Running on Faith

Thank you to Van, Laura and VJ Guarino for their donation to Team Running on Faith.  They are long time friends of Flash & Mr Xctmnt.

Thank you to Flash’s parents, Jeannie and Leslie Bueche, for their donation to team Running on Faith!

Thank you to Brenda and Jim Coleman (relatives of Mr Xctmnt) for their donation to Team Running on Faith!

This Saturday started out like every Saturday in the summer months; up at the crack of dawn and on the road.  Only this Saturday, I was up at 3:45 a.m. and by 4:45 a.m. we were on the road headed to Lafayette for a triathlon for Blake and Paul.  It was a good morning and relatively uneventful (sometimes this is a good thing).  They did well in the event and both brought home some “hardware” for their performances.  It was also a good morning for BR Tri and even though only a handful of us were there, the club was represented well.  

The entire day, I had a nagging thought in my mind…I would have to run the dreaded Twilight 5K in Baton Rouge.  I knew I would have a nice time SOCIALLY because I would be meeting, face to face for the first time, the rest of the our Running on Faith teammates.  On the flip side, I’ve always disliked the Twilight 5K and I’ve never had success with this race.  I’ve run it 3 times in the past, twice I had to stop and do the dreaded walk and the one time I didn’t stop to walk, it still took me some where around 42 minutes to complete.  Aside from the Hump Day 2 milers, this is the hottest race of the year.  I’m not quite sure why they call it the “Twilight” 5K because it’s run entirely in the daylight and even at 7:00 p.m., it’s still blazing hot.

I really felt like I would have a better run this year.  I’ve been logging a fair amount of miles and I’ve done most of them during the hottest times of the day.  Add that to the fact that my new buddies would be there and I really wanted to impress them (ha ha).  In the past, before this race started, I’d feel close to crying.  I didn’t have that problem this time because standing there with Christine, Marcelo, Louise, Tish, Mason and Lara really eased my anxiety and I was actually ready to start the race (I let everyone know that I don’t mind being passed and they should feel free to leave me behind)!  Paul and Tim were up front with the faster folks.

As the horn sounded, we all took off and made our own ways through the crowds.  I could see Christine and Louise pulling away from me rather quickly.  I had two choices, try to keep up with them or run the “Marci” pace.  I chose the latter because it just felt safer.  Halfway through, I lost sight of Christine but I did see Louise and I felt like I could catch her.  Wrong.  She would have little bursts of energy where she would run really fast and then ease off.   As I would close in on her, she would take off again! About ¼ mile away, I picked up my pace on the downhill run and turned the corner for the final stretch. When I saw the clock still had 31:30 on it I did something I’m not proud of; I sprinted by a co-worker on the last stretch and cut into her personal space a little bit.  She boxed me in on the left side, she had runners on the right side and Louise was just right there in front of her.  I didn’t pass Louise and I didn’t make it across the finish line in under 32:00 BUT 32:01 is good enough for me.  I will certainly make my apologies at work this week.

That wasn’t the best part of the evening though.  Hanging out by beer truck, drinking beer, eating jambalaya and getting to know my teammates was very enjoyable.  And maybe the best part is that Blake, Camren and Mason get along well so we didn’t have to entertain them. 

It was nice meeting Dara and I hope she signs up soon and joins our team.  I have a feeling she and I will get along very well.  By the way, did someone say we had another team mate by the name of Nancy???????

Just a quick update on our fundraising efforts; it is going well. Paul and I received a very nice anonymous donation this week that really touched our hearts especially when we realized they didn’t want recognition for it.

This is Flash and I am running on faith that all of the races and organized runs that are in my future as pleasant as the one I just did!

 

Thank you Flash’s cousins Chantelle and Brian Sliman from Yakima, Washington for their donation to team Running on Faith!!

