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October 4, 2004
Weekend Update!
Friday Afternoon
After my morning run with Alison and Liz I had to present my running drills presentation to my Motor Skills class which is filled with other coaches. I was nervous about teaching a class to fellow teachers but in the end it turned out all right. I was really tired from getting only five hours of sleep. Some of the mistakes I made I think I could have avoided had I been more alert. At the end of the lesson I forgot to summarize the objectives of the lesson. I just quickly said, " Ok, everyone was great! I hope you can incorporate some of these skills into classes that you teach." Actually, in addition to not having a great closure I definitely said, "ok" a little too much in my lesson and my explanations were a little too lengthy. I have to stop being so gabby. Despite my weaknesses I was happy to be finished with the lesson and excited to head to my hometown to see all of my relatives.
I dashed to the car after the lesson and drove to CT to meet my family. I met up with my twin sister Liz and soon to be brother in law, Kevin. We decided to do an afternoon run in Wadsworth falls. Our older brother called us up at the last minute and wanted to meet us there to run with us. I was worried. My brother, Kevin, who ran with us is pretty fast. Every time I run with Kevin I run a little faster than I want to run. In the end I always feel good and glad that I did. However, on this day I was so drained I was nervous that I'd be way too slow for him. As it turned out we ran for about 5 miles through the trails. It was a beautiful day. For the first half of the run we ran a pretty easy pace and I did not feel as badly as I expected. In the second half we picked it up. I did stop at one point and had my older brother run about 400 meters further and turn around while I was stretching and basically just taking a break. We he came back I felt more refreshed and was able to finish the run with him. I sprinted up the last hill with my brother and was glad to have gone on the run.
In the evening the entire family went to the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was a fun night because everyone got to catch up with one another. The food was great and the soon to be bride and groom looked great.
Saturday - Too busy and tired to run! :(
Liz and I were planning to get up around 7 a.m. to run a quick 4 miles before we had to be at our hair appointment. As it turned out we each had slept very poorly. We were sleeping on the floor in our older sister's room, Kate, and could not get comfortable. Between the two of us we probably only got about 6 hours sleep total. We opted to sleep in and forget the run; our day would be busy enough.
The sky was pretty gray on Saturday and the weather a bit cool. We were worried it would rain during the day but the rain held off. My sisters and I all got our hair done, got dressed, and prepared for the photographer. Kate looked amazing. She was so glamorous and stunning. I was really impressed and so happy that everything was working out for her. The day flew by with the wedding ceremony and reception, which followed. We took a train from Essex to Deep River and then rode a ferryboat for three hours along the CT River for the reception. A jazz band played while we were on the boat and there were floating appetizers and buffet tables available for food and drink. It was a very classy wedding. I did not want it to end. There was a post wedding party at my parent's house, which lasted until 3 a.m. Many of my family members were leaving early Sunday morning to go home so everyone wanted to make the most of their time together.
Sunday Morning - Easy 6.5 miles run with my Nephew
When I woke up on Sunday morning, after doing my best to get 8 hours of sleep, my throat ached and my body was sore. The inevitable cold had finally arrived to shake me from my long nights of work and not enough sleep. Even though I expected the cold I was not really prepared. I cannot remember the last time my throat hurt so much. I decided to lie in bed as long as possible but soon the house was filled with people and my name was being called.
I woke up and had an ice pop. I had an afternoon run planned with my nephew. When he came over I told him I was sorry but the run would have to be really easy, as I was not feeling well. He had just run in the Hartford Invitational on Saturday and was tired from his race and the wedding festivities. He did not mind running easy at all. I showed him the Night Swinging Course that is a favorite of mine. The course wanders through two different neighborhoods near my parent's house and cuts through the woods and a playground. My sister and I used to run the course in the summer around 10 p.m. when we were in college. When we got to the playground we would stop our run and "play" for about 5 minutes. It always broke up the run and helped us to relax. This was a course we usually raced because we were running at night and our adrenaline was going. The rule was if we stopped to go on the swings, once we started running again we had to resume our pre-stop pace. I told my nephew all about our night runs and he thought it was pretty crazy. We also ran on Miner Street, which holds a lot of significance for me. This street is where my Father told me when I was a child that the Easter Bunny lived and the Boggy Man. I did not realize the contradiction of this statement until I was older. For a long time I never knew where we were when I was in the car with my family. As soon as I could not see the family house I was lost. Miner Street had a big (well not really big in grown up eyes) downhill and uphill section. At the bottom of the hill there is a flat portion that last for about 100 meters. This location was really wooded and had no streetlights. My Father used to drive down the hill at night and shut off the car lights and tell us to watch out because we were in the Boggy Man's yard. During the day if we drove by this same section my Father would point into the woods and tell us that was where the Easter Bunny lived. I laugh about it now and think about how gullible I once was (but actually I am still susceptible to being tricked pretty easily). Since I was telling so many stories the run went by pretty quickly. When we returned I realized I was beat, the effort had taken a lot out of me. My throat was sorer after the run from all of my talking.
I had to drive back up to school in the late afternoon. I was going to go to bed early but my oldest brother, Jimmy, who used to live in Northampton surprised me with a visit. We went out to dinner and he showed me all of the spots he used to enjoy almost 15 years ago. Many of his favorite spots are no longer here but a few still remain. My brother spent the night. I had a hard time sleeping because my throat was so sore.
Monday Blahs!
When I woke up on Monday I wanted to stay in bed. My cold had developed into flu like symptoms. My shoulders and body were achy and my throat was still screeching. I only had one class to go to today so I decided I should sit through the class. Sitting still I felt ok so I decided to go to my job at the library. My afternoon was filled with coaching meetings. In the late afternoon I met the team for their workout. Luckily, they had a workout today and all I was required to do was to read splits. After the workout I momentarily thought of working out at the gym but I was totally exhausted and knew I'd have no energy. Instead I went home and made some vegetable soup. My throat feels better now and I am hoping I will have the energy to do an easy run with the team tomorrow afternoon.
Posted by mary at October 4, 2004 6:33 PM
Comments
Mary
Reading about the Miner St. Loop certainly brought back some good memories!!!! ;) that's awesome that you were able to run the loop w/Cory.
I hope your cold is feeling better!!!! More soon.
Liz
Posted by: LIz at October 5, 2004 8:25 AM
I must admit, I have to laugh sometimes when I read your blog and Liz's blog. It literally seems like you two have about a million brothers and sisters and sisters/ brothers-in-law AND they all run! You guys would have quite a team if you were all in one place at one time. :)
Hope you are feeling better!
Posted by: Beth at October 5, 2004 2:27 PM
Beth - Liz and I are very fortunate. We have a lot of family members who run or who are open to running. I have two new family recruits (Jimmy and Daniel) who are aiming to run the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon next summer. It will be their first marathon ever! They have not run for years and one of the brothers who wants to run needs to quit smoking first. I am so proud of them for even wanting to start a program. I hope I can write a decent schedule for them. I am feeling much better today - thanks!
Posted by: Mary at October 5, 2004 4:34 PM
Hey Mar,
Thanks for the great run thru Wadsworth Falls with Liz and Kevin. I wish I could have gone on the fast track with you two but my chest hurt so badly I couldn't breathe very deeply and felt out of breath :( Luckily I can almost sneeze again without the agony so we are trying a run tomorrow :) Sorry we didn't have time to run Mon morning but we had so little time. I really wanted to and look forward to our next run! Thanks for seeing us...it was awesome to see you again, of course!! Miss you and can't wait until you visit. Wanna ride Mt. Dialo :))))
Posted by: Kevin at October 13, 2004 5:01 AM
Hi Kevin, I loved being able to run with you in Middletown. It was great. I know how busy you and Kate were Monday morning. I am looking forward to seeing you in CA soon. I can't wait! And YES, I do want to ride up MT. DIABLO and guard you as you ride down the hill!!! BE careful. I am embarassed to admit that I have not done any bike riding since I have moved to the east coast. I miss you and can't wait to see you next. Take care!
Posted by: Mary at October 13, 2004 9:17 PM