Ready or not-here I come!

There are ten days remaining until I complete my 4th half marathon! 


Three years ago, when I was pregnant with my third child, I never thought I could run around the block, let alone, run four half marathons! 


I ran one season of track when I was in 8th or 9th grade and pretty much hated it. My mom made me finish out the season because she never let me quit any activity that I had already started. 


But now I don't know where I would be without running and my running/triathlon/exercise friends! It is so nice to have friends who also like getting fit. It's fun to run on a Saturday morning with a group of ladies and see several people throughout town and on the trail running as well and everyone is training for the same race or races. 


So as I get ready to run the City of Bridges for the 3rd time, I am thankful that I made a life change to get fit. 


No matter what happens next weekend (although I would be very happy coming in under 2 hours and 7 min which I did last fall), I will be happy and thankful to be running the Pittsburgh Marathon with so many old and new friends all around me!

RIP My beautiful Jules

Juliana Addie Night

"Jules"

January 28, 2002-March 4, 2012

Last Sunday, March 4, 2012, our little Jules lost her battle with kidney failure. In December, we were told that it could be a few weeks to a few years. We didn't get any ultrasounds to see the damage. Our vet did not recommend it since there is no cure. We changed her food and added some medication to try to stabilize her numbers. But her last week, she began refusing all food. She would eat bacon for a day or two, then quit. She would eat macaroni and cheese for one meal and refuse it the next. Her final weekend, she stopped eating altogether. My husband was away at the State Racquetball Tournament and wanted to come home Saturday night but I told him to stay-there was nothing more he could do for her being here. She would drink water the last weekend and then throw up the water. She couldn't keep anything down.

My husband ended up becoming the State Champion of his division that he entered and rushed home from State College after the tournament. My mom and I had given Jules some fluid under the skin (kind of like an IV of fluid) three times that weekend. I wanted her to stay alive until my husband got back.

By the time Sunday night rolled around, Jules was just laying and her eyes were drooping and she looked like she was so tired, she couldn't keep them open. She hadn't eaten in over a day and couldn't even hold down water. Thank god my mom and I gave her the fluids through the IV to keep her alive so my husband could see her again and be there for the end.

When my husband got home, she wagged her tail and lifted her head at his voice. That was the most energy I saw from her that day. When he looked at her, he knew that we had to have her put to sleep. We couldn't watch her suffer anymore.

We told the kids to say goodbye to her in case she didn't do well at the vet. We didn't want to tell them that she was being put to sleep. We didn't want them to blame us for her death. My mom came over to watch the kids.

Jules last day with us

My husband and I drove to an emergency vet. We called ahead of time because I didn't want them to try to talk us into trying any other means. We had tried everything already and it wasn't working. I couldn't watch my first baby suffer any more.

I told my husband I wanted us to be with her until the end. I didn't want her to be alone during this time. We stayed with her until the very end. When her eyes finally closed, she looked like she was at peace finally. She hadn't been sleeping very soundly the last two days because she would get sick so often. I saw her face as she looked ten years ago. I kissed her nose one last time and hugged her.

It was a hard few days for me. It was very difficult to tell my children. The older two still ask a lot of questions but they don't seem so sad anymore about it. I still get very sad at times like when everyone is sleeping and it is very quiet, she was usually with me. But I am feeling much better and know now that we made the right decision.

I will always miss Jules. I picked up her ashes yesterday and we are burying them under her favorite tree that she used to lay under.

Most of all I am so thankful for the wonderful ten years that she gave me and our family. She was the most wonderful dog that I ever could have hoped for......and more.

The Good Life

"Oh this has gotta be the good life. This has gotta be the good life.

This could really be a good life, good life."

I don't think it is a coincidence that I heard this song on the radio several times this weekend. I am feeling very blessed. I'm not sure if it is the fact that I have been going to hot yoga on a routine once a week and carrying over the positive aspects into my daily life. Or maybe I am just looking at 2012 with a positive outlook.

We had such a great weekend. Friday night, the older two children had friends ride the bus home after school and had such a great afternoon/evening with their friends. Saturday, I got a 5 mile run in on the treadmill early in the morning as I watched Glee on the iPad (why haven't I watched Glee before?! It is brilliant!) We went to Pittsburgh for my son's first hockey game of the weekend, in which they only lost 1 out of the 3 games they played. Then we ate lunch at the original Atria's in Mt. Lebanon and decided on a whim to go to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. We had an amazing time. It was perfect for all ages.

Sunday was the second hockey game of the weekend, and the team was unstoppable winning all 5 games. My son got an amazing goal in the 4th game. The team only allowed 4 goals in all 5 games and had about 20 goals but we lost track since they don't keep an official score in the 8 and under groups.

All three of my kids amaze me every day. Oh yes they do drive me nuts at times, and I get frustrated but I absolutely love all 3 of my kids and the ages they are at right now! I wish I could just suspend time!!

So for now I have been trying to look at all my experiences with a positive spin.........and it has been working so far!

New year, new gadgets!

I'm so excited about using my new gadgets this year. It is always so hard to get up when it is still dark outside and so cold. The new gadgets really help with my motivation here in January.

My loving husband got me a Garmin 305 for Xmas!! I love it. I only have gotten to run outside with it about 5 times since Christmas because it has been cold and snowy the days I planned to go outside and when I run during the week, it is still dark outside so I go on the treadmill.

I also bought myself a lap counter for swimming. I totally lose track of what I am doing when I am swimming and don't remember how many laps I have swam. My triathlon coach suggested getting a lap counter.

