News Update!

So I've been a little light on media lately, so I'm going to catch everyone up with the latest happenings of Team Timmons with a big round of photos that have been sitting around waiting to see the light of blog.

Enjoy, and I think you'll really want to read until the end!

We had some nice photos taken by Sally Gupton, who made us look pretty good, even if Avett wasn't his normal perky self that day:

There was Halloween (hold the spinach)

Then there was a marathon (no, I'm not fast, but that's still a PR):

What better way to celebrate all that marathon training then by eating turkey?

And by eating that turkey at the beach to celebrate Thanksgiving with family?

Still plenty of time for clowning around between adventures:

And time to clean up too:

It's December, and the Holiday season is in full effect.  That means tree picking and cutting at our traditional spot in Boone:

But first, Avett's first taste of Black Cat (he likes the fish tacos, too)

These two are keepers

Mission Accomplished

A quick swing by Oma and Papa's to see a man about a polar bear before we ended our very Christmas-y day

Another day, another race.  This time the Mistletoe Half Marathon (1:58 if you're keeping score):

But really, who wants to see pictures of me looking angry/race ready.  How about Avett and the Claus Family?

Whatchutalkinbout, Santa?

And finally, time to get the house and the tree ready for Christmas...

 For me, this is really the only decoration you need:

There may or may not be bobbleheads here:

My favorite 'hood on the tree

She's a beaut, Clark

Fact: Frasier Firs are the only type of proper Christmas tree

Can you spot the pajama'd photog?

And finally, a special message from Avett:

Aren't you glad you read to the end?

Yes, folks, you read that right - Avett will have a brother or sister on or about June 21st, 2013!  Holy cow.  We are beyond excited and I think squarely invthe spot where this still hasn't completely sunk in.  The family is going from zone defense to man-on-man.  2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 parents, and a partridge in a pear tree.  I've said many times how incredibly lucky we've been with Avett - he really has made us think that we're ready to do this thing again (plus I don't want to forget how to change a diaper or wash breast pump parts and bottles).  Not to mention the great support system we have, and absolute best day care provider you could imagine.  And obviously, your second kid is always just as happy/healthy/sleep-loving as the first, right you guys?  Right?!?  Feel free to lie to me about this particular point...

Happy Holidays everyone, we're especially grateful at Team Timmons this year!

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Marathon v2.01

This marathon thing (and this blog too, actually) started way back in the day.  I cooked up the blog to document my first marathon, which also ended back on a different day.  Fast forward through a couple half marathons, Warrior Dashes, a kiddo and a few (four) years of a busy but fun life, and here we are again.  Recapping another marathon.  No, it wasn't the one I was expecting to run, but the organizers of the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte were kind enough to discount the rate to those of us NYC marathon runners that had nowhere to displace all this training in our legs.

After some thought, "Coach" Mike Swaim and I decided to pull the trigger and run a marathon this year after all (his first).  Go check out his account of training and race recap (here) for a really good take on the experience, as this guy will inspire you, and he kicked this race in the face.  IN. THA. FACE.  We finally (I think) got over the disappointment of NYC, adjusted/extended our training plan for a couple weeks to try and deliver ourselves to the start line ready for 26.2 (I ran a personal best 13.1 miler to blow off the steam), and looked forward to Thunder Road.  We headed down to the Queen City on Friday to pick up our packets (and a sweet sale on a new pair of my JAM New Balance shoes, holla!), carb up on copious amounts of pasta, drink lots of water, and try to get some rest before the big day.

Neither of us slept great.  I fell asleep with the TV on and was awakened at some point in the night by Treadstone operatives trying to kill Jason Bourne.  That was fun, and I consider it a success that I didn't wet myself given all the water I've been drinking (TMI?).  I ended up popping back up before the alarm and proceeded to force down some more carbs, and more water.  Then it was time to suit up (I'm skipping all the bathroom talk that any other runner knows I'm skipping here) and head out to the start.

Our hotel was a block from the finish but a bit further to the start, and it was CHILLY.  I was happy to find the convention center open to runners when we got there (which I don't remember being the case back when I did the half in 2010), so that was a very pleasant and warm surprise.  A little warm-up time, then we trekked into the starting gates, waited a little longer, heard the roar of a NASCAR and we were off.

Magic Socks, a lil leg

Waiting for the green flag...

I didn't have a true time goal in the race, other than to beat my Big Sur time of 4:45.  Based on how I'd been training, that shouldn't have been a problem.  Best case I'd even push 4:15.  Well....Saturday wasn't best case for me.  I started out fine, great really.  I didn't push too hard and turned out the first half of the hilly course in 2:01.  All the half marathoners took a right while us 26.2 mile idiots went left, and the course got much quieter.  That's OK, I'm a fan of zen running on my long runs anyway (quiet, no tunes).  I just kept slugging away, feeling as good as someone who's halfway through a lengthy endurance event can feel.

It was around Bank of America Stadium and mile 16 when I started to feel a little off.  I blame the current state of the Panthers franchise for this due to my proximity to the field at the time.  My magical compression socks weren't working and my calves were feeling a bit tight.  Cramps aren't usually my thing, so I pushed on.  With the stadium, and a couple great "that's what she said" signs behind me, I turned the corner into the NoDa neighborhood and by far the best spectators of the course.  Energentic, loud, and offering free beer (I should have partaken in retrospect).  They built a wall for the runners to break through, and had more chalk on the street than asphalt.  Thanks, NoDa, for giving me a last blast of pep.

