#Yearof40 Week 8

#Yearof40 Week 8's post is short and sweet.  I had to complete my long run today (Sunday) and I'm beat.  So this week, I give you a quick summary and a few pictures.

Monday: No exercise.

Tuesday:  Clearly "National Treadmill at the Y Day."  Every single 'mill was taken when I got to the Y at 8:15 PM!  So .9 miles on the elliptical while waiting and then a quick 2 miles on the treadmill.  Elliptical is NOT my thing.  Elliptical: 0.9 miles at 11:40 pace.  Treadmill: 2.0 miles in 22:35 at 11:17 pace.

Wednesday: No exercise

Thursday: Treadmill run.  3.5 miles at 11:23 pace.  Planned on 4 miles but Little Mister announced that he was starving and ready to go home.  

Friday: Fuel time!!!

Saturday:  Every intention of completing my long run today.  Mother Nature waged war and won the battle at 5 miles.  It was 36 degrees and all 4 of my layers were soaked through, my hair was dripping and water was running off the bill of my hat.  5 miles in 57:16 at 11:27 pace.

Sunday:  Because Mother Nature forgot to take her meds, Sunday was sunny and 60 degrees.  I had a fantastic run.  I think my best pace yet.  12.3 miles in 2:18:32 at 11:16 pace.

AK enjoying a little outside time with her Granddaddy

Those eyes!  Those lashes!!

My sweet nephew, Masen.

Happy AK

AK is cool like Mom

Little Mister and I went to see Davidson Hoops

Wildcats Basketball - 'cats beat Montana Grizzlies in OT.

Masen in the snow!!!!

Where there's one, there's three.  Masen, Dozer and Samson.  Always.

My brother, Andy, and sweet Masen.

My sis-in-law, Jenn, & Sweet Masen.

Light rain, my arse.

My brother, Richard, working in Thailand with the few & proud.

It ain't Boston but it's improvement and I'm thrilled.

 

AK and her daddy, Mitch, enjoying Blue Devil hoops.

Have a great week!!!

Running TALL,
Julia

#Yearof40! Week 7

Hope you guys had a great week.  #Yearof40 Week 7 was pretty good.  I stayed on track and feel pretty good about it.  Week was good outside of running as well. 

This week's running:

Monday - I don't normally run on Mondays but had to this week due to Dinner Club on Tuesday.  Had a nice run but my legs were tired.  Three days in a row (Saturday 10 miles, Sunday 3.4 miles and today) put me at my limit.  But I got it done and felt better for it.  Did some quick core work and push-ups but didn't have time for much more.  3 miles at an 11:33 pace.

Tuesday - No exercise - except for exercising my jaw by talking and eating at Dinner Club.

Wednesday - Again, no exercise but I did get very excited about future exercise...Savannah!!!  I registered for the Rock & Roll Savannah half marathon.  Several folks from the running group are going and I am very excited!!!

Thursday - Happy Valentine's Day!  Love & hearts!!  Also, a Happy Birthday to my brother, Raymond.  Ray Ray is now on the countdown to 30...enjoy the end of your 20's, little brother.  I had a really nice 4 mile treadmill run.  I was in NO WAY properly fueled for a run.  Normally before I leave work on run days, I eat a bagel thin with peanut butter.  No time for that today!  So on my way to the gym, I had a banana and tried a new Gatorade gel thingie and actually had a nice run.  Followed that with squats, push-ups (2 regular sets and a set with my feet on the big ball), crunches, leg lifts, dips and various shoulder activities.  4 miles at 11:37 pace - which was fine considering the fuel (or lack of) situation.

Valentine's Day - Men lined up at the flower stand
at the corner of Tryon and 3rd. 

Friday - I don't even cook on Fridays, much less run!

