Supportive Spouses of Badass Mother Runners

Tomorrow is my return to marathon racing. It was 2011 the last time I toed the line for 26.2. At 8AM I hit the starting line of the Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon with my amazing BRF, Lauren, in what promises to be pretty darn good running conditions: low 50s, overcast and 30% chance of rain. Not so fun for spectators on this on-the-beach start and finish, but perfect for us!

The reason for this hasty post after such an obnoxious absence is that I want to give a shout out to the Double-S-OBAMRs. What's a Double-S-OBAMR you ask? It stands for Spectacular Spouses of Bad Ass Mother Runners. My Double-S-OBAMR has been a complete rock star supporting  me through out my training and particularly in the last couple of days.

Every early morning run, even though I attempt to be quiet, I'm sure I awaken him at least on hour before he needs to be up. Every Saturday, when he'd surely rather be sleeping in, he gets up with the kids because I am out on my long run.

Today, he went above and beyond by taking all 3 boys on the Saturday errands so I could have the house to myself. Granted, while he did the dump run, grocery shopping and lunch out with the boys, I was home doing laundry, cleaning the house, and baking bread, but as any parent can tell you, those tasks - without children under foot - are an absolute DELIGHT!

In addition, he made me lovely homemade carb-laden dinner and popped up some popcorn as an evening snack.

CarbsRUs

Everyone enjoyed the popcorn. Some wanted more than their fair share!

In preparation for tomorrow, he has studied the course map and will, upon my request, position himself and the boys at mile 22 to hand me a banana. (The race, by the way, is about a 90 minute drive from our house. He's not leaving at 5AM with me, but he will haul the boys down the beach in time to cheer me on for the last miles.)

He has packed snacks and electronic amusements for himself and the boys. He has taken my Panera order (caprese sandwich and a full-test coke) for a post-race meal.

Packing up for a long day in the car with the boys. Note the iPad charging on the counter.

As I was thanking him for all of this work this evening he said, "Well, at the risk of sounding dumb, I think at this point we are in this together."

Indeed.

This is the first marathon (of 5) I have done where I can sleep in my own bed the night before. I have had the luxury of NOT packing up for the family for a whole weekend. I am feeling very lucky. I am feeling very ready. I am hoping that this feeling is based on preparedness and hard work. And it's certainly based on the support of many people, but especially my husband.

Such a Double-S-OBAMR!

And just cuz he's cute. Another picture of Gabe. I wanted him to show off the homemade bread I had made for dinner.... but this is his only pose once he sees the camera (phone) out!

The Lauren Files: Episode 2

Dear Lauren,

Well, I knew I would not be able to keep up with keeping you up with my running. (Huh?) But here I am, back in the safe confines of my house. Scott has the day/night off and he and boys are watching a movie on Netflix as I pretend to watch said movie. (Disney's "Treasure Planet"... Zzzzz. I just keep waiting for David Hyde Pierce to start a sentence with "My Maris....". Otherwise I am just not interested!) So, I'm taking advantage of the of reprieve of my duties to keep you posted.

It was a whirlwind trip to visit my family in New York. The boys and I were able to see a large chunk of my family, immediate and extended. My little hometown does a bang-up job with the Fourth of July and my mom organized us into a float, "101 Dalmatians." We learned yesterday that we won first place for "Funniest." I'm guessing this distinction had something to do with Mom leading the hoards (we are talking 40-ish 'puppies' on or walking with this float!) over to every fire hydrant along the way so they could 'go'. Hilarious. Or, maybe it was my sister Heather and her Drag Queen-worthy make up job/portrayal of Cruella D'Ville.

There are MAYBE 5 people in this photo who aren't related to me. Yup. Big family. (Notice me in the middle trying to lead everyone in panting like dog? Not many takers!)

My sister, Heather. Obviously 'shy & demure' runs in the family.

There was so much more to our week, but suffice it to say, we got our cousin/sibling/aunt/uncle/niece/nephew/in-law fix and it was great!

There's always a new t-shirt design for Camp Gungah. Team Giessler representin'! 

