OC Half Marathon 2014

 

 

I know this is a month overdue, but I realized I never posted anything about the OC Half Marathon race on Sunday, May 4.  Dylan and I ran the 13.1 miles with a group of friends.  Well, we didn’t run together, but we started the race together.  I love that Dylan is becoming one of us.  My friends are starting to get to know him, and he is getting more adult social interaction.  It’s great.

 

We started the race late.  I have a serious bathroom problem before every race.  It is nerves, but I just have to completely empty out my system.  Plus, I have Crohn's disease so it helps me to run completely empty.  TMI? The port-o-potties ran out of toilet paper, which is not a good thing so we walked to the Marriott to use their very clean and well maintained facilities.  Our friend Patty decided to stop by the Starbucks in the hotel to get a coffee.  This makes me laugh. Seriously, she gets her coffee and is walking to the start line, sipping and holding it.  The race has already started.  This is the same girl who goes shopping at CVS during a race.  I absolutely love her.  Hilarious.

 

Before the race (minus GG who ran the full)

Carb load dinner selfie.  I made the group sit in the bar so I could watch the OKC game. 

Dylan has not been running since cross country season ended so I did not expect him to do well.  Just as I passed mile 12, my phone rings.  To a runner, this is probably one of my most annoying pet peeves.  DO NOT CALL ME in a race!  I answer the phone, and it is Dylan.  “Mommy, where are you???”  I’m huffing and puffing when I answer, “I’m running.  I just past mile 12.  Why?”  He answers, “Well, I’m done, and I’m waiting.”  I answer with my laborious breathing, “well, you’re just going to have to wait!”  How demoralizing is that? Honestly though, I was very proud of Dylan.

I want him to do the LA Marathon for its 30^th anniversary in 2015.  I’m already trying to convince him to do this, but he hasn’t committed yet.  I’m pretty sure I’ll get what I want though! Running races is not cheap.  The registration fees add up and when you consider if there is a hotel needed....well, it can get costly so I'm trying to be more economical and selective.  It is very challenging.  I want to do EVERYTHING, and I have to have an internal dialogue with myself.

 

So I have the kids and I registered for two 5ks this summer.  I have 5 upcoming half marathons that I'm already registered for, and Dylan and I are doing the Ragnar Las Vegas.  This may seem excessive, but then it really isn't because there were about 5 other races that I wanted to do, but I did not sign up for....so I did slow down. 

 

What can I say? This is my hobby, and there are worst things I could be spending my money on. It is my one indulgence.

 

 

Bucket List: Tandem Skydiving Jump

Warning: Picture Overload

 

I've been wanting to skydive for years.  What prompted me to schedule a tandem skydiving jump over Memorial Day weekend? I don't know.  Lance and I were supposed to camp overnight at Lake Elsinore for our third wedding anniversary, but on Friday afternoon, Lance asked if we could just make a day trip to Lake Elsniore because poor Buddy was not doing well.  Buddy and Bella had spent the last three days with their Daddy on Tide the Knott.  He had run, swim, and had limited sleep because of all the sense stimulation.  He also scraped up his paws by climbing over rocks. He was hurting so yes, we stayed home.  We were good parents.

On Saturday morning, we took the one-hour commute to Lake Elsinore.  We had breakfast at this very quaint little diner before heading to Skydive Lake Elsinore.  Unfortunately, all skydiving jumps were indefinately postponed due to weather conditions. It was too cloudy.  It was estimated to be a three-hour delay so Lance and I decided to adjust our plans and instead of skydiving first, we took the Gryphon out for a ride on Lake Elsinore.  Why have we not gone here before?  It is only one-hour away from home, and it just a wonderful place to take the family.  Lance and I decided we would try to make it back out there in two weeks or so with the dogs and kids. We could camp, play games, take the dingy out, and spend quality time together.

