Saturday, September 26, 2009

100 MILES!!!!

So far in September, I have run 105 miles!!! There are four days left in September and I have two scheduled runs left this month. This means that I will go at least 115 or more this month.

YEAH!!!

I will run my first Half-Marathon next Saturday in Montgomery. Then the miles start really picking up... Saturday runs go from 14 to 17 and then eventually to 22 miles!!! This is all with 8 and 10 miles twice a week. YIKES!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Memphis Marathon Course Map (link)

COURSE MAP

Hyundai Half Marathon Course Map (Oct 3rd, Montgomery)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Dictionary

I've had to answer several "how long" questions lately, so here's an explanation of running terms for those who've asked (and those who didn't)

K - Kilometer
5K - 3.1 miles
10K - 6.2 miles
15K - 9.3 miles
20K - 12.4 miles
Half Marathon - 13.1 miles
MARATHON - 26.2 miles
PR - Personal Record
mm:ss Pace - minutes per mile

I'll add more when I think of them... :)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Finality.

I've been down in the dumps the last few days... I wasn't really sure why. Maybe it's because my shin splints won't go away... (My leg has hypothermia now from the ice I constantly have on it). People at work are starting to label me a hypochondriac... Maybe it's because work has been "unpleasant" lately. Then I figured it out. It's Papaw. I've tried to be strong through all this, but now, I've started to realize the finality of the situation and it's begun to take a toll. We moved him into a real "nursing home" yesterday. I think we (the family) have been trying to avoid doing this because we all know the outcome of this. Aldersgate and Silverleaf are just "assisted living" homes. But Aldersgate called a few weeks ago and said that they aren't able to care for him and suggested a few places. (Aldersgate requires their residents to be able to use the bathroom on their own.) He went to Newton Regional Hospital for their Geriatric evaluation unit to see if there were any other medication changes they could make to help him get stronger and to evaluate him to see if he really can do things or is he just giving up. He really wanted to go into a nursing home and had been wanting to for a while. I think we (Mom, Ken, etc) still thought he was able to do the things he needed to do to stay in Aldersgate. I think we didn't want to take the nursing home route because maybe we were afraid of reliving emotions from when Mamaw was sick. Well, that's happening now.
I went to see him today before I went to work. I wish now that I would have gotten there sooner and spent more time with him. I think I was just avoiding the emotion of it all. He's at Poplar Springs Nursing Home. It used to be called King's Daughters, where Mamaw was the first three months of her nursing home years. This is the place where Mom and Ken took her, the hardest day of their lives, they say. Mom says that day they were both distraught and went to Northcrest and sat with Bro. Malcolm for hours, crying and praying.
Yesterday, I was there when they brought him and it was obviously easier than with Mamaw. Papaw was content with being there. We moved some things from Aldersgate to the storage unit and to his room. He was sitting in the wheelchair, looking out the window and talking to the nurse helping him get settled in. Today, he was slouching in his recliner, barely able to lift the remote and didn't look up at me hardly at all (I was sitting eye level right in front of him). He mumbled and slurred his words, talking about places he'd been while in the Navy, but like he was just there. It was odd. He has had these spells where he thinks he's somewhere else and sees things that aren't there. But it didn't seem like that. I called Mom (as I often do after I visit him) and told her. She started crying on the phone. Then she hung up. That scared me. I drove to the hospital instead of going straight to work to check on her. I texted her saying I was outside the surgery door, but she was in a surgery and couldn't come out. She said she was okay. I knew she broke down and cried at work sometimes (sometimes her job is "unpleasant" too), but this time, I wanted to check on her. None of us want to admit the inevitable is upon us. But now we have all realized that we must accept it.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

More Giant Mushrooms from the yard...

I took these first ones on Saturday. During my run, I saw tons of mushrooms in other yards and on the side of the road...none were as big as the ones in our yard... These things are massive!!! Too bad they aren't fit to eat, I'd cut them puppies down and saute' them up good! :)





These are from Sunday - most got bigger... some doubled in size!!



Friday, September 11, 2009

500 miles!!!

On Monday I will hit 500 miles on my Nike+ counter!!! I've run more than that since I got it because my Ipod messed up a few times and didn't load. (I've lost about 20 miles)

I ran 13.25 this morning. By myself. (That's a half-marathon!) I ran from the house to Bonita Lakes, around the lake once and then back home. Wes met me at Bonita Lakes and brought me a cold bottle of water. (I needed it!) Then he kind of followed me home and took pictures of me running....







Almost done!!!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Runnin' update

Training is going okay... Last week I had a knot in my calf and had to sit out a few days. It was really depressing. I couldn't do my long run on Saturday. On Sunday I went to the gym and busted my butt on the elliptical and bike.

Did 5 yesterday and then iced my calf the rest of the day. Today I did 8 1/2 with Tim & Thomas at Bonita Lakes. (more ice) Thomas and I are running together on Saturday morning for our long run this week (12 miles probably).

:)

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Free to anyone: Rotten pears (and good pears too) :)

This is my backyard... It smells. When the sun's shining, you can smell it on the other side of the house. It smells of course like fermented fruit... Wes & I haven't had the time to throw them out. If anyone had a deer field or whatever, feel free to take the mess... My neighbor got them last year, but he doesn't need them this year. The bees are swarming this year (second picture). There's red wasps out there now. I'm really allergic to bees, so I really don't want to get out there. (Had too many close calls last year)

LOOK AT THIS HHHUUUUGGGEEEE MUSHROOM!!! This morning when I got up for church, I opened the window and these GIANT mushrooms in the back yard! The diameter of this one is almost the length of my foot. (I wear a 9 1/2!!)



Here's the only watermelon that is surviving... All the others split or rotted. Hopefully this one will live.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Our New Cuckoo Clock

We got our clock in the mail yesterday. Wes put it together last night. It's pretty cool. (All mechanical, of course.) It has three weights. One for the cuckoo, one for the little dancers and music, and one for the timing. It's an eight day clock, meaning it can run about eight days without being wound (you wind it by pulling the chains down... the weights will slowly drop as the days pass.)








Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Hyundai Half...

Registered for the Hyundai Half marathon on October 3rd in Montgomery. I was originally planning to run the Half in Jackson (Marathon Makeover) but it falls on an 18 mile long run day. Montgomery is a 14 mile long run day. I can sacrifice one mile... Got a great deal on a hotel right downtown (the race starts right in front of the hotel). Can't wait! I know I can do this one because I've already ran 12. I'm doing 13 on Saturday with John. (If you see us on Hwy 39, honk...) Still working my way up, adding miles every week. My left calf muscle is sore this week because I limped trying to avoid bothering the big blister on my right foot. It's better now. Ran 6 today (My sensor is wrong. I plan on recalibrating it tomorrow.)