My First Tattoo (Throwback Thursday Edition)

So I decided to do another edition of Thowback Thursday.  I'd like to tell you the story of my first tattoo and how my mom found out about it.

So I have three tattoos and this is the story of my first one.  I was 20 and had been wanting a tattoo for awhile.  This was 20 years ago before tattoos became as popular as they are today.  I knew what I wanted to get, a shamrock on my ankle.  In fact what I wanted was a 3-leaf clover, not a 4-leaf one.  Many people ask me why not a 4-leaf for luck and my answer is always, I don't need the luck.  But truthfully it was something that I drew while listening to lectures in high school and college when I was bored.  So I drew it a lot.

My best friend and I went to a parlor downtown.   I drew what I wanted and in 20 minutes I had my tattoo.

Man my hair is super long there, makes me want to grow it out again.

I didn't get it right on the ankle, but a little behind it.  I don't know why and it's probably a good thing.  Everyone asked it it hurt.  Yes it did.  But not as much as it would have been right on the ankle.  The closer to bone, the more it hurts.

I really didn't tell anyone that I was getting this tattoo, except for my friend that came with me.  That night I showed it to my then boyfriend and he was all upset.  He didn't like tattoos.  I told him that I didn't get it for him.  He eventually came around to not caring.

Now my mom was interesting.  I wasn't hiding it from her, but I wasn't going to go out of my way to show her.  At that time I was living at home while I was in college.  My mom's room was at the end of the hall and when I was going from the shower to my room she noticed it.  She asked "what's that?"  And I was like all "what's what?"  I wasn't being sarcastic, but I had the tattoo for maybe a couple months by then.  She was like, "is that what I think it is?" and pointed to my feet.  I realized that she was talking about my tattoo then.  I said yes, would you like a closer look?  She said no and went on with what she was doing.

My mom had always said that out of all the things my brother and I have done in my life that she wished she could have done, tattoos were not one of them.  I have never regretted any of mine, but sometimes wonder what I was thinking.  They are all in spots easy to cover with clothing and they represent who I was at one point in my life.  Sometimes I think about getting another one, but that "it" feeling has not come back to me.  That feeling of knowing exactly what you want and where you want to get it.  I sort of think I want something of my running accomplishments, but nothing has come to me that I want on my body permanently.

Do you have any tattoos?  Did you have to hide them from anyone?  If you got (or have) a running one, what is it?

Remaining Goals for 2016 (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

So as we are less then two weeks to what I consider the kick off of the holiday season - Halloween.  Less then three months of the year left.  What are my goals to get me through the holidays?

With running while I'm signed up for at least three more races, my one and only goal is to finish the Marine Corps Marathon (without being picked up).  We are less then two weeks from race and that is the only thing that I'm focused on right now.  But there is life after MCM.

There really isn't much else on my running docket.  I have the Richmond Marathon (or half) and then the Surf-n-Santa 5 miler that I'm signed up for.  There also is a Tacky Light "run" that we do every year that is a lot of fun.  It's a 4 mile course through a neighborhood that has the most lights up for Christmas.  We never run this (though some people do) as it's dark and we like to take our time and look at the lights.

I'll also be doing the Star Wars half in Disneyland in January.  I'll have to make sure I keep my training up for that through the holidays.

There are a few goals that I have for my personal life.  One is to get a job.  I am with my company till the end of the year and then have 6 months severance.  I need to make as many contacts in the next few weeks as I can cause when Thanksgiving hits, no one will be focused on hiring.  I'd like to get something that would start early February if I can.

I also need to start looking at retirement homes for my dad.  We need something lined up just in case something happens to my mom.  She will also be having a knee replacement in the next 6-9 months and we need something lined up so that they can take care of my dad while my mom is in the hospital.

Hopefully I won't let my personal goals interfere with my running.  With a half marathon in January, that will at least keep me focused on getting in some miles. 