Lake Elsinore is the largest natural freshwater lake in Southern California.  It is 6 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.  Lance had me take over driving the boat.  I was nervous because he tends to get frustrated easily when it comes to the boat. He showed me how to start it, stop it, maneuver it.  I got nervous because there was boat traffic in the water, but I managed pretty well.  He also did well in training me.  Normally, he loses a fuse and has smoke coming out of his ears and nose, but he was very patient and good. He was a wonderful instructor.

We returned to the skydiving camp in the afternoon.  It really felt like a camp.  There were tents up. I dont know why.  Maybe some of the trainers stayed overnight? It felt like a little commune.  They had us sign a waiver and they videotaped us reading the liability release form as we signed the waiver. We then went into a side room where this guy appears on the screen and begins to warn us that there is never a perfect skydiving trainer, parachute etc etc.  The guy invented the harness for the tandem skydiving, and he looked like one of the singers from ZZ Top.  Watching the video did not calm my nerves.  It made me more nervous.  I really was not nervous until I got videotaped signing the liability release and when Mr. ZZ Top issued a warning. 

      At the skydiving camp

 

I did my research.  Brandon made me feel guilty because when I told him what I was going to do, he asked very concerned and worried, "Why? Why Mommy?"  There are .003 fatalites out of 1,000 tandem skydiving jumps over the past decade.  In 2013, there were 3.2 million jumps with only 24 deaths.  Statistically? My odds were good, very good.

My trainer was Cliff, a United States marine.  I could not have been in better hands. He was amazing.  I didn't get to wear the jumpsuit, which I was disappointed about because I thought they looked very cool. Cliff walked me through some directions until I felt comfortable.  Ok, I never felt comfortable.  I was nervous, but not yet scared.  Having Cliff though made me feel safe.  I saw some other trainers, and Cliff, my marine, was the best.  If I can't be in the arms of my husband, the next best thing is a trained Marine.

Getting the harness on.

Curtis tightening my harness

 teaching me what to do

 

 

 

 

Boarding the plane--

We boarded the plane.  There were about 15-20 of us squished into that plane, and as it slowly ascended, I felt like I was not breathing. Things went in slow motion.  I kept looking at the ground get smaller and farther away.  I had to remind myself to breathe.  The nervousness began to transcend into fear.  What made it worse for me was Cliff yelled to me..."We are almost half way up now."  I was thinking, "you got to be fucking kidding me? Half way up? I thought we were about to jump out the plane.  How much higher are we going to go?"  We were not yet at 6,000 feet. Cliff told me we jump at 12500 feet.  I could not believe it.  I felt numb.  It was not like panic mode, but more like a "blur". Everything became a blur. Cliff then told me to sit on him, which I did and he connected my harness to his.  When I was watching Mr. ZZ Top on the video, he said we would be touched inappropriately, and well, you get very close to the person you are doing the tandem jump with. 

When we reached 12,500 feet, I saw the other jumpers getting ready to jump.  Cliff and I got on the plane first so we were one of the last to jump off.  Slowly as we got to the open door, I felt my heart freeze, and then he yelled, "position one" which meant I put my hands on the harness and my head on his left shoulder.  He then yelled "pelvic out" so I thrusted my pelvis out and bent my legs so my feet touched his ass, and then.....BOOM! We flew out.

I was scared shitless for the first 20 seconds.  I thought I was dying.  I have never been that scared in my life, but after those 20 seconds, the fear went away and a splurge of euphoria and freedom embraced me.  It was wonderful!  In tandem skydiving, you freefall for about one minute before the parachute opens and you descend for about 3-4 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

I can't not express how truly beautiful the descent was....I saw the beautiful Lake Elsinore, cows, cars...It was amazing.  Cliff maneuvered the parachute in a circular way and I got a little motion sickness. I think if I do this again, I just want to glide down without going in circular motions.  We did a standing landing.  It was so smooth.

