saturday musings

Up before everyone else so I thought I would sit down and blog for a minute.  What all is going on right now, other than friday funday quizzes?  Well, winter has finally shown up.  After having a glorious week of 60s and 70s, thursday had ice and cold.  Like loose the power and get off early ice and cold.  Weird that we were in t shirts and shorts running just the night before.  But alas, she had to show her face at some point, and most of us were shocked it had been this long.  Granted, others south and north of us got snow so i guess i can't complain.  It was short lived and by the next morning, was mostly gone.  I have to admit though, I wussed out about running last night.  I figured most of the ice was gone but it was cold and dark and I just couldn't muster the will to run.  I have to get over this because winter is going to be like this for a few months for sure.  I have tried buying some new winter gear thanks to target and at the runner's expo at the half so I will be warm but I think i am just a warm weather runner.  I like sweating i guess.  SO this morning is my first below freezing run.  I guess I will get to test out all of my new stuff all in one run.  My next training cycle starts in january so need to use these next couple of months to get ready to brave this winter craziness.  Like this morning.  We are scheduled to do 6 miles and it is 24 out but feels like 14.  BRRRRRR!

Dog shows are all opening up that are in january and I am thinking about skipping the january ones.  I hate worrying about winter weather anyway so I may just sit these out this year.  I don't think i will skip the february USDAA show in lawrence.  Too close and my fav venue so will scrape the money up somehow.  We are getting another club in the area for USDAA and the local club was sold to someone who wants to do at least four shows a year so maybe i could just do USDAA?  The oklahoma club pulled alot of texas people and their venues were nice so I am betting they will have many shows next year to.  Just wished we could have finished our MX and MXJ this year.  Then i would be saying good bye AKC.  I am betting we won't get much practice this winter anyway.  I signed up to take a class from one of my friends at her little indoor (non heated but at least a roof over our head) barn and I have yet to get to actually go thanks to the hub's work schedule.  I am not complaining one bit.  Thanks to the hub's work schedule, I have been able to get some stuff paid off and get some nice winter gear.  So work god's don't mistaken my comments as complaining cause I am NOT.

Andrew is everywhere now.  Gibbering like he is talking to you.  Constantly.  I have no clue what he is saying.  Words sometimes accidentally come out.  I have heard him say all of the dog's names, NO, and then random words that I didn't even know he knew.  Right now he is obsessed with trains.  We live several blocks from tracks but you can hear them lout and clear and every time they go by, he says choo-choo.  Except he can't make the CH sound so it sounds like shoe-shoe.  SO cute!  We just bought him a big book of trains and he loves looking at the pics and pointing at the trains.  He has also discovered that stores have toys and he wants toys.  Makes shopping a whole new adventure.  Still trying to decide what to get him for christmas.  He loves trains so we have been looking for a train set that is good for toddlers.

This is his favorite but it was made in 1986 and we can't find one like this that is newer.  This is at the discovery center in topeka.  

We also found a rocking horse that is stuffed and the perfect size for him to get off and on to.  Might also be a good idea.  He loves cars and trucks too so anything he can push and make noises.  It is so much fun to find things for him right now.  I think we will do santa this year and stockings and I am so excited!  My biggest memory as a kid was getting a king sized snickers bar every year in my stocking and getting to eat it all that morning for breakfast.  Good times:)

Andrew is still going through food strikes periodically.  They drive me nuts but I know he won't starve to death.  His favorites suddenly become not, he will get stuck on a certain food and that is all he wants (see the post on fig newtons).  I have to admit, I like to feed him what is easy since I never cook and my hubby hasn't been home to cook so this child will be raised on spagetti os and hot dogs.  I guess i ate alot of that too and i turned out all right.  He still loves fruit which makes me happy and isn't too addicted to mcdonalds yet.  Hot dogs seem to be the go to food no matter what.  At least we have something when he goes on strike.   Some kids won't eat anything.  

Well time to toughen up and go for a run!  Hopefully I won't freeze to death!!!! Six miles and it feels like 14.  BRRRRR!

