countdown to grandma's

THREE DAYS!!

Am I still having an absolute freak-fest?  Not so much anymore! 

Do I know what I'm going to wear in the race?  No.  Have options been narrowed down?  Yes.

Have I packed yet?  Nope. But I have a list started.

Work stuff all done so I can go with a clear head?  Not yet.

Have I figured out how the hell I'm going to eat my precious steel-cut oatmeal on race morning?  That's a negative, ghost rider.

Will I be able to figure all that shit out?  Ya know, I think I will!

48 hours from now I'll be settled in my hotel room bed, clothes laid out, my number pinned to whatever I decide to wear, my chip attached to my shoe, trying to fall asleep, SUPER excited for marathon morning!

And when morning comes I'll be ready.

Ready for whatever the course, the weather, my shoes, my clothes, my body, or anything else throws my way.  One way or another, barring some type of unforeseen event/tragedy, my feet are going to carry me the 26.2 miles from Two Harbors to Duluth.  While I'm running, I'm going to think about the people I'm running in honor of and in memory of, and I'm going to enjoy the journey from start to finish.

And then I'm going to celebrate!!  I'm looking forward to meeting fellow runners and reveling in the knowledge that I've met a pretty damn big challenge.

I can't WAIT!!!

tapering made her insane

I think I'm going insane.  Again.

I'm dreaming about races where I'm not ready to run that far, I brought the wrong clothes, I forgot to eat before the race, I get lost....... not a successful race dream in the bunch. And some of the dreams have been just plain batshit crazy.

Last night's dream was the weirdest by far.

The husband and I went on a hot air balloon ride.  We were picked up in our entryway (yes, the balloon was in our house).  Sherman went with us.  Our balloon captain was a very short brunette woman who never said a word. I never saw her face either.

Actual unretouched photo of me
circa 1987.  Don't make me go
back there.  PLEASE.

The balloon went up and down in sweeping, swooping moves as we cruised over the lake behind our house.  The lake had transformed from a rather shallow, small, lily pad-choked lake to one with a dramatic coastline very similar to Lake Superior (FINALLY - a miniscule connection to the marathon that will be run along the big lake they call Gitchigumi) with huge limestone rocks.  We'd swoop low enough for the basket to drag in the water and we could see fish, etc. It was gorgeous!  Anywhoo, at one point when we were high up in the air, the basket fell out from underneath us and I was the only one holding on to it.  The husband and the silent faceless woman didn't say a thing as I guided the basket back under our feet.  Hell, they didn't even seem to notice anything was amiss.  (My palms are sweating just thinking about that.  Scary!)

All of a sudden we were landing back in (uh huh, IN) our house, the husband and cat disappeared and these three other women showed up for some kind of makeup party.  They were all dressed in brightly-colored, hugely shoulder-padded 80's clothes with big hair and we did scary 80's makeup on each other.

Let's say it all together: W.T.F.?????

Those of you who lived through that era know that seeing those clothes, and that horrific hair and makeup was WAAAYYY worse than the balloon basket falling out from under us.  Seriously.

Oh, and have I ever actually been in a hot air balloon in my real, awake life? Nope.

So, what's my point??  I honestly have no idea.

But I could care less about the analysis of that crazy-ass dream.

I just need to get this marathon thing going!!

How are the rest of you surviving taper?  Got any good stories to share?  Tell me I'm not alone!!

five days out

As Grandma's approaches, I'm thinking more and more about why I wanted to run a marathon.  I really have no frickin' reason why, other than I thought it would be a big challenge for me.  So why not?

I had originally signed up with a friend to run the 2010 Twin Cities Marathon and had just begun training when my world sort of exploded around me - June 13, 2010.  Exactly one year ago today.  Training had to take a back seat - hell, training didn't even fit in the vehicle at that point - as I began to deal with all that was happening.  So we had the upheaval going on, and then a couple other things happened...... I was in a three-car accident on the freeway and totaled my car in July (on the husband's birthday, no less),......on Friday August 13th our house was struck by lightning and we lost several appliances and a couple of computers..... We were lucky in both instances, no significant injury to me in the car accident, and our house didn't start on fire when it was hit, but overall, summer 2010 kind of bit the big one.

During all the chaos that was my life, running was an escape for me.  Even though I wasn't sure I actually enjoyed running, I was grateful it was there when I needed it.

Fast forward to last October, and my friend and I got together despite not running the TCM.  We decided we'd try it again and picked Grandma's as our target.