What goals do you have set for the rest of the year?  How do you not let the holidays interfere with your running?

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

Trying Walk/Run Again (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

First week of taper is complete.  Two more weeks till MCM.  This has been another hard week for me.  Not for running, but everything else.  The help we had for my dad didn't work out, so there was time spent with him and stress about what we are going to do weighted on me.  I went to another job fair.  I like to see so many employers at once, but it is really exhausting.  But running seems to be going better.  And I'm focusing on detail planning for MCM.  That seems to be calming me some.  Planning just does that to me.

I didn't run on Monday as I was still exhausted Sunday night and decided not to get up early and take an extra rest day.  I'm on my taper so I'm not worried about missing a day.  Wednesday was a good run.  Even though I was in a bad mood the whole run.  I was hoping that the run would help my mood, but it didn't.  Just too much going on and too much stress.  But with cooler temps, my pace is coming down slowly.  Though on my run I did see an accident.  I'm not sure how it happened, but it looked like the car crossed the median and hit a brick wall.  I hope that everyone was OK.

Friday my mood was better.  With things with the job, I have been working from home more often and that means that I can wait till the sun rises to run.  But not Friday.  I had a job fair that morning and I had to make sure I had plenty of time to get ready.  This run was good even though it was in the dark.  I did see a shooting star.  I made a wish quickly and then thought maybe I should wish on something more important and changed my mind.  Can I do that?  Will I get the first or second wish?  Or will I get one at all? :)

Saturday was a much cooler day.  I really wasn't sure what to wear as weather.com told me something completely different then the local news channel.  So I went with a light long sleeve shirt and tights.  While I could have gotten away with a short sleeve shirt and shorts I wasn't really hot at all.

I decided to try and do a walk/run again.  I wanted to see if I could do that for the race and if it made any difference.  I went with a 30 second walk/1 minute run.  We ran down to the bottom (downtown).  There are a couple reasons I hate running those types of loops - 1) you run down but you have to run up all these hills for the second half and 2) the streets and sidewalks are mostly made of cobblestone and brick.  Makes you have to watch your step so you don't trip.

We did run past where the Over the Edge fundraiser was happening.  It's for the Special Olympics where people raise money and rappel over the edge of a building.  No one was coming down when we ran by, but it would have been fun to watch someone.  I always sort of wanted to do it, but I'm terrified of heights.  I want to do it though as I can't let my fear to stop me from doing fun things.  But it looks so scary.   My dilemma.

We did cross the canal.  It has some paths to run on, but it's not very long.

And we crossed the river twice.  I love crossing the river as it is so beautiful.

So, over all, it looks like my pace and heart rate were about the same.  I did feel more tired at the end of the run.  I'm still trying to decide what I will do for the race.  I'm running with a friend and want an even walk/run and not random when my HR goes up.  For now I'll do a couple more walk/run runs just to see if Saturday was a hard run or if I should stick to HR.

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

Running 23 Miles with Matthew (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

So on Saturday, I ran 23 miles with Hurricane Matthew.  While we didn't get a direct hit, we got a lot of rain and some wind.  Not bad enough to cancel the run, but enough for it to be a very wet run.

Monday I didn't go out for a run as I didn't have time.  Plus I kinda counted the hiking we did on Sunday as a run.  Wednesday I got out there and had a great run.  I worked from home so I ended up being able to run after the sun came up.  I really felt like I was finally getting back to where I was before I hurt my back.  There was a guy that was out there with his dog.  He said he has seen me running a lot and to keep it up.  Makes up for the stupid guy last week. :)

Friday while it was still a good run, I felt slower.  I realized it was a lot more humid on Friday then it was on Wednesday.  I had to go into the office, so I had to run before the sun came up.  This is the time of the year where the acorns are falling from the trees.  They kept hitting different surfaces and freaked me out a bit.  That and the acorns were all over the road and I had to watch myself at some places.

