Ogallala Indian Summer Rendezvous Re-cap

Great day!!!  Started out hectic.....maybe slightly more then hectic but what else is new in my life.

Piper started out not feeling well last night and it carried over till this morning.  She was up at 5am......which would seem really early if Bran hadnt woken up at 4am.  Suprisingly enough, Sage slept till 9, or so I was told.

After going back and forth with Piper, she was informed she needed to make the decision about playing by 8am, so I could make arrangements to get a ride back fromt he game with Grandma U.  Of course, I had plans to ride to the race with Katie, and Shawn was going to drive down for the kiddos for the game.  I was trying to avoid having every car in the family down there if we could.  I made the car arrangments and was good to go.  This would be much of an issue if I wasnt coaching a soccer game for 8 and 9 year old kids at 11am...and I had all the balls, goalie stuff, ya know...coaching stuffola

Left the house at 630am, met Katie at 650 at her turn off, and we were off.

We made it to the starting line with time to spare so we went for a potty break at the local Mickey D's because, well we had time and the "need".

Not alot of people there, but enough that our goals were to finish top 10 and PR (which for me was a sub 28).  It was a good course, mostly pavement through town but typical Sandhill running means that your going to have gravel and hills, and we did have some of both.  Ran a small part through the mud of the fairgrounds, then spend some QT with washboard gravel roads which were followed up with a trek up "Boot Hill".  Pavement and subdivision running in betweeen each of those, which was great to break it up.
Last .4 was on the highway, and out entry to the highway was marked by two police officers....upon passing them I said "your gonna make sure no one runs us over right?" and he said "I wouldnt count on it"....Im not sure how to take that...Im hoping he was joking but he didnt look like the joking kinda guy...he looked like a cop who would pull over his grandma if given the chance (all my local friends know exactly who what I mean by that)

Mile 1: 8:54
Mile 2: 9:13 (I was kind bummed when I saw that time....seems slow, then I snapped out of it and realized I was"disappointed" with a 9:13 pace....a few months ago I was SCREAMING for a 9:30 pace....dedication, persistance...or too stubborn to not get my way...whatever you want to call it, Im getting used to a 9:00 pace and thats where I want to be!!)
Mile 3: 8:44

Katie and I crossed the finish line at the exact sametime...well, we tried to...they made up pick who crossed first, and Katie let it be me (I owe her!!) 

After the race, we met Pat who is a running buddy from dailymile and lives not far from where we ran the race....it was nice to chat with him in person and put a face to a name. 

Once they started to tear down the finish line, we ventured back over to where we thought they were going to holding the "awards ceremony" that was listed on the registration form.  But I guess no one told the people who set up the day becase there were no awards or anything like that...which is fine...and Im glad we stuck around BECAUSE we fould out that we took 2nd and 3rd place in our division!!!  Its very exciting for both of us because we did work hard, and tried to keep a good, strong pace through the whole thing, which we did (8:54)

After the race, we went back to the golden arches, again, changed clothes, got some hot chocolate (it was a chilly run) and Katie took me to the soccer fields to coach Piper in her game (amazing recovery).  It was a great day, topped off with the soccer team doing awesome (no win but vast improvement over last year and they never gave up), time with friends and family and a great burger on the way home.

I told my mother in law to watch the newspaper for the race results....I might make the paper.  I told my father in law I better find it hanging on their fridge if it does....I also told my husband I want a ticker tape parade....ONE of those things might happen....and Im not holding my breathe for the other 2 but still, it was a great day and I couldnt be happier.

Mom on the brink

Thats me...my new title in life, Mom on the brink...on the brink of insanity, of chaos, of freakout....whatever.  What Im on the brink of doesnt matter as much as the mom part because, frankly, my children have driven me there.  The lovely little darlings that they all are.

Example.....they drove me insane enough to give two of them chocolate pudding.  Only a mom on the brink would do that on purpose.  Or a mom going to work in the shop tonight and leaving the children with daddy.....just sayin'

Prior to the pudding-bribe they got their hands on little cups that Grandma had gotten them....they have twisty straws that go with them but apparently, thats not how today's toddlers like to roll.

