HAPPENINGS AND PHOTOS

This week has been a little nutty with the Memorial Day Holiday. However, despite the holiday, Pigeon and I met for our usual Monday hill repeats workout. I was not feeling 100% at all. I told her when she arrived that I was not quite sure what the run would bring, however I ended up surprising myself. I managed four long repeats and four short/fast repeats.

Squeaker has a cold and I do think I am fighting whatever it is she has combined with lack of sleep. This week I have been dragging. My energy levels are zero and I am finding myself extra tired in the afternoon.

I also think I am dreading Friday's run. Friday I am scheduled for 20 miles and thus begins my taper. However, Friday is also the Peanut's Pre-K graduation ceremony followed by a day that is set to be about 99 degrees outside. Combined with my lack of energy lately and my intense ankle pain, I am just not so sure what to expect. My plan is basically to see how I feel. If my energy is low I am not going to push myself. If my ankle is excruciating, I am not going to push it. The heat I can handle if I am well fueled and have enough water/electrolytes with me. In the past, if I avoided 20 miles in my marathon training ... the marathon itself did not turn out so well.

I know that I have not been following my training plan to a "T" and that exceeding my PR is not exactly likely right now. I am okay with that. My marathon falls on a vacation week and I want to be able to finish, finish healthy and strong in front of my kids and also be able to enjoy the rest of the week without too much pain. Of course deep down I want to PR, who doesn't? Yet, I have so much going on personally right now that I am okay with just running 26.2 miles and finally having that out of state marathon under my belt.

Also on tap for this weekend is the NIKE Women's Fitness Festival. This is one of those races where you are highly competitive ... with yourself. I've run this race in 2007 (before the Peanut was born), 2009 (a year after the Peanut is born) and in 2010 (shortly before finding out Squeaker was on her way). Here are the results of those races:

NIKE Women's Fitness Festival

06.10.07 7:21 22:51

06.07.09 7:14 22:27

06.06.10 7:17 22:35

When I sat down and looked at my training plan for the week, I have my 20 miles on Friday, followed by a speed workout on Sunday. So really, Sunday's 5K should be viewed as just a regular speed day but I know myself and I know I will want to do really well at the NIKE Women's Fitness Festival HOWEVER I just read online that there is a new course this year. Hmmm, so any result will not be typical rriiiiggghhhttt?

Enough running chatter ... time for a bunch of over due photos of what has been happening lately in the Trailmomma house. *As a side note, Vans and I have MobileME which has the PhotoStream capability. Every once in a while I will go and check our photo stream ... and these are the types of things I find.

See! She does sleep ... who doesn't love a snoozing baby photo?

She also LOVES to eat

Chillin' at the park ...

While big sister practices her moves

Dad (and family) are proud of his dad-made garden of basil & tomatoes

(Van's not only planted the garden but he made the whole thing from scratch)

Crazy weather in EDH makes for great rainbows

We finally found another use for the extra wine barrel

and the extra umbrella we had (ps: this is my new favorite addition to our back patio)

We had some friends over to christen the pool ... even if they swim in snow-suits

Squeaker is a bonafide dare-devil

Sisterly-CHEERS

Sisterly games: Hula Hoop!

Someone is approaching her birthday month!

Finally, this is what happens when you remove the crib mattress in an effort to lower the crib (ahem, because someone is trying to climb out) ... and have it on the floor ... Squeaker would climb on top of her mattress, bounce on her bottom until she somersaulted off of it. She would laugh and then repeat the process ... over and over again.

These girls are never boring that's for sure.

SON OF A MUFFIN

Mama Pea has a swear jar. She also has a four year old and a seven year old. We don't have a swear jar and yet, I find myself cleverly trying to figure out ways to not let expletives fly. The Peanut is a sponge lately. The other day in the car she hollered from the back seat, "Turn this up. I like this song!" Um, she is FOUR .... and it was a TRAIN song or something along those lines. She was actually singing the words to the song!

On Friday Pigeon came over today to join me and TiggerT on a 12 mile run. When I bumped into something I yelled "Son of a Muffin" and Pigeon calmly says, "Son of a muffin? Really? Most people say son of a gun but you say muffin?"

