This Week I Was Just a Mom...

So everything was going great with my training and then BAM! I hit a brick wall. I was feeling less motivated, the unseasonably warm days became dreary March again and my kids were home for Spring Break (in 2 separate weeks!). In addition to that, Bob and Austin were in Ireland for rugby, Austin lost his passport and before it was returned to him, Bob had to go to the UK for another week for a business meeting. This single parent stuff is tough! In my mind I thought I would have lots of time to run while I was on "vacation" with my kids but I was completely wrong. Ashley was home and needed an interview suit, Abby needed help preparing for Cheerleading Try-Outs at Aquinas and poor Ryan, I know he must have needed something being surrounded by a house of girls until Austin came home, but I was tapped out. In addition, sweet puppy Rory, destroyed the collar to her electric fence transmitter in a matter of minutes limiting the amount of unsupervised outdoor time she gets. Yes, Emma, you are right...she is Mrs. Joerger's 5th child. I decided to just let it go and hope that I didn't destroy the forward momentum I had going. Spring is tough and the job I love the most is being a mom. So for a week I was just a mom. I took the kids to dinner and shopping for what they needed, I did a billion loads of laundry, I cleaned my house. I made sure Abby got to the gym to prepare for her try-outs and I made her a killer bow (Yes, I am a cheer mom...it's in my blood!). I proudly watched her tumble over and over and never give up, even when she landed her back handsprings on her already bruised knees. I got her a pillow pet to soften her falls and she told me I was the best mom ever! I helped Ashley pick that interview suit that she never wore because after all of that she got an amazing offer as a Marketing Coordinator for the company she interned for. I took Ryan and Austin to the doctor and I confessed to Dr. Nichol yet again that, yes, Austin does play rugby (as Ryan did before him) and that does not make me a bad parent! It is not his place to question that choice that Bob and I have made together. I am proud of my boys when they put on their rugby jerseys and boots and I tell myself the scrum caps that Klumpy requires them to wear are really awesome and will protect their heads! I put my faith in God every time they step on the pitch and I trust that they will play smart and be ok. That's what this life is about...I want to make a difference and I am doing just that by being a mom to Ashley, Ryan, Austin and Abby. So today was for me; I put my running shoes back on after 6 days and I ran! To be quite honest, I ran better than I had in the previous few weeks and it felt great! I didn't worry about my stride or my breathing, I didn't have tell myself that "it was no big deal" because it wasn't! I listened to my ipod and I laughed when Sean Paul came on because in honor of my sister, Jaime, (who got me into this race) I danced with my thumbs as I ran because that's what she would do. When I got home I looked at the clock and thought, YES!...3 miles in 33 minutes!!!! Not bad for taking 6 days off. I am refreshed and back with a passion that my running lacked last week. With 10 weeks left to go, I know I'll be ready!!!

Fearing 5

For days I feared my 5 mile run which was scheduled for last Saturday. I'm not really sure why because I had run that distance on the treadmill and I knew I was capable but I let the hills in my neighborhood completely psych me out. I woke up on Saturday fully prepared to just do it but I took Rory for a walk first...and then the rains came. I can't say how relieved I was! I decided to take the day off from running and do Yoga for the Warrior instead (thank you Bob Harper!). I went to bed Saturday night mentally preparing myself for the run on Sunday and I woke up refreshed and ready to go. What a difference a day makes! I finished my 5 miles in 68 minutes...not great but it's no big deal, it's a start. And that's what I kept telling myself, "it's no big deal" over and over. I looked at the Mamba sized hills ahead of me and I ran them. I may have been slow but I did it. On the back side of my run I faced the hills again only this time the wind was in my face. That turned out to be a bit more challenging so I gave myself permission to walk if needed. That's all it took! I was fearing failure but I was not failing. Merely completing my first 5 mile run outside with about 70 days left to train was success! It was so successful, I got out and ran another 3 miles today. I was tired but it felt great and I know scheduling several runs in a 24 hour period is a necessity to get ready for this race. I don't have to run 5 miles again until Saturday but this time I know it really is NO BIG DEAL!!!

3 Months

It's so hard to believe that in 3 months my team (12 TuTus...) will actually be participating in Ragnar rather than planning for it! When I realized today was March 10th, I decided to reflect back over the past few weeks of training. In the beginning I dreaded (maybe even feared) the treadmill. We are now very good friends and I actually enjoy pushing myself. I am very grateful that I have had my gym membership and the wide variety of treadmills to train on. This preliminary training has allowed me to tweak my stride and correct my breathing so that both are more effective for me. I know that once I complete my preliminary training next week I will be outside for the duration and the hills around me are killers! I guess if I can run them on a regular basis I will be prepared for just about anything.

My goal for this race will not be measured by my time but rather completing my 3 legs, supporting my team and surpassing the expectations I had for myself. Initially when I started running my expectations were pretty low. Running had always been the last thing I wanted to do. I enjoyed walking, biking and yoga but the exertion required by running was just more than I was willing to put forth. (Does anyone remember the dreaded 600 that had to be completed for the Presidential Fitness Award in Junior High?) I still remember running those laps around the track at Dowling in our super cute PE uniforms that zipped up the front and I loved being a cheerleader because it got me out of PE during football and basketball season. It was that sort of old school attitude about fitness that helped to form my opinions of physical activity; PE should never have been an option!

Reflecting back on how I hated exercise makes me realize how much of life I missed out on. I hate that it took me until my 40's to grasp the importance of exercise and I am forever grateful to my high school friend, Julie, for telling me on my 40th Birthday that this could be my best decade yet. Those words of advice turned my world around. Physical activity isn't just for me, it's for my family! My mom was a great role model to me growing up...she was always exercising along with the TV and walking with the neighbors. She was a role model and what kind of role model was I being to my children? I expected them to participate in sports yet I got winded walking to the mailbox. Now I am preparing for a race that I never dreamed I could participate in and I'm actually so excited about it! I love that I am sharing this with my sisters and my daughter because now I am actually being the role model I was meant to be. We may be running "tutu" far but what's life without adventure!

A New Day

As I've trained these last few weeks I've had my ups and downs. Some days running feels so right and others just seem like a slow jog through mud with my lungs burning and a feeling of complete and utter defeat. It doesn't have to be this way, it all comes down to attitude, the choice is mine. As I've read ahead in my Marathon Training Guide they seem to focus alot on positive self-talk in the coming weeks. The problem is, I need it now! I've tried to encourage myself and tell myself that I've got this when I hit my stride and then I lose my focus. It's much easier for me to stay focused when I run outside because at that point I feel so a part of nature that I get lost in all that is around me. However, for now, as I continue my preliminary training, I will continue to use the treadmill with an occasional run outside as a special treat. Some of the past few days have been just too gorgeous to ignore!

My training schedule is set up for four runs each week and I am currently running about 4 1/2 miles each day. I'm still a little discouraged that my time has not improved but I have to remember that I am not in this to win the race but to finish. These past two weeks I have also added a day of yoga in the middle and it is exactly what I need. When I begin those first poses my muscles are screaming because they are so tight but by the end I am completely loosened up and energized, ready to take on whatever comes my way.

So, today is a new day. The sun is shining and I'm completely relaxed following a great yoga workout. I will continue to fill my mind with positive thoughts and the rest will fall into place. Don't worry; I've got this!