Posts Tagged: 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 — 1 Comment
18
Feb 12

Long run Saturday. Don’t Skirt the issue of cute running togs. #running

12 miles.

The rain held off and the temperature warmed. So I decided to pull out my skirt.

 

 

No, Silly.

As a thank you for writing a post for the SkirtSports blog – they let me select a running skirt for my very own.

And since the temps were warm, I decided to try it out for my last long run before my race.

 

I asked Tebow if he like my Skirt.

He didn’t reply. But I could tell he thought I’d be extra speedy wearing it.

Now this is the back view. Kind of sassy.

This is about as sassy as I will ever be. This is the pinnacle.

Serious runners don’t care about sass, you want to know how did it feel?

Well, it comes with these underthings.

This is as much of my upper thigh you will ever see on the Internet. Hopefully.

 

 

It took a second to get used to — but if you’ve ever run in bike shorts or triathlon-wear it’s the same thing. Without the super overnight maxi-pads between your legs.

All 12 miles done.

The skirt felt great. Same as a pair of shorts. When I caught my reflection in a downtown storefront window, I looked cute. Like you tennis gals get to look all the time. My husband liked it. When he offers to buy more of anything for me without my asking, he must think I look kind of cute.

SkirtSports did not ask me to write this post. (Just so we’re clear.)

I was pleasantly surprised. I’m a skirt convert.

After the run, Cinderella and I chatted about setting a PR next weekend at the Magic Kingdom.

 

Maybe they could make a little green skirt for Cinderella?

What do you think about running in a skirt?

 

 

Attitude Matters / Running — 2 Comments
11
Feb 12

Who has seen the wind? Neither you or I. But when the trees bow down their heads, it will kick your rear.

 

Never tweet anything thing you aren’t prepared to back up.

Last week, I retweeted a tweet by @NTTR (North Texas Trail Runners):

“There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.”  Peter Coe

That quote tumbled over and over in my mind today. My training schedule was 12 miles.

Long Run Training Rule Number 2068: You’ve got to run no matter the conditions because you can’t control conditions on race day.

When I left on my run today it was 39 degrees and with 30 mph wind gusts.

I was going to do a seven mile lap with the dog. Drop him off and finish five more miles.

I dropped the dog off at the house.

I looked at a my husband and said, “I’m going back out.”

“What?” He asked. “You put yourself through more running than a Minnesota pioneer woman.”

I didn’t go back out.

I’m soft.

Poo.

My water bottle and Cliff Peanut Butter  Energy Bar still sit out on the curb in the wind and cold — uneaten.

My discarded sweatshirt still lies in a ball behind a pine tree along my route. Alone in the cold and wind and approaching darkness.

I failed them all.

You know who seemed completely unaffected by the wind.

Tebow, my dog.

He seemed invigorated by it.

I guess that’s why dogs pull sleds to and fro around the Arctic Circle and not teams of middle-aged woman from Central Georgia.

I’ll do seven miles as penitence tomorrow and try one last long run next weekend.

Now to shape my Play-Doh self in to a ball and roll toward the showers.

Have you ever bailed on a long run?

Group hug.

Children / Family / Fitness / Running — 5 Comments
7
Feb 12

Family fun run. Seems Mommy is not the fun one.

I try.

I try to do things for the betterment of my children and dare I say…my family as a unit.

I signed us up for a 5k.

A 5K at Disney World.

I thought training would be a breeze.

It’s been more of a 73 mile an hour headwind. I bribe. I cajole. I promise things no self-respecting mother would ever do.

Today it was beautiful. I said two miles.

We HAD TO WAIT for Daddy to get home. Fine. But what am I?

Stale Raisin Bran?

Evidently.

 

They all want to run with Daddy.

Except my dear Tebow. Who would always want to run with me in spite of the fact he is chained to me.

Then Daddy and daughter took off.

Which left me and son. He decided to pick up every rock and torment me by going slower than a hibernating bear awoken mid-January.

 

Pokey, pokey stubborn puppy.

So Mama served as bridge between the pokey puppy and the whippets.

 

 

(She never runs like that for me.)

Then Daddy says something to poky, tormenting son and BAM…

Just like that they are all sprinting ahead of me.

 

 

I’ll never see them again…

Oh, there they are waiting at the top of the hill for me…and Tebow.

 

 

 

 

Who would never leave me, even if he wasn’t tethered to me by a suspension cable from the Golden Gate Bridge.

Do you exercise with your children?

Why don’t they see this as fun?

Is it fun?

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