The PR Story

We began our Madison race journey on a hot Saturday afternoon - driving to the Alliant Energy Center for the expo and our packet pick-up. Madison event organizers have gone green, so the typical race packet, which includes your bib number, timing chip, t-shirt and miscellaneous paper advertisements & coupons, all placed in a plastic bag, was whittled down to the bib number, timing chip and technical t-shirt made out of 100% recycled products, handed to you sans a bag. We wandered around the expo, talked to a vendor selling Vibram Five Fingers, and made our way to State St. for a Nepalese dinner at Himal Chuli (a light meal of delicately spiced tofu and veggies, brown rice, dal, and momochas). Walking down State St. in sweltering heat, finding it hard to imagine running in such conditions (cause walking was strain enough), we felt assured that we'd avoid the prime heat of the day with our race beginning at 7:20 a.m. (oh, we were hopeful that evening!). We checked into our hotel, laid out our race gear, arranged for a 4:45a.m. wake-up call, and had the lights out by 9:00p.m.

After a poor night's sleep, tossing and turning, checking the clock, fearful of oversleeping, we made our way to the State Capitol about an hour before the race began. By 7:00a.m it was already 75°. We determined to hydrate well pre-race, so we both had to line up to use the Port-O-Potties. I went first and had little to no wait. Joe went next, and was gone forever. In fact, all 5,000 half marathoner's were in the 3-block long starting corral, with only 10 minutes left before the starting gun fired, and Joe was still MIA! I couldn't join the corral because I had his water bottle, GU (an energy gel) and car key. I was turning inside out - horrified that we would miss the start of the race -when I recognized his hat bouncing through the crowd, just in the nick of time. Turns out the bathroom lines grew exponentially by the time he got to them. And now that we could get into the starting line, guess what? I had to pee again. There was no way that was possible, so I planned to hold it, and hold it, and hold it, until I could hold it no longer at Mile 9, but I'm getting ahead of the story.

The race course was alright, but Napa and the South Shore Half Marathon courses were much more scenic. By Mile 1, we were all soaking wet with sweat. There was no breeze to speak of, and enough humidity to allow the sweat to just sit until it would reach a tipping point and spill off. While I despise hot weather and physical activity in hot weather, I was encouraged by what my Garmin was telling me - I was going my new standard 10:30 pace on flat terrain. A check of my heart rate was even more encouraging, as it was telling me despite the heat, and a quicker pace, I was holding my own. I wasn't going to lose control over my heart rate as I did at the South Shore. I didn't plan to have this mantra in my head, but what I kept telling myself is, "You got this."

Early in the route, we ran along Camp Randall Stadium as we made our way to Observatory Hill, and then climbed this cruel and aptly named incline! But once we made it to the top, the view of Lake Mendota was spectacular.I also appreciated the sentiments on a sign a spectator held - "VISUALIZE Live Strong". I did. I felt inspired.

The first 9 miles were great. Despite the heat, and feeling like I might explode at any moment, I felt strong and present in the moment. I enjoyed the signs and the cheers the spectators provided. There were some stand outs like a sign offering free nipple massages (this is funny because men often get bloody and/or sore nipples from their shirts), a woman slowly hoola hooping, little kids with their hands outstretched for a slap, people passing out Dixie cups of beer or Bloody Mary's, and best of all, the home owners who had their garden hoses out to spray us with cold water. Those flowing arcs of momentary reprieve were delicious.

By Mile 9, my bladder was an issue. There was no way I could hold it until I finished. I hated to have to stop, but what could I do? So I stood in line for 5 damn minutes to pee. And it was good. What a relief! I decided it wouldn't be cheating to subtract those 5 minutes from my total time (afterall, there was no availability to go before the race started, otherwise I would have!). The next 3 miles were to be the prettiest part of the course - running along Lake Menona on John Nolen Dr., but since we were running directly into the 80-something degree sun, it was not that pretty or fun. The heat was dragging me and everyone else down. I heard people talk about how this was their worse performance ever. People were stopping to walk, ambulances were coming and going, carrying away heat exhausted runners. I was hell bent on not walking, so though my pace slowed to 11:30, and then 12:00 miles, I kept shuffling ahead, passing people, and getting closer to the finish. The last mile was all uphill. No kidding. Uphill, into the sun. Brutal. But the finish line was super sweet. Bleachers packed full of spectators on both sides of the street, brought us to a roaring finish. If I subtract my 5 minute bathroom break, I did the race in 2:22 - a terrific showing for a challenging course on a hot day. If you think I'm cheating, then I still did great at 2:27 for the same reasons :)

Throughout the race I wondered how Joe's foot was holding out. It had not gotten better with his week off. As it turns out, it became painful and necessitated a few walking breaks. Despite the walking breaks, and the heat factor, Joe finished in 2:03, a great time. After the race, we got ice from the first aid tent so he could immediately ice his foot. While the problem is with his second metatarsal on the left foot, his whole foot was swollen. Further examination finds that the second toe cannot lay flat -it just sticks up in the air. It is likely he has a new stress fracture. That said, it does not detract from his great showing, and yet it spurns him on to still have that perfect race, which for him means a race where an injury does not make him walk, a race where he can run and run and feel good the whole time. For me, I did my absolute best, and am proud of what I accomplished. I am more motivated then ever to keep improving. This summer I'll do some light 5k's before amping up for fall 10K's and a 15k.

Madison Here We Come

It's Thursday evening - the kick off to an exciting four day weekend. The heat and humidity have broken, so the windows and blinds are open, enticing the just-right outside air carrying the sounds of a lazy summer evening to mingle with the comforts of being indoors (recliner sofa, popcorn and the premier of "So You Think You Can Dance"). Work is already becoming a distant memory, as all attention is moving towards the unfolding fates of Memorial Day weekend.

Tomorrow is an unprecedented, but called for day of NO exercise. We get to sleep in, piddle around and prepare to head to Madison. Saturday afternoon we'll drive to the race expo (large races have race packet pick-ups at "expo's", which are set up with vendors and informative running related booths), get our packets, toodle around, drive the race course so we know what to expect, grab dinner on State St. at our favorite Himal Chuli, and then head to our hotel for an early night.

Sunday the race begins at 7:20 a.m. The Half Marathon was 96% filled earlier in the week, so I'm assuming by Sunday there will be 2500 racers in that event alone. There is also a full and quarter marathon being run, so total, there should be about 5000 racers converging on the State Capitol. And I mean that literally. Our start line is on Washington St. right in front of the Capitol building. The race course looks awesome on the map - we run through parks, cool downtown streets, pretty parts of campus, and we hit both Lake's Menona & Mendota on either side of the Capitol. Race day weather is predicted to be sunny with a starting temperature around 60° - rising into the upper 70's by mid-day, but we'll be home and showered by then :) Once we're home, we'll still have 1.5 days to relax and revisit what will undoubtedly be our racing glory.

Check back Sunday evening to Monday late morning for a full race report. Until then, I wanted to leave you with an image of our Bruce & Dora. They're full of new growth (can you see the brighter green tips?), getting fat and sassy, and like proud parent's, Joe and I want to show them off. Bruce is in front - isn't he handsome?! And sweet Dora is behind him, ever so trim and lady-like!

What Is This?

Just what are you looking at? This is what happens after a really good sports massage on a really tight IT Band. When Angie channels her 300 pounds into her forearm and runs it up and down my outer thigh to breakup muscle and fascia that is bound together, this is the result. While it was painful having the body work done, it now looks worse than it feels. She worked all of the knots out of my IT Band, which will help me run better on Sunday. This week is a super easy taper week with minimal physical exertion. Today's 4 mile run was the biggest effort I'll have to make until Sunday. When Joe started his run this morning, his left foot, which had been a smidgen sore after Saturday's 6-miler, began to hurt enough to cause him to limp, so he stopped running and cross trained. His left metatarsals are swollen (usually the problems have been with the right foot), so he will ice it and take the week off from running. This will not detract from his Sunday performance, as he's already put in all the mileage and conditioning needed. In fact, the rest and ice may improve his race. That being said, if y'all would think of Joe and imagine his foot healing quickly that would be much appreciated!

Happy B-Day Christine!

Happy 46th Birthday Christine! For those of you who don't know Chris, she is next youngest sibling after me in a group of 5. Seven years age difference is huge when you're a kid. Remember when you moved in with us 30 years ago? You were about 16, with a shaved head and bell bottom pants. I was 9 with long hair and straight legged pants. We both had attitudes, and rarely got along (you'd curl your tongue up and apply your fists to my back) ... I figured it was because you're a Gemini, but as the years have gone on, I guess it's more likely that we were just brats in our own rights and needed time to mature and mellow :) I feel life gets better with age, experience and reflection. I hope you enjoy getting older too. Wishing you good things in the year to come!

Stop the Presses!

