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Summer in this family is carefree and relaxed. Perhaps it is lack of money or lack of ambitious planning but we take summer easy here. When the kids were younger, they would go to day camp but as they have grown older, they are not interested.
There are some families that meticulously plan every minute of summer break…wanting to ‘make the most of it’ but I find that allowing my family to be a bit more ‘free range’ provides for good times and memories as well.

Sidewalk art by my ‘bored’ girls

There are always kids in the house and someone to hang out with. While my kids may say they are bored, I don’t listen too much. I just encourage them to find something to do. They always find an activity, a book, something to occupy their time. I think it is good for them to be bored once in a while…ok, more than once in a while. The things they come up with amaze me.
I also take a more relaxed attitude in the summer. I ask them to complete a few chores and give them the time and space to ‘get ‘er done’. Don’t get me wrong….if chores are not done in a timely manner…there is proverbial Hell to pay (and extra chores in the future!) but the school drill sergeant is on summer vacation.

Occupy the living room

My house becomes a flop house. I never know how many kids I will find sleeping in my house when I wake up in the morning nor do I know where I will find them all sleeping. Mattresses are moved to the floor, blankets thrown over couches, and an occasional tent city erected. It really doesn’t bother me as long as they clean it up in the morning…which they usually do.
Many of my kids’ friends have rigid schedules of tutors, trainers, camps and practices. There is little time to relax and be bored. There is little time to enjoy friends and …summer.   I wonder what these kids will look back and remember about summer. I wonder if they catch fireflies in a jar and just watch them for hours on end like my kids do. I wonder if they even have time to wonder….
I am not sure what my kids will remember about their summers. I hope they remember time with family, time to soak in all that is good about summer and time to wonder. Peace.

We runners love to complain. It’s to hot. It’s too cold. I didn’t drink enough water. I drank too much water. It’s so windy. I didn’t rest enough. I didn’t do enough cross training. The list goes on and on.

What I have learned is that every run, no matter the weather or conditions, teaches us something. It can teach our mind. It can teach our heart. It can teach our body. However we have to be willing to listen and learn. This is the hardest part. We think we know better And just complain about what was wrong/bad with the run.

If we took a minute (or more) and thought about the run, thought about what was right and what sucked, perhaps we could learn something that would make us better, stronger runners in the future. Perhaps we could learn something about ourselves and our body.

It is difficult to admit that we don’t know it all. It’s difficult to listen and apply the lessons taught. But think of how smart and strong we could be if we took the time.

What lessons have you learned on your recent runs?
 Peace.

 There are many bumper stickers and shirts that have clever sayings about half marathons. 

13.1 cuz I’m only half crazy, 13.1 is half of nothing, etc. but today it took all I had to get through 13.1 miles.

An early alarm clock shoved me out of bed and towards the bathroom to get dressed and ready. Perhaps running 6.5 miles,  spending the afternoon at a block party, drinking, going out to dinner, and staying up past my bedtime was not the perfect race prep. I ate some yogurt and drank a little coffee (another mistake). It was already a warm morning and the air was playing possum….not moving at all. The girls arrived and we put on our 13.1 tattoos on our legs  then loaded up the TMI truck and headed downtown.

The drive down was a very mellow one for the TMI truck. We were all a little tired and nervous. We parked and geared up in the garage. Once everyone was ready, we headed to the start. The air was thick, warm and still. not a perfect running morning but hey, I was with the girls and  all that really mattered was starting and finishing. Oh if I had only known….

We got in our corral and met a friend. We only had to wait a few minutes before they sang the Star Spangled Banner and the gun went off. The only goal for today was forward. Forward was to be my pace of the day.

The first 3 miles were adrenaline fueled and quicker than they should have been for me. I was trying to beat the sun and …well… at my pace I should have known that was a race I would lose. By mile 4 I was so hot and sweating bullets. I slowed my pace as I realized this was not going to be a PR day. Mile 5 I took in an AccelGel and that seemed to help my mood. At about mile 6 I heard a woman in from of me telling her running buddy that she didn’t feel good, she rocked back and forth and then fell down…right in front of me. They did not have their own water so I left them with one of my bottles and went to find a course marshal. the 2 of us ran back and she said she was already feeling better so I grabbed my bottle and pressed on…knowing she was in good hands.

