September 30, 2011

Blog Update

It always amazes me when other bloggers are able to consistently post a daily blog. 

I have been luck to post once a month.... Work, exercising, and life take so much time.  Now our lives are completely crazy.  My daughter's newborn - 30 days today - is in the hospital.  Will be in the hospital for 2-3 weeks.

We are so lucky to have good support from so many places.  Her husband's mother, who just happened to plan a visit to help with the newborn, has been great mainly helping with the 6 year old.  Her husband's army family has been bringing food and offering support.  My co-workers have been helpful and understanding with the time I have taken.

We are only 3 days into a long haul.  Blogs just take a back seat.

September 20, 2011

Pink Dress Run - report

Saturday night Janet and I went to Alexandria and had fun at the Pink Dress Run.  Of course this wasn't a real run, but a fun run for a good cause.  It was a fund raiser for the Alexandria Komen 5K next month.

The event was sponsored by Run Wild and Walker Automotive.  This was the first event of this kind and I felt that it was very well organized.  It reminded me of the Red Dress Run in New Orleans (without the bars, Bourbon street, and beer).

Me and Janet in out pink dresses.
It's all about accessories - with my Hello Kitty purse

I really should have removed my sunglasses




Everyone got in the spirit - some outfits were very creative. 



September 14, 2011

Quality time with Frannie and the Third Offspring

Because it is all about the Bling and that I love running the Rock N Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon, I signed up to run it this year.  My son Scott (aka - the Third Offspring) happened to be off work that weekend - so the plan was for me, Scott, and his girlfriend to go to Virginia Beach.  Scott and I would do the run - girlfriend would take pictures and cheer.

Scott is 25 years old and has run 3 other half marathons with me over the last year.  At each one, about mile 8, he says, "I think that next time I will train".  I register him for a race, then send him gentle Motherly reminders in the form of training schedules and e-mails.  He either forgets to train, has too much other fun stuff to do, or (like childbirth) forgets how painful it was the last time.

Once again, Scott did not train, but he had a goal of beating his last time of 2:52 with 2:45 as the ultimate goal.  That would mean a walk/run pace of about 11:30.  Not an unreasonable pace, but a pace that usually needs training for.

I am so proud of my son.  I told him that we would probably have a run 5 minute / walk 1 minute pace.  During mile 2-3, I was feeling so good - because this was such a comfortable pace for me - I forgot the walk part.  Afterward, Scott says,  "I remember listening to 3 straight songs on my iPod and we ran through all of them - we never walked!!"

I kept checking my watch and was very happy with our pace.  At mile 7, I was confident that we would beat 2:45.  Then mile 8 hit, and Scott's legs were talking to him.

We did a lot more walking then running for the last 3 miles.  At mile 11, I started running and Scott said, we aren't going to make the time - so let's just walk some more.  We stayed together until we saw the finish line.

During all the half marathons that my son and I have run - we stayed together until the end.  For me, it was more about having the time together.  I just counted them as long slow training runs.  Then the finish line comes within reach - Scott starts to sprint and usually beats me by 0:02 seconds when the official results are released.

At Virginia Beach, the finish line is on the Boardwalk.  It can be seen from about 1 mile away.  Way to far to start sprinting.  We were still doing the Walk/Run on the boardwalk. Then about 100 yards away, Scott picks up the pace.  This guy hasn't been able to run for the last 2 miles - but he is running like he is running towards home plate with someone trying to throw him out.  The end of the run was very congested and I could quite run next to him - he found a way to probably beat me by at least 2 seconds this time.

But unfortunately for him, when the results came out - our times were exactly the same - 2:58:45.  The finish line photograph even shows him beating me by a few feet.  Scott thinks that I should write in and have the times corrected.

Next family run is the Disney's Princess Half Marathon in February 2012.


Fran and Scott at the 5K point of the Half Marathon

Scott - clearly beating Fran by more than a second!!
All done!!  Deciding which run to do next.....

September 6, 2011

More important than a Half Marathon??

You ask yourself - what could be more important that posting my report of the this weekend's Virginia Beach Rock n Roll Half Marathon?

Just for a little background.  We had big plans to all run the Army Ten Miler as a family in October.  Then, my daughter Jennifer became pregnant - The original due date was September 21.  Didn't think that it was such a good idea to plan a run with a 3 week old baby (if it arrived on time).

Fast forward a few months - Jennifer's due date kept changing - she became so big - latest ultra sound had her due date as September 2nd.  OH NO - my husband was going to be out of town Labor Day weekend and I was running Virginia Beach with one of my sons, Scott, on September 4th.  I just told her to wait until I got back.

Well, babies have a way of doing what they want.  But everything works out for the best.

We welcomed Cole very quickly on September 1st.  He made a dramatic entrance and raised a few blood pressures. 

Welcome Cole - Frannie is ready to spoil you also!!


10 Minutes old - heading to the nursery


Big Brother Corbin - holding Cole


Cole looking very alert - 5 days old