pollygolightly

I've been planning to run the Route 66 marathon for nearly a year. Then this summer happened.... and lots of crazy life things happened. But I ran the Chicago marathon with Seyi - and during it I convinced her to sign up for Route 66 too. After Chicago marathon I was exhausted. I've been going to bed early and I can barely crawl out in the morning to go to work. (and yes, I've talked to my doctor... all my tests came back fine.) I had an idea of what the trip was going to be like, but in talking to my running/travel partners, I found out it wouldn't be anything like that. So... I went anyway... and I didn't finish. Regardless of what was going on around me, or what the previous weeks had been like... we got there on Sunday morning and it was cold. I can handle at 36-40 degree race, but when the winds lower the temps to more like 26-27, I was not prepared. So I quit. Sometimes I feel like I quit too easily, that I'm okay with status quo - I talk to my dad a lot a

Happy Birthday Baby. It's been quite the year, hasn't it? Who would have ever imagined I would have an infant in my house? Not me. It's funny how life gives you what you always thought you wanted.... sometimes to show you that it wasn't what you wanted at all. Remember the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun"? At the end, someone helps the main character reflect on how everything she hoped for came true, just in a different way than how she had imagined it would happen. I've spent a lot of the last 3 years of my life trying to reframe my situation and be thankful I was given the opportunity to be a parent, to have a baby in my house, to have a family. It's been the hardest 3 years of my life, but it's all up from here. I've learned a lot this year, and I'm gonna guess I'll be learning a lot more in the years to come. I hope you grow up knowing I'm always here for you, if you need something I'll come back running. love ya baby. ❤  

9/4/18 I'm not sure if it's "normal" to actually be considering working several part-time jobs along with my full-time job at this stage in my life. It's not that I need the money specifically, but I want the connections. I want to be around people who love what they do, whether that be triathlon, track and field, reading, crafting, or quilting. I've done 3 weekend stints with a triathlon company out of Michigan. If I did it every weekend, I think I could be really good at it, it's like throwing a party in a different location every weekend. Of course, if I'm there every weekend, I can't be at my "real" job; which doesn't really work for most of the people there. How do you decide that you are going to stay at a job, or change to another? how do you find something you're passionate about rather than just something that pays the bills? My dad worked in a factory his entire life to give my brother and I the opportun

February 10, 2018. an important person in my life died. not a relative; not someone i saw on a daily basis; or even a yearly basis actually, but so important in my life. it's been a month and i'm still sad. maybe i wouldn't have been so sad if i could go to the memorial service, but it just wasn't something i could get to. The problem is, i don't want to go to any of my other trips now either. The planning used to excite me and now it seems just a struggle.   I couldn't finish this at the time.... it's tough to say goodbye to someone who has been in your life, your entire life. Whose life is intertwined with your childhood, your parent's lives and an amazing trip to Spain. It's been months and I still cry at the loss... but I have small reminders that let me think good thoughts, happy thoughts, and I know you are up there cheering me on. RIP Nancy. 💔💔💔

Key West Weekend had been a year in the making. Four of us, meeting in Miami and then driving down to Key Marathon - I was not well versed in the Keys when I agreed to this trip, so I didn't know what we were planning. Luckily we had some help, and we got to Marathon Key without difficulty. We headed to Key West the next morning to explore and pick up our packets. The weather was not quite as warm as we had hoped, but we made the best of it.   Exploring Key West was all kinds of fun, it warmed up in the afternoon, so we got to enjoy a little bit of summer-like weather. We took a tour of the island and had Key Lime slushies while we were enjoying ourselves. Halfway through Friday we finally found Seyi - she had her own little adventure getting to the Keys a day before the rest of us, but we all got our packets and prepared for the next mornings very early start. Since Marathon Key is about an hour from Key West, we left super-early in the morning, it wa

It's already June and i'm preparing to leave for my final half marathon of this season. After rolling my ankle in late January it's been a tough season. Starting this marathon training season with a sore ankle is not what I had planned.  you always think this is going to be a great year, when you start off a new season, and I had big plans, but this ankle isn't healing like I want it to so we are modifying to plan B. This year covers 5 half marathons, 2 fulls and a 50 miler. I had additional goals of swim/bike/run up to the Olympic dista nce. Throw in some 5k's and some fun runs and it's a great season. I decided though, that I haven't been planning well - I get a race in my head and I sign up for it before looking at the entire year or goals are in place. Next year I want to be much more deliberate in my choices for races and year goals.  This week marathon training starts. The beginning is always the toughest for me, the base is where i need to put

Lakefront 50/50 October 26th, 2017  On the spur of the moment this spring i decided that if I could run a marathon, there's no reason I couldn't do a 50k (it's just 5 more miles, lol, yeah okay). So I signed up for one in Chicago. It's said to be the flattest and fastest. The flat aspect was most important to me, and that it was on a paved trail next to Lake Michigan.  Ever since my first marathon I have wondered if ultra running is more welcoming and encouraging to those of us who take longer to finish. I was disappointed in myself at my first marathon, but I was also really bummed that everything was gone... the aid stations got shut down, they closed the course, there was no food left at the finish line, just complete abandonment by the race officials and race directors.  If my friends hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't even have finished as I wouldn't have known where the finish line was even located. but I digress.... My parents really wanted

I found this idea on a Facebook post - it isn't mine, but i love it and i'm going to work on each of these questions this weekend. today I'm starting with my highlights of 2017. The highlights of 2017 would be Melissa and Kathy showing up at mile 17 of my first marathon with a cookie and Jessica running with me the last quarter of a mile at that same race. Baby J being born was a highlight, because anytime a baby is welcomed into the world it is a wonderful day. Having my parents at my 50k was huge. I am very glad they got to be there and see me finish a race, they stood outside in the cold and worried for nearly 9 hours about me. The entire weekend of the Chicago Marathon will go down as a highlight. Running that race with Elina and Paula was The.Best. Melissa surprising me at my first official triathlon - such a great day.