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If I only ran fast enough for sweat to fly off my head like that!

Yup…sucktastic is a word!  I say so!  Today’s run was sucktastic and I now feel sucktastic.

Not every run can be a great one…or a good one for that matter but today’s run was none of that. It didn’t even come close to an ok run. It was sucktastic. Every footplant felt as if I was stepping in mud and getting stuck. Moving my body forward was no easy task. Everything took effort. By mile 6 my back between my shoulder blades was aching and I was having trouble getting a deep breath. I slowed and did a run walk but was still struggling. It was Africa hot and the humidity I could cut with a knife. I can’t remember ever sweating that much during a run…. well… other than last weekend’s half!  Somehow today was worse. If my Garmin did not tell me that I was running the miles, I would have thought I was standing still because that is what it felt like to me.

So here I sit, run done, body showered, trying to cool down. Today I learned that I need to hydrate more in advance and that I am not a fan of humidity. Not every run can be great or even good. Today was sucktastic. Peace.

In the last few days I’ve had occasion to be treated…well…unfairly. It upsets me as I am an adult and can comprehend when I am being spoken to as if I am not intelligent. I can not imagine how/what my girls must feel when they are faced with a similar situation.
I made an appointment at a major computer retailer to seek advice and quotes on repairs for some devices. After arriving 30 minutes early and patiently waiting, my appointment time came and went. I asked when it would be my turn and, “Oh…oops…someone will be with you in a minute or 2”. Well it was more like 10 but hey, eventually a ‘tech’ came to speak to me. I explained my situation and asked about costs for repairs. First he looked at me like I had nine heads for wanting to repair the devices. Then when I asked again about cost, I was given incorrect information. How did I know the information was incorrect? I had done my homework before heading to the store just to know what I was in for cost wise. The ‘tech’ and I went back and forth for a bit until I was frustrated with his attitude and I asked for a manager. The manager was another young man who tried to feed me the same misinformation. At that point I pulled out my ‘smart’ phone and accessed the information on line to prove to them that they were not quoting me the correct price. When I did show them the correct information both of them looked at me with an “oh well” face. There was no apology. There was no change in attitude. I could see in their eyes that they thought I was just a woman …a blonde woman…and they were smarter than me.
I left the store and called the company headquarters to advise them of my treatment. Now, I completely understand that their treatment of me may not have been what they intended but it was how I perceived it…and perception is reality. The customer service woman I spoke to was very kind and understanding. She did tell me of similar experiences she had had in the company stores even being an employee of the company. She explained that it is an issue the company is aware of  and they working to correct these attitudes among employees.
The following day I walked out to chat with the construction workers that are overhauling my street. I had some questions about the work. Again, when I asked questions, the response was given in such a manner as if the man was speaking to a child. Really? I looked at him and said, “I’m a science teacher. I get it.” and proceeded to ask more detailed questions regarding the project.  His eyes opened wide and he began to answer my questions and explain in greater detail.
I think it bothers me most that I feel the need to explain to these young and older men that I am smart. I understand more than simple sentences. I am educated beyond grammar school. Have we, as a society, not yet evolved as much as I think? What is it like for girls to be treated in this manner? Do they feel the need to hide their intelligence from the males in their life?
One of the reasons I love the Girls on the Run program is that it empowers girls to be who they are. It empowers them to be confident in whatever choices they make in life. It empowers them …. to be.  What frustrates me is that society is slow to change its ideas of gender roles. When will society catch up and accept the progress made by women? Peace.

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.