I'd be lying if I didn't admit I kinda love these posts. I love looking back over the year and revisiting our stories and photos and memories. So - as much for me as for you - I present 2011 with the Hoods.
March. After all the crazy snow in January and February we were rewarded with some really fantasticwarm weather so we played outside as much as possible. And Colt went all out for St. Paddy's Day.
May. I traveled to Cabot to help present the 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Scholarship. And the Martins invaded Northwest Arkansas to celebrate Mother's Day, (early) Father's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and anything else they could think of. We aren't ALL together that often - so we made the most of it! We even made it to a baseball game!
July. We spent the 4th of July weekend with friends -- here in town and on the river! Then! Vacation! In keeping with our new tradition of doing something adventurous and exhausting with our summer vacation - Jeff and I spent four days hiking in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park, including a summit of Half Dome. It was an incredible trip. July also brought Colt's first movie!
September. The Month of Colt! I felt like the Little Guy was getting slighted on the blog because of all my crazy running posts so I did a whole month of nothing but Colt. (It was QUITE popular. I may have to anniversary it for 2012.) September also brought football, my first 10K, and the Warrior Dash! What better way to celebrate our 5th Anniversary?
October. A big month for the Hoods -- my birthday, Jeff's birthday, Halloween. Bikes, Blues & BBQ, more football, my First Runniversary and POTTY TRAINING. October also brings sad anniversaries for my family - my brother's birthday on the 10th and the anniversary of his KIA on the 14th. But this year we spent time together in Cabot at a fundraiser for the foundation. It was perfect.
November. We spent Thanksgiving in Dallas with my family and I somehow convinced my Dad, Laura and Leo to run the Dallas Turkey Trot with me. Then we headed to Arkadelphia for a few days with Jeff's parents -- and hiking with Pop.
Now, I'm no expert, but I've run a mile or two and I should really know better than to try and cram for a race.
I SHOULD. But evidently --- I don't.
After I diligently prepared for back-to-back half marathons in December, I let my legs rest a bit through the holidays. They were sore, understandably, and we were traveling and it was Christmas (and it was COLD outside) so I didn't run nearly as regularly as I had been during half marathon training.
But then I went and registered for a New Year's Day race and had to kick it into gear so I'd be ready for the Twenty 12K. 12K is about 7.5 miles so I knew I could handle it after doing so many long runs in November. But my preparation became a big, painful lesson in what NOT to do.
How NOT to prepare for a New Year's Day 2012K
Overdo it a little with two half marathons in two weekends.
Kinda sorta run a few times the rest of December.
Remember you registered for a New Year's Day race and have a slight freakout.
Instead of resting your legs before the race, run three days in a row. Rest is for suckers!
Go to a New Year's Eve dinner party the night before and have two (three?) glasses of wine. Don't drink any water.
Instead of getting rest, stay up until midnight watching some lunatic jump a snowmobile 400 feet over San Diego Bay.
Let's recap. No hydrating, no resting, no conditioning.
Check, check, and check! Ready to go!
Sarah, Greg, Jennifer: pre-race at Clubhaus Fitness on Dickson Street.
I decided to rock the au naturel, Fraggle Rock hair for a change. Jeff said the floppy, blonde craziness made me really easy to spot. Glad I could help!
It was cold and windy, but not terrible - nice enough to wear shorts. Gotta love Arkansas - it could just as easily been 6 degrees out there on the first of January! The race organizers were merciful and didn't have the race start until 10am so at least that let me sleep in a bit, and Jennifer had agreed to suffer through with me so at least I'd have a partner in crime for my first race of 2012.
Starting out with a smile! Me in blue, Jennifer in the purple gloves, Margie in red, and Jeff even got Greg in the picture, back there in the red shirt!
I didn't know a lot about the course beforehand, but I'd heard someone say it was "mostly on the trail system" which sounded fine to me. Familiar territory.
The first few miles were through town though and we did a little loop before running back down Dickson and meeting up with the trail.
In addition to this being a great picture of the floppy hairdo, there's a funny story here. We're running down Dickson Street in front of a bar named Brewski's.
Here we are on New Year's Eve 2006, INSIDE that bar.
I couldn't find a picture of us together, but that's me on the left with Jeff, Don and Keith -- and Jennifer with her husband Luke on the right. Wow, right? If you had told me that night what would be happening right outside those doors five years later...
Shortly after this point is where it all started to fall apart. You remember all that "preparation" I did for this race? Yeah - it all came crashing down. My legs kepts getting heavier and heavier, and I had ZERO energy. We had to walk a few hills, then we had to walk a few stretches of perfectly flat trail just to keep moving, and thank goodness Jennifer was running with a bottle of water or I'd really have been in trouble. It was a small race and there weren't many volunteers so... not many water stops.
LESSON LEARNED: You cannot cram for a race. If you try you will be very, very sorry.
I kept glancing at my watch to see our pace getting slower and slower, and I knew Jeff was probably at the finish line wondering what the heck had happened to us. But eventually we turned the last corner and spotted the finish chute.
Yay! Finish line! After the most miserable 7.46 miles of my life!
I love the picture below. We had just enough steam at the end that when I half-jokingly said, "I'll race you." we both took off like crazy people and sprinted it out to the finish.
The looks on our faces are ridiculous, and I love that you can see Jeff in the background.
I am NOT having as much fun as these pictures would lead you to believe. I am just THAT glad to be THAT close to the finish line.
No need to do the math on that. It's sloooooooow. But a slow 12K is just as far as a fast 12K -- and it was a great way to start 2012.
Also! I have to show off my new favorite thing! I asked my Dad (Santa's Little Helper) to build me something I could use to display my racing bibs and medals, and he delivered - as always.
It's true! We celebrated Christmas around here! Cookies for Santa, road trips to visit family, back in the car to visit MORE family, and of course presents and food (and football!). It is well into January now so forgive my tardiness, but it's never too late for one last dose of holiday cheer, am I right?
As per my Christmas tradition, I took more photos than you care to scroll through -- so save your strength and enjoy this video of Hood Family Christmas 2011.
I haven't posted music or lyrics in a while, but I heard this at the end of one of my favorite shows last night and I can't get it out of my head. It's so peaceful and the words are beautiful. Enjoy.
Wiped the lipstick from my mouth Took my mama’s diamond earrings out Laid the dress out on the bed Laid my head on your chest
Remember we said we were gonna live forever And we would paint over the writing on the wall Chase that sunset till we’re blind Then wake up to find We are only human after all We are only human after all
If I’d known that it would end I would have paid a little more attention Memorized every look and touch Every fragment of us
Remember we said we were gonna live forever And we would paint over the writing on the wall Chase that sunset till we’re blind Then wake up to find We are only human after all We are only human after all
Staring out across the lake That horizon’s turning red and grey Watch the waves as they fall and rise Like our dreams, like our lives
Remember we said we were gonna live forever And we would paint over the writing on the wall Chase that sunset till we’re blind Then wake up to find We are only human after all We are only human after all We are only human after all
Monday afternoon on the way home from school. "Mommy, Santa needs to bring Chip something for Christmas. He needs some doggy toys."
Sure, he may technically belong to my parents and live with my Dad in San Antonio, but just try convincing that little boy Chip isn't HIS dog. He just removes the complexity of explaining that Chip is actually Pawpaw and Mawmaw's dog and he gets to visit and walk him from time to time. No no, HIS dog.
He brought home papers and crafts around Thanksgiving with lists of items he's thankful for: Mommy, Daddy, fire trucks, my dog.
Chip passed away last Saturday, December 10th. He was 14 years old. He was the sweetest, most pampered and loved-on dog I've ever met. He was part of our family in every sense, and - to Colt - he had become a critical part of any Pawpaw/Mawmaw visit. Quite the dog walker, this kid.
And I have no idea how I'm supposed to handle it when we get to my parents' house this weekend and I hear, "Mommy, where's Chip?"
The Christmas momentum continues to build around here and I wish Colt could be 3 1/2 for the holidays every single year. His questions about baby Jesus are precious, his excitement and adoration for Santa Claus are heartwarming, and his impatience to get the heck to his grandparents' houses this week is something we all share.
