Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you, my dear reader(s) have a wonderful holiday! Me, I'm blessed to have a semi-healthy family. Its been a long few days around here... The really good news is that I get to see my nephews tomorrow and FINALLY get to meet my niece. I am excited beyond words. I'll get some pics up next week.

The power of love.

I love my family. It is amazing to me that our core unit and extended in-laws love and cherish one another as much as we do. Too often you read about children who are estranged from their parents, siblings who hate each other, and wives/husbands who can't stand their inlaws, or each other. My family seems to experience none of this.

Over a decade ago, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. As I recall it, at the time we were told to get her stuff in order, as it wasn't looking good. She's still with us thankfully, but has always had some complications from the cancer and the surgery and the radiation treatments. Without going into too much personal detail, the day has finally come where these "complications" just got a bit more complicated. No, her cancer is not back, but some pretty serious surgery is in her immediate future.

So this is how things went down - my mom was in Dallas to help my brother and sister in law with the babies when she became very ill with a kidney infection. Not her first, but this one seemed more serious than before. My dear brother, with the support of his wife and mother-in-law, dropped everything and drove my mom back home from Dallas, stayed the night, and went to the hospital with her the next day to get things squared away for a procedure she has had before and needed to undergo again. She would need that minor surgical procedure today. He needed to get back to his family and work, so I came into town last night and went to the hospital with my mom today. My dad was in Chicago on business, but we assured him that we, as their children, could take care of mom and he should complete his trip as planned. After all, this was somewhat a "routine" procedure. I think it gives my brother and me great pride to be there for our parents, as they have been there for us so many countless times.

Well, today's procedure ended up not being routine. The inevitable has happened and my mom needs additional surgery. We are thinking it will be next week or the week after. She's doing well considering and is back at home. I will stay here again tonight and tomorrow morning, then my dad will get back to town. By the way, my mom is the strongest person mentally and spiritually who I have ever known, and I admire her strength and courage beyond words.

I cannot express how proud I am of my entire family for being strong and cohesive and working together like a true team to make sure one of us is taken care of. My brother continues to amaze and awe me with his maturity and caring nature, which I see so often in him with his kids and wife, and for him to be there like that for my mom brings tears to my eyes, of pride. He is a great man, just as my father is. And how my father and mother love each other is rare, something everyone should aspire to. We are all so fortunate to have each other and be on good terms and drop anything and everything to help each other out, and that has extended to the extended/inlaw family.

My mom is going to be okay and we will all be here to support her just as we always have been. I am so glad to be here to help, because I can't even count anymore how many times my parents have dropped everything to help me with something...a move, a marathon, a neck surgery. I am grateful beyond words.

San Antonio Marathon

If none of this makes sense or I say one thing then say the complete opposite in the next paragraph, cut me some slack, I'm very tired...

Okay, before I start to get into how I really felt about the marathon today, I must preface it all by saying I ran a PR (personal record/best): 3:55:52. Wow. I honestly am elated and excited and extremely pleased. I don't want to belittle what I accomplished today for myself, and for everyone else who ran well/finished.

But...

This marathon sucked was my least favorite and not much fun for me at all. I understand it was the inaugural Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon, so of course it was going to have its kinks. But please... "flat and fast." Um, no. "Bands at least every mile." Um, no. "Great crowd support all along the course." Um, no. I would like to punch the race director in the face, but since I'm a girl (and a princess), I don't know how to throw a good punch, so he/she is safe from me.

Where do I begin? First, it was ideal weather for a marathon, at least at the start. It warmed up very quickly though, and I saw more people cramping up and stopping than I ever care to see again in a marathon. The hills were probably to blame too. Honestly, I was mentally out of this marathon before the half-way mark. I know, San Antonio is in the "hill country," but don't advertise your marathon as flat and fast when it isn't. Running these things is half mental preparaton, so I was not mentally prepared for the amount of hills and the toll they took. And if it weren't for my training buddies Rick and Tom, and Robert too, I wouldn't have made it... I would have made the turn for the half marathon finish. I never guessed I would hit "the wall" at mile 11, but I did. The middle was the absolute worst part for me. Those guys helped me through the worst mentally. I owe them at least one beer! And thanks to Kathleen, who I think I saw twice along the course, cheering us on. If it was more than that, sorry, I was out of it!