A little friday funday quiz

So I saw this on another blog post so I thought I would try it.  

Where is your cell phone? Right in front of me by the keyboard of my computer as I type.  It is pretty much always with me.

Your significant other? Tony C.  Been together since 2001, been married since 2004.  Wow, almost the big 10 for our anniversary!

Your hair? As usual, long and stringy and needs to be trimmed and colored.  Would love to be able to get it fixed more often but that is a luxury and way down on the list for things I need to get done. 

Your mother? Is my best friend.  I love her more than anything.  We talk twice a day on my commute to and from work and then various other times during the day on FB or the phone and we commonly skype at night so she can see her grand child.  

Your father?  I have two.  My step dad is retired from the fire department but still has a side job.  He really does love me but shows it in very odd ways.  LIke we don't talk regularly but he has bought all of my vehicles (well mom got me my first truck) and helped me pay for some of grad school.  He just recently bought me an older van than the one I drive but younger on mileage.  My real father lives in arkansas i think and works in memphis.  We talk maybe once or twice a year.  I would like to have better relationships with both.

Your favorite thing? Running or doing dog agility

Your dream last night? I dreamt that a DJ friend I have and I were trying to help another friend get a job.  It was very, very odd.  Her hair caught on fire at one point.  It never seemed to have a real point to it but I do remember we were in LA or some place that had alot of traffic.

Your favorite drink? Favorite soda=Coke zero with vanilla.  Favorite coffee=peppermint mocha.    I really wish water was my favorite but sadly it still isn't.  

Your dream/goal? To teach dog agility and show more and get back to the nationals that i use to do.  I miss those big events.  To run better and smarter and do more halfs and maybe a full (gulp) and even dip into tris.  To be a good mommy to my kiddo and show him how to be healthy and dream big.  

The room you are in? The lab next to the gene sequencer

Your fear? Heights for sure.  Death, especially in those I love.

Where do you want to be in six years? Still doing the things I love.  Loving my 40s and being healthy and active and maybe helping my hubby with his own business.  

Where were you last night? Sleeping with my kiddo, hubby and two aussies.

What are you not? Quiet.  Ever.

Muffins? Love the ones from paramour coffee.  The fruit combinations she does are amazing.  Favorite is raspberry lemon.

One of your wish list items?  Mizuno winter running tights.  Just wish they weren't so darned expensive

Where you grew up? Tennessee, western that is.  

The last thing you did? Designed a protocol with my boss for extracting high molecular weight DNA from eggs.

What are you wearing? Old navy jeans, KSU hoodie, and a white T.  Nike shoes and some plain on cotton socks.

Your TV?   Off because I am at work.  Regularly on disney jr.  I can sing all the theme songs to all the kids shows.  Have been known to watch episodes of sophia the first and doc mcstuffins sans andrew.  

Your pets? Four aussies, miller, harley, deuce and stella

Your computer? We LOVE our mac desktop.

Your life? Finally getting the hang of being a mommy and juggling all the other things in it.  I have cut back on a lot of things and that seems to have helped me find some peace and order amongst the chaos.  

Your mood?  Alot of stress right now with my job as we try and transition out of the beta testing phase and into the full service phase of being a gene sequencing lab.  I take care of that by being for the most part stress free at home or by running and drinking LOL.

Missing someone? My mom.  I miss her all the time even though we are in constant contact.  Wish she lived closer like oh, next door.  

Your Car? Transitioning from my 2002 dodge caravan that has 224, K miles to a 2000 dodge minivan that has 46 K.  

Something you are not wearing? uh undies?  Just kidding.  

Favorite store? Target!!!!

Your summer? LOVE it.  Even though it is hotter than satan's balls here in the summer.  Apparently I am a summer runner, even if we have to get up at 4 am to do so.  Plus, the student population disappears in the summer so we can park next to our building and eat at any of the local restaurants without a huge wait.  

Like someone? I like everyone.  For the most part.  

