August's Top Ten.....Or Thirteen

Yikes, where did August go?  My last post was 3 weeks ago?   Guess that means it's time to sum up the month with a few highlights in runwithjill's world:

1. The month started with an amazing day at the Tri for the Cure (which, coincidentally, was my last post HERE :)), my first since before most of you were even born.  It was fun and I enjoyed it for the most part but it opened my eyes to just HOW slow I can run these days.  Unlike!

2. Cross Country kicked off with a little high altitude training camp in Grand Lake.  My son, Ryan, and the rest of the CC crew had a fantastic time running the trails up there 2x/day for 5 days.  This camp is amazing and does wonders for these kids; it is going to make them race faster (we are so blessed to not just live a gorgeous state, but at altitude too) as race season kicks off with the pre-state meet in Colorado Springs today where they'll face 170 other schools, which equates to about 6000 runners.  It is insane.  But oh so fun.  If you've never been to a cross country meet - especially one as large as this - you really should find your local high school or college and experience one.  I promise you, it will move you!

Ryan running the trails near Grand Lake

3. I am in baby heaven!!   Once fellow blogger *ahem* Tara had her baby a couple weeks ago and he is the sweetest baby ever.  I could hold him all day (except between the hours of 1-5am :)). I visit as often as they let me....not that I'm a stalker or anything.

I'm pretty sure he recognizes my voice as the one who complains
constantly about the ice cold water at the pool!

4. I ran a half marathon, which, in keeping in line with sub-par races for 2012, was miserable.  But I got a cool medal....

It's a little mini mining pan; the race was in Idaho Springs, which is an old mining town.  Pretty cool!

5.  ...but Ryan ran fantastically and had a 10-minute PR over last year's race with a 1:29.

6.  For awhile, we all thought he got 3rd in his age group .... until we realized that I registered him as a ... um... female!  Opps.  Had to QUICKLY change that as they were just starting to do awards when we realized this little glip and didn't have time to change his wardrobe into something a little more feminine.  He did end up 6th out of something like 95, though.  Not too shabby....but dang, he should have been a girl!

7. *waving my hand high in the air* Marching Band Board President right here, people!!  I was a runner and swimmer in high school, I know nothing about band.  But huge amounts of guilt were weighing in on how much time I spend with the cross country kiddos and my running son; yet zippo with the band child.  So why not sign up for the top of the ladder position?!  I'm sure this doesn't surprise most (sort of like running a marathon with minimal training *see below*). I marched with the kids one day for mega hours in a band parade....I counted this as my LONG run!

Arrow points to the band child

8. I got to spend a couple incredibly fun days with blogger Ewa, when she came to visit my awesome state for a few weeks.  She stayed with me for a night, without even having previously met her, but I felt we were just meant to be great friends.  We had some fun conversations as we hit the trails at Lair O' the Bear one afternoon.

And then a quick peek into our state's past at Dinosaur Ridge.  Just a warning, if you come to visit me in Colorado, you'll have to have endure a little adventure to Dinosaur Ridge on our way to or from whatever else we may be doing. I LOVE the geology here and one day I'm just going to have to be a volunteer! :)

Dinosaur prints = awesome!

Showing Ewa the ancient ocean ripple marks.
Apparently, your skin will turn the same color as your jacket and shirt
if you wear too much of that color!

9. One day last week, I announced to anyone who would listen that I was bagging Chicago Marathon; my long run training has been pretty much non-existent and my 8-week old inner ankle sprain is giving me some grief, as well as the bottoms of both feet (arghhhh!).  The evening of the day I told the world I wasn't running Chicago, I bought a plane ticket to ... Chicago.  Guess my ill-trained, achy ankle and feet will be shuffling through 26.2 agonyzing miles.  Woohoo!  I wonder if I can be last in a sea of 40,000 runners.  I should make it a goal!

10. I'm now one proud (proud??) owner of a wetsuit (thank you half price sale at Runner's Roost!).  Looks like I got some cold water swimming to do.

11. In feeble attempt to rid my bod of some mid-age fluff, Les Mills and I are becoming pretty intimate.  Unfortunately, his Body Pump class is leaving my glutes so incredibly sore the next day, I'm having a really hard time running.  I'm bound and determined to stick with it though, it's not like my feet are that happy running anyway.

12. My daughter and I did a "fun run" together last weekend called the Retro Run.  Everyone (and I mean all 800 of us!) was dressed up in brightly colored 80s attire; we laughed so hard at some of the crazy concoctions put together and were entertained by a few members from "KISS" around mile 2 to the end. Fun runs apparently are not time, do not provide water along the course (in 90 degree heat), do not provide water at the end and do not provide any sort of post fun-run food.  The 80s band at the end was really good, though....not that I'm old enough to remember any of those songs or anything.

No water, but they had a race photographer.  What????

Random participants

Ran into Katie from Will Race for Carbs - she was totally into the whole retro thing,  right down to the earrings!

13.
Month's Totals:
Run: 167.35 miles (this is pretty low for supposedly a high marathon training month for me.  Thus, explains my ill-preparedness.  Again!  It's okay...onward and upward)
Bike: 187.5 miles (low, but I'm not too worried since I'm not training for anything on the bike)
Swim: 4.37 miles (considering I did zero miles for two weeks post triathlon, I'm okay with this)
Weights: 6:45 (you'd think I'd be all body builder-esque by now.  Not so much.  Not even noticeable.  Whatever.  It's got to be doing someting in there somewhere, right?).
Races: 2. 
1) Tri for the Cure
2) Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon

Bring on September (and if September could bring on some less painful feet and ankle, that'd be very much appreciated!!!!).

Until next time....