It was a great year of running and reaching many goals!!
With my registration and running date to the Tokyo Marathon to finish and earn my 6th Abbott World Marathon Major Six Star Status and Medal still in question (due to Covid since March of 2020,) this year was such an amazing year regardless! The year was full of running adventures and traveling, fund raising, and pushing myself to hit certain goals. Paying it forward and raising money for charity was the biggest highlight and my most memorable experience. My focus on Tokyo had to be shelved for a bit and my main goal was to run Tunnel in September and run it well. Everything leading up to that was training my body for a possible BQ and to stay fluid for when and if Tokyo would take place. With the help of my coach, Christopher Johnson of Zeren Performance and PT, we made some serious magic happen and I chased down another unicorn.
Revel Mt. Lemmon
The first of the year started with running REVEL Mt. Lemmon Limited Edition full marathon in Tucson, Arizona in late February. This run was a bit challenging for me because we were going to be dropped off at the top of Mt. Lemmon and run all the way down to the local high school in Tanque Verde just outside Tucson. I wasn’t sure how elevation, temperature changes, and downhill running was going to be on my body. The start was at about 8,200 ft. at around 36 degrees with a little bit of snow on the ground but I wore compression sleeves and gloves for my upper body and warmed up pretty fast. By the finish at around 2,700 ft. it was fairly warm. The run was so beautiful and we had an amazing time as a family sight-seeing. The REVEL race series did an outstanding job of socially distancing runners, etc. While out in Arizona, we were able to help support other runners from our run club, Boston Buddies, and bond over all things running.
Place
Overall
Gender
Division (40-44)
Time
111/187
58/104
15/24
3:58:47
REVEL Sun Valley
In June, we travelled out to Sun Valley, Idaho to run REVEL Sun Valley Limited Edition ½ marathon. This was definitely going to be a test of how well my training had been going and if I was ready to run a fast Tunnel Marathon in September. We were pleasantly surprised with the outcome. We drove out to Sun Valley over two days and just took travels super easy while visiting with family along the way. The Sun Valley area is so beautiful and the ½ marathon starts at about 6,600 ft. near Cathedral Pines and finishes at about 5,800 ft. in Atkinson Park. The morning of the race was super calm and relaxing. And everything just clicked for me that day. Sleep, nutrition, fuel, energy, and pace were all on point and I managed a 2nd age division and 12th gender placement. We were actually able to help and support a few Boston Buddies out for the marathon and help a few other REVEL runners out with somewhere to stay and logistics, etc. The course was so beautiful and we had a amazing time sight-seeing. REVEL race series did an outstanding job again with socially distancing measures, etc.
Place
Overall
Gender
Division (40-44)
Time
20/145
12/97
2/13
1:46:33
Fueled by Fine Wine
In July, we travelled out to the Dundee Hills in Oregon to run Fueled by Fine Wine ½ marathon. This is a run that I’ve done several times before and it’s super hard and full of hills as you run through tons of vineyards up and down the Willamette Valley countryside. This course is not a fast course and the weather can be on the warm side. This was going to be a fun run for me as I just had raced Sun Valley the month prior. Fueled by Fine Wine is so much fun. We usually rent a house, go wine tasting, and really enjoy the scenery. The course was so beautiful and we had an amazing time with friends and family. This course always kicks my butt. It’s hard but so rewarding with yummy Pinot Noir to enjoy at finish line at the after party.
Place
Overall
Gender
Division (40-44)
Time
95/200
44/120
7/25
2:20:59
Tunnel Light Marathon
In September, we travelled locally up to the Cascade Mountain range to run Tunnel Light Marathon at Snoqualmie Pass in Washington. This is a marathon I have run a couple of times before and has a very special place in my heart. The course, the scenery, the memories of running after my father passed away, etc. It’s near and dear to me and this is the course that I really wanted to put it all out there if the training and stars were aligned. And they surely were! We start at about 2,545 ft. and finish at about 500 ft. in North Bend. Went out strong and just tried to hold onto that pace all the way through. And everything just clicked for me that day again just like in Sun Valley. Sleep, nutrition, fuel, energy, and pace were all on point and this performance time qualified me for 2022 and 2023 Boston, 2022 New York, and 2022 Chicago World Marathon Major marathons. We were able to help cheer on and support Boston Buddies runners and celebrate with friends and family.
