January Wrap-Up

We are turning the calendar page over on the first month of 2017: Year of Adventure.  I didn't do much racing this month, but I've still been making progress on my goals.  I ran 71.9 miles - a little lower than my goal to average 20 miles per week but not bad.  I read 4 books (plus a couple others still in progress), so I'm on track for 53 books this year, and I'm on track to read the Bible through this year too.  I just today started The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher's behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Star Wars.  I'm listening to the audio version, narrated by Carrie Fisher, and it's just fascinating.

Bop to the Top

I already told you about my New Year's Day races in my last blog post.  The only other event I did this month was the Bop to the Top on the 21st.  For my readers outside central Indiana, this is an annual timed stair climb in the OneAmerica tower.  36 floors.  780 steps.  I had never done it before, but it's pretty easy to talk me into trying something new.

View from the top

I was super-nervous and had no idea what to expect.  One kind of cool thing about this event: you don't get your t-shirt at packet pick-up; you get it at the top after you climb.  If you don't finish, you don't get a shirt.

It was actually not as hard as I expected.  I thought my legs/glutes would hurt, but it turned out my breathing was the hardest.  My legs were ok, but I was breathing as hard as if I was sprinting.  Maybe that was just due to nerves; I'm not sure.  In hindsight, I probably could have gone a little faster at the beginning, but I really didn't know how to pace myself.  I finished in 9:52 for 11th in my age group, not bad for a first timer.  I would definitely do this again, and perhaps next year I will try the Triple Step option.

Take My House, Please

The biggest thing this month has been starting the process of getting my house on the market.  I'm still sorting through things and donating/gifting/trashing as appropriate, and boxing up what I'm keeping so I can put it in storage.  It's so incredibly hard.  I'm ready, but it's still emotionally wrenching.  I've gone through and donated a lot of Kevin's things already over the past 21 months, and each time I can let a few more things go, but it honestly never gets easier.  It still feels right, though.  At this point I know which 5 or 6 of his sweatshirts I wear all the time.  I don't need to keep 30.

I'm also getting estimates on the repairs and updates I need to make to get the house ready for a new family.  That's hard in another way.  One of the last conversations Kevin and I had just a few days before he died was about the updates and renovations we wanted to make after the kids all moved out and we had the house to ourselves.  We were not planning to downsize - we discussed it but decided we wanted to stay here.  It's hard now to be doing these things without him.  I'm quite sure he would not like my decision to go with a laminate plank flooring downstairs instead of carpet.  I wish he was here to argue with me about it.

 It's all so mentally and emotionally exhausting.  I have been sleeping a lot more than normal this month.  I really just want to go to sleep and let someone else take care of it all.  Wake me up when it's time to unpack and set up my new apartment or rental house.  If it wasn't for the support of all my amazing friends and family, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much done as I have so far.  I know I'm going to continue to need you over the next few months, too.  Even knowing this is right for me now and I'm ready, it's still going to be incredibly hard to move out of the home we built together and got married in.

Coming Up

February is going to a busy month! I've got to finish with the house.  I've given the kids and myself a March 1st deadline to have: 1) everything out of the house that no one wants to keep; and 2) everything boxed up and stored if we are keeping it but don't need it for the next month or so.  That doesn't really leave very many weekends, so most nights I spend a couple of hours on it too.

Last year's 3 Miler

February is going to be busy on the racing front, too, starting this Sunday with the Groundhog 7.  I'm volunteering as a course marshall.  If you're running it let me know so I can cheer you on!  Next weekend I have 2 races: the 500 Festival Miler Series 3 Miler
on Saturday (I really enjoyed this series last year & I'm looking forward to running it again); and the Hook Up 5K on Sunday (#justlooking).  Then on the 18th I'm running the Indy Polar Bear 5K + 5M.  I've never done this event but it looks like a lot of fun.

After that, I leave for Seattle to take the next class I need for my Certified Housing Asset Manager certification.  I've never been to Seattle, so if you have any tips on what to see/where to eat/where to run, please leave me a comment?

What Happened in Vegas?

How was the race?

