Category Archives: Running

Food, Low vision, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Stories

Sleeping Bear Half Marathon Complete!

Leave a comment

Finally, my post race recap. It gets a little messy in my head, so bear with me (you are welcome for that accidental pun!)…

We call this Flat Mel. It’s a runner tradition to lay out your gear the night before. One last check to be sure you have everything you need!
Allison and Mel, getting some pre-race fuel at Slabtown Burgers in Traverse City.

The Sleeping Bear race was four hours away, so I booked a motel in a nearby town for myself and Allison, my guide runner (all the lodging in the area was filling up fast!). We had to drive to Traverse City (also nearby) to pick up our race packets so while we were there I introduced Allison to one of our favorite T.C. restaurants, Slabtown Burgers. After dinner, we made a valiant effort to find ice cream for dessert, but were unsuccessful. All the ice cream shops were closed for the season!

The sun setting over Lake Michigan at Empire Beach

We drove to the beach where the finish line would be the following morning, and got some pictures of the sun setting over the water. Incredible to see. There was a local retired man with two goldendoodles there watching the sunset, and we chatted with him for a minute. I asked him about the hills on this course, after he told us he rides his bike on the trails all the time. He said there were a couple of decent hills, but assured us they were short (Spoiler alert: he lied.).

The morning of the race was cold. I think maybe around 40 degrees Fahrenheit? A little more than a few degrees above freezing. But the forecast showed it would be warming up to the 60s, so I dressed for that. You warm up quick when you are running, so it’s always wise to dress for the later weather, not the earlier. We parked at the lot near the finish line, and walked over to hop on a charter bus that would take us to the starting line. The charter bus was a welcome reprieve from the cold. Soft cushy seats, heat. I was making a conscious choice to enjoy this ride. I was excited to be surrounded by all the other runners, and excited to finally be running this race I had been training for.

Once we were delivered to our starting location, we got in line for the bathrooms for one last go. I was thankful to have a real bathroom available because I have a semi-logical fear of porta potties. And since we had gotten a pretty early start, the lines weren’t terribly long, and I was also thankful for that.

Runners waiting in line for porta-potties with the sun rising in the distance.

From the bathrooms we walked over to the starting line and waited some more. The sand dunes were to our left, and the starting line to our right. The sun had just started to peak out when we got off the charter bus, so by the time we were waiting at the starting line, it was in full sunrise glory. I got a great shot of the sun rising over the portapotties (the ones we didn’t have to use).

The starting line

While we waited we were able to cheer on the full marathon runners as they made their start, 30 minutes before us. And before long it was our turn. We counted down, and then we were off! The start of most races is always pretty crowded, and this one was no exception. I just tried to stay focused on not going out too fast, and let all the faster runners get around me (let’s be honest, they were all faster runners).

It was in that first quarter mile that I realized my Garmin watch was on my “walk” setting from the day before! So I didn’t have my pace showing in the big bold numbers, and I didn’t have my run/walk interval notifications. No worries, I was feeling pretty strong and told Allison I would just keep running at this pace (whatever that was) and see how it went. Throughout the race she was able to tell me how fast we were going, so that helped a lot. I wasn’t worried about missing walk breaks because I knew there would be hills coming that I would likely need to walk up (and down), so that was a fine compromise for me.

I can’t remember how far in I started feeling gassed, but it was a lot farther in than I had expected. I was feeling great. Super surprised at how well my legs were holding up. However, in the last half of the race there were lots of moments where I was running out of gas and needed the Gatorade that the race organizers provided at the aid stations. I knew that would be provided, so I intentionally did not bring any hydration with me. And as it turns out, that Gatorade saved me. Without those periodic pick-me-ups, I would have been slow walking the last half of the race, for sure. I would walk through the aid station, gulp my Gatorade, and minutes later that second wind would come and I felt like I could run again. It was quite fascinating to me, that such a simple thing could rejuvenate me so quickly and I was able to go from barely able to move my legs, to being able to run again.

I can’t give a play by play, because I don’t remember details of any race that way. I’m sure some people can, but I’m not one of them. I remember snippets. Like the time I tripped on a small crack and went flying forward. Allison thankfully had quick reflexes and caught me before I fell. Falls like that are so scary. They happen so fast yet they seem to happen in slow motion. During this race it happened around the 10 mile mark and I only remember that because that’s when I was starting to feel the major fatigue in my legs. Hence the trip and near-fall.