Your favorite color? Purple

When was the last time you laughed? With my student as we watched some GIF compilation.  

Last time you cried? This morning when I watched a video of a tornado hitting a house.  I think it is that the time of the month for emotions.  

What is one thing on your To-Do list? Get my old van sold. 

Okay, now it’s YOUR turn to go Old School!

Tell me more about you!

The final shindig of the year

I was hoping to end this dog show year on a good note.  This year has surely been full of ups and downs.  Many emotions (and hormones) making me re evaluate my goals, my wants, my desires.  I have talked to many people about many angles from quitting agility to doing more and to teaching more and of course less which directly affects my ability to go to shows.  I have changed things around to make them fit in my life, just doing one dog show a month, teaching on weekends versus weeknights, and taking andrew with me to many of the shows so I don't miss him so terribly much.  I have tried to be happy with the small things, the good parts to every run, the good training runs, the online class I was taking, the students who stuck with me and made changes in their schedules so I could continue teaching.  Yet here I am, not anymore happy or fulfilled, still not knowing what to do or why.  Teaching is done for the winter, that was a no brainer.  Students, unless they are hardcore like me, usually don't appreciate doing course work in the freezing cold.  So that is on hold till next spring unless we have a really unusually mild winter.  Still thinking about workshops, trying to get some money coming in for shows.  Shows will be less through the winter, mainly because money will be tight, but also because I don't drive in winter weather.  Going to enter the January one in Lawrence, because it is so close and only two days.  Going to try and take a class with my friends and keep deuce in some sort of shape through the winter.  Really, really want to do USDAA in february.  But this all takes money and if none is coming in, well, then that might settle it.  Poor hubby is working like a dog right now with no end in sight.  Trying to get some bills paid off and trying to get some padding in the savings account.  Sadly, i think it will yet be another goaless year in 2014. More having fun, just being in the moment.  Okay so to talk about this weekend.

So normally when I have andrew, I don't enter friday so I can travel that day and take my time. When I entered this show, I had planned on camping with barb and not having andrew.  Closer till time, plans changed and I was to have andrew with me while hubby worked. I decided, rather than drag him in the car at 4 am to get down to wichita, we would just sleep till our normal time, head on down after doing some running around and hope for the best.  Got one run in, standard, with one refusal, my fault.  I had walked chute going into 180  of jumps with a rear but i got there faster than I thought I would and reverted to a front which caused him to not see the jump at all.  Stupid handler.  This seemed to be the theme for the weekend and I an not sure why.  Was not nervous, just made some stupid handling mistakes.  Same in standard the next day, did a blind off of the a-frame to the weaves and I guess he just didn't see them.  I thought all the work we did with the 2 x 2s caused him to seek out the weaves but i guess  that wore off.   Same story, different verse in JWW on sunday, did a three jump lead out, went to FC, did it too early and pulled him around a jump.  Now If I had wanted him to NOT take that jump, i am sure he would have:) I knew as soon as I rotated that i had screwed up.  Glad I kept my foul language in check.  I think i said something like, "and I am screwed".  The rest of the course was fast and flawless.  Even though he side stepped the jump, his YPS was in the high 6s which is awesome for a little aussie like deuce!.

Overall, we only had one really bad run and one bad walk of shame run.  He decimated the double (first obstacle in T2b) on sunday and I pulled him off and got a nice verbal correction.  He missed his weaves in standard on sunday so got a nice verbal correction in there too and got him back but then he lost it again further down the course and I had to pull him because he was just out of it.  In his defense, or maybe i shouldn't say it that way but, there were three dogs in heat at the trial.  One coming in crated next to him, one in that was kept in the car away from the other dogs, and one that was kept in the worker's room but was in and out of the show site.  Now, I expect him to work through these issues but you could tell sunday that his brain was not there.  He actually did two things very unlike him.  One, he sat in his crate and barked and whined pretty much till we left, with me correcting him and others yelling at him and covering him.  This was with many bathroom breaks to make sure he was okay in that department, which he was.  He was VERY concerned about andrew all that day, to the point of growling and lunging at another dog approaching andrew's stroller.  He has never done that, usually does not have a mean bone in his little wiggly body.  He is the most submissive intact male dog that i have ever met.  I guess in his defense, with all things considered, he did pretty well to keep it together.  Heck, my brain wasn't totally in it either.  Andrew had pretty much gone on a food strike friday morning and ate basically grapes and fig newtons all weekend.  And some spinach artichoke dip.  So fruits and veggies are good right?  He slept good at night, had a several whiny movements at the restaurant friday night and at the hotel saturday night but overall he was good.

