I started to spell it the other way but couldn't do it.  I've seen it too many times already and it isn't yet 4:30am.

Marjorie-those are the cutest!!!  Best I could do would be cornflake wreath cookies.  Very nice of you to do all of those!!

Laura-Yeah for getting the lights up. We lost the entire weekend with the trip up North but dh knows it and he's the one who wanted to go so Christmas decorations will have to wait for house cleaning and more stuff putting away from bedroom rearranging.  Will be a late year for getting stuff up.

Susan-WTG on the mile challenge.  I made 2 apple pies up north this weekend.  we are no where near to decorating with 2 rooms being painted and both rooms being completely changed in furniture and function.  I did paint one closet on Thanksgiving morning.

Tessa-not a great message but thanks for the chuckle.  nice dinner and what a change a year makes.

Damaris-congrats on your awesome marathon!!

Gatsby-did you run fast vs not eating?  LOL I like the "defensive" card writing technique.  What's really bad is thinking of all of this eating if we didn't exercise ever.  Ugh.

Camille-I only contributed one run to my team this week. At least it was one of 25 miles.

Carol-I hope things go as smoothly as possible for your dh.

Getting out for a run on roads this morning but feeling like a 5 ton slug.  We'll see how that goes.

Person hiking at a park was hit by shotgun fire by a deer "hunter" last week.  Okay but thank goodness it wasn't a rifle!  "Hunter" had been tracking a deer, lost sight then turned and shot at sound he heard.  Thus the quotes.  Real hunters don't worry me, they sight their target before shooting.  "Hunters" who shoot at a sound bother me.  Sort of glad we topped out our mileage on trails for the season. Always dress like we are going to a fluorescent party and we talk a lot but if they are shooting at a sound...not much you can do about that.  Remaining trail runs will be done in non-hunting areas.

Rest day for me. Travel for work but close by so no hotel

Lisa they were fun to make. I told Dh my mom would have loved doing them. She loved this stuff. We'd have had a big mess if she had been doing it but they would have turned out just as good.

Morning Carol

Carol,  I'm so sorry to hear about the situation with you FIL.  That surely makes a difficult situation even more challenging. 

Lisa, That's horrible... yes, makes running on trails this time of year much more frightening. 

Marjorie, Enjoy the SRD. Hope the travel goes smoothly.

Damaris, Congrats on the great job!  Sorry about the side stitch.  Hope the soreness abates quickly.

Walk day for me... going to try to continue the "10-day streak".  Let's see if I can continue (longest is now 18 days).

Well off to work!

Susan

Lisa, 25 mi is a nice contribution!

Gatsby and Susan, the RW team challenge  is a game started several years ago on RW and members/teams change each year.  Basically, you submit your goal miles for year and the teams are split up.  There's an assigned competition between 2 teams each wk and by Mon evening, you have to submit your miles, which count toward your team's total.  The admins keep track of standings.  For several weeks near the end, there are finals for the championship.  There's usually a secret Facebook page, but the teams vary greatly year to year with some teams barely participating and others being pretty competitive.  There are nice spreadsheets, weekly awards, etc., but  I do it just to keep me a  motivated thru those weeks in winter when I'd rather stay in. I didn't participate in FB much this year and that seems OK.   I deliberately keep my mileage goal low in case it's a bad year-like this year.    Demaris was an admin this year so could answer more questions.    Sign up is until Dec 15. Teams would be thrilled to have either of you.

Carol, it wasn't rare for our ICU pts.  and elderly pts. on medical floors to get confused/paranoid at times.  I had a pt with an MI get so paranoid, that he made a run for the stairs with IV lines pulled apart and dripping and monitors leads hanging. He almost made it outside with us in full pursuit.  Legendary.   You probably know this, but term is "ICU psychosis" or "hospital psychosis" due to sleep deprivation, bright lights, meds, etc.  It was difficult to deal with, but was hardest on the families who tended to be absolutely mortified.   It even happened to reportedly sweet little old ladies sometimes.  Sending good wishes to your hubby and brother.

Tessa, how nice for your kids to get to know other family members. I'm glad it worked out.

Marjorie, again, those are great pics.  Nice job!

DR, great job on the race!!  Was it well organized?

I'm back in GA.  My sister had a heart attack yesterday. It sounded grim at first (her DD  likes drama) but she's doing pretty well today.  I'll take her turn at my mom's tonight.

I've done 6 miles this a.m and hope to do 4 more.  To avoid injury, I'm doing them slowly and  in sets of 2 with a short break in between. I'll  avoid my hills this week. Any other suggestions?

Marjorie, those are adorable! Thanks for sharing the pictures. I am not nearly as crafty as you are but I like looking at what others make.

Carol, sorry for your MIL and DH. Hospital delirium is apparently not uncommon, as Camille says.

Laura, you're doing better than we are. If we put up lights it will be this weekend. Tree probably the 13th.

