Rest In Peace, My Handsome Oliver

 "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. " ~Anatole France

R.I.P. Oli
2003-2012

Dear Oliver,

It was love at first sight. Almost 7 years ago, I walked into the Ottawa County Humane Society, glanced in the cat room and saw you perched on the fireplace. There were several other people in the room, but as soon as you saw me, you made a beeline for the screen door, weaving your way in and out of the 50 other cats meowing for my attention.  You raised your paw to the screen and I knew right then, I would be taking you home. You were stunning with your ice blue eyes, dark face, tail, paws, and fawn body. I didn’t know your age, where you came from, what kind of cat you were, just that you already loved me and I loved you.

I think you are about 8 or 9 years old right now and it just doesn’t seem fair that I had to say good bye to you tonight. You have made me laugh so much these past 7 years. Let’s face it. You were not the sharpest pencil in the box. You were big and clumsy which made everything a little more comical. When we used to play with the laser light, I would make the light go up the stairs. You would barrel up after it and then stay up there for hours staring at the wall waiting for it to come back. Or another one of your favorite games - when I would put my hand under the comforter....

Shelby intimidated you at first. I mean, who doesn’t she intimidate? But, after the first year, you figured out that she was harmless and could easily tackle her, as you were double her size. I would come home from work and see little tufts of fur sticking up on your head from where Shelby boxed you. I am sure you deserved it and enjoyed every second of the abuse.  

Shelby and Oli's Christmas Photo.

Every night, without fail, as I would nestle in my bed to read, you would jump up on my chest, rub your face against the corner of my book and try to lie in the most awkward spot ever. Every night, I moved you. It became a game. You would always end up cuddled against my arm, purring so loud that some nights, it became distracting.

Oli's spot in bed.

You loved your cat nip. On more than one occasion I came downstairs to see you OD’d, with Shelby looking over you, shaking her head.

That's some good cat nip, man.

This weekend, when I got home from a work trip, Shelby was a little different. She is a stand-offish cat but immediately came to greet me at the door on Saturday. I thought that was strange because that is what you usually do. I called your name and I heard no “thump” as you jumped off my bed but found you curled up under a dining room chair. You didn’t even lift your head to say, Hi. In September, you were diagnosed with Cryptococcus and have been on medication ever since. It seemed to really help, but I have seen a steady decline in the past few weeks. Last night, at the emergency vet office, they told me that the infection had crept into your central nervous system. They don’t know exactly what the problem is but could quickly find out with a slew of blood tests and x-rays totaling about $2K and then a trip to the neurologist that could easily be $4-5K more. When I spoke to the vet, she was honest and said that no matter what we find out doing all of those tests, you are still a very sick kitty. Treatment would improve the quality of your life, but it was not likely to extend your life. She recommended putting you to sleep last night. Selfishly, I could not do that. I wanted to take you home and cuddle with you one more night even though I knew you were uncomfortable and not having fun.

Thank you for purring me to sleep one last time. Thank you for all the times you comforted me when my heart ached. Thank you making me smile everyday. I will miss you.

Thank you for giving me one more night.

Thank you for giving me one more afternoon...last picture.

Love,

Yo Mama

Boston Training: Week 4 Summary

This week was tough because of my work schedule. I was in Las Vegas from Tuesday until Saturday. I really missed my routine. It is not easy to be on the road and properly train for a marathon. I have a lot more respect for those who do it now. Luckily, I don't have any more travel, besides a weekend trip to Indiana scheduled for the remainder of Boston Training. 

TOTAL: 37.25 miles

1/22 (Monday) - Pool Running 1 hour

The work day was delayed today because of the threat of freezing rain and snow. I got up at my normal 4:45am time because I knew others were going to be there, put on my swim suit, and then crawled back in bed. I delayed my pool running by a couple hours as well. I did have good intentions though! 

1/23 (Tuesday) - Intervals

I am headed to Las Vegas this afternoon for the rest of the week, so I knew I needed to get a good workout in. It was soooo good too! I really have to figure out how to use my Garmin on the track. This was my first true speed work session with CAR and I could not have been happier with how it went. The workout was a 2 mile warm up, 1x1600 and 4x800s, with recovery laps in between and then a 2 mile cool down. I ran my 1600 in 6:29 and then my 800s in 3:12; 3:07; 3:13; 3:06. OK, not perfectly executed but I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  

1/24 (Wednesday) - 6 miles EASY PM

After working the booth in Las Vegas for 12+ hours, I was ready to run even though I was tired. If you have ever taken the Myers Brigg's personality test - I am an INTJ - you know that the "Introverted" me needs time to myself to recharge. This run did just that!  

