Goodbyes are never easy

The last two weeks I have been in another world.  Caiden was here for the Summer and was getting ready to leave.  We spent some time playing games, watching movies and just hanging out.  I had a major paper due (and a test every week) while he was here, but luckily HR was here to take him out.  He also helped me tremendously with Trey's 3rd birthday party at school.  The theme was tractors, the boys absolutely love tractors...and we made smocks and goody bags for his class.

We dropped of Caiden at the airport last Saturday.  We spent the day Thursday and then again on Friday playing outside in the water and on a giant waterslide.  It was a blast and the boys really enjoyed their last few days with big brother.  I feel like it went by too fast, like I had just picked him up and I was already having to drop him back off.  One more year!  One more year of grad school and one more year without my baby.  I always miss him when he leaves, but I know he's in good hands.  So proud of him for being such a great big brother.  His brothers definitely look up to him:

School has kept me pretty busy and the kids continued to pass a bug around for a few weeks, but I have still found some time to run 2-3 times a week, which is much less than I'd like, but better than nothing.  Yesterday I ran 40 minutes.  Generally I don't like treadmill running, but I ran 2 on the treadmill in the middle of my run to cool off and break up the run (It was 4:45pm when I set out on my run and 101 out).  I'm still not convinced I like treadmills or would use one very often, but it was nice to get out of the heat/humidity.  It was also much easier to keep up my goal pace.  

This was just a little update to let you know I'm still here!  

Challenge

I'd love to write about running and all the consistent running and progress I've been making.  I'd love to write about how I've acclimated to the outdoors and have been doing some indoor "speed" workouts at the university gym.  I would be lying.

I ran 3 short runs last week and once this week.  The truth is, as much as I want to run more, life's little challenges have gotten in the way.  You may call them excuses, but there are some things I just cannot get around.  Last week HR was gone for 7 days and 8 nights.  He was working in a rural cellular "dead zone".  Our contact was limited to a few strange texts that came at random times of day.  When he is gone I am a single mom.  He hates when I say that, but I am.  We have no friends (other than the ones I've made that are actually part of my program) or family around to help me.  Seventy percent of the time I am a single mom raising 2.5 kiddos (Caiden has been splitting his time visiting us and his cousins and grandma).  I have to get my runs in sometime after I drop off the boys at daycare at 8:00am (but not until my 8:30am class is over at 10:30am) and before I pick them up at 4:15pm.  Not to mention that I am currently taking summer courses.  I pretty much have a 4.5 hour window on a given day to do whatever it is I need/want to do which includes things like: working out, showering, cleaning house, laundry, reading, homework assignments, grocery shopping, cooking.....

Last week Trey scratched his cornea.  I spent a day at the doctor for a few hours since we were walking-in.  Thursday there was no daycare due to the 4th of July holiday.  I ran Tuesday and Friday and intended on a Sunday long run since HR would be back by then.  I opted instead for a family walk/run.  We walked about a mile, and Trey ran just over 400m with me.

Trey ran and ran, and even stopped to smell the flowers =)

This week Trey woke up one night throwing up.  I had to get up and get him bathed, the bed itself cleaned and the sheets, pillow and comforter had to be rinsed and thrown in the wash.  In the midst of it all Ryan woke up. I had to put them both to sleep.  Cut to...about an hour later I finally drifted back to sleep when HR's phone was going off.  The yard was calling and wanting him to come in in an hour.  The yard is about 35 min away, so we scrambled to make sure he had everything and I saw him off.  I had restless sleep the rest of the night.

The next evening Trey had a nose bleed and then it was Ryan's turn to throw up.  Womp Womp.  Repeat clean up.

Today, I got a little creative and did some stairs in the library and some stride outs too.  It's Thursday, the library was dead.  My back ached from sitting for hours, not to mention it was freezing in there.  Why not?

***This was written last week and I completely forgot to submit it ***
FYI: This week was no better for running as I had a research paper to do and the stomach but made another round, to include myself and Caiden this time.  Running has take a bit of a back seat, but I've not forgotten it.  Ran 2.5 easy miles this morning.

South Texas Training

I've been training myself to start training.  Sounds a little stupid, I know but what I mean is that I have been trying to acclimate to the heat and humidity.  Summer arrived while I was taking about a month off to nurse my sprained ankle.  Humidity has been getting close to 90% pretty much at any time of day. I think I'm getting used to running in South Texas conditions.  I am definitely hydrating more and have considered getting a camelbak.

What I mean is for now, I'm just been putting in "time" on the road.  I haven't worried much about how many miles or how fast I am going.  The couple of times I took my Soleus gps watch out I was sorely disappointed.  Mentailly, it's a difficult thing to run now.  I was fairly competitive back in my day and seeing the numbers now makes me cringe a little.  So I set my goals as 30 min, 45 min, etc...except on Saturdays when I typically go to back home and run with members of a running club.

I estimate that I ran about 25 miles last week (cautiously).  On Saturday I got up at 4:30 to run with my girls back home.  It was 78 degrees but actually felt it.  Generally I am used to the heat index being 10-15 degrees higher.  It was a welcome change, too bad I can't run at that hour all the time.  Anyway, our goal was to run 6, but we ended up overshooting a little and ran 6.12.  These are the times I kind of wish I used my Soleus more; I would have completed the 10k.

Incorporating any speed work will come in the next few weeks.  I really just wanted a little base mileage to get my body going and have a starting point.  I did manage a mini speed workout in the form of a tempo run last week and hit pretty close to what I'd like my goal pace to be for the half in October.  My sister and I are collaborating on my workouts.  Mostly she tells me what to do and I try not to have to modify it too much, lol.  Honestly, usually what she tells me is what I had in mind anyway, but it's easier for me to be motivated when I have to be accountable to someone else.

Sunday was my day off and today ended up being an unexpected day off because I had to take Trey to the doctor (he scratched his cornea).  We didn't have an appointment so we spent a couple of hours at the doctor and then I had class.  Next week I start a morning class, so my availability to workout will be the window between 10am and 3pm.  Not looking forward to that...will probably move most of my runs indoors unless HR is home.