The kids' conferences went well. Started out with Devon's yesterday and he's doing great in Kindergarten. Slightly ahead in pretty much every area of where they like to see their incoming students.
Kayli's was next today, but I missed that one as I couldn't find the school. Oops! I looked it up on mapquest yesterday and thought I knew where it was, but obviously didn't pay close enough attention to the details. Gonna have to go back and remap it before my next attempt to get there! Kayli had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she was bored in math class because what they were teaching was stuff she had already gone over last year in 5th grade in New Prague. They're beyond refreshing and reviewing what the students learned last year and dusting off the cobwebs from summer and it's still pretty familiar to her so she's going to get bumped up into the accelerated math group! She's excited for that as am I. It's actually kind of ironic. She says that math isn't (wasn't) her favorite class and I remember struggling with her the last couple of years to get her homework done because she didn't understand it, but she continually brought home good test scores. I'm glad she spoke up and wants to be challenged rather than just coasting through the subject.
Conner's was shortly after Kayli's and in a different part of town (they're in different school buildings) so I just headed over there once I knew I'd be too late to try to find Kayli's. Conner's went well as well. Found out his 1 main weakness we were informed of last year in 2nd grade has carried over to 3rd grade and the new school - he's chatty! I think it's pretty safe to say he gets that from his mother's side. It may be affecting his test scores somewhat because apparently he sometimes misses the instructions because he's gabbing and doesn't test as high as he probably should. He got a good math grade, but not as high as we think he's capable of. It's not a major concern though and I'm sure his teacher will keep things in check. His teacher doesn't see any issues or concerns with his social life and fitting in (he voiced he wasn't making any friends and missed his old school) so that was our main concern. He remains a positive in the classroom and he's reading a ton! Just keep him reading and he won't talk. Problem solved!
Lindsay went back to being Lindsay today. She sent me a doozy of an email today that just got my goat. It started out very harmlessly with her asking about some dates/weekends we're switching the kids around and then suddenly took a drastic left turn out to nowhere. I wanted to chuck my monitor across the office when I read it! Thankfully we have a workout room at the office so I went and lifted some weights for about 15 minutes and that seemed to settle me down. After I had time to think about it I think what got to me the most was that I let what she said get to me. I'm a little upset at myself for that. It's been awhile since we haven't seen eye to eye on something and I forgot how she thinks and processes info. Once I remembered those factors I was able to let it slide a little easier. That's not to say I agree with her, just that she's going to think what she thinks because that's the way she is. She's caused enough of my hairs to go gray (those that she didn't cause to fall out), no more though dagnabit!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Let's All Do The Turkey Trot
Training report: I ran today.
End of report.
Actually, it was a pretty good run. It was my first 20 miler this training cycle. I've scheduled myself to do 2 more - a backdown run next weekend (12-15 miles) and then the following weekends will be a 22, 20 and then a 2 week taper before my marathon. I actually wanted to do more training miles leading up to this marathon. I'm thinking that might be part of my problem in bonking when I have my last few marathons. Well, maybe just in Fargo this past Spring. The 2 prior to that there were extenuating circumstances that I'll chalk those runs up to (yes, I'm fully aware some of you will read "extenuating circumstances" as "excuses"). For Fargo's I was kind of banking (i.e. hoping/wishing) my triathlon training would carry me through that one. I found out the hard way that triathlon training does not substitute fully for marathon training unless you're training for an Ironman.
Knowing I wasn't going to be able to con someone into running the whole 20 miles with me I set out trying to find someone to do part of it with me. Even we introverts can get bored when it's just ourselves on a long run. Kris bit at the opportunity and we set the plans to meet this morning.
I got to the neighborhood where we were going to meet and found out there was a 10 mile race in progress so they had all the roads closed in the area which made getting to the meeting spot cumbersome. Needless to say, we didn't meet up through no fault of her's, just a matter of unforeseen circumstances. That meant I had to run alone...by myself...solo...party of 1...for 20 miles...105,600 feet. There was a nanosecond there when I just thought, "ah, skip the run, you don't want to run that far by yourself." Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at things) I was able to push that thought aside, sucked it up and told myself it'll be a good mental workout too getting through it - needing to rely on just myself to make it and not lean on someone else to pull me along.
I laced up the running clogs and was off.
I won't take you through every mile, but in conclusion the first 17 went well and I was feeling good physically. The last 3 were noticeably slower and there was some competition going on between my physical and mental beings. I had to resort to some tricks and play games between the two, they both got their fair share of wins, but in the end we all came out stronger after getting through it so this first 20 miler was a success in my book.
My route today was along the Mississippi River and the last 10 miles of the TCM marathon. I love this time of year with the leaves starting to change. The colors aren't there fully yet, but the river banks were still nice to look at and were a pleasant distraction. Next weekend is that marathon so I'm sure they'll be even more apparent. At that point in the route if you can take your mind off how you're feeling and look around hopefully you're able to appreciate the beauty of nature. You can sometimes forget that you're in a metropolitan area which is a nice reprieve.
So I went for a run with a bunch of turkeys on Thursday, literally. I was able to sneak out during lunch for a quick 5 miles. My route in Eagan takes me from my office, down along the pedestrian path along 494 and across the MN River. As I turned the corner to get on the path and head down to the river there were a bunch of wild turkeys standing there, some on the path, some eating in the brush off to the side. I'll admit they scared the crap out of me a little! What is a group of turkeys called - flock, gaggle, group, bunch? Anyway, I wasn't sure if they were going to move or what and thought I remembered hearing they can be somewhat aggressive. I kept running towards them hoping they would part and leave me alone. Some snuck back into the woods off to the left, some kept eating off to the right and some started sauntering down the path in front of me. Have you ever seen a turkey saunter? You should. Those in front picked up their pace a little and I kept with them stride for stride (only 2 or 3) before they darted off into the woods too. After getting past them I did look back a couple of times just to make sure none of them got brave and started chasing me. That would've made for a good speed workout I suppose. Thankfully they weren't there on my way back about 20 minutes later.