1/25 (Thursday) - BIG FAT NOTHING

Again...good intentions but just too wiped out.

1/26 (Friday) - 7 miles EASY AM

I got up at 4:30am to run the Strip. This is not the easiest city to be healthy in.

1/27 (Saturday) - BIG FAT NOTHING

My flight home took off at 6:15am and I landed at DCA at 3:00pm. I had a bunch of condo stuff to do so I knew I wasn't getting a run in.

1/28 (Sunday) - 16 miles LONG RUN AM

What a beautiful day for a run. I was tired, dehydrated, and mentally exhausted, but I didn't want to stop running after my scheduled 14 miles. Not perfectly executed what-so-ever but I enjoyed my time running the first 10+ miles with Melody, Dan and Stephanie. They left me in the dust after that! Those people are speedy. I will keep up next week. I need some rest. 

Excuses...Excuses

I am in Las Vegas this week for work. I don't LOVE running in this city, but I get it done. I know that there are some beautiful trails outside of the city, but I never have access to a car while I am here and I am usually working ridiculously long hours. Some day, I would love to take some extra time and explore the Red Rock Canyon. 

Boston Training: Week 3 Summary

My life has been crazy the past few weeks and my blog has been suffering. I am OK with that though because most of the crazy is the GREAT kind of crazy. I have had to prioritize and social media has kind of fallen to the wayside. Most mornings I leave my house between 5am and 5:30am and get home after 8pm. I am going to try and do better, but I don't see life settling down for awhile - but again all of this stuff going on in my life is good and makes me happy. My running is going really well. I had one of my best tempo runs ever this week and I have never been more motivated or committed. 


TOTAL: 50.13 miles

1/16 (Monday) - 5 Miles EASY AM
I had the day off of work and planned on going to the pool, but there was a change of plans had the opportunity to run on some new (to me) paved trails in Reston. It was chilly, but the sun was warm and the company was awesome as well.
1/17 (Tuesday) - Hill Workout
Monday night seems to be the night of tossing and turning. I close on my condo today, so I am feeling a bit of anxiety. I woke up to the sound of rain. Ugh...5am, 42 degrees and rain. Great. This has to be my least favorite condition to run in. No excuses though. Come April 16 in Boston, it is possible the conditions may be identical or worse! Every run like this makes me a little tougher and more confident. It ended up being pretty comfortable out and the hills were great. I didn't want to stop after my cool down. It started raining pretty hard though once I was done.
1/18 (Wednesday) - 8.30 miles EASY AM
It's so warm outside! It was in the 40s when I started at 6am! The wind was brutal heading north on the Mt. Vernon Trail, but pushed me as I turned around and headed back towards Old Town. I don't weigh myself regularly, but decided to jump on the scale this morning. I was surprised to see that I am already at the weight I usually am at during my peak training week in a marathon cycle. Looks like I am going to have to start paying more attention to my calorie intake. I know that if I drop below where I am now, I will start to feel sluggish and run down.  
1/19 (Thursday) - Pool Running 2 hours
I feel like I have not been in the pool for a long time. I guess it has been 10 days. The air was warm, but the water was chilly which only made me move my limbs faster which isn't a bad thing. I was cranky when I woke up, but it's amazing what a couple hours of cardio can do for the psyche.
1/20 (Friday) - Tempo
I'm actually seeing improvement! In just a few short weeks! I'm not saying it was easy. Quite the opposite really but today we did a 3 mile, 2 mile and 1 mile workout and I knocked down my times on each one. I ran my 3 miles in 21:06 (7:07; 7:02; 6:57); my 2 miles in 13:58 (7:00; 6:58) and then my 1 mile in 6:48! Phew. I was happy to run with Brett, Stephanie and Cheryl (for the 3 mile). It does help to run with others. Even though I fell behind them, they kept me motivated!  
1/21 (Saturday) - 4 miles EASY AM

We had some bad weather here on Friday night/early Saturday morning. I planned on running 8 easy miles with CAR, but the run was canceled, so I settled with a fun 4 through ice and snow. It wasn't ideal. But this is why I run...to get outside and feel the fresh cold air in my lungs.
1/22 (Sunday) - 14 miles LONG RUN AM
Brr. I was not super excited to get out of a nice, warm, cozy bed for a 2 hour run in 28 degree weather. Once I got going, it felt good. The paths were still a little slick and the wind was rough coming back from Hain's Point but I felt strong - especially the last 4 miles which is what is important. My pace was all over the place during the run, but my last 2 miles were 7:50 and 7:29.