Beginning this week, my mileage is really increasing as my training is getting serious.  My training plan had 3 miles on the menu for yesterday.  No problem, I can do that.  Mr Xctmnt suggested that I run speed intervals and that certainly didn’t sound like anything I wanted any part of.  That would mean I would have to increase my speed for 1 minute intervals and ease back into a more comfortable pace (something he affectionately calls “Marci pace”).  I don’t normally listen to Paul when it comes to running but this time, I would TRY.  Theoretically 1 minute isn’t a long time, it’s just 60 seconds.  If you’re sitting in traffic or in a drive thru line, a minute is nothing.  If you’re running at a faster pace than you normally do, 1 minute is an agonizing 60 seconds.  For my first speed interval, I was able to hold it for 60 seconds but the next few sets didn’t go so well.  I decided if I could hold it for 45 seconds, that was good enough.  Well, the 45 seconds was cut back to 30 seconds and so on, you get the picture.  I didn’t like it, it wasn’t comfortable and I’m sure it looked awkward to onlookers.  (Thankfully, the neighborhood we run in rarely has anyone outdoors, no matter what time of day it is.) 

After I was done, I was impressed with myself for trying this training strategy.  Will I do it again?  Who knows…?  Did my training “high” last long?  NO.   The next morning, as we were getting ready for work, Mr Xctmnt asked if my legs felt tired or sore from the speed work.  They felt fine and I told him that.  His response was “Well, then you didn’t run hard enough.”  This was not a good way to start the day!

I am Flash and I’m running on faith that my fellow teammates are training and plan to share their stories with us all and SOON.

Thank you to Flash’s Uncle Richard & Aunt Carla Dupuy from Tuscon, Arizona for their donation to Team  Running on Faith!

After an embarrassing two weeks off from running, I was on the road again Saturday morning.  My last run was 10 miles and there seemed to be a rainstorm each afternoon that I planned to run after work.  I did get on my treadmill each evening just to keep my legs moving.  Before I knew it, the week-end had arrived and I knew I wouldn’t have time to get my long run in because we volunteered to work at the Rocketchix Triathlon as a family.  Now, when I said I wanted us to volunteer as a family, I thought we would get to stand at an aid table and hand exhausted women a refreshing drink along the run course.  That was not the case.  Instead we were given the stressful assignment of standing at intersections along River Road to hold up traffic on the cycling course.  I’m not a fan of riding my bike with traffic, I especially don’t like riding on River Road and I now I know that I don’t like STANDING on River Road asking cars to wait while the bikes pass…and there were a lot of bikes.  We stood there and waved, cheered for and spoke to every Rocket Chick that rode by on the way out and then again when they passed on the way back. If you are not familiar with the RocketChix Triathlon, that amounts to about 400 participants.  Our hands were sore, our backs were tired and it was hot.  I didn’t mind this because for several years, I was one of those Rocket Chick ladies racing by on River Road and I’m sure that I’ll do it again one day.  So, after an exhausting day of volunteering for RocketChix, I rushed home to pack for a quick trip to the beach and to get Blake and Cam prepared for the Rocket Kids Triathlon on Sunday morning.  Still, no time for running….

Sunday morning, we were up and at the LSU Natatorium for 6:10 a.m. for the kid’s triathlon.  I did not volunteer for this event because I needed to be able to focus on my two athletes but Paul had been there a while helping out.  I was ready to get this day started because I knew that once we left the triathlon, we were headed to Destin for a few days.  I asked the boys if they would consider just taking their time during this event and not worry about placing in age groups for a medal so we could just leave after they crossed the finish line (I really needed to get to the beach).  NOT!  This was another great day for us as a family and our boys are amazing.  They participate and compete with a lot of heart, class and good sportsmanship.  As it turns out, we had to stick around for the award presentations and we didn’t head out for vacation until much later than I planned.  It was OK, my thoughts turned to the many parents of St Jude.  When their child completes treatment and the doctor tells them their child is in remission, it must feel like crossing the finish line of a triathlon and it must be such an awesome feeling!

I did take my running gear to Destin just in case I felt like running one morning…if you’re wondering, I never felt like running.  I felt like walking in the hot sand carrying beach gear was PLENTY of exercise.  And three hours of climbing stairs at Big Kahunas Water Park was quite the work out (and worth every penny of the admission price).  Paul ran one morning and he confirmed what I knew to be true…it was hot and the wind was blowing from all directions.

