ROAD TRIP

Well, we are not the Griswalds, but our road trip to Texas was almost as crazy.
We drove to Houston straight through. 14 hours.
There is a ton of motivation not to stop when you are headed straight for Pappasitos for TexMex food.
Our family trip was a fun filled week of action and we had a great time.
Highlights were seeing DMC TEXAS, TexMex food, Alamo, seeing Wid's family, zip lining, and too much more to even mention.
I am taking the lazy bloggers route and just going to post a few pics from the trip:

HURRY UP SUMMER!!!!!!

I know that for some parents, school is at times a "day care" for their kids.
Many times parents dread the summer months with their kids dying of boredom with nothing to do.

I am not one of these parents.

In fact, I think it is an outrage that my kids are STILL not out for summer break.
They will not be out until June 10th!
That is nearly all the way through June DANG IT!!
Also, when I was a kid (the good ol' days) we did not go back to school until after Labor Day.
My kids go back August 24th. WHAT?

Whine, Whine, I know.. someone call the WAAAM-BULANCE for me.

I just want to have some chill time with my kids. I do not want to have to rush around getting Aidan's lunch packed. I do not want to have to rush to the bus. I do not want to have to rush. At All.

I work, so its not like I am just sitting around waiting for my kids to come out and play with me this summer.
I just like the slower pace the summer months bring.

So hurry up school and do us all a favor, CLOSE, SOON.

We all need a break.

BECOME A FAN, MAN!

Have you bought a bike from me? Are you thinking about buying a bike from me?

Check out my Facebook page for SPORTYMAMABIKES.COM, become a fan or friend request me.
I want to keep all my customers up to date with new arrivals, specials and any cool or interesting tidbits.


I appreciate all your business.

Remember to call or email with any cycling related questions. We are happy to help if we can!

Courtney

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS

The absolute highlight of my trip to Boston this past weekend was hanging out with my daughter and my twin sister, Wid.
We had a blast beyond compare.
The city was crazy busy with runners. We arrived on Saturday and went to the expo after a side stop at Solas Irish pub.
No beer for me, but it was fun watching Wid partake. I was jealous.

The following picture is of Wid and Avery at the finish line set up of the marathon. People were milling about and taking pictures.






We spent Saturady and Sunday doing touristy things like trolley tours, eating, shopping, going to Boston Commons.
Then I ditched Wid at Filenes's Basement to go back to the hotel for a nap. She was in full force and not ready to slow down. I just hoped I would feel that way on Monday morning for the marathon.

On Monday, I met friends Dawn and Beth for the ride out to Hopkinton.
We hung out in the athletes village getting lucky four leaf clover tatoos and taking pictures.
Like this one:




And this one:




And this one:




I was in the first corral of the second wave of runners. Our start time was 10:30.
As I was lining up, I once again got teary at the thought that I was again running the most historical marathon in the United States. It was a great honor that I had worked very hard for.

For this marathon, my goal was to re-qualify for Boston with a 3:45. My secondary goal was to finish having had fun.
I missed the BQ by 10 minutes. I ran the first 13 miles too fast and basically blew up in the second half. At mile 18, I was just thinking that I would be happy with a sub 4:00.
My final time for the run was 3:55. I'll take it..but now I have to go run another marathon this fall if I want to run Boston again in April.

Viscious cycle!
Here I am with Wid and Avery at the finish.. Man! Was I GLAD to be done!

SPRING BREAKIN'

Last week was Spring Break for my kids.
It came at the perfect time, during week two of my Boston taper.

We went on vacation and it was fantastic.
I only ran once the entire week. That is bad, but my foot has been hurting and I figured my "hay was in the barn" training wise.

Me and the two older kids finished our 4 checkout dives required to become certified divers.
In total we dived 6 times. It was a huge two thumbs up.
I already want to go diving again asap.
From now on, please refer to me as Ms. Certified Diver :)

We got home Sunday night and I have spent the past few days doing laundry, running a few slow and easy miles, working, and making lists.

Avery and I are leaving Saturday morning for BOSTON!
It's that time of year again. Patriots Day- Marathon Monday- one of my favorite days of the year!
My twin is meeting us up there. She has never been to Boston so I am really excited to show her around and try to convince her it would be awesome for her to qualify to run Boston too. Then we can go together!


I just had my pre race pedicure. I picked a nice blood red color for the toes.
The feet look good today, but I predict the toes will be a mess come Monday night :)

So, now I request that you guys track me on Monday. I need all the positive vibes as possible sent my way.
I mean I am trying to re-qualify so help a sista out with some happy thoughts or prayers if that is your thing..

Go to www.baa.org and track runner 14417.
Hopefully that is the runner that is hauling ass the entire way (ME!)

ART=P.A.I.N.

So, in my world ART stands for ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUES.
What is it exactly? Well, I googled it and here is the definition:

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.




The key words for me in that description are OVERUSED MUSCLES.
I have those. Plenty.

I have been having heel pain and toe pain.
Sure it is probally due to the miles that I am running, but I need some answers besides "stop running".
ART is going to be my answer.
But the thing with ART massage is that it hurts. Today during my session, I just grit my teeth.
I can take it. Its worth it. This is good for me. At least that is what I kept telling myself.

After the therapy, my Doc taped my foot and toe with Kenesio tape. Well, if it works, GREAT! If it does not work, at least the tape is a pretty SPRTY hot pink color.

After my 20 miler this past Saturday, I am officially on taper mode. That means my mileage will decrease over the next 19 days until The Boston Marathon 2009.

What a great ride it has been, pain and all!

GATE RIVER

Yesterday was the Gate River Run 15k.
This 15k is a big deal in Jacksonville.
15,000 people run and it seems to get bigger every year.

I ran it for the first time 5 years ago.
It was the longest distance I had ever run.
I remember signing up for it as a way to get back in shape after having Aidan.
I clearly remember when I crossed the finish line that day 5 years ago thinking to myself, " I am going to run a marathon!"

This April will be my third year running the Boston marathon.
It will be "lucky number 13" for my marathon total.

Even though I was a minute slower this year at Gate finishing in 1:11, I felt good the entire course and feel like I gave it a good effort. I sure would have loved a PR though.. Oh well, there was cold beer and hot dogs at the finish! Maybe that is why I am slowing down?


Below is a picture of me with Todd Williams. He is the American record holder in the 15k with a time of 42:22.
That equates to 4:20 miles! I am twice as slow!! Ha!
I warned him I was going to post the picture on FACEBOOK!