Runner Girl Plays Dress Up -- Part 2

As you read in Part 1, Steph and I had to try to sleep the night before the big race, except we were too excited to sleep and we each probably got 3-4 hours of sleep total.

We got up at 2am -- YAWN! -- and was ready to meet the first bus from our hotel to the race venue.

Yawn!

Once we were dropped off, we had a long walk to the bag check.  A girl who was sitting near us on the bus was chatting with us.  And wouldn't you know it?  Her brother is a weatherman in the Air Force!  And was traveling down to Dave's squadron for some training!

Where's Kevin Bacon???

I won't bore you with the details of waiting to wait for the start of the race.
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Runner Girl Plays Dress Up, Part 1

I'm so excited to finally have time to sit down and share my experience with my first runDisney race a couple weeks ago!

Last fall I signed up to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon, whose route covers Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.  The race was on February 26th.  A neighborhood friend, Stephanie, and I made the trip together over a long weekend.  We had a wonderful trip and it was fun to be part of such a magical weekend.  There were nearly 20,000 runners.  While men are allowed to take part, they cannot win race awards.  There were about 1000 male runners.

Can you see me?  I am towards the right, just past the finish line.  Do you see the man in the light blue tutu to my right?

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A Brief Family Update

Hello friends!  I have a lot to talk about -- but I need time to sit down and just do it.  Things have gotten pretty busy here...between my involvement in the base Spouses' Club and Cub Scouts, I've been spending more time with community work than ever before!

The boys started baseball a couple weeks ago (both boys), so that's been keeping us busy too.  Their season will start after spring break.  No pictures yet, but I'll get some soon, I promise!

Both boys earned their Cub Scout badges in February.  We are so proud!

Timmy's face is painted as part of the ceremony for earning the badge.  The orange square badge is pinned on upside-down until he does a good deed.

Jacob's face is painted too, but you aren't really see it.  Jacob's light-green badge is upside-down until he did a good deed.

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My New Running Partner

This is from last May.  The boys did a 1 mile fun run, even though those running numbers say "5K".  Jacob saw a classmate at this race who was registered to run the 5K itself and he asked, "Mom, why can't I do that?"  Well, no one ever said you couldn't!

Meet my new running partner, Jacob.

I invited him on a recent run, since I was just coming off a pretty nasty cold I wasn't running for speed or anything.  Just to burn some calories and use up some pent up energy.  So Jacob joined me and ran about 1.25 miles on Saturday without stopping!

He asked if he could run a 5K race soon, so on Saturday, right after we came back from the 1.25 miler, we registered for a 5K on December 3rd right here in Navarre.  It's a Jingle Bell 5K and registered runners will not only receive a t-shirt, but also a set of jingle bells to ring while running!  We can't wait!

Know what else is cool?  This race course will be designed with "Shortcuts to Grandma's House" so the younger ones can go back early.

Today I took him out for 1.5 miles.  I keep alongside of him and he can watch my Nike+ distance ticking on my iPhone strapped to my arm.  HE LOVES THIS!  For those who know Jacob, you know he's a numbers/data kind of guy!

I am so incredibly proud to have this goal with Jacob -- to run a race together!

The Runner Girl's Spawn

You can say I tried. I think Jacob might have a future in long distance running...Timmy probably won't.

At a Mother's Day function this past week, one of Timmy's classmates' Moms tipped me off to a 1-mile kids' fun run in Navarre Beach last Saturday.  That night I headed over to one of our local hangouts in Navarre Beach, Juana's Pagoda, for the registration.  The owner of Run With It, a local running store, was taking the registrations and I was flattered that he remembered me from when I visited his store a couple months ago.  It was very cute how the kids received t-shirts and runners numbers.  The boys and I stayed for dinner Friday night and enjoyed the volleyball area and beach area.

On Saturday I took the kids over to the race.  Jacob was quite excited, but Timmy?  Not so much.  Jacob met an 8-year-old girl who was getting ready to run the 5K with her Mom and Jacob seemed interested in that, but perhaps we need a little training first.