At this point the sun had disappeared between the clouds and a slight Lake breeze had picked up. It was just enough to get me going again…but I knew that any idea I had of even coming close to a decent time was now completely gone…I moved forward. I was doing ok and feeling good until the sun came back out again and this time She was not playing around. Her mission was to get me so hot that I quit….I was not interested. I adjusted my pace again and moved forward but slowly. Since I knew this battle with Sun was going to take a awhile, I stopped and took pictures of the wonderful Lake/City views. i am blessed to live in such a fantastic city with picture perfect skylines all along the path. I just took it all in and enjoyed the view. 

Coming towards McCormick place was one of the final water stops (mile 10/11 I think). I downed my water/sport drink mix and pressed forward. This was the same water stop I had seen some great signs provided by Luna. they made me smile on the way out and were more encouraging on the way back. So, i slowed to take pictures of them. These are phrases I will keep in my head for my next tough run.  I think i missed one but you get the idea. Thank you Luna!

The end was near and I could sense that Sun was getting angry. She was fighting a losing battle with this determined runner and she was not happy. The journey around the front of the Shedd was beautiful and I soaked it in….I knew I was getting close.  Under the tunnel and up a final hill (yup…there were plenty of hills in this race). I turned the corner and could see the finish line….and I took off. I was going to finish strong if it killed me! (and it nearly did!). As I finished, I heard a man tell, “Nice skirt, Tinkerbell” I looked right at him and said….”It’s a tutu and I am the QUEEN!”….and with that I crossed the finish line. I was greeted with ice cold towels and cooling fans. I got a bag of ice and then a wonderful volunteer (with a 50K race shirt) draped a medal around my neck. I was done. I had finished. It was my worst time ever but I finished. Both the sun and this race tried to get the best of me and I was not having it…not today! The sun had disappeared again…probably sulking….

I found my girls and we got snacks and yoga mats. We waited for everyone eating ice like popcorn. Once we had caught our breath and took a few photos, we headed towards the truck. As we left I saw the race director and thanked him for a great race. it was well run and the course marshals really took care of the runners well. These people had multiple obstacles to overcome today…the biggest was the weather…and they did a great job. I wanted him to know that they did well…everyone did well.

We loaded up the truck and headed for booze and burgers. A Bloody Mary after a race like today to manna from heaven as were the salty fries and burger. More chatting, storytelling and FB posting took place as we ate and soon it was time to part ways.  We all were going home to rest and relax. We all….every last runner….earned that medal today. The Inaugural Women’s Half as was half of nothing today…it was full of so much. Peace.

I am a firm believer that people come into our lives for a reason. It might take minutes to figure out why they were sent to you ….it might take years to fully understand the depth of the relationship. It is all revealed eventually.

Today I was reminded of this again with my running group. There are some new folks that are also new to running. Training for a marathon is a daunting task so having the support of the right people makes all the difference in the world.  Some of the newbies are people I know from other areas of my life such school or through family. But there was one man that started with us today….

He had started training with another group and had a bad experience. He was sent to our group and thought he would give it a try. He worked hard to keep up throughout the run and bonded with the other (and only) man in my pace group. Listening to them talk I realized that this was a match made in heaven for more reasons than I can count. This was truly a higher power at work. I love when God shows up when I least expect it and reveals himself. Believe what you will but I believe there is a reason for everything. I have said before and believe with my whole heart that while we may not understand, like nor agree with God’s plan…but there is a plan. We have to have the faith to trust in that plan.  That is what faith is…trusting in God.

Today reassured me that this man was in the right place, at the right time and this was going to be a healing place for him. I have faith…..

People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFE TIME.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON, It is usually to meet a need.
You have expressed. 
They have come to assist you though a difficulty,
To provide you with guidance and support, 
To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend and they are….
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then ,
without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to and end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes the act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realized is that our need has been met,
our desire fullfilled,
Their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON.
Because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. 
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real.
But only for a season.
LIFE TIME Relationships teach you life time lessons things you must built upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
You job is to accept the lesson. Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and are as of your life.
It is said that Love is blind but Friendship is Clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life. Whether you were, a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFE TIME. Peace.

So each season when training begins I am asked  millions product questions by newer runners or new marathon runners. There are thousands of different products because we are all different. I tell my newbies that these are the products I like but they may find something that works better for them.  so here is the list and some reasons I love these products.
(Disclaimer:I was not paid for this post nor received any of these products as payment)

Clothing:

Athleta Presto Short. I just started running in these and adore them. I have a huge issue with chub rub and need a short that is a little longer and I like the compression but they don’t cut off the circulation to my feet! There is a small back zip pocket (for keys, etc) and a larger (large enough for an iPhone) pocket on the side of the leg. this is a perfect get pocket as well. The drawstring (yes, there is a drawstring!) is not 2 pieces…it is one so it never gets lost when washed.