Well, that's it for my training report. Seriously this time.
We have conferences for the kids this week. Farmington is on the 4 quarters system, not trimesters like we're used to with New Prague, so it'll be nice to meet the teachers we haven't yet and get the synopsis from them on how the kids are doing and adjusting. There have been some minor transition pains, but I think all 3 of them are enjoying themselves by now and fitting in.
I think Kayli's used to her short hair by now, but I still do a double take when I see her. She says the biggest difference is just in washing her hair because it goes so quick now. It's strange not having her around here anymore. I have to cram our time together into the 5-10 minutes I see her when I pick up the boys. Kinda weird. I do have Guthrie tickets for her and me to see a show in a couple of weeks though so I'm looking forward to that.
Well, I think that's about it for tonight. You're all caught up so I'm gonna sign off.
There's a post-ironman party on Wednesday hosted by the 2 we went to watch. Hopefully they'll let loose a little now that everything is behind them so there may be a story or two to tell from that evening. Stay tuned.
End of report.
Actually, it was a pretty good run. It was my first 20 miler this training cycle. I've scheduled myself to do 2 more - a backdown run next weekend (12-15 miles) and then the following weekends will be a 22, 20 and then a 2 week taper before my marathon. I actually wanted to do more training miles leading up to this marathon. I'm thinking that might be part of my problem in bonking when I have my last few marathons. Well, maybe just in Fargo this past Spring. The 2 prior to that there were extenuating circumstances that I'll chalk those runs up to (yes, I'm fully aware some of you will read "extenuating circumstances" as "excuses"). For Fargo's I was kind of banking (i.e. hoping/wishing) my triathlon training would carry me through that one. I found out the hard way that triathlon training does not substitute fully for marathon training unless you're training for an Ironman.
Knowing I wasn't going to be able to con someone into running the whole 20 miles with me I set out trying to find someone to do part of it with me. Even we introverts can get bored when it's just ourselves on a long run. Kris bit at the opportunity and we set the plans to meet this morning.
I got to the neighborhood where we were going to meet and found out there was a 10 mile race in progress so they had all the roads closed in the area which made getting to the meeting spot cumbersome. Needless to say, we didn't meet up through no fault of her's, just a matter of unforeseen circumstances. That meant I had to run alone...by myself...solo...party of 1...for 20 miles...105,600 feet. There was a nanosecond there when I just thought, "ah, skip the run, you don't want to run that far by yourself." Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at things) I was able to push that thought aside, sucked it up and told myself it'll be a good mental workout too getting through it - needing to rely on just myself to make it and not lean on someone else to pull me along.
I laced up the running clogs and was off.
I won't take you through every mile, but in conclusion the first 17 went well and I was feeling good physically. The last 3 were noticeably slower and there was some competition going on between my physical and mental beings. I had to resort to some tricks and play games between the two, they both got their fair share of wins, but in the end we all came out stronger after getting through it so this first 20 miler was a success in my book.
My route today was along the Mississippi River and the last 10 miles of the TCM marathon. I love this time of year with the leaves starting to change. The colors aren't there fully yet, but the river banks were still nice to look at and were a pleasant distraction. Next weekend is that marathon so I'm sure they'll be even more apparent. At that point in the route if you can take your mind off how you're feeling and look around hopefully you're able to appreciate the beauty of nature. You can sometimes forget that you're in a metropolitan area which is a nice reprieve.
So I went for a run with a bunch of turkeys on Thursday, literally. I was able to sneak out during lunch for a quick 5 miles. My route in Eagan takes me from my office, down along the pedestrian path along 494 and across the MN River. As I turned the corner to get on the path and head down to the river there were a bunch of wild turkeys standing there, some on the path, some eating in the brush off to the side. I'll admit they scared the crap out of me a little! What is a group of turkeys called - flock, gaggle, group, bunch? Anyway, I wasn't sure if they were going to move or what and thought I remembered hearing they can be somewhat aggressive. I kept running towards them hoping they would part and leave me alone. Some snuck back into the woods off to the left, some kept eating off to the right and some started sauntering down the path in front of me. Have you ever seen a turkey saunter? You should. Those in front picked up their pace a little and I kept with them stride for stride (only 2 or 3) before they darted off into the woods too. After getting past them I did look back a couple of times just to make sure none of them got brave and started chasing me. That would've made for a good speed workout I suppose. Thankfully they weren't there on my way back about 20 minutes later.
Well, that's it for my training report. Seriously this time.
We have conferences for the kids this week. Farmington is on the 4 quarters system, not trimesters like we're used to with New Prague, so it'll be nice to meet the teachers we haven't yet and get the synopsis from them on how the kids are doing and adjusting. There have been some minor transition pains, but I think all 3 of them are enjoying themselves by now and fitting in.
I think Kayli's used to her short hair by now, but I still do a double take when I see her. She says the biggest difference is just in washing her hair because it goes so quick now. It's strange not having her around here anymore. I have to cram our time together into the 5-10 minutes I see her when I pick up the boys. Kinda weird. I do have Guthrie tickets for her and me to see a show in a couple of weeks though so I'm looking forward to that.
Well, I think that's about it for tonight. You're all caught up so I'm gonna sign off.
There's a post-ironman party on Wednesday hosted by the 2 we went to watch. Hopefully they'll let loose a little now that everything is behind them so there may be a story or two to tell from that evening. Stay tuned.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
This, That and The Other Things
Just an odds 'n ends posting tonight.
Had a date last night. You're going to have to read this whole thing though to get the details (no skipping right to the end).
Training has (had) been progressing somewhat well for my next marathon. I had a couple of good runs (the jogging kind, not the sit down in the bathroom kind) early in the week, but on Thursday night's run I felt my right hip flexor(s) weren't fully cooperating. I was scheduled to do an 18 mile run on Saturday, but I scaled that down to just 10 so as to not overdo it and cause unnecessary damage. It felt about the same after Saturday's run as it did on Thursday so hopefully it was just feeling tired and not injured. I'll monitor it for a couple of more days and then hopefully get back on schedule. Maybe a 20 this coming weekend if everything feels fine (and I can finagle it into the family schedule).
After my run on Saturday I was scheduled to volunteer at the packet pick-up portion for a duathlon in Bloomington. That was a good time. Met a couple of other volunteers who are Iron(wo)men. One girl just completed IM WI that my friends were in and another gentleman is doing IM AZ in November (he's also done others). I also found out he's on the Leukemia Society's board of directors so we talked briefly about TNT. He also pulls some weight in the MN triathlon community (not quite sure to what extent, but apparently enough) and he says they're trying to get Ironman to have a race in MN. Possibly by 2010 or sometime soon thereafter. Stay tuned for further details. Quick disclaimer though, I highly doubt I would end up doing that one though. I've already run a marathon in MN so WI is looking like the more likely scenario once that race situation comes around.
The date included a movie.
Today was the actual duathlon race. During my volunteer shift yesterday I ran into a lot of friends who had signed up for the race. Some I knew were already doing it, others I didn't know until I saw them yesterday. They were all from past TNT teams, marathon and/or triathlon. It was fun to catch up with them and great to see that they're still being active.
Seeing as how I knew so many people participating I went to watch today as well. It's fun being on that side of the ropes on occasion - don't have to worry about dinner the night before, prerace jitters, getting up early, etc. I like to think I've become a borderline "expert" spectator. I try to think about what I would like spectators (and anyone there to specifically watch me) do and where I'd like them to be and then that's what I try to do. I purposely get away from the main crowds to offer the racers another cheerer at another spot along the route and so when I call out their name hopefully they'll hear that and get a little boost. They all did great! Way to go Amy, Angela, Anna, Caroline, Carrie, Dana, Elizabeth, Grace, Jen, Julie, Kris, Spring, Stephanie (I think (hope) that's everyone I knew, sorry if I missed listing you if not. Plus, it's alphabetically so as to not show any favoritism, I know how you women can get. ;) hehehe).
There will more than likely be more dates down the road, but nothing has been planned as of yet.
Oh, get this - yesterday when I was working handing out packets a racer came by to pick her's up. She also knew a couple of other volunteers working there so she was standing around talking to them for a few minutes. She looked at me a few times and finally asked if she knew me from somewhere. I didn't recognize her at all so said probably not, just one of those faces I guess. She couldn't place it either from where, if anywhere, so she finished her chat with her friends and left. Fast forward to today. I was standing alone along the run course cheering and she came walking by after she was done. She said, "you used to be a student manager at the Pub." Quickly putting the pieces together I asked, "are you talking about St. Mary's?" Turns out she was. St. Mary's was where we both went to college and the Pub was the on-campus student union - pizza/burger/pool/beer joint. I was a senior in '90/'91 and she was a sophomore and apparently I did such a great job of making an impression on her as a student manager that she remembers me from that role 18 years later! I still couldn't remember her though, but that was kind of funny to hear and be remembered for that. Funny to me anyway.
After this Indy marathon in Nov. I'm going to have to think about my race schedule for '09. I found out today that TNT is dropping the Alaska marathon from their lineup, but replacing it with the new Rock N Roll marathon in Seattle! Next year (June) will be the first year for that marathon so it would be fun to do the inaugural running of that, plus the Rock N Roll Series is very well organized and supported. Signing up for that team though could be an issue because I'd want to do the triathlon team again, but the scheduling could be an issue because they train at the same times, but separately. The LTF tri is 2 weeks after the Seattle marathon and then 2 weeks after that is the Chisago Lakes 1/2 iron triathlon I was toying with doing. That would be a lot of racing miles in a 4 week period! Hmmm, I'll have to put more thought into that.
Okay, it wasn't really a "date" date, but it was still an organized night out with only 1 other person. It just happened to be with my buddy Shawn. We talked about getting together for dinner and whatever. We ended up going to a movie (Burn After Reading. I'd give it a thumbs up) and dinner consisted of a bag of popcorn and licorice (pretty nutritious, huh?). He's single too so we joked about it being a date. I should've told him he asked me out so he would've had to pay. Damn, missed that opportunity. I can't remember if I've ever gone to a movie with just 1 other guy. Maybe back in high school.
Maybe I should pursue Dana's "Sara(h?) attempt" instead.
Had a date last night. You're going to have to read this whole thing though to get the details (no skipping right to the end).
Training has (had) been progressing somewhat well for my next marathon. I had a couple of good runs (the jogging kind, not the sit down in the bathroom kind) early in the week, but on Thursday night's run I felt my right hip flexor(s) weren't fully cooperating. I was scheduled to do an 18 mile run on Saturday, but I scaled that down to just 10 so as to not overdo it and cause unnecessary damage. It felt about the same after Saturday's run as it did on Thursday so hopefully it was just feeling tired and not injured. I'll monitor it for a couple of more days and then hopefully get back on schedule. Maybe a 20 this coming weekend if everything feels fine (and I can finagle it into the family schedule).
