Where in the heck have you been?

So I run a 25K and I think I am a running goddess and I never blog again.   Is that what you are thinking?  Or, it could be "thank goodness that girl shut up for a little while, doesn't she have a life??".  Well, yes, in fact I do!  The month of May happens to be the most insane month of my life.  On top of the end of school festivities, field trips, and warm weather hoopla May brings, we also celebrate our anniversary and the birth of our 2 sons.  For crying out loud, we even celebrate our freakin' dog's birthday!  If I were to blog, it would most certainly be a laundry list of things that I need to get done (like today I need to wrap Tyler's presents, bake his brownies for school, go to a play date with Sam, teach my running class, order my Dad's birthday present (oh yes, he is a May baby too!), blah blah blah).  So I figured I spare you the boring to-do lists of my life and take a bit of a rest with the blog.  Just like I am taking a bit of a "rest" from my running training.  Well, it is supposed to be a rest but I still find myself going out there for a run 4 times a week (I guess 2 times are a given since it is my job now!).  You could say I am addicted.  Or sick.  Either one is fine.

I am feeling a little like a slacker I have to admit.  I've got friends all around me training for another 1/2 marathon (and my husband for the marathon) that is this coming Saturday. I am not running in either as I will be a cheerleader and overseer of my children.   And then all of my tri-buddies are training for the Hawk-I Triathlon which is the following weekend but I will be in Balitmore whooping it up with my college gals (believe me, even though I am missing doing that event I'd rather be drinking wine with my girls than sloshing around in open water in my hot swim cap).  Oddly enough, when Sam and I cheered on the ladies as they took their inaugural swim across Lake Geneva, among the sea snakes (thanks Kara), I was jealous I was not in there.  And to think, last year I SO dreaded that open water swim (if I was blogging back then, you would have had some really good laughs).  Maybe because last year it was freezing and this year it was close to 80.  Yep, I am going with that reasoning because if ya'll thought I missed it for swimming in the fishy, weedy lake you might have me committed at this point for sure. 

But, I tell you what...sometimes it is nice take a break from the hard training and just appreciate the sport of running.  Nothing taught me that more than the 5K race I did this weekend with some of my Running 101 buddies.  There were 6 of us that showed up to the race on a threatening rainy morning.  4 ladies were running the race with personal goals in mind, whether it was to complete the entire 5K running, hit a specific time, or beat an old time.  I paced with my good friend Kristin to help her get close to beating a 30 minute 5K.  Now, typically when I run a 5K I take off with abandon and do not pay attention to anyone, or anything, until I hit the finish line.  It was so nice on Saturday to take the focus off of myself and watch everyone around me trying to make their goals a reality.  I could see the look of determination and focus on the faces of each runner.  After Kristin and I finished (30:08 this time...next race we will crush it Kristin!) we watched the other ladies come in.  Every one of my running 101 gals crossed that finish line with a Personal Record.  I can tell you that I feel the most amazing sense of accomplishment when I finish a race and know that I beat my old PR and have had an awesome race.  But I cannot describe the feeling of watching someone you have helped over the course of 7 weeks cross that finish line accomplishing her goal.  I swear I felt like crying...but I fought back the tears for fear of looking like a crazy sap.  Did I mention that three of the ladies took top 4 in their age groups??  What did it for me was when we were walking in the parking lot to go home, Linda F held up her medal and exclaimed "I have never won anything like this in my life until today!!"

Me either, I thought, as I got into my car.