I wanted the run to mean something to someone other than just me so I decided to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  Cancer is a beyoch and it has affected my family in a variety of forms so raising money for ACS seemed like a good fit.  Unfortunately for me, Grandma's is not an "official" ACS Team DetermiNation event, meaning there was no team with which I could train alongside, so I don't get that perk.  No big deal.  Um, yeah, when you're fighting cancer you don't get a lot of perks either.  I decided to continue with my plan to raise money for ACS as a solo runner.

Life is still tumultuous, but things have definitely improved.  We're pretty much back to our baseline of (more or less) controlled chaos.  What a difference a year makes!

Here's who I'll be keeping in mind during my run next Saturday......


I'll be running in honor of:
My dad - prostate and skin cancer
My brother Ben - prostate and skin cancer
My Aunt Lois - leukemia
My first mom-in-law Renee - ovarian and breast cancer
My friend Sue - breast cancer
My friend Kris's dad - lung cancer
My friend Suzy's dad
My friend Nora's cousin Katie

And I'll be running in memory of:
My Grandma Annie - pancreatic cancer
My Uncle Larry - prostate cancer
My friend Kris's mom - pancreatic cancer
My friend Suzy's friend SuperDave

If you want me to run in honor of or in memory of someone special to you, let me know.  I will add their name to my list.

Remember my disclaimer at the top of my blog?  You know, that eventually, I'd be asking for donations to ACS?  

Well, I'm asking now.

Please consider donating to ACS.

Any amount!!

It's a worthwhile way to spend a couple of bucks.  Just click here or on the button at the top righthand side of my blog.  My fundraising goal is $1000.00.  Help me surpass that goal and give cancer a swift kick in the ass!!

If you've already given a donation - THANK YOU!!  THANK YOU!!  THANK YOU!!

One more request <Good grief, does her list of demands never stop???>:  regardless of whether you are able to make a donation, please send strong, healthy, powerful, and inspiring thoughts my way come Saturday - help me finish this marathon and do these people proud!!  I would appreciate your kind words more than you will ever know!!

Thank you!

see jane run

The intense pre-race focus of the elite athlete.

  

Jane ran her first 5k yesterday.

We did the Dog Day 5k in Minneapolis.  Nice cool day, partly cloudy, temps in the 50s.....perfect weather for her first race.

She didn't seem nervous at all.

Lookin' so chill, waiting for the starting gun.

It was absolute chaos and so much fun!


Nearly 500 dogs all in close proximity..... it was a big dog party.

The proud parents

The husband and I were (are) pretty pathetic.

We were like über proud parents.  "I think Jane is the cutest dog here."  "She is doing so well!" "Blah, blah blah, Jane is the best dog ever, such a great dog, so (surprisingly) well behaved....blah, blah, blah"  God help us.

In our defense, it won't be that long before we're empty nesters, so we have to figure out how and to whom we will channel all our love and attention once the grunions have flown.  Right???

Crossing the Stone Arch Bridge

The course was fabulous.  

We started at Father Hennepin Park, went across the historic Stone Arch Bridge, up along West River Road, back across the river then to trestle bridge onto a pretty path on Boom island, crossed yet another cool bridge and wound our way back to St. Anthony Main.

It was a four bridge run.  That's a lot of bridges for such a short distance.

The mighty Mrs. Sipp.

Fail factor: Mid-run the camera informed us that the memory card was full (Seriously?? WTF??) so we had to delete old photos before we could take new ones.  Hard to do while running so we missed some great shots (like canine athletes pooping mid-run).  You know I'm all about class and quality when posting pictures on my blog.

5k finisher!

Here are some more random shots from the day.

Jane's Bling

A REALLY faithful companion. 

I carefully color-coordinated the poop bags with my shirt.

Jane and her swag

Don't mess with mama. 

Completely un-race related, but whatever:
When we got home, there was a giant prehistoric snapping turtle laying eggs next to the driveway.  It takes about 90 days for the eggs to hatch (I Googled it so I know it's true), then they have to make the long trek across the lawn, over the path and into the lake.  Why don't the turtles lay eggs closer to the water?????

Back to the race....

The best thing about yesterday's race is that, for a little while anyway, it took my mind off the fact that in seven (7) short days, at that same time I would be in the middle of running a marathon.  

Me.

The woman who, when she started running 4 years ago, had trouble running 60 seconds in a row.

That same woman will be running a marathon.

I feel a little queasy just thinking about it.  Terrified and excited all at once.  