We've made it a tradition to take him to see the Lights of the Ozarks at the downtown Fayetteville square and this year was no less magical than years past.
In fact, speaking of years past, take note of something I wrote this time last year:
"We watched the pony rides and the camel rides from a safe distance, and I got a little closer to accepting the fact that Colt is his father's child and will likely never enjoy such Christmas torture as sitting on Santa's lap or riding a camel around the town square in 40 degree weather. Such is life" -- December 2010
Well that just shows you how much MOTHERS know.
We went to the square and started to make a lap, enjoying the lights. Before long, Colt spotted the ponies and insisted we stop. The line was forever long so we said howdy to the ponies and kept moving. But then -- he spotted the camels.
Despite his confidence, Jeff and I were absolutely certain Colt wouldn't be riding a camel. I could just picture us waiting in line for 20 minutes, paying our camel money, climbing up on the platform -- and him chickening out. But he didn't budge. We pointed to the line of people waiting for the camels and told him he would have to wait his turn, behind all those other kids. But he didn't budge. So we all stood in line and watched the camel rides and enjoyed the lights. Until it was finally our turn. And lucky Mama! We couldn't very well let him ride on an 8 foot camel all by himself - so I got to ride, too!
When I tell you he marched right up those stairs I mean he did it like he's been riding camels for years. My being there for companionship and security was less than an afterthought. We strapped on our helmets disguised as Santa hats and climbed on.
Jeff was still in disbelief that this was all happening so smoothly so he went all out and took photos AND video of the event.
(If you are viewing via email please click here to enjoy the video.)
A real camel, folks. This kid isn't messin' around.
And he was just getting warmed up.
No sooner did we dismount and give I-just-rode-a-camel high fives than we turned around and saw the sign for Santa and the reindeer. And I knew where we would be headed next.
On the way to Santa, we met Rudolph who wasn't in the best of moods --
It's tough to tell from this photo, but Rudolph had antlers. Sharp, pointy antlers. And they were just about the height of the face of a certain 3 year old who REALLY wanted to pet Rudolph. Needless to say we didn't spend more time than necessary with Rudolph. Colt was really only there to see the Big Guy, anyway.
But again, we doubted him. We were prepared to stand in line for Santa and have one of two things happen:
Colt would freeze in his tracks, rendered completely mute, and we would have to carry him from Santa's Workshop, making room for the next kid in line.
Jeff just kept saying, "there's no way he's sitting on Santa's lap. No way."
But sure enough.
I guess if you want a new fire truck badly enough you do what it takes.
Again, video was a must:
(If you are viewing via email please click here to enjoy the video.)
He had a nice little chat with Santa Claus, no doubt explaining the anatomy of a fire truck, the differences between a pumper truck and a hook-and-ladder truck and a rescue truck... you know, normal stuff. And then he was done. He got his candy cane and we were off! I don't think I could have scripted a more pleasant Santa experience.
What we had assumed would be a quick trip around the square to see the lights had unfolded into quite the eventful evening. Camels, Rudolph, Santa. Honestly, we weren't totally prepared for all that and we either had to forgo the pony rides and head home -- or take a trip to the ATM!
I'm so, so glad we went and I couldn't be prouder of my confident little guy. These Hoods are officially ready for Christmas.
I know it looks crazy, but let me explain. I didn't originally intend to run two in a row, it just kinda happened. I was training for the Vegas race the first weekend of December and as I started meeting more local runners and doing my weekend long runs with a group of new friends -- I realized most of them were training for a local race - the very next weekend. The 2nd Annual Fayetteville Half Marathon.
So... I started thinking. I'll already be trained up to that distance... They're a full week apart... It's local - no travel required... And, worst case scenario, Vegas totally kicks my butt and I don't feel like running another one - no biggie...
So I registered.
What the heck, right? Once you've run 13.1 miles, what's ANOTHER 13.1 miles?
Part of the appeal for me of these two races was how different I thought they would be. Vegas was a night race, completely flat terrain, and really crowded. Fayetteville would be a traditional morning race, hilly, and I'd be able to run my pace.