 So why am I disappointed?  I am trying to be so many things right now, a mom, an agility competitor and a runner and I feel like I am failing in all departments, yes even in running right now. I wanted to end this agility year on a high, not a low.  Being removed from the show a day, I have been able to focus more on the good things and remember how awesome a few of his runs were from start to finish, minus my stupid mistakes.  I feel bad for letting him down.  I feel bad for my friends for having to deal with me and a toddler all weekend.  I had a huge pity party saturday when I decided to not subject the group to a whiny toddler and not go have huge margaritas but instead do the mommy thing and take him to mcdonalds (that has a huge indoor play area that sadly was not made for kids his age) and try and eat some nasty greasy food and get him to eat as well.  I just feel like I can't do both agility shows and be a mom and have a good time with my friends and I am just not okay with that.  I hated the way i felt all weekend, being selfish and wanting to be with my friends and feeling sorry for myself.  I have this wonderful, although right now strong willed busy bodied toddler that I love.  I need to be in the moment, even if that means no more shows for me for a while.  It's killing me inside to fight these emotions but that is where I am at right now.  Something is going to have to give and I don't want it to be my hubby's job or for me to go to show after show and have a bad experience and feel horrible.  I started packing stuff up saturday night because I just couldn't take andrew not eating and being fussy and wanted to be home.  I don't like feeling that way.  I think my plan of attack is going to be entering what little shows I can and if my hubby has to work that weekend, pulling from the show, even if his plans change and he doesn't work.  I would rather do that than enter and go and be miserable.

On to the topic of running.  I am done with my two weeks of recovery.  I took it very easy the first week and just did a 3 mile and then a race that saturday.  This last week, I did three runs, a 4, a 3 and a 4.7.  Wanted to run yesterday but I hadn't eaten thanks to andrew not eating and not allowing me to eat so I didn't think that was wise. Looking forward to running a full four days with a long run this week and getting back into the groove.

Tails on the Trail 2013

why do i look so serious?

This was suppose to be my recovery week but i kind of had some poor planning on my part and planned a race the weekend after my half.  My running coach wasn't exactly thrilled but I promised i wouldn't push it and as luck would have it, it rained pretty much all week so I couldn't push it.  The trails were slick and muddy and there was standing water in several places so stella and i had to take it easy in several spots.  I was amazed that my legs were not sore all week but they felt tired and heavy.  Went for a shake out run friday with a new running friend and did 3 miles in like 30 minutes flat and we weren't even pushing it.  Hmmm...getting faster, slowly but surely.  We talked the whole way and neither one of us were out of breath.  So weird.  Anyway, mom, andrew, stella and I all headed to topeka saturday morning.  It was cold but sunny and the wind wasn't too bad.  I did this race last year and did it in 38 minutes.  It was my first race post andrew and I was mortified at my time.  My body was not in the best of shape from the c-section and my core was a wreck.  I had tried to do the bridge to 10 K program and I was NOT ready for this.  It was too much running too soon.  Instead of training smartly, I trained stupid and gave up.  Shortly after this race, I went back to my bootcamp style work outs 5 days a week and got my core back into the shape it needed to be for me to run and to run injury free.  This race is one of my favorites because you can take your dog and it is a very pretty trail run.  I need to do more trail work as it is really different than pavement running and is a different mental game.  I made sure of two things this year.  I made sure stella pooped before we ran since she pooped mid run last year and really killed my pace.  I also made sure I was at the beginning of the pack because the trails were narrow in some places and there were many walkers last year.  Also last year it was a gun start and no chip timing so being in the back, I started a lot later than the pack and still got a start time that they had.  So last year I was a finish time of 37:55 (12:14 pace), 17th in my age group and 96th overall.  I can't find the total runners, will have to see if that is somewhere.  This year, I ran it in 30:26 (9:49 pace) was 19th out of 185,  and 2nd in my age group.  A testament to good training.  I probably could have pushed it harder and gotten first but I just didn't want to fall and hurt myself.  I got a trophy, a bag of dog treats and stella got this super cool embroidered scarf.  I was more than a little happy:)  Can't wait till next year!