And eventually, around mile 16 or so, I started thinking to myself that I didn't train since May to quit, that I didn't battle through whooping cough and work stress and the disruption of Hurricane Ike to give up, that I was a true marathoner and marathons aren't supposed to be easy or everyone could do them, and I was going to finish and finish strong (think "Chariots of Fire" soundtrack playing as I am typing this). By mile 20, I knew I could PR just by running 10 minute miles. But keeping that in my mind and staying positive and trying to focus on taking it easy the last part of the race was very difficult with each hill. I just wanted to walk, and with each walking stretch, I could see my PR ticking away, then a sub-4 ticking away, and part of me didn't care, and the other part cared alot. All I could think was "this is NOT flat." The entire race that is what was going through my mind. How defeating is that? In fact, the last .2-.3 of the race was straight uphill. Who does that?? The only marathon allowed to finish on a steep incline is Marine Corps, because nothing beats finishing at Iwo Jima. Everyone else should have a downhill finish, or at least a finish where you can see the finish line well in advance, to provide some encouragement. I actually stopped to walk a few steps up this final hill at about mile 26.1, because I had no idea where the finish line was. It was around a curve, yes, but how far away, I didn't know or care; I was done, toast, a goner. A lady who I don't know patted me three times on the back and said "its just around the corner, I promise." She ran on and I followed, and sure enough, there was the finish line. I have never been so happy to be done with something. And those three pats, which I will never forget, from a complete stranger, is what bonds marathoners, because no one else understands.

Maybe it would have been better with crowd support. Kudos (insert sarcasm) to the person who determined the course, because you made 80% of it unreachable by the public. There were stretches of 2-3-4 miles (it seemed) at a time where I never saw a spectator. And the bands...I saw maybe 4 actually playing, and then what, another 2-3 playing recorded music while the band members sat around. It was terrible support and entertainment. Houston blows away SA in support. Not even close.

I don't mean to be negative about today. I feel terrible about complaining, but I do have the disclaimer in my blog description that I'm allowed to vent, regularly I might add. I was just so disappointed in this marathon, and I won't run it again. But I'm not giving up on marathons as I swore during today's that I would, though I have to start wondering if running a sub-4 and maybe someday qualifying for Boston is worth not having any fun at all while running marathons. I really do want to run Boston before I hang up my marathon hat, but today was a real test of strength and faith and courage for me, unexpectedly so, and I just have to wonder if Boston is a realistic goal now. This was not an easy finish time to achieve; don't be fooled for a minute. I'm really quite stunned actually, considering I spent well over half of the marathon thinking about quitting. That shouldn't be what marathon running is about, not for me anyway.

So, I know I'll bounce back fine, and I'll relish my new PR and I'll get back on the running road and focus on Houston in January. It will be my 5th Houston in a row, and I'm really excited about it. Plus, I'll have my friends and my awesome pit crew, Mom and Dad, there, and nothing beats the hometown crowd! I'll determine that morning if it is a potential PR/Boston qualifier day, and if not, I'm taking it easy and having fun. I have my two sub-4s, so the next big goal is Boston, and if I can't accomplish that in the next couple of years, then the rest of my running career will be for fun and helping others during training and races the way so many have helped me.

After all of today's events (including a 2 mile walk back to my hotel and a 3 hour drive home), I can hold my head high and think of myself as a winner, because I didn't quit. Unlike the Aggie football team...