The last mile was an exercise in insanity. I was trying my best to stay in a running motion, but it was getting so difficult. I did have to walk some to rest my legs because I wanted to finish strong. So during the last mile I told Allison to stay close to me, because falling was definitely a greater possibility. I was starting to get mildly frustrated because there were so many turns in order to get to the finish line. I kept asking her, can you see it? And she never answered in the affirmative but assured me we were getting closer.

Allison and Mel crossing the finish line

The closer you get to the finish, the more spectators you see on the sidelines. At one point, a woman shouted to us, “You’re almost there!”. And I shouted back, “I don’t believe you! She’s (Allison) been telling me the same thing!” But alas, we did finally turn the last corner that revealed the finish. I couldn’t see it as much as I could hear it. The cheers and shouting were endearing. So many people there to support all the runners. And on our right, hordes of faster runners walking back to their cars with their arms full of snacks. That’s when I knew we were close – all the snacks. I forgot all the pain and weakness I was feeling and ran forward. Allison and I both raised our arms in the air and smiled big as we crossed that finish line.

I tried to walk out of the way of the runners coming behind me but my legs wouldn’t withstand walking, so I collapsed onto Allison instead. A photographer rushed over to help walk me over to the fence and someone offered us bottled waters. I kind of hate this drama at the end of longer races, because it really looks worse than it feels, but it’s unavoidable. When I’m pushing my legs that hard, I have to expect they are going to rebel. I think my prayer is always just that they wait until I cross the finish line for that rebellion. One of these days it could result in a DNF (did not finish) and that would be soul crushing.

After my legs resumed normal function (mostly), we sauntered (hobbled) over to the snack area and retrieved our hard-earned spoils. Banana, granola bar, beer, and orange slices!! I remember getting orange slices at one of the aid stations during the Grand Rapids Marathon and how it felt like a gift from heaven, it was so refreshing. On this day? Equally miraculous. The gentleman handed me two and I could have kissed him I was so happy. Orange slices never taste as good as they do after running all those miles.

To end the race experience we walked over to the beach area and took our socks and shoes off. The water was blocked off by a slight stone wall, so we didn’t put our feet in the water, but putting our feet in the sand was cooling enough. It felt amazing to sit and rest there. Allison didn’t know this about me, but I used to have a strong aversion to sand. I couldn’t stand touching it. Up until a trip with my family to the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 2020. We walked onto the beach so we could all dip our toes into Lake Superior and I found myself saying, “oh, this feels nice”. Which was such an odd thing for me to say, I surprised myself! Something about that trip I guess flipped a switch and now it doesn’t bother me. Sand, sugar, flour, it’s all okay for me to touch. It doesn’t make me cringe anymore, and I’m loving that change. But I digress…

We sat for awhile and then decided we were hungry, and ready for that post-race meal to replenish all that we had burned off. We had decided ahead of time to get pizza, because it happened to be something we both love. After some quick Google searching, Allison found us a highly rated pizza place, Papano’s, that had a location nearby. They had personal size pizzas, so we each ordered our own and got what we liked. It was a fantastic end to a full and memorable race experience.

Daily Snippets, Multiple Sclerosis, Running

Race Completion Post Pending

Leave a comment

I’m hopping on here briefly to let y’all know I finished my race, and it went well. I not only survived, I surpassed my own expectations. However, I am understandably quite exhausted, and that reaches mentally as well. So while I have photos loaded into a draft post, I lack the mental clarity to put the words together cohesively. I’ve jotted down notes so as not to forget fun details, and hope to be able to piece it all together later this week.

Believe it or not, I am smack in the middle of my fatigue week. My infusion is on Tuesday, so until then I’m going to listen to my body and continue to rest. I’ll work on completing that post as I feel ready, and then you will all get to read it. I just want it to make sense, is all. This was a memorable race and I want to give it the credit it deserves. Until then you may get snarky snippets as I try to wake my brain back up, but as usual I make no promises.

Thank you for following my updates. Shalom, my friends. Take care.

