Post-Boston Stuff

My internet is down at home today ERRRR); I feel lost and disoriented without it. Like a junkie without her fix, I can’t get online and do what I need to do. Frustrating. So I’m at Panera Bread Co having an ice tea and filling ya all in on Jill land post-Boston. This will be a hodge-podge of stuff, all random of course, cuz I only have about a half hour to crank out an update! I apologize for being so far behind in blog world due to this lack of connection to the world! Hopefully back up tomorrow, Mr. Internet Man is suppose to come tomorrow to fix this mess!

First, I have to say a HUGE thank you, again, for all the Boston well-wishes and the birthday wishes/cards that were sent to Meg for the little celebration afterwards (and all the commented ones in my blog, too). I had a great time opening the abundance of cards and reading your sweet messages. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am so blessed! The post-race celebration was exactly what I needed. I got back to the hotel probably an hour before the festivities were starting, and even then, after a short little meltdown after due to just the whole release of Boston being over and the journey I took to get there (more on that someday), I got to the party about an hour later than planned. I wasn’t the last one there (ahem, Katie) but nevertheless, it was a great evening spend in the good company of dear friends.

That Meg girl thinks of EVERYTHING, even a pink cupcake. It was devine!

I don't have time to link these bloggers but from left to right: Meg, Katie A., Jenn, your truly, Bethany and Ryan.

Bloggie friend birthday cards. THANKS, guys!!

Okay, remember me whining about that agonizing heel problem in Boston? Well, it’s been bothering me upon return, too, when I started back up running again on Monday. I researched and researched online and went to a running store here and everyone was telling me the dreaded Plantar Faciitis. Well, okay, but I no longer think so. Typical PF problems are tightness of the muscle in the arch of your foot which causes a lot of pain when you wake up (I had none) and stretching helps (I have nothing to stretch). More research and more talking to couple running experts and I totally fear I have, and I’m going to whisper this because that will make it less-so, a stress fracture in my heel (gasp!!!). I’d rather have the PF!!! I talked to another soul today and he thought maybe it was just bruised so suggested I start with new shoes (got ‘em) and take a couple days off (okay) and then start out and see how it feels. I could go into a lot of babbling denial words like how I barely trained this season … but I’ve felt this little annoyance since last summer (though less-so painful than now) and if I go back and look at my insane running last year, well I can see it. But let’s hope for the best and see how plan A goes with the new shoes and a little rest. Dang it!!! cuz I can’t even tell you how relieved I was to have Boston done, finished, caput, finit-o, so that I could spring back and get into prime racing condition again. I've been feeling soooo good. I guess if something serious is going to happen, it’s better it happen now before I get into the middle of training, like what happened for Boston, and my whole desposition is shot along with the training. Okay, enough of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ryan, twin #1, ran a 5-mile race on Sunday. Well, he attempted to run a 5-mile race and was doing superbly when, at mile 4.5, he suddenly couldn’t breathe. A bunch of runners around him stopped to help him and an ambulance was called. Talk about scary, we couldn’t find him after the race and knew he should have been there as we saw him at mile 3 and knew he was running well. Well, to make a long story short, he fell off his bike about a week earlier and the handle bars jabbed him in the chest and apparently, after chest x-rays and EKG’s confirming he didn’t have any chest or lung damage, he bruised his insides and they were shouting to him to stop just a half mile before he crossed the finish line. Talk about scary!!!!!! I can’t even express my gratitude to those runners around him who stopped to help; who knows if they were on course for a PR and this was just “their race” – they stopped and helped. It makes me tear up just to think about it. He's okay, just needs to take a couple weeks off running to heal. Hum....couple weeks off sounds familiar (above).....

Ryan at mile 3, looking good and very strong (ran a PR 5K in the midst of this)

Ryan at mile 4.5 :(

Finally, my friend, Leslie, is about to do her first full Ironman Triathlon this coming weekend in St. George, Utah. Leslie’s an amazing woman – a mother of 3 with the littlest just turning 2, works, wife, friend…she cranks out all those titles and trains an astonishing 4+ hours/day. Everyday. She sent me this cute little pink arm band today and asked me to wear it Saturday, as she will also be wearing hers, when she races in hopes of qualifying for the granddaddy of all Ironmans: Kona. If you can, please send her some cheers, she’s been having some leg problems and hasn’t been able to run in 3 weeks so the marathon portion is scaring her a little right now, I know she'd love the support!! She has the biggest heart and is always so nice and encouraging to me! GO Leslie, GOOOOOO!!! My pink wrist band and I will be screaming our lungs out for you Saturday!!!

