Team 'Ohana--No One Left Behind: The Continuing Adventures

[Rose&Mike]

Lisa--good luck with the Philadelphia 1/2.

We did 9.26 today and I am happy to say--No stomach issues! Hoping that I have finally found the combo that works. It was gorgeous here today, so it was a really nice run. We've been running more and more hills, which I am actually starting to enjoy. I figure it will help me get ready for those "big" Florida hills, aka as higway overpasses, at the Princess 1/2. (Everytime I think about the folks that were complaining during the W&D about the hills, I have to smile.) I must have figured out a good combo of hydration/endurolytes and fueling, because I feel really good. Hope this keeps up!

Have a great weekend.

 

[laughinplace199]

Lisa - Good luck with thehalf marathon!

Rose - Glad to hear that your stomach issues have been resolved.

Not much to report on my end. We are still deciding if we want to commit to a half at the end of Feb. Our New England weather can be very unpredictable in the winter, but commiting to a race would help me keep my motivation.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Not much to report on my end. We are still deciding if we want to commit to a half at the end of Feb. Our New England weather can be very unpredictable in the winter, but commiting to a race would help me keep my motivation.

You know Princess is at the end of February -- then you might have a chance of avoiding a snowy Half! I understand. I am feeling perfectly motivated to do my weekly LRs, but the shorter one seem to be coming harder. I am so looking forward to getting back on a normal schedule (at this point it will be Wednesday), so I can get the shorter runs in and feel better about that in general.

I just saw Run to Remember has an early bird registration, if that helps your motivation!

I'm spending today in Newton (yes, home of the fig cookie) at a conference. Please feel free to post a lot today to help keep me awake I won't be able to post, but I should be able to read!

Maria

 

[laughinplace199]

Maria - I would love to do the Princess - WDW is better than the Cape anyday, especially in Feb! But, it's not in the budget this year since I'm taking DD on a mother/daughter long weekend in April (she deserves a reward after all of these tests, tours, interviews, etc). When Erin came out of the ISEE exam room, she looked like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. I hate putting an 11 yr old through that, but there's nothing that can be done about it. At least she has this trip to look forward to anytime she feels overwhelmed.

Enjoy your conference!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Maria - I would love to do the Princess - WDW is better than the Cape anyday, especially in Feb! But, it's not in the budget this year since I'm taking DD on a mother/daughter long weekend in April (she deserves a reward after all of these tests, tours, interviews, etc). When Erin came out of the ISEE exam room, she looked like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. I hate putting an 11 yr old through that, but there's nothing that can be done about it. At least she has this trip to look forward to anytime she feels overwhelmed.

Enjoy your conference!

I heartily endorse the special award trip after all the work -- that's why I did a mother/son trip with Ben to Universal last Thanksgiving. We wanted to give him a reward that was for the effort rather than the achievement, in case he didn't achieve what he wanted. He still spent hours and hours trying and we felt that should be rewarded.

I'm so glad she felt better afterwards. It is amazing how much easier the rest of 6th grade is when you aren't trying to essentially do two "schools" at once!

The conference was really good, I just wish it hadn't taken an hour and 20 minutes to get there via subway...I did have plenty of time to read on the way back...

Dennis is out running hills tonight for his marathon training. The one thing I have learned from his training -- I don't want to train for a full marathon!

Maria

 

[FFigawi]

Good morning cousins! I hope you're all doing well today. I'm in recovery mode for a few days after running the San Antonio marathon on Sunday. After a massage yesterday, my quads are starting to feel normal again. I'll have a real race report written up later, but here's the Readers Digest version. My time was decent (4:12) but I wasn't happy with the race. I had severe cramps that locked up my leg a few time and made me stride very cautiously the last several miles. The weather was good for running (50s, cloudy, breezy), but not for spectating, so there wasn't much crowd support during large portions of the full. Oh, and a train ran right through the race a few miles after the start. My corral hadn't been released yet, but the people in the corrals 4-6 got stuck for 4-5 minutes waiting for it to go by. Oops.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good Morning Team Ohana!

I am ready, willing and able to settle down to a normal workload, and hopefully to enjoy the holiday season conversing with my cousins!

