Mom vs Student

Today I had a meeting with the adviser at a college. I am looking to start a med tech program since I will eventually go back to work. When I looked into the program I could never find the time of the classes, but I assumed they were during the day. I was wrong. I was told that they are typically afternoon and evening. This does not work for the girls' school schedules at all. This program is my only option here. So now I have to choose between going back to school or spending time with my kids. I know that it won't scar them if I am not around as much for a few months. However, I would start school right as E deploys which means both parents would be absent at the same time. I would have to find a babysitter to pick up the girls in the afternoon, and then spend the rest of the evening with them. Some classes don't end until 9. It would be 10 before I made it home. I hate this feeling. I feel so torn. There are some days where I wish I could send them away for a day because I have had enough of their shenanigans, but I know that if I was gone every night it would make me sad. I guess it is time for the pros and cons list.

2015 Gate River Run Recap

I can sum it up in one word: hot. It was hotter than I hoped. I know some people do well running in the heat, but I am not one of them. Despite the heat, I love the run. It is crowded, it has bridges, and it lacks shade, but I still love it.

It was all smiles before the start

The race didn't start until 8:30 which gave the morning plenty of time to heat up. I knew within the first two miles that I was screwed. By mile 3, my hands were swollen. I could barely make a fist. By mile 4, I was starting to feel dizzy. At the halfway point I decided to switch to intervals to conserve my energy and finish. I was a little scared if I didn't give myself a break I was going to be in an ambulance. So, I started my 2:30 intervals, and it helped a lot. I was drinking half my water cup, and then dumping the rest on me at every stop. I ran through every sprinkler that was offered, and enjoyed the ice pop from a lovely spectator. And then, I  hit the dreaded green monster. I swear that bridge felt like the longest stretch in the world. Have you ever felt like you were running in place instead of moving forward? That was me. I eventually made it to the top. I crossed the finish line at a time that I will take. I was hoping for a PR before I saw the weather forecast. I was 8 minutes slower than last year if that tells you how hot it was for me. My body hates the heat, but I have to learn to deal with it because it is Florida.

The best part of this race is the crowd support. I felt like there was more last year, but there were still a bunch of people out. There were groups giving out oranges, strawberries, beer, mimosas, ice pops, donuts, and I think someone had tootsie rolls. The bands were awesome. I ran without music so I could soak in the atmosphere. Plus, you get this beauty at the end.

Common courtesy

We went to Disney World this past weekend. It was a spur of the moment trip (like most of them), and I noticed a lot of things. The biggest was that common courtesy seems to be missing in society. I saw a woman cut in line. I saw kids pushing small kids out of the way, and the parents weren't even watching. Politeness was forgotten. We use a double stroller. It is big. Very big. I try my best not to bump people with it or clip them while weaving through the crowds, but when people intentionally cut in front of the stroller, you may be clipped. I was amazed that even wheelchairs had to fight to merge into a line. A girl on a bus commented on the girls' blue eyes and blonde hair. She then proceeded to ask how Hitler was doing. I am not sure why this girl thought she needed to connect my kids' features to Hitler. It is not like I had them engineered in a lab. I did come across nice people who made up for all the rude people, but it still made me wonder where we are heading as a society. Just watch people drive. Once at a stoplight, I counted how many people actually stopped at the red light before turning right. Only one out of about ten stopped. One! I know society was never like it was portrayed in Leave It to Beaver or The Brady Bunch, but I wish we could all take the time to be just a bit nicer to each other.

On the upswing

I am afraid to say it out loud (or write it down I guess), but I think my shin splints are healing. The horrible pain on the side is gone. I have tightness in my calves still, but with rolling and ice it goes away. I have been doing leg strengthening exercises as well as rolling every night. Plus, I think those few weeks off helped (as much as I hate to admit it.) I have been back to my regular schedule, and I am working on safely running without intervals. The last few runs have produced this:

 These are new records I set this week. I don't know if it is the new watch (I love it!), the rest, or the compression sleeves, but I feel like I am flying now when I run. I have a 15K in 12 days. I had a time goal set for it which I quickly dismissed when the shin splints hit. I am still reluctant to go for the goal because of the bridges on the course. I am trying to find all the hills I can to work on it, but nothing can really prepare me for the bridges except running on a bridge. At this point, though, I am happy that I can run it.

Did I mention that the NYC marathon lottery is tomorrow? I am going to be pretty antsy waiting to hear from them.