That pretty much set the tone for our run today and we had not even left my drive way. About a mile from my house TiggerT caught us and we started our trek to Rattlesnake Ridge. Pigeon has never really run this section of El Dorado Hills before. She joined me shortly after Squeaker was born for a hellish run with my old group the Buffalo Chips but this would be different. The Ridge starts you out with an uphill climb on a fire road. Pigeon looked at us and said "We're going up that!" However she then proceeded to turn on her rocket jet pack and just power up the hill without looking back. Thank goodness because had she looked back she would have seen TiggerT and myself sucking wind, talking and trying to keep up.

There were no snake sittings on the Ridge unlike the last few runs. That is fine with me and it was also a much cooler day. The wind was strong but luckily while running on the Ridge, we never seemed to be running against it.

It was neat having my two main running partners running together at the same time. Often times when I am running with Pigeon, I am sharing stories about my runs with TiggerT and vice versa. Yesterday we were all together.

At one point we rounded a corner and Pigeon goes "Well hello there turkeys" and we saw four if not five skinny little turkey necks standing in the middle of our trail. The awesome running partners they are, both Pigeon and TiggerT said "We'll chase 'em" and ahead they went ... while I tried quietly to slow my pace and be WAAAAYYY far behind. The turkeys had crossed the trail before I even neared them and that was fine by me. Thanks Pigeon and TiggerT!

Eventually we ended up back where we started and meandered down back towards the main road. It was here that TiggerT decided to leave us and run home. She said her goodbyes and turned left and I told Pigeon we had to go left, I mean right .... it seems I was directionally challenged yesterday. Every time I meant to say left I said right causing Pigeon, who has no idea where she is going and is solely dependent on me, doing this zig zag move before heading in the right correct direction. It was pretty funny.

The rest of our run were surface streets and pavement. We ran back around to Promontory Park and eventually to the base of Beatty where we do our Fire Hydrant Hell workouts on Mondays. I don't think either one of us really wanted to climb Beatty yesterday. Not after the constant rolling hills we'd run and the climbs we faced at the start of our run. Instead, Pigeon and I decided to climb the fire road trail back to my house. This is the same trail that leads us to Beatty on Mondays. It has its share of climbs and slippery uneven terrain but nothing too terrible. The total mileage was 12 miles.

Once we were back at my house we soaked our legs in my pool which wasn't that cold actually but still nice and refreshing. Pigeon then left to head on home and I had to get ready for a interview/tour of a new daycare that the girls may be going to ... some day.

I know it has been a while since I last posted ... life is getting busy and my work situation may change in the near future but hopefully not before my marathon next month. I actually believe that I have a 20 miler coming up next week since I ran 18 last week and 12 this week ... I know that 20 or 22 is just waiting for me. I am dreading it actually. My plan of attack is to run the Lake Natoma loop twice to simulate the marathon which is really two loops of the half marathon course I ran in 2010. I might use my car as an "aid-station" planting some extra water and fuel. I wish I could run my 20 miler without a water bottle since that is my plan but the lake route doesn't have frequent or easily accessible water fountains.

My ankle is also dreading it. The pain is getting worse with each long run or each run that takes me on some trails. Luckily, my doctor decided that I can have a cortisone shot the Monday before my marathon so I am praying that really helps ease some of the discomfort for those 26.2 miles. My dreams of PR'ing and running fast for me are really on the fence. At this point, I am happy with a "finished healthy" type of mind set but I know my internal competitive side will probably override my cautious side.

The past few weekends we've had some fun with the girls. A week or so ago officially started our neighborhood Concert in the Park festivities .... and the Peanut was in heaven with all the bounce houses.

Our picnic at the park

Working in the back yard

Sisterly love in the car

On Sunday we visited our old stomping grounds, Cooper Vineyards. They were having an old timers jam festival and it was a hit with both the girls and Vans and myself.

The Peanut dancing with the Little Citizen

Squeaker was "rockin" out herself.

The rest of this holiday weekend will be spent with friends, at home or just running errands. I do have plans on Monday to run with Pigeon and do our hill repeats. I am hoping my legs are recovered by then as they were tired during yesterday's run but seem okay today.

Oh and as a side note, I know I use nicknames a lot for my friends. It is kind of a fun thing I like to do. TiggerT's nickname was pre-established because she has a blog. Bloggers basically can keep their own nicknames if they have one. HOWEVER, if I was to CHANGE TiggerT's nickname ... it would be Nutella ... fo' sho. Maybe some day I'll reveal why if she doesn't kill me for doing so. So I leave you with this, but it is really directed at TiggerT/Nutella. :)

Source

DECISIONS & INCREDISOCKS

Yesterday I ran my 18 mile training run. I decided to run around Lake Natoma and then finish off the mileage with an out and back (after passing my car) to get to 18 miles.