Saturday - Snow!  Snow!  Snow!!!  I tried very hard to find a reason not to go run.  Cold temps, snow, didn't want to, etc. But in the end, I am responsible for 1. covering the distance and 2. putting out water stops for a fantastic collection of runners.  Because folks were scattered about - Myrtle Beach Marathon, weekend away with friends, family obligations, etc. - I ended up running alone and that was okay. 11 miles at 11:31 pace. 

Who wants to run in this?!?!

Snow started falling - just
a bit - while I was running.

Sunday - It was just too cold and windy for me to hit the streets again.  So I hit up the 'mill at the Y and had a nice 3-mile recovery run.  3 miles at 11:27 pace.

This week's total: 21 miles. 

Outside of running, also a good week.  As previously mentioned, Dinner Club was Tuesday.  We had a small crowd this month but I had a GREAT time.  We laughed, we joked, we covered some more serious topics and then we laughed some more.  This month's dinner was at Hot Stone Grill in Huntersville/Cornelius.  No one in the group had been before which is why I chose it and they have this kind of gimmicky thing of serving proteins on 400+ degree volcanic stones so I thought that might be entertaining.  Ironically, none of us ordered a hot stone meal.   Three of the five of us ordered the Greek meal and it was just okay.  The company, however, was out of this world.   

My Blue Devils played UNC on Wednesday.   It doesn't matter who is ranked where for these games, heart takes teams to places they didn't know they could go and for that reason, I'm always a disaster on Duke/Carolina game days.  My Devils pulled through but it wasn't pretty.  They didn't as well against Maryland on Saturday.  Boo.  

No Anlsey K time this week but I did get this cute little Valentine picture.  Can't wait to kiss those little cheeks!  

Happy Valentine's Day from AK
If this doesn't melt your heart, you don't have one.

On Thursday, we had the pleasure of going to Little Mister's school to observe a mock trial.  It was really neat to see him in his element doing his thing.  His team won which means a tour of the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, as Nolan said, "on good terms".  

Little Mister as a witness in a mock trial

All in all, a good week.   I'm looking forward to time changing so my mid-week runs can go back to the road - although I'm no longer poo-pooing treadmill runs.  I really believe I have to credit them for better speeds and better endurance.  I am going to work on adding a bit more core work.  My friend and coach, Jackie, saw good results when he was regularly doing yoga and working on core strength and stability.

I hope you have a great week and enjoy whatever comes your way.

Running TALL,

Julia

#Year of 40! Week 6 Sidenote: Ansley Kay

Disclaimer:  This has nothing to do with running. 

As I head into week 7 of #Yearof40!, my weekend is sticking with me.  The weekdays weren't so great but I can't stop thinking about how Week 6 ended...with Ansley K time and a solid run with Little Mister and Trooper.   I look back at the pictures and my heart runneth over.  It goes without saying that my love for Little Mister knows no bounds.  I grew him.  He is of Mark and me.  He has my Granddaddy's name and because I get to say "Nolan" every single day, my Granddaddy is a little bit closer.  Nolan amazes me and makes me smile daily - even on days when he forgets his chores or lacks any common sense (he is, after all, a 12-year-old boy...).   Ansley Kay...how to describe it...my love for her her is shocking - in the best way ever.  I knew before she existed that I'd love her.  I knew that before she was even conceived.  Any child belonging to my baby sister was always going to be special.  But I never knew I would love her THIS much!

At dinner one night last spring, my brother-in-law, Mitch, and my sister, Pye, gave the news - a baby is coming!  My reaction probably seemed inappropriate because there wasn't really much reaction at all.  Had I started talking or really even thinking about it, I would have squealed and cried and looked like a fool - in public, no less.  So I continued stuffing my face and began the terribly long wait for that baby to join us.  And to pour salt into the waiting-game-wound, Pye and Mitch decided NOT to find out the baby's gender.  What?!  In 2012?!  We called the baby Hef (part of their last name) until the day she was born.