Saturday the long arms of Hurricane Matthew hit us.  The weather was in the upper 60's but there was a lot of rain.  I started off before the MTT group as they only had 20 miles on the docket and I wanted to get in 23.  I ran up and back for an extra 3 miles and then off on the route given to us.  I only had 4 miles that I ran over a 16 minute mile.  I was so impressed with my consistency through the run.  I didn't feel like I ran out of steam at the end like I usually do.

I felt like Matthew was keeping me company on my run.  Most of the time it was a light rain, but every so often it would down pour.  And there would be wind gusts every so often.  Every time the rain or wind picked up, I felt like he was encouraging me to keep going.  I just had to embrace the rain and enjoy what was given to me.

The route that they had for us went through a lot of nice neighborhoods.  It was still a little dark out, but there was a lot of street lights still on.  I ran by this church that had signs of all the terrorist attacks that have happened and at the end is a sign that says "Love One Another".  I was very touched by this.

I also ran by a few houses that had Halloween decorations up.  This was my favorite one.

This same house had a big metal rooster and it really reminded me of The Bloggess.

But most of the run this was my view.  A lot of rain.

And a lot of puddles to watch out for.

I used this run to see what time I would make it for mile 15.5 and mile 18 for MCM.  So that I can beat The Gauntlet, I would have to be there no later then 12:38 PM.  Which means if I cross the start line right at 7:55 AM then I have 4:43 to get there.  If I cross the start line at 8:55 AM then I have 3:43.  I got to 15.5 on my training run in 4:03, which means I have to cross the start line by 8:35 AM or earlier to feel comfortable.

To beat the bridge at mile 18 by 1:15 PM.  That would mean I would need to get there between 4:20 - 5:20.  I got there in 4:40.  Plenty of time after getting past The Gauntlet.  So my main concern will be getting to The Gauntlet on time.

I was still one of the last people that got back to the parking lot.  I just hate that feeling that I know I did great for me, but still one of the last people to finish.  I told one of the coaches that I did an extra 3 miles and he scoffed at me.  The MTT thought of training is that you only need to do 20.  One would think that they would encourage you if you felt better doing something different from that.  There is not one way to train, and I'm doing what is best for me feeling like I can get to the finish line.

When I got home I saw how badly I chaffed.  I used so much Glide on myself because I knew it was going to rain the whole time and it didn't help.  I'm chaffed between my thighs, on my waist, and all around my bra line.  I also wish I had shorts and a sports bra that would treat my body better.  But thank goodness for Aquafur!

So now I have two weeks of tapering and then it's race time, though it really hasn't hit me, yet.  Some people have a hard time with taper time, but I really try to embrace it.  I feel really good about MCM after this run but I know I will be very nervous about beating those times.

Do you ever feel encouraged by the weather, even bad weather?  Do you look forward to taper time or dread it?  

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.

Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (Friday Five Edition)

So you might see a similar post on Meranda's blog, but I wanted to talk about our fun little adventure up to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.  Meranda wanted to check it out as there was supposed to be a race there but there was no information about it online as they cancelled it this year (we are hoping just this year and not forever).  But I'm always up for a road trip so I told her I would check it out with her.  Here are 5 things that happened.

1. We got lost.  Well we really didn't get lost, it's just that most mapping systems didn't even know where the PA Grand Canyon is.  Google did, but apparently it considers several State Parks part of the whole same system and it sent is to the wrong one.  So we went probably 30 minutes out of our way and had to cross this scary bridge as well.  But we talked to some really nice bikers who were doing a whole weekend ride through the rail trail in that area.  I kinda wanted to join them.

2. We had a second day of cooperating weather.  While it was dreary out, it really didn't start raining till we left the park.  The temperatures were cool where we had to put on a jacket and were happy that we were wearing jeans.  Then while we were hiking we got hot and had to strip our jackets and at that point I was kinda hating my jeans.

