Two Words...Spring Sports

I am lucky I remember my name these days. I am driving myself crazy trying to keep up with the spring sports schedules. All 4 of my children are involved in some kind of sport this season. None of them are on the same team....but quite often they need to be somewhere at the same time. Erin runs track at the high school. Chris runs track at the middle school. John plays machine pitch baseball. Jimmy plays t-ball.

We are going to try swim team this summer. At least we will all be in the same place every Saturday morning.

I really enjoyed the G.W. Parkway Classic this year. I think my training paid off because I took about 7 minutes off my time. The best part of the race for me was hearing my daughter Erin and her friend Laura cheering me on at the finish line. Erin and Laura run track together at the high school. The ran the 5K race while I was running the 10 miler. They actually placed for their age group! (Laura in 2nd, and Erin in 3rd for the female under 18 category) They both received medals! I can't tell you how proud I was of both of them. From what Laura's mom told me after the race, the girls ran together and encouraged each other through the entire 5k. The finished just seconds apart. I think that they are hooked on racing. Erin wore her medal all day, and even took it to bed with her that night.

My running has tapered off a little after the race. I am nursing an injury on my right foot. I will have to start training again soon, because Tara (my running buddy) and I just signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon. I could not think of a better way to celebrate turning 40.

A little "green" on going green?

I got my race packet yesterday for the GW Parkway Classic. It consisted of a race t-shirt, number, and a reusable grocery bag. No fliers. No give-a-way goodies. It was kind of refreshing. I find I don't use most of the promotional items that are in my packet anyway.

I took a quick trip to store to get a few things after my run yesterday. I did not purchase too may items, but enough to fill 2 plastic shopping bags. I mindlessly carried my items to the car and realized that my reusable bag was sitting in my car, unused. Sighing, I cursed myself for not taking my bag with me into the store. I'm not doing my part! I guess with anything new, it is just a habit. I need to get into the mindset of bringing the reusable grocery bags with me when I go into the store.

Today, I made a point of taking my reusable bags (I say bags because I claimed Erin's bag and her friends bag as my own!! I figured that since I paid the registration fee for both of them, the bags are rightfully mine.) into the grocery store with me. I was not quite sure how to negotiate the whole check out process with the new bags. I decided to do the self check out. My only problem was this....when you use the self check out, all the purchased items must be place in the bagging area. When I put my reusable bag in the bagging area, the machine scolded me that there was an incorrect item in bagging area. I ended up leaving the reusables in my grocery cart, and laying all my groceries in the bagging area. Once I had finished checking out, I had to bag all my groceries from the bagging area. I am glad that there was no line. I would have felt really self conscious making others wait for me to finish.

Maybe you have tried this, and made the whole process work. Any tips?

I really like the bags and the whole idea of doing my part.

Erin on Channel 9 News

Hey Speed Sisters!
Not sure if any of you caught Andrea's interview on Channel 9 News last evening. Andrea has been chosen to carry the Olympic torch! (How cool is that?)

The news video that accompanied the story featured many shots of our own Speed Sister Erin S.!! She looked really strong pushing her kiddos in the double stroller around Burke Lake.

I was not able to find a link to the story on the Channel 9 website. If any of you know how to find the story, please pass along the link.

Way to go, Erin!! You Rock!

Finally! Speed Sister Picture

Thanks, Amy!

I have been playing around with the icons on the blogger site. Finally figured out how to post an image on this site!

Anyway, this is a picture of Erin S. and me before the Backyard Burn in March. Amy from the Blister Sisters took the picture.

Very Cool!

Hey Speed Sisters!

I am excited to say that I just signed my daughter up to run the 5K race with the George Washington Parkway Classic! The best part is that she asked her track team buddy Laura to run with her. Erin and Laura have become great friends over the past 5 months because they run together. (Sound familiar?)

Just doing my happy dance because I have found some common ground with my teenage daughter!

Cheers!
Jenny

The Backyard Burn

I ran in my first race of the 2008 season this morning. I was happy to see many of my running buddies at the race. It was the Backyard Burn Trail race. I ran the 5 mile distance. I had run the 10 mile course twice before, and I found that distance on trails to be a just too long for me. After experiencing both the 5 mile and the 10 mile courses, I prefer the 5 miler.

I was not sure if the race would go on as scheduled after all the rain we experience the past few days. Trails that the organizers considered "passable" I found very wet and muddy in spots! Obviously these racers are cut from a much different (tougher perhaps) cloth than me! I am convinced the only weather that may have prevented this race from running is a blizzard.

I am not complaining, though. I really enjoyed my run on the trails this morning. The weather was very crisp and clear. I loved hearing the crunch of the leaves on the trail. The scenery was beautiful, especially by the swift moving creek that snaked its way through the park. I loved the challenge of staying alert and watching my step. My time was kind of slow...1 hour 14 minutes. But, considering my goal was to finish the race without falling on my rear, then I am perfectly content. I wish I knew the technique to run down the hills on the trails without the fear of wiping out. Maybe there is no technique...I am destined to run cautiously over the trails...happy to finish in one piece.

I felt like I finished strong. My training for the upcoming 10 miler has helped my endurance. I was able to run up the last mile of hills, and end my race feeling very refreshed.

The best part of running this race, was experiencing it with so many of my SMR race buddies! Way to go Erin! I am really proud of all the Blister Sisters who raced today too! Good job Amy, Christa, Michelle, and Sherry!

Tempation to quit

The Chinese have a saying that goes something like this,"The temptation to quit will be the greatest just before you are about to succeed."

That is just the motivation I need to carry me through the rest of this miserable month of February!

That is all I have to say about that!