Speaking of, while walking along the riverwalk last night, I stopped to check a TV to see what the Aggie score was. The Florida game was on and a bunch of Longhorns were watching it. When I yelled out in utter dismay when the A&M/Baylor score flashed on the bottom of the screen, they felt so bad for me that they offered to buy me a pitcher of beer. Sadly, I couldn't take them up on that offer because of the marathon. Otherwise, I very well could still be at that bar, drowning in my Aggie football sorrows...

My official marathon results, for the record:
Overall time - 3:55:52 (a PR)
Half Marathon time - 1:55:28 (also a PR)
Average pace: 9:00/mile. (Darn all the walking!)
Finished 1505/7526 total marathon finishers, 369/3511 female finishers and 89/661 in my age group.

Its a pre-marathon miracle!

Knock on wood, but two days of rest, lots of water and vitamin C, and olive leaf extract that was recommended by my massage therapist have cured me! My throat is not sore anymore (really about 95% not sore, which is better than the 0% not sore it was the other day)! Yay! It probably helps that I haven't talked much that last couple of days. So, I'm heading to San Antonio way earlier than any normal human should tomorrow, so I can hit the expo and do some other things before resting up for the marathon on Sunday. Can't wait to see what its like! Apparently, there are no email or text runner alerts for friends and family (*rolling eyes*) so if you want to see how I'm doing live, go to www.rnrsa.com and follow whatever instructions are there for tracking runners. Toodles!

Not again...

At the great risk of sounding like a hypochondriac, which I am not I assure you, I'm under the weather again. My throat is very sore, inside and out. When I touch my windpipe, it feels bruised. Hope its just some soreness that is a result of all the coughing I've been doing. I'm at home today trying to get some work done, trying not to talk (even to myself, which is difficult sometimes, because I find myself most entertaining) and resting. I will be ready for San Antonio, I will be ready for San Antonio, I will be ready for San Antonio... I will keep repeating that in my head until my sore throat goes away. It will work, I know it!

Speaking of SA, it is going to be absolutely ideal running weather. Low in the 40s that morning, and sunny. Let's hope that holds up. Alot of people will have great runs if so. And, I'm very much looking forward to the long drive there, because a good friend made me a couple of mix CDs for my trip and bought me the new Metallica CD. Yes, you read that right. I like Metallica. And I have a feeling I'm going to love the mix CDs.

I planned to get at least one run in this week, but with the rain and now my sore throat, looks like I'm going to just rest up and carb load my way through the rest of the week. I already started with some fabulous gnocchi last night at Mia Bella's. I love gnocchi. Small wads of dough in some sauce. Yummy (and apparently full of fat and calories according to my scale this morning). I'm a dough freak...cookie dough, bread dough, cheeseball dough, pie crust dough. I'm weird. I already knew that so no need to point it out.

Good luck to all who are running SA! I will have a full race report Sunday night or Monday.

I long for Aggie football of old...

Remember when A&M was good at football? When we actually had a defense? (Wrecking Crew was a force to be reckoned with for sure). We rocked when I was there in undergrad, and there are some wins within the past decade that I'll never forget...tu several times, Nebraska in 1998 when they were #2, OU in 2002 when they were #1, winning the Big 12 in 1998, and we used to beat Tech regularly... good times. Good times indeed. I would like those good times back please, dear college football gods. Soon. Amen.

Running update: Last taper run before San Antonio next weekend! Yay! A blazing 8 miles at around an 8:43 average pace. Felt good to go into my rest week with a strong run. I will probably get in one easy run this week and one jaunt on the elliptical, then I'm kickin' my legs up until Sunday. I'm really excited to see what SA is like as far as the marathon... course, support, spectators, organization and the all-important weather factor. I'm ready to run a strong race if the weather is good. Right now, looks to be a smidge on the warm side, but obviously the forecast is going to change often over the next week. I'll take what I'm given though. Its going to be a fun time no matter what. I'm really looking forward to running with coaches Rick, Tom and Ruthie; we will definitely push each other to perform our best while having a blast.