A few of the 'campers' enjoying the chickens at Iron Kettle Farm, which is owned operated by family friends.

My running went fairly well, too, actually. I was able to take advantage of Gabe's pack 'n play in my parents' room: I slunk out of the house very early on my run days and got back not too long after he was up. Thanks, Mom!! Here's the lowdown on the last week and a half or so:

Thursday 6/27: This was the morning I was leaving for the endless drive to NYS. The boys stayed at camp with Scott so I got up early and ran about 6 miles. (My GPS keeps tracking me going off the road and is overly generous on distances. Very annoying!) I did that horrendous hill near your former 'compound' and cursed you all the while. It was the perfect hard, middle distance to do before the drive.

Friday 6/28: Family funeral. So very many obligations I had to bag the idea of a run.

Saturday 6/29: "I ran a hilly half marathon before 7AM." This was a great run in my old stomping ground, only MUCH farther than I ever would have run as a kid. Nothing like getting out of bed at 4:45 to get your run on!

Sunday 6/30: Church and life. We called it another rest day.

Monday 7/1: Ran a flat 5 miles 'downtown' at 6AM.

Tuesday 7/2: Did 4 miles plus 8 200M repeats at the end. This was at the track at my former high school... which sadly did not exist when I ran there. I slept in and didn't run till 6:30 this day. Noticing a pattern!?

Thursday 7/4: I celebrated the birth of our nation with my toughest run at 'home'. A 5AM almost 9-miler. The plan called for 8 x 3:30 'hard effort' on hills. I miscalculated the distance this would take me so I ended up going MUCH further than necessary.

Behind me you can see the town. It's not the easiest run up and down there, let me tell ya! But an AMAZING view when you're done.

Friday 7/5: rest day.

Saturday 7/6: S'posta do 16. So exhausted from drive home and so hot outside... did 30:00 on elliptical instead. I regret nothing.

Sunday 7/7: 16.5 (-ish... the battery on my phone died before I finished.) This was a very hilly course from camp. I rocked the 6 miles I was meant to do at race pace but I totally bonked at the end. (Along with my phone, I guess!) Even though I hit the road before 5AM it was humid and the biting flies were vicious little bastards. I had at least planned ahead and placed loads of water and a couple of Gu's on the course the evening before, which was maybe the smartest thing I've done this month. This year, maybe! I was all proud of this running effort and my survival thereof... then I got a text from you saying you paced a friend in a MARATHON that day.... Well then.... Bragging rights detracted. :)

Monday (today) 7/8: I was back up at camp overnight and ran just after 6 this morning. It. Was. Horrid. I felt like gills were the appropriate anatomy structure for the humidity level. And if I thought the flies were bad yesterday, this morning they were out of a horror movie. I took off my shirt so I could use it as a fly swatter. Thankfully there are not a lot of cars driving up and down the rural roads at that hour, but I'm sure the few people who saw me thought I was having some kind of a seizure. The most basic 4 mile course from camp is down the hill two miles and back up the hill two miles. I don't know for sure, but I'm confident I walked more than I ran. I was just plain toast.

Annnnyway, tomorrow is another tough-ish work out. (I'm in denial and I STILL haven't checked the schedule to know for sure what's in store...) I also start teaching 1/2 days of summer school. So, I think I need to go to bed and dream of dry heat, dead flies and recovered legs.

Oh, and no. I still haven't registered for that marathon. Hmmm. Guess I should do that. Tomorrow.

Hastily written and poorly edited, I am your dutiful Running Pal,
Phoebe

The Lauren Files

My Best Running Friend has returned to her home near Burlington, VT. I was so lucky to get to know her last fall and we quickly found that we were quite compatible running mates. True friendship was not far behind. If you are a runner, you know how easily conversation turns from casual to fairly meaningful as the miles and sweat adds up. There's nothing like it. I miss her and will look forward to the opportunities we have to run together in the coming months, specifically, for our ultra Reach the Beach Team and the Hampton Rockfest Marathon. I hope this medium will serve to keep my blog breathing and keep my treasured BRF apprised of my nonsense, running and otherwise! 