You have more chances of dying from lightening or from a bee sting then you do from tandem skydiving.  I did pray when the plane was ascending.  I am not that stupid.  When I came home later that night, I was exhausted...emotionally exhausted. I just crashed.

People ask if Lance jumped too, and no he didn't.  He didn't want to, and even if he did, he couldn't. There was a weight limit, and he was above that weight limit.  I could sense his excitement though.  Lance is a man's man.  He loves engines and planes and all this stuff.  Years ago, he rebuilt a World War II plane that now sits in a museum.  Lance and Cliff had alot in common.

Would I do this again? Absolutely.  I know what to expect now, and I think I could enjoy it more the second time around.

Another thing off that bucket list.....

Video to be uploaded soon....

Mother's Day 2014

Mother’s Day stirs up mixed emotions in me.  I’m grateful to feel appreciated and loved by my own children, but it is a day that reminds me of my mom’s absence from my life.  I try not to focus on that pain, but cherish the memories and lessons she taught me. 

One of the very last photos of my mom.  She passed away three months after this photo.

 

I love my children more than anything in this life.  They are truly the best gift I have ever had.  They are good hearted children who genuinely care about people.  I feel they respect me, value me, and yes, even appreciate me.

The only thing I wanted for Mother’s Day was to spend the weekend with my family, and I got just that. 

We took the entire family, including our canine children to San Diego.  The 2.5 hour commute (traffic) to San Diego on Friday afternoon was exhausting, but once we arrived, it was worth it.  Mia and I had a 5k race around Fiesta Island early Saturday morning so on Friday, we picked up our bibs at the tiniest expo I had ever been to.  We ordered take-out from Pizza Nova, and we spent the evening on the boat.  The kids watched movies.  It was wonderful.

Buddy and Bella cannot be away from their Daddy.

On Saturday, the boys and dogs dropped Mia and I off near the start line so we could run our race.  They picked us up about an hour later with the dingy, the Gryphon.  We spent the day cruising Mission Bay harbor. We stopped off at the dog beach so Bella and Buddy could swim.  They LOVE the water.  After an hour or so, we made the 2-hour commute back to OC (little less traffic).  The poor dogs were simply exhausted.  They are accustomed to napping during the day, but there were no naps during these two days.  They swam and ran both days.  They didn’t sleep too well on the boat either. Buddy felt the need to be on guard.  He was guarding the parameter of the boat.  Moreover, on both the commutes to/from San Diego, Buddy stood in the truck bed the entire time.  He did not sit at all.  He just stood on all fours.  When we arrived home, those two dogs were knocked out until Monday.  I had never seen them that exhausted.

Exhausted Buddy resting his head on the commute home

 

We spent Saturday night watching Brandon’s baseball team, the Pirates, win their first playoff game. 

So what about gifts? Lance gave me some walking shoes.  Initially, I did not really care for the shoes.  The style seemed more suited for an older person.  I may be 42, but my style is much younger.  However, when I put on those shoes, oh my goodness…..I have never felt anything so comfortable. I absolutely love them! So I guess that ages me….I’m now one of those women that choose comfort over looks.  Seriously though, the shoes are not that bad-.   My baby did a good job!

On Sunday, the kids gave me homemade gifts, which are the best.  Brandon made me a card with a 3-D flower.  Mia made me a bracelet that does not fit.  Dylan gave me a card with a gift card he recycled from his own Christmas presents.  It is actually so sweet.  I had each child tell me why they loved me.  Lance gave me one more present….another wedding ring. He told me he wanted everyone to know that I was married and that I was married to him.  I lost my other ring. It slid off my finger because my ring size is now a 4.5.  He spent a little more on this ring.  Normally, we go about $50 or less. I am cheap, and I take pride in that.

Lanced ordered lunch from Stonefire grill, and we spent Mother’s Day afternoon watching the OKC vs Clippers game.  I am very blessed to have such a wonderful family.  It was a simple Mother’s Day, but quite honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

these three guys are my greatest joy and greatest love in life!