Food, Kids, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Piper, Punky, Running

Sleeping Bear Training Week 13 of 14

Leave a comment

Woah, what?! We are almost there folks. And while I got a little off track with my long runs, I have been diligent this week about getting some miles on these legs. A 4 mile run here, a quick 2 mile run there, and ending the week with a 6 mile “long run”. That’s the taper. We don’t want to wear ourselves out before race day. These last two weeks are for maintaining fitness but giving ourselves the rest we need so we save some gas in the tank for race day. Do you like my metaphors and third person language? Who is this “we” you speak of, Mel? I don’t know, it’s just how we talk sometimes.

For the record, I started this post a few days ago, and did not end up running a 6 mile long run. Instead, I ran 4 miles with my son, which was a pleasant change! He is obviously much faster than I am, but he was gracious enough to stay with me. However, when we got to the third mile he challenged me to continue running until we arrived home – no more walk breaks! I tried, I really tried, but y’all it was so hard. I was ready to give up and walk but he kept smiling at me and telling me I could do it (he would make a great personal trainer), and with that extra encouragement I did complete the entirety of the 3rd mile without walking. I knew I was gassed because my shoulders were cramping. I’m not sure why that happens, but I suspect it has something to do with oxygen and electrolytes (I’ll have to look that up later). I walked the first chunk of that 4th mile until the cramping subsided and then finished strong. And then collapsed on the front lawn, knowing he was right there to help me up. Sorry, there are no photos of that. So it wasn’t the 6 miles that I had planned, but because I still had to push myself a little extra, I think it was a fine compromise.

While there are no photos of me passed out on the front lawn, I do have pictures from one of the earlier runs. The one on the left here is of me and the dogs on the deck, and the other one is of me cooling off with an ice cream bar (below).

I’m feeling ready for this race. I still don’t have any time goals, my hope is just that I can run steady for the entire 13.1 miles, and finish with my legs still operating. There will be pain, there will be soreness, but if I can keep a steady but not too fast speed, I should be able to keep my legs functioning to the end.

The weather is finally cooling down here in Michigan and my body is very happy about that. I have become an extreme sweat-er (thank you perimenopause), so that makes running pretty uncomfortable sometimes. And up north where the race is being held, I expect the leaves are changing colors so it should be beautiful to see. This particular race is definitely all about the scenery. And – knock on wood – the weather forecast looks perfect for race day! Wish me luck folks! I’ll see you on the other side…

Family, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Visually Impaired

Sleeping Bear Training Week 12 of 14

Leave a comment

These weekly posts are getting to be less about the training and more about how life attempts to interfere. Ah, well. Life happens. You adjust and move on!

So this week I completed one task on my training plan, and that was a 12 mile run. I had originally scheduled this long run for the previous Saturday, but I opted instead to watch my son play tennis. So I had looked at the weather for the week and Tuesday looked like a good enough alternate. And then Allison, my guide runner, texted wanting to see if she could join me for a run. We had talked about doing another long run together, but with her schedule thus far we weren’t able to make a weekend work. Luckily she was free on Tuesday, so we made it happen!

I love showing off these trails. Allison hadn’t run them before (at least I don’t think so), so it was fun to show them off to her. I’m very proud of “my” trails 😉 We had great weather. I could have done with a few degrees cooler, but I’m not complaining because it beats running in the rain. Most of the miles were uneventful, but I could tell during the last couple that my left leg was dragging. I made sure to let her know so she would stay close enough for me to grab her arm if needed. I did trip once or twice but I did not fall (just call me Weeble).

Since the Tuesday long run got me off schedule (and I spent a second Saturday watching my son play tennis) I don’t know when I’ll do my final long run. The race is only 12 days away, so maybe it’s too late to be doing long runs, and I should just lean into the taper? When you are trying to fit training into your schedule *and* work around Michigan’s unpredictable weather, it gets tricky. So I think this week I’ll do some shorter runs to keep up the mileage and extra step-ups and stair climbs to keep those hill climbing muscles ready.