Boston Training: Week 1 Summary

I feel really good about this week. It was a confidence booster. I feel like I have a baseline to start from now. The weather has certainly helped. Even though the beginning of the week started chilly, it  warmed up by the end of the week which is fantastic for January!


TOTAL: 46.3 land running miles; 22.5 pool miles

1/2 (Monday) - Pool Running 1 hour 45 minutes AM
I had the day off work today and a bunch of CAR runners were meeting at the pool to run anywhere between 7:30 and 9am. I got in the pool a little after 8am. Brrr. It was a fun, relaxed run. I still have to figure out how I am going to incorporate my pool running into my training. I really don't want to cut back on land miles.
1/3 (Tuesday) - Hill Workout
It was around 25 degrees when I started my warm up about 5:50am. It was chilly and a little windy but it could be a whole lot worse at this time of year. I will take it in early January! We did 6 loops around Iwo Jima. The first 3 felt really good. My legs started to feel a little jelly-like on the 4th. That is not surprising though. I do really like this workout! I did a quick cool down, logging a total of 8.47 miles for the day.  Those miles went by really fast!
1/4 (Wednesday) - 8.31 miles EASY AM
I woke up and immediately checked the weather. 14 degrees! Good thing I received all my cold weather running gear from RunningWarehouse.com yesterday. Perfect day to test it out. The only things that were super cold were my fingers on the hand that I was holding my light with. They hurt even 1 mile into my run. It is refreshing to run in the chilly weather though. I did not wear my watch again. I still haven't decided whether or not to take it on my easy days. It defeats me, but maybe I just need to get over it and trust that running slow on these days is the right thing to do. I want to run slow and recover, but not too slow which I fear may be the case.
1/5 (Thursday) - Pool Running 2 hours
I woke up sleepy this morning. Not tired. Sleepy. There is a difference. Sleepy is more mental in my book. I hit snooze once, but knew Cheryl would be at the pool at 5:30am sharp so that gave me extra motivation to get moving. Cristina and Amy also joined making the 2 hours fly by. I think at this point, I am going to aim to pool run on Thursdays with the option of also doing a Monday pool run if I feel up to it after my long run on Sundays. We will see how that goes.
1/6 (Friday) - Tempo
I was in bed by 9pm last night, but kind of tossed and turned all night. I need one really good nights sleep to get me back on track. The weather was just about perfect (for this time of year) at 6am - around 40 degrees. No wind. I did a 3 mile warm up, joining Melody {WillRunForMargaritas.com} for part of it and then the group convened. I had a 1 x 3 miles, 1 x 1 mile tempo w/ 5:00 recovery workout on the schedule. I am actually pretty happy with the run. It was hard, but felt good. I did the 3 miles in 21:49 (7:20; 7:18; 7:11) and the 1 mile in 7:05. I then did a 2 mile cool down and stretched. I haven't done yoga this week and feel it.
1/7 (Saturday) - 8.02 miles EASY AM

It's so great to be hanging around another runner who really gets it. Even when I am tired, as I was this morning, that other runner can say something right to motivate you and it becomes easier. I ran an easy 8 miles along the Mt. Vernon Trail towards Belle Haven. The weather was just about perfect - 60 degrees and sunny...in January! The trail was packed with cyclists and runners. I worry I may be running too slow on my easy days, but I started at a 9:16 pace and ended at an 8:39 pace. I wasn't worn out or physically spent so maybe I did it right.
1/8 (Sunday) - 12 miles LONG RUN AM
I ran with Mason and Emily {Speed Laces, Amazing Races} today - as well as with about 20+ CAR peeps starting at Carderock. I was pretty happy with the way the run went. Around the 2-3 mile mark, I was thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with those two. Then, at the 8 mile mark I told them that if they wanted to run ahead, I wouldn't be offended. I hate holding anyone back. I don't know why I said that because I was feeling good. We averaged an 8:15 pace. My first mile was 8:47, and my last mile was 7:43. The run boosted my confidence a little. I told George before the run that I wasn't sure that I would be physically able to do that progression-type of run. He said I could and especially if I ran with others. He was right. 

My ONE New Year's Resolution

I don't generally make New Year's Resolutions. I like to set goals on my birthday, which is in July, that cover the year ahead. One resolution I am making this year though is to limit my time on the treadmill. When I say "limit my time" I mean, not run on a treadmill at all. I spent way too much time on that machine last winter and I feel like it beat up my body - hips in particular. It took me awhile to get back to feeling good running outside this past Spring. I don't want to do that again. I have invested in some nice cold weather gear and as long as I am wearing the right stuff, I think I will be fine. 