3. It was beautiful!!  These pictures really do not do it justice.  With the overcast skies most of the pictures came out kinda dark.

4. When they say the trails were steep, they were not kidding.  We went on the shorter path first and it looped around back to the top.  It was short and kinda steep.  The second trail we went on was a bit longer and a lot steeper.  As we started the second trail, we saw kids coming up.  Everyone was huffing and puffing, but we said we were marathoners, this would be no big deal.  Well it kinda was a big deal.

The downhill to me was the hardest.  While it wasn't raining, the trail was still wet and had leaves all over it.  I was terrified that I was going to slip and fall.  Also, my knee really was hurting on the way down.  It doesn't like hills.  So we made it down to the waterfall and decided the rest wasn't worth going down as others coming up said it just leads down to the rail trail and river.  The waterfall was really pretty.  Not as large as I thought it would be, but worth the trek down.

We hung out and took pictures.

The walk up wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  While we huffed and puffed all the way up and had to stop a couple times to catch our breath, I felt safer going up.  And my knee completely stopped hurting.  Though my calfs were feeling it by the end.  Meranda's Garmin said that between the two hikes the elevation was 799 feet.

Oh I have to add that there was this guy that ran down and back up twice while we were hiking.  We thought he was insane as not only was it dangerous for him, but there were actually a good handful of people on the trail who had to make sure they moved out of the way of him on some very narrow paths.


5.  We should have asked before we started hiking where the race actually takes place.  It turns out that it takes place on the other side of the rim.  After seeing the park, I really wasn't sure how there was another side of the rim.  By the time we were done, I really was tired and ready for dinner and voted that we don't check out the other side.  I probably should have just sucked it up as now I'm very curious about it.  Might have to do another road trip just to check that out.

Have you ever been to the PA Grand Canyon?  What's your favorite part of hiking? 

Linking up with Courtney, Mar & Cynthia 

 

Do Not Disturb! (Throwback Thursday Edition)

So I know most of my posts have to do with running, but I wanted to throw in some other stuff and what is the best way to do that then telling a story from years ago.  Some might be from my childhood and others might be from a few years ago.  I hope you all enjoy a trip down my memory lane.

So this one comes from back in the day when I was 5 or 6.  I went to a Montessori School from preschool all the way through second grade.  After that I wanted to go to public school because I wanted to ride the school bus with my friends from the neighborhood.

The school that I went to was an outdoor layout where the hallways were outside.  We were at recess one day and me and a couple friends were playing around the teacher's lounge door.  On the door it says "Do Not Disturb".  So we decided to disturb.

We slightly opened up the door and saw that there was a book shelf so that you couldn't see the teachers in there directly.  We would take turns opening the door slightly and yelling "Disturb!" into the door and running away.  We did this one too many times and were finally caught.

I know that they sent a note home, but I really don't remember being punished at home.  I know it was the first time I got in trouble though.

When was the first time you got in trouble?  Have you ever seen inside a teachers lounge (when you were a student)?

Heart Rate Training Week 10 (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

This week has been much better.  Back has been feeling great (knock on wood).  I did bruise my toe nails on both big toes pretty badly last Saturday so I took Monday off to let them heal. Not sure what the deal was with that as those were the same shoes that I wore though my last few races so I know they are not too small.  They are getting close to 300 miles so it may be time to start rotating a new pair into my week.

Wednesday was another dreary day.  Luckily when I got out there it was in between down pours so it was just misty out.  The only thing I hate about running in the rain is that I wear a hat or visor and they make my head so hot.  But other then that I really don't mind running in the rain - only when it's warm. :)  My toe nails hurt a little towards the end of the run, but other then that I felt great.  It's been such a long time since I've said that.