Place
Overall
Gender
Division
Time
175/408
42/167
15/37
3:37:53
125th Boston Marathon
In October, we travelled out to Boston, Massachusetts to run the 125th Boston Marathon for 261 Fearless, Inc. Charity Organization. The charity organization was founded by Kathrine Switzer who in 1967 was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered runner when women were not allowed to run and almost got kicked off the course by the race director but her fearlessness and perseverance got her to the finish line. What an outstanding role model to all runners. 261 Fearless, Inc. works to empower women around the world through movement and running. We raised an astounding $9,000 dollars for the charity and had an amazing time with family and friends. We decided this would be an easy and relaxed run for me as it was for charity and I had just raced Tunnel and qualified for so much. This was my 4th Boston Marathon and 1st time running it for charity and my most memorable day of the year. We were very proud to represent the charity and make a HUGE difference.
Place
Overall
Gender
Division
Time
10,306/15,386
4,484/7,444
914/1,289
4:06:17
Sky Valley YMCA Fall Classic
After coming back from Boston, I finished up the year by deciding to run our local and annual Fall Family Fun Run YMCA 10k, which I have run or my family and I have volunteered in almost every year. This run and local charity event gives back to the local community and was such a wonderful way to end the season! And I beat my time from 2019 by 14 seconds when I placed 2nd overall for my gender!
Place
Overall
Gender
Division (40-49)
Time
12/46
3/19
3/9
47:20
261 Fearless fund raising
This year has been challenging but rewarding between trying to find in person races due to Covid to getting out the door each and every day to push myself to run rolling hills in preparation of the REVEL series, Tunnel, and Boston marathons. My coaches training plan was crucial to all my performances and has been a game changer for me. As we come to the end of the year, I’m reflecting on all accomplished this year and my goals for the next year. I’ll be ending the year with about 2,150+ miles and a huge grin on my face. 2022 has some new BIG goals and I’m super excited to get started and rock the roads. As of right now, I’ve started training for the 126th Boston Marathon (my 5th) in April. There are a few other BIG goals that we are planning out as well. I’m still waiting to hear when we’ll be able to safely travel and run the Tokyo Marathon for my AWMM status and star but I’m keeping busy and wish everyone a Happy New Year and running!!! Huge thanks to all my family, friends, and coach. For without your support, none of these goals could have been met.
16 week marathon training plan started in January for the 2019
Virgin Money London Marathon that took place in April, as a family we
collectively raised $7,550 for Back on My Feet charity and I completed my 4th
Abbott World Marathon Major and 12th marathon in 4:15:18, placed 18,851
overall, 5,456 female, and 1,006 for age division.
16 week marathon training plan started in June for the 2019 BMW
Berlin Marathon that took place in September and I completed my 5th
Abbott World Marathon Major and 13th marathon in 4:12:55, placed 24,669
overall, 5,044 female, and 904 age division.
Ran a 5K in early July in 23:50, placed 133/645 overall,
31/337 female, and 3/44 for age division.
Ran a hilly half marathon in early July with an elevation
gain of 1,783 feet and finished in 2:25:55, placed 231/730 overall, 111/519
female, 20/74 for age division.
Registered and received charity acceptance into the Tokyo
2020 marathon and raised $1,000 for the Ronald McDonald house charity and a chance
at my sixth star Abbott World Marathon Major status.
Ran a half marathon in August with an elevation gain of 435
feet and finished in 1:51:42, placed 152/747 overall, and 5/60 for age division.
Ran a 5k in September in 20:18, placed 16/1356 overall,
3/758 female, 1/94 age division.
Ran a 10k in October in 47:34, placed 7th overall, 2nd female,
2nd in age division. (small race)
Ran a 6k in December in 26:11, placed 5th overall, 2nd female, 1st in age division. (small race)
16 week marathon training plan started in November for the
2020 Tokyo Marathon that takes place in March and will be my 6th
Abbott World Marathon Major where I will hopefully add to the 6,600 athletes
worldwide, 1,202 athletes in the United States, and the 1,895 female athletes
worldwide to accomplish this goal.
Here’s to 2020 and what the new year will bring!!! Happy training
to all my fellow athletes out there!!!
My blog is to share and support other runners, specifically moms trying to make our training work for our lives 😊 This is not a how to, it is “how I made it work” and if it works for you or gives you ideas then I consider it a win!!
My 16-week training plan for the 2019 Berlin Marathon consisted of around 400+ running miles being logged on the road and on the treadmill, 50+ cross training miles, 1 5K race in early July, and 2 half marathons in mid-July and at the end of August. Long runs over the training plan consisted of 7, 9, 8, 9, 10, 13.1, 7.5, 14, 17, 19, 11, 16, 13.1, 20, 10, & 5 miles. My mid-week runs would consist of anywhere between 3-7 miles every other day. My training plan for Berlin 2019 also emphasized in rowing for 10-15 minutes prior to every workout for warm-up and to stimulate the core, weight lifting, strength training, elliptical with no arms to work the core, stairs with no handle gripping for core work (the most I ever sweat working out), PT/Coach approved exercises to strengthen weaknesses. Planks, foam rolling, acupuncture, magnesium baths are key for my performance and training as well.
