In baseball there are magic numbers which indicate the number of wins needed by a team to win a division. I know that's not a full explanation, but Dave can help me out in the comments.
My magic number for the past two weeks has been 3. That's the number of miles I have run since September 15th. Last week I was sicker than a dog (and still am) and in addition, I have returned to college which interferes with two days of running per week. Yesterday I worked 10 hours which kept me from running because I had too much homework to do for class today. My marathon is in 3-1/2 weeks and this is supposed to be my highest mileage week. I don't think 3 miles is going to cut it.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Do you remember the 21st night of September?
I do, because 5 years ago today we got married.
All week long I have been hounded by people to write me recap of Reach the Beach. And I have been able to use the excuse of being sick not to write a recap (because good God have I been sick this week), but this will be my first full day of working this week and I probably should write a recap. You can see my pictures here.
If you read Dave’s post you’ll know that we got seeded too high and had too late of a start time and spent the majority of the race closing the transition areas. It was a very lonely race. We because team number 333, the last team on the course. They didn’t know our team name, Profile Deluxe, but people would say, “Ah team 333. We heard about you.”
During Dave’s second leg which was around 3:30 in the morning, in total darkness with heavy rain, and completely alone, he missed a turn that would have taken him to his transition area. We waited and waited at the transition for him to show up. Brian took the van and started looking for him, came back about 10 minutes later and said he couldn’t find him. I have never felt so sick. We all climbed back into the van, except for Bob who was to run next and went looking for Dave. We went backwards on the course until the last time we had seen Dave and couldn’t find him. It was nerve-wracking to be sitting next to Jim and watching him look out the windows into the ditches and fields. We turned around and went forward on the course and finally found him two miles in the wrong direction but coming back towards us. Luckily Dave had run into another team’s support vehicle who pointed him in the right direction. We picked him up and took him to the correct transition and luckily we didn’t get a penalty since we were already the last team.
The whole situation was very scary. I like to think of myself as completely independent and could do just fine by myself. Most of the time I put myself above others, especially Dave. I am very selfish and I know that. But losing Dave even for the span of 45 minutes scared the living daylights out of me. Maybe I do need him. Maybe I’m not as selfish as I think. Maybe somewhere deep down in this shallow dark hole called a heart, I actually love him more than I can express.
Happy anniversary Dave.
All week long I have been hounded by people to write me recap of Reach the Beach. And I have been able to use the excuse of being sick not to write a recap (because good God have I been sick this week), but this will be my first full day of working this week and I probably should write a recap. You can see my pictures here.
If you read Dave’s post you’ll know that we got seeded too high and had too late of a start time and spent the majority of the race closing the transition areas. It was a very lonely race. We because team number 333, the last team on the course. They didn’t know our team name, Profile Deluxe, but people would say, “Ah team 333. We heard about you.”
During Dave’s second leg which was around 3:30 in the morning, in total darkness with heavy rain, and completely alone, he missed a turn that would have taken him to his transition area. We waited and waited at the transition for him to show up. Brian took the van and started looking for him, came back about 10 minutes later and said he couldn’t find him. I have never felt so sick. We all climbed back into the van, except for Bob who was to run next and went looking for Dave. We went backwards on the course until the last time we had seen Dave and couldn’t find him. It was nerve-wracking to be sitting next to Jim and watching him look out the windows into the ditches and fields. We turned around and went forward on the course and finally found him two miles in the wrong direction but coming back towards us. Luckily Dave had run into another team’s support vehicle who pointed him in the right direction. We picked him up and took him to the correct transition and luckily we didn’t get a penalty since we were already the last team.
The whole situation was very scary. I like to think of myself as completely independent and could do just fine by myself. Most of the time I put myself above others, especially Dave. I am very selfish and I know that. But losing Dave even for the span of 45 minutes scared the living daylights out of me. Maybe I do need him. Maybe I’m not as selfish as I think. Maybe somewhere deep down in this shallow dark hole called a heart, I actually love him more than I can express.
Happy anniversary Dave.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
You are never going to believe this, Part 2
Remember a few weeks ago when I told about my incredible luck (and skill) at the Master's Tennis Tournament? My luck continues.