I have to say I’m a little concerned about my readiness for this race. I keep hearing about the gnarly hills/dunes, and I’ve been increasingly slacking on both my short runs and my strength training. Hopefully my early commitment to the training left me with some strength I can draw from during the race. I don’t have a time goal, so I really am just hoping to enjoy myself and the incredible views. I heard that Good Morning America voted Sleeping Bear Dunes the Most Beautiful Place in America. That’s high praise. I mean, what about the Grand Canyon? The entire state of Alaska? Hawaii? But no, our little ole Sleeping Bear Dunes ranked #1. And I’m gonna have the privilege of running through it. I can’t wait!

Exercise, Family, Food, Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running

Sleeping Bear Training Week 11 of 14

Leave a comment

So. This week was all sorts of upside down as far as training goes. I only had two runs planned. A “short” run of 4 miles and a long run of 12. I also had hoped to do strength training, but it did not happen the way I expected.

Instead of doing boring Fitbod exercises, I helped my husband sand and restain our deck! He had done a bunch of prep work over the weekend while I was out galivanting over sand dunes with my girlfriends, so what was left was sanding and spraying the new stain on. The first day we sanded and I got a really good arm workout. The second day was staining, which he did with a sprayer (pictured left) while I followed as much as I could with a paintbrush and smoothed it out. This second day was more fun for me than it was for him. It turned out great, but we are still waiting for it to dry completely so I don’t have any after pictures to share.

Working on the deck took up Tuesday and Wednesday, and I was ridiculously worn out from all that manual labor, so Thursday I rested. By Friday I was ready to shake out my arms and legs with a 4 mile run, so that’s what I did! All my muscles were feeling sore and stiff, so it actually felt really good to move. Check me out here in my neighborhood, sporting my nerdy clip-on shades. I left a little late in the morning and the sun was in full force, so I was glad to have worn them.

I made the executive decision to postpone my Saturday 12 mile run so that I could attend my son’s tennis tournament. I don’t get a lot of chances to see him play, so I had to take this opportunity. I can always run another day. At this point I stil don’t know when I’ll do that 12 mile run, but it’s looking good for Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

I’ve been taking my stairs at home two at a time, trying to work those hill climbing muscles, and I imagine it is helping. We’ll see when I actually get out there. I feel good. Strong even. I’ve also been trying to eat better, increasing my healthy carbs, decreasing my processed foods as much as possible. Lots of fruits and veggies. That seems to be helping me too. Not just with physical health, but emotional and hormonal health as well. Just a theory, so it may not be true but it helps me sleep at night. Ha!

I hope you are doing well out there where you are. I wish you all health and peace. Shalom, friends!

Friends, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running

Sleeping Bear Training Week 10 of 14

Leave a comment

Well, where was I? I don’t even know what happened last week. Monday was Labor Day so the rest of the week was just… off. All week felt like I was playing catch up. Which means my training suffered, and I’m honestly very nervous I’m going to pay for it on race day, but I’m pressing forward regardless. I’ll have my guide runner with me, so if anything happens and I am unable to run, she can drag my a$$ to the finish line. Kidding. I’m really just hoping to finish without dying first.

So what training happened this past week? I ran 5 miles on Wednesday. That’s it. No more running, no strength training. However, late in the week I did start doing more leg exercises randomly throughout the day. Step-ups, squats, stuff like that. Because I need to get these legs ready for hills, and if I don’t have time to run, the least I can do is work my legs. So, I’m trying not to look at the week as a total loss.

As if to back up that assumption that the week wasn’t a total loss, last week was also my “fatigue week”, yet I only had one day of extreme fatigue, with the rest of the days feeling pretty normal energy levels (read: not struggling to move). That was definitely encouraging.

I finished the week with a trip up north with some of my closest girlfriends. We take this trip every year, and it’s such a great time of relaxing, laughing, chatting, all the things. We did a really fun thing this year and ended our time with a dune buggy ride! There are dunes near where we vacation and they run tours during the warmer months. I have lived my life in Michigan and never been on one, so it was a pretty cool experience. I am a little scaredy-pants, especially going down the hills but I survived and also really enjoyed the adventure.

The ride over the hills of the sand dunes had me thinking a lot about this race I’m training for, because it’s also over sand dunes. The Sleeping Bear Dunes in northern Michigan. I won’t be running on sand, thankfully they’ve built trails for people to trek, but the hills will be quite similar, I’m sure. I have my work cut out for me. Hopefully this coming week I’ll have more to report. We’ll see. So far it’s not looking great, but I do hope at a minimum to be able to complete a long run. I’ll let you know how it goes 😉

Exercise, Multiple Sclerosis, Running

Sleeping Bear Training Week 9 of 14

Leave a comment

These weekly updates are starting to get really messy, but we’re hanging in there folks, I promise.