The run was very hot.  Jacob charged ahead and ran it with all his energy and did quite well.  I had to give Jacob some instructions about what to do if he needed help during the run ("tell an adult helper that your Mom is wearing a green t-shirt").  

On the other hand, Timmy wanted to hold my hand the whole time and ended up pretty frustrated.  Timmy clearly doesn't like running the way Jacob does!

In the last few yards, actually, Timmy decided to overtake 3-4 kids in a last-minute burst of energy.  It reminded me of Dave, who is capable of these incredibly fast sprints at the end of long-distance runs :-)

The first finishers received medals.  I'm not sure how many medals there were, and I don't know how fast Jacob completed the mile (being a "fun run", it wasn't timed).  Timmy and I were WAY behind him and they were out of medals by the time we finished.  Timmy was so proud to finish, he wasn't jealous at all of Jacob's medal (phew!)

The medal is really really nice (considering it was for a 1-mile fun-run)!  Jacob is incredibly proud, as am I!

Because I Wanted That Bottle Opener! Gulf Coast Half Marathon 2011

My Double Bridge Run success back in February inspired me to sign up for this half-marathon.

I forced myself to do a deliberate training program. Starting right after the early February Double Bridge Run, I ran 2-3 x "short runs" of 3-5 miles each per week, plus 1 x "long run" approximately every week. Sometimes our family's schedules make things a bit crazy, so that long run was about every 8-10 days instead of once a week, but it worked out well. My longest "long" training run was just under 13 miles and after dealing with that one, in mid-70s sunshine on the beach, I felt I was ready!

We were doing some Cub Scout camping in the town of Defuniak Springs, about 70 miles northeast of here, this past weekend. I left Dave and the kids at the campsite Saturday night, drove home and got a very good night's sleep beforehand.

As is the case in most Florida warm-season races, the start time was 7am so I had to leave the house before 6am for the 30 minute drive to Pensacola Beach.

The sun was just rising as I was coming across the Pensacola Beach causeway, and you can see the low stratus clouds pouring onshore from the gulf. This is what it was like for the whole run! The clouds were great, but the 100% humidity still made it uncomfortable.

I want to show off this runner's bib. I didn't really pay much mind to the part of the registration about what I wanted my bib to say for a name. I never had a custom bib before. I wish I had put "Major Mom".

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The Runner Girl Returneth!!!

I'd like to thank the kind young Marine pilot candidate for taking this nice picture.  I gave him my 3 beer coupons in return.  Like the bling?  They were handing out Mardi Gras beads near one of the water stations.

Today was the 15K race I'd mentioned last month.  I was feeling pretty discouraged going into it this morning.  I don't know why -- perhaps I just started doubting myself or something. Perhaps I was bummed from awakening at 4:45am.  I trained appropriately, I wasn't in (much) pain, I brought enough the appropriate clothing for the weather.  Seeing everyone else suffering in 15-20 knot north winds, 45 degree temperatures, on the waterfront brought some comfort that we were all in this together.

My goal was to complete this race in less than 90 minutes and I'm so proud that I was able to meet my goal! Just under 86 minutes!

My Twitter and Facebook friends saw an obscure status early this morning about worrying about my bladder more than whether I could finish the race.  Would I drink too much and have to go to the bathroom every mile?  (Or worse yet, would I drink too much and die*?)  Would I not drink enough and really slow down due to dehydration?  What's that perfect balance?  Luckily, I was able to go about 2 minutes before the Star Spangled Banner, and made it out the starting gate with a nice empty bladder!  I did fine, I was able to have water along the route, along with these nifty "Extreme Sport Beans" by Jelly Belly.  A gal I was standing near waiting to start offered me a couple.  I ate one before each of the two bridges...I can't say if they worked any wonders, but they were yummy just the same.  I might have to pick up a pack for upcoming long runs.

*Note: It takes an inordinate amount of water for it to kill you, I was semi-joking there.