John -- I'm sorry the race didn't exactly go as planned, but I see why you are happy with the time. I'm so glad you didn't get caught waiting for the train, that would have made me batty! Congrats on another marathon, you and Richard are the energizer bunnies!

Rose -- I'm so glad the tummy issues have settled down. Aren't you expecting ds home very soon for Thanksgiving? I know that will be awesome!

Lisa -- Best of Luck with the Philadelphia Half, I hope you have great weather!

to all the other cousins! I hope everyone is off to a spectacular week!

AFM: The conference yesterday was actually pretty good, I'm glad I went. I am finally able to have a normal schedule at work until next year (or at least it seems that way today), so I'm looking forward to getting back to chatting, doing the "normal" things, and getting back to a good running schedule. I kind of think I'm not preparing as much as I should for the WDW Half in January, because I'm no longer focusing on increasing my mileage every week like I usually am this time of year. I need to make a new workout schedule to get that going!

Maria

 

[corinnak]

Hi Cousins!!!

It's Winter here in the Northern Midwest! Summer on Wednesday, Winter on Saturday. If you don't like the weather here, just wait a few minutes.

It's still winter today - scattered snowshowers on the school-commute. And my sidewalks still aren't cleared yet. I had my first treadmill run of the season on Sunday. SUPER exciting, I know. It takes a little while to get back into the Treadmill zone after all spring, summer and fall outside, though. I am definitely going to embrace the speedwork and XT that comes with winter, even if it also brings long runs on the TM. I wrote up a list of positives about TM running, to help ease the transition mentally.


Welcome home, Maria! Sorry I didn't have a chance to post yesterday when you needed some diversion. One of my kids was home from school - teacher's report writing day in the middle school or something. I just made up my new training plan for January on the free Runner's World training planner thingy. The past few weeks have been more free-form, depending on schedules and weather. Moving forward, maybe I'm crazy, but I kind of like having training so front and center during the holidays.

My SIL used to live in Newton!

And what do you mean you don't want to train for a full Marathon?? Well, actually, I think I know what you mean. It is daunting, that is for sure. Especially in winter.

John - I still, STILL can't believe that happened with the train! Of course that does make it a race you'll never forget, just as I'll never forget the long lines for the busses after the Monster Dash, and none of us will forget WDW Marathon Weekend 2010. Another example of "You either have a good time or a good story" I guess. I hope those people who were on the course get appropriate time compensation. Even if they do, though, that is the kind of thing that can throw off your whole race, potentially. Well, congratulations on YOUR racing and finishing under less than ideal circumstances - your poor legs! I'm glad they are feeling more regular again!

Julie - you are a nice mom to give up the Princess Half for the sake of your princess! I say go ahead and plan to race in Feb. But then, I think it's hard not having a race on the calendar.

Lisa - Good luck in Philly! I wish I were doing that race! Also, I totally missed the WISH Turkey Trot thread this year....I guess there is still time!

Rose - SO glad to hear that you've found a formula that works for you. I'd love to hear more about what you're doing to keep things on an even keep things on an even keel, if you felt like sharing.

Richard - I must reiterate my congratulations to you on an outstanding effort and the successful execution of your plan. Your time improvement is astounding in and of itself, but the fact that you achieved all that AND felt good afterwards? Well, that is a tribute to your excellent training and smart racing, I'm sure.

I have been thinking a lot about the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare lately, and I think your experience really reflects the wisdom of that story. Recently, I've been thinking that story is not about a slow person beating a fast person, but rather about two possibilities in the same person. It is tempting to be like the hare, but the tortoise has the ability to finish strong where the hare crashes and burns toward the end. You raced this one smart, Richard! And how amazing to have so much support on the course - usually I'm not a fan of a looped course, but in this case, it sounds like it was a benefit! Congratulations again - and good luck on your next ambitious undertaking!!!

Have a great day, Ohana!!!

 

[tiberius]

Rose and Julie - Thank you!

Maria - Yes, I do feel rather proud of myself for accomplishing the goal I set out on at the start of the summer, thanks! Good luck on your own training and scheduling goals as you have a bit of a "normal" period.