Facebook update: As I mentioned in a post a while ago about Facebook, its been fun making connections again that I thought were lost forever, and a handful of those connections are turning into real friendships again. I want to give a special shout-out to a dear friend (you know who you are!). This friend and I went to high school and A&M together and were in the same sorority. In fact, she was one of my very first friends when I moved to Bryan my junior year in HS, and my very first ski trip was with her and her family. We kept in regular touch for many years until a misunderstanding/miscommunication a few years ago following our 15 year HS reunion. We didn't communicate for years. Through Facebook, we were able to get back in touch, resolve what caused our friendship to falter, and are getting to know each other again, picking up where we left off like we never missed a beat. Just one more great example of Facebook working to reunite old friends and giving them second chances at friendships. Its truly a blessing for me.

Political update: Now that the shock and disappointment of election day has passed, I do want to say that above all, we are all Americans. We should appreciate our election process, and from the looks of things, our new President won fair and square, and that's what this great nation is all about. Freedom and democracy. The majority has spoken. We need to unite and get this country back on track fiscally. I'd hate to see us abolish the death penalty or revoke the right to carry weapons, but I'm pro-choice and I'm not so sure about us declaring war on everyone who does something we don't like (exaggeration, I know, but you get the point). I believe the war on terrorism is justified, but we need to clean things up here as well. If we had our crap together in the CIA and FBI, 9/11 probably would not have happened. And, I fully support stem-cell research, something the GOP does not. Oh, shoot, here I go again... I'm done talking politics, but bottom line, I'm kinda middle of the road in my political beliefs. I just don't believe in socialism and the resulting high taxation. Honestly, I don't know enough, or care enough, to debate and argue. Let's just all be friends. Group hug!!

I just threw up a little in my mouth...

My blog is not something I intend to use for political or religious bantering, as I like to avoid the topics and keep things lite-hearted and objective for all of my readers and their various views. Then again, this is MY blog, so I'll say what I want. This will be the one and only thing I say about the events of this "historic" day:

Unbelievable. Are Americans really this stupid? Thank you, political morons (not to be confused with regular, everyday morons...some people can be very smart and nice but politically ignorant...just my opinion), for turning this great nation into a socialist craphole and taxing the hell out of all hard-working citizens. We will be paying (literally) for this mistake for years to come, mark my words. Sadly, everyone will soon see what a liar and fraud our next President is. I won't even say his name. I'm disgusted. (EDIT - I still love and adore my Democrat friends! Just remember, you probably spent the past 8 years bashing Bush, and I still like you... This was just venting from disappointment...no one should take this personally, please!)

Where's my vodka? I wonder if I could get a good deal at Spec's for four years worth...

Trick or Treat!

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween this past weekend. Here's the low-down on mine:

My dear friend Ginny was able to escape Dallas, her husband and two precious boys to spend the weekend with me. It was so great to see her! We've been friends since grad school way back when, and I always enjoy our visits, though they are not often enough. This weekend she introduced me to the glorious bargains of Tuesday Morning and the Dollar Store. I had no idea that you could get awesome stuff so cheaply. I know that sounds snobby, but I just never thought to look in these stores for stuff. They are awesome for gifts, gift wrap, cards, toys, kids clothes, you name it. I think I'm going to be saving a bundle in the future...

Anyway, later on Saturday afternoon, we began to get ready for Coach Ruthie's Annual Halloween Bash. The theme was "movie characters." As I mentioned in a post quite a while ago, I was going to be Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. I was a little disappointed that when I put on my wig, dress and makeup, I didn't look as much like Elle as I thought I would. Darn Reese Witherspoon's perkiness, big smile and huge blue eyes. Ginny went as Alex from Flashdance...welder by day, dancer by night! She looked fabulous! We listened to "Maniac" to get in character, and I practiced my Bend and Snap, which was performed often at the party. More on that later. Ginny and I played it smart and took a cab to Ruthie's. Knowing that Ruthie and her husband Todd throw awesome, and sometimes pretty wild parties, we certainly made the right choice not to be driving (Hi Mom and Dad! That was for you!).