Once the boost of cheers wore off, I was into mile 20 and a world of trouble.  I started walking.  A lot.  My calves just wouldn't let me go too far before they requested some PTO.  As I walked along, wondering what the heck was going on, the 4:15 pace group passed me.  NOOOOO!  I tried to get in gear and stay with them, then just keep them in range, then in sight, then...I was walking again.  Oh well, still surviving and still well ahead of my goal.

Fast forward to mile 26, and the final turn to the finish line.  There was the slightest of incline and at about mile 26.1, my right calf had had enough and locked up on me.  Being the gracious runner that I am, I took a side step to my left to get out of peoples' way so I could walk it out, at which point my left calf joined the "no more" party and I took a tumble to the pavement.  Right in front of some cheering fans.  Lovely.  Aside from the one lady who tried to get me up immediately, these people were great.  They were encouraging, they helped me stretch out my legs and someone even rubbed my calves, which felt like I imagine heaven might.  Then I was back up to finish gingerly.  But finish I did.  Stupid last .1.

You can almost see the knots tied in my calves here.  I think I'm smiling, somehow.

Hardware and oooo-weeee, that orange

Stats, and for you number heads, here are the gory details

And that's how I got the marathon out of my system.  We have one more half marathon and a 5k on the schedule this year, then I plan to hang up the shoes for a while to regroup and recover, and maybe do another round of P90X to mix things up a bit.  And then next year, 26.2 in NYC.  Who else is coming with me?

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UPDATE: About the Marathon that didn't happen after all

UPDATE: Late yesterday, officials decided to cancel the race after all.  Was it the right decision?  Absolutely, given the circumstances. Was it the very last minute to make such a call, after confirming it was on just 2 hours earlier?  Um, yes.  Am I struggling to wrap my head around this right about now?  Absolutely.

I totally get it.  People are struggling, and the backlash against the race and the distraction it was causing wasn't a good thing for anyone.  And yes, me not getting to run in a race shouldn't even be in the same sentence as the devastation facing some New Yorkers.  Like the city, this will be OK eventually.  But man, does it sting right about now.

Here's to hoping I'm able to run NYC next year...

ORIGINAL POST:
As those of you that know me or follow this blog are well aware, I've been raising money for breast cancer research and training for the New York City Marathon.  I've been stressing for months over being on the hook to raise 10x more money than I've ever raised, along with getting myself up and out and running somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 training miles to prepare myself for this thing.  In the last couple weeks, I met my fundraising goal (woohoo!), knocked out my biggest training week (40 miles!) and have been able to breathe a little easier, knowing that the hay is in the barn, so to speak, and I'm as ready as I can be to run 26.2 miles again.

And then Sandy happened.

LaGuardia?  Looks more like Waterworld to me.

We've all seen the news reports and the devastation in NY/NJ is just plain awful.  I mean, how could they possibly still hold the race when there's widespread loss, flooding, power outages and massive cleanup and recovery needed.

But then, the talk turned to trying to move forward with the race.  And after a tenuous couple days of ups/downs scouring the internet for every shred of city/marathon information, Mayor Bloomberg made the definitive to continue with the race as scheduled.  Let me first say that the "stress" I've been feeling waiting to find out about the event doesn't even compare to those in the area that have been directly impacted by Sandy, but man has it been tough.  I've really struggled with whether or not it was appropriate to descend on the city to participate in this year's race given the recovery efforts and the resources needed to put on the race.

But at the end of the day, I have to trust the mayor.  He says the race is what the city needs, so we're doing it.  Tomorrow morning, we take off for the now reopened LaGuardia and NYC, then Sunday morning we take to the 5 boroughs to run in support of the city that never sleeps in this year's "Race to Recover".

For those interested, you can track me on the day of the race HERE starting at 10:30, using my bib number (46210).  Or you can watch the real runners on ESPN2.

New York, here we come.  Suck it, Sandy.

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Pumpkins and Stuff!

Ah, fall....

Colorful leaves, cooler temps, and pumpkin everything are all parts of my favorite time of year.  Not to mention Avett's birthday, our wedding anniversary (6 years this year!), and this year, the NYC marathon (and our first extended trip away from our little dude - zoinks!).

Last weekend, we made the trek up the mountain to return to the scene of the crime best decision of my life to celebrate our anniversary in Boone/Blowing Rock.  It was beautiful weather and a nice time to be able to reflect back on wedded bliss, and how well we've managed to accept and enjoy each others' "uniquenesses", and keep a baby alive and mostly happy and healthy for over a year.  It also marked our first overnight trip away from said baby, which by all accounts was a great success, once we got through those first few miles in the car.

Chetola!

Avett did quite well without us for a night

But we were happy to see him when we got back

As All Hallows Eve approaches and I devour enjoy all things pumpkin spiced, we paid homage to those funky orange gourds with a trip to a local pumpkin patch.  This year was much better received by Avett than last year.

Amazing what a year can do

And as the real deal Halloween is just a couple days away, we used the Boos and Brews 5K over the weekend as a final tune-up for the marathon and to test drive/revive our costumes, with a notable Swee'Pea addition.  Happy (almost) Halloween to you, enjoy these festive pics!  Fair warning, lots of orange ahead.

Searching for the Great Pumpkin

On the go!

Lotta love here

Pretty Leaf

Turn left, Dad

Hi.

Then it was Boos and Brews:

Forest Gump, Walter White, Popeye, pre-race

Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Swee'Pea

Finishing a TOUGH course with a respectable time.  Bring on NYC.

And finally, a recap of some of my favorite Jack-o-Lanterns that I've carved.  Walter White (this year's effort, blessed by the actress who plays Marie on the show via Twitter), Ron Swanson, Yosef, and the Cottonwood Ales logo

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