I reached the end of my to-do list at work today. That hasn’t happened since early March! Of course it will start anew on Monday, but at least I won’t be behind the proverbial 8 Ball, which is a great feeling. And the good feelings continue with the additional bright spots:

1. I am consistently running significantly faster. I had a great 4 mile run outside the other day wherein one of the miles I ran was a sub-10:00 minute pace!

2. I’ve survived another painful pre-race sports massage. Pain now, perfect muscle condition on race day!

3. Since I’m in taper mode, I only have a 6 mile long run tomorrow.

4. Tomorrow night I get to dine at Tandoor with my mom and niece, both of whom live nearby, but due to our mish mash schedules, have not been able to get together since Christmas! Crazy, huh?

5. I have not been “hunted” by Steve Sawyer at all this week, which has been relieving and calming on my system.

6. Next week is a 4-day work week for Joe & me leading into a 4-day weekend. Woohoo!

7. Joe & I are both feeling well prepared and excited for the Madison Half Marathon. I might even go as far as hoping for a PR (personal record).

Happy Birthday Sooz!

It's Susan's 75th Birthday today!!! Imagine what she has seen and learned about herself and the world in the past 3/4's of a century! It's wonderful to have a great friend to model the way for graceful aging and to inspire acceptance of yourself and life as it unfolds. My favorite story about Susan and aging is when she tells of mornings where she lifts her facial skin up and taut, and says to her reflection in the mirror, "Oh hello, there you are!", thus embodying the concept that who we are on the inside doesn't always match the aging outside. Susan is young at heart, which makes her ageless, keeps her striving forward and makes her one fun, crazy cool cat! I hope your birthday is a special one, Sooz!

500

This week I crossed over the 500 mile mark in my running for the year! How exciting is that? That's a lot of mileage! I'm certain all of you have been waiting on pins and needles to know if last week's super showing in my 11-mile run was a fluke or if it was repeated this week in my 12-miler, so I shall not keep you waiting any longer :) Last week was not a fluke! Throw the confetti and honk the bazookas. I shaved over 4 minutes off my time from my last 12-miler seven weeks ago. That is major - especially since this is a more challenging route with many mile+ long gradual hills that slowly undermine your speed efforts. Joe ran faster too on a harder route, increasing his speed by 20 seconds per mile, which adds up to significant minutes in a race. Now we can breathe deep and begin a 2-week taper for Madison. Does this seem like deja vu as you read it, since I just did all of this 5 weeks ago for my last half marathon?

On the job front, there is new news as well. While I am still being pursued by the wilderness therapy outfit, and will likely meet with Steve Sawyer next week, another opportunity has developed within the County. A clinical therapist position is open, which is one classification above my current status. My current classification as a senior mental health counselor only has positions in the program I work in, which means I do not have the ability to move laterally into other positions and programs, which could become dull after many years of service. As a clinical therapist I would have more options to move about for continued growth, and have more opportunity for doing individual therapy. Right now only other clinical therapist interested in making a lateral move can apply for the job. If none of them do, or none of them are ideal, then the position opens up to all qualified individuals regardless of their classification. I'm hoping the job is opened to me, so I can woo them in an interview and slip into a new role. And here's the tie in to the blog title - not only did I surpass 500 miles, guess what the address of the building I'd work out of as a clinical therapist is? 500 Riverview Drive ... Coincidence? :) It's obvious change is afoot, but what am I to do and what message should I take from these 2 job potentials that have developed within the past 2 weeks?

Hunted

I am being hunted folks. The saga with Steve Sawyer and doing wilderness therapy is not coming to a close as soon as I would like it to. I am solid in my feeling that adding work with his program into my life is not a fit at this time. As much as I would love the opportunity to do this kind of work, it cannot jive with my current life schedule and needs. Below you will find a volley of emails that have been sent – me trying to tell him no, while still keeping the door open for a healthy future connection, and Steve persisting to hunt me down for any amount of time I can spare (which happens to be about 0).

ME: There's something to the idea that timing in life is everything. I love the idea of doing trauma work with teens, and learning new skills while being in nature to boot, but as I've mulled things over this weekend, I can't see a way to fit it into my life right now. I'm working 45 hour weeks, and have little time to spare outside of work, between sleep and training for marathons! I wish I could scoot by with part-time work, or that I had more flexibility with my current schedule. While the opportunity to possibly work in your program is phenomenal, I'm not ready or able to make changes in my life right now. I truly appreciate your interest in me and cross my fingers that our paths will cross in the future at just the right time.