I made it just fine without even thinking about finding a bathroom.  Phew!

But I did notice a guy hit a Circle K restroom at mile 2 (really?  after just TWO miles?), and a few women were in line at an Exxon station restroom at about mile 6.  There were a couple port-a-potties scattered along the route, but I think they were actually designated for construction sites, not for us runners.

Next up?  I got to see what the medals for the Gulf Coast Half Marathon look like, and I think I want one!  Click the link, scroll down and look closely. They're bottle openers, how cool is that?

The Return of Runner Girl?

That's what I'd like to think... :-)

Especially before we had kids, Dave and I enjoyed long-distance running.


Obviously, our training dwindled some after the kids arrived, and between Dave and me and our double-jogging stroller, we'd always managed 1-2 races per year even after the kids were born.  Then we hit a lazy streak in Nebraska, Dave's job was really busy, the weather was a pain-in-the-rear (I hate running in the wind!), and Dave had several medical issues that all combined to keep us from do any more working out than necessary.

After a couple years of lollygagging, I took the plunge and signed up for my first running race since June 2009.

Which race?  No, of course I don't go easy and sign up for a 5K.  Here is the race I registered for.

I think I tend to gravitate towards the more scenic races.  Check out the course map!  Isn't it beautiful???  I'm excited to get to see sunrise over those bridges!

So part of my motivation for this is to to get fit again.  Not sure if it was stress, laziness, just plain overeating or what, I'm currently about 15-20 lbs. heavier than when I came home from my deployment in April 2009.  I need a goal, and a plan to reach that goal.

Hence signing up for a 15K race right off the bat.  This spring I'd like to do a 1/2 marathon, I'll wait to sign up until we see whether I can do this 15K okay.

First off, I was in desperate need of new running shoes.  I was in the same old Brooks shoes I'd had since Spring 2009.  Spare me the lectures, I know one should be replace them every 500 miles or so.  So with one of the gift cards I'd received for Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad Vollmer!), I got a nice pair of trail running shoes.  I prefer trail running shoes for the broader, thicker soles.

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

I started my "training" in earnest this week, which meant increasing how many miles I run each week.  Normally I do three 5K runs per week, but now I need to do at least 4 runs per week, and at least 15 miles total per week, slowly increasing that up to about 20 miles per week.  I'd like to do 5 runs per week but real life might make that a less-realistic goal.  Included in that is one "long run", which needs to increase by 1 to 1.5 miles per week, hopefully I can do that on Fridays.

Our neighborhood is expansive enough I can plan lots of great routes or any length I need!

This past week I did a 5 mile run across the Navarre Beach Bridge, so I could get ready for the bridges in the race.  Check out these magnificent views during my run!

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

There was a hill on my most-common running route in Nebraska.  Westbound Schneekloth Rd. between Spring Blvd. and 34th St. (past the back of the school).  I called it "Heartbreak Hill" since the elevation gain is similar to the "Heartbreak Hill" in the Boston Marathon.  This bridge here is only 55 feet elevation (not the 85 feet in NE).  I'll take this hill (and the view) over the one I had in Nebraska, ha ha!

From 2011 01 06 Navarre Beach Bridge Run

Unfortunately, after that 5 mile run last Thursday (which felt great at the time), my knees were REALLY REALLY sore for 2 days.  I could barely walk on Friday!  Not sure if it's old age or the extra weight I'm carrying around, but I hope this isn't a permanent issue or else long distance runs won't last very long in my future.

Also, I've noticed over the years that my legs, knees and hips are now more sensitive to the cant of the road.  My neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks, so I'm on the far left or right edges of the road surfaces, and if there's a slope for too long, I feel it in the arches of my feet and in my hips.

Here's hoping I stick to this fitness plan.

Florida Discoveries 1: Where are the Reindeer? Reindeer Lichen

Prepare yourselves, this is going to be one of my most bewildering blog posts yet.  More so than vermicomposting, toilet odors and pumpkin reproduction.

