Best week EVAH!

Monday night = Pearl Jam concert
Tuesday night = Pearl Jam concert

These were the first two shows of their current tour, and we got to see them in their hometown of Seattle!! Here are some of the pics my brother took Tuesday night.

















































Thursday night = U2 concert at Giants Stadium with 60,000 of our closest friends






































If you squint, you can kinda see Bono in this one. OK, maybe not. :)

















Saturday night = my friend Michelle's wedding at the beach

What a whirlwind! Two cross-country flights, three concerts, and one wedding in a mere seven days.

This week isn't too shabby, either. A Flyers pre-season game tomorrow night, the NL East clinching Phillies game Wednesday, and my 25th high school reunion this weekend. (How is it possible it's been 25 years???? Good grief.)

A pic I absolutely love

Me and one of my favorite people in the world.

Diamondman Tri

After my success at the Northeast Triathlon (first in my age group, surprisingly!), I decided to sign up for another tri before the end of the season. The Diamondman at Lums Pond was the only one that fit into my schedule, so even though I wasn't excited about swimming in Lums Pond (everyone said "Ick!" when I told them!), I registered. Luckily, I was able to convince my mom and brother to come cheer for me. It was the first time they'd come to any of my athletic events since college (and we know that was a LONG time ago, folks!).

The distances were odd -- .6 mile swim, 17.5 mile bike, and 2 mile run. Not a typical sprint. Even stranger was the crazy long run between the swim and the transition area: more than a quarter mile!

The swim was fine. Honestly, the worst part was walking through the water to get to the start buoy. I was reminded of how much I loathe swimming in ponds and lakes. All that squishy mud/sand/scum on the bottom just skeeved. me. out. Blech. Once I started swimming, I was fine. Until it was time to put my feet back down and run out of the water. :)

As soon as I came out of the water, and even before I got my swim cap completely off, I heard a booming male voice cheering for me. It was Antwain, the Fast Cats coach! And right next to him, beaming from ear to ear, was little Xavier, one of the members of the team! I couldn't believe it! They got up so early on a Sunday to come cheer... for me??? Really???? As I ran, I shouted out to X, "My mom's up here! She's in blue!" He sprinted next to me, and as we reached my mom I called out to her, "They're from the Club!!!"

As I approached the transition area, I heard more cheers for me. It was Rahdeein and Ronyell, two more Fast Cats!! By the time I stripped off my wetsuit (water temp = 69 degrees, brrrr!), all four kids and Antwain were hanging over the fencing talking to me and giving me encouragement for the rest of the race.

I took off on the bike with tears in my eyes, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world, and saw a County police car within the first mile or two. The cops were all over the bike course. By some stroke of luck, I looked over my shoulder as I passed by. It was Joe, one of the three County officers I know! Another fan cheering for me! Best race EVAH!

I felt good on the bike but still came in about a minute or two slower than I expected to. Oh well. The bike course was a figure eight, so I got to see Joe again, then as I passed by transition I heard my HUGE cheering section -- Antwain and the kids, Mom, my brother, and my friend Jen and her friend Christine who came to cheer for a few of us. Oh, and Shaggy, who was tended to by my brother while I raced. :)

By the time I finished biking, I was desperate to pee. As always. Next year, in addtion to working on my biking, I need to work on my peeing, apparently. Again, Antwain and the kids hung over the fencing and talked to me as I changed my shoes and racked my bike, and then I was off.

Within 2 minutes of the run, I passed the portapotties and decided to sacrifice my time for my comfort. It took me 57 seconds to relieve myself and get back on the course, and I knew my goal of a 15-minute run was shot. Oh well again. So I just ran as fast as I could and hoped for the best. At the turnaround I was at 8:34, so without the break I was really close to my 7:30 goal pace. Rats!

With about a quarter mile to go, I saw Joe one more time and got some support from him... but as I rounded the turn to the chute I heard HUGE cheers for me! For ME! Absolutely the best feeling in the world!

(All times by my watch)
SWIM = 19:05
T1 = 5:55
BIKE = 56:42
T2 = :52
RUN = 15:34 (yes, I ran the 2nd mile in 7:00 exactly!)
TOTAL = 1:38:11

3/16 in my age group
12/96 women
61/214 overall

YEAH!!!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Mom, Anthony, Antwain, Xavier, Rahdeein, Ronyell, and Joe. Those cheers, fist pumps, and waves really helped!

I didn't mean to...