Part three. Post half marathon

 So here are the things I have learned with my first half marathon in the books:

1.  Hotel near the start/finish line is a good thing.  I would rather stay near the start/finish than the expo.

2.  VIP toilettes are very nice and worth the extra dough although i only used them once.

3.  Planning a min vacation at the start of the race may not be a good idea.  Tons of walking to sight see may be too much for your legs.  I would prefer to stay in the city I am running at and near the start line the night before.  They shut down most of st. louis for this race and people had to be parked and in town by like 4 am!  We had a heck of a time getting out of town to go home because of the shut downs so I can't imagine how hard it would be and how stressful it would be to get in that morning.  I don't like extra stress so I will always stay in the city i am running in the night before.

4.  Trust in your training.  I was not nervous and I felt like I ran a good race.  Find a good plan or hook up with a running coach.  I LOVE my running coach.  Her advice through the whole training was awesome and i couldn't have done it without her.  Lots have people have asked me how I found her.  I found her through where I get my massages.  They had started a running program and were offering a running coach to runners.  I took them up on the offer and i was so pleasantly surprised.  She is also a degreed and certified nutritionist so she helped me figure out fueling pre race and during the race.

5.  Make sure you estimate your time better so you start in the right corral.  I would rather go backwards than to have to pass all the people i had to pass.  They do have corral change at the expo, I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of it.  It is worth it.

6.  Train your brain as much as you train  your body.  I had this covered since I do so much mental management in agility.

7.  When training, find a running partner.  They make you accountable and they make you train harder.  The first time I really "Trained" for races, I was by myself and skipped many runs, especially speed work runs because they are harder.  That is probably why I didn't do so well.  Also it forces you to eat better because you don't want the runner's trots in front of a partner.  Although farting is acceptable and ignored LOL. I could NOT have finished and ran as fast as I did without my BRF.  She and my running coach are what helped me accomplish this race.  I found my BRF through a work out class.  We had been taking together for a year or so and we always partnered up when we would do partner work outs.  She worked out at the same intensity I worked out at so I knew we were both competitive at the same level.  Getting our schedules to mesh is sometimes hard, especially when we run at night versus morning but it is so worth it.  Group runs are also great to go to.  Our running company has some and body first where i get my massages has group runs.  It is a great way to meet people and find a BRF.  Also there are usually give aways and I have much less stress about pacing or tempo runs in groups because there is always some speedy to help with that.

8.  Invest in some good running gear.  I know, running is suppose to be free and cheap but it is worth it to pay some bucks for some good shoes that fit and to replace old shoes when they need it.  It made me almost cry to pay 140 bucks for shoes since I am kind of cheap when it comes to shoes (example, I am still wearing some hiking boots from high school) but it will make your body and your feet very happy.  I also got some cool winter stuff last year on the clearance rack that came in handy on race day.  Cheaper =happy me.  Surprisingly for my summer training gear, walmart and target had some pretty good deals and their offerings worked great.  I LOVE the tank tops made by danskin at walmart and they were literally just a few bucks a piece and came in some super cute colors.