STEVE: Well I certainly understand, you may have felt that it was a commitment for year round month after month. We will take whatever a clinician can give in the summer time which is our busiest season even if it means you only do 1 expedition. Our newly devised clinical structure is first 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, 3 days on a 21 days trip, plus we have one on one trips that are different. The rate of pay depends on how many kids you treat. This includes 12 field days total, plus a budgeted 16 hours of time with intakes and assessment that can be done at any time. Consider this structure and consider if you didn't do it every month. Let me know that you think. I would love to consider you for our team.

ME: I’m not sure I fully understand the structure you detailed below, but I’m intrigued to know that there are other time commitment options available. I wish I could participate in your summer programming, but my summer, as well as my 2010 vacation time, is spoken for (I’m an OCD-ish planning type and usually have my current year figured out the year before!).

STEVE: Wow I wish I could do that!! Let's talk after I get back from this conference in Toronto!

I reckon I’ll have to meet with him, and it would be good for me to know exactly what the options with New Vision Wilderness are for the future, but there’s no feasible way for me to do anything with his program anytime soon. And again, it is nice to be wanted and relevant after 16 years in the field!

Happy Anniversary!

Joe & I celebrate our 17th anniversary today!!! This is a picture taken on our legal wedding day 5 years ago at 6a.m. on the top of the look-out tower at Lapham Peak, but all of you know we do not make a distinction between years spent together before or after being "legal". We have considered ourselves committed since we first met May 9th, 1993, and only made it legal May 9th, 2005 to protect ourselves legally and financially. The years have gone by fast, and contrary to what we often hear, relationships don't always take a lot of work. Our years together have been virtually effortless and easy - maybe that's because we've always been on the same page with our outlook and approach to life. We both get better with time, and cherish every day we have together.

Euphoria

Oh. My. God. I just had my FASTEST & STRONGEST long run ever. I mean ever. I ran through the hold-you-back winds, up hills and through straight aways with a lowered heart rate and fleeter feet than any previous long run or race. Around mile 4 my body turned on a turbo drive I didn't know I had, and one that I didn't intentionally engage. I was running along the river and noticed my legs were pumping faster. I looked at my Garmin and couldn't believe my eyes - I was suddenly running at a 9:30 pace and I wasn't dying. For the next 7 miles, whenever I was on flat road, my pace was consistently hovering around 10:30 minute miles, as opposed to my usual 11:00 -11:30 minute mile long run pace. I wondered if the Garmin was having a system failure! I finished 11 miles in 2 hours, which was 8 minutes faster than I did this exact same route in March, and put me on pace to finish a half marathon distance in less time than Napa - my best race to date. What accounts for this? Is it a fluke? What I can come up with is this: I've been doing speed work the past 3 weeks, I had 2 days off of running, I was well rested, well hydrated and had eaten the breakfast of running champions (oatmeal with fresh berries). We'll see if I can duplicate this in next week's 12 miler...

Did I tell you guys Joe was able to snag a Garmin for himself for $50? (as opposed to the normal $200 expense). Today was his first run using it, and it was fun for him to see how each mile played out with regards to pace and heart rate. Joe appears to be made to run. Despite many challenging hills in his route, he kept an average 8:30 mile pace, which is a blistering pace that I couldn't achieve for 1 minute if my life depended on it. He completed his 11 miles 28 minutes faster than me, and is on pace to finish the Madison Half Marathon well under 2 hours! And most importantly, he is running strong and injury-free.

Sleep. Wilderness. Rebel.

What do these three words have in common? They are the outline of today's story. After a week of intense physical and mental output, I was able to get 12 hours of rest - not emerging from the covers ofour darkened room until 10a.m.! Unheard of, but necessary. The heavy morning rain on this scheduled vacation day facilitated our rest, encouraging us to take it slow and easy. If this morning had dawned sunny and beckoning, there's no doubt we would have been up sooner and zooming all about. So we have our breakfast and plan our day - we need to run a light 3 miles and take care of some errands, but we need to let our food settle for at least an hour before we go into the chilly pouring rain for our run, so I decide to call Steve Sawyer - the wilderness therapist. Say what?? Didn't my last post say I was not calling him?

Well here's what transpired. I decided he could chase me if he was truly interested in having me work for him. And my plan worked. Yesterday I received an email from him stating he'd done some "recon and learned how people viewed you". He was impressed with what he heard, considered me a prime candidate and would like to talk to me sooner than later. So, while my flax bran and yogurt settled, I gave Steve a call. He was enthusiastic and eager to meet. He feels I would be a perfect fit for his program. He said he's extremely selective in the therapists he interviews, but feels I am the one. We only talked about 15 minutes because his cell phone kept cutting out and he'd prefer to talk in person, but he did share a couple things. It sounds like most employees have other jobs and do this wilderness trauma therapy part-time. Therapists are expected to work a total of 4 days per week, but I'm not sure if that means 32 hours each week or what. Those 4 days can be split up however you want. The work would include clinical assessment of referrals, individual and group therapy and wilderness trips. The work is done with teens aged 12-17. I would receive amazing training and tutelage in trauma therapy beyond my current knowledge base. The pay is meager, but the rewards of such work are great. He will be traveling next week, so we'll try to meet the following week.

My thoughts on this? While it would be fantastic work and a wonderful growth experience, I really can't see how it would be feasible to commit those days above and beyond my current work schedule. I have worked hard to get my life as perfect as it is - no weekend or evening work, no commuting, great pay, benefits, etc.. I am not willing to sacrifice weekends away from Joe or my long run schedule. I certainly wouldn't take vacation days from work to work another job, as Steve alluded to others doing. Now lets say he could offer me full-time work, which may not be possible. I know the pay would be sharply cut, as well as benefits, and the convenience of having work be 10 minutes from home. I like the regimented schedule I've created - I'm not the loosey goosey kinda worker who enjoys flexible and odd hours. So (big sigh), I will meet with him and see what happens. Maybe he'll want me so bad, he'll come up with an irresistible plan?

Now I've covered the sleep, and wilderness aspects of this blog's tag line, but what about the rebel? Are you sitting down? If not, do so. Joe & I blew off our 3 mile run! We NEVER miss a run, but today we lived life on the edge :) With our late start to the day, the many errands to run, the cold and pouring rain, lack of motivation, many miles already run thus far and an 11-miler for tomorrow, we felt okay about skipping it. Amazing huh?

We're warm and dry, tucked in for the night. We're full from a Tandoor lunch and will settle in with Robert Downey Jr.'s "Sherlock Holmes" tonight.

Cold Feet?

The other week I wrote how well my conference in the Dells went. I mentioned that while there I was connected to a wilderness therapist who is always looking for MSW's who don't mind getting dirty in the woods with traumatized teens - I mean who wouldn't love that??? But apparently it's a hard combination to find :) So, when I got home from the Dells, I emailed him, reminding him that colleagues had suggested we meet. I shared a little bit about my background and expressed interest in hearing more about his programs. Towards the end of last week he responded to my email with one sentence saying I should give him a phone call or give him my number to be contacted, and I've been backing off of the idea ever since.

I was all fired up after the conference, but the more I think about it, the more I think: "I'm set with a great job (great for many different reasons), so I'm really not looking to change jobs. If I did some side work with this outfit, it would mean giving up weekend time to be in the woods with troubled teens. And while I truly would like that, I don't really want to give up any weekends." Then another voice says, "You don't even know how contract work with this place would work, you're assuming it would mean weekends. AND how do you know there isn't some job out there that is new and better? " And the debate goes on and on, but I won't bore y'all with it - I'm sure you get the idea and can relate to what I'm saying. So, I seek your two cents. At this point in time, I think I may pretend I never got his email response (oops, it went to my spam box instead of me!). I figure if he really has such a hard time finding MSW's who can do trauma work and like backpacking, he can seek me out and sell me on working for him, right?!

Joe Is In It To Win It

The blog title refers to Joe gaining a victory over past injuries while approaching the reality of running a solid, healthy, pain-free half marathon in 29 days. After running a painful Napa in 2008 with injuries, and being denied the Wisconsin Marathon last year just one week before the race with injuries,things are looking up following today's 10 mile run. We had a spectacular day for running - sunny, 60's, breezy, trees exploding in varying shades of white, pink, red, burgundy and green, bright flowers stretching towards the sun, the scent of lilac and magnolia ever present. Joe ran his typical 8:00 minute per mile pace, felt strong, and has no residual pain or issues with his feet or any other body part. This was his first 10 mile training run ever, as injuries have always set in by mile 9. I'm super happy for him and for us. The fact that we'll both get to run a half marathon together while at our healthiest and fittest is a special treat, especially when you think of the herniated discs, metatarsal stress fractures, sore knees, and tight achilles we've had to get through to be where we are today.

I'd like to send a shout out to some friends who were in races today - Denise ran the Wisconsin Cheesy Half Marathon, Jaime ran the Wisconsin Cheesy Full Marathon, and my other Jaime ran the Door County Half Marathon. I hope you all achieved your goals for your race and that you're relishing in seeing your training pay off. An additional shout out to my brother who walked for the Guest House homeless shelter today and will walk again tomorrow for MS.