The day did not start well which later translated into a not so great run. First, my Garmin that I had been charging all night actually drained to 0% battery strength instead of 100%. Does this happen to anyone else? It is SO frustrating when it does happen. Ugh. So no Garmin on my run.

THEN Vans who was driving the girls to school and going on a bike ride, ended up taking MY water bottle top for his water bottle. Pet peeve here. I have water bottle issues and really wanted MY water bottle with MY top but he was already down in Sacramento. Sigh. I dug out an old bottle that leaks and decided to use that instead.

Many many months ago, the people at Incrediwear asked me if I would wear and review some socks. It took a while but they finally mailed me the socks. Unfortunately, they mailed them to my former employer so it took a while to eventually get to me at my house.

I have had the socks for a while because I wanted to take a photo of them and basically lacked a decent camera. Yesterday I decided I wanted to wear them. I know, who wears something "new" on an 18 mile run? Me, that's who.

Incredisocks

They sent me three pairs of socks. The Pro-3 thin sport (which I wore yesterday), the Pro No Sho and a hiking pair.

This is what Incredisocks says on their website about their product:

Made with the athlete in mind but very wearer friendly. For anyone who wants a great fitting, super soft, great sock. Incrediwear patented sport socks can bring comfort to tired legs and feet within minutes of putting them on, energizing individuals who spend long hours on their feet. Incredisocks can significantly enhance comfort and mobility, outcomes that occur due to increased blood flow, regulation of temperature, and delivery of a greater supply of oxygen to the targeted area. They are also antimicrobial, odor absorbing and moisture wicking for supreme long wearing comfort. The makes for the perfect travel companion since even with repetitive wearing, they won't need laundering. Incredisocks are the ideal choice for travelers, sports enthusiasts, or those just seeking the best comfort available in sockwear.

When I put on the Pro-3 thin sock I immediately noticed how significantly thin it was compared to my usual sock.

To be completely honest, I wasn't entirely sure about it so I brought my usual socks with me and left them in my car. I figured if I could manage the 12 mile loop in the Incredisocks and wanted to change for the last 6 miles or so, I could.

I didn't need to change though. They felt fine. Actually, my right foot felt wonderful but my left foot felt funny, like I needed more "cushion" on the ball of my foot. I have bony feet and I don't have a lot of cushion under the ball of my foot as it is. However, during the run all seemed okay and I never once had blisters or any issues. I cannot say for sure if my feet felt "energized" or whether my blood was circulating any better but my feet didn't sweat.

I am anxious to try the other pair I have, the Pro No Sho to see if they add anymore cushion.

The hiking pair I might not be wearing anytime soon since it is nearing 90 degrees here and we're not planning any hiking trips just yet.

Some more interesting tid-bits about Incredisocks is that they don't stink after you wear them! I wore them for almost 3 hours yesterday and they didn't stink at all ... I may have stunk but my feet didn't! Why? According to their website:

The fibers used in Incredisocks contain anti-microbial properties that kill odor causing bacteria. In fact, Incredisocks can be worn for extended periods of time without washing.

Don't worry, I will be washing them before wearing them again ... but it is good to know especially if you travel to a lot races like this girl.

Overall, I would wear Incredisocks again. I will know more when I wear the other pair on my next run but they were comfortable. My legs were tired from my run and I can't say that wearing socks would make my legs NOT tired ... but overall, my feet felt okay.

It was a tough run though. Once again, about 12 miles in my right ankle started aching and the pain was radiating up my leg. I see Dr. Lau on Monday and hopefully he can give me some relief. I am also trying to get in to see the master massage woman Lily next week as well. However, doubts are starting to creep into my head. I am concerned that my marathon career might be over and that half-marathons (which is an awesome distance) might be the longest run in my future. That wouldn't be a terrible thing as training for a half marathon is perfect when you have a family since it isn't too time consuming and I could try and perfect my half marathon pace ... yet something about conquering a marathon appeals to me. I want to do it. I need to do it. At least one more time. I do have to contemplate whether or not to eventually have the surgery but I could ultimately end up with additional issues later on like arthritis. I mean really, nothing is as great as what god gave you originally and messing with that could bring on other problems ... not to mention having the surgery would probably have me off my feet for MONTHS.