A lot of mid-week miles were logged on the treadmill vs outside due to the kids having walking pneumonia for weeks during the summer and only being able to get outside for long runs. But I also logged some long runs on the treadmill to spend more time close to home and the family when intuitively I felt it was needed. Since moving out to Duvall, I have been doing more workouts from home simply because of our location. Although, beautiful and out in the woods, running out here can only happen if you have a partner of some kind. I have toyed with maybe making my wooded area a short trail path but that takes some time. But I have all the equipment to do my workouts at home and that is a blessing. So just be flexible with every day would be my training advice. Get the miles in where you can and making it work somehow.
My husband is incredibly supportive with my goals and I would not be able to fulfill this dream of becoming a 6-star Abbott World Marathon Major with out him. He is the glue that keeps every thing together when I have to log hours and hours of training and running. Surround yourself around those that love you and support you. Whether that be your significant other, family, friends that have common goals, Facebook groups that encourage you, or just your pure will to get it done. Get the miles in 😊 Happy and healthy training.
After 16 weeks of training for the 2019 Virgin Money London
Marathon, my family and I were finally boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight and
heading across the pond. I was literally so excited and nervous to possibly be accomplishing
my 4th Abbott World Marathon Major star. My mind was made up that I
was going to run easy and keep it light as I have my 5th Star in
Berlin to achieve later in the year and I’m still healing from injury. Trying
to put no pressure on myself for time as this was my first international
marathon and I was traveling with all my children. As an athlete that is trying
to achieve my six-star medal, it’s more important for me to stay healthy for
the next big one and to get that next star instead of trying to hit it hard for
time for right now. My thinking going into the marathon was to stay healthy and
not worry about time, as I have will only be taking off a month between
training cycles. Berlin has been deferred already two times due to the birth of
Lily, not wanting to travel with a newborn, and injury. Chasing the Abbott World
Marathon Majors has been a three-year process for me so far since starting in
2016 to achieve.
The flight went fairly well and I highly recommend Virgin
Atlantic as an airline to travel on from Seattle to London. The flight
attendants were very helpful and nice and our seats were very roomy and comfy.
We took an afternoon flight into the night as our flight would be 9 ½ hours
until we reached Heathrow Airport early Thursday morning. We preordered the meals
for the children so they were served first and we ate after. We booked a private shuttle from Heathrow to
the hotel as we knew we would probably be pretty tired but we weren’t able to
check into the hotel as early as we thought we could. Looking back, that is one
thing I overlooked and would have changed. We thought maybe we could try and
hit up the expo but traffic was a nightmare so we ended up doing some
sightseeing and our driver drove us around some landmarks. We were finally able
to check in to our hotel, Crowne Plaza in Kensington. I chose this hotel
because it offered free shuttle to start line, the location seemed central to
Hyde Park, tube stations, and close to finish that I could just walk back or
take a short trip on the tube. The hotel also offered free breakfast every
morning, a pasta dinner the night before the marathon for carb loading, and
there was a grocery store right across the street for all those last-minute
essentials.
We decided since we didn’t get into the hotel until a bit
later and we were exhausted, we would give the kids baths, naps, and hit the expo
on Friday. That would give us all day to explore and take in the whole
experience. Tyler researched what trains and transfers we would need to take
and we set off getting there a little after it opened up. I’ve been to lots of
other expos but London is top notch. The kids got to play with some demos at
the Virgin Atlantic tent, run on the Abbott Marathon Major track which gives
you details on your cadence, etc., dance on the charity floor, bowling for
charity, take pictures, and have lots of fun. We all had an amazing time at the
expo for so many reasons but mostly because we got there early as to avoid the
crowds and really took time to soak in the experience. As we were walking out
of the expo, a side door opened up and Mary Keitany came out and walked right
beside us. I literally tripped over my own feet. So cool but I didn’t ask for
autograph and am now kicking myself that I didn’t.