Week 9 did not go quite as planned, but I’m still here. Still looking forward to this half marathon. It’s only 31 days away! One more month of training to go!

Monday – 42 minute Fitbod, Shoulders, triceps, chest and abs. I had to be careful with this one because I could feel where my shoulder is still healing. I just did a smidge fewer reps than what it called for and so far, it seems to be okay. I haven’t had any pain in my shoulder in awhile and I hope to keep it that way.

The rest of the week was a blur. Seriously. According to my records I did no more Fitbod workouts, yet I did run. Wednesday I did a base run of 5 miles. I still find it so unbelievable that 5 miles for me is a “base” run. Wild, just wild. And this particular one I must have been feeling pretty good because my running pace was consistently faster than it used to be. And that makes me super happy and pleased. I did another base run on Thursday of “only” 2 miles, which was also super duper fast (for me).

Saturday was my long run. I had 11 miles scheduled, but since my last long run was 11, and because I my base runs went so well this week, I decided to up it to 12. But at 10 miles I was struggling. I walked for half of the 11th mile, and half of the 12th mile. Still doing my Jeff Galloway run/walk intervals, of course. So I technically completed the 12 miles, but it wasn’t in a way I’m bragging about. It was just okay.

Week 10 started out weird because it was the Labor Day weekend, so I was a little off schedule to start. Also, it’s my fatigue week so when I am trying to catch up I find myself tiring quickly. But it’s fine. I have plenty of grace for myself. I’m still feeling strong and fit and that’s what matters most here. I really am just doing this for my health. Races and medals are just a bonus. I’ll have the week 10 recap for you next week. I’ll try to get it out in a timely fashion next time 🙂

Family, Food, Kids, Photos, Piper, Punky, Running

Sleeping Bear Training Week 8 of 14

Leave a comment

Okay, here’s the recap of week 8 (I feel like I’m really slipping on getting these out in time):

Sunday – Rest and stuff

Monday – Some medical stuff, helping prep kids for school starting on Wednesday. Basically all the family management tasks that wear me out. But it was a good day. Lots of steps (Also there may have been a donut or two).

Tuesday – 5 mile run, all the hills in my neighborhood and the one north of us. I need to kick up the hill training cuz these hills are getting too easy for me. Might mean a trip out of the neighborhood!

Wednesday – school started! I had the whole house to myself all morning (it was a half day). I did a 35 minute Fitbod workout: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and abs.

Thursday – I ran 2 beautiful, glorious miles. It was the first full day with kids at school, so I’m sure that was a factor in my enjoyment lol
I’m pictured here with my two doggies. They love to greet me after every run and love running around in the yard while I stretch and rehydrate.

Friday – I ran 11 miles! I decided to move the long run from Saturday because the weather looked better (cooler) and also I had some afternoon plans on Saturday I didn’t want to be feeling half-dead for. This second try at a selfie near the “Trail Ends” sign was successful. The trail ends, but the low traffic side street begins, so I continued on.

Until that road ended, and you’ll see another selfie here of me being slightly disappointed I had to turn around sooner than I anticipated. It was fine, I still got my miles in. And I still might find a way to go farther. Hubby says we can take a look at it from Google Earth and see how it might connect because he’s pretty sure there’s more trail to run.

Can I just say though, how *aware* I am of the muscles in my legs when I’m running? Wednesday’s workout was short but effective, and I was feeling the burn, for sure. But also, I could really sense that those muscles are getting stronger and it really is helping add more ease to my running. On my long run this week I chose to play my 180 beat playlist so it would keep me on a steady pace while I focused on my form and breathing. I’m still amazed at what the human body is capable of. Focused breathing really helped with my stamina, especially with those later miles on the long run. It’s nice to have these good runs to remind me on the harder days that it’s still worth it.