But mostly terrified.

don't hate me cuz I'm beautiful

The camera don't lie.  

I'm here to help raise the self-esteem of others.  I've attached several photos of yours truly...... as you view each photo, you should feel your self-esteem rising - don't be surprised if you suddenly feel better-looking, faster, and more coordinated, those types of responses are perfectly normal.

It's another of my little ways of giving back.

I hope the MarathonFoto folks don't mind that I borrowed these shots.  It's pretty obvious I'm not trying to pass them off as my own photos so I hope that makes it all ok.  All other photos shown - sadly - were taken with my camera.

Enjoy!  And you're welcome.

Ever fashion conscious, here's the husband and me
waiting at the start of the Polar Dash.

Polar Dash 1/1/11.  I was trying to include the Minnesota banner in the photo but it just ended up looking like a Blair Witch Project tribute. 

Adjusting my iFitness belt after exiting the porta-potty in the Stillwater Marathon 20 miler.  I literally RAN out of the PP so as not to lose any more time (you can see I'm turning here as I screw around with my clothes.) Image my joyful surprise upon realizing all had been caught on film!! I smiled at the photographer as I passed him and said, "Oh, that one will be a keeper!" How right I was!

The marathon trainee in her natural habitat.....don't make any sudden moves or you'll spook her! Stillwater Marathon 20 miler.  See how the snug fit of the belt hikes my shorts up?  Flattering all around!

Mouth breather.  Such a  pretty girl!  This is right before the finish line of the Mpls Half Marathon.  It's funny, I don't remember feeling like shit but I certainly look like I do.

Also heading to the finish line, here's another lovely mouth-breather picture.
But doesn't my skirt look cute?

Nope, I'm not water-skiing.  I'm in the finish chute at Stillwater, waving to the husband.  I felt GREAT!  I wonder if I always run hunched over like this.

Not always - sometimes I like to skip, or use my invisible jump rope.

Climbing one of the hills at the Mpls Half Marathon.  Not sure what is up with the contortions of both face and body....maybe that's just how I propel myself up hills in such a speedy fashion.

I had to end with a decent photo, cuz deep down, I'm shallow.  
I actually like this one!

skirting the issue

Sunday was my last semi-long run before Grandma's.  I ran the Team Ortho Minneapolis Half Marathon.

Man, it was a hot one.

Like seven inches from the midday sun.

Runners were dropping like flies towards the end - lots of folks needed medical intervention.  Another reason it's good to be slow!

2010 Mpls Half Marathon - our first!

This is such a fun race.  The husband and I did it last year as our first ever half marathon and we had a blast.  It's a big race (4000+ runners) so there are lots of spectators.  The course is fairly tough with a couple of big hills thrown in; the big hill at the end is a killer.

We really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

My longest run had been 10 miles, and the husband's was 8 miles so neither of us felt properly prepared.  We figured we'd just go out there and see what happened.  Good thing we had no expectations - totally took any pressure off and let us just have a good time.

Our meal the night before the race?  Steak.  And lots of red wine.  That might account for the long potty stop at mile 10.

When all was said and done, we finished in 2:30:45.  Slow, yes.  But we finished!

This year, the husband wasn't able to run with me.  I ran with the same friend who caught up to me in the Get in Gear Half Marathon in April.  I was supposed to run 11:30 pace but couldn't bring myself to go that slow..... not that I was a lot faster - I certainly didn't push it - I have my eye on the prize and wasn't going to jeopardize Grandma's by trying to run a fast race two weeks before!

Another fun time, the hills were just as tough, the spectators were just as awesome and the volunteers handling the water stations were AMAZING.

Rockin' the skirt at the finish

Some highlights:
1. Running with a guy who had a prosthetic leg.  What an inspiration!  We caught up to him at the turnaround at mile 9.  In addition to being just plain inspiring, he and his running partner were super funny!  Seriously, I'll try not to bitch about my aches and pains so much from now on..... We ran with them for a half mile or so.
2. Seeing the husband at mile 11 and again at the finish.  I had given him the day off - he's been to SO many of my races this year, he's definitely done his time - but he showed up anyway to cheer me on. He took some pictures with his cell phone and only one sort of turned out. (It looks like I have Kool-aid or something all over my face..... another high quality picture for the blog, but at least I have a race pic!) There is nothing better than looking up and seeing his smiling face in the crowd.
3.  I think I got hit on around mile 5.  WTF???  I guess I should mention I was wearing a new bright pink running skirt.  I'd never worn a running skirt before and wanted to test it out before Grandma's.  Some guy ran up alongside us and said to me, "Great skirt.  It looks really good." or something like that, before running on ahead of us.  My friend turned to me and said, "What the hell was that????  Did you just get hit on?  In a RACE???" and we both just burst out laughing.  I seriously don't know what to make of that one.  I think it was hilarious, and just so strange!
4.  Hearing someone yell, "Bitter Hag! Hey, Nora!!  Bitter Hag!!!" around mile 10 or so.  Whoever you were, I saw you on the hill but didn't recognize you - you were too far away.  So tell me who you are!!!  You absolutely Made.My.Day!!!