Yesterday I was driving to my doctor's appointment and I noticed something flopping on the road. I took a closer look and noticed it was money. I immediately parked my car and ran over to the money and started picking it up. Low and behold, it was $100 bills! I'm not sure I had ever seen a $100 bill. Along with the money, which totalled $442, I found a wallet. As I sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office I called 411 and got the phone number for the gentleman's wallet I found.
He called me back later in the day and came over and picked up his wallet. I told him I picked up all the money I could find and hoped it was all of it because it seemed like a lot. He said he wasn't even concerned about the cash, but was concerned about the credit cards because he just had his identity stolen on the internet and the credit cards were brand new. He said he didn't even know his wallet was missing, that he must have had it on top of his car and it fell off when he was driving. He was so grateful for my honesty that he gave me $100 and then made a donation in my name to World Vision where Dave and I sponsor a child.
Isn't that a great story?
Yesterday I was driving to my doctor's appointment and I noticed something flopping on the road. I took a closer look and noticed it was money. I immediately parked my car and ran over to the money and started picking it up. Low and behold, it was $100 bills! I'm not sure I had ever seen a $100 bill. Along with the money, which totalled $442, I found a wallet. As I sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office I called 411 and got the phone number for the gentleman's wallet I found.
He called me back later in the day and came over and picked up his wallet. I told him I picked up all the money I could find and hoped it was all of it because it seemed like a lot. He said he wasn't even concerned about the cash, but was concerned about the credit cards because he just had his identity stolen on the internet and the credit cards were brand new. He said he didn't even know his wallet was missing, that he must have had it on top of his car and it fell off when he was driving. He was so grateful for my honesty that he gave me $100 and then made a donation in my name to World Vision where Dave and I sponsor a child.
Isn't that a great story?
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Wednesday Night Supper Club
Thursday Thoughts is going to take a little hiatus. My questions have become lame-o and I haven't gotten the response in a while that once was.
Welcome to my new segment called Wednesday Night Supper Club. Every Wednesday night my mom and dad, Dave and I, and sometimes special guests go to dinner. Each week a different person chooses a restaurant. Since we started this new tradition this summer we have had dinner at Mi Mexico (I'm not much into the authentic Mexican--next time I'll pass), Smokey Bones (always order the dessert donuts), BJ's (fantastic deep dish pizzas), Abuelo's (the best margaritas), Old Bag of Nails (great fish and chips--or so I hear), and Gibby's (fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches).
Last night was Dad's choice and we went to Rotelli's. Roltelli's is an Italian restaurant with great pasta dishes and good pizza. Because of my hard, hard run yesterday I was more thirsty than hungry and had pizza instead of the usual manicotti. My dad had lasagna, my mom pizza, and Dave and gnocchi bologne. The dinner was really good. Rotelli's is a chain restaurant, so if you have one in your town, check it out.
Welcome to my new segment called Wednesday Night Supper Club. Every Wednesday night my mom and dad, Dave and I, and sometimes special guests go to dinner. Each week a different person chooses a restaurant. Since we started this new tradition this summer we have had dinner at Mi Mexico (I'm not much into the authentic Mexican--next time I'll pass), Smokey Bones (always order the dessert donuts), BJ's (fantastic deep dish pizzas), Abuelo's (the best margaritas), Old Bag of Nails (great fish and chips--or so I hear), and Gibby's (fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches).
Last night was Dad's choice and we went to Rotelli's. Roltelli's is an Italian restaurant with great pasta dishes and good pizza. Because of my hard, hard run yesterday I was more thirsty than hungry and had pizza instead of the usual manicotti. My dad had lasagna, my mom pizza, and Dave and gnocchi bologne. The dinner was really good. Rotelli's is a chain restaurant, so if you have one in your town, check it out.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Mt. Carmel Fitness Challenge-1/2 Marathon
Yesterday Dave and I ran the Mt. Carmel Fitness Challenge 1/2 Marathon. We each had our own goals for this race. For me, I wanted to be able to run a 1:45 or better but be comfortable and not push the pace. Dave wanted to run a sub-2:00 race as he had yet to clear that hurdle. The race was in residential Reynoldsburg starting at the high school and winding around and around and around a neighborhood (seriously) and finally came back to the school via a bike path.