John - Ouch on the train story, glad it did not seem to affect you. How were the course changes? This was the first year I have not done the SARNR.

Lisa - Good luck at the Philly half, thanks for the words of support.

Corinna - Good luck with your winter training and your soon-to-be newfound relationship with your treadmill. Ironically, this is becoming my ideal time of year to be running outside while it is becoming your worst. I truly appreciate your observations on my race, I had never thought anyone would ever give more than a momentary thought about reading my race report (which is a bit silly of me to think since I love reading over everyone else's reports). I had never thought of the lesson of the tortoise and the hare in that fashion, either. I may borrow your use of the fable for my blog one day (though I will be happy to give you attribution for your thoughts. I was talking this race over with my coach yesterday over lunch. As much as I might want to feel disappointed that I expected to do better on my bike time, I stand by my conclusion that if I had pushed the bike pace harder then I would have had a slower run that could have negatively affected my total time by more than I would have gained on the faster bike effort. This is an assessment with which my coach happens to agree fully and she commended me for staying on the plan for the race.

AFM - Rest and recovery are the general orders of the day for a while. I did a light run this weekend, more warmup and cooldown that actual running, but it felt good to get somewhat going again. I also tried to do my group swim workout yesterday. I ended early as I was fatiguing around 2/3 of the way through the workout, but so shame in that on a recovery day.
And, as Corinna mentioned my next undertaking is ambitious, but I will be happy to drag you all along figuratively while I train for my 140.6 mile day next May.

 

[FFigawi]

John - Ouch on the train story, glad it did not seem to affect you. How were the course changes? This was the first year I have not done the SARNR.

The course changes made it a much better race than before. Starting near the Riverwalk was really great for me since the corrals were right outside my hotel. No waiting in line for an hour to get on a bus to the other side of the city and waiting another 30 minutes before the start. Plus, they were able to move the start up to 715am, getting everyone done and back to the post-race party earlier. The first few miles of the course were rather twisty with lots of turns, but still a much better run than last year. The only downside of the course this year came after the old airport. The road in the park is under repair, so instead of the nice run through the park along the bayou, we had to run several miles along industrial roads instead. Blech.

 

[jbucci]

Richard: I can't remember if I extended my congrats to you or not, so on an awesome PR.

Rose: Glad to hear you stomach is behaving better. I'm with you on finding it amusing when people complain about the Disney "hills." I train mainly on level ground but know enough that those don't really count as hills. The race I ran in Amish country a few weeks back was much more hilly, but even those were pretty nice and rolling.

Maria: Hope you settle into more "normal training". I now how crazy schedules can mess with a plan.

Corinna: I can't believe you guys have snow already After our crazy snowy year last year I'm not sure what to expect from this winter. We had some impressive wind and rain last night and our schools were on 2 hour delay today due to power outages. Should be an interesting year. DD7 was bummed we don't have snow yet so plunked down and started making paper snowflakes to set the winter mood.

John: Sorry you had trouble during your race but sounds like you did a great job despite it. I can't imagine a train going through and stopping the race. They need to fix that one next year.

Things are crazy around here. We are closing in on our good friend's wedding and just had the shower this weekend. My dress is being hemmed and if I can manage to lose 2-3 more pounds I'll be able to breathe more comfortably in the thing.

My uncle was just diagnosed with nasal cancer and that has increased the general stress level of the family and thrown holiday plans for a huge loop. He is starting chemo and radiation, but it does not look good.

From a running perspective, we are doing the Philly Half this weekend (we'll keep our eyes open for you Lisa). Then trying to buckle down for Goofy training.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

JenB -- Just wanted to give you a quick for your Uncle. I know this is so hard, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

Maria

 

[chimera]

Jenn...so sorry to hear about your uncle.

 

[FFigawi]

Jenn, I'm really sorry about your uncle. Hope everything turns out okay.

 

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Once again, so sorry to hear about your Uncle, Jen. We've been thinking of you and your family and are certainly hoping that all will be well and hopeful.

Thanks so much for your kind words, Rose, Julie, Maria, Corinna, and Richard! We are getting ready to blast off for the City of Brotherly Love and are hoping to be there early enough tomorrow to not only run "THE ROCKY STEPS" ( ), but to actually tour and enjoy the Philadelphia Museum of Art after packet pick-up! We haven't had a chance to be in Center City in many years - usually we are just in Philly to cheer on our Mets (!! !!) during baseball season! So it will be nice to have a chance to do some sightseeing while we are there!

So glad to hear that you and DH will be there, too, Jen! You realize that the two of you are now officially my "lucky charms" as you both have run all but one of the half marathons in which I've participated, this year! (All right........ four out of the "big, whopping" FIVE half marathons in which I've participated, EVER ( )........thus far.......I am already registered for 8 more in 2011........so I must consult with you about your race plans / schedules because I am now convinced that your mere presence brings me good luck........or at the VERY "least", kind support and friendly encouragement from people who inspire me! ) Lots of good luck training for Goofy, too!

So glad to hear that you've been feeling well and have been having great runs, Rose! I'm sure that you will be feeling wonderful and will do a fantastic job at Princess!

So nice that you are planning that celebratory trip with your DD, Julie! That is wonderful and I'm sure that it gives you both something special and fun to look forward to! I definitely understand what you mean about committing to a race helping to maintain motivation - and I agree with Corinna's thoughts about it being hard not having a race on one's calendar. We also have unpredictable weather, here in NJ, in the upcoming months. I was thinking that I will probably get "itchy" in between the little 10K that I'm doing on Thanksgiving and Princess in February, so I spontaneously registered for 2 local 5K's (there aren't any longer races scheduled in this area during the winter months) - one in December and one in January - just to "keep the momentum going" in the mean time! Lots of good luck and please keep us posted with what ever you decide to do!

Glad to hear that your conference went well, Maria, and that you are now able to get back to a quieter and more "regular" schedule and have more time for the things that you enjoy! I'm sure that you will get right back into your training and will do an amazing job with the WDW Half!

Congratulations on the San Antonio Marathon, John! That is fantastic! And thanks so much for sharing your experiences and "mini-race report" with us! Hope that you are feeling completely better, by now! And it's so wild that a TRAIN ran right through the course and temporarily halted the race!

Hi Corinna! The weather certainly is pretty wacky, out your way, lately! And I can certainly understand your ambivalence about the soon-to-be "TREADMILL SEASON". But I know that you are a far more experienced runner than I and that you will make the transition well - it sounds like you are already doing so, very thoughtfully! Thanks so much for sharing your "philosophy" regarding the Tortoise and Hare fable - that is a wonderful and inspiring analogy / interpretation! I really needed to "hear" something like that, right about now - for a variety of reasons - so I certainly appreciate your sharing those thoughts with Richard - and with all of us!

140.6 MILES, Richard??!! WHOA!! Talk about inspiring! It's wonderful that you've now had a chance to take the time to really think about and review your recent race experience and realistically assess your performance - on your own and with your coach. Of course we all have personal, specific goals for ourselves. But you finished that race strong and effectively - it is a tremendous accomplishment - and THAT is the important thing! (And I'm sure that the fact that you learned a lot from the experience - AND became an even stronger and more experienced competitor - is very valuable and meaningful to you, too!) Congratulations to you, once again, and lots of good luck as you begin to train for 140.6!!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you all have a great weekend! Thanks again for thinking of me!

Take care,
Lisa

 

[tiberius]

Good luck to our racers this weekend! I know a few local runners who will also be in Philly as well. I hope all goes well this weekend!

Jen - Best wishes to you and your family in this trying time! My family has seen two members take on tough cancers in recent years and turn a bad prognosis on its head and come out on top of a very bad disease. I'll keep your family in my heart and prayers.

140.6 MILES, Richard??!! WHOA!!

Lisa - Well, they say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I guess a 140.6 mile journey begins with a single right-handed stroke. In all seriousness, it began several years ago with a desire to improve myself (and a distant hope that I coul;d one day achieve my old dream to run a marathon) that took me to a local 5K a few months later, then on to a half marathon a few months after that, and so on.... The trouble may not be completing this coming race in May, but what I might consider doing after that.

