Runner Susan

Another half if the books

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I ran my 41st half marathon last weekend, the Dallas 13.1 Series. Pretty cool to have run as many as I am old. It’s been a crazy week or I would have posted about it sooner, but Peggy and I had a blast not sweating like pigs because it is 112 degrees outside. The run was good too . . . I didn’t start to even feel it until mile ten. Baby steps, Internet People, baby steps.

After the half, I jumped in the shower and headed north to play with my Martini Twin. But this time playtime was called paint the former bedroom and currently new wine room the color of Cabernet Franc. So, not only did I get lower body workout, my arms and shoulders got a workout too. We did pretty awesome if I do say so myself! Daisy approves, it is her new favorite room.

And now that I am finally rid of my gross bacteria, I have e.coli. [Insert big sigh here] [And big glass of wine here]

 

Tour des Fleurs 20k and Tour des RS Fleurs

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Yesterday Peggy and I ran the Tour des Fleurs 20k. It took us a while but we each sweated out the toxins and finished the race. Peggy was fantastic and she could have run much faster, but she was a trooper and stuck with me and my colon. She’s nice like that. I’m okay with going slow for the time being, I haven’t even been wearing a watch because my goal is to just get healthy, have fun and finish. Oh, and as always, we stayed true to the stay cute goal. Look how cute we are in our matchy, matchy TDF shirts:

I really wanted to stay longer after the race and check out the Dallas Arboretum, but our shuttle but was heading out. So, instead I’ll let you tour the RS arboretum. I’ve been making stairs. I put my heart rock collection in the top concreted area – because I’m fancy like that.  It’s only three steps, but I’m so proud of myself – it’s like a staircase to heaven. Except, ya know, it isn’t because they are smack dab in the middle of the gas patch . . . but if I hold my breath and close my ears, I can pretend for just a little while. I should totally take up professional staircase making! Stair making outside the gas patch!! And stair making with extra exclamation points!!!!

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2011 Cowtown Marathon

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The first marathon I’ve run since Chicago 2008. I can’t believe so many years have gone by since I’ve run a marathon. I was on a roll for a while – 1-2 marathons per year since 2004. Then I crapped out.

This was probably the toughest marathon I’ve ever run.  It was hilly, humid, hot and windy. All my favorite things combined into one blissful marathon day. Of course, I’m sure not training and being 20 pounds overweight had a little to do with the agony. But I finished, and I was so happy that I ran a marathon I didn’t even care that it took me 5 hours and 49 minutes. There is a lot to be said for being in constant motion for that long. My favorite spectator sign during the race: “That isn’t sweat, it’s your fat cells crying.”

Mr. Thin Trade was kind enough to travel to Fort Worth and run the world’s slowest marathon with me. He would have run much faster if he had run his own race, but he was kind and stuck with me. And I’m glad he did – because my secret plan was to bail at the half.

The first half of the marathon was slow, but I felt really good. I felt even better at mile 16.5 when we approached a kind spectator’s smorgasbord of bananas, power bars, fruit snacks and beer. I often see people handing out beer to runners along the course, but this was the first time I actually partook – and I have to say, that was the most refreshing beer I’ve ever had. And I enjoyed another somewhere around the 20-mile range as well. It kept me going until the end. Proof:

This was the first marathon I’ve ever run that I didn’t end up with chafing all over my body. I’m attributing this to the near full stick of body glide I applied that morning. The only place I missed gliding I ended up with a mighty blood blister. And, oddly, I didn’t even know I had it until I took my shoes off when we got home.

Of course, you know what is coming up now. Pretty, eh?

The finisher shirt and medal were pretty cool too. I think the medal might also be a weapon?!?

But it wasn’t all running. There were plenty of social excursions over the weekend. The Modern, The Kimball, The Japanese Botanical Gardens, The 6th Floor Museum, the wine, the beer, the food and my pyromaniac Chef’s campfire. A full and fun weekend.

Half’s are great, but nothing compares to the feeling of finishing 26.2 miles. I’d do it all again, I miss marathons. But I think I’d like to put in a few more miles of training before I do.

And in case you are wondering, running a marathon is a lot easier than fighting gas.

Let’s play catch up

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I needed a break, so I self-suspended my blog. I know, I know. But now I’m back and I’m going to try and be really good at balancing my life. It’s hard when you have bad gas, but I trust my lovely Internet People will keep me in line.

So, what have I have I been up to besides fighting bad gas and prioritizing my life? Well, let me tell you.

Sumy Designs got a much-needed makeover.  I like to think the entire world is powered by Apples, but sadly it is not, so take a look around and give me some honest-to-goodness feedback on all the pages.

And then, there was the Muddy Buddy. And it was muddy and I had buddies, but most of all I had a really fantastic time. I learned some really important things that day – like I need to be me and I need to make taking care of myself a priority – now is not the time to compromise my health. But most of all, I need to let my hair down a little more often; it’s good for my soul. And my soul is in need of some desperate healing.

In the midst of all the things going on in my life I sometimes forget how far one day of fun can take me. I forgot that I don’t smile very often these days, but with a little help form my friends that changed for a day.

Call me crazy, but when was the last time you danced in the kitchen to the Gap Band while chopping veggies just because it was fun? Or was on a mission – because someone, somewhere out there needed a beer – and who are you to deny anyone a much needed beer? Why not deliver those beers while riding a mountain bike for the first time without pedals  wearing a dress and a tutu?

Internet People, especially those around my neck of the woods with really bad gas, if I can give you one piece of advice it would be to take a break and do something fun or wild or crazy.  Take your friends and give yourself a little mind some piece of mind to let loose and know that the world will be a better place for what we are doing. We have to believe this, it is what keeps us going.

So let’s talk about that crazy. Crazy like I’ve registered for the White Rock Half Mary in December with Sister Runner Amy, and crazy like I’m going to run the Cowtown full marathon with Mr. Thintrade in February and the craziest of all is that I’ve registered the for the Galveston Half-Ironman in April with my Muddy Buddies.

I need to get back on track, my mind and body are aching for normalcy. So, Internet People, I need your help. I need you to keep me on track and spank me when I mess up, love me when I do good and most of all, tell me when I get too gassy.

You can view the rest of the Muddy Buddy Photos here.

Run the Jailbreak

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Every now and then, scattered about the science fiction novel that is our life, there are a few good days – and today was one of them. It’s a great time in life when our babies are finally old enough to run the races with us. Today, Kenza and I ran, swam, clawed and climbed our way through the Run the Jailbreak Adventure race.

And adventurous it was – by the time we got to the course the announcers were already shouting warnings because there had already been one broken arm, one broken leg and one serious accident.

When did broken bones stop counting as serious?

With that in mind, Kenza and I had a plan – stick together. Of course one mudslide and a waterfall later stick together turned into leave slow, old Mom in the mud and wait for her at the finish line. That’s my baby girl.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love that baby girl?

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