www.triathlon-mom.blogspot.com

Oh, I do have to share a little bit of a race report from my awesome friend, Tim, who just completed his first 100K in Kansas. He is the one that gave me the advice before Boston when I was concerned (freaking out) about my speed, or lack thereof. I thought it was funny, in the midst of what I'm certain was just dreadfully painful:
Lap 1: RUN OVER CHIP TIMING MAT, Dry trail, mud, mud, rocks, stream, mud, hill, roots, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, rocks, dry trail, mud, aid station, mud, mud, rocks, hill, rocks, stream, roots, mud, roots, hill, rocks, jagged wet boulders, jagged wet boulders, cliffs, jagged wet boulders, stream, mud, mud, rocks, hill, mud, mud, washed out trail with 10 foot cliff, mud, hill, mud, knee-high creek crossing, mud, rocks, mud, AID STATION, hill, mud, mud, rocks, mud, hill, mud, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, hill, roots, stream, mud, rocks, stream, rocks, STUBBED TOE, mud, mud, mud, mud, rocks, roots, ankle-high creek, mud, rocks, rocks, AID STATION, mud, roots, mud, rocks, mud, dry trail, mud, dry trail, mud, roots, roots, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, dry trail, hill, mud, hill, rocks, roots, roots, rocks, mud, hill.

Lap 2: Dry trail, mud, mud, rocks, stream, mud, hill, roots, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, rocks, dry trail, mud, aid station, mud, mud, rocks, hill, rocks, stream, roots, mud, roots, hill, rocks, jagged wet boulders, jagged wet boulders, STUBBED TOE, cliffs, jagged wet boulders, stream, mud, mud, rocks, hill, mud, mud, washed out trail with 10 foot cliff, mud, hill, mud, knee-high creek crossing, mud, rocks, mud, AID STATION, hill, mud, mud, rocks, mud, hill, mud, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, hill, roots, stream, mud, rocks, stream, rocks, mud, mud, mud, mud, SOUL HAS BEEN SUCKED INTO THE MUD, rocks, roots, ankle-high creek, mud, FACEPLANT, rocks, rocks, AID STATION, mud, roots, mud, rocks, mud, dry trail, mud, dry trail, mud, SMASHED HEAD ON TREE, roots, roots, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, dry trail, STUBBED TOE, hill, mud, hill, rocks, roots, roots, rocks, mud, hill. SMELL OF BURGERS AND BRATS - MMMMMMMMMMMM, COERCED BY PONY-TAIL GIRL INTO DOING ANOTHER LAP.

Lap 3: RAIN BEGINS. Wet trail, mud, mud, rocks, stream, STUBBED TOE, mud, hill, roots, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, rocks, wet trail, mud, aid station, mud, mud, rocks, hill, rocks, stream, roots, mud, roots, hill, rocks, jagged wet boulders, jagged wet boulders, cliffs, jagged wet boulders, stream, mud, mud, rocks, hill, mud, mud, washed out trail with 10 foot cliff, mud, hill, mud, knee-high creek crossing, mud, rocks, mud, AID STATION, DARKNESS SETS IN, HEADLAMP ON, hill, mud, mud, rocks, mud, hill, mud, mud, rocks, STUBBED TOE, rocks, mud, hill, roots, stream, mud, rocks, stream, rocks, mud, mud, FACEPLANT, mud, mud, rocks, roots, 5 MILES LEFT, WALKING REST OF WAY SO I DO NOT KILL MYSELF, ankle-high creek, mud, rocks, rocks, AID STATION, FINAL THREE MILES = 70 MINUTES, mud, roots, mud, rocks, mud, wet trail, mud, wet trail, mud, SMASHED HEAD ON SAME TREE, roots, roots, mud, rocks, rocks, mud, wet trail, hill, mud, hill, rocks, roots, roots, rocks, mud, hill, FOLLOWED A FLASHLIGHT TO THE FINISH, CHIP MAT GONE, BURGERS GONE, BRATS GONE, THREE LOVELY FOLKS LEFT, PONY-TAIL GIRL EVEN GAVE ME A HUG.

FINAL DISTANCE ~ 60 MILES FORWARD, 4 MILES SIDEWAYS, 2 MILES IN REVERSE. FINAL TIME 16:09:33.

It’s friends like Leslie and Tim (and y’all) that make me get up each day and run my guts out. Enough said!

Run strong, friends!