Start Line pic by Theresa Pritchard

Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon.  It was a very tough race, but ultimately I feel pretty good about how it went overall.  It started off great.  Christina & I were in corral 12, but we worked our way up to actually start with corral 7 to give ourselves a little time cushion.  We started right at sunset, running out of town past the back of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, and then turned around to come back by the sign on the way in, and then down the Strip.  I'd made a pace band for a 5:30 marathon, and at every mile marker I checked my pace and was staying about 3 minutes ahead for the first 10 miles and felt great.

At mile 6, I looked down the Strip towards the Stratosphere and just felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I was there, that I had the opportunity to have this amazing experience, and I prayed and gave thanks to God while I ran.  This isn't the life I thought I would be having, and I'd still give anything to have my old life back, but since I know that isn't an option, I'm incredibly thankful that Option B includes moments like that.

I continued ahead of pace and actually ran a half PR in the first half of the race.  Shortly after mile 10, the full course turned off the strip and began meandering through side streets.  There were still bands and DJs set up along the course, but no more crowds or funny signs, and really no sights to see.  I had been taking nutrition and drinking Nuun just like I trained, but I began to struggle around mile 15.  I remembered how I'd felt at mile 14 of my 20 mile long run a few weeks before, and how I got a second wind shortly after. so I kept pushing but that second wind didn't kick in this time.

#CountdownToVegas Weeks 12 & 13: There and Back Again

Pic by Brandi Nicole

Since I was travelling last weekend, I never got around to my weekly blog post, so this one covers two weeks.  If I could somehow just dictate these while I'm running, they'd get done on time and probably be a lot better.  I always forget half of what I wanted to say by the time I sit down at the PC.

Training is still going well.  Last week it was #TeamMoHills on Monday, Bourbon Street Running Club followed by #LFBootcamp on Tuesday, and a basic 3 mile run around my neighborhood Wednesday morning.  Thursday was a rest day, as I slept in that morning and hit the road as soon as I got off work.  I didn't make it quite halfway to my parents' house before driving in the dark and rain got to be too much so I stopped for the night.

Paxton Holler

Friday morning I ran 3.17 miles on the hotel treadmill.  It was so excruciating.  How can a 3 mile treadmill run seem to take forever, while 3 miles outside barely feels like a warm up?  But I got it done, and then drove on to my parents' for a late lunch and a nice but too short visit.  Then it was back on the road for the last little leg of my trip to Greer, SC, and what should've been an 80 minute drive instead took 2 1/2 hours because everyone in NC and SC was on I-26 at the same time.  Good grief people.  Indianapolis doesn't have traffic jams that bad unless there's a wreck.

The main reason for this trip was a reunion with some friends from The Cullowhee Experience, a summer camp we attended as teens.  As with most reunions, not everyone could make it, but it was so great to see those who did.  We all connected just like when we were younger, and it didn't seem at all like we'd spent years apart.

You're Never Too Old To Play Outside: Countdown to Vegas Week 6

This post is not going to be my typical weekly training recap.  This past week was rather light on training but strong on adventure.  I needed that.  I feel freer today than I have in months.  I hope I can hang onto this feeling.  It's going to be hard to tell you what all this meant to me, but in my rambly way I will try.

Monday - Wednesday: Recovery

My back was still hurting from the week prior.  I think all the time spent sitting in classes, in airports and on airplanes had irritated a nerve.  I didn't want to run until I was pain-free; I'd rather miss a few days than take a chance of making it worse.  So I tried to walk some each day, and stretch and foam roll my legs and glutes.  By Wednesday I felt about 95% better, so I cleaned the frat house and made plans to run on Thursday.