While running I also got a chance to listen to the proto-type of one of the UpBeat Workout training runs for the Urban Cow Half Marathon. I talk more about UpBeat Workouts and my relationship here. It was kind of cool! I am getting excited for its release.

I also encountered one of these on my run yesterday:

SNAKE!

That is the second time in the two days I have run that I have encountered a snake. Wednesday on my run with TiggerT we ran into a Rattlesnake! The one above luckily is a King Snake according to the cyclist who had also stopped with me to let it pass. The cyclist laughed at me because I had stopped. I told her "a snake is a snake in my book" and even though King Snakes apparently EAT Rattlesnakes ... I am still not going to go near it.

When I finished my 12 miles and ran past my car it was all I could do not to stop. I struggled to go out and back to round my distance to 18. I admit I had to walk at times the pain was bad. I had also run out of water.

What frustrates me the most, is that I can walk fine. Hours later my ankle was fine. Today I feel fantastic! No soreness from the run and my ankle doesn't hurt. It is purely an impact issue. What also frustrates me is that it isn't like it is muscular so taking a break from running won't heal my problem. It is a bone thing. An extra bone (almost like a spur) is growing on my talus preventing my ankle from having any range of motion and causing pain with every foot strike or twist.

I finished my run and stretched as much as I could but I wanted to hop in the car and get myself some water ASAP. When I went home I stood in my pool. The temp is only about 72 degrees but it still felt awesome on my legs and it was hot enough outside. I am going to miss this time home when my work situation changes ... I will never have this freedom to run and then relax sans kids again. Vans and I had a nice time pool side yesterday after our workouts.

Yet, I can't deny I also love my days home with the girls too. Squeaker is turning one next month and is just an eating machine. I joke that she eats like a 15 year old boy!

Breakfast = Messy

That would be a yogurt goat-tee/smile. She started out using the spoon and then gave up and picked up the bowl and drank her yogurt. Messy messy.

The Peanut also had her final soccer practice this week wherein they scrimmaged. She was so cute but I admit, although she has natural soccer talent in terms of dribbling the ball and kicking, she is definitely very hesitant to "fight" for it or play a game.

She's the smallest Peanut out there! (Pink shorts)

Dare I say, she was actually afraid of the ball? I admit, she had woken up from a nap right before playing and just wasn't in the mood to play at all. I think eventually she'll change because she does like playing ... but she is definitely more artistic than athletic but still adorable.

We have a weekend of errands ahead of us it seems and some warm weather is headed our way. I am so happy I got my long run out of the way  yesterday. I might try and hit the track on Sunday for some speed work as it has been way too long and I feel that I am missing that aspect of my training.

 

SUCKING WIND

We spent the weekend in Tahoe for Mother's Day. I had found a special rate online and grabbed two nights. Happy Mother's Day to me!

Of course the weekend started out with some "drama" that had us all in a tizzy on Friday morning. Earlier in the week the Peanut fell out of bed while sleeping. She had no clue she even fell and seemed quite fine the next morning. Fast forward to the afternoon and she was limping significantly. She said her thigh hurt her "on the inside" and that she had not hurt herself while at school. I immediately remembered she had fallen out of bed but thought it odd that the injury would flare up half a day later.

Regardless, she's four and determined. On Thursday she "wanted" to play soccer despite limping. We let her and she hobbled around having a blast. They were teaching them about being "goalie" so she didn't have to do that much running. However, it was enough because Friday morning came and the Peanut couldn't walk. She was crying that not only her thigh hurt but also her hip. She literally could not walk. Being the (trail)momma I am, I immediately called the advice nurse who said bring her in ASAP or go to the emergency room.

The doctor worked on her and noticed significant loss of her range of motion and her guardedness in letting the doctor move her leg in certain ways. The Peanut was quite brave. However, the doctor felt she might have fractured the growth plate in her hip and immediately sent the Peanut down for x-rays. Getting a four year old to take an x-ray of their leg is no easy feat. Yet, the Peanut did it and was remarkable. Luckily her growth plate and her femur showed no fractures of any kind. The doctor said it could be a host of things but at this point to just her go. The doctor said kids have a remarkable ability to not push through pain and cause more damage the way adults do (hmmm).