Those two weeks off gave me the little break I needed and Saturday morning we were up and on the road again with our mileage goals in mind.  I knew I needed to get 11 miles in and Paul would go for more because he always has to “one up” me.  My first 5 miles were pleasant, the temperature was mild and even though I hadn’t run in a while, I felt good.  The second half was a little different.  I picked up my frozen Gatorade and headed back out and passed the garbage truck for a 2^nd time.  Somewhere around 7 miles, my left knee decided it couldn’t take anymore, it locked up and my whole body stopped.  This was bad but I only walked for about 5 steps, decided to deal with the discomfort and keep going.  I finished my 11 miles with a noticeable limp (my left knee was throbbing; I had two toes bleeding on my right foot and a painful chafe developing in the saddle region).  Doesn’t running sound like fun?  On an interesting note, I did stumble upon two tiny DEAD snakes and I thought about my buddy Christine.  She loves snakes!  And later in the day came that dreaded question from Paul….wanna ride tomorrow?  AAGGHH!!

Sunday morning, we’re on the road again for 7:30.  I still had the pain in the knee, the toes were still hurting and the chafe in the saddle region felt just lovely.  We got a good 20 mile ride in without incident.  But wait there’s more…..all the aches and pains were feeling so great; I decided to swim 400 meters later that afternoon.  Now that was NOT FUN!  This is Flash and I am running on faith that as summer fades and my mileage increases the pain in my knees and toes will go away and at least I’ll learn not to run with a limp!

Saturday morning, Paul and I were up at 6:00 and running by 6:30; we had different plans though.  My goal was to run 10 miles and he planned to run 13 (I always joke with him, telling him he just has to “one up” me).  It was a nice cool morning and I felt like it would be a good run once I got started however I was quite upset when the alarm went off.  Paul didn’t mention it but I did hit the alarm clock rather roughly when it went off at 6:00.

The first hour was cool and comfortable.  As I made the turn to start my last 5 miles, I picked up my frozen Gatorade and I noticed the sun had started peeking through the clouds and it was heating up.  A song popped into my head, “Here comes the sun, and I say it’s alright…..”  Paul and I have run in some pretty intense heat so I really felt like I would be alright.

My mind started to drift to what good has come from my running because around the 7 mile mark, not much felt good.  I thought back to my first 5K.  My cousin Julie was there running the same race and we ran into each other by accident.  She was an accomplished runner already and I was just getting started.  Then I thought about my 2^nd and 3^rd 5K (and several after that) and the fact that I had the opportunity to run with my Aunt Carol.  She and I had always been close but running brought us closer. When we see each other, we still talk “running” and she understands why you push yourself even when you don’t feel like.  So, if nothing else good comes from my running, I can say that I was able to get to know two family members a little better.

My mind snapped back to the real world when my father in law, Mr. Xctmnt Sr, drove up and passed me a cold bottle of water.  For that quick moment, I felt like Lance Armstrong in the Tour De France.  I was pretty tired and I couldn’t speak but I was very grateful for that water and I’m sure he knows that.  He always seems to show up just when I need the water.  At the 9 mile mark I came upon an elderly gentleman walking his dog.  I forced myself to speak which was a mistake.  Any other time, I wouldn’t mind stopping for a chat but not at mile 9 of a 10 mile run.  I tried jogging in place while he was talking but I stopped that because it was distracting him.  I finally said my goodbyes and headed for home.  That last mile was awful; I really have a hard time resuming running once I stop.  I made it though, 10 miles in 2 hours.  And later than day, Paul asked the dreaded question…”So, do you wanna ride tomorrow?” AAGGHH

So…Sunday morning, we were up at 7:00 and riding by 7:30 and I don’t need to say that my legs were shot from running 10 miles the day before.  It turned out to be a great ride; I stayed close to Paul, tucked right behind his back wheel.  We rode 22 miles and I averaged 16.9 MPH.  I think that’s a record for me!

Another huge THANK YOU to Tevis and Gwen Laspa for their additional donations to Team Running on Faith.  That is incredibly generous and we are speechless!