The New Year is a good opportunity to check in to see how I am doing on the goals set in July...it is about the half way point. See my birthday post here: Birthday Morning Track Workouts/Goals. 

Training Summary: December 26 - January 1

I took it kind of easy this week. Official Boston training starts next week and it would silly to start it tired. I ended the week with a bang - a new 5k PR and a new year! 2011 was a good running year and I have a lot of hope (and hard work to do) in 2012. I had never tracked my mileage or workouts before 2011 and it's made a huge difference in my motivation and progress. I didn't set out to run any specific mileage for the year, but ended up running 2,020 miles. My highest mileage month was October with 306 and my lowest was in January logging 96 miles. 


TOTAL:  23.5 miles  

12/26 (Monday) - Yoga PM
I woke up pretty drained this morning. No surprise. Well, it is actually quite surprising when I can't keep up with myself but I am giving myself a "get out of jail free card" today. I had a couple very warm, taxing runs that past two days, so will take today to rest, hydrate and relax on the beach :)
12/27 (Tuesday) - Cross-fit AM/3 miles EASY
Joc and I did another cross-fit class today. It wasn't quite as tough as Saturday's class but I got laughed at for using too light of a weight for some swinging free weight exercises. It looked too scary. Ha. I wasn't being a wimp. I was just being smart. I bought Jocelyn some real running shoes, Brooks Adrenaline, from a running store in West Palm Beach yesterday. She was wearing an athletic shoe she bought at Costco 2 years ago. She has chronic back problems and needed a shoe that fit properly. It is my secret attempt to convert a family member to run with me. That girl can move and beat me several times in 100 meter sprints. Whatever ;)
12/28 (Wednesday) - 5 miles EASY PM
I was going to run 10 tonight, but I was spent after the trip home from Florida. I can't wait to get back on a normal schedule.
12/29 (Thursday) - 10.5 miles EASY AM/Yoga PM

It was 30 degrees when I started my run this morning and it actually felt refreshing after the hot Florida runs. I was feeling back to normal and it was one of those mornings where I could have easily done 16 miles. I felt awesome. I took a Yin Yoga class in the evening. This is where you maybe do 5 poses the entire 90 minute class, but you hold the poses for 5-10 minutes. Pigeon pose for 7 minutes on each side? Yes, please! I was a happy girl! My hips were happier though.
12/30 (Friday) - Pool Run 2 hours
I kind of lost track of time this morning, which is never a bad thing in the pool. Sometimes those minutes can drag on and on. I was talking to some other pool runners and before I knew it, I thought to myself, "Man - I am getting tired and hungry!" I looked at the clock and it was after 7:30am. I did 10 more minutes to make it a solid 2 hour run.  
12/31 (Saturday) - Pool Run 1 hour 15 minutes
Since I am racing tomorrow - no land running today. Such a shame because it was a beautiful day outside. Please, please, please Mother Nature...let this be a mild winter! Tim, Amy, Suzanne and Cristina were at the pool, so the time few by!
1/1 (Sunday) - =PR= Reston New Year's 5k
I was not confident going into this race. I asked Tim, Amy and of course George how they approach 5ks. They all basically said the same thing - run as hard as you can until you puke. Great! Physically, I felt strong but my lungs have been struggling to keep up. I ran a little over 2 miles to warm up, then ran into Jess and her sister. I ran with them for a little bit. I then found the CAR team - Dan and Chris were running. Cheryl, Cris and Dash were there to cheer us on. What a difference that makes. I love it and appreciate it so much! The race started right on time - 10am. My first mile was 6:30. Ummm...I can't remember if I have ever run under a 7 minute mile in any race. It hurt. It's supposed to hurt though. My second mile was just over 7 minutes, then it wasn't pretty after that. I was so happy as I turned the corner to see the finish line and 21:XX on the clock. I pushed it even harder at the end and crossed the finish line at 21:50. A new PR by 15 seconds. I placed 2nd in my age group and 12th female overall out of 349. Jess came in first in our age group. She has been working hard at the track and it was certainly well deserved. I have had a smokers-like cough all day from the race, but I kinda like it. Ha. The burn = growth = speed!

The CAR Crew - including Dash!

Driving towards the Finish line...hands too high and crossing in front of me....hmmm.
THANKS FOR THE PHOTOS CHERYL!!