Dear Lauren,

Well, I told you that with you moving off to Vermont it might inspire me to get my arse back to blogging. You've been out of Live Free or Die Land for less than a week so I'm going to pat myself on the back for getting to it. We shall see what kind of maintenance plan I can sustain.

So, there's been plenty of running 'round here (in every sense of the word) since you left. School got out for the boys and I on Friday. The big "aahhhhh" that ought to accompany that occasion has yet to transpire and looking at our family calendar, I'm pretty sure we are skipping the "ahh" in Summer 2013. But that's okay. 

The boys and I spent the weekend sort of figuring out how to live with each other all-the-time again. I instituted a "pay-for-play" policy on screen time which so far, they really seem to dig. They have to do a chore, watch Gabriel, read a book, do online math activities, write in a journal... stuff like that. Each activity is slated a certain monetary or screen time value (kid's choice). I'm embarrassed to say that it was this system that finally led me to teach the boys how to vacuum and wash windows. (Imagine, a wannabe feminist like me taking so long to teach these things to her boys? I know if I had a daughter she would already be adept at these and many other housekeeping duties.... Mommy Fail!) They are not very good at it at this point, but it's not like I am looking for spotless. If I can't embrace the inevitable filth of living with 3 boys (+1 big boy), I can at least ignore it a little! 

The annual acclimatization of Dad being away 6 days a week is also underway. It's not as bad as it sounds, since we get to see him everyday at camp, but it is a bummer that he's only home one day a week. For example, he had yesterday off so we went to Concord for some shopping and lunch. He and the big boys went to the beach after that and then we had a thunder-storm-accompanied dinner. Because he's always 'on' at camp, I convinced him it would be a good idea for him to go check out Man of Steel with a coworker last night. I got up and ran hard this morning, arrived back at 7AM and he was poised to start up the lawn mower (we are on the verge of bailing hay in the backyard!), but the logic was not there: he needed to leave by 7:45 and he hadn't showered yet. So, I mowed for 45 minutes until he had to take off. (In other words, still plenty of hay here if your horses are hungry).  I can wear my Badass Badge for cranking out 7-ish miles + 45 minutes of pushing a lawn mower all before 7:45AM, but I was still cranky and pooped  by 2:30 from the effort!

Another summer time bonus is the meal situation. In other words - I basically don't have to cook. There's a new chef at camp and although he's not blowing me away with Vegetarian entree options, his side dishes are incredible. (Who knew a person could, like, season vegetables?!?) There's certainly no chance that I will waste away this summer as my mileage kicks up. 

Added to the fun of our typical summer shenanigans, I am trying to get lines memorized for the show I'm in, get prepared for teaching summer school. And after a lengthy struggle with cancer, my Uncle passed away yesterday afternoon. This sad event for us was a true blessing for him, so we will be focused on celebrating his life. Of course, it also means the boys and I are heading out sooner than expected for our annual Camp Gungah adventure in my hometown. 

(So, ummm, remind me why I thought it would be a good idea to train for a marathon this summer!?)

Now, at last, to the intended topic of this letter, Dear Lauren. My running. It's going pretty okay, actually, though running with you in real life far exceeds the pleasure of virtually running with you. Let's see if I can recap the last few days:

Friday: Last day of school and at about 5AM I got 4 miles in but there was a severe lack of mojo. Just happy to get them in. 9:18 pace.

Saturday. Got up at 4:15AM (YUP, that's what I said!) so I could get in 15 miles before Scott had to leave for camp. The Train Like a Mother "Own It" plan called for the middle 5 to be "race pace". In order to simulate the relative flatness of the course we will have at Smuttynose, I chose to run into town and do miles 6-11 on the Cotton Valley Trail. (Same deal we did the week before when it was 14 miles). I'm not going to even try to be humble out those miles. I freakin' OWNED them: (8:33, 8:26, 8:06, 7:54, 7:57). It was all I could do to not yelp with glee each time my phone told me my splits... but given that my run started at 4:38 AM, it was a touch on the early side for whooping it up. My average pace for the whole run was 9:12, and given that I truly took it easy after the race pace miles, I was insanely happy with that, too.

