Running

Life in Madison / Running / Uncategorized — No Comments
12
May 12

Madison in May. Another great day for running in Madtown.

Alright.

I’ll get it over with. Don’t want anyone thinking I posted a less-than-flattering candid of them.

So here goes.

Now that all the gasps of horror have once again turned to thoughts of “wow, she really ought to wear a little concealer to these things,” I shall proceed with my report.

This race was put on with the help of the local Lions Club to benefit Young Life.

Our family was spread out all over the board. Two were doing the Fun Run, two ran the 5K and you know who did the 10K. Hint ~ concealer.

I showed up once again with my phone.

(Because I’ve yet to get my camera fixed and Prom’s tonight. UGH. But I digress.)

My youngest and I walked up to the start just as the 5k was getting under way.

My husband finishing up.

The kids wildly cheering Pop home.

So proud of him. I think this is the farthest he’s run without walking since law school. Or at least that’s what he said.

And if that isn’t enough inspiration for you look at these two ladies.

Both these great looking gals are 67. Shirley didn’t start running till after turning 40 and I think Linda — later in life than that.

I know Shirley from a story I did chronicling her first triathlon at age 64. Shirley ran the 10k today.

Linda ran both the 5K and the 10K and was headed to another race this afternoon. And that’s a usual Saturday for her. She told me it’s better than sitting in front of the computer all day.

Well said.

So turn off the computer and find a race to run next Saturday.

What’s your excuse?  Or what’s your favorite local race?

Running / Uncategorized — No Comments
22
Apr 12

We did it. ZOOMA Atlanta.

The alarm went off at 5:15.

We all got up, dressed, a cup of coffee and bagel.

Then we were off to run 13.1 miles.

 

Got to the start line and started checking Facebook.

 

 

 

 

The course was beautiful.

Surrounded by vistas of the lake, we ran up and down and all around.

 

It was an awesome day and race.

 

A great post race party followed.

Melissa and I after the race.

Eggs and pink champagne.

 

Then on the shuttle back to the hotel, we bumped into some fun running Tweeps.

 

We all gave ZOOMA a big thumbs up.

On the ride home, we discussed our next race travel trip.

Who knows where the road might take us.

Any suggestions?

 

Running — 2 Comments
21
Apr 12

Getting set to run 13.1. Up and down and around we go.

I traveled up to Lake Lanier Islands with a couple of friends today to run the ZOOMA Atlanta Half tomorrow morning.

 

The funky bags we got at Expo.

We checked in.

Checked out the cool things.

 

 

 

It is really pretty up here.

One thing became quickly apparent to me.

There was a…..

 

And as I looked around I saw lots and lots more.

But as we seasoned runners like to say,

What goes up must come down.

We hung at the pool and the girls drank their water.

 

 

I was nowhere to be seen for I was off in search of another form of hydration.

We just checked out the course online and I heard “Jamie, what have you got us into” more than once.

Ha. ha. So fun for me.

So with our bellies full of pasta and magazines in our lap — we are getting our game on for the tomorrow.

I wonder if someone set an alarm?

 

Running — No Comments
10
Apr 12

How to stay inspired for the long way home. Accountability partners.

Or long run home.

 

I’ve talked some friends into running the awesome ZOOMA Half Marathon up at Lake Lanier with me.

———->>>> Check out my sidebar re ZOOMA.

Let’s say some of us haven’t been running all that much.

With race day less than two weeks away, we decided to do a long run today.

I woke up this morning, stared into the black and thought: how am I going to run?

Got my slow-poke kids off to school, arriving home exactly eight minutes before our scheduled run.

Opening the door from dropping them off, I raced into find running shoes and once again thought, “How am I going to do this?”

A tired me pity party started to rage.

At 8:30 they showed…darn. (If you ever tell them that, I will deny it to my dying day.)

But once we started, it wasn’t that bad.

Heck, it was such beautiful morning and we had a great time.

Funny thing is, they look to me as the one who keeps us all on track with our running.

Maybe they won’t after this post.

Does having an accountability person help you get out the door to exercise?

 

 

 

Life in Madison / Running / Uncategorized — 2 Comments
31
Mar 12

The Run for the Chicken Biscuits. Chick-Fil-A 5K in Madtown.

6:30 a.m. It’s time to make the biscuits.

Or was that another commercial?

I put on some running shoes and headed down to check-in for race volunteers.