Saturday & Sunday – These two days I just really focused on resting and visiting with friends. It was a wonderful respite for both my body and soul. I was ready to hit the ground running come Monday, and you’ll hear all about that in next week’s update! Have a great day y’all! Shalom…

Domestic Engineer, Exercise, Family, Food, Funny story, Health, Kids, Marriage, Motherhood, Multiple Sclerosis, Music, Parenting, Photos, Running, Stories

Sleeping Bear Training Week 7

Leave a comment

This week, I’m pretty sure *I* was the sleeping bear. I’m gonna warn you right here, this is more than a running post. I’m gonna detour and touch on family matters and a little on perimenopause. If you can’t handle that, please move along. Thank you very much. If you’re game, please continue.

Sunday – I slept 8 hours, 43 minutes the night before. Not a lot of activity. I think I went to church. Yes, yes I did and I went to Planet Fitness afterwards to use the hydromassage beds. That was needed. I was still in a lot of pain from last week.

Me and the husband, hanging out in the parking garage like a couple of dorks in love. Scene behind us overlooks Detroit: Little Caesar’s Arena, Ford Field, etc.

Monday – Slept 9 hours, 36 minutes. I had planned to do strength training but according to my records, I did not. I did take a wicked nap in the afternoon in preparation for taking our daughter to her first concert. She was going with a friend to see Pierce the Veil and Blink 182, and hubs and I had a dinner date while we waited. I got a little teary eyed seeing her walk off towards the venue, knowing how much this meant to her. It was a good day. My babies are growing up so fast (more on that to come).

Cornfield behind me, this is one of the dead-ends in my neighborhood. This was just after I hit 4 miles and I so badly wanted to quit early and go straight home.

Tuesday – Slept 7 hours, 44 minutes. Ran 5 miles with hills. We’ve got a couple gnarly hills around our neighborhood and I was very pleased to see that my lungs and legs are handling them much better! This is growth, and great progress. It can only get better from here, if I stay consistent with the strength and hill training.

Wednesday – Slept 10 hours, 30 minutes. Took my daughter to the doctor for a well child visit. She’s doing well. Very healthy. Could use some improvements in her diet, which I’m sure is true of most teenagers (she’s 14). Right after getting a mom-requested lecture from the doctor about getting more fruits and veggies into her diet, she stood up and a package of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes fell out of her pocket. And, thank you for making my point, my dear! It was quite comical.

Thursday – Slept 9 hours, 40 minutes. I guess I didn’t do any training on this day. Probably more napping. I know I did have a lot of family management stuff I was working on so that’s probably what took all my time and energy. That and we took my daughter (Zebra Cake girl) shopping for some back to school clothes. I don’t remember what time we got home but I remember going straight to bed.

Friday – Slept 10 hours, 13 minutes. More family management stuff most of the day. Fitbod workout, 58 minutes. Triceps, shoulders, chest and lower back.

Saturday – Went to bed just before 8 pm the night before, which put my total sleep at 11 hours and 37 minutes. I was so tired. I did wake up around 4 am, read a book for about 10 minutes before going back to sleep. Because why not? This has been the pattern, and I believe it’s why I can “sleep” so many hours and still be tired the next day. It’s not great. I am blaming hormones and perimenopause, and have plans to see my ob/gyn doctor about it, eventually.

I say eventually, because I’ve been super preoccupied with managing my family’s schedules and clerical needs lately. I have one teenager just about to start driving and the other one entering his senior year of high school. And yes, the older is fully capable of doing many things on his own, but he is still living here and still in school and can always use some guidance. That and many things still require parental approval because he’s under 18. I don’t talk about my kids much here mostly because they have become their own people and they don’t need mom blabbing about their lives. They have social media, if they want to blab about their lives they can. But I will say that I am super proud of both of them.

My son is growing and maturing so fast I can’t keep up. Between his sports, friendships, and various jobs, he moves through this house like a hurricane and I barely get a chance to sit down and have chats with him. But when I do, I’m always blown away at who he is becoming and I’m excited to see where he goes in life.

My daughter is almost the polar opposite of her brother. She is an introverted homebody, and we always know where she is. I suspect that may change when she starts driving and working, but I’m enjoying having her around while I can. We have the best conversations, and I love hearing how her mind works. She is confident in who she is and I love that. I wish I had that at her age.