After my run on Saturday I was scheduled to volunteer at the packet pick-up portion for a duathlon in Bloomington. That was a good time. Met a couple of other volunteers who are Iron(wo)men. One girl just completed IM WI that my friends were in and another gentleman is doing IM AZ in November (he's also done others). I also found out he's on the Leukemia Society's board of directors so we talked briefly about TNT. He also pulls some weight in the MN triathlon community (not quite sure to what extent, but apparently enough) and he says they're trying to get Ironman to have a race in MN. Possibly by 2010 or sometime soon thereafter. Stay tuned for further details. Quick disclaimer though, I highly doubt I would end up doing that one though. I've already run a marathon in MN so WI is looking like the more likely scenario once that race situation comes around.
The date included a movie.
Today was the actual duathlon race. During my volunteer shift yesterday I ran into a lot of friends who had signed up for the race. Some I knew were already doing it, others I didn't know until I saw them yesterday. They were all from past TNT teams, marathon and/or triathlon. It was fun to catch up with them and great to see that they're still being active.
Seeing as how I knew so many people participating I went to watch today as well. It's fun being on that side of the ropes on occasion - don't have to worry about dinner the night before, prerace jitters, getting up early, etc. I like to think I've become a borderline "expert" spectator. I try to think about what I would like spectators (and anyone there to specifically watch me) do and where I'd like them to be and then that's what I try to do. I purposely get away from the main crowds to offer the racers another cheerer at another spot along the route and so when I call out their name hopefully they'll hear that and get a little boost. They all did great! Way to go Amy, Angela, Anna, Caroline, Carrie, Dana, Elizabeth, Grace, Jen, Julie, Kris, Spring, Stephanie (I think (hope) that's everyone I knew, sorry if I missed listing you if not. Plus, it's alphabetically so as to not show any favoritism, I know how you women can get. ;) hehehe).
There will more than likely be more dates down the road, but nothing has been planned as of yet.
Oh, get this - yesterday when I was working handing out packets a racer came by to pick her's up. She also knew a couple of other volunteers working there so she was standing around talking to them for a few minutes. She looked at me a few times and finally asked if she knew me from somewhere. I didn't recognize her at all so said probably not, just one of those faces I guess. She couldn't place it either from where, if anywhere, so she finished her chat with her friends and left. Fast forward to today. I was standing alone along the run course cheering and she came walking by after she was done. She said, "you used to be a student manager at the Pub." Quickly putting the pieces together I asked, "are you talking about St. Mary's?" Turns out she was. St. Mary's was where we both went to college and the Pub was the on-campus student union - pizza/burger/pool/beer joint. I was a senior in '90/'91 and she was a sophomore and apparently I did such a great job of making an impression on her as a student manager that she remembers me from that role 18 years later! I still couldn't remember her though, but that was kind of funny to hear and be remembered for that. Funny to me anyway.
After this Indy marathon in Nov. I'm going to have to think about my race schedule for '09. I found out today that TNT is dropping the Alaska marathon from their lineup, but replacing it with the new Rock N Roll marathon in Seattle! Next year (June) will be the first year for that marathon so it would be fun to do the inaugural running of that, plus the Rock N Roll Series is very well organized and supported. Signing up for that team though could be an issue because I'd want to do the triathlon team again, but the scheduling could be an issue because they train at the same times, but separately. The LTF tri is 2 weeks after the Seattle marathon and then 2 weeks after that is the Chisago Lakes 1/2 iron triathlon I was toying with doing. That would be a lot of racing miles in a 4 week period! Hmmm, I'll have to put more thought into that.
Okay, it wasn't really a "date" date, but it was still an organized night out with only 1 other person. It just happened to be with my buddy Shawn. We talked about getting together for dinner and whatever. We ended up going to a movie (Burn After Reading. I'd give it a thumbs up) and dinner consisted of a bag of popcorn and licorice (pretty nutritious, huh?). He's single too so we joked about it being a date. I should've told him he asked me out so he would've had to pay. Damn, missed that opportunity. I can't remember if I've ever gone to a movie with just 1 other guy. Maybe back in high school.
Maybe I should pursue Dana's "Sara(h?) attempt" instead.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
My Daughter Aged Overnight
I guess technically we all do. We age with every passing second for that matter.
She called me last night to tell me she was getting her hair cut. She's 11. She's had it cut before, no big deal, right? This time she was getting it cut cut though!
She was with her mom at the time, but I was told the conversation went something like this-
Kayli (daughter): I want to get my hair cut.
Lindsay (her mom): Okay, how much?
K: Just trimmed. I want it to grow longer so I can donate it to Locks of Love.
L: Your hair is long enough to do that now.
K: Oh, okay, I want to get it cut short then.
I stopped over at Lindsay's tonight to see it and she went from my little girl to a little lady. Okay, there have been 2 other "bumpy" developments that have been taking shape the past few months that have also contributed to that metamorphosis, but this one change made her look 5 years older instantly!
She likes her new look and for that matter so do I.
That's her in my profile picture taken just 2 months ago. You can see how long her hair was. It's not even touching her shoulders now, she has a neck! I'm more proud of her than anything though. It was her thought and idea to donate her hair. Unprovoked she wanted to do that. It gives me a warm fuzzy knowing my kids think along those lines.
The funny thing is, we just got her school pictures back last week and now they're outdated. Maybe we should get retakes?
She called me last night to tell me she was getting her hair cut. She's 11. She's had it cut before, no big deal, right? This time she was getting it cut cut though!
She was with her mom at the time, but I was told the conversation went something like this-
Kayli (daughter): I want to get my hair cut.
Lindsay (her mom): Okay, how much?
K: Just trimmed. I want it to grow longer so I can donate it to Locks of Love.