My charity, Back On My Feet, who I very proudly raised $7550
to run London, planned a shakeout run at Hyde Park on Saturday morning. Saturday
morning turned out to be cold, windy, and rainy. We decided we would take the
kids with us so they could check out the park and see some landmarks. And I was
also planning on meeting up with the Boston Buddies an hour after my charity
shakeout run to hopefully take a picture especially with our little Lily “B”. I
ran the 2017 Boston Marathon while I as 6 ½ months pregnant so technically she
could be considered to take part in a Boston Buddies picture. Maybe we’ll shoot
for a photo in Berlin. By the time we got to our meet up place, the kids were
cold and tired so we I just introduced myself and met everyone and headed back
with the family. I was a bit worried about the weather but saw that Sunday was
supposed to be much better conditions with a slight chance of rain and not so
chilly.
The rest of the day, we just took it easy and I started to
prepare all my race day essentials. I laid out all the clothes, pinned my bib,
packed all the throwaway clothes I thought might be needed. The night before I
always have nervous jitters so I try to keep my mind occupied by keeping busy.
Also, I took some time to reflect on how lucky I was to be able to run this and
went over some race day mantras that I could tell myself when things got hard.
After the race, I read that only 1,433 Americans ran London out of the
staggering 42,549 people crossed the finish line. The field consisted of 80% of
UK residents. I also read that after London over 6000 runners now have their six-star
Abbott World Marathon Major medal. For those who are not familiar with AWMM six-star
medal, it is received once you have run Boston, Chicago, New York, London,
Berlin, and Tokyo. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to accomplish this
as every marathon is very unique in how you gain registration and acceptance.
There are currently two candidates, Chengdu and Singapore, that could possibly
be added at some point. And recently they started awarding points onto your
account within AWMM, called the Wanda Age Group Awards, which somehow keeps
track of your time and how well you do within a certain year. Gaining points
for this year started in Berlin 2018 and ends in Berlin 2019. Supposedly, there
are 1000 spots available for the 2020 London Marathon for the runners with the
highest points in each age division.
The next morning the weather forecast couldn’t have been more
perfect for a long-distance runner. A bit chilly but not as chilly as the day
before with a slight chance of drizzle. One piece of advice that I will always
recommend whether you think the weather will be warm enough or not, is to pack
throw away warm clothes to use while you are waiting to start. I got dressed
and packed everything I would need in my runners’ bag. Tyler grabbed me a cup
of coffee and helped me pin on my memorial bib for my friend and write messages
on my arms. Other than the baby being up late the night before, I felt good and
ready. Just kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be doing this and my
mantra to myself was I get to do this, not that I have to do this. We all
headed downstairs for breakfast and where I would need to meet to catch my
shuttle to the start line. I was surprisingly calm and happy. Usually my nerves
are all over the place but I just kept telling myself that I was going to have
fun no matter what and take in all the landmarks. The shuttle ride went pretty
fast and we even got to watch the rhino charity runners unload their heavy
costumes out of the truck. Thinking to myself, if they can run in those, this
is going to be one epic run experience.
When we arrived at Greenwich, we were directed to our
appropriate color-coded start areas and they had everything very well
organized. The bag drop trucks were the first things you saw and they were
organized by what bib number you had. There were tents with free coffee and
tea. The porta potties were organized in a way I have never seen before and it
made the lines run so smoothly. They were in a u shape and each line of runners
had their own u-shaped porta potties. I’ve never seen the lines move so fast
for the first hour of being there at least. They had a big jumbotron showing
the elites starting and interviewing runners in the start area. The start times
were well organized into zones and once in zone you waited another 30-45 minutes
give or take until you started. It was a little cold at the beginning as we
waited in queues but I was very impressed with the start area and felt everything
was going so amazingly smooth. My throwaway clothes were really helping me stay
warm as I witnessed a lot of runners wasting energy by jumping around to just
stay warm.
The run started out awesome but it is a pretty crowded field
and you have to watch your footing. Found myself stuck a few times behind
slower runners but you just have to plow ahead and move around if you find
yourself not keeping your pace. They also serve Lucozade sports drinks that
really stick to the road once tossed down by runners. You find yourself having
sticky shoes as you run through those stations. I never did try the seaweed
pouches as I try not to have anything new on race day to avoid GI stress. I was
plowing ahead nicely until around mile 13, I believe, where I found myself
having to stop and use the loo (bathroom). Again, not going for time, just the
4th star, I really didn’t stress about having to stop and use the bathroom.