I am excited to train for and run some more halfs.  I am already signed up for Hospital Hill in KC in June of 2014 and am contemplating the heartland series which is three half marathons in KC in april and may.  Yep, been bitten by the bug:)

St. Louis Rock and Roll Marathon Part 2

Now for Part 2 since part one was running a bit long:

Saturday we decided to devote to going to Forest Park.  Again on my FB poll, that was the second most mentioned idea of places to go and see.  We settled on the Zoo since andrew loves animals right now.  What we didn't know was that Saturday was Boo at the Zoo so there were thousands of kiddos dressed up in costumes trick or treating.  It made getting around the zoo super hard and we almost left a few times.  Glad we didn't.  We rode the train all around the park as Andrew is obsessed with trains right now.  He seemed to have a good time and no one stole our stroller while we were riding.

The first thing we did was get a build a bear or should I say build a hippo.  His name is Louis and yes, he is a cardinal's fan.  Andrew kissed and licked the heart before she put it in.  It was very touching and funny.  He even helped her with the stuffing.  It says "I love you" when you press on it's leg.  So funny.  We also rode the carousel.  Andrew was so excited to do so but once he was on it and we were going, i think he got motion sickness and decided he wanted OFF.  Of course we couldn't get off and they wouldn't let me hold him (my animal i was riding didn't move) so tony just had to hold him while he fussed.  

This was taken pre-movement.  The lady that took the picture literally took 50 of the same thing.  She kept saying she didn't think it was taking anything and when I got the phone back to check, yep, 50 pics of us smiling.  Oh well.  Kind of cute I think!  The St. louis zoo is interesting in that it is free to get in but EVERYTHING ELSE is a fee.  Oh well, it was fun.  The best part was the children's zoo.  They had a naked mole rat and andrew LOVED that dang nasty looking critter.  He was glued to it's cage while it motored around.  He also got to pet several goats and a guinea pig.  I got to pet a hedge hog as well and see a little armadillo running around.  Really neat even if it was yet another fee to enter.  Mom got there that night so I had some relief.  Was able to sit with my legs up and ice the sore spots a little bit, well when andrew wasn't trying to eat the ice out of the bag.  I also put on my compression socks for a while and I think that helped as well.  We ordered in dinner so we didn't have to worry about the St. Louis world series crowd.  I have to say, the traffic and crowds weren't as bad as I thought they would be.  We weren't super close to the stadium but we could see the lights.  

Morning of.  My outfit.  Running tights, my new nike volemero 8s.  Went with my hat instead of my new brook's band for my ears.  Mizuno breathe thermal shirt, gloves and my new rock and roll fuel belt, complete with my favorite watermelon chomps.  Stayed with my typical headphones and not my new wireless headphones.  Thank goodness I had made a play list as pandora was NOT working.  I kept it on low the whole time so I could enjoy the bands and the cheering.  Woke up not nervous.  Hmmmmm...Got nervous about not being nervous LOL.  Usually my nervous stomach is not a good thing but pre-long run, it is welcomed and needed.  TMI. I know.  Anyway, mom walked with me to the start line so the boys could get some extra sleep and stay warm.  I was told that no one other than the runners could be at the start.  I was wrong but the boys were there, I just didn't get to see them.  

mom and I before I loaded into the corral.  She had bought me a super warm, super cute coat at the thrift shop to throw away at the start.  Since she was there, I just gave it back to here about 10 minutes before the race.  Bonus:)  