This morning I enjoyed another run through my new neighborhood.  I've been mapping out my runs on this website (so I know the distances I'm covering) and this is the one I did today.  It takes me though this lovely golf course neighborhood northwest of my house.  Needless to say, the golf course is near the streets titled "PGA Blvd." and "Masters Blvd.".  I don't live there, but it's pretty to visit, especially with some of the houses' holiday decorations.



So...today I was running along a backstretch of Cove Rd., which is on the southwest part of the loop, and the houses ended and I had hammocks on both sides of me for several hundred feet.  No, not the kind I wished I had in my backyard, but the ecological kind.

And down on the ground were not the low-lying palm fronds that are elsewhere in the neighborhood, but lichen fields!

When I think of lichen, I don't think of Florida. I think of 10,000' alpine tundra, with reindeer eating the stuff. In fact, the kind of lichen I found is nicknamed "Reindeer Lichen".  I had visions in my head for the rest of the run of reindeer licking rocks with lichen.  We saw lichen on an alpine tundra in Colorado in August, in fact.  This website answered my questions about lichen in Florida.

Lichen I had photographed on a rock in Colorado this past August, we were at about 10,500' elevation here.  I never imagined seeing lichen in Florida!

From 2010 08 09 Rocky Mtn Natl Park Day 1

I was so intrigued by this field in my neighborhood, I stopped to check it out.  Took a few pictures with my phone camera:

You can use lichen on model railroads.  The greener lichen makes nice shrubbery.

From 2010 12 17 Lichen

The red stuff on the ends of the lichen on the right was interesting to me, but I didn't want to touch it.  This website discusses the "matchstick" lichen a little more.

From 2010 12 17 Lichen

The area was covered in it!

From 2010 12 17 Lichen

Just doesn't seem very Floridian, does it?

From 2010 12 17 Lichen

This Morning's Run

We'll see how long this takes me....

Nebraska Discoveries 4: Historic Fort Crook & SAC Chapel, Offutt AFB

Today I'm sharing some of the history on Offutt AFB.  Unfortunately, everyone can't just get onto Offutt.  You need to have a military ID card to get onto the base freely, or make a friend with a military member who can sign you in as a guest.

As mentioned before, I started using this software to track my runs. The software doesn't seem very stable on my iPhone (probably because I downloaded the free version and they want my money before it works the way I want it to...). So this isn't the most accurate thing out there, but it's fun to give it a go.

So here's a map of the most recent run I performed:


If you choose "view full" in the lower left, then select the satellite map (or Hybrid), you can see that I'm running the perimeter of a large field. This is the parade field of what was formerly Fort Crook, which was the original military installation that is now the home of Offutt AFB. Fort Crook was established in 1888, and was completed in 1894.  Today, many of the buildings surrounding the parade field are from their original mid-1890s construction, including the buildings of "General's Row" which are seen in the background here from the late 1890s:

And here are the same houses today, the same ones as on the left side of the above photo:

Anyhoo, the run around the parade grounds takes me past these houses above, and also past the SAC Chapel seen below.

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

As you can see, it clearly wasn't built in the late 1800s. It was built in the late 1950s during the height of the SAC empire.

"Wait...wait...wait! What in the world is SAC?"

SAC = Strategic Air Command. During the Cold War, SAC commanded the air and land arm of the strategic nuclear triad. Since this was two-thirds of the triad, it goes without saying that SAC wielded a lot of power and influence. Learn more about SAC here.

About a year ago, I took a tour of the SAC Chapel while helping a girlfriend search for wedding venues. One of the things Christian military members often struggle with is balancing the commandment "Thall shalt not murder" with having a profession that involves taking other lives if need be. Stepping into the SAC Chapel was surreal to me, since in this case, there is a celebration of the numerous SAC units and its lineage from the birth of the US Air Force: the 8th Air Force. Surrounding the beautiful stained glass windows are prayers asking to protect America's Airmen and memorials to the mighty warriors that have defended America's values.  Some history behind the most prominent of these windows is offered here.  And a nice succinct history of the chapel is also offered here.  I particularly like the last line of the history, "The stained glass windows of SAC's Memorial Chapel depict the duality of its mission — messages of hope and guidance are mixed with the grim imagery of global nuclear warfare."

