April (21:42 at 6:59/mile). McMillan predicted I could run a 45:00 10K based on that 5K time. Going in to this 10K I knew I'd run better than 45:00. The question was how far off of my current PR of 41:19 would I finish? My plan was to get to the 3 mile marker feeling good, going fast but not all out effort (yet), and then pick it up over the last 3 miles, specifically the last mile or so.

My splits were:
6:45
6:52
6:42
6:50 (My sweet husband cheered for me)!
missed mile 5 & 6 markers
Garmin Finish: 43:03 (with a 6.29 mile course... clearly suggesting I need to run tangents better).
"Official" time said 43:07.

Although I felt good through most of the race I struggled a little bit in the last mile or so and got passed by two females, but they helped pull me in. Without them, I probably would've jogged the last half mile. We finished on the track after running 300m of it and I just kept thinking, "This track feels way too big."

My first three miles were at 20:19 so I'm sure had it been a 5K I would definitely have had a better finish time than the April 5K. The bad news is I clearly ran a positive split. Did I start too fast? Maybe, but it didn't feel too fast at all. It felt just right. Did I improve over the 5K? Yes. My Garmin said I ran a 6:51/mile average... but of course I have to take the official time which said I ran a 6:57/mile average. Still an improvement, but a lamer one. Whatever. I like my Garmin information WAAAY better!

On a personal level I feel great about this race. Not once did I want to throw in the towel. I kept wanting to push... plow, plow, plow. During the last 10K I ran (last August), I distinctly remember walking somewhere around the 5 mile marker. It was misery. Not today... but then again I was almost 2 minutes slower today than I was last August. Oh well... at least the improvement is happening! It's been way too long. In fact, I stopped improving after that August 10K.

As long as I'm headed in the right direction, I will be happy with ALL my race results this year... PR or not.

Followed the race with a few beers with the team, and then a hearty lunch and more beer with the team & our family members. What a great day! Makes me very, very thankful to all the veterans who have served and sacrificed so that I could enjoy a day like this. THANK YOU!

Rest In Peace, Adam Jacobs

The founder of The Final Sprint, Adam Jacobs, has passed away suddenly. Rest in peace and Godspeed.

Adam is pictured on the left.

What's Up?

I know whoever reads this blog has got to be tired of the Joan Rivers photo by now, so I thought I'd write something.

The running is going well! I've built some decent strength back and the best part of that is I am not dealing with any chronic pain issues like I had been after the 12K Across the Bay. I've been running within my means and have been very disciplined about that, and I believe that's why I haven't felt any nagging injuries lately. But I feel I've improved. Sure, my butt is still sore at times and every now and then my ankle will twinge but it's not like it was. The twinges and soreness are few and far between these days!

I have been working with a very experienced Masters runner who also has a family and knows what juggling is all about. I truly appreciate his wisdom, knowledge and flexibility. Following his advice has definitely brought back my joy for the sport and my eagerness to train and race. He's also reinforced the need to be patient in order to avoid getting injured again. Here is his blog.

I have a 10K coming up on Memorial Day. My goal is to finish as closely behind my team mates as possible, and to race as strong as I'm capable of. I am seriously the slowest woman on the team, but I don't care. They inspire me to train smart and race my best. And they are all super nice!

After the 10K I am aiming for the 2nd half of the SF Marathon at the end of July. I really loved that race last year and am excited to go back. I will probably be running some shorter races as tune ups, somewhere in between.

On a non-running related note, my older kids finally received their First Communion last Sunday. It was a good day for the family! Here are some pics.

Celebrity Apprentice

I tell ya', I was never a fan of Joan Rivers and was a huge fan of Annie Duke until I watched this season of Celebrity Apprentice. And wouldn't you know... as Michael Scott of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company said a couple of episodes ago, "How the turn tables."

Seriously though, I became a fan of Joan Rivers early in the season. She's a little kooky, but I can identify with that! It's one thing to play a good game but it's quite another to play a good game and back it up with heart and feelings. To me, Joan was clearly the underdog but she never gave up. Joan made the game more than just about winning, but it was certainly sweet to see her win!!! And good for her charity, God's Love We Deliver.

Weekly Recap

Another nice week. No pain, no complaints! Thank God!

I upped the mileage a little bit from last week and feel really good. I even had a couple of hard CrossFit workouts in there, along with a couple of days of quality running. I'm more sore from the CrossFit than the running, and I think I'll be sticking to upper body strengthening for a while. My legs are going to be working harder in the upcoming weeks.

Here's the recap:
Mon: 20:00 warm up, 4 x :20 striders, 5 x 3:00 at 5K effort with 3:00 jogging recoveries, 15:00 cool down.
Tue: 30:00 easy; CrossFit WOD of Sumo deadlifts, dips, sit ups; ancillary exercises for feet & ankles
Wed: 60:00 easy; stretch
Thu: 20:00 warm up, 4 x :15 striders, 4 x 1:00 tempo hill repeats on treadmill w/ 3:30 walking recoveries, 17:00 cool down
Fri: 40:00 easy; CrossFit WOD of Tabata Something Else which was 16:00 of torture (pull ups, push ups, sit ups, squats); ancillary exercises for feet & ankles
Sat: 70:00 long run easy pace; Yoga in PM
Sun: 50:00 easy; ancillary exercises for feet & ankles (upper body still very sore from Friday's CF).

Total Miles: 42.6

Today's run was for Elizabeth DiNunzio who was struck and killed by a car while out on a run last week. She was training for today's Pittsburgh Marathon. She was only 22. Rest in Peace, Elizabeth. God bless.