It is a little stop watch that goes around my finger so every lap my thumb just hits my finger and it counts my laps!

I was so excited to use it this morning at the pool. I realized I need to get in the pool more often though because the time I swam for a 1/2 mile was a lot slower than last fall!

Holidays are over!!

I'm glad to say the holidays are over.

I love the magic of Christmas. I really do. I love thinking of new places for our Elf to go (most of the time). I love Christmas shopping. I love seeing the magic in my children's eyes. I love counting down the days with the kids. But it is stressful and we had a pretty crazy December.

First, at the end of December an elderly woman went through a red light to t-bone my car in my driver's side. Then she proceeding to back up, wait for the light to turn green, and leave the scene of the accident. Thank god her husband has a conscience and he made her turn herself in an hour later at city hall. She also then lied to her insurance company and said my light was red and hers was green. Thank god for the man in the Coke truck behind her who chased her through town after she hit me until he couldn't keep up and for the woman who stopped and gave me her phone number as a witness.

Next, my daughter ended up with a virus called Henoch-Schonstein Purpura. Her immune system malfunctioned and attacked her blood vessels and her ankles swelled and she got a horrible rash and swelling on her legs. She couldn't walk for almost 2 days. Thank god she is okay now and just has to get weekly urine tests for a few months to be sure her kidneys weren't affected.

Oh and then my husband was hit by another idiot. She was trying to turn left while not using the turning lane that my husband was in. He was not very happy, especially since his car is brand new.

Our final blow was our 9 year old lab Jules had been getting skinny and acting funny. I took her to the vet last week and she is starting to have kidney failure. We switched her food to Purina Kidney Function and changed her entire diet and she has some medications to take. This week she seems like a different dog and is acting like her old self again! She has a re-check on the bloodwork next week but I am very optimistic we still will have a few more years with our little girl!

So, although I am usually very positive and have a smile on my face most of the time, the last few weeks have been trying.

2012 is here and I am ready for positive things again!!

My daughter is now a Girl Scout, my son's hockey team is doing well and he loves it, Tim and I are training for the Pittsburgh half marathon, and our baby is starting to grow up and talk more and (hopefully) get potty trained!!

Smile on my face and I'm ready for positive things!!

New for 2012

2012

Well, I haven't blogged for months!

Since my last blog, I have done a half marathon in October and got a PR, The Great Race 10K in September and got a PR, and a 5K on Thanksgiving.

September 2011-Great Race 10K

I knew I would PR this 10K. My last one was 1 hour 3 minutes in 50+ mph winds.

My husband and I ran this together (well not actually together). There were 14,000 people in this one. It was awesome. Mostly downhill, a few hills at beginning and one around mile 5.

I finished in 58:20 and was happy with the result.

October 15, 2011-Buffalo Creek Half Marathon

I hurt my ankle about a week prior so I only ran maybe 2 miles before this half marathon. I had no idea how it was going to go. It was on a gorgeous trail that was pretty much flat with only one hill about mile 12. I felt great until about 8 miles. I was thinking I would finish around 2 hours 2 minutes by then! Then my knee and ankle hurt so much! I had to walk at some points and felt like quitting because I was in so much pain.

I ended up finishing at 2 hours 7 minutes, still a PR but was in so much pain. As soon as I saw my husband (who had a PR with 1 hour 49 minutes) I just had tears in my eyes from my pain!

I didn't run for about 10 days after. I knew I was going to do the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving but wasn't sure how it would go.

I ended up getting sick a week before the Turkey Trot and wasn't sure how I would do with "Heart Attack Hill" which is in the 3rd mile of the 5k.

My friend Chrissy and I ran the course the Saturday before Thanksgiving and finished in 31 minutes. I coughed the whole way up the hill. I wasn't sure how it would go on Thursday.

Turkey Trot 2011 5k

I went out fast (for me!) about a 8:30 mile. I was about 17 minutes at mile 2. So I knew I could finish under 30 minutes even if I walked the last mile! I did start to walk up the hill and Chrissy came behind me and gave me a friendly punch in the back to remind me that I was almost done. That was enough to get me to run the rest of the course!

I finished at 28:10, although I thought it would be about 27:58 or so since I started a little farther back before I ran over the starting pad. Some other friends, including my husband, thought the time listed online was from the gun going off, not from when our chips went over the pad. Oh well!

Training

I am about halfway through my half marathon training that is October 15th. I trained with my running partner, Anne, until recently. She did her half marathon last weekend Rock and Roll Philly. She PRed and was 2 hours 36 seconds. We ran together in May and were 2 hours 10 seconds so I am hoping that I follow her lead and finish around 2 hours in October.

But since Anne was away last weekend, I ran my 10 mile run with some moms I met from my daughter's preschool last year. I felt a little bit like I was cheating on Anne. I brought my Ipod, but none of these moms run with Ipods. I didn't know what route we would be doing and we basically just did 4 down a trail and 4 back then our last 2 miles around the track where we started. Anne and I always hydrate about halfway through but the new group doesn't drink anything during their runs. It was fun to talk to and run with new people, and they were pretty fast (for me) so I was glad to run with them. We ended up 10 miles at a 9:38 pace. I am going to run my 12 mile training run with them too, but I need to find a hydration/fuel belt before next week!!

This weekend my husband and I are running a 10K. I am excited because my last 10K was during a wind/rainstorm with 50+ MPH winds that actually took siding off houses. I finished 1 hour 3 minutes which is much slower than my normal pace for even a half marathon!

So I am looking for improvement this weekend.........and for my husband to beat me!