It is very rare when I have to stop in a marathon and use the bathroom. The
only other time I can remember having to use the bathroom was running Boston
2017 very pregnant. Looking back, I wouldn’t change my hydration intake that
morning as I felt that I needed as much as I could get from the jet lag and
traveling internationally. Here were my
times and statistics:
Distance
Time
Start
10:24
5k
25:53
10K
51:57
15K
1:18:48
20k
1:49:24
Half
1:55:30
25K
2:19:55
30K
2:51:39
35K
3:27:10
Finish
4:15:18
Division
Placement
Gender
5454/ 17774
Category
(40-44)
1005/2944
Overall
18,837/42,553
This was my second slowest time for all my AWMM races but
again, I was very happy to finish and finish healthy. There was a tragedy that
shook me up pretty bad around mile 24. There was a runner going into full on
cardiac arrest. Just about stopped me in my tracks and makes you really think
about the amount and toll the marathon can put on your body. We later found out
that the gentleman made it through and survived. London and the support from
the crowd was amazing. I stopped along the way and took pictures at Tower
Bridge and couldn’t believe I was running past Buckingham palace on my way to
the finish line. This is definitely the first marathon that I have run where
you see more charity vests than anything else. It seems that most of the field
are charity runners. Lots of costumes, messages to loved ones lost, and Guinness
World Records broke.
As I crossed the finish line, I was so happy to have
accomplished this goal. 16 weeks of training, countless long runs, missed meals
with my family, hours and hours at the gym, had paid off. One of the race
volunteers placed that medal on my neck and I headed straight to pictures and
refreshment bags. We were also given finisher shirts which were a little big
for sizes but a pretty cool design. Received my space blanket and picked up my
drop bag. Headed out to the left onto Piccadilly station and jumped on the tube
to Gloucester station. Walked up and out to across the street where my hotel
was. When I got to my room, I gave my husband and kids the biggest hug and
kisses. Mission accomplished! Recovery for me usually consists of eating as
much as my tummy will allow me at that time, a bath, and a nap. Watched a
little bit of the marathon that they were showing again on the TV and fell fast
asleep. Body was a little sore but after the nap, we walked a few blocks down
to a yummy restaurant and had some good food which allowed my legs to loosen up
some more.
The next morning, we got up and ready to fly back out. The
kids were already going to miss four days of school with this trip so I didn’t
want to stay any longer but looking back, I wish we had. Sitting for 9 ½ hours
on a flight the day after running a marathon is never a smart or comfortable
decision as you are sore but being offered a glass of champagne by the
attendants as soon as we boarded wasn’t too bad either. Wear your medal back
home because it comes with some pretty cool perks, especially in London.
Later, I learned that the 2019 London Marathon was the
second fastest marathon ever run and Eliud Kipchoge won it with a new course
record. Amazing to think about how fast those elites run and the level they
compete at. Always feel so privileged to run the path they just blazed through
on every marathon. Arriving into Seatac
Airport and going through border control was a breeze. After settling back at home
and getting the children back on a schedule, I did a recovery run out on and the
lake on Wednesday. An overwhelming sense of pride, raising money for the
homeless and my charity, being back home safely and healthy, and just how fast
this amazing journey went came over me intensely and to tears. I’m going to go
for easy or no running for the next month for recovery and injury prevention.
My focus in the next down month will be working on cross training, strength,
coach and PT suggested drills and start to gear up for Berlin in September!
What a wonderful experience of a lifetime and an epic ride!! So very thankful
to my husband and family, Dr. Adams, Chris at Zeren PT and performance, Heidi
at Lake Washington Physical Therapy, Susie at Energetic Medicine, Monroe/Sky
Valley Family YMCA, several Facebook training and support groups for these
marathons, and everyone who supports me day in and day out. It takes a village
and I could not do this without your support. And as of today, the upcoming
London Marathon 2020 received 457,861 entries into the ballot, making it a new
world record.
Thoughts going into training for 2019 BMW Berlin Marathon:
Get in the pool: Swimming and spending time in the pool is when I reached my sub 3:30 a couple of years back. As uncomfortable as it is for some of us non swimmers: it is non-impact, aqua jogging is your friend, and works every muscle in your body, and helps with breathing.
Nutrition: When I followed a very strict nutrition plan, I felt strong and on top of my training. Nutrition has always been one of my top priorities.
Strength training and drills: Listen to your “people” and my people are:
Heidi – Physical Therapist (Lake Washington Physical Therapy & the best out of Kirkland, WA)
Chris – PT/Coach (Zeren PT and Performance the absolute best out of Seattle, WA)
Susie – Acupuncture (Energetic Medicine out of Seattle, WA)
Dr. Bob Adams – Sports Doctor (Evergreen Hospital/USA Track & Field Olympic Doctor in 2012 out of Kirkland, WA)
Training plan: Stick to your plan but also listen to your body! Runners are a “Type A” personality! We don’t want to admit it to ourselves more or less anyone else when we have an injury. But when you do…step back and recover or risk not getting to the start line. One of the most important aspects of our sport is to train but to get to the start line healthy. You can have several goals in a race but the fact you are able to run a marathon in of itself is a huge victory!!!
