Week 1

One glorious week....it feels like a month! 
I have eaten whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I have watched what I wanted on TV and left the volume on high on my laptop. I left the volume on my phone for playing games and left my shoes under the coffee table until there were so many pairs they were crawling out.

My clothes were piled on the floor until I did laundry today. I worked out, worked a ton in the backyard everyday and got up early today to run in a 5K benefit for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, where The Biologist was treated. It was a beautiful run through the Stanford Campus. While I was extremely proud of my finishing time, I was surprised to find I was 4/50 in my age group. There were some awfully fast women in the run.

This was the absolute coolest....there was a kiosk at the end...you typed in your bib number and your time came up! The best part of coming in faster than 10 minute miles is that there is no crowd at the finish....I got my time, walked through the water and food tables and then through the booths for all the freebies before it got crowded.

I have two more days of the house to myself. BIG Foot will be driving The Captain home and I will have to have the house picked up....or they will think I have lost my marbles :)

But the backyard will be unrecognizable and hopefully the inside of the house will not. I am sooooo enjoying summer!

*LIVESTRONG*LIVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY SUMMER* 

Summer Scamper!

This morning I got up early and drove to Stanford Univ. I used to make this trip daily...it isn't that far from my house...around 12 miles...but it is the traffic that is painful. But early in the morning on a weekend there is little traffic making it a pleasant drive.

The Summer Scamper is a Fun Run to raise money for the hospital. The Biologist and I have run it for the previous two years...this was my 3rd year and the 4th annual run. This is my "giving back" to the hospital that helped save my daughter. 

Each time I run now, I am just hoping for a small improvement on my time. I looked up my time from 3 years ago...30:02. I was hurt and Ali finished ahead of me. Last year I was in better condition and finished in 28:54. Last week my Garmin watch died so today I was running without having any idea of my pace. I was frustrated because even though we were to line up by the pace cards with the mile times, walkers and slower runners still blocked the course. I told some walkers 6 abreast to "move it!" I just don't understand why walkers start with the 7 minute milers. Next year I will line up with the faster runners to avoid the walkers and strollers.

At the end I was surprised to see the time on my iPod as 27:00 and even more surprised to see my official time of 26:54 posted at the result wall! I was second in my age group- 50-55...and I was beat by a 50 year old youngster! Just wait til next year...I move up to the next time bracket!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN FASTER*

Summer Scamper

It was overcast and humid...and then the sun came out for mile two just to toast us for a minute or two...but I beat my last time by 7 seconds even with my rolled ankle...I came in at 28:54- Finally getting past the 30 minute mark again...

After the run: Daughter #1 and I ...and Kira and her husband who placed first overall with 17:00!! Kira ran slow with 20:10! They were enjoying bananas and bagels by the time I came in to get ice on my ankle. I am only 24 years their senior...that's my excuse.

It was fun to see three students from my school and one who was in my class the past two years...all of whom run in my Running Club two mornings a week during the school year.

Now on with summer! (Even if the weather forecast is rain for this afternoon!)

**Official results just posted:
I beat my record by 8 seconds!! And I was 6th out of 51 in my age group...I am excited...maybe that's what I need to run more...now that my ankle feels okay to run when taped :)

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*TAKE 7 SECONDS OFF YOUR 5K TIME*