Sunday was a rest day. Intended to do ab ripper. Did not. 

Monday: The boys and I spent Sunday night at camp with Scott (the basement apartment he has is not much to look at but it's about 30 degrees cooler than our house!). I got up to run early Monday morning and it was horrible. The humidity was just ferocious. The plan called for 4-5 miles. My phone is all screwed up though and says I did 5.6. Pretty sure it was only 5. The pure hell of running in that weather is odd to me. I don't feel winded and my muscles don't even feel that fatigued. I just feel like I would much rather walk on the hills... and sometimes I did! Thank goodness I had the foresight to bring my water belt to camp with me because even at that relatively low mileage, I downed 20 ounces of water.

Tuesday: And that brings us to today. Again, my phone is wonky with mileage. My plan was 1.5 mile warm up, 2 miles at tempo, .25 recovery, 2 miles tempo and 1.5 mile cool down. According to my phone my splits were off the charts amazing, but I knew when the nice lady told me we were at mile .5 that I was at least .25 short of that mark, it was going to be a funky run. Either way, the 3Hs (hot, humid and hills) made me feel like I did a bang up workout, even if it was short of the miles I wanted. (Hee hee it says I did mile 5 in 6:36, for example. Yeah. SUUURREE! Maybe iPhones are not a fan of humidity either...) Oh, and I FINALLY did Ab Ripper this afternoon. It was modified slightly as I had a 14-month-old coach climbing on me for a good deal of it. But, better than nothing, I say.

After our 'last' long run a week and a half ago-ish. We didn't have to go fast, so we didn't!

It should be interesting to see how my training (and my blogging!) fairs over the next week and half a or so. I think I will be alright running in  my old stomping ground because there will be plenty of willing caretakers of Gabe (19 cousins plus aunts and uncles have to be good for SOMETHING, right?!). Here's hoping he warms up to them quickly... otherwise I'll probably doing a lot more 4:30AM runs. Yikes....

Miss you lots, my friend, and hope that your new/old reality is treating you well. 

xoxo,
Phoebe

Mother's Day

My two Mother's Day gifts were perfect:

1. A kid-free morning to volunteer at the Big Lake Half Marathon. Thought it was gonna pour but it was quite warm and humid and the black flies were ridiculous. BUT, I loved cheering on the 1,000+ amazing runners. I particularly loved cheering on the handful of friends I knew on the course. I was marshaling at mile 3.5... which turned into mile 11 after they did a loop... so I had a great time.

2. When I got home my husband presented me with gift number 2: the garage fridge stocked with beer and wine. (Lately we have always been out of any adult beverages at the precise moment one would have really hit the spot.) What can I say? He knows me!

On another note.... I am going to gun for a BQ at the October 6th Rockfest Marathon in Hampton, NH. Flat and fast, they say. Here's hopin' this old girl can make it happen. Training officially starts in June by my brain is already obsessing.

Happy Mother's Day, moms. Not an easy day for so many, but I hope all your maternal thoughts are happy and hopeful ones. Most days I take my Mom and my Momhood for granted. I will try not to... for tomorrow, anyway!

Me and my sign. A nice fella from a local running club was taking photos. And no, I was not going for 'sexy' with the off-the-shoulder blaze orange vest. I just ooze sexy naturally, obviously.

Olympic Marathon

Just watching the women race here and thinking...

All the Olympic athletes are incredible. But there's something about watching these runners. Not everyone has done Judo or played volleyball or shot skeets (skeet shooted? skeeted their shots? huh...). So we don't necessarily know how it feels to attempt these endeavors.

But everyone (with a few exceptions) knows what it feels like to run. So the marathon gives you a very clear indication of how incredible these people are. Just.so.unbelievably.FAST!

My fastest marathon is a 3:44. Three hours and forty-four minutes after the gun, these ladies will have hugged their kids, spoken to 10 or 12 media outlets, eaten a good meal, showered and probably checked the status of their latest order on Amazon.com.

Just amazing.

And for now, that is all.