Everybody's still here!

Here I thought I'd been gone so long that nobody would still be hanging around, but not only did you all stick around -- there's even one more of you!

Where to start?  When last we left our intrepid, big breasted CilleyGirl, she had just run a 5K race.....  I don't know why, but that race did me in.  Headache for the rest of the day, sore calf, no Sunday long run.  My training has been off kilter this go-round.  Last year I didn't have the work schedule that I've had this year.  It has slowed down for about another week then it will be go-go-go again until I don't know when.  2015, I think.

I just go back from five days in southeastern Idaho visiting my grandparents and my dad.  I'm glad I got to go.  My grandpa turned 80 earlier this year, he has had Alzheimer's for about four or five years now.  Thankfully he didn't seem any worse than when I saw him about three years ago (I think it was three.  Two?  Eh.); the meds are doing a good job of slowing the progression of the disease.  He actually seemed more stable physically in some ways, so that was good.  My grandma turns 80 in June, she's as she ever was.  When she, my dad, and I are in the same room together you can tell we're all related.  *grin*  Dad, however, who is hmmm 62 now I believe continues to deteriorate physically.  He has peripheral artery disease -- you see commercials about it a lot these days -- so of course he still smokes a zillion cigarettes a day.  Because when you have a disease that causes your arteries and veins to shrink in your limbs, you should continue a habit that also causes your arteries and veins to shrink in your limbs.  Long story short, he gets a lot of pain in his legs. 

Which made my recent bout of persistent calf pain a little nerve wracking, I'll tell you.

But anyhow.  Good flights there and back, a snazzy new Ford Escape to drive around in while I was there (they live 90 miles outside of Boise, the closest major airport), trip down to Jackpot, Nevada, to lose some money and wreck my lungs even further.  Difficult to explain to my grandma that I don't eat grains anymore and no, they're not always good for you.  I didn't eat much at grandma's house, particularly after I got so sick from the granola cereal I had on the first morning I was there.  Good incentive to go crawling back to paleo, begging it to give me another chance.  I got a run in, but a tremendous sidewind cut it short.

So that's what I'm working on now.  Food that is good for me and running.  Vancouver is a shockingly 58 or so days away and this is when the long long runs begin.  Last year I was worried more that I wouldn't have the mental fitness to complete the marathon; this year it's more the physical fitness I'm worried about.  I thought I'd lost the mental mojo but it's been coming back to me.  I really really really want to finish Vancouver in under six hours.  Sounds simple to a lot of runners, I know, but I'm never going to be fast.  I'm built for distance, not for speed.  A 100 mile race does not sound impossible to me.  A seven minute mile does. 

I hope everyone is doing well, and congrats to all those that ran Boston!  I watched the race and it helped to perk up my motivation a bit.  Most of it is still MIA but I am looking!  I am slowly catching up on blogs so it may be a while before I start commenting on them again.  Six miles on the schedule for after work and I am hoping that this weather lasts so that I can run it outside instead of on the tiny, stuffy indoor track at the gym.  Six miles = 72 laps on that sucker.  Yark!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl