9.0 miles – first time!

Today I went running at the park downtown. Unlike most mornings, there were very few other runners out on the paths today. Maybe running is designated as a Monday, Wednesday, Friday sport. I was nervous & decided to go run the streets of Greenville. I hated waiting for traffic, but it was nice to see things from foot rather than by car.  Good times - glad it's over!

I purposefully got lost so that I would have to keep running & running & running. It worked.

Frog and Toad Together

 

Last night at youth night at church, the boys caught a toad & asked if he could come home with us. Being the great mom that I am (and being far too busy talking to realize that the toad was large enough to be a challenge for Pacman), I said, “Yes. Go right ahead!” After finally rounding up the boys & driving home, we all bounded upstairs to video the adventure. As Ryan opened the lid of the cup, the toad escaped onto the floor.

Link to video --> The toad tries to escape. You can see the frog’s leg about 4 o’clock on the cup.

Please try not to notice that Ryan & Jared do not believe in picking up their laundry off the floor. We talk about it frequently & eventually (hopefully) it will get better. Maybe knowing that everyone is seeing their skivvies on the floor will be enough to inspire them to clean up.

The next video shows Pacman chomping on the toad. I quit videoing & lost my appetite for an entire day. (I didn’t say that I didn’t eat. I am just saying that anytime I thought of food, I thought of frog & toad...) It really is one of those things that I really wanted to see, but I didn’t really want to see what I thought I wanted to see. (That’s a quote from Kay Montgomery – it applies to car accidents as well as animal encounters.) Pacman is buried in the moss just behind the toad’s left rear leg.

Link to video –> Pacman captures the toad.

Pacman

My kids have been begging me for pets FOREVER. We had a few beta fish. (I took a picture once but I can’t find it right now.) They have loved everyone else’s bunnies, dogs, cats, horses, goats & more. One of my kids even asked me if I was allergic to fish because they were desperate for a pet. The fish weren’t too bad – except Freddie smelled really, really bad after he slowly sunk to the bottom of the tank. (I will amend the post if I find the picture.)

 

Fast forward to the year 2010 & Jared’s 8th birthday. His cousin Spencer & his wife Zoe showed up at our house with Pacman, the frog.  Jared was DELIGHTED! I was unsure but willing to go along for the good of my little boy’s joy and happiness. Just know that I was never born to be the mother of a reptile. Pacman likes to eat – a lot! (And I have a family of hungry boys – I know hungry!!!)  He has eaten a mouse, two lizards, and a gazillion crickets. He stalks his prey – too funny to watch. I now go to PetSmart & buy crickets & pinkies (little dead frozen mice – ew!)

To learn more about Pacman, you can check this article out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratophrys

 

It will all be fun & games until someone has to clean out the cage. Pacman has lunged at some of my boys. I am not crazy enough to put my hand inside.

Labor Day Beach Trip

We drove down to our favorite beach on Friday night so that we could spend the entire day Saturday playing in the sand & the surf. All that our kids require are a few boogie boards & a shovel. We stayed in our favorite condo – the water is just beyond the palm tree over Chris’ right shoulder. The room that we stayed in was officially adorable. The kids were totally freaked out by the stuffed cat – they thought that the owners had stuffed the family pet.  I went running on the beach – and Christopher totally saved the day by bringing me Gatorade & almonds & a granola bar. After I got back, we ate, slathered on sunscreen, packed up the car, & went down to play on the beach. Our best friends (the Barlows) & their family came & joined us on the beach. The sky was a bit overcast so we were able to stay out forever & no one was sunburned. (Hooray!)

Long Runs

I have signed up for the Spinx Half Marathon in Greenville in late October. I have run/walked a few half marathons before but I have never seriously put in the training necessary. While I was talking to my trainer the other day, he asked me what I was doing to prepare. … I was thinking about the possibility of maybe putting some miles in. I have printed out the running schedules. But I haven’t really put in the miles because of injuries. Last Saturday I ran 5.0 miles at the beach – 2.0 miles of running & then 3.0 miles of misery back to the hotel because of an improper breakfast & the heat & water.

Today, I had no motivation for a long run. I think I was scheduled for 9.0 miles but I am behind & decided 7.0 was better than 0.0! I had no motivation as I changed into my t-shirt & shorts. I had no desire to run as I put on two watched (the HRM & the Garmin). I had no desire as I laced up my favorite Asics over my favorite Asics socks. I sat down & ate a snack (a string cheese & half an apple). I walked out the door & still did not feel like running. I walked down the hill & out to the street & started to run.

I decided to stay in the neighborhoods because of the lack of shoulders & sidewalks out in the real world. And fast cars & dogs & no bathrooms & … I just liked staying close to home. I ran in & out of culdesacs, past a lunch following a funeral, and into the rain. I mostly ran, but when my heart-rate would reach 165-167, I would stop & walk for a little bit. I have been doing a lot of spinning classes, tried Body Jam, and did a little yoga. My endurance is much better now that I have thrown off the 20-pound jacket of fat that I wore everywhere I went. The misty rain made everything look lush & green & manicured. I mostly enjoyed the first 2.5 miles.

I crossed into the neighborhood across the street & said hello to Jared’s friend playing with some neighborhood kids. And I just kept going. I had talked to Scott about running for a while on the streets & then going home to finish out on the treadmill. At about 3.5 miles, I decided to just keep going. I thought about a quote by an ultramarathon runner (over 26 miles, sometimes over 100 miles at a time – crazy!).  “Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” I don’t think I was into crawling – I don’t like scraped knees – but when I was tired I slowed down & walked for a while. I had to add culdesacs to my path (sometimes long, hilly ones unfortunately). When I finally reached our house, the watch read 6.97 miles so I had to run back down the hill, down the block a few houses & back before the Garmin chirped a jubilant hallelujah at the 7.00 mark. I did not run one more step after the mile marker was reached.

In the end, I feel accomplished. Some people can go knock out 14 or 15 or 20 miles with the same amount of effort & time that I finished 7 – maybe someday my body will allow me the same privilege. But I am happy that I went out, stuck through the chafing, the hills, & the monotony to be able to say I DID IT! I still LOVE My shoes & my inserts & my socks & Glide.

I wish I would have taken a picture, but I was too tired & sore & disoriented to do anything like that. Instead, I took a nap!  It is pretty angry right now. I have tried ice, ibuprofen, rest, physical therapy, massage, and stretching. Next week? 9 – but I am in search of a flatter place to run & happiness for my hamstring.

Happy running! Thanks for reading my ramblings.