As expected, the party was rockin' awesome. I should have known it was going to be a crazy night when someone kidnapped Bruiser, my dog, and threw him in the pool early in the party. There were some fabulous costumes! I thought I went to alot of effort with mine, but some just left me in awe. There were a ton of people, and of course, the majority were watching the Texas/Texas Tech game, which was just an unbelievable and very exciting game. I had a great time mingling, seeing friends who I haven't seen in a while, performing my Bend and Snap for anyone and everyone, whether they wanted to see it or not... Great food, great guests, and the decorations were insanely awesome!

Ruthie had several "best costume" categories, and through bribing, flirting, begging and probably ballot-box stuffing, I managed to win "Best Female." I was so excited! I love winning things, even if there may or may not have been some cheating involved (hey, cheating even happens with the Presidential elections. ACORN anyone?) I was jumping up and down with joy, and then the next thing I knew, "Sponge Bob" threw me in the pool. Now, I have ended up in the pool at Ruthie's parties before, but usually its when things are winding down and there are a few people left, not in the middle of the festivities. I put alot of work into styling my wig, just to see the darn thing floating next to me like a huge nasty hair ball. I'm sure some people were stunned to see that I was not a true blonde since I was acting like one all evening. Ginny and Joe helped get me cleaned up and presentable, with a freshly blow-dried wig. We ended up leaving not too much later, around midnight I think, but I know that party lasted well into the early morning hours. A huge thanks to Joe for driving me and Ginny back to my house. You are awesome!

Sponge Bob, who is a good friend of mine (most of the time), did call to apologize and I told him I would stop being mad in about 180 days. Until then, he better be looking over his shoulder...

All in all, it was a fabulous party, and I'm already looking forward to next year's, where I will go as a synchronized swimmer or something since I know I'll end up in the pool again. That is apparently now a given for every party at Ruthie's. And to the mystery person who commented to my friend that all I ever bring to any party are my famous olive cheeseballs, that is because they are specifically requested by the host or other party goers, and they are usually one of the first food items to be finished off, so people obviously like them. And they are the only thing I can make that's really good, so, yes, I will continue to bring my olive cheeseballs to every party. I'm a creature of habit...

Here are some pics and a video of my Bend and Snap. Alaina took some awesome pics too. I hope to be able to add those soon.

"Elle Woods" in all her glory:

Ginny as "Alex"...She's a maniac, maniac on the floor...

"Elle" and "Alex" at the party:

"Elle" was scared to death of this thing:

Fabulous hosts Todd and Ruthie!

Bend and Snap video:


Running update: I am now tapering for the San Antonio Marathon on November 16. We ran an easy 11 miles on Saturday morning, including 2 trips to the parking garage. Average pace: 8:57 or so. Not too shabby. And, the early forecasts for race morning look promising. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If we start in the 40s, I will be one happy runner! Today, I started my morning with 50 minutes on the elliptical and will go for an easy loop or two around Memorial tonight, since its the only place that has lights. I really hate the whole getting-darker-earlier thing. It really limits where I can do my after work runs. Thanks inventor of the daylight savings time fall-back, spring-forward thing. I still don't understand the purpose...

Aggie football: OMG! We won another game. I have now said twice that we would not win anymore games, and we have both times. This time I really mean it...we will not win another game.

Random College Football Question: Can anyone explain to me why the Big Ten conference has eleven teams? Seriously, I didn't even know there was a Big Ten conference because I thought that is what converted to the Big Twelve, but I saw the conference rankings in the paper yesterday, which is how I discovered there is a Big Ten conference with eleven teams. WTH?