One thing that was consistent across both races -- the COLD. I braved it and went for shorts this time and after my legs thawed out around mile 2 I was pretty happy with my choice of wardrobe. The gloves eventually came off, too - but I was glad to have them for the start. C-O-L-D, my friends.
The race started at the outdoor track facility on the University of Arkansas campus and ran an almost double loop around the west part of town. And because it was in Fayetteville you know it had some good hills. I run in Fayetteville all the time so I thought I was prepared for the "rolling hills" I had kinda missed in Vegas, but there's not much that can prepare you for this!
Vegas elevation chart:
(It appears to dip EVER so slightly there in the middle, but running in the high desert doesn't offer much elevation variation...)
Fayetteville elevation chart:
(Yeeeeeaah... You asked for hills, you got HILLS. Yay Ozark Mountains!)
It WAS nice to have that downhill at the end, but hoo boy was mile 11 a beast.
See the very top of that first big hill on the elevation chart? Well, I was focused on putting one foot in front of the other, pounding through what is easily my least favorite mile to run - ever, and as I looked over I saw the Marathon Mamas! My friends Amy and Meghan (who ran a half marathon in Dallas last week in the POURING RAIN) were there with signs and cheers and support -- and I almost forgot that I was running mile 2 straight up a hill! Those girls are the best and they put a smile on my face at the time I needed it most.
Since it was a loop course and we were in familiar territory, Jeff was able to sneak around the course and meet me at different spots for a check-in and some encouragement. I loved knowing he could show up around any corner!
It's funny to look at these pictures and compare them to the pictures of Vegas. The crowds in Vegas seem even more outrageous when you realize there really aren't any other people - at all! - in the Fayetteville photos. There were hundreds of runners instead of tens of thousands of runners -- I could run my pace and not worry about elbowing someone or tripping over a walker. As the race unfolded it became an unbelievably beautiful day to run. Cold, yeah, but perfect running weather.
The last leg of the race -- after the nice, long downhill run down Maple Street then Razorback Road -- was a victory lap around the outdoor track. So cool. This is the Track Capital of the World, people. That track is home to the most decorated team in Razorback athletics.
(My friend Tena is peeking right behind me in this shot. She braved the cold to come cheer me into the finish!)
And there I am on the big screen!
And the finish line!
Official time -- 2:15:48. A new PR!
Not the 2:10 I was dreaming about before the week began, but I shaved almost five minutes off my Vegas time, even with all the spirit-crushing hills!
Becky kept Colt for us since 2+ hours is way too long to ask the little guy to wait patiently, but they did meet me at the finish line! (After they "borrowed" a banana from the finishers' area...)
And here I am with our friend Greg who is also a member of the "2 Half Marathons in 2 Weekends" Club. He ran the White Rock in Dallas the weekend I was running in Vegas. He writes a great running blog, HERE - and... evidently makes me look incredibly short!
So there you have it - Half Marathon #2 in the books already. I'm thrilled I did both. My legs were angry for a few days after those hills and after not truly taking a day off to rest/veg between the two races, but I learned so much. Night vs. morning. Crowd control. Flat vs. hills. It's ALL good. I even think I might have found my favorite distance to race. I suspect 2012 will mean a handful of half marathons and far fewer shorter races. But who knows...?
Maybe it's the hangover from the emotionally draining fall months or being busy as heck at work or the warmish weather or all the focus I was putting on getting ready for my race last weekend -- but I haven't felt much Christmas spirit this year.
I read Facebook accounts of Black Friday shopping and I've seen people posting pictures with Santa - and I just wasn't feeling it.
Until this week.
Over the weekend, Colt's Aunt Lynn sent him an Elf on the Shelf and - though we have yet to agree on her name - she (yes, SHE) has added a splash of holiday cheer to the house. Hopefully Jambalaya/Chip/Smoky will inspire some Santa-worthy behavior in all of us between now and Christmas.
Then Sunday we went to a show at the Walton Arts Center -- a really cool, larger-than-life puppet show of the Eric Carle stories Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. SUCH a cool show and I loved seeing all the other families there -- kiddos all dressed up in Christmas duds.
I almost can't believe I'm sitting down to write this post. Finally. Well, "finally" and "already" all at once.
