Good Day Sunshine

CHANGES

Earlier this month my grandson participated in his First Holy Communion.

Before the procession in front of  .St. Mary Magdaline Church

He was apprehensive and nervous about it, and, as he walked down the aisle with the other children, he looked like he wanted to hide because the church was full.  He's so different from my two kids, who always wanted to be on stage and the center of attention.  Evan wanted to just blend in. 

Deliberately NOT looking at us for a photo.

Whew!  He got through it.

More changes include my daughter and grandson are (finally) moving.  They're moving much closer to the college, which really isn't all that far away, but she felt like it was time to be on their own.  I really do want them to be on their own, but I'll probably go through some days of really missing them.  I was hoping she would move out AFTER graduating in December, but apartments close to the college are more available after graduations in June. 

My final race for the year is in a mere two weeks and I am anything but ready for it.  There has been a slew of upper respiratory illnesses going around that have taken people out for weeks.   My entire office came down with some form of this crappy illness, so has every member of my household.  I was even put on antibiotics, but it's taken me several weeks to bounce back.  My running has suffered.  A 6 mile run should normally be a nice little jaunt through the neighborhood or along the bay, but it's a struggle.  I'll make it to around mile 4 or 5 then have to walk/run.   It feels as if I haven't been running in months, not a couple of weeks.  When I initially signed up for the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll half marathon, I was hoping to gain some speed and be somewhere between 2 hours and 2:15.  I dislike not having a time goal, but it is what it is.  I now have no time goal, and, as much as I dislike this, my goal is to just finish.  I kind of feel like just finishing is a cop out, but that's the reality.  I was hoping to finish this race with a bang, but settling for just finishing will have to suffice.

"Final race for the year" doesn't mean I'm giving up running, it just means I'm taking a break from racing.  As much as I try to stay on course with training schedules, my body isn't cooperating.  I'm progressively getting slower and the fatigue can be overwhelming -- and this does absolutely nothing for my psyche. I'm going to switch gears and perhaps get more into where I first started, which was weight training.  I need to start from scratch and build up strength again.  I might also look at a few other options, such as yoga classes and maybe even get more into swimming.  Don't talk to me about getting on a bike because I'm not there yet, nor can I afford the expense right now.* Someday the bike thing will happen, just not this year, not now.

Remember those brand new On Cloudrunners I talked about in my last post?  I took them out on a very hilly trail run.  I was supposed to fit in 8 miles, but it took me longer to navigate down hill.  This run was EFFING hard.  I can't figure out how to post the elevation chart off of Daily Mile, but, trust me, it was killer. This is what that trail did to my new shoes:

My On Cloudrunners don't look so new anymore.

I really like these test shoes and I hope they clean up OK. I have yet to find a local retailer who sells these.

Finally, I'll leave you with a rare moment, where my little family is all together on Mother's Day. It was a very good day.

Notice how we're all looking in different directions?  (Deeper meanings, perhaps?)

Song from Thursday, April 26, 2012:
Come Out and Play - The Offspring

PEACE



*I'm the type of person who takes something on completely, and getting on a bike the way I would want to requires an expense that would take away from house repairs.