As we look to starting another school year, I’m reflecting on how far we’ve come as a family. We’ve been through so many challenges over the years. What I am proud of is the fact that we fought through all of our challenges as a unit. When one of us was falling, the other three were around to catch them. We work together to support each other, lend a hand, and let each other know we are not alone. Sure, we argue from time to time but overall we know we are loved no matter what. I hope we never lose that.

And that concludes my weekly training/life update. I imagine once the kids are back in school I’ll put more effort into writing more frequently. But still, I make no promises.

“There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
― Winston S. Churchill

Housekeeping, Kids, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running

Sleeping Bear Training Week 6

Leave a comment

~ Sunday – Planned rest day. I stuck with this day’s plan and rested, sort of. I went to church and worked in the nursery, but there were only 5 toddlers so between myself and the other helper, it was a pretty laid back morning. When I got home I did spend some time vacuuming, which is not resting obviously, but I can’t help it. I enjoy vacuuming, and clean floors, so I felt better mentally even if it tired me out a little. No worries.

~ Monday – 4 miles. I did not think I was going to be able to get these done! I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and I failed to get up early enough to run beforehand. However, I was able to run in the evening before it got dark. I happened to have a quick urge to go, and I quickly got dressed to run before the urge left me. I headed out to run the nearby gnarly hills on Huntshire and Holbrook and it worked out great. My calves and glutes were feeling it for sure, so I know I’ll be sore tomorrow. But I did it! And when I got back and saw my average speed of 12:15 minutes per mile I was stunned. I don’t expect to be able to maintain that pace for longer runs, but for a 4 mile run I was surprised. And with hills! So it’s fun to see evidence that I’m actually improving as I continue to train.

~ Tuesday – Rest! I had strength training planned, but pushed it to Wednesday. I was pretty fatigued the last half of this day as I was busy doing stuff with/for the kiddos, so rest was necessary. Also, note this is my “fatigue week” because my infusion is coming up on Friday.

~ Wednesday – Even though I had an appointment in the morning I was still able to knock out a Fitbod workout in the evening: 50 minutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. I’m working the lower body more and am curious to see how it affects my uphill running. I know I did some hard work because for the remainder of the night I was actually having trouble moving my left leg. An unwanted symptom I experience often but it’s usually only after I’ve been sitting for too long, and it always resolves itself quickly. This time it was slightly different in that I could still move the leg, but it felt like it was full of Jell-o, and I was nervous about putting weight on it, for fear it would give out entirely. Thankfully, a good night of rest resolved the issue and I didn’t have any more trouble with it.

~ Thursday – I walked around the block with a friend (first loop with my constipated golden retriever). Roughly 2 miles.

~ Friday – Infusion Day! And man, was I feeling the effects of Wednesday’s Leg Day. I was glad to have a little pampering at the infusion center (recliners, free beverages and snacks). This was another rest day, this time with no vacuuming.

~ Saturday – I saw that it wasn’t going to be terribly hot on this day so I didn’t worry about getting up too early. 7 am alarm was just fine, and I was out the door just before 8. I fully intended to run 9 miles, but about 3 miles in I started thinking I would turn around at 5 miles instead of 4.5, just to see how far the trail goes. And I did! I had some glute pain early on but I stopped, grabbed a signpost for balance and stretched it out and it was fine the remainder of the run. I ran past the signs that said “Trail Ends” and found that it basically just continues on a side street that gets zero traffic on Saturdays. I thought I took a selfie with the sign but got home and realized I had failed (I’m epically bad at taking pictures). So, all you get is a selfie of me turning around at 5 miles, and a pretty picture of the sun rising over the field.

After Wednesday’s Leg Day and Saturday’s 10 mile run, all my muscles are feeling the burn. From my glutes all the way down to my toes. Seriously. But I’m reminding myself that it means I’m getting stronger, and that is always good. I am really excited for fall, and cooler weather. And I’m really looking forward to this race I’m training for. It’s going to be a challenge, and in a completely new area to me. It will be a memorable adventure, I’m sure.

Next week my training looks about the same, but without all the appointments. I’ll just be preoccupied with making sure the kids (teenagers, they are almost adults so “kids” sounds weird now) are ready for school starting the following week. And one of these weeks I might find time to write about something other than running, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?

Shalom, y’all!