No Running

Day #1 of no running. The right hamstring is pretty sore but not as irritated as it was yesterday. I'm going to have a massage on it tomorrow so I hope it will help. I'm hoping that a week off of running will do the trick but it might take longer:( To keep myself sane, I lifted weights - bench, incline bench, decline bench, shoulder press, flies on the exercise ball with both straight arms and bent arms, reverse flies on the exercise ball, external rotations,inverted row on the bar and abs. I then went to the Y and swam a mile and a half with 400yd pull. The swimming bothered my leg alittle but not enough to stop but then again I couldn't go very fast or hard. In the mean time, everyone pity my poor family, because I will probably be alittle crabby until I can run again!

Catch-Up

I haven't had much time to do much posting so I'm alittle behind. With all the boys home and down to one computer in the house it made it difficult to find the time.

Thrusday was Thanksgiving and we went to Marion to Mark's side of the family. I have so much to be thankful for such as family, friends, health and a great country to live in. And I'm thankful that I was able to get up in the morning to run 6.5 miles evn though my hamstring was causing me much grief!

Friday, I ran 5 miles in the morning but it was slow and painful due to the right hamstring. I did a band workout with Kyle doing the 20 sec. on and 10 sec. rest. It was very tough and I was sore and tired afterwards!

Saturday, I decided to take a couple days off to see if I could cure this stupid hamstring. I did absolutely nothing and about went insane. I did get our Christmas Tree up in the upstairs and put out other decorations.

With no plans of running, I saw on facebook that Don Baun and Mark Carroll were running at Mohican on Sunday so I just couldn't pass it up. Thinking that I would be fine if I took it slow proved to be wrong. We planned on running 10 miles starting at the camp A campground. Things started out just fine although there was pain in the leg, I figured I could run through it. Once again, I was wrong:( About two miles into the run, I slipped and that was all she wrote! Big time pain in the hamstring and I just couldn't go on. Don directed me on how to get back and Mark was kind enough to escort me back to our cars. Thanks, Mark for our chat and listening to me whine the whole way back. Sorry to Don, Charlie and Mark for slowing you up. Once I got home, the hamstring was way sore and painful. I had a hard time walking and sitting and was very uncomfortable. I have a massage scheduled for Tuesday and will try to keep swimming, spinning and lifting until this clears up. I will keep everyone informed on my progress.......... Oh, and to top things off Corey and Kyle went back to school for two weeks until Christmas break. Once again the house will be quite:(

Always Busy

Once my feet hit the ground this morning, I didn't stop until now. First, I ran 8.3 miles this morning, lifted weights and swam a mile and a fourth. By this time it's after 1 o'clock. Kyle went out to lunch with Don Baun and Bryan Derr while Corey and Keith went to Mansