Taper, Race, Relax, & Spring (maybe)

April 1st.  Spring is in the air.  Kind of.  I like winter.  I do.  But it's a really long season.  And after this one, in particular, I am so freaking ready for spring.  I'm not talking about those glorious, 60 degree days, filled with an abundance of sunshine that we often get in Spring.  Those are nice.  But, I'll be happy with a few (consistent) days in the 40s, sun or no sun.  Funny thing, perspective.  Beyond the weather, April is a big month for me.  Huge, actually.  As most of you know, I'll be running the Boston marathon on April 21st.   My husband has to work and my girls will be with their grandparents.  It will be a completely solo mission, and I plan to just soak up the greatness of the day on my own.  Well, not really on my own.  As I did in March, I'll get to catch up with my many of my Oiselle teammates again and will be trying (this time, with a car) to track down some of the Loopsters throughout the week-end.  (dinner, anyone??)  Then, once the dust settles from Boston, I will be flying down to Jacksonville to meet up with my girls and visit with my parents for a relaxing weekend in the hot Florida sun.  Yes!!!!!!!!!

April 'To-Do' List:
1. Taper. (I am stupidly excited about this one)
2. Put away the hats, mittens & scarves. (I'm doing it...even if we still need them)
3. Prepare my high school distance squad, mentally & physically, for their first outdoor meet.  GO LEX!
4. Ship my own girls, on their first ever flight without mom and dad, down to FL to visit my parents.  Whoa.
5. Dive, literally, into the Boston Marathon.  The whole week-end.
6. CELEBRATE

• the race being over
• the awesomeness of Boston
• the fact that I have 3 full days sans kids to chill with my husband
• that it's not snowing (please, Mother Nature. PLEASE.)
• that I don't have to eat bagels, bananas or GUs for a good 2 months

7. Not run.
8. Go to the beach and relax with my family.
9. Watch Rosie & Grace play soccer on the week-ends.
10. Sit back, relax (even more), and listen to some good music.

Happy April, everyone.  Pray for spring.

APRIL MUSIC OF THE MONTH

SONG:
Water Fountain - Tune-yards  


ALBUM:
Sweet Disarray - Dan Croll  

Almost there. All of us.

Well folks, today is Monday and the Boston marathon is 3 short weeks away.  Wait...what???  I will be tackling my last long run this morning.  21 big ones.  My friend and fellow runner, JM, just did his last one this past Friday.  Lucky duck.  Many other Boston bound runners tuned up with the Eastern States 20 miler yesterday.  My point is this...all of us who are headed to the start in Boston this year, all 36,000 of us, are almost there.  Almost.  I have never wanted to run, or, I should really say, be a part of a marathon, more than I do this one.  I would imagine a lot of others who have been training along with me, whether it's their 1st marathon or their 101st, likely feel the same way.  And for most of us, this winter, in particular, has been a mental and physical battle of epic proportions. Throughout this training cycle, every time I headed outside for a run, I did my best to recognize that facing single digit temps and wind chills below zero was still nowhere near as challenging as some of the physical and mental battles that so many people have been fighting since last year's Boston marathon.  In a way, we've all been training for the race this year, runners and non-runners alike.  We've all been doing these long runs, some longer than others.  We've all been getting ready to face this day again.  And, on April 21st, we will all be toeing the line together.  All of us.

As we walk out, without question without doubt 

In the light that we have found, it is finally clear 

Our day has come, and we'll stand for who we are 

We are ready, we are young, we have nothing to fear

~ Birds of Tokyo, 'Lanterns'

Listen to this:
Lanterns - Birds Of Tokyo  

Stay Sunny

"Always keep on the sunny side."