After that, we left for Tahoe. A few swims in the pool and quite a few dips in the hot-tub and I am happy to report that the Peanut is feeling much better and that her limp is almost gone. She is not complaining of any pain (thank goodness) but man what a scare for Mother's Day weekend!

While in Tahoe I managed to run 12 miles. I had forgotten my water bottle at home and had planned on stopping at a local park on my way to Tahoe City to get a quick drink and I also had four dollars in my shorts to buy water while in Tahoe City for the run home. Interestingly enough, the local parks had not turned on their water yet! I continued until my Garmin chirped 6 miles and realized Tahoe City was probably another 2 miles away and it was HOT outside. I was in dead sun with no shade cover. I was also losing steam and decided to just turn around and make it home without any water. Whew, that was a tough run but it felt good to run in Tahoe and have that wonderful pine smell surround me.

Mother's Day was great. I woke up with the Peanut wanting to serve me breakfast in bed and Vans made sure there was coffee and mimosas! After breakfast we went on a family hike.

The Peanut with Squeaker on my back

The Peanut likes to "stir" the water

After the hike, I was treated to a quiet shower while the kids played outside with Vans. Sadly, as any mom will tell you, quiet showers are few and far between most days.

Sisters!

Also while we were in Tahoe, Squeaker turned 11 Months old!!! I cannot believe how fast time is flying and how quickly my lil Squeaker is growing!

She is always SO curious too...

Which is not always a good thing because she is also fearless.

We left Tahoe late Sunday morning and headed home. My amazing Mother's Day concluded with sushi from Miyagi and a nice glass of wine while relaxing on our patio. Perfect!

Then Monday arrived. Monday is hill repeats day with Pigeon. I was actually looking forward to the workout before I remembered that I had sushi for dinner the night before. Sushi does not sit well with me before runs as I have had this happen to me time and time again. I was also feeling a tightness in my chest because in the middle of the night I had an allergy attack that left me wheezing and almost reaching for my inhaler.

You can pretty much guess now that my run was Awful (with a capital A). Seriously. The first time up the hill I felt amazing and I was fast and strong. Then I reached the top and my chest tightened and my stomach turned and I started to wheez. My initial thought was "what the heck!?" I turned and ran down the hill trying to assess my situation.

Hill #2 I felt like I had been hit by a mack-truck but I made it to the top but just barely. I think I even power hiked at some point. Hill #3 was the straw that broke the camel's back and I know I power hiked quite a bit. Pigeon was a machine today. The best thing about running with Pigeon is she continues with her workout. She'll check in on you but she doesn't let what is going on with you stop her from performing and that is a good thing because the last thing I wanted to do was ruin HER workout.

I decided that since she needed the long climbs for her Tahoe Rim 50 Miler in July, I did not. Instead I opted for 5 shorter/faster climbs until my stomach just said "you're done" which was great because Pigeon was done too and we power hiked to the top of Beatty. We cut through a gated community so that we could drool over all the million dollar homes with a view of Lake Folsom. They are amazing to say the least.

Pigeon wants a house with this view!

Six miles later we arrived back at my house. Pigeon ran an extra mile to call it seven for the day. I was spent. Done. Toast. While I was running I was even mentally trying to figure out where my inhaler was located and I rarely use that thing! I can count on my one hand how many times I have needed my inhaler and generally I can say the cause is either a really bad cold or really bad allergies.

The rest of my day continued on with sneezing and coughing and itchy watery eyes. All of that WITH an allergy pill in my system! I am highly allergic to Northern California I would say 80% of the year and every year it seems my allergies get worse.

Because I am still nursing Squeaker, I can only take certain allergy meds but at this rate, I am kind of looking forward to wrapping up that chapter of my life so I can take some heavy duty allergy pills!

I plan to rest up tomorrow and get back at it on Wednesday with my friend TiggerT to see how I feel.

I hope all the mommies that read my blog had a wonderful Mother's Day!

MONDAY FUN-DAY

Yesterday was Monday and it started out fairly calm. Drop off at school for Peanut was a bit rough but not terrible. I can't blame her for not wanting to go to school after a weekend home with the family however it never fails that she refuses to leave when I pick her up later in the day (which of course she forgets about at drop off).