My corral.  Not what I expected.  This is my first big race so i envisioned pens, like what animals would go it.  Not so.  Just a sign and two people eventually holding a rope in front of us.  I wisely chose to stand at the front of my corral.  I was in the wrong one (i estimated 6 months ago that i would finish in 2:40).  Based on my 12 miler, I was hoping to be done in 2:30 or less.  I learned quickly how important it was to be in the correct corral. I probably spent 10 or so miles passing people.  I was constantly weaving back and forth.  That took up a ton of energy.  I am sure there would still be people to pass even if I was in the correct corral because I am sure people over estimate their pace too.  Heck, I had no clue what I would be capable of except what my 12 miler was like which was a week before the race.  I usually stay around 11-11:15 on long runs but my last long run was in the 10:40 range so when that number kept popping up on my watch, I wasn't hugely surprised.  I did have trouble finding someone to pace with.  I found two ladies that were always ahead of me that were dressed in tutus and colorful shirts.  I kept them in my sights the whole race but they were faster the whole race.  I hung out with a group of ladies and briefly talked with them but lost them at a water stop and got ahead of them.  Caught up to the 2:30 pace around mile 10 but they felt slow so I went ahead and passed.  I was concerned that I was running too fast but I felt good so I went with it.  I kept my watch on pace instead of distance so I could monitor my speed since I hadn't found a pace partner.  I would latch on to someone briefly but never found anyone i could stick with the whole race other than the tutu ladies.  My mantra was "it's just a long run with a few thousand friends".  I told myself to enjoy it and take it all in and I did so.  Read every sign, high fived every cheerleading squad and kid and enjoyed the scenery.  Would have liked to talk with someone but I talked to myself in my head alot LOL so i wasn't totally alone.  My brain cooperated for the most part.  I had a side stitch about mile 12 as we were going down a huge downhill.  It took me by surprise ( i don't drink unless I am fueling) and I had to run painfully slow for a few tenths of a mile and lost some time.  There were several hills and they were all pleasant surprises.  I was told this course was hilly but I never studied the elevation maps. I like to be surprised i guess.  I knew I had done hill training enough that this shouldn't be an issue.  I liked the fact that there were so many people that when people walked or had issues, I wasn't able to focus on that, I could focus on the people that were still running.  At mile twelve, after the painful stitch that luckily went away, I was able to focus and get excited about the finish.  I still had gas left in the tank so I knew I was going to be able to get that last minute kick.  Unfortunately the last mile or so was straight up hill but I still was able to to get a pretty big kick in the last .2 of a mile.  Then the chaos started.

I finished in 2:20:06.  The photographers got some awesome shots.  I practiced:)  They still got my clicking off my garmin. URGH.  They did have people lining the finish and tony and mom and andrew were there but they didn't see me:(  I was in the finishers chute where I got a banana, medal, chocolate milk, power bar, gatorade, water and blanket all thrust at me.  I wanted to sit and cry but I couldn't because all I could do was shuffle forward and carry stuff with the hundreds of other finishers.  I shuffled my way out of the chute and then tried to find tony.  Our plan was to meet up at the family re union area by the letter C, but the only letter i could find was L.  So my euphoria turned into anger because I am so use to a pre race hug and I couldn't find anyone and my cell was not working.  Finally got a hold of tony and got reunited but by then we had to rush back to the hotel to make the 12 pm check out time.

Part three coming.  Thoughts, ideas, things learned.

Rock and Roll St. Louis half marathon part 1

I should have taken today off.  My motivation to do anything is severely lacking so why not type out a blog?This happened yesterday.

I did it!  It was surreal and I was very emotional.  Let's back up and start on thursday.  Get ready for some photo dumping!

We drove down on thursday morning.  This was a mini-vacation for me and Tony as we were suppose to head to vegas this week for a work trip and that got canceled and then I was suppose to go to USDAA nationals in TN but that didn't happen because my dog had several one bar away from a Q runs.  SO we decided this was the Coleman family vacation/long weekend.

The view from our hotel.  Kind of glad we weren't smack down in the middle of downtown.  We had no traffic issues the whole weekend and free parking thanks to the hotel.  The start line of the race was a quick walk down market street (the street we were on).  The expo we had to drive to but there was a parking garage right across the road so that wasn't so bad after all.  I would stay here again if we do this race again next year.  Super nice rooms, free soda and  popcorn in the evening and free drinks and chips (which i got 0 of:).  We got there mid afternoon since we had to stop a few times and let the kiddo out to run off some steam.  We headed down to union station to explore.  We had been told it was a ghost town and it was but there was some pretty delicious food.  I had my first california chicken philly and it was so tasty.  