L: Your hair is long enough to do that now.
K: Oh, okay, I want to get it cut short then.
I stopped over at Lindsay's tonight to see it and she went from my little girl to a little lady. Okay, there have been 2 other "bumpy" developments that have been taking shape the past few months that have also contributed to that metamorphosis, but this one change made her look 5 years older instantly!
She likes her new look and for that matter so do I.
That's her in my profile picture taken just 2 months ago. You can see how long her hair was. It's not even touching her shoulders now, she has a neck! I'm more proud of her than anything though. It was her thought and idea to donate her hair. Unprovoked she wanted to do that. It gives me a warm fuzzy knowing my kids think along those lines.
The funny thing is, we just got her school pictures back last week and now they're outdated. Maybe we should get retakes?
Monday, September 15, 2008
What A Difference A Week Makes
I mentioned last post that I was a bit puzzled about how I felt about the ironman and I think I've been able to clear things up within my simple little mind finally.
First and foremost, I was going there to watch and support my friends. On a personal level though, I was also hoping it would help motivate me in my own athletic endeavors. It didn't. Nor should it have.
What did motivate me was having a good week of running capped off by a 17 miler yesterday that, dare I say, felt easy (knocking on wood right now). During that 17 miles there was plenty of time to ponder and I came up with a theory. I think I am, or maybe have become, the type of person that has to experience something or what it takes to get there in order for it to really sink in and mean something to me.
I do want to do an IM someday, but not now. With not having put myself through the rigors of training for one or financially signing up for it, I don't have the personal connection and can't get motivated by it. I was trying to use the IM and compare that with my personal long-term goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. It's apples and oranges. I have run multiple marathons and am in the meat and potatoes portion of training for another so I know the feelings associated with and am still motivated by that. I haven't done the IM so I can't draw on that non-experience.
Make sense? If so, sit down for this shocker - I'm going to apply this same line of thinking to something outside of my athletic life and to my personal life! Can I blog about something non-sports related?! Let's find out.
Just last week I had multiple people, all of who have never asked about my romantic life, ask if I was dating anyone or what I wanted in that regard. Dating and remarriage for me is a cross between doing the ironman and another marathon. I do want to get remarried someday, but like the ironman, not now. I've gone through the highs of marriage and lows of divorce so I've experienced the whole gamut, and like the marathons, I want to do it again. Unlike the marathons, I don't want to do it 2 or 3 times per year though or in all 50 states!
Having the divorce behind me and as hard as it was, I know it was the right thing to do. I've experienced it and it motivates me to make sure it doesn't happen again. The next Mrs. Jon McCarthy is going to be lucky based on the fact that I learned my lessons.
Yesterday's run was a little different for me because it was so active mentally. Usually I try to shut down the brain and zone out and just run. I guess I had a few things to think about. I wonder what my 20 milers coming up are going to be like?!
First and foremost, I was going there to watch and support my friends. On a personal level though, I was also hoping it would help motivate me in my own athletic endeavors. It didn't. Nor should it have.
What did motivate me was having a good week of running capped off by a 17 miler yesterday that, dare I say, felt easy (knocking on wood right now). During that 17 miles there was plenty of time to ponder and I came up with a theory. I think I am, or maybe have become, the type of person that has to experience something or what it takes to get there in order for it to really sink in and mean something to me.
I do want to do an IM someday, but not now. With not having put myself through the rigors of training for one or financially signing up for it, I don't have the personal connection and can't get motivated by it. I was trying to use the IM and compare that with my personal long-term goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. It's apples and oranges. I have run multiple marathons and am in the meat and potatoes portion of training for another so I know the feelings associated with and am still motivated by that. I haven't done the IM so I can't draw on that non-experience.
Make sense? If so, sit down for this shocker - I'm going to apply this same line of thinking to something outside of my athletic life and to my personal life! Can I blog about something non-sports related?! Let's find out.
Just last week I had multiple people, all of who have never asked about my romantic life, ask if I was dating anyone or what I wanted in that regard. Dating and remarriage for me is a cross between doing the ironman and another marathon. I do want to get remarried someday, but like the ironman, not now. I've gone through the highs of marriage and lows of divorce so I've experienced the whole gamut, and like the marathons, I want to do it again. Unlike the marathons, I don't want to do it 2 or 3 times per year though or in all 50 states!
Having the divorce behind me and as hard as it was, I know it was the right thing to do. I've experienced it and it motivates me to make sure it doesn't happen again. The next Mrs. Jon McCarthy is going to be lucky based on the fact that I learned my lessons.
Yesterday's run was a little different for me because it was so active mentally. Usually I try to shut down the brain and zone out and just run. I guess I had a few things to think about. I wonder what my 20 milers coming up are going to be like?!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Incredible Athletes
After watching the Ironman in person this past weekend I'm still trying to process what it all means on a personal level. I'm somewhat perplexed by my thoughts/views about it and what I'm doing, or trying to do, athletically. I'll post more on that later once I wrap my head around it all, but speaking strictly as a spectator though, it was frickin' awesome!
The 2 participants we were there to watch did fabulous! They both finished with nary a worry and ear to ear smiles every time we saw them on the course. I won't give you a play by play recap of the whole race (I'm sure you can get that from Kimmi and Rachel in the next day or so once they've recovered and have had time to post them), but just some thoughts from a spectator's point of view.
Our morning started out early at 5 a.m. in order to drive the 7 miles downtown, park and find the rest of our crew. We were able to see K and R and wish them good luck 1 final time. They both seemed calm and ready to go. Once we left them I headed down to the swim start with others. This start is unlike most in that it's one big mass wave start, but with the participants already in the water about 50 yards out, not starting on the beach with them running in.