Susan, excellent mileage for November! (Or should we call that MOVEmber?)

Lisa, it is scary to think what we would weigh if we didn't run. Say 30 mpw = 120 mpm = 1440 miles per year x 100 calories/mile = 144,000 calories burned. 144,000/3500 = 41 pounds. Each year. That's presuming my math is correct.

And very scary about the idiot who shot at a sound rather than sighting his target. I am not anti hunting but I am anti stupid. Do the authorities require some type of test or proof of competence and training before issuing a hunting license?

Damaris, not sure of marathon details but congratulations! Race report?

Judy, every bowl in the kitchen? Sounds like a Cook's Illustrated recipe. How to inventory every piece of kitchen equipment you own.

Took Sis to the airport at 4:45 this morning, but woke up early so hauled out at 3:45 and did 3 miles. Glad I did. I feel distinctly fluffy after the weekend!

OK, here is the RR:

Today, I ran the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa, Florida.  We are doing this race five years in a row to get some humongous medal at the end.  It is also a small but fun race that has a great 7 hour time limit for the full, free food, and free all you can drink beer (which only my husband enjoys because by the time I am done, I am DONE!)

At the beginning of this year, I wanted this race to be my goal race for the year.  Then, I got into Chicago and thought I could use Chicago as a gauge and then treat this one as the goal for the year to see how fast I was then after surgery and the whole shitload of asthma I had for most of the year.  Unfortunately, there were several events that prevented me from reaching that goal (although I did attempt it nonetheless).

First, as you all know (or at least the Dailies knew), I had to DNF the New York City Marathon due to an asthma attack at Mile 8.  The 40mph gusts of wind, the debris, and the horrid weather that day turned my allergy to dust and basically air to levels I had not experienced since my anaphylactic attack at the RnR Las Vegas Marathon 2012.  After New York, I tried to get back into running but I couldn't breathe.  I was having trouble even running 1-2 miles before my HR would shoot up and I would be hyperventilating.  The feeling did not go away while at home or at work.  So something else was going on.  We were by November 15 when I found the answer: I had a bookcase at work that had mold.  Maybe it was a placebo effect but when that shit was removed from my office, I was able to breathe again.  I even started to run well and more than I had before then.  I even ran 47 miles last week.  But by then it was too late to prepare for Space Coast.

Second, two weeks ago, on my LR (what was supposed to be a 15-16 miler), I fell hard.  On the road.  Near construction.  In the dark.  During rush hour.  I bet someone is still laughing.  I hit my knee hard and this is how it looked:

Fortunately, although it hurt like a motherfucker, it did not give me problems while running.  But I had to cut the only LR I had planned before the race to only 9.60 miles.  I knew I had enough endurance from my Chicago training, but I was starting to get worried.

Then, last Wednesday I set out to run to Pilates and came back from Pilates, running a total of 15 miles that day, with the last 5 at MP + 10%.  It gave me hope that I could at least finish.  And then, I fell again this Wednesday.   Same leg!  There was a electric or communications cable hanging down from a pole and I managed to stick one foot in the middle of the circle and fell.  At least I rolled into grass.  So, it was not my fault...this time!

With that said, and with 7lbs less than what I weighed at Chicago (most of the loss in the last 10 days), I set out to Cocoa to run the race.  I was planning on wearing an R2D2 outfit and just run it slowly.  But, on Friday, against all indications that I should race it, I picked a racing outfit (you know which one, the one you would wear if you want to run fast).  So, I was racing it in some shape or other.

I did not carboload for this race.  The only carboload I did was yesterday: Pancakes and OJ for breakfast, G and a banana, a huge mofongo for lunch, and a chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries for dinner.  That's it!  Oh, and the two donuts I had for breakfast on race day with my favorite soda, which Jerry still has in his home from trying to give me one during Chicago. 

One thing we were trying for me was 50mg of Prednisone the night before the race.  That's a big dose but one pill every 1-2 months should be OK.  It was supposed to help with my asthma.  But I woke up coughing and did not notice a difference.  Yet, like the doctor says, if you had not taken it, you would've.  Except for the awful stomach pain I had, it worked fine!  Stay tuned for the massive weight gain tomorrow.

The HM started at 6am and hubby was running it, so I dropped him off at the starting line and said goodbye so I could use the toilet before I die.  The marathon started at 6:30am, and on time.  It was 60F and 57DP, or what we call in Miami, severe Winter weather.  I was wearing this:

For some reason, there were people wearing LSs, black ones...in Florida.    I worried about them.

We started off and immediately noticed my HR was super high.  At least 20bpms than normal.  It was either the Prednisone or the Mtn Dew; not sure, but more experimentation will reveal the answer.  So, I race by HR and this was concerning, mostly because I did not know if the HR I was running at was reasonable since it was at least 5-10bpms than my normal marathon pace HR.  But, the first miles went on a good pace and I felt fine, so I assumed I was OK or at least underperforming, which was good.