Friday I was able to wait till the sun came up to run.  I'm not sure what I hate more, running in the dark or waiting till it's lighter out but having to deal with more cars on the road.  Guess it's best that I do half and half and really appreciate the best part of each.  I have also noticed a ton of mushrooms, not only around my neighborhood, but all over the city.  It's just weird as they all just popped up at the same time everywhere.  Also, it looks like one of the condos was throwing out another couch.  This is the second one I have seen in the same place in the past month. Just weird.

The temps were cooler which was great.  It was misty again and very dreary out.  With the coolness I have been able to run more hills before my heart rate would jump too high.  Man I forgot how hard it is to run up hills.  I really should have incorporated them more in my training this time around but I could only focus on the heart rate training this time around. Oh and the day before my toes had healed enough for me to clean them out and trim the nails and they felt fine on my run.  Yay to no pain!

Saturday was such a fun run.  I drove up to PA to visit a friend and we decided to head out to a trail near her which she runs on all the time.  It had been dreary and raining all Friday and Saturday morning when we woke up.  We got up and looked at the radar and thought we could get out there right away and the second we said that it started to rain.  So we piddled around and got dressed and the rain stopped and we headed out.  The moment we got to the trail it started to rain again.  We decided to sit in the car as the radar said it would pass quickly.  Once we did we were out the door.

The trail is fairly flat, with little elevation and it was beautiful.  A lot of farm land around with animals and people to watch.  I had a hard time with the first few miles as I sometimes do.  I'm used to running on the streets and have a lot I have to pay attention to with the cars and this just brought me into my own thoughts, which can be interesting or not so interesting. :)  But I kept looking around at the beautiful nature and animals and farms.  It just sank into me how lucky I am to be experiencing and seeing all of this.  One of my favorite things about running is to be one with nature and this really was.  After that I got out of my head and really enjoyed the run.

It was in the mid 50's.  I haven't seen anything under 65 degrees since May.  It was so nice.  I wasn't sure what to wear so I went with my tank top and shorts.  I wish I would have worn a short sleeve shirt as with the misty elements my shoulders got really chilly at times.

Because of the weather there were not many people on the trail, which was nice then we could run next to each other and not really worry about people coming up behind us or ahead.  We did see a lot of Mennonites out for a leisure stroll or bike ride on the trail.

Can you see the brown bunny in the brown brush?

We also saw a ton of animals.  Lots and lots of cows.  A few dogs.  A bunny.  A couple of kitties.  We saw some little cows in individual tents and Meranda had to explain to me that they were being raised for veal.  That made me feel real sad and and I just wanted to take them out to go for a walk with us.

We even saw a dirt pile where kids have put their toy trucks at the top.  It was so cute.

I was a little disappointed with my time.  I know I can't focus on it, but the weather was a lot cooler and there wasn't really any hills.  I know I haven't done a lot of running in the past month or so and I'm really kinda starting over.  While my heart rate was amazing for this run and I had absolutely no pain, I really just wish I could go faster.  I know I can't focus on that and just need to focus on getting the miles in, it just disappoints me.

Meranda was a lot of fun to run with.  I am a very slow runner and even though others say they will stay with me they tend to get antsy and go on ahead.  But it was fun to gab the whole way, which since I'm used to running on my own was a nice change of pace.  She was only going to do 10 miles but decided to do the last 2 with me anyway since we were going slow enough.  When we finished the moment we got back into the car it started to rain again.  Talk about perfect timing.  It's like the running Gods were looking out for us and waited just till we finished.

So just one more long run next week.  The MTT has 20 on their schedule but I really want to do 23.  I always feel better if I do a little more then 20 for my last long run before a marathon.  Not sure how I will fit in the extra miles, but I'll figure it out.  I can't believe I'm just one long run from taper time.  Things are getting a little real now.

Miles run in September: 63.01
Miles run in MCM/Richmond training: 332.52

Good luck to all of those who are running Chicago this weekend!!!!


Do you normally run on roads or trails?  Have you dealt with bruised toe nails before?  Are you seeing a lot of mushrooms around you or it's just around me?

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.