After I was a few months into running and it really started to stick, I knew I wanted to set a goal for myself. A big one. Something challenging but attainable. And something that would force me to decide if running was truly going to become part of my lifestyle.
So back in May, after I had raced in all of three 5Ks, I pulled the trigger and went and committed myself to a half marathon. In Las Vegas. And I immediately started to panic. (It's what I do.) Sure, six months is a long time to train, but I didn't even know what "training" was. I didn't have any idea how to get from three miles to thirteen miles. And I'd gone and committed us to a trip requiring plane tickets and hotel reservations. Not to mention the pesky little requirement of the THIRTEEN MILES. But I had time. And I had supportive running friends and an encouraging husband (also periodically prone to committing himself to somewhat outrageous physicalchallenges). So I felt ready.
I Googled my way to a training plan that felt right and I kept running. The 5Ks turned into 10Ks, and I was gaining mileage - and confidence. When I officially started my 12-week training plan the calendar square marked "Race Day!" seemed so far away, but it kept creeping closer and closer and closer. And then - just like Christmas and anything else anxiously anticipated - it was here.
We drove to Little Rock to drop off Colt with Jeff's parents and catch our plane. After the merciful people of TSA allowed me through security with an expired Drivers License (oops...) we were off to Sin City!
After checking into our weekend home at the MGM Grand, we set out to meet our friends Tena and Scott for dinner and a show. They had scheduled a vacation to California the last week of November so they extended their trip and met us in Vegas! We grabbed some dinner, saw Ron White at The Mirage (SUCH a funny show), and stayed up disgustingly late hanging out in the empty Sports Book at the Bellagio. After we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore -- flying west and "gaining" two hours will do that to you -- we decided to call it a night.
Before we said goodnight we made plans to have breakfast together in the morning, but no one was really awake while it was still "breakfast" so we joined up for lunch instead. And after lunch it was time for my very first race expo! There were 44,000 runners signed up for this thing and, from the looks of it, they each brought ten people to the expo with them! It was crazy and crowded and loud and crowded and more crowded (little did I realize this was obvious foreshadowing for race night...) but we successfully picked up my shirt and swag and bib and timing chip. We tried to enjoy the expo a little and peruse the different vendor booths, but the foot traffic was just ridiculous so we bailed. We got what we came for.
Typically, our trips to Vegas involve a lot of walking, but I wanted to save my legs as much as possible for the big event Sunday night so we cooled it the rest of Saturday. We watched A LOT of football in the MGM Grand Sports Book that afternoon and mostly lazed around.
Same story on Sunday. The wildest thing we did all morning was meet Tena downstairs for some fabulous Vegas breakfast buffet action. THAT is eatin'. The race was at night and I didn't exactly know what to do all day Sunday as far as eating, so I had a big breakfast then some midday snacking (when I wasn't napping), and I had brought along my usual pre-run oatmeal.
Around 2:30 I started nervously laying out my clothes and pacing around the hotel room. I knew I was ready, but I was so incredibly anxious to actually be there. I got dressed and we headed out of the hotel to meet Scott and Tena - and find the Start Line.
It was COLD. I had debated for a week whether I should wear shorts or pants. It's December... but it's Vegas... but it's at night... I brought both and made the call Sunday afternoon. Pants. Wise choice, as it turned out.
The Start was at the Mandalay Bay - clear at the end of the strip. And there were SO MANY people headed that way. The full marathon started before the half so that race had already cleared out by the time we got there. But oh my gosh. It was dark and cold and there were a bajillion people everywhere -- a lot of them dressed up in sequins or Elvis costumes or blinking lights. Vegas!
We made it to my corral and had plenty of time to hang out, warm up and do some people watching.
Here's a pic of my favorite running buddies. I've run with Tom for awhile, but I recently added baby Aidan (Does his middle name look familiar?). Aidan's mama, Tara, is a friend of mine from high school and, after losing Aidan in September, she writes a blog about the emotions and heartache she and her husband have experienced - as well as the special ways they are finding to remember him. I am so proud to run with both these boys.
