HEY - did I mention . . .?

Easter morning, all fancied-up in clothes from Grandpa and Grandma Funk. Aren't they pretty?

Addie at the piano recital - "Old MacDonald"

Taylor - Medley from "Pirates of the Carribbean "

Jack - Theme from "The Office"

Yes, I know I'm slow on the Easter pictures. But the camera was WAY upstairs. Sometimes - just sometimes - I get lazy. The recital pictures are only about a week old, so I'm getting better.

The school year is winding down. I am always glad for the end of school because it means a little freedom from the structure and fights about homework (Addie), bedtime (also Addie), "you are not wearing THAT to school" (again, Addie), piano lessons (Jack & Addie), over-scheduled evenings (all 5 of us). This gladness last only until about June 20, by which time I have gotten over myself and want them back in school because they are driving me crazy.

Our pool pass last year was a tremendous way to release all our aggravations. I could sit and read my book quietly (note to self: get more books) while the 3 aggitators had their fun. The 2011 pool pass has been purchased and we are now just waiting for 1) the pool to open, and 2) the rain to stop, PLEASE stop, so we can get on with our lives. Come sit by me if you see me at the pool. I'll be in the lounge chair in the shade reading a good book and pretending I didn't see whatever it was that Jack just did.

I also announce with great braggery (don't think that's a word, but it suits my intended meaning) that my running is still on, and on Friday completed 25 minutes of non-stop running. I'll admit, the last 3-4 minutes were tough. And I am still on a treadmill. I do set the treadmill on a slight incline to try to compensate, even in a small way, for the fact that it is a treadmill. Anyway, 25 minutes of running comes out to almost 1.75 miles. The C25k training is nearly complete. I have proudly completed Week 6, and the training finishes up at Week 9 with a 30 minute run, so you can see, I've nearly done it. If it would ever stop raining, I will try running outside and see how much time I lose. I'm pretty sure I can't do 1.75 miles outside, but I am interested to see what I can do. And if I've learned anything at all since I started this Odyssey, it's that I can do more than I think I can.

Plus I've lost 2 more pounds.

Xactware also has a contest going. Anyone who walks or runs 647 miles by September 15th-ish(I forget the exact date) will be entered in a drawing for Disneyland tickets (I think they said that is the distance to Disneyland, or something like that). I am on track to meet that, walking/running a little over 80 miles so far. Unfortunately, today I will come up WAY short, thanks again to the non-stop rain, so I'll have to make that up somewhere. Hey - I got in 7 miles on a Saturday just from doing yardwork, housework, grocery shopping, and 2 trips to Home Depot.

Did I mention I ran for 25 minutes?

Kassie is trying to bail out on her promise to run the 5k with me. Don't let her.

I have found a good replacement roll recipe since I lost mine. I'll post it soon for Stephanie (and anyone else who cares). I would post it now, but it's WAY upstairs.

I should also apologize to Stephanie and Molly for calling them stupid.

Did I mention I ran for 25 minutes?

"That Doesn't Make Any Sense"

I have learned something about myself.



At the time of my last posting, I was pretty much swearing off this 5k training. I had reached my limit, could go no further, was as discouraged as I have ever been in my life. But then a funny thing happened. I somehow got a second wind.



I realized that if I stopped the running at this point, after 4 painful (PAINFUL) months, 4 long (LONG) months of moving from running for 1 minute (which was hard) to 5 minutes (which was still hard), I would no longer be able to run for 5 minutes. Confused? I know. I'm an irrational person. As I tried to explain to a co-worker, "If I quit now I won't be able to do it anymore." His rational response? "That doesn't make any sense. If you hate doing something, stop doing it." But as I continued to (irrationally) explain, "Yeah, but then I won't be able to do it anymore."
He shook his head and walked away.



I set the treadmill to random hills. I set my max speed. The fastest I can walk is 3.8 mph, after that I have to run. So just for kicks and giggles I set the max speed to 4.4 and the "random" speeds had me run for 8 minutes. 8 minutes? Are you kidding? And the total run time for the session added up to 21 minutes. What??? Well, let me tell you, nothing encourages this old gal like a success, and that was a HUGE success.



I continued on like that for a while, even beating my 8 minutes with an 8.5 minute run on another "random" day. This gave me the courage to get back to the C25k training. So I bravely picked up where I had left off: the Dreaded Week 5.



It wasn't the beginning of Week 5 that I dreaded so much - (3 5 minute runs divided with 2 3 minute walks, then 2 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk) - it was the last day of Week 5, which I did today: a 20 minute run, no walking. YIKES!!! I have been really dreading this since I saw it was part of the training. I can NEVER do that, I thought. NEVER.



Well, since Week 5 Days 1 and 2 turned out to be too easy (how is that possible?) I took on Week 5 Day 3 today. If nothing else, I have learned this about myself: If I tell myself, "Well, let's just do the 8 minutes and see how it goes after that," I wll have enough energy to do 8 minutes and no more. So I went to the gym today knowing it was all or nothing. I had to do all 20 minutes or die trying.



I did the 20 minutes. I did it. I really, seriously did it.



I didn't die. I didn't even want to die. I wasn't breathless. I didn't need to call 911. I didn't collapse on the floor. My shins didn't scream out for relief. I didn't cry. I didn't throw out a hip. I didn't bleed out my eyes . . . or my ears. My hair didn't fall out. I didn't call for a wheelchair.



I stretched, and stepped off the treadmill. That was it.



Who have I become? How is it that I reached a place where the thought of not running is more painful than the actual running?



And I have signed up for the 5k.



It doesn't make any sense.