Squeaker has been battling something lately. Teething combined with a virus I guess. It started last Thursday with a mild fever which got a little higher over the weekend. Monday morning she was fever less so I took her to school where she was fine all day .... until right before I picked her up to come home. Last night she was burning up and this morning she is still quite under the weather which means she and I will most likely have a day together tomorrow vs her going to school with her sister. I hate when she is sick and I can't help her. We're both exhausted from being awake all night long but her pain makes me sad.

When I arrived home after drop off, I immediately went online to battle everyone for tickets to see The Little Mermaid at the Sacramento Music Circus. For months myself and a few other moms at the Peanut's school have been plotting to buy tickets so that they can all go together. I was in charge of purchasing the tickets ... which is really quite the task when you are trying to coordinate three families and are buying EIGHT tickets. Long story short, after some stressful moments, I was able to buy the tickets and in late July the Peanut and her two best buddies (and their families) will be seeing The Little Mermaid! Expect full on dress up Princess/Fairy costumes to come.

Pigeon arrived at my door at about noon. High noon to be exact. We had agreed last week that we would continue our hill repeats workout on Beatty Drive every Monday. I don't know exactly what the temperature was when we left my house but I can assure it was way hotter than last week and probably close to low to mid 90s ... and there is zero shade on the hill. This is ideal heat training for Pigeon who is training for the Tahoe Rim 50 Miler (where I will also be pacing her) and also for my marathon which is late June in Oregon.

Last week we had decided we'd increase repeats but after only one time up the hill I knew that I would be struggling. I have been on little to no sleep since Thursday of last week with one night where I slept upright in rocking chair with a hot baby on my lap. My allergies are out of control and I was just struggling. Period. Pigeon however looked strong. She thought the hill was easier for her this week. Awesome. That means what she is doing is working in terms of her training and I am over joyed that she likes running Beatty Drive because it really is a great training hill.

Looking down.

Pigeon is that little speck on the right hand side.

One of the fire hydrants

I managed 5 long repeats to the farther fire hydrant and then 2 sprints to the shorter one. We then ran all the way up the hill and meandered back through the rolling neighborhood hills to my house for a distance that was just over six miles for the day. I was a sweaty mess when I got home and immediately downed some NUUN.

HOT HOT SUN

It was definitely a tough workout and I truly hope that next week I can improve on my number of repeats or at least feel better. I should feel better considering I am going to spend some time in Tahoe this up coming weekend.

Regardless, it was fun doing FIRE HYDRANT HELL - AT HIGH NOON with Pigeon. We are both a glutton for punishment it seems OR we really just like to train hard.

We survived

It was also cool because we saw a deer when we reached the top of Beatty Drive ... poor guy seemed stuck between the houses and a busy road.

Today I am home with the girls and therefore no running especially since Squeaker is still feverish and under the weather. We did venture out to Costco to get passport photos for them ... um yea, that was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Getting a four year old and a 10 month to sit and pose for a passport photo is not as easy as it sounds.

Tomorrow I have some meetings to attend to and also a run with a friend that was planned. It might however turn into a stroller run with Squeaker since she will probably be home with me tomorrow.

I am going to work on my blog layout. It's been a while since I have even touched it. I've toyed with changing the above Trailmomma photo but can never find one that I like to replace the one I have.

So I guess this is the ....

ha ha

WEEKEND FUN

Jersey Dad left on Friday morning. It was sad to see him go. The Peanut was her typical moody self in the morning and did not want to say goodbye to him. I think deep down, she knows he was leaving and that is her coping mechanism. After school however, she kept asking "where Poppy was" all the way until bed time. She even checked his room to make sure he wasn't still hiding in there.

After I dropped off Poppy/Jersey Dad and the girls were at school, I drove to my old neighborhood to set out on my 16 mile training run. Vans and I planned the day. He was going to leave our house in EDH via his bike just as I was about to start my run. We figured he'd meet me at my turn around point and low and behold, he did!

The first 8 miles were fine. I was slow, sluggish and a bit tired but I blamed that on the last three sleepless nights I have had due to the Squeaker's three teeth that are poking through. When I saw Vans it was a nice pick-me-up and change of pace.