Thursday: Running Again

Thursday's run was both fun and inspirational.  IMPD invited the public to come out and run with

their recruit class, so I joined several friends to do that.  We met shortly before noon and listened along with the recruits to their trainers and the Police Chief.  We ran along the Canal Walk, stopping at the USS Indianapolis Memorial, the 9/11 Memorial, and the Medal of Honor Memorial.  At each stop, we listened to the trainers and Police Chief again as they talked about service and sacrifice.  It was all very moving.  The run was also fun, since the recruits were doing PT calls, and it's been a long time since I've run to any of those.  I was humbled and grateful to be a part of this, and I hope I get the chance to do it again.  Click this link to see the news story about it:  http://wishtv.com/2016/08/18/chief-riggs-runs-with-impd-recruits-along-canal/

Friday - Sunday: Summer Camp FBG Style

Flat Rock River YMCA Camp offers a Women's Getaway Weekend, and several of my friends and I had been planning to go for months.  #YurtChat started back in March.  I cannot tell you how excited I was that the weekend was finally here, and it did not disappoint.

Countdown to Vegas Week 5: Run Detroit

I spent most of last week in Detroit taking classes towards being a Certified Housing Asset Manager.  I didn't let the travel derail my marathon training though.  I had already planned several runs and workouts before I even left Indy, and of course my fave running shoes went in my carry-on bag.  I am not taking any chance of losing those!

Monday - Long Run

Classes every day except Friday ran from 8:00 - 4:00.  As soon as Monday's class was over, I headed back to the hotel to change and go run.  Monday's weather was in the low 70s with low humidity, and based on the forecast for the week, it was going to be the most perfect day for a run.  My plan was to go down to the Riverfront and run north to Belle Isle bridge, then run over the bridge to Belle Isle State Park, about 4 miles.  I thought I'd find somewhere there to buy water and a snack, then run back.  The first part of the evening went according to plan.

Once I got to the island, I was a little disappointed at first.  There were very few signs, and even fewer sidewalks.  For a park, it was not pedestrian friendly at all.  There were roads and bike lanes everywhere, and all the walkers and runners I saw were in the bike lanes, which forced the bikes into the roads.  Most of the attractions were closed since it was after business hours, so I headed over to the beach.  There my disappointment went away.  The beach was delightful, and even though the cafe was closed there was an ice cream truck, so I got my snack and water, and took my shoes off to run on the sand and in the water.  The Detroit River is very clean and pretty.

Countdown to Vegas Week 4

Thankful for the cloud cover

The countdown has moved from triple-digits to double-digits: just 98 days till we run Vegas!  Training is going well.  This is the part I always like: I'm feeling strong and enjoying my runs and workouts.

Monday - Hills

Four rounds of long hill-short hill runs ending in strides, plus a couple extra laps just because.  I can definitely tell in the 6 weeks or so I've been doing these hill workouts that they are making me stronger.  I'm making some great new running friends too.

Total miles: 4

Tuesday - Cross Training

I got stuck in construction traffic on the way to BSRC, so I only did half a lap before heading off to boot camp.  Since most area schools are on balanced calendars and started back this week or last week, the theme was Back To School: a countdown-style total body workout that I confess I pulled straight from Pinterest.  It was a good workout though.

Total miles: 1.2

Wednesday - Rest Day

I did not get up for sunrise yoga.  Actually, I did get up, but after about 10 minutes I decided to go back to bed.  It wasn't so much the yoga as the thought of how I end up dragging by 3pm on these days I go into work at 7 instead of closer to 9.

Total miles: 0

Thursday - Speed

I went to Flat12 early and left about 30 minutes before our normal run time to get some extra miles in.  Following my advice from last week, though, I did let Patrick know I was there and what route I would be running.  Since it was the first night of GenCon, I ran down to Georgia Street and over to Capitol.  I didn't see very many costumes - most people save those for Saturday - but I did see a lot of fun nerdy t-shirts.  I was of course wearing my Battlestar Galactica Viper pilot double tank and channeling my inner Starbuck.

Total miles: 5

Friday - Recovery Run

Five miles, Cultural Trail to Pogues Run Trail and back, split between morning and lunch time.  Friday runs are fun because I get to listen to Lindsey's podcast: I'll Have Another.  If you enjoy podcasts, I definitely recommend you give hers a listen.  She always has fun and inspiring guests on, and she herself is so fun and inspiring.