~ June Carter Cash

My daughter, Rosie, is one of the most happy-go-lucky kids I know.  My mother-in-law calls her Sunny because of her sunny disposition.  She'll hang with anyone, regardless of age, she's always up for anything from biking to dance parties, and she's very rarely in a bad mood.  It's unbelievably refreshing.  She also happens to be pretty athletic.  She plays soccer in the fall and spring, races on a ski team in the winter and does gymnastics year round.  Yes, she chooses to do them and she loves all of it.  She likes being out there with her friends, she's happy to do whatever her coaches tell her; she's even pretty good at them.  And that's basically where it ends.  I understand and appreciate that at age 9, that's pretty much all that matters.  But, lately my husband and I have found ourselves wondering if we should give her a gentle nudge to try a bit harder (ie. suggesting that she get a little more aggressive on the soccer field instead of admiring her teammates' various hairstyles). To push or not to push?  And how much or how little?  I do realize this is not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, and that Rosie will likely figure it out on her own.  But, on some level, I have to ask myself if I am giving her the best support I can to help her grow and get the most out of what she does.  It's a daily battle for me.  On Sunday, Rosie had her second gymnastics meet.  I'll go out on a limb and say this is probably her favorite activity as she's even more enthusiastic about it than all the other things that she does.  She works hard and she's improved quite a bit since she joined the team.  At the meet, she did really well on 2 of her 4 events.  She did so-so on the other two.  She kept her chin up, smiling the whole time.  She even won a couple awards (8th place on the vault, 15th overall).  When it was over, I told her she a did fantastic job and that I was incredibly proud of her.  She thanked me quietly.  As we walked outside, she had her head down, her shoulders slumped and I got the sense that she wasn't happy.  I asked if she was okay.  She shrugged.  I realized, that maybe for the first time ever, she was disappointed with the outcome.  This was new for both of us.  Given her typical positive attitude and cheery persona, I could sense that she was having a hard time wrapping her head around her feelings.  I tried to help her out.  "Rosie?" I asked, "You seem bummed?  Do you wish things had gone differently?"  She looked up at me and nodded 'yes'.  "I, um, well....I wish I'd done better." she said.  Oh boy.  All the sudden, my gut was wrenching and I was cursing myself for even considering suggesting that she try a little harder.  She's nine.  I don't want her to feel the pressure of being the best.  It's too soon.  I just want her to get out there and have fun; to stay sunny.  Life is too short not to.  I squatted down and looked her in the eyes, "Kiddo, you did an awesome job out there today."  I told her.  "You should feel really good about it.  With everything that you do, all that matters is that you feel good about yourself, you try your best and that that you're having a good time."  She smiled and said, "okay."  And that was it.  What I love most about running is that it makes me truly happy.  It is a healthy outlet for me, both physically and mentally.  Sure, it's is a challenge and there's some heartbreak involved.  But there's also a great deal of reward.  The bottom line is that I do it, day in and day out, because it always puts a smile on my face before, during and/or after I'm done for one reason or another.  With running, I stay sunny.  I want whatever it is that Rosie chooses to do to make her feel the same way.  That is all that matters.  Shine on, Rosie.

Rosie (aka Sunny)

Listen to this:

You Know Me - Air Traffic Controller  

A Mom's 'Long Run' Day

My typical schedule on a "long run" day:

~ Drink coffee.
~ Charge electronics. (Bia go-stick & iPod)
~ Feed dog.
~ Curse out loud because I forgot to buy more GUs last week.
~ Find one stashed away in my running bag from last year. (It's expired, but does GU really expire??)
~ Make lunches.
~ Eat whatever I can find in the pantry that will fuel me up for 20 miles. (ie. cinnamon bread, Honey Nut Cheerios or one of my kids' ZBars)
~ Drop girls at school.
~ Procrastinate in the hallways by talking to other moms about nothing important.
~ Attempt to drum up some motivation on the drive home by turning up the volume on Kiss108. (my girls' favorite radio station)
~ Procrastinate a little more at home. (dishes, laundry, email, etc.)
~ Double check that iPod is charged (must have music)
~ Run for 3 hours.
~ Finish and stretch.
~ Lie on the floor for 15 minutes wondering how I am going to make it through the rest of my day.
~ Drink more coffee.
~ Freak out when I realize I have one hour to get all of the following done:

• shower
• grocery shop
• eat lunch
• go to CVS to fill a prescription
• find an electrician and schedule an appointment
• everything else on the list that I put off over the weekend.

~ Head to work. (while shoveling a pb&j in my mouth on the way)
~ Run around with over 100 high school girls for 2 hours at track practice.
~ Head back home.
~ Help my girls with any remaining homework.
~ Make their dinner. (eating whatever I'm making as I cook)
~ Eat a second dinner with my husband.
~ Read one page of a book.
~ Pass out at 8:45. (before my kids)

It's currently 7:30am and I'm on the "make lunches" task.  It's going to be a long day.  Giddy up.

Listen to this:
Don't Wait - Mapei