Happy running and as always, the point of this blog is to help other runners out there with any ideas or tips to improve your training and marathon experience!
The 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon is three weeks away so this is a great time to update you on training. In going through the blog, I noticed that I have not updated in a while. I apologize for that. First, life has been busy and not easy to say the least. We sold our Monroe home and bought a new house in Duvall. Reading one of my very last posts regarding a broken toe and managing through our temporary apartment during which I was training for the Berlin Marathon brought back memories of how hard things were and how far I’ve come thus far in this training season. Losing my cousin in July broke my heart and then my grandmother took a turn for the worse and passed as well. A broken heart and toe, having to defer the Berlin Marathon, and at the time just being burnt out on everything was pouring out of the blog. A break was needed because I was emotionally and physically spent. Running and training wasn’t a priority nor did I really want it to be. My priorities were moving everything in the new house and getting all the kids on a routine in regards to new school, etc. And just letting the heart heal as much as it could. Just needed to some time for things to calm down and for the love of the sport to return to my veins again.
So here we are now and I’ve been training for the London
Marathon for 13 weeks now and feeling good. I raised money for a charity called
Back on my feet whose mission is to help combat homelessness by encouraging the
homeless to start running to gain confidence. Once an individual has committed
and shown up to a few runs, the charity then starts to help with school,
employment, and housing. I had to write
an essay months ago about why I wanted to run for this particular charity
before gaining acceptance. This was near and dear to my heart as my dad had suffered
before his untimely death from addiction and depression, which sometimes lead
to unhealthy and or inadequate housing. But he actually ran his very first 5K
with me and I noticed a sense of confidence and achievement in his smile
afterwards. Unfortunately, the addiction lead to a terrible accident and he
passed away two months later. I was devastated to say the least but if I can
help one person for even a second gain confidence through running, my goal that
I set out to accomplish is fulfilled.
Training has had its ups and downs this season but it has
mostly been up. This time around, I’ve been relaxed with my plan and not
stressing about missing a run. Mostly, because I just want to show up at the
start line healthy and happy for this great cause. As I get older, I’ve been
trying different approaches to training to try and keep injuries at bay. Some
have included running long runs every other weekend, not running a full 20
miler but keeping it at 16-18, and really listening to my body. Acupuncture has
been a blessing and really seems to be helping me. Nutrition has become so
important too. Making sure I’m eating pre and post training with foods that
fuel the body. Taking long warm baths with mineral flakes has become my new
favorite. I have also been working with a coach who is so knowledgeable about
every aspect of this sport that its incredible and mind blowing all in the same.
I feel very lucky and fortunate to have this guy in my court. Swimming, cross
training, strength training, drills and adding a weekly walk a day after a long
run seem to be working too.
In the bigger picture, I’m on a mission to finish all six of
The Abbott World Marathon Majors. London will be my fourth and later in
September, Berlin will be my fifth, leaving Tokyo as my last. This journey thus
far has been exciting, rewarding, but hard work. There have been bumps along
the way but that’s life and I’m doing a better job of embracing them as they
come. The reason I started this blog a while back was to hopefully help other
runners out there with any and all tips of how we juggle and make it work with
a large family and life. Logging long runs on the weekend and training during
the week with five children is no small feat. It takes planning, sacrifice, and
determination along with flexibility from everyone in the family and beyond. My
husband is the backbone to my training. He watches the children on my long runs
and supports me in every way. I seriously would not be able to do this without
his love and dedication. It also takes a support system and a small village
outside our family. Most of my training is done at the YMCA because of the
support and childcare that is offered. And they are amazing with my children. All
my children have grown up there since we became members nine to ten years ago. I’d
also like to mention the support from other amazing women and moms out there
doing the same thing. We have a circle of friends that have the same goals and
support each other. It makes a huge difference to have friends around that
support you and understand what you are going through because they are going
through the same experience. They have been unbelievable role models to me.
With three weeks left of training until The London Marathon,
I am very excited but cautious. There is one last long run before the taper and
I’m literally shaking with nerves as I type this now. I do not want anything to
go wrong or risk injury on that last long run. And I keep reminding myself that
the most important thing right now is that I show up to that start line happy
and healthy for a wonderful charity and an experience of a lifetime! Here we
go!!!
Update: After writing this post last week and I have
accomplished the scary 20-mile-long run and now on taper. Two weeks to go and I’m
just trying to take it one day at a time until the start line. So excited to
fly to my first international marathon. Simply amazing!!!
Just really can not put these last two months into words. It’s been that long since I’ve posted and so many changes have occurred.