Total miles: 5

Saturday - Long Run & A Surprise Race

Remember when I told you I didn't have any races in August?  Well Jen remedied that for me.  She messaged me earlier in the week that the church youth group had 10 entries in the Run For One 5K to benefit Purchased.org, and they didn't have 10 runners going so I was welcome to join them.  I got up early Saturday and ran 6.2 miles before sunrise, then showered and changed (why? who knows?) and met Jen and the youth at Southeastway Park.  It's a beautiful place to run.  There was a lot of shade and a nice breeze on the paved running trail.  The race was untimed, but my watch showed a time of 35:15, average pace of 11:23.  Not bad for running a 5K after running a 10K.  It was a fun event, with Chick-Fil-A sandwiches and a Zumba cool-down after the race.  Since I was only at 9.3 miles and I needed 10, I then hit the woodland trails around the park.  I really felt like I could keep going all morning, but I'm sticking to my training plan so I stopped at 0.7 miles.

Total miles: 10

Sunday - Rest Day

Today didn't feel very restful.  I  went straight from church to the airport, where I then had to wait for a delayed flight.  I feel like all I did was sit, but yet I'm really tired for all that sitting and waiting.  But I'm safely here in Detroit now.  I can see Canada from my hotel room, but I can't go there.  I keep meaning to renew my expired passport, but $165 is 5 or 6 race entry fees.  Maybe I need to sign up for a race in Canada?  That would motivate me.

Total miles: 0 (since I didn't track walking through airports)

Total weekly miles: 25.5

Total training miles to date:  81.05

Up Next

I'm in Detroit all week for work.  This is the continuation of the training I started last fall in Philadelphia.  I had plenty of time there for running and sightseeing, and I plan to do the same here.  If anyone has any recommendations for what to see or where to run while I'm here, leave a comment or send me a message.  I'm looking forward to checking out a new city.

Epic Vacation Wrap-Up

Ten glorious days at home in the mountains of western North Carolina: spending time with family, catching up with friends, eating lots of good food, and of course running.  This place is so beautiful; just being outside and looking around is refreshing and restorative.

Since Kevin died, people often ask me if I'm going to move back.  The answer is: I don't know yet.  This will always be home, but so will Indianapolis.  Both places tug at my heart, but sometimes so does the idea of starting over somewhere new.  When the time is right, God will let me know where He wants me to be next.  So for now, I'm just going to keep doing epic every day right where I am.

And where I've been for the past ten days is Paxton Holler in Canton, NC, so here are some of my epic vacation highlights:

Blog Survey

Teresa, are you surprised ? Doing the survey day 1!  Here goes;

How has blogging impacted your life?
I honestly havent done it enough to make an impact...yet.  I'm planning on doing more blogging with the hopes of being an official blogger for the Blue Ridge Marathon in 2017.
This year reading my sisters blogs have touched my heart deeply.

What's the favorite post you've written?
My blog after the Savannah marathon.  One of my friends that ran it too said it gave her chills.  I need to read again.

How do you find time to do it all, blogging,  working and having a social life?
I never have enough time.  I work a lot and workout/run almost as much. Ha.  My social life is races and gym functions.

What is something special you do to treat yourself?
Hot epsom salt baths where I also read almost nightly.  Feels great, and reading would be my second love after running.

Do you take spontaneous trips or are you more of a planner?
To those who know me that's hilarious, planner.

Where was your last trip to?
Oak Island, NC  our annual anniversary trip.

Where is your dream vacation destination?
In the US - somewhere like Colorado or Utah, for the running of course.  Over seas-hmmm, so many.  Italy or England.

Weirdest fact about you?
I remember useless details, like what you were wearing when we met 20 years ago...stupid dates that arent important, etc

Knowing what you know now,  what advice would you give your 18 year old self?
That it gets better.

Are you a light packer or a take everything just in case kind of gal?
Again, hilarious if you know me.  Take everything plus more.  It was to my benefit last race though.  I kept trying to pack light, then went back last minute to get another sports bra, you know, in case I needed 4 in one race, when I reached for my laundry on the guest bed I found everything wet.  My overpacking caught a leak in the roof right when we were leavingfor a weekend in which it poured rain all weekend.  That unworn sportsbra saved us

Blog Survey! Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award

I know I missed blogging a couple of days.  So much for my #NaNoWriMo pledge.  Some days you just really wouldn't like the words that would come out of me, so I keep those between me & God.  But I'm back today, with a fun blog survey I saw on Julie Wunder's blog Running In a Skirt.  