... but I ran Monday's intended race last night on my own. Just over 4 miles in 30:59!

Clearly, my 5K PR is way soft. Maybe I'll attempt a new one as a substitute for speedwork over the next few weeks.

In other news, I'm racing this weekend (speaking of speedwork!) -- the Diamondman Sprint Triathlon on Sunday. It's an odd distance: .6 mile swim, 17.5 mile bike, and 2 mile run. This will be the first time my mother and brother have seen me race, assuming they VTFU and get out of bed early enough. :) Mom was a bit unruffled when I told her how early she needs to be there.

More importantly, today is the 8th anniversary of 9/11. Let us never, ever forget the lives lost, the sacrifices made, and the courage shown on that day. Tell your loved ones that you love them today, and say a prayer (if you are so inclined) for the brave men and women who are fighting for our freedom to this day.

God Bless America.

Run 4 Mike's Kids... literally

The second annual Run 4 Mike's Kids 4-miler was held Monday morning. Last year, I smashed my goal of sub-32 minutes with a 31:06. I knew I'd have a tough time matching that this year (my speedwork has been nonexistent), but I was going to give it my best.

The Fast Cats cross-country team used the race as their Monday practice. It was AWESOME to see my kids there in their uniforms and Fast Cats t-shirts, all running across the grass in Rockford Park to hug Miss Alexis and shower me with love. Truly, truly the best job ever. I adore these kids.

When the gun sounded, I took off at what I thought was a fast but comfortable pace. I was right behind IronEx and Amy B, who ended up running perfect 7:30s for all four miles, so I was on track for a 31:xx. The Fast Cats of course went out WAY too fast, and I started passing some of them as they slowed from all-out sprint to a more moderate pace. About 3/4 of a mile into the race, still in the park, I passed one of the Cats, a new boy named Nyjere. At a Fast Cats practice I attended two weeks ago, Nyjere, a girl named Gionni, and I got hopelessly lost in the trails and ended up running/walking our own little route until we made it back to the group.

Nyjere was hurting. Bad. He was panting, and his form already looked a little sloppy. I urged him to slow down a bit to get his breathing under control, reminding him that he still had a long way to go.

Me: Hey buddy. Slow down a little, OK?
Nyjere: [grunt]
Me: This is a long race, sweetie. You have a long way to go, so you have to pace yourself.
Nyjere: [panting]
Me: You OK?
Nyjere: [grunt]
Me: Sweetie, do you want me to stay with you?
Nyjere: Yes, please.

So I did. I slowed my pace and gave up on my own race without giving it a second thought.

Within another half mile, we saw Gionni, still running but obviously having a hard time with pacing. I told Nyjere, "We'll pick up Gionni and run with her the rest of the way, OK?" He nodded.

The three of us ran the rest of the way together, until the very end when I told them to finish strong and sprint it in. Our splits were something like 8:33, 9:45, 11:31, and 10:15. Four miles in 40:04.

Run 4 Mike's Kids really WAS for the kids this year.

I'm so indecisive

Months ago, the Outer Banks Marathon was suggested as a fall meet-up for my running group. I immediately decided to go to run the half marathon and signed up accordingly.

When Voodoo died, I decided to VTFU and upgrade to the full marathon in his honor. Since then, my running has been sporadic, at best. This week's total, thus far, as an example: zero miles.

I also was recruited to be a volunteer coach for the new Fast Cats cross-country team. Practices are three evenings a week, which clearly cuts into my running time.

I also signed up for another sprint triathlon on September 13, after my great success last weekend. Quite frankly, triathlons are WAY more fun than just running; however, by their very nature, they require quite a bit of cross-training.

With work demands, some upcoming travel (just long weekends, but still), my volunteer commitments, and the unrealistic pressure I always put on myself, I cracked last night. Tearfully, I told a friend on the phone, "I can't even find the time to run 5 miles! How the eff am I going to do those 20s??"

I am clearly not cut out to run marathons. Every time I try to commit to one, I back out. Now I know not to commit, at least. I'll stick to triathlons and half marathons and shorter races.

And so, I emailed the OBX race director and active.com this morning and asked them to switch me back to the half marathon.

I feel like a failure. I feel so humiliated. I feel like a big loser (and not in a positive reality show kinda way).

However, my stress level decreased significantly last night when I made that decision. What also helped was the amazing pep talk I received on the phone. You know who you are, and I absolutely love you and can't thank you enough for your support and your valued advice.