My cousin, Alicia, was placed on life support so very unexpectedly . Alicia was only six years older than me and just the most funniest, caring, sociable, beautiful inside and out, amazing soul you will ever meet. She was the party of any event and told you how it was all at the same time. She genuinely cared about friends and family but always loved to have a good time all in the same. I had a really hard time with her passing and couldn’t believe it had happened. Depression was definitely a daily occurrence for me and I was just trying to deal with what to do next. What that means and what that looks like. Our family has been plagued with so much tragedy.
After Alicia’s passing, life was just out of control for me. Getting our house ready to sell, moving into a smaller temporary apartment, the physical work, etc. Training just seemed to be on the fly and really consisted of moving boxes constantly, staying up all night cleaning, living off of a hardboiled egg as the one and only “meal” all day long.
Get my drift? I was burning myself into the ground with grief (emotional) and physical (moving and no nutrition on a daily basis) that looking back…I’m surprised I didn’t injure myself earlier. We took our first vacation and went camping for a few days after the house was pretty much ready to be placed on the market. Took a nice long run along the Hood Canal, took time to reflect, spent time with my family and friends, so much more that I felt a little like myself again for a brief time…
The next week, baby Lily got herself in a tricky situation, and I ran to save her from a falling chair and got myself a broken toe in the process. Lily is so good and perfectly healthy. At the time, it really hurt, but I truly thought it would turn into a really bad bruise. Then it occurred to me: can’t walk on it and it’s turning purple are not good signs, so I called the doctor and got in the very next morning. One nerve wrecking Xray later…yep, it’s a broken toe.
Doc placed me in a boot and crutches for 8 weeks, no running, and say goodbye to Hood to Coast and The Berlin Marathon. All running events that I had been training for and anxiously awaiting…gone. I probably sat in that exam room for half an hour and just cried…but was I surprised…yes and no. Surprised that it happened in the way it did, but relieved that I saved my baby from a big accident. But not surprised, because in the way our temporary apartment is set up, it’s a mess. And not surprised in the way that this year has sucked in so many ways. See….things have been so crazy, that our temporary apartment was an accident waiting to happen. Boxes, suitcases, stuff everywhere. One of us was bound to have an accident. But in life, we are usually in survival mode, not thinking or looking at the little details. My beautiful cousin passed away and I really just can’t wrap my mind around anything. The energy I had left had been in getting the house ready, moving everything out and into the apartment (not caring where it went), appointments with contractors, logistics back and forth, then our long awaited vaca (camping), and getting that together after moving, organizing this maze, ended up being my one little biggest mistake.
Now, I’ve come to the realization that all my hard work will have to wait until next year and I probably have a lot of healing to do emotionally and physically. I’m starting to be okay with that and say it out loud. Working on weaknesses, organizing the apartment so an accident doesn’t happen again, and just saying to myself, “this was not my time,” and everything happens for a reason that we aren’t sure at the time but makes sense in the long run. Sometimes you have good long runs and sometimes you have really bad long runs. In the eye and mind of a runner and mother of 5 who just lost one of her best friends/cousin, I’m looking at this tragedy and injury as a really bad long run, that will eventually make me a stronger person and runner. If you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and persevere then you are way ahead of the game.
On the flipside, The Berlin Marathon is letting me defer my 2018 entry to 2019 after touching base with them about my accident and what options were available. The Berlin Marathon is a class act marathon and I haven’t even ran it yet!! Testament to how they treat their athletes and runners. That doesn’t happen very often, and I’m just so much in their debt. Thank you!!!
Wish me good luck with a boot, crutches, tiny apartment, dog who used to have a yard but now has to pee every hour, five kids… on getting around 🙂 But most importantly that the heart heals for each and every one of us.
I was asked last week to give a testimonial to the staff at our local Monroe/Sky Valley YMCA on what they mean to my family and I. After giving the testimonial, I was blown away by the response I received from others and just wanted to share it with you. And share it again to those that heard it and would like to see it again. Please say thank you to those that make it possible for you to do what you do. Be appreciative and recognize the job they do. They are doing one of the most important jobs in the world in my opinion. Hope you enjoy!!
Testimonial: When Jamie asked me the other day to come in today and give you a testimonial, I had no reservations because I knew exactly what I was going to say, except for being shy about public speaking. Because it’s important to my family and I.
What you do between these walls, out on the fields, track, and within our schools and community everyday makes a huge impact on our members and families.
You greet families with a smile as soon as they walk though that door.
You watch and take care of our children. All of my children have been raised and nurtured by you for the last 9 years. And what a wonderful job you have done!!
