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Today was about nothing but about so much. My running group of girls decided to run the Wisconsin Half Marathon today and since I was missing a girls running weekend with my other group of girls I decided to be cheesy!

We were up, out the door and on the road by 5AM. Eight girls in 2 cars with a mission…run 13.1 miles and garner some sweet bling.

The ride up was rainy and we were a bit panicked. Running in the cold rain…running in the rain at all…is no fun. We arrived safely and waited out the rain in the car. soon we would need to head to the start line and the rain was beginning to let up. The gun sounded and we were off. I tried to start my Garmin and it failed. Tried again and FAIL. So that was it. I started to used the timer on my watch. At least I could run with something.

The course was very pretty. We ran throught the downtown areas and some residential areas as well. I was eventually without my group and before I knew it there was a sharp slap on my butt as some of the girls passed me. I tried to keep up but they are fast!  I just kept pushing on, taking off my jacket at some points and putting it back on as I ran through the course.

We we turned to run along the Lake the wind picked up…not only did it pick up speed but it picked up water and sand. Several miles of running into the wind were no fun. It was tough but we powered through. Up the hills and down the hills, into the wind and Lake spray. Finally we hit the turn around….it actually had a sign that said turn around. I laughed and turned to run back towards the finish. I thought that now the wind would be at my back and I would have an easier time running…no such luck. It was not as bad but it was still wind. My tutu was a constant source of discussion and comments from other runners….and it was my inspiration to keep moving…forward was my pace.

Heading back towards the finish was good mentally but there were still miles to cover. Back along the Lake, up and down the hills and  the wind.  The last 2 miles were totally mental. the temerature had dropped, the wind had gotten stronger, and the spray off the water was now heavy. We passed the turn for the finish line…it was in sight but we still had 2 miles to go…

Water and Gatorade at mile 12 then another turn and heading to the finish. As I got to the last 2 blocks, people started cheering and yelling. I thought this was for me…thought they were loving the tutu…I was wrong. The winner of the marathon was closing in on me and people were cheering him on!  We crossed the finish line within seconds of eachother…the marathon WINNER and me!  Yup…he ran 26.2 in the same time I ran 13.1…LAPPED!

I had a wonderful volunteer drape a medal around my neck, another wrapped a blanket around me and then I  got some snacks…CHEESE and a brat. I was so happy! I found my frinds and we watched our other runner CRUSH her PR by 15 minutes!  We were so proud of her!

We were cold and wet and miserable but so very happy at the same time!  We headed to the car cheering on other runners as we walked. The drive home was filled with race stories and discussion of what we would do …after a nap!

The most important thing about this race was not the time with friends(but they are awesome), the medal (I love bling), the time on the clock(other than for those crushing PRs!), the weather (not the best), or my sassy tutu(I can rock a tutu like no one else!)….the most important thing is that all of found something we had lost…our running mojo. Peace.

You know you are a real runner when you can talk about bodily functions without flinching.

The story of my Half marathon today has to be told in 2 parts. Part one is the drive to the race and hanging with my running girls. Part 2 is actually the race report with all the happened while running 13.1 miles.

The alarm went off at 3:30 and we were out the door by 4:45 to meet the other car full of ladies. It was dark, rainy and miserable. We chatted and checked 3 different smartphone apps for weather…watching the green blob that was the rain move slowly from over the race site to  the Lake.  It was not moving fast enough for any of us.

We arrived at the race and many of us had bathroom issues to attend to…however it was still raining and no one wanted to leave the car. The thought of running through the rain to relieve ourselves was not appealing at all. We talked a lot about it and other ‘personal issues’. Things that would/could NEVER be discussed in the company of non runners. Not many people would understand the need for a good poop before a run. Not many people would understand the need to apply body glide to nether regions of the body. Not many people would understand the need to wear the proper bra/underwear or go commando. Not many people talk about these things nor laugh so hard they cry about these issues.

We talked and laughed and eventually the rain let up and we could head to the bathrooms…stage fright got the best of some of us. We would have to run with a full bowel. We headed to the start and race our own races. Some needed a stop along the way to ‘lighten the load’.

After we had a brat we headed to the car. Once we all changed into some dry clothing, we took off and headed home…stinky, sweaty, and smiling with our medals around our necks. More discussion of the race and more discussion of bodily functions lead to more laughs and a few “oh not you didn’t”s!

Thank goodness I have such wonderful running buddies. Who would I tell my deepest, darkest personal body secrets to? Who would laugh with me about all things disgusting? Who else would consider this all ‘normal’? My running friends rock…and poop. Peace.

As moms we worry. We worry about so many things but mostly we worry about our kids. We worry that we are good enough and that we won’t mess the up to much …. We don’t want them to attend to many years of therapy!

We live much of our “mom life” in what seems to be a vacuum. We don’t want to appear less than any other mom. We want others to think we live a bucolic life devoid of problems. We have a hard time allowing anyone into our world … allowing anyone behind the “shower curtain” that is our life.

It is in this need for acceptance that we find ourselves alone. However if we opened up to one another…accepted more and judged less…we would find that many of us have so much in common. We are all longing to be a ‘good mom’. We want our kids to like us and respect us. We hate to discipline our kids…often it is harder on us than on them. We want a better life for our children. And we want our children to be happy and successful.

It is time that we opened up a bit. It is time that we allow others to see the imperfection that is our life. It is time that we help each other and lift each other up. We all want the same things but need the help of one another to achieve greatness. Peace.

I had planned to write about the not so glamorous side of parenting. I had planned to write about my weakness as a parent. I had planned to write about how much I dislike and how exhausting it is to be the bad guy all the time.
Well, while all that is still true … difficult and exhausting, my perspective is a bit different at this point in time. I am blessed with kids that wear me down and wear me out. They are just “normal” kids. They are far from perfect but they are healthy.
I went back to work today and was greeted with a host of emails and phone calls that needed returning. In those emails were parent notes letting me know of job loss, impending divorces and hospitalized children…one of which has cancer.
I thought of these families and children for a long time this morning as guilt washed over me. Who am I to complain and stress about my own children’s missteps? I am blessed to have my problems and not the problems these families face.
So as I look at a photo of my kids all I can think of is that they not perfect, nor am I, but we are healthy and my husband comes home safely from work every night. I am so blessed. I just needed to shift my perspective to see my blessings…
  Peace.

Yesterday I got home from my run and was greeted by my 9year old son asking me what we were going to do all day. It is rare that we have an unscheduled day with time to spare. I did have a million things to do of my own (laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, etc) but replied, “how about a walk?”. He ran to get dressed and then leashed up the dog while I hydrated and refueled.
We loaded the dog and camera in the car and headed to the forest preserve. It was a cloudy, mild day and the trail was busy but we walked, looked at the world around us and chatted. The world is a very interesting place when viewed through the eyes of a 9 year old boy. He sees things I overlook. He hears things I don’t. He thinks deep thoughts and has a sense of humor that rivals many adults. Don’t get me wrong, he can be a pest and get under my skin but there are days like today that make up for it all.
As we walked, he pointed out things he thought were interesting and I photographed each item. A beautiful collaboration created these photos as we walked. Peace.

“While you never know what gifts life will bring, you can trust that every sunrise offers possibilities. Every day holds beautiful moments and new dreams waiting for you to come and find them.” {Duvall}
So today soak up all that is good. Enjoy those small successes. Enjoy your family. Enjoy a run, a bike ride, a walk….whatever you do ….. see, hear, enjoy, and soak up all that is good!