They had a little area with stuff the kids could ride on so andrew rode on the pony and then decided to sit in all the other cars/helicopters/riding thingies.  Our main goal was to let him burn off some steam and our mission was accomplished.  Andrew slept good that night, no problems, but he is pretty seasoned at hotel rooms and traveling thanks to going to dog shows.  

I had put a question out on FB about places we had to go while in St. Louis.  City museum came up again and again so off we went, first thing Friday morning.  All i can say is WOW.  That place was HUGE and we probably only saw a tiny bit of it in the 5 or so hours we were there.  The toddler only room was a huge success with andrew.  He loved the ball pit (i think he licked every ball) and he loved the pit with all the blocks and cars/trucks.  His new favorite thing is to look at something and go "ooooooo" and he just kept saying that over and over and over.  Plus, there was so much to see that Tony and I had a great time too.  You could seriously spend a week in that place, but we had to go to the expo.  Since i hate lines and crowds, I wanted to get there as soon as it opened up and get checked in.  

Once we found it and found parking, everything was easy.  They had it streamlined to a T.  Got my bib, shirt, swag bag and got into the expo.  This was my first runner's expo so didn't know what to expect. Tony and I walked through it all once, talked about what we were interested in and then went back through and made our purchases.  We spent alot of money, but tony has been working 12 hour days, 7 days a week so we had some saved up just for this occasion.  We had a list of things we needed to keep up our running addiction and we hit about every point on our list.  We got some new winter running gear and some wireless headphones, two of our biggest needs.  Tony also got some compression socks where he could get fitted for them and get the right type.  I also tried out for Team Refuel.  I did a video try out and I hope I was cute and witty and what they were looking for.  Used my southern charm and my smile so we shall see if that is enough.  You can get 500 bucks in sponsorship and lots of cool gear. I am already a huge proponent of chocolate milk as a recovery fuel so I think i should win, right????   I was told this was a pretty small expo.  I was hoping for more free samples so we could try stuff but the only samples we got were of biofreeze, snap peas and jamba juice.  Oh well still got some cool stuff. I think the highlight of the whole thing was this:

There was a lady at the expo that had dog/running themed stuff.  SO cute!  Got some dog print arm sleeves and this shirt.  I have two running partners but one of them is a dog:)  Miss stella has been a great running partner and look forward to continuing to run with her. The name of the lady's company is gypsy runners named after her BC gypsy.  I spent a little more money at this place getting some decals and some stuff for my BRF.  Never run in running sleeves but excited to do so.  I now feel like I have every season covered no matter how cold or warm!

Had dinner that night at the hotel restaurant.  Apparently it is the home of the Blue's hockey team and there was a game that night.  So glad we went down early .  Andrew actually tried coloring and not eating the colors.  Well, he still tried eating them but attempted to color some before eating the crayons.  So funny! He actually ate a good meal.  He loved the toasted ravioli and ate a whole plate of it!  We are currently battling his eating.  Some days are good and he eats like a horse and some days he just doesn't want to.  I try and not get freaked out about it because i figure when he is hungry he will eat and he won't starve to death, but it is still disconcerting.  

I ended the night with me feeling a little bit of pain in my legs.  I was getting a little scared.  I have been battling tight calf muscles no matter how hard I try to keep them stretched and I was starting to panic a little. I had had a massage the day before we left but I had also run 4 miles and was a bit speedy with my run, not because we were trying to, but because it felt good.   I wanted to sight see and take everything in yet still rest enough.  I didn't sleep too well that night because i was freaking out and I was in a little bit of pain. And on top of that, Andrew had a night terror luckily at about 10:30 that night, so not too late, but still.  His night terrors consist of him screaming bloody murder for 10 or so minutes.  I hate when he does this at hotels because I hate to disturb others but I have not found anything that prevents them or ends them quicker.  He basically has to cry it out and then he goes right back to sleep. In fact, I don't know if he even wakes up at all.  He doesn't respond to any calming or comforting. 

Okay breaking this into two parts!  This is too much for one blog post!