After 'good luck' hugs all around, it was time to squeeze into my corral. Did I mention the people? ALL the people? I thought so.
FINALLY, it was time to GO.
The half marathon was almost entirely on the Strip, which they'd closed down for the race. So cool. We started at the Mandalay Bay and ran by the Luxor, the MGM Grand, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, and on and on under the lights until we left the Strip and the race had to find an extra four miles or so in the kinda boring area of town between the Strip and Fremont Street (downtown). These few miles were uneventful and I couldn't wait to get back on the Strip for the homestretch back to Mandalay Bay.
Even in the dark, the race photographers managed to get some photos of the runners. That can't be easy. And they even took some video!
Here's a clip of me at the 5K point:
You have to be quick! Along the bottom-ish portion of the shot there's a guy in a neon yellow shirt with a black stripe down the arm. He runs directly into the corner of the video screen. I'm right behind him.
And they caught a shot of me running back down the Strip. I think this is around Mile 12.
Remember the Turkey Trot? With the crowd and the weaving and the crazy walkers in the middle of the road? This was almost like that. But for 13 miles... But the energy of the crowd was awesome. And running the Strip at night was unreal.
There were spectators along the road up and down the entire Strip, but coming into the last half mile there were more and more people on the sidelines. Signs, cheering, cow bell! It was such a cool feeling to be running that last leg. I took my headphones off so I could hear the crowd and soak up the energy.
Finally! The Finish Line! (Far left. Red shirt. Right at "the line".)
And another video:
I cross the line in about the sixth second of this video, over on the left side of the screen.
See what I mean about the crowds? That's the FINISH line.
After I finished, received my medal and blanket, and grabbed a handful of energy bars it was time to pose for my official finisher photo.
Originally happy with my decision to wear pants, I'd changed my mind around Mile 2 and wished I'd worn shorts. But as soon as I stopped moving at the Finish I was SOOOO glad I had those pants on. Vegas at night is COLD. Tena, Scott and Jeff opted out of the absolute madness that was the Finish Line and we met up in the Mandalay Bay lobby. After seeing that the line for a cab wrapped around the building 17 times, we decided we were hungry enough to walk back to the hotel. It was a nice stretch for my legs anyway. And as we shivered our way back to the MGM it started raining a little, just for good measure.
Cold, a little wet, and pretty darn exhausted the four of us collapsed into a booth at the closest restaurant and scarfed down some burgers. This is the only picture I have of all of us from the weekend -- and we are all so tired we can barely keep our eyes open!
Race. Over.
Weird.
I'd spent twelve weeks training and focusing and RUNNING in preparation for this. And it was honestly every bit as fun as I'd hoped.
Going into the weekend I had a few goals:
Goal #1. RUN the entire race. Check! I walked two steps through a water stop in Mile 10 so I wouldn't get water up my nose, but other than that I ran the entire thing. And - due to the weaving and whatnot - my watch says I actually ran 13.25 miles!
Goal #2. 2 hours 10 minutes. Nah. After the first few miles I was getting worried that the crowd would keep me from maintaining my pace and by mile 7 or so I just had to get OK with not hitting my 2:10 goal. You can only run as fast as the 10,000 people directly in front of you. But that's ok. There'll be a next time.
Goal #3. Learn something. Hoo boy did this one get crossed off the list. I'd like to think I've learned a little something in every race I've done -- I'd even say I've learned something in every single training run. So I wanted this to be productive, too. I learned about pacing and I learned how much I still HAVE to learn about nutrition during a race. And I learned about patience and running etiquette and about rolling with the punches. I will probably wonder if I could have hit my 2:10 if I'd been able to run the pace I wanted for the entire race. And I'll wonder if running at night could have affected me, too. But it's all good. And I'll be stronger next time, either way.
Goal #4. Have a lot of fun. Check! I'll only run my first half marathon once. And I wanted it to be memorable. The Las Vegas Strip? At night? Sign me up! For gosh sakes, the medal glows in the dark!
We headed home Monday morning a little bummed we hadn't seen more of the town while we were out there this time. We always have a great time in Vegas, but Jeff reminded me that we were there on "a business trip" and that we'd be back.
