5K Redemption?

All is fairly well in the running world. I say "fairly" because I'm a bit worn out. The twenty-five miles I logged this week were fine, but I did struggle a bit on my 11-miler yesterday. Even with appropriate pacing, I felt a few twinges and aches and quite a bit of fatigue toward the end of the run. I think I'm ready for a "drop-back" week. I haven't had a week of low mileage in about 5 or 6 weeks and it's TIME. Since it's on the schedule anyway, I get to listen to my body and give it what it needs.

My half-marathon training group completed 7 miles yesterday! They are more than half-way and everyone still seems really excited. Even though most have been running for a while, there's something special about completing new distances and realizing for the first time, "Hey, I just ran SEVEN miles. I rock!"

On Saturday, I get to run my "anniversary" race for the 3rd time. It will always be a special race for me-- it was the first race I ever ran in 2007 (after only 6 weeks of running). Then last year, I got second in my age group and my 5K PR! I'm not sure how 2009 is going to go. I don't think I'll beat my PR, which was 28:24 or something like that, but hopefully I'll do better than my last 5K disaster. (The race report in somewhere in the June archives. Basically, I ran like a rookie and made the #1 racing mistake---going out too fast! And I really know better.) So, I'm hoping for some 5K redemption. I don't expect a PR (not a whole lot of speed work lately), but I've got an A. goal, a B. goal, and a C. goal.

The half-marathon training team is meeting me there. We are going to warm up for .9 so we'll be at 4 miles for the day (it's their drop back week, too). Then we're all going to run our own races and wait at the finish until everyone from our group has finished. I expect a few of them to take away age-group awards, too!

As for the PARENTING part of this blog, school is going wonderfully! I'm getting adjusted to getting all three kids up much earlier this year, dressed, fed, etc. and in the car to drive them across town to the magnet school. Both kids are happy with the new school, so that makes me happy. And my little one is finally potty trained! It was as if a switch went off. After trying unsuccessfully to potty train her for most of the summer, she was accident free from last Sunday on. She had to be potty-trained in order to attend preschool starting in September, so I'm thrilled she is done. My life is diaper free for the first time in 8 and a half years! (Except for night time ones, but those will have to go soon!)

When I find a minute between taking Julia to the potty forty-two times a day and trying to stay on top of this house and the kids' school work and my part-time job, I've been reading Bart Yasso's My Life on the Run. I highly recommend it!