AFM - I don't think I have said much about Disney this coming January, but I am definitely NOT doing it. (I am planning an early committment to Disney in 2012 and hopefully a MCM in 2011!) I feel that Ironman Texas has to be my one and only goal for the winter/spring in order for me to make it through effectively--and I don't want to start training in the midst of recovery either. So while so many of my local and online running friends are going long in training for the next month, I will be takling it easy with a more freeform schedule for a while. I've started back in "off-season" weight-training and will do extra core work as well.

I'd like to add more but am off to help my daughters look at apartments this weekend. I may go from two DD's (22 & 20) to an empty nest in a fairly short-period of time--maybe a few mixed feelings there, but not a bad thing overall.

 

[FFigawi]

Happy Thanksgiving cousins! I hope you all have a great weekend full of good food, good friends, and good football. Or good shopping, whichever the case may be.

 

[IASW Rider]

Happy Thanksgiving, Cousins!

Just wanted to stop in and say "hello"!

We had a wonderful time in the City of Brotherly Love, last weekend (we're just sorry that we missed seeing Jen B. and her DH........but we probably wouldn't have been able to spot them in the huge masses of runners and spectators, anyway! )! We hadn't had a chance to spend any time walking around Center City (the downtown area) in many years (we're usually just there to cheer our METS on against that city's local baseball team........ ), so it was great to have a chance to wander and visit some old and new sights.

The race was a lot of fun - the weather was perfect, and the course was relatively flat and very interesting! It passed through several neighborhoods and areas of the city - some of which I'd never seen before - past historic sights, college campuses, downtown districts, and the River. Of course, coolest of all was the fact that the starting and finish lines were at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (ie: the building with "THE ROCKY STEPS"! )!

As for my "performance", well.........I suppose I shouldn't have taken for granted the fact that my stomach hadn't been feeling "quite right" for the week preceding the race.......because it was bothering me so badly the morning of the race that my DH practically begged me not to go through with it. But........stubborn, determined soul that I am, I did it anyway! Despite being slowed down by a "few" necessary "pitstops", I suppose that I finished respectably under the "conditions"! (It's just a shame, though - the rest of me had been feeling really good, and I felt that I was better prepared for this half marathon than any in the past - I believe that had I been feeling better, I would have turned in a much more satisfying performance. ) But the bottom line is that I accomplished what I'd set out to do: have a good time, experience something new (running in an urban environment, in a very large race, in a "new" city for me), achieve something for myself..........and come home with some really cool bling to show for it! So I would consider it to be a positive and successful experience, overall!

Timewise, I "redeemed" myself with a Thanksgiving Day 10K, this morning (which made me feel better about last weekend - reaffirming to myself that had I been feeling 100%, I would have finished more satisfactorily to me) - barely a minute shy of my PR. My stomach is feeling a bit better and my legs and the rest of me feel great, and that is the important thing!

And now...........post-Thanksgiving dinner...........it's time for a nap!

(But first - I think that all of your achievements and aspirations are very inspiring, Richard! To consider all that you've accomplished since your first conception of completing that (first of many! ) marathon(s) and since that first local 5K! I'm sure that after you conquer that 140.6 miler, you will find many new and exciting challenges to take on and master! And hope that all went well with your daughters' apartment searches, last weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, John! )

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you all enjoy the Holiday weekend!

Lisa

 

[tiberius]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TEAM!

Lisa - Good work on the 10K, you did well to complete two long races in such a short time period, even if you had some issues with the half.

John - What do you think about that weather change we had from Thursday to Friday? It was about 75 yesterday morning and is right around 40 and windy this morning, which I bet was a really interesting change for some local runners doing the both yesterday's local 5 miler and today's local 5K.

As for me, I am going to continue to sit around in our rented lake house and look over the wind blowing waves along water out the back patio door while I wait for Darcy to finish making her special holiday caramel french toast.

 

[FFigawi]

Yeah, that's quite the temperature change. Hard to believe we were in shorts and t-shirts all week. Hopefully the cold snap won't last too long, but long enough to get rid of the mosquitos.