Yes, there was  nothing but water all over the floor and yes, they both wiped out.  Thankfully, momma avoided that obstacle or that might have pushed me from the brink, right over the edge.

10 miles

Got it done.  Longest distance ever and yes, it makes me a rockstar.  If you dont like that, too bad...you go run 10 miles for the first time ever with constant numbness in your left leg and see how you feel and if your not a rockstar, then I will remove my self proclamed title and just feel freakin' fantastic, which is what I imagine a rockstar feels like.

Wonder what I will feel after the 1/2..maybe empress of the universe...yep, that has kinda a nice ring to it........

Bulls, road kill, pinched nerve, wind....its that time of year....CaNU Feel it???

I blame all of the above for my less then spectacular week of running.  And the last to make it all better :-)

The bulls....Ill admit, not your everyday deterrent for runners but here, in cattle country, living on a working ranch....bulls are part of our everyday life.  Most of the year, they are several miles away, doing what they do.  However they cant stay there forever so they are pulled from their girlie friends and moved back.  A mile from my house.  Right along the road that I run. 

I will mention here that bulls have a tendency to wander.  They get bored, and distracted and jump fences.  Well, some of them jump....many of them just walk right through them.  Either way, Im no longer soley focused on stumbling across snakes on the road (or skunks, badgers, coyotes) but now, 1200lbs of wandering muscle.  Really, what I hope is that I see him before he sees me, and I can turn around and go back home.  AND that I see him before he sees me and my dog doesnt see him at all.  The only thing I need less then 1200lbs of wandering muscle in the way is 1200lbs of pissed off wandering muscle.

You wouldnt want to take him on either...or his 24 buddies.

So I have had to revamp my plan a little.....my route and just be cautious.  We have only had 1 get out so far and it was the night before my 6 miles, so it was fresh in my mind at 6am. 

I can also mention that right across from the entry to the bulls new home is a very large, very dead, very stinkey skunk.  Smack in the middle of our one lane road.  I really dont think I need to elaborate on that anymore, do i?

My leg is getting worse....at least I can feel the tingling in my toes now and before, I just couldnt feel anything.  I have a chiro apppointment on Wednesday so Im really hoping she can breathe some life back into my training.  Or at least not tell me I have to stop. 

Mother Nature has a bee in her bonnet again today.  I was SOOOOO exciting for the high of 72 today.  I had 3 miles planned, in preparation for my longest distance ever tomorrow, 10 miles.  I was soooo looking foward to a nice, cool, critter free run. 

So who ordered the 30 mph winds.  Grrrr...the only thing more annoying was when hubby said "you know you have to learn to run in the wind....."  Really, Ive been running since October and while he may not remember it, we have had some windy days between then and now and I have run in them which is why I choose to conserve my energy for the 10 tomorrow that I cannot afford to not accomplish.  I can do 3 miles, not a problem.....its the 10 Im worried about  Coming from someone who is exhausted when he thinks about MY running 3 miles, I dont think I will take advice from him.

Yes, that one annoyed me just a bit.

The good news today is that its the first day of College Football here in Nebraska!!!!!

Let me tell you a bit about Nebraska and college football.  Its life blood around here.  I grew up in Michigan...Ive been to games at Michigan State, and Ive heard the stories of the Big House in Ann Arbor but I can tell you that there is NOTHING in the state of Michigan like Saturday in Nebraska.  Michigan is home to the "Great Divide".....are you a Wolverine or a Spartan??  Here, we only have 1 team and its all about them.  We are all Cornhuskers.  No questions asked and if your not when you get here, you will be when you leave.  Trust me, its safer for all involved.
Tom Osborne is second only to God, Bo Pellini simply screams states the same thing that the rest of us are thinking and Detroit can thank us anytime for Suh.  The old, the young, and everyone inbetween....Saturday in September, October and November means only one thing in Nebraska.....Husker Football and it all starts today!

CaNU Feel it???  Its GAME DAY!!!!!!