1. How has blogging impacted you and your life?

I think it's started some conversations I might never have had.  Friends I know casually will remark on something I've written, and next thing you know we are really connecting.

I've also gotten to do some races free, so that's pretty cool too.  

2. What's the favorite post you've written?

This is actually a really recent one: You've Got To Fight For Your Right.... Or Do You?  That post is about a huge turning point for me in this unwanted journey I'm on.  I'm pretty sure I could recite it from memory.

3. How do you find time to juggle it all, blogging, working, having a social life?

I blog at work on my lunch hour sometimes.  And what social life?  My social life pretty much revolves around running.

4. What is something special you do to treat yourself?

Having my hair cut every four weeks at the salon.  My inner cheapskate wants to tell me $13 at Great Clips is plenty, but Shelby is so talented and especially with my really thick hair and a super-short cut like this, it is worth it to me to pay for a really good haircut.

Indy-area ladies, if you are looking for a great hair stylist, check out Domu Salon and ask for Shelby. 

5. Do you take spontaneous trips, or are you more of a planner?

I'm a little of both.  I like to be spontaneous and don't really stick to a schedule, but I also like to have a basic idea of what I might want to do so that I don't waste time and miss something cool.

6. Where was your last trip to?

I went to Philadelphia for work back in August.

7. Where is your dream vacation destination?

Oh I want to go everywhere.  If I could only take one more trip and had to narrow it down, though, I would say the Pacific Northwest.  

8. Weirdest fact about you?

I taught myself to read when I was 2.

9. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Of course the first answer that pops into my head is to make Kevin go to the doctor.  Sigh.  Although I didn't meet Kevin until I was in my 30s, so that would make no sense to me at 18.  

10. Are you a light packer or a take-everything-just-in-case kind of gal?

Take everything just in case.  No question.  I do try to find things that do double-duty, but yeah, if you need it I've probably got it.

Thanks for reading, and now it's your turn!  Rules are I nominate some other bloggers.  Well of course I'm nominating Laura and Cindy.  They owe us some blog posts now anyway.  I'm also nominating:

Trena at 591 Miles

 LeeAnn at She's At It Again

 Keira at The Blonde and the Beardiful

 Darcy at Chunky Wonder Woman

And Tasha, who said she wants to get her blog going again 

And if you aren't a blogger, answer a question or questions in the comments!

Ignite the Night 10K & Philly Trip Recaps

Two recaps in one, since the past week was such a busy one.

Ignite the Night 10K

This was a fun night run in Shelbyville, with a contest to see "How Glow Can You Go?".  I didn't win for glowiest, but I had fun trying.  I've never found the official race results, but my watch said I did the 10K in 1:22.  I felt good the whole run, and I'm happy with that time, especially since the course was on dimly lit uneven sidewalks and it was extremely hot and humid.  I also came in Dead Last, although I'm pretty sure there were only 9 people who ran the 10K, so I was in the Top 10 as well.  This was the first year for this event, and they did say they will try to have more lights along the course next year.  Since a lot of it runs through residential neighborhoods, I think luminaries in the yards would be pretty.

Philadelphia Trip

Last week I went to Philadelphia for training for work.  This was my first trip since Kevin died, other than to visit family.  I got into town on Sunday around 3pm, and I had planned to do some sightseeing that evening.  I wasn't able to do any, though.  I checked into my hotel, went across the street to check into my conference, went to CVS to buy some snacks, and then went back to my hotel room where I talked to Kevin, prayed, and cried myself to sleep.  I was just overwhelmed with an intense wave of grief and loss, and there was nothing else to do for it.  I wanted nothing more than to be home with our familiar things, and I felt farther away from Kevin than ever.  At moments like those, the rest of my life stretches out before me and feels bleak and empty.  I know that's not reality, but that's how it sometimes feels.

I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.  Lead me to the towering rock of safety.  Psalm 61:2b