The day Ansley was born - a Thursday - was an emotional whirlwind.  My husband, Mark, was in Raleigh with his family preparing for his brother's funeral.  Michael died in an accident the Friday before and I felt guilty about celebrating new life with my family as he was planning to bury someone who was so special to him.  I had a true 'circle of life' feeling all day.  Mourning rolled into celebration which rolled right back to mourning.  Because Mark was out of town, leaving work early and going to Hickory wasn't possible because Little Mister didn't get out of school until 4:15 and if I left, there would be no one to get him!  Ansley decided to come very quickly which meant that Little Mister and I were in the car breaking the sound barrier to get to Hickory before Ansley was born.   But we made it. 

There are some things in life for which you can never ever prepare.  One of those things was what I heard when I got off the hospital elevator.  Before we get to that, we have to go back for a moment.  I was ten years and three months (to the day) old when Pye was born.  (For the record, Pye is not her name.  It's what we've called her since she was a little girl.)  I remember vividly the day she came home from the hospital.   I remember bathing her.  I remember feeding her.  I remember doing homework with her.  I remember her torturing my high school boyfriend with questions like, "Why'd you cut your hair like that?!" and, "What's that on the end of your nose?" referring to a teenage pimple.  I remember reading "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day" to her over and over and over again.  I remember coming down the mountain from college at ASU to go to her elementary school PTA program.  She may have driven me nuts, but she was and is my baby sister.

Ansley Kay, 20 minutes old

So having all of those things in mind and, if I'm being honest, admitting that sometimes I still see her as that little girl, I can tell you that there is absolutely no way on earth to prepare for stepping off of a hospital elevator and hearing your baby sister crying out in the worst pain of her life.   AK came so quickly that Pye did not get the benefit of modern medicine.  She delivered naturally.  And I stood outside of her room and listened to every moan, scream and cry wishing for it to end.  It was so hard to listen to but in an odd kind of way, absolutely beautiful.  That awful pain was bringing to us a beautiful life.  

Julia, AK and Little Mister

Twenty minutes after the cries of pain ended, we were all invited into the hospital room and we got to see our precious baby girl.  And this time, I mean Ansley.  At 20 minutes old, she had big, bright, alert eyes and was clearly starving.  Pye was a Mommy.  I held Ansley for a moment with Little Mister looking on.  I think he was amazed.  On the way home that night, he kept saying, "She's just so small."  Before I left her that night, I leaned down and sang the 'fish song' to her.  Granddaddy and I use to sing that song.  I needed for him to be there in that room with her.  Then I, of course, promised her that she was going to have the best shoe collection ever. 

Julie and Mary Pye

Mary Pye and Julie

Ansley Kay

Ansley Kay is 9 weeks old now and I've had the privilege of spending 4 Saturday nights with her.  I joke and say that I'm going to play baby nurse but there may be some truth in saying that I also go spend the night because I know that at 4:00 a.m., I won't have to share her with anyone.  At least once during the night, we have time - just the two of us and it's so precious.  It's worth noting that Ansley looks just like her mommy. When you compare baby pictures, it's just incredible.

Saturday No. 1 - December 8, 2012

Saturday No. 2 - January 5, 2013

Saturday No. 3 - January 26, 2013

Saturday No. 4 - February 9, 2013

Simply put, I had a great weekend.  I had doses of family and friends throughout.  Granted, running played a part - good runs at that but as I reflect back, I realize that the next generation of my family is off to an excellent start.  A kind-hearted, funny, smart young man and a precious baby girl.  These two children will never know a world without the love of family and the laughter and good times that come with it.   As our family evolves and with births as well as deaths, these two children - and any others that come along - will have the unconditional love and support of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.  In our crazy bunch that started 37 years ago when Mom married Rick, I'm a mom, a daughter, a sister, and now an aunt.  I am filled with pride and happiness.  I am 4o and I am content and as previously stated, my heart runneth over.

Little Mister and Ansley Kay

Who loves Auntie?

More to come.
Running TALL,
Julia

Year of 40! Week 6

2013 - My #Yearof40. 