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

Okay, I got a kick out of this one. I have to wonder how many times airmen were alerted during church back in the height of the Cold War.

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

From 2009 06 02 SAC Chapel and Patriot Club

Major Mom the Geek Strikes Again...

Just showing off one of the gizmo gadgets I'm trying out here. This software is in my iPhone.  It ties into the GPS in the phone and records location, distance, speed and time.  I've downloaded the free version, which has some sort of screen saver glitch that prevents me from stopping the runs in time, so it isn't 100% accurate, but it's good enough for me.  In fact, in this case, the GPS didn't kick on until I was about 6 houses down from where I started running, so this route is about .1 miles short.

I love that it's translating into route information and elevation data.  You can even see that I run opposing traffic if you zoom in enough :-)

For more oohs...and aaahhhhs....click on "Show Elevation" towards the bottom. This is one of the hillier runs I do, and my knees usually pay me back for about 24 hours after this run.

Running Club

There's a Running Club here. But not what you're thinking: it's not a group of us getting together to run, but rather a computer with which you get a login/password. You log your individual running during your deployment.

There are incentive t-shirts starting at 200 miles. There are more gifts if you hit 500 and 1000 miles, but I doubt that's going to happen while I'm here. I might be wrong, but I think I saw a GPS running watch in the glass case displaying the incentives. Probably for 1000 miles!

I'm here for about 13 weeks, so I did some math (again):

200 miles / 13 weeks = 15.38 miles per week. ~2.2 miles per day.

Could I do that?

I think so. I've been here 15 days so far and I've run 36 miles. That's 2.4 miles per day, so I'm cruising right along, right?

I've taken a couple runs outside, but the weather has been a challenge. The temperatures are great -- I do my runs in the morning after work, so it's typically in the 50s here. It's the wind and blowing dust that's getting on my nerves. After my last outdoor run, when visibilities were around 3 miles from suspended dust, there was a film of dirt on my teeth. It was grosser than gross.

For the most part I'm doing this on a treadmill. It's not bad, about what you'd expect from a decent gym...our treadmills here have "Broadcast Vision", meaning you can plug in your headphones and enjoy the station of your choice from a bank of TVs. I haven't talked about the television programming we get here.

So there's my fitness plan. I still haven't gotten into eating habits here yet, mainly because of photography challenges. Most of this base forbids photography, including the dining hall I use most of the time, near the facility where I work. I might just have to paint a picture with words.

Fit to Fight...and Throw?

So...here I am on my 2-weeks tour. No, not in the picture above, I'll discuss that soon. For all intents and purposes, I'm a member of the 28th Operational Weather Squadron during this tour. I follow their schedule, meaning I go to their staff meetings, weather shift change discussions, briefing about sexual assault (which was this morning) and I attend their physical fitness sessions...otherwise known as "PT", which is the USAF abbreviation for "physical training".

So here's a generic picture above of what I had in mind when I imagined squadron "PT". By the way, this is a picture of a Warrior Run at Minot AFB from last summer...I have to admit that looks a lot like Shaw AFB now. This picture has no connection to my unit or my base, but it's a good representation of what USAF PT looks like these days.

Monday's was a good time--the squadron commander led the calisthenics session and I'm still sore in my legs from the flutter kicks! Then we did a 2 mile run...not quite as in-formation as pictured above, but the group of us did start out together. We ran at our own pace...so over time we spread out.

Today, however, we had a different leader for calisthenics who led us in a billion push ups and many core ab exercises! I know I'll feel it in my tummy and chest tomorrow!

Then I was surprised when we divided into two teams and a Frisbee was produced. Time for Ultimate Frisbee!

Oh no.

