Maintaining focus...

is next to impossible when you have a massive distraction looming immediately on the horizon!

One week from right now I will be sitting in a van heading from Seaside, Oregon to Seattle, Washington... on my way to the airport after having finished running the Hood to Coast Relay! Incredible.

I still have a full 3+ days of being mommy... but I have already kind of checked out :P

In my mind, I am steps away from getting on that plane headed north. I have things to do. Supplies to buy. Stuff to pack. Would everyone just stop getting all up in my biz and let me get my s**t done?  LOL

The kids know something is happening. What will be happening for them and for me has been discussed... but each time, they sort of glaze over. This is probably because I bring it up right after dinner usually and all they can think about is dessert. They'll figure it out soon enough... like on Thursday night!

This is my first "vacation" from my kids... ever! So forgive me if I sound callous and uncaring and even... ummmm... self-absorbed. Yes, I view sleeping (or not sleeping) in a van and running 3 x 5-ish miles spaced out over 30 hours a vacation! I may be singing a different tune once I've done it :P 

See?

Even this post is rambling and with little focus!

Okay... my workouts have been encouraging. If you've been following along, you know I've had a few mishaps. My running miles have been precious, but the last two days have been great... not long but great. On Friday night and Saturday morning (working to mimic my HTC legs' times) I set out to run 3+ miles with the first being a warm-up, the next 2 being at my projected race pace and then a cool down. I nailed it both times. Huge confidence builder!

Planned for today was 6 miles... my PT recommended that I not go over 7 and that I take it easy. Lucky me! I was invited to go on a group run! I haven't done that (outside of 3 races in the past year) since 1997! It was super fun!

Thanks so much to Captain Cupcake (one of my Nuun Platuunmates) for inviting me along :)

I made her slow down... and she made me speed up... the group had people running anywhere from 6.2 to 16 miles. Some faster than others. We were in the slow, short group... with her awesome friend, Layla, who has the most beautiful hair I have ever seen. We ran 6.2 miles in an hour and 2 minutes. Thanks, ladies, for accommodating me :)  This was also a huge confidence builder for me as my longest HTC leg (my first... Leg 12) is a weensy bit longer and I need to run it a hair faster.

In the words of the inimitable EMZ...

I freakin' got this.

Well... at least that first leg :P

What group run is complete without photographic evidence that it existed?

And Cupcake... the turtle-neck is appropriate to us being the slow guys ;-)

There is, however, no reasoning behind my incredibly pointy nose which has been with me all my adult life.

It was a beautiful, foggy morning in Tiburon, California... I took no pictures while we ran because that blistering 10-minute mile pace was workin' me...

But we all thought this sign was hilarious...

 and we had stopped running for a couple of minutes so I took these two additional scenery pictures...

I like how they built this lookout deck around the rock...

it is the griddish walkway that they don't want women wearing high-heel shoes to walk on.

Then we went to the candy store

Zots, Lemonheads, gummy tarantulas...and a Prehistoric Dino Egg!

and then we had breakfast together. And after we ate, we had our picture taken in front of a very cool fountain... those silver flamey thingies make a shark fin... they move!

This is the good group shot.

Back: Courtney, Karin, Layla, Alisyn, Naomi, & RoadBunner
Front: Cupcake, me, & Katie 

Here are the outtakes...

Superfast SJredgirl and I are getting set for the leapfrog game to begin... WTH?

Cupcake and Commando... a match made in heaven :)...

...ummmm.... okay, Cupcake... you can stop now... they're telling us to get a room...

For real...

I am super stoked to be on Cupcake's team. She can hang on to my neck for as long as she wants! 

Don't be fooled by my facial expression... 

It is amazing to me how much can happen before noon when one gets up early in the morning! Maybe I should make this a regular thing?