Two weeks ago, I turned 40.  And that is just fine with me.  40 is the new 30 right?  Jennifer Aniston is now in her mid-40s and no one is mad at her or calling her old.  That's what I'm telling myself.  So far, it's been a good year!

The good things of 2013 - and it's only February...

AK is going to help me blow out the candles!

• Twelve days before my birthday, my braces came off - three months early!
• Two days after my birthday, my son's braces came off - six months early!
• Had a great birthday celebration for my mother with our family and close family friends.  That was a fun time.  Happy 59th, Mom!
• I had a sleep over with my 6 week old niece the night before my birthday and woke up to her right beside me on my birthday.  Wonderful birthday snuggles with Ansley Kay.
• Had a fantastic birthday brunch with my family & had Miss AK in my arms the whole time.  (Josh's.  Yum!) 
• Started a dinner club and had our first dinner (Bistro La Bon.  Yum!)
• And finally, I've had some great runs this year and have been doing a good job of building my base and staying consistent. 

The time has come for me to start putting races on my calendar.  I really want to run a full marathon this year.  I haven't run a full marathon since Chicago in 2009.  It's time to test myself again and what better time to do it than in the #Yearof40!  There will, of course, be several half marathons.  They are my sanity and the fix I need for my finish line addiction.  But the full marathon is a different animal and I need to challenge myself again.  I'm ready.

As I mentioned, my long runs have been good and my mid-week runs have been consistent for the most part - sometimes 7th grade can get in the way but Little Mister's education will win that battle every time.  Because I run after work and because it's currently dark when I leave work thanks to standard time, I've been running on the treadmill.  I use treadmill runs to push my speed and endurance.  So I run longer intervals and play with the speed to get my legs use to going a little faster.  I think - I'm not 100% sure yet - but I think I'm seeing slight increases in speed in my long runs.  Because I'm running longer intervals on the treadmill - sometimes three and four times longer - I'm slowly increasing my intervals during my long runs.   I'm certainly excited to see how it all plays out and am having to remind myself to take the increases slowly so I don't end up hurt.

So here's how #Yearof40 Week 6 looked:

Little Mister is a happy kid on Super Bowl Sunday!!!

• Superbowl Sunday!!!  Ravens played the 49ers.  Little Mister loves the Ravens - much to the chagrin of his mother.  Panther Stadium is a mere few blocks from my office!  But that aside, the Ravens won and I had a really happy kid!!!
• Monday - No exercise on Monday.  Boo.
• Tuesday - Nice treadmill run.  Worked on running longer intervals at an increasing speed.  Ran 3 miles at an 11:35 pace, followed by sit ups, push ups and core work
• Wednesday - No exercise on Wednesday.  Boo.
• Thursday - Another nice treadmill run (they do exist!!!).  Same thing, working on endurance, etc.  Ran 3.5 miles at a 11:48.  I was a little disappointed but got it done.
• Friday - Night out to dinner with the boys and even got them to take me to Zoe's Kitchen.  Such good, like, fresh food.  I think it helped my long run on Saturday.
• Saturday - probably my best long run in a good while.  I ran 10.11 miles in 1:55:36 at an 11:26 pace. I'm pretty sure that's a new low for me.  I have to thank my friends Mari and Ashley.  They run faster than I run and I chased those girls for 10+ miles determined not to let them out of my sight.  Sometimes I even caught up (thanks to waterstops) and we ran together.  It was a GREAT run.

Little AK Angel

Aunt Julie's Prettiest Girl

• Sunday - after an evening with the lovely Ansley Kay, I headed back to Charlotte from Hickory and managed to get in a run with Little Mister and Trooper.  That is just heaven to me.  We ran about 3.5 miles and because Little Mister runs faster than I run, I found myself once again chasing.  But we rocked out 3.43 miles at an 11:10 pace.  Felt great but I'm tired!

My Sunday running buddies...

Hope you all have a great week.  As my friend and coach Jackie says, Run Happy.

More to come.

Running TALL,

Julia