I'm lousy at team sports. Remember, I like to run. I also enjoy swimming. I last played Ultimate in 1993 or 1994 and I was lousy then, too. It was a requirement for AFROTC Field Training, so as a Cadet I played it routinely. It's hard to digest at first, but over the years I've accepted that I'm not good at this and if I'm called upon to play, my best contribution is to merely not throw the disc.

I guess I'm just not that aggressive. But I'm also really really bad at throwing the frisbee. So after the first few plays where I proved that assertion, my teammates took my advice (I was pointing to my teammates who were open and could also catch the disc).

But I'm a good defender...I enjoyed getting in the faces of those on the opposing team who are looking for someone to throw the disc to. I can get quite annoying and I think I was able to affect some pretty good distractions.

I caught two passes in the end zone, which resulted in scores...so long as I don't have to throw it afterwards, I don't think I'm bad at catching.

I definitely got a really good workout!

But No One is Chasing You....

I run.

"Why?"

Several reasons. I guess reason #1 is because the Air Force said I have to.

"But the Air Force said you only have to run 1 1/2 miles for its fitness test. You've run as many as 26.2...why?"

I guess my routine running is 3-4 miles at a time...once upon a time a "light" run was 5 miles, but I've since slacked off. The kids have sapped that extra energy right out from under me. Why? Reason #2: it's good exercise, good for cariovascular health, and it provides a good-all-over sense of accomplishment.

Okay, here's the skinny. I had it in my head that if I maintain this running lifestyle, I'll end up one of these slender-ultra-fit MILF-types. I've been running since age 18 and I haven't gotten there yet. It's been 16 years...I need a new goal.

Running, to me, is fun and relaxing. My training runs are usually pretty laid back, and recently I've been exclusively running when both boys are in school, so I get some peaceful time to myself.

One of my oldest friends (i.e., she's been my friend for the longest, she's not THAT old), Susan, has recently started running and is ON FIRE! In two years time she went from barely surviving a 5K to being entered into the Boston Marathon this April! You go girl! She's been motivating me to keep goal by looking for races to compete in, but I'm afraid I haven't been so good at that. I've run a couple races with her and she's pretty fast!

So there you have it -- I like to run. I wish I had the time to run more, and perhaps when I have a little more control over my life I can get involved in a running club...maybe when I get to Nebraska I can do that. Some guys in my AF Reserve unit are forming an AF Marathon team for this September and I've love to be part of that, but I can't see myself getting the 8-10 hours per week you need dedicate to training this July/August.

Enjoy a few pictures from my running days.


From the 2000 Air Force Marathon. Dave and I completed it in about 4 1/2 hours and it's among the great achievements in our respective lives. That was a lot of fun! Ask me later about crying my eyes out in the middle of a Labor Day 2000 22 mile training run. Yep...lots of fun!

This is Susan and me each taking home trophies at a 5K in Suffolk, VA. It was snowing pretty rigorously during the race, but by the time we completed the awards ceremony, it had all melted and the sun was shining. Susan was the overall female winner, while I took home 1st place in my age group.


Okay, I can't believe I'm telling the public about this one. Photography was prohibited inside of the ranch, but here's some more information about this particular race. Clothing was optional, and Susan, Dave and I elected to run it CLOTHED. Maybe next year we'll be more confident, who knows...Susan was the 4th place female overall (3rd in our age group), while I was the 4th place female in our age group. Dave finished between the two of us.

A Chillier Forecast Ahead...

...which means "goodbye" to the grill for a few days. Don't like to grill when it's cold, but tonight's hot dog (for Timmy) and hamburger (for the rest of us) dinner was quick and easy.

My latest addiction: the Pioneer Woman blog, added a bew-tee-full pot roast how-to guide this week. I think I'll be picking up a 2 - 2.5 lb. chuck roast on my next trip to the store. The rest-of-the-work-week wet forecast will be perfect for it.

I owe the world a post or two about my running past ("What did you run past, Patricia?")...and future. My attempt to offset all the food posts.