You’ve created a safe environment for members and families.
You coach my children. Teaching them ballet, t-ball, basketball, and soccer.
You have taught my children to swim.
You help and train members and families on health, nutrition, overall wellness, how to properly use equipment. **Emily and Brennan: Those videos are awesome. Keep them coming. You are having fun and it shows. It’s contagious.
You have given my family confidence in all areas.
You have pushed us out of our “comfort zones” to try new things. **To try an indoor triathlon, to run a 5k, to run a 10k, to run a half marathon, to run a full marathon. ***YOU have made that possible***
You have pushed us to volunteer and love it. From helping with the Sky Valley Classic every year with Tania to coaching the children of our community with Coach Austin. You have pushed us to be a better version of ourselves, to step outside of ourselves.
You’ve made it possible for parents to go out at least once a month and have a date night. I cannot describe how invaluable that is to our relationship and to our families. And when we pick the kids up, they don’t want to leave because they are having so much fun. They fall fast asleep as soon as we get home. They’ve had so much fun and have learned so many new things, they change their habits. For example: Miss Li Li taught the children about Chinese new year, Chinese food, dance, and eating with chopsticks. My 9 year old daughter loves to eat with chopsticks every night for dinner and she loves to listen to Chinese music.
They are learning about different cultures. Wow….Amazing because their brains are sponges right now. The themed Kid’s Night outs are the BEST!!
My family considers the Monroe/Sky Valley YMCA their second home, their Y Family!!
You’ve made my family homemade cards after the birth of our children.
My children love to walk through those doors everyday because they are learning new things, having fun, making friends, and being very well taken care of.
LOOK around this room – Everything you do everyday makes a HUGE impact on our members and families lives.
You are nurturing and helping to raise our future!! I can’t think of a more important job!! You are amazing, you are all truly rock stars!!
We thank you and could never quite tell you in words how much you mean to us and our family.
My daughter, Erin, brought me this book as a present for Mother’s Day and I just have to share how impactful we are with our children. And just how much they pay attention and love you! They are always watching and learning from you. When you are having a “moment,” always remember this. I hope you all had a beautiful and wonderful mother’s day, you are the world to your little ones!
Many days we get caught up in just getting things done. Dishes, cleaning, prepping meals, homework, work, training, volunteering, teaching, changing diapers, breaking up sibling fights, bills, medical appointments, family commitments, etc. this list can go on and on depending on our situation but one thing is for sure. Don’t lose your fire amongst all the demands because your little ones are watching and are why you do what you do.
My Mom Is the Best! by Erin Free
I love my mom so much! She is always working hard, it is so hard to say one thing about her because she is many things. That is why I love her so much. I would do anything for her. My mom works so hard for us. Sometimes I think wow she is the most awesome and sweetest moms in the world, even the universe (I don’t know how to spell universe so I don’t know if it is spelled right)!
Runner Mama Rules! (pic)
My mom owns a website called “Runner Mama”. She is a really good mom. My mom was in the newspaper once, I think she should be on it again because she is trustworthy for being on the newspaper already. I can’t believe I have a mom like my mom. I will tell you what she is in many words. Sweet, kind, nice, best, best mom, not rude, fun, smart, tough, best runner, and awesome. I hope you liked this book, I hope my mom will love it too…
The local newspaper did a piece on my story, and did an amazing job! Made me think about one of my dad’s favorite journey songs. And it’s all about the “Journey.”
Sometimes we just need to go out for a good run! Or whatever it is that gets your blood pumping. I’m still recovering from the Boston Marathon and everything is feeling good but I’m not supposed to be out running for a full four weeks to allow my body to heal properly. This Monday will mark two full weeks since the Marathon but I just needed to get out and go for a good run. Waking up this morning feeling a bit melancholy over certain things and just knowing that something was off. I’m taking recovery very seriously but also trying to take care of my mental health as well these days. The run was glorious, peaceful, and exactly what I needed. And when I came back home to foam roll, my beautiful daughter, Savannah Madison, sat on the foam roller with me and looked into my eyes. I felt like a newer person than when I had left out that door 45 minutes prior. This exchange is exactly what my heart needed and the run was exactly what my mind needed. So, when you’re feeling blue or just not feeling like yourself, take that walk, run, or whatever it is that gets your blood pumping. It turned around my day and will make a huge impact going forward. And that, in my book, is recovering both mentally and physically. When I’m asked why I run, these are definitely a few of the reasons. After a run, I come back a completely different person. There’s just something about being out on the road and grinding pavement and just letting go of all your negative thoughts. Happy wifey, happy lifey!!