Once the cannon went off at 7:00 a.m. signaling the start the calm, bluegray waters became an instant froth of seemingly chaos and flailing arms. Unless you were in the lead or purposely lagging behind I would think it'd be akin to a sock going through the heavy duty wash cycle.
There was a 2 hr 20 minute cutoff for this portion of the race meaning that if you weren't done swimming within 2:20 you were done, not allowed to continue. Watching these cutoffs get closer and closer knowing there are still racers out there is some of the most nerve-wracking minutes in this sport for a spectator. You want so bad for everyone to make it, but you know not everyone will and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. As 5 minutes became 4...and then 3...and then 2...and then 1...and then seconds, there were 2 swimmers that were about 30 yards out. By this time the announcer has the crowd fully into it cheering for these 2 to get in under the cutoff, the music blaring, everyone's screaming and cheering knowing it's going to be close. 10...9...8...the volunteers that are there to help people out of the water are standing out in the water, waist deep, waiting to get their hands on these 2...7...6...5...the first of the 2 takes his final stroke and the volunteers grab both arms and simultaneously drag him in further and stand him up, he made it! ...4...3...2...the other one does the same!! At the buzzer she finishes her swim and is allowed to continue on to the bike portion. The crowd is just in a tizzy, going wild. I'd be willing to bet these 2 got the loudest cheers of the day and their smiles told the whole story!!
On the flip side of this whole uplifting moment though, 30 seconds later the next swimmer comes in and he has to be stopped from running through the chute and told his day is done, he didn't make it under the cutoff. How much would that suck? You've trained for months and months and months and find out your Ironman dream has vanished because you were 30 seconds too slow. It's over before it gets started. This was tough to watch and I'll admit to getting a little teary-eyed. There were a few others out in the water yet who were in the same boat (no pun intended).
On to the bike portion. This part isn't quite as dramatic as watching the bike portion is harder and you only see any 1 racer for just a few blurry seconds. We took the shuttle out to the popular spectator spot on the course and waited for our 2 to come around. They had to do this loop of the route twice so we knew we'd see them both times at miles 56 and 97. Waiting for them to come through and noticing all the other bikers the majority looked fresh and energized. We were able to spot R and K in enough time to make plenty of noise and hopefully get them re-energized. Watching the riders come through the 2nd time, I was visibly able to notice a difference on quite a few faces that the physicality of everything was starting to take its toll. There were some more pained expressions, not grimacing in pain, but more like a worn down look. Not our girls though! They both came through with their cheshire cat grins and back to the transition they headed.
We jumped back on the shuttle buses to get back downtown to watch the run. We first positioned ourselves at about the 1/2 mile mark on the run so we could cheer for them right away on this final leg of the race. I'm still not sure what I think of the run route. It's an out-and-back that you have to do twice. The turn-around at the halfway point is 1 block from the finish line and every runner can see the finish line as they come to the halfway point knowing they can't yet head to the finish. I'm sure it makes the feeling that much better the 2nd time by, but what a big tease that 1st time! The layout is great for spectating though because it was easy for our group to get to multiple spots to cheer them on elsewhere after our runners passed.
For a majority of the run I watched near this 1/2 way turnaround for the 1st lappers and the finishing block for those who had done their 2 laps. Once again there was agony and ecstasy at this juncture. For those finishing and coming around that final corner, it was pure joy and belief that they were now ironmen. A few of them were crying as they headed in, a lot of them were happier than a kid at Christmas. The agony could be seen at the 1/2 way point turnaround though. There was also a cutoff for this portion of the race at 9:00 p.m. If you weren't at the 1/2 point on the run by 9, you weren't allowed to continue. A handful of people had made it to this point before 9 and had voluntarily elected to call it quits for whatever reason. As the deadline approached, those going through were warned that they were dangerously close to the cutoff and that they'd need to be cognizant of this on the 2nd half if they wanted to finish by midnight (the overall cutoff at 17 hours). The final guy I saw make it up to this point didn't make it in time. He had to be told by race officials that he was past the cutoff and wouldn't be allowed to continue. Not only would this suck for those not making it fast enough in the swim portion, but this guy had already swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 and ran 13.1. He was only 13.1 miles away from the total 140.6 he had to do, but he would have to try it again some other day!
After Rach (just under 14 hrs) and Kimmi (just over 15 hours) finished and midnight approached, I stuck around the finish line to see the last of the finishers come in. The announcers did a great job giving us updates on the remaining runners still out on the course as the minutes ticked off and got closer to midnight. At 11:53, with 7 minutes to go, he called out to the pacer/official who was with the very last person about 1/2 mile out and told them they had 7 minutes to go to get in. The person's response back was that they only needed 5! Awesome, everyone on the course was going to finish! As midnight approached that 5 minutes came and went. They were down to 2...and then 1...and then we saw them turn the last corner and head the last 1 1/2 blocks to the finish line. Once again, those who stuck around to cheer were just going wild, urging these final few to make it in under the wire. With a 17 hour cutoff, the last person to cross the line did it with 4 seconds to spare, 16:59:56!! Truly amazing! Despite having been up for the previous 19 hours I had a hard time falling asleep that night because I was so jazzed up by the whole finish line experience and atmosphere.
The next day, Dana, Kris, Becca and Sean, all TNT teammates, signed up to do this Ironman in '09. Looks like I get to go watch another one!
The 2 participants we were there to watch did fabulous! They both finished with nary a worry and ear to ear smiles every time we saw them on the course. I won't give you a play by play recap of the whole race (I'm sure you can get that from Kimmi and Rachel in the next day or so once they've recovered and have had time to post them), but just some thoughts from a spectator's point of view.