Rain had asked me a few blog posts ago if I was running pain free. I am but only until I reach mile 12 or so on a long run. It seems that is the "magic number" right now and when I hit that distance my ankle very slowly starts to ache until by the end of my run it is throbbing. Of course it throws doubts into my head as to whether or not I will be able to run this marathon in late June. I am hoping I can convince my doctor to give me another cortisone shot just to get by. I know that is not exactly conventional OR ideal but at this point, I don't really care.

Vans only rode along side me for a little bit and then moved on ahead. His plan was to practice a brick for his duathlon ... so once he reached his bike destination he put on his run shoes and ran out to meet me. He caught me about a mile from the end of my run and we finished together. He said I looked good but I told him my ankle was about a "7" on my pain scale at that point.

Once I finish the run however and changed my shoes things eased up. 16 miles were in the book and semi within my scheduled pace for the day.

Not sure what to do with our time since the girls were at school napping, we decided to go out for lunch. We knew that Saturday was Cinco de Mayo (neither one of us is Mexican mind you) so we looked for a Mexican place for lunch. El Patron was where we ended up. The food was great, the service was poor but overall, I enjoyed spending some time with Vans before we had to pick up the girls.

Pre-Cinco de Mayo drinks

Saturday came and it was a nice change to have both Vans and I just be "lazy" all morning and not race around to get a workout in before starting the day. The Peanut has no clue what Cinco de Mayo really is but she sensed that it was a "holiday" and asked if we could roast marshmallows after dinner.

roasting marshmallows

She looks sweet and innocent...

deep down, she's on a sugar high.

S'Mores (and Vans's fingers)

It was pretty nice just relaxing in our back yard last night. However the evening turned ugly when Squeaker decided to spike a fever and be up all night long. I had high hopes of hitting the track today for some speed work however my night was spent sitting up right in a recliner with a 20 pound hot baby in my lap. The day isn't over so who knows, maybe I'll get to the track yet but if I don't, that's okay as I am supposed to do hill repeats with Pigeon tomorrow much like our last work out .... IF Squeaker is well enough to go to school tomorrow that is.

Later in the week the Peanut has her third of four soccer practices. The fourth one they actually scrimmage. I just had to share these photos because they are absolutely adorable! She actually has a bit of natural talent too ... despite some natural klutziness. :-)

SO CUTE!

Practicing her drills

NO REST

Today was one of those days that kind of flew by in a haze. I dropped the girls off at school and then had a "meeting" that I think went well.

After my meeting I raced home to have another meeting on Skype with new my iPhone App Coach/Partner about a few action items.

Then I changed into running clothes and had TiggerT come to the house to meet my dad and also so we could start our run together. It has been almost a MONTH since we've last run together. We had a lot to catch up on.

We headed toward the Ridge when TiggerT suggested that we go a different route that she had explored earlier in the week. We were just running and chatting and catching up (really I think I was just talking her ear off a mile a minute) when she finally slows down and goes "I THINK we should have turned earlier." Oopps. We could see where we needed to be far off in the distance but we couldn't quite figure how to get there. Still we just kept running and talking.

I admit I was pretty exhausted. I had not stopped once that morning and besides one cup of coffee, I had not eaten anything but one Cliff Shot Block before running. Not to mention my blood donation from Monday was still probably keeping me a bit run down. The hills we ran seemed tougher than usual for my lungs, not my legs. But it was a great run regardless ... I think we manged over 7 for that run combined with some running, walking and hill climbing.

Of course I made the mistake of heading to Whole Foods with my dad after the run completely starved. We were headed to Vans's bike race out at Prairie City for his usual Wednesday race. Biceps and the gang arrived as well which always makes the night more fun for the kids.

Squeaker loves the races

She loves to "clean" things too

Don't mess with a girl and her cow bell

The Peanut drew a "map" for Vans so he

knew where to go during his race.

Bless her heart, she held it up for him while he was riding!

Then our friends arrived ... and things got crazy

Just like those clown cars ... how many kids can fit in the back of my car?

Sadly Jersey Dad's time with us is coming to an end. Thursday is his last full day with us. Since I am home with the girls, I am taking all of us out towards Amador to hang with the Little Citizen and Chico Girl. Later in the evening, the Peanut has her second soccer practice ... I think I am more excited than she is for it.

Friday will be a sad day as I will have to take Jersey Dad to the airport but the good news is that both he and my stepmom are returning in late July for a FULL WEEK! Yea!!!

Now it is time to finally crash in bed and watch some Survivor.