Yes, 6:30 on a Saturday was early even for those of us who get up early all week long.

Yawn.

 

Kristi Fridell was there.

Along with lots of people. As the sun crept up, the runners crept in moo.

 

 

 

First was the Mile Fun Run.

 

Then the 5K started.

Kristi and I ran along together.

She’s a lot younger and a lot faster than me so after running 1.5 miles when she said, “I haven’t been running a lot lately” –

I believed her.

After the race, saw the Cardwells. Mary Claire won her division and Dad placed somewhere in his.

 

All smiles.

It was a great morning. For those who missed it, there are plenty of races close by left in the series to run.

 

I hung around thinking I might take home a bit of hardware and I wasn’t disappointed.

 

I missed my two older boys.

The Fighting Blue Hose of Presbyterian College held their Spring Game and all the incoming freshman players were invited to join in the festivities.

So Dad and our first born headed up that way today.

 

 

If you’re in Madison this time next year….you’ve got to join in the fun.

With a whole year to train, what’s your excuse?

Life in Madison / Running / Uncategorized — 2 Comments
29
Mar 12

Come run a 5K with Chick-Fil-A in Madison – proceeds to North Georgia Food Bank.

This Saturday, March 31 the Chick-Fil-A Race Series will stop in Madison, Georgia.

Proceeds from the race go to the Northeast Georgia Food Bank in Athens.

I was with a group of volunteers hanging with the Methodists tonight stuffing bags for race day. (There is a coupon for CFA in there — along with four safety pins.) So racers, you’ve got that going for ya.

 

 

If you get a bag short of safety pins, I’m sorry. I was at a table with two very nice, organized women and their attempts to sort and organize our table and bag stuffing…

Throughly confused me.

The race will start downtown.

This was news to me who thought the race was starting out at the Chick-Fil-A like last year. If you ran last year,

DO NOT HEAD TO THE RESTAURANT.

The volunteer coordinator had nice graphics to show us what to do.

 

 

They’ll have a jumpy and all kinds of awesome-ness.

So show up for the Mile Run at 8 a.m.

And the 5K at 8:15.

You can register on race day, but if you sign-up by tomorrow online you save $5.

So hope to see you there. I’ll be helping out at registration till post time.

Is it post time for people? Not sure.

 

 

Children / Running — 1 Comment
24
Mar 12

Rocking the Atlanta Women’s 5K with Hannie my Homegirl.

 

 

Yes, I am pulling myself together for this post after the Gators LOSS.

John was the coward and started Tin Tin while there were still six minutes left in the game. Of course, at that point the Gators hadn’t gone belly uppppppp.

But I digress.

*    *    *

I did this race last year with my Hannie. I thought what a wonderful mother/daughter tradition. She wasn’t interested. So I thought, I could really enjoy sleeping in on Saturday.

But last Wednesday, on the last day possible, I registered us.

So here we were at the start — 8 a.m. this glorious spring morning.

 

A great crowd as always.

We got to talking with Patty and her daughters. They live just around the block from our in-town house of ten years.

 

I was sterotypical mom and pointed out to my Hannie how these girls had their hair in lovely braids. But then I looked at mine in these photos. Ugh.

I am the mom right? That counts for something, even if it is wearing your hair just like you told your daughter isn’t the most becoming of a young lady. (Or not so young lady.)

 

We were off.

*    *    *

 

Complaining……

She complained her little heart out. But I took some deep breathes. We are making memories right? No one remembers the heat and long lines at Disney World. The eternal walks across The Mall in D.C? The “event” meals that you pay tons for where the kids fight.

No. You gloss over all the unpleasant and distill things down to the essence of experience with your child.

So.

I kept my mouth shut….and opened only to encourage, “If we run a little now, we’ll finish that much faster.”

Notice the love cast my way at the 1.5 mile water station.

And I coaxed her all the way to the finish.

“You’re the lady with the blog right?”

Meet Marcia.

Seems yesterday googling for pictures of this race (her first) she came across my blog post from the race last year.

She looked at Hannie, “You beat her right?”

So that was cool.

And by this time Hannah was loving the fact that she completed the race.

Kids are funny that way.

We made our traditional stop on the way out of the city.

 

Hannie watching the lady as she loaded up two dozen.

Why not?

It was great day.

The Atlanta Track Club puts on a awesome race. Runners and walkers of all levels of fitness are celebrated. Those of you who have seen what they can accomplish with 55,000 on July 4th should join us next year on the third week in March.

I’ve got 365 days to talk Hannie into it. right?

Have you done anything like this with your children, nieces and nephews?

 

 

Running — No Comments
26
Feb 12

Favorite Moments from the Princess Half. Updated.

I’ve been up for 19 hours –

And we’ve done a lot and seen a lot since the race this morning.

So if I remember something at this point, it had to have made an impression on me.

 The top things I remember from this morning’s race.

*  There were a lot of men running.

Okay, not tons but more than I ever imagined would. Just say in the sea of women who were running around me at all times, there was always at least one man.

*  The best picture opportunity amongst all the places to stop and have photo made was the covey of Ken doll grooms standing in tuxedos along the route (by Cinderella wedding pavilion) each carrying a silver running shoe. They all were in various stages of bended knee asking runners if they would marry them.

*  I felt under-dressed. I was wearing matching pink running skirt combo and there was so much tulle of every color — the Bolshoi ballet should be concerned if they have an upcoming production needing costumes.

* Favorite shirt of day:  One of the few young man racing passed me with a shirt that read on the back: Why are all these Princesses chasing me?

*  Favorite sign of day: U all have trained longer for this race than Kim Kardashian stayed married.

*  Favorite joke of the day: You know why Cinderella wasn’t much of a soccer player? She kept running away from the ball.

*  Favorite quote of day: A young guy turns to a young gal and says, “I’m running 13 miles with you and wearing a tutu. What more can I do?”

*   *   *

Now that it’s the next morning and I’m up finishing up something else with a little coffee and no longer having my head hit the keyboard as I continually fight sleep….

It was a great race. There was a front page article on the Orlando Sentinel Friday that said for over 5o percent of the women this was their first half marathon.

So come if you want a challenge and like to dress in costume — join in.

Another observation I forgot to add last night –

You get to pink a favorite princess to be listed on your bib number. My favorite has always been Snow White. I thought she was terribly old school…but I have to admit there were more women dressed up as Snow White than any other…or maybe my mind was just noticing them?

Who’s to know?

The article also said that 10 percent of runners were men.

And half of those wore tutus. (Well, at least some who were talking into it by there girlfriends.)

 

 

 

 

Friends / Running — 4 Comments
25
Feb 12

Feeling terribly sad at the Happiest Place on Earth. Rick Spence.

I read the text in the dark at 1:35 this morning.

A message from a very dear friend that her husband had passed away in his sleep finally relinquishing his four and a half year fight with cancer.

Later I was dressed and standing the dark parking lot with my family getting ready to start the Disney Royal Family 5K  – with a heaviness in my soul. Yet in a way, there was no place I could feel closer to Rick.

There were so many morning meeting Rick and his family in the dark, in this very Epcot parking lot, to do what Rick loved.

He was our Ironman — literally.

A physical fortress of a man who came alive to swim, bike and run.

 

 

 

I can’t believe he is gone.

The heart and soul of the Cotton Patch Tri Club.

It won’t seem real for a very long time.

 

Dear Rick, you’ll be with me in the dark at the start line of the half marathon tomorrow.

Love you and Karen so and can’t understand why you left us after only 44 years.

Words are empty, cheap things.

No written thought capable of expressing how much you will be missed.

Keep track of my progress tomorrow out on the course you know so well.

I’ll look forward to your presence out there with me.

(And don’t be disappointed with my time. Remember I’m ancient and have a bum knee.)

 

Running / Uncategorized — 2 Comments
25
Feb 12

Checking in to run. Are we having fun yet?

 

Of course we are.

At least I was.

Am I a bad mother for dragging my entire family down to Walt Disney World for a race?

Not sure, yet.

*   *   *

We checked in.

 

We went to a cool Expo.

To any runner, this is an awesome sight. All those gels, tight fanny packs and 30 percent off running gear to scoop up.

 

Then I bought a tiara.

Most of you don’t really know me.

I’m not a buying tiara type. Okay. I might have an isolated pair of mickey sleep-shorts and a billion Disney coffee cups — but that is it.

I bought a tiara today and wore it.

For like hours.

I wore it in places where other women were wearing tiaras.

Plenty of little girls in pink tutus and blue Tinkerbell wings, but tiaras — just me.

 

 

 

Wonder if Queen Elizabeth sleeps in her crown?

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