C9 Long and Lean running tanks from Target. I have these in every color and adore them. They fit well and are long enough for my long body. They are also not so expensive that you cant have them in every color of the rainbow. I use iron on designs and logos on these tanks for the marathon  and have never had a problem with the tech fibers.

North Face Krakatoa Jacket is the best!  It keeps me warm and dry buy is not too heavy and it beathes so well. I received this as a gift from a friend for my birthday. I never would have bought it for myself but now that I own it…I love it! I recommend it for all runners in all climates plus the bright color helps me feel safer on runs alone.

Bondi bands keep sweat out of my eyes. I have about 20 of these each with a different funny saying. They dry very quickly and don’t smell. They are the only headband that is not so tight I get a migraine after 5 minutes of wear.

Nike Dri Fit socks I like the arch support and the fact that these socks keep my feet relatively blister free.

HeadSweats Hats I have a white Girls on the Run hat made by Headsweats that keeps my sweaty head cool and the summer sun out of my eyes. It is machine washable as well…another bonus!

Shoes:
I am an Asics girls and wear the Asics GEL Kayano 18 but have worn other brands as well. I recommend that all runners get fitted at a running store frequently. There are different shoes for different runners and distances. Each shoe is as unique as the runner. Professionals at a running store can help you choose the right shoe.

Gear:
Amphipod RunLite Hydration belts are my go to for hydration. I like that there are many accessories I can add/remove from belt. i can vary the amount and size of the bottles depending on the weather and distance I am running. It is fully adjustable, as are the accessories.

Garmin ForeRunner 205 keeps my distance and pace like a champ. It is big and clunky but it does the job better than anything I have ever used. I can upload information to the computer and as well as a few different training websites. It has many different features…some I still have yet to discover!

Body Glide helps with all the unspeakable places I chafe. I wish there was a walk through machine to apply glide but for now…the stick will have to do and save me from pain.

Aquaphor soothes the places that I missed with glide. It is also great for chapped hands and feet.

Nutrition:
AccelGel and Accelerade are my go-to for gel and hydration during long runs. AccelGel  and Accelerade are the only products with the patented 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. AccelGel is the only gel that does not upset my stomach and is not toothpaste thick. There are a variety of flavors and all are tasty but orange is my favorite.

Sport Beans are a wonderful  small burst of flavor and energy while on the run. I prefer the orange.

Clif Shot Bloks are again a small gummy like burst of flavor and energy. I have found that I run better with small does of energy dispersed throughout the run. ShotBloks come with or without caffeine but black cherry is my favorite.

Chocolate milk  Studies have shown that this is the perfect recovery drink. I will go with science on this one. So good and good for you! Enough said!

Chiobani Greek Yogurt and BareNaked Granola are my go to breakfast foods. Vanilla Chiobani with berry BareNaked and dried cherries or fresh fruit or Black Cherry Chiobani is a great way to start the day. For dessert I like the Vanilla Chiobani with bananas and a squirt of Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Sooo yummy!

Peanut butter and bananas …just so good!

Coffee…either Goshen (if i make it myself at home)or Dunkin Donuts (if I buy it after a run). this mother runner runs on COFFEE!

Recovery:
The Stick is wicked painful but it is a good pain. I need a good roll out after a long run and the foam roller just does not seem to get deep enough into my muscles. Make all the jokes you want about this thing and its name….I love it and can’t live without it. The whole family uses it and the kids love to ‘roll’ mom…inflicting pain on ol’ mom is a treat!

Actic Ease ice wraps keep my knee pain and flare ups in check. I get cold and compression in a small portable affordable package. Perfect!

REST. It flies in the face of what we think is good for us but our bodies need rest. Not every single day but at least one day a week allow your body to rest.

Reading:
Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training Guide ok…not only is Hal a pal but I am quoted in this book multiple times!  Hal is the marathon guru. Millions follow his training plans for a variety of reasons…mostly because they are doable for all.

Run like a Mother, the book, and Another Mother Runner, the blog. Both of these sources keep me motivated and informed.

Charities:
Girls on the Run I love this program and all that it stands for. The girls that I work with each season are a constant source of energy and inspiration for me. I run with tutu spirit every day.

Alexander Leigh Center for Autism was started by a dear friend as a safe place for her daughter. It is a safe place for many families and an educational haven for many children. I do what can to raise awareness and funds for this school.

I know that there are so many more things that I use and enjoy but these are some of the things that I can not live without every day! What are your favorite things? What things can you not live without?
 Peace.