a few weeks off - Summer Plans

My dad was in the hospital for 3 weeks, so while the kids were at school I was driving to the hospital (hour drive each way) almost every other day and on the weekends.  No time to run.  I think I needed a break anyway after the 1/2.  I ran 6 miles on Friday, my kids last day of school, and it felt great.  I am excited about the summer and staying with a running program.  I am not into racing right now, just maintaining and trying to increase my endurance.  The heat will definitely test all that is within me.  :)  I really just want to enjoy running without the pressures right now.  I'm also doing some individual soccer training with a high school player and have serious plans for Jordan's ball skill development this summer.  He has great soccer potential - small and speedy with a nose for the goal!  He scored over 14 goals this season.  I'm thinking of asking a couple of other kids that have great potential to join our skills camp. :)

Other than that, we will continue to work on the boys handwriting (why are boys so bad at this?) as Walker starts Kindergarten in the fall... whoa!  We've got a Disney trip, and a trip to the South Carolina beach planned for the summer as well as probably a trip to the in-laws at some point.  The boys are only out of school for 10 weeks so I'm sure it will fly by.

The Lava Ladies are headed to the Florida Keys in January to run Ragnar again.  I can't wait for this and it will be the focus of my fall training.  I really want to get faster before this race.  It's gonna be a blast.  Hope you have a great summer too!

Emotional Race

This past week has been an emotional race for me.  My dad had heart surgery on Thursday - very surprising - and so I was in the hospital all day Thursday and Friday, then yesterday after the race.  He is holding his own, still in ICU with minor complications, but stable.  I did run the Country Music 1/2 marathon yesterday.  I did not once feel good during the race like I have in past races.  The whole thing was a struggle.  But I thought of my dad and how he would love to be anywhere but in that hospital with all that pain.  I thought of how he use to run, and instilled in me a love of sport and competition.  It kept me going over all of the hills and to the finish in 2:01.  Another day, I would be so disappointed in this time.  But on this day, during the midst of this trial, I was happy to do it and happy to be done with it.  It hurt but it was a good hurt.  A hurt that one day may keep me off of that operating table.  I ran for my dad.