I started out pretty conservatively just under a 9:00 pace. It is so tough mentally to watch people run past you, but in every race I run I remind myself that I will see those people again. And I did. With each mile I picked up speed and began to pick people off. For several miles in the middle I had my eyes on a girl in front of me thinking she was probably in my age group. I caught her around mile 8 and ran with her until mile 10. She was really trying to break me and vice versa. At one point I didn't know if I could keep up and I asked her what age group she was in. Of course, she was wearing her headset and couldn't hear me. People! Take off your headsets! Finally at mile 10 I pulled ahead of her and I started to feel really great. I tailed about 3 guys for the next mile and a half until I pulled in front of them. At mile 11 on the bike path there was a curve and I was able to look back and see that the girl was still there. I turned on the jets and pushed as hard as I could until the finish. I ran a 1:43:17, which is my third fastest 1/2 marathon time. I finished 7th female overall and 2nd in my age group. The girl behind me was actually in the next age group up and she thanked me afterwards for pushing her. The girl who finished one ahead of me in my age group was in my eyesight and was only 30 seconds ahead.
Here's the best part. Dave's PR for the 1/2 marathon was 2:02 and change. He's been training really well for the Columbus marathon and he has his sights set on running a 4:00 marathon. And we totally think it's possible. He's been running with us every week and has been following his plan to a T. His goal for this 1/2 marathon was to run a sub-2:00 so he had some realization about running a 4:00 marathon. After I had finished my race, I stuck around and was talking to a friend. I thought I would have time to run back to the car and grab my camera before Dave finished. But out of nowhere Dave appeared way earlier than I expected him. He ran a 1:52:30; 10 minutes better than his previous PR. I've asked him to update his blog with it. Please send him a congratulations. He deserves it!
I started out pretty conservatively just under a 9:00 pace. It is so tough mentally to watch people run past you, but in every race I run I remind myself that I will see those people again. And I did. With each mile I picked up speed and began to pick people off. For several miles in the middle I had my eyes on a girl in front of me thinking she was probably in my age group. I caught her around mile 8 and ran with her until mile 10. She was really trying to break me and vice versa. At one point I didn't know if I could keep up and I asked her what age group she was in. Of course, she was wearing her headset and couldn't hear me. People! Take off your headsets! Finally at mile 10 I pulled ahead of her and I started to feel really great. I tailed about 3 guys for the next mile and a half until I pulled in front of them. At mile 11 on the bike path there was a curve and I was able to look back and see that the girl was still there. I turned on the jets and pushed as hard as I could until the finish. I ran a 1:43:17, which is my third fastest 1/2 marathon time. I finished 7th female overall and 2nd in my age group. The girl behind me was actually in the next age group up and she thanked me afterwards for pushing her. The girl who finished one ahead of me in my age group was in my eyesight and was only 30 seconds ahead.
Here's the best part. Dave's PR for the 1/2 marathon was 2:02 and change. He's been training really well for the Columbus marathon and he has his sights set on running a 4:00 marathon. And we totally think it's possible. He's been running with us every week and has been following his plan to a T. His goal for this 1/2 marathon was to run a sub-2:00 so he had some realization about running a 4:00 marathon. After I had finished my race, I stuck around and was talking to a friend. I thought I would have time to run back to the car and grab my camera before Dave finished. But out of nowhere Dave appeared way earlier than I expected him. He ran a 1:52:30; 10 minutes better than his previous PR. I've asked him to update his blog with it. Please send him a congratulations. He deserves it!
The Stars Aligned
Saturday was the best day. I got to spend the day with Mary and go to the Ohio State game where we trampled Youngstown State. Then I spent the next 1/2 hour after the game underneath the stadium watching Michigan lose to Applachian State. Those were some of the loudest cheers I heard all day. Finally I got to go home and watch Notre Dame lose. The stars all aligned.
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