Our morning started out early at 5 a.m. in order to drive the 7 miles downtown, park and find the rest of our crew. We were able to see K and R and wish them good luck 1 final time. They both seemed calm and ready to go. Once we left them I headed down to the swim start with others. This start is unlike most in that it's one big mass wave start, but with the participants already in the water about 50 yards out, not starting on the beach with them running in.
Once the cannon went off at 7:00 a.m. signaling the start the calm, bluegray waters became an instant froth of seemingly chaos and flailing arms. Unless you were in the lead or purposely lagging behind I would think it'd be akin to a sock going through the heavy duty wash cycle.
There was a 2 hr 20 minute cutoff for this portion of the race meaning that if you weren't done swimming within 2:20 you were done, not allowed to continue. Watching these cutoffs get closer and closer knowing there are still racers out there is some of the most nerve-wracking minutes in this sport for a spectator. You want so bad for everyone to make it, but you know not everyone will and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. As 5 minutes became 4...and then 3...and then 2...and then 1...and then seconds, there were 2 swimmers that were about 30 yards out. By this time the announcer has the crowd fully into it cheering for these 2 to get in under the cutoff, the music blaring, everyone's screaming and cheering knowing it's going to be close. 10...9...8...the volunteers that are there to help people out of the water are standing out in the water, waist deep, waiting to get their hands on these 2...7...6...5...the first of the 2 takes his final stroke and the volunteers grab both arms and simultaneously drag him in further and stand him up, he made it! ...4...3...2...the other one does the same!! At the buzzer she finishes her swim and is allowed to continue on to the bike portion. The crowd is just in a tizzy, going wild. I'd be willing to bet these 2 got the loudest cheers of the day and their smiles told the whole story!!
On the flip side of this whole uplifting moment though, 30 seconds later the next swimmer comes in and he has to be stopped from running through the chute and told his day is done, he didn't make it under the cutoff. How much would that suck? You've trained for months and months and months and find out your Ironman dream has vanished because you were 30 seconds too slow. It's over before it gets started. This was tough to watch and I'll admit to getting a little teary-eyed. There were a few others out in the water yet who were in the same boat (no pun intended).
On to the bike portion. This part isn't quite as dramatic as watching the bike portion is harder and you only see any 1 racer for just a few blurry seconds. We took the shuttle out to the popular spectator spot on the course and waited for our 2 to come around. They had to do this loop of the route twice so we knew we'd see them both times at miles 56 and 97. Waiting for them to come through and noticing all the other bikers the majority looked fresh and energized. We were able to spot R and K in enough time to make plenty of noise and hopefully get them re-energized. Watching the riders come through the 2nd time, I was visibly able to notice a difference on quite a few faces that the physicality of everything was starting to take its toll. There were some more pained expressions, not grimacing in pain, but more like a worn down look. Not our girls though! They both came through with their cheshire cat grins and back to the transition they headed.
We jumped back on the shuttle buses to get back downtown to watch the run. We first positioned ourselves at about the 1/2 mile mark on the run so we could cheer for them right away on this final leg of the race. I'm still not sure what I think of the run route. It's an out-and-back that you have to do twice. The turn-around at the halfway point is 1 block from the finish line and every runner can see the finish line as they come to the halfway point knowing they can't yet head to the finish. I'm sure it makes the feeling that much better the 2nd time by, but what a big tease that 1st time! The layout is great for spectating though because it was easy for our group to get to multiple spots to cheer them on elsewhere after our runners passed.
For a majority of the run I watched near this 1/2 way turnaround for the 1st lappers and the finishing block for those who had done their 2 laps. Once again there was agony and ecstasy at this juncture. For those finishing and coming around that final corner, it was pure joy and belief that they were now ironmen. A few of them were crying as they headed in, a lot of them were happier than a kid at Christmas. The agony could be seen at the 1/2 way point turnaround though. There was also a cutoff for this portion of the race at 9:00 p.m. If you weren't at the 1/2 point on the run by 9, you weren't allowed to continue. A handful of people had made it to this point before 9 and had voluntarily elected to call it quits for whatever reason. As the deadline approached, those going through were warned that they were dangerously close to the cutoff and that they'd need to be cognizant of this on the 2nd half if they wanted to finish by midnight (the overall cutoff at 17 hours). The final guy I saw make it up to this point didn't make it in time. He had to be told by race officials that he was past the cutoff and wouldn't be allowed to continue. Not only would this suck for those not making it fast enough in the swim portion, but this guy had already swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 and ran 13.1. He was only 13.1 miles away from the total 140.6 he had to do, but he would have to try it again some other day!
After Rach (just under 14 hrs) and Kimmi (just over 15 hours) finished and midnight approached, I stuck around the finish line to see the last of the finishers come in. The announcers did a great job giving us updates on the remaining runners still out on the course as the minutes ticked off and got closer to midnight. At 11:53, with 7 minutes to go, he called out to the pacer/official who was with the very last person about 1/2 mile out and told them they had 7 minutes to go to get in. The person's response back was that they only needed 5! Awesome, everyone on the course was going to finish! As midnight approached that 5 minutes came and went. They were down to 2...and then 1...and then we saw them turn the last corner and head the last 1 1/2 blocks to the finish line. Once again, those who stuck around to cheer were just going wild, urging these final few to make it in under the wire. With a 17 hour cutoff, the last person to cross the line did it with 4 seconds to spare, 16:59:56!! Truly amazing! Despite having been up for the previous 19 hours I had a hard time falling asleep that night because I was so jazzed up by the whole finish line experience and atmosphere.
The next day, Dana, Kris, Becca and Sean, all TNT teammates, signed up to do this Ironman in '09. Looks like I get to go watch another one!
