Running To The Point Of No Return.

After many, many years of knowing @chrisontherun I finally did a triathlon. See, when I first met him, that’s all he did. In fact, many cycles of training and support from me helped him finally finish a full Ironman. (See what I did there, Chris, taking credit for your finish 😂)

Anyway, back to me. I did an Olympic distance and practiced open water swimming exactly zero times. I completed the cycling distance one time before race day. The run, pssh, that was cake because I have run many 10ks.

I finished in 3:03 and was equally happy and motivated for faster/better/more. Like the overachiever I am. Oh and I beat Chris’s best finish time. Because yep, I’m that friend. I may or may not also be using this post to motivate him to train again… 😁

A casual return to some structured exercise has been a welcomed part of my life the last month. Ended the year with a 10k run (left) and popped into the gym today for a swim (was actually 1000yds but my watch didn’t catch 100 of it while I was doing a kicking drill 😂).

Unfortunately, this post isn’t what I anticipated, but such is life sometimes. My husband and I found out we were expecting a baby girl, due in November. It’s been a very healthy pregnancy for me, I was able to run the entire time (run/walk, but still). Tragedy struck this week as we went to the hospital thinking I was in labor and they were unable to find a heart beat for the baby. It was the most devastating news, as I was at 39 weeks and 3 days.

We created a 6lb, 19 inch baby girl, with a head full of hair and equal parts of me and my husband. She was incredibly beautiful and we are so sad that our time with her was so limited. We miss her all the time and there’s pretty much nothing I wouldn’t do for more time with her.

To say this has been a hard week doesn’t begin to describe everything we have felt, but I’m grateful for the strength and love we have found between us to support each other through this unspeakable situation.

I never thought I would write a post like this. Because even when she was sick, you never knew how bad it was from afar. And because I naively assumed she was invincible, because that’s how boldly she lived her life.

The day I met Jen (first photo) was shortly after posting on tumblr to say I was going to be on work travel in Texas and looking for someone to run with. She was always willing to run, no matter the time or distance or temperature outside. A week later, we were basically best friends and she was politely asking me to pack up and move. Lucky for me, I did just that and watched her become someone I randomly met to someone I couldn’t live without.

I thought I liked running before I knew her, but she brought out something that I didn’t even know I had in me, while also teaching me not to take life so seriously. I mean, who else wants to run a half dressed as an elf (and paces me to a PR while doing it)?! We were so excited when Rock n’ Roll used our photo on Christmas Day 3 weeks later. She selflessly paced me to a PR in the Chicago marathon while wearing a Chicago Cubs flag as a cape. It was all the luck they needed, because they won the World Series that year.

I can’t even count the amount of races we ran together or the number of trips we took together, but let’s just say, it was a lot. Multiple trips to Vegas, including an epic day where we attempted to drink our way down the strip, culminating with Jell-O shots before passing out for the most expensive nap during a Cirque du Soleil show. We even went across the pond and spent a week in London and Paris, which was by far my best trip with her and exactly what I didn’t know needed at the time.

But my best memories can’t even be shown in photos. Her willingness to share her life with me, and let me be the 3rd/4th wheel to her family. Her ability to drop everything when I needed something. Her carefree attitude that encouraged me to go and do and see everything I wanted, even after I moved away and she continued to go/do/see the world.

My last memory was one I never saw coming. I ran my last marathon in October 2019 and despite training hard, was having a rough day. I texted her saying my race was imploding and that I might bail. She told me to keep moving, because I could walk a long time if I had to (I proved this in NYC one time). Turns out, she had driven 1.5 hours to be there at mile 20 and I had no idea. I started crying when she jumped in and ran a tiny bit with me.

I could not have survived without her friendship, she was THAT important. And now I have to figure out how to survive in a world where I only have memories now.

Hiiiii! Happy January.

Same old, same old happening over here. I had a tough race in November, spent a couple weeks recovering, then got back to back illnesses that basically wiped me out for December. It’s a new month, a new year, and I’m feeling really good again.

We got snow yesterday, that never happens. Lots of fun seeing this beach town get shut down over 5 inches of snow.

just dropping in for a hello.

running is going pretty well over here. training for a half marathon in a month, hoping for a PR. I feel like I’ve been training forever thanks to COVID and minimal race opportunities.

The last couple of years global running day has fallen on a rest day for me. Today was not the case, as Wednesdays are typically workout day. Oddly enough, I wasn’t sure I felt like doing it today 🤣 but I did it anyway. I’ve been struggling with motivation lately, but I’ve been getting out the door which is a big win.

I had [1:00@ 8:12, 1:00@ 7:33, 2 mins recover] and about 15 mins into the run, the sky decided it would be a wet day. Thankfully I had sunnies on because I did not have a hat on. But then I was the person running in sunnies while it was raining and totally not sunny.

We finally took a much needed honeymoon to Oahu at the end of March, only 6 months after the wedding.

We hiked 7 different trails, roughly 26ish miles. Drove around the island and saw North Shore, Lanikai and Kailua, stayed in Waikiki which was a nice home base given the amount of restaurants within walking distance. We loved it, even the steep trails (2000-3000’ gain!) which feels ridiculous when you live at sea level.

Hiiiiii.

I’m still here. I take photos quite a bit for posts I never end up writing so decided to include more than one today. I shortened things up for now, working on getting quicker in hopes of knocking down some PRs at some point this year.

The weather has been really unpredictable lately. The top photo was from a terrible run last Saturday where a tank top and shorts was too much to be wearing. Then by Tuesday I was in a quarter zip and vest because it was chilly. Then on Thursday it was short sleeve weather again.

I run by this swampy creek often and always want to stop for a photo. Yesterday I finally made it happen. I just love the look of the algae on top.

Happy 2021!

I spent the last week of the year in the Florida Keys, soaking up sun and enjoying my family. I also kept to my training plan 100% for the first time ever on a vacation. Then I flew home and ran 16.4 miles on Sunday.

Just the usual Turkey Trot, but our own route this year with everything virtual. Since it was for fun, we ran together instead of the usual friendly sibling competition. Cute medals, enjoyable miles.

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to change running coaches. I had previously been working with a coach for about 2 years, with minimal PRs to show for it. While that’s not the only way to gauge progress, it’s an important one for me as my goals revolve around running faster at this point in time.

I have thought about this concept a lot over the last year - I even went so far as to reach out in March to another coaching group, and I also had a discussion with my coach (at that time) about doing things different, getting new workouts, etc.

I spent a week debating between two new coaches and finally pulled the trigger on the most perfect new coach for me. She is super encouraging, really values communication and a strong relationship between coach/athlete and I am so thrilled.

long run Saturday is back with the longest run I’ve had in probably 6 months. weather was great, albeit a little windy, and I rounded out the biggest week of training since March.