My time was ok (official time was 2:23:28, which is 10:58 pace), especially considering I bonked a bit before mile 12.....it was getting pretty warm and I started seeing stars and feeling a bit wobbly.  I walked to the last water stop at mile 12 and then felt a little better.  Ran up that last killer hill - yeah, ok, I took a short walk break in the middle of the hill - and then finished strong.  I fueled a little better this year, too.  No steak or booze the night before! Overall, I feel pretty good about the run.  No significant hip or ankle pain to speak of.  Yay!

Now it's Taper Time.

Oops!  Almost forgot to add my splits - as usual, Garmin Electra time is faster.  Oh well.  Someday my Garmin time will match my Official time.

Oh, and the big question for Grandma's: to skirt or not to skirt?

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	02:24:11	13.29	10:50
1	00:10:50	1.00	10:50
2	00:10:54	1.00	10:54
3	00:10:38	1.00	10:38
4	00:10:34	1.00	10:34
5	00:10:29	1.00	10:29
6	00:11:01	1.00	11:01
7	00:10:55	1.00	10:55
8	00:11:06	1.00	11:06
9	00:10:51	1.00	10:51
10	00:10:45	1.00	10:45
11	00:11:05	1.00	11:05
12	00:10:27	1.00	10:27
13	00:11:24	1.00	11:24
14	00:03:05	0.29	10:40

this 'n that

Grandma's is 15 days away.

Holy crap.  

For the most part, I feel good.  I'm fairly convinced now that my body can carry me for 26.2 miles.  It may carry me slowly, but I think it's got the cardiovascular cojones. (Yes, there is such a thing. I'm sure of it.)  My only real concern is the nagging pain in my right ankle.  I'm hoping tapering will help with that - fewer miles and a bit more rest.

Things that occupy valuable brain space (this is where the "this 'n that" comes in):

My iFitness belt.  Not my bod.

1. I really like my iFitness belt from the comfort and no-bounce perspective.  The only complaint I have is that I look like an absolute TOOL with it on.  I don't have the slim, hot bod like the chick in the photo so it makes me look even more grandma-like by hiking up my shorts and further exposing my cellulite-covered thighs to harsh sunlight.  Not attractive.

(Ummmm, 1a, I guess.) What is the deal with cellulite anyway?  I'm not overweight.  True, I did gain 60 pounds with each pregnancy (I denied myself NOTHING food-wise while I carried members of America's Future) and I did cry on the scale when it said 197.  But eventually that weight came off.  And that was about a million years ago anyway.  I'm 5'11" and weigh about 145.  That sounds like a reasonable height/weight ratio, right?  I workout. I TRY to eat well.  And I've had two months now where I've run farther than 100 miles.  But my legs look like I've got skin a couple sizes too big.  WTF??  I'm trying to be all zen about it and embrace the legs that just carried me successfully on a 20 mile run but........ damn, they ugly.  Wish there was some way to put my legs in the dryer on high and see if the skin shrinks.  <Sigh>  Oh well.  I ain't 19 no more.  Back to zen.....

I have found socks to love that love me back.
Post 20 miler photo. These socks are the shit!

2. Check out my awesome socks!  Injinji toe socks.  LOVE them.  I wore them during my 30k and my 20 miler and they are the most comfortable socks ever.  Yay for happy toes!!

Gettin' lucky after a 4 miler.  I have no idea why I'm able to find
these things so easily.  Found three more of 'em the day
before, too.  If only I could pick winning lottery numbers as easily.

3. I've been finding 4 leaf clovers again.  A harbinger of good things for Grandma's, yes?



4. My final long run will be Sunday when I run the Minneapolis Half Marathon - ONLY 13.1 miles.  Which is still a damn long way to run.  After that, the tapering starts in earnest.

I hope I don't go insane.

Fifteen days.

FIFTEEN days.

FIFTEEN DAYS.

Ai-yi-yi.