Friday, September 5, 2008
It's All Relative
Q: Since when is running 15 miles no big deal?
A: Tomorrow morning.
My marathon training schedule calls for a 15 miler in the a.m. (I better make this a short post so I can get to bed), but it's going to feel slightly inferior and inadequate to the rest of the weekend. Dare I say I'll be embarrassed if I tell people this weekend that's all I did? Here's why - after my run with Dana and Kris we're heading down to Madison for the ultimate in athletic endurance. Kimmi and Rachel will be conquering the Ironman Triathlon on Sunday and we're going to cheer them on! Being around 2,000 Ironman-caliber triathletes will put my 15 miler to shame. It's going to be a great spectacle to watch and hopefully provide some more motivation to continue down this athletic path.
I don't think an Ironman is in my future within the next 3-5 years, but maybe someday. I'll either A. have to get married again so I have a spouse to take care of the kids while I'm training 4-6 hours per day on top of a full time job or B. wait until the kids are older and more independent so I can somewhat justify the 4-6 hours of training. B is a safer bet on the more likely scenario.
The last quarter of the marathon is what I'm most interested in watching. I hope K and R don't read the rest of this - Ladies, if you are reading this, log off now. Okay, now that we've gotten rid of them, have you ever seen the end of an endurance race where someone's body just starts to shut down, they start to weave and stumble and just get all zombie-ish? During Ragnar we were waiting for our 3rd runner to come in. It was the longest leg of the entire race, 9.5 miles, and it was starting to get pretty hot and humid, right around noon. A couple of times on this portion we saw a runner that was looking great - long, smooth, effortless strides, and fast - passing other runners one after the other - a few people were commenting on how good she looked. Near the end of this leg was a short, but steep hill. We were waiting at the exchange for Becky (our teammate) to come in when I saw this good runner crest the hill. Both the girl standing next to me and I commented on how impressed we were with her. Just then she faltered. She stopped running, arms were straight down (okay, maybe not zombie-ish since theirs are usually straight out), slouched over, started stumbling and almost fell. A couple of us ran out to grab her to help her in. She had pretty obviously ran too hard given the conditions and dehydrated and overheated. That was my first time witnessing that in person and it was kinda freaky. The weather will be cooler on Sunday for the triathlon, but with how far (140.3 miles) these triathletes will travel and how long (the pros will finish in just over 8 hours while some amatuers will be out there for 17) they'll be continuously pushing their bodies, there's bound to be some racers majorly hitting the wall. I'm certainly not wishing for it to happen, but it'll be interesting to watch.
Since I know you didn't heed my warning Kimmi and Rachel and still read this, I know it won't happen to you 2 though. You've done everything right to get here (not counting a certain bike crash early in the season) and are out there to enjoy the experience. The things some people will do for a little fun in their life!
Good luck girls, and everyone else doing any racing this weekend!
Now, off to bed so I can rest up for my lazy-ass 15 mile run. :)
A: Tomorrow morning.
My marathon training schedule calls for a 15 miler in the a.m. (I better make this a short post so I can get to bed), but it's going to feel slightly inferior and inadequate to the rest of the weekend. Dare I say I'll be embarrassed if I tell people this weekend that's all I did? Here's why - after my run with Dana and Kris we're heading down to Madison for the ultimate in athletic endurance. Kimmi and Rachel will be conquering the Ironman Triathlon on Sunday and we're going to cheer them on! Being around 2,000 Ironman-caliber triathletes will put my 15 miler to shame. It's going to be a great spectacle to watch and hopefully provide some more motivation to continue down this athletic path.
I don't think an Ironman is in my future within the next 3-5 years, but maybe someday. I'll either A. have to get married again so I have a spouse to take care of the kids while I'm training 4-6 hours per day on top of a full time job or B. wait until the kids are older and more independent so I can somewhat justify the 4-6 hours of training. B is a safer bet on the more likely scenario.
The last quarter of the marathon is what I'm most interested in watching. I hope K and R don't read the rest of this - Ladies, if you are reading this, log off now. Okay, now that we've gotten rid of them, have you ever seen the end of an endurance race where someone's body just starts to shut down, they start to weave and stumble and just get all zombie-ish? During Ragnar we were waiting for our 3rd runner to come in. It was the longest leg of the entire race, 9.5 miles, and it was starting to get pretty hot and humid, right around noon. A couple of times on this portion we saw a runner that was looking great - long, smooth, effortless strides, and fast - passing other runners one after the other - a few people were commenting on how good she looked. Near the end of this leg was a short, but steep hill. We were waiting at the exchange for Becky (our teammate) to come in when I saw this good runner crest the hill. Both the girl standing next to me and I commented on how impressed we were with her. Just then she faltered. She stopped running, arms were straight down (okay, maybe not zombie-ish since theirs are usually straight out), slouched over, started stumbling and almost fell. A couple of us ran out to grab her to help her in. She had pretty obviously ran too hard given the conditions and dehydrated and overheated. That was my first time witnessing that in person and it was kinda freaky. The weather will be cooler on Sunday for the triathlon, but with how far (140.3 miles) these triathletes will travel and how long (the pros will finish in just over 8 hours while some amatuers will be out there for 17) they'll be continuously pushing their bodies, there's bound to be some racers majorly hitting the wall. I'm certainly not wishing for it to happen, but it'll be interesting to watch.
Since I know you didn't heed my warning Kimmi and Rachel and still read this, I know it won't happen to you 2 though. You've done everything right to get here (not counting a certain bike crash early in the season) and are out there to enjoy the experience. The things some people will do for a little fun in their life!
Good luck girls, and everyone else doing any racing this weekend!
Now, off to bed so I can rest up for my lazy-ass 15 mile run. :)
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