And then, I noticed, I had LEFT MY SUNGLASSES AT THE HOTEL.  On a sunny race with at least 13 miles looking at the fucking sun.  I was pleased, not.

Miles 1-6ish.

This route takes us out of Downtown Cocoa North before starting a loop back for the second quarter of the race, with a lot of rolling hills but otherwise OK (mostly uphill, though).  The pace was OK for me but I was still coughing a bit (the pill must have started working 10 hours after I took it instead of 8).  The sun was barely rising and we were running against the sun.  By Mile 4 (my usual for asthma warmup), I found my groove.  Paces: 11:00, 10:59, 10:42, 10:31, 10:26, 10:31.  I had a Gu at Mile 4.

Miles 7-13.1.

This route loops back to Downtown the same way we came, so I was looking at the faster people before and now I was looking at the slower people.  Pretty fun.  The 4:45 Galloway pacer started behind me but passed me at Mile 2.  By the end of Mile 9, I had passed them not to see them again until Mile 26.  Grrrr.  By then, the sun was out and I realized two things: (1) Wouldn't it be nice if I had my sunglasses, don't you think?; and (2) Boy, am I glad I am wearing this little, which in fact is too much.  Hot and humid! Paces: 10:32, 10:23, 10:28, 10:44 (da fuk?), 10:26, 10:35, 10:32.  I remember crossing the 13.1 mat at 2:21, so a bit faster than I expected by then, but still well within the park. Gu at Miles 8 and 12.

This is me around that time (waiting for all pictures to come out and purchase them):

Miles 13.1 - 20.

This route loops to the HM course which is a 6.5ish loop South.  All while looking at the sun.  And then I realized two things: Yeah, those two.  I saw my husband heading to his finish and we gave each other a high five.  I was now looking at the slower end of the HMers and the winner of the marathon coming down.  Feeling great at this point.  Paces: 10:33, 10:39, 10:42, 10:42, 10:45, 10:59, 11:36.  Yeah, you noticed.  I slowed down.  Mile 19 was because I stopped to pick another gel from the pack and I started feeling weird.  Mile 20 because I had the BIGGEST SIDE STITCH EVER.  Painful as fuck.  I had to slow down and walk a bit while using a wet towel they gave me then to see if I could shake off that shit.  It did not leave me at all until the finish.  It still hurts now.  GU at Miles 16 and 20.

Miles 20-26.50.

I felt fine otherwise, I was running 95% of these miles, but I was in severe pain.  The side stitch would not alleviate while running so when it felt like I would throw up from the pain, I would walk a bit (30 seconds) but it was as painful to walk.  So, I slowed down.  I knew the 4:45 Galloway pacer would pass me eventually because I saw my 4:43 time fall to 4:45, then 4:47, so it was only a matter of time.  Frustrating, because I was not tired, I was not in need of carbs or anything.  I was just in pain.  Paces: 12:34, 11:35 (ran the whole mile), 11:58 (ran the whole mile), 12:26 (paid for the last two miles and I had to fix my sock), 12:37, 12:51 (fixed the sock again), 10:30 (for 0.50).  I headed to the finishing chute and saw my husband, so I smiled and pretend I was not in pain.  I ran the last 0.70 miles without stopping but I was in pain.  All of my finishing pictures probably have me holding my side because it hurt.

I came in at 4:53:23, 10 minutes slower in the second half, but a very strong second fast marathon post surgery.  This is a 17 minute course PR (I finished last year in 5:10ish).  I think I can break my Chicago time and work back to my PR times soon.  I felt ready to do it even with my lack of running lately (and no speedwork since Chicago).  I was actually surprised I was able to pull a time like this today.

Here is a pic Erin (a fellow BFer) took of us after our finish.

Year # 2 is completed!

Wonder why I am tired?  I was just thinking about it and it could be going up to our attic (13 steps)  back down to the main floor , the 13 steps , plus 16 down to living room multiplied by at least 10 times, carrying tubs of Christmas decorations!  Yep, that might wear one out, not as young as I used to be!  I think I am, but I'm not!

Ginny

Carol-my mom became fairly violent when she was kept in ICU for bleeding on the brain (they had to drill holes to relieve pressure).  She thought she was being held against her will (I suppose that was true) and that people were conspiring against her, stealing from her purse.  I gave her purse and she promptly hit me with it.  Thank goodness it was empty of anything heavy.  The worst was when she looked me dead in the eye and said "I hope someday your kids do the same thing to you."  Chills.  But they kept waking her every hour for checks and meds, took away all coffee, cigarettes, very restricted diet.  I'd be violent too. Sans the cigarettes part.

Tessa-that math is scary and probably true.

Ginny-nice crosstraining!

5 miles this morning but didn't burn off the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese filling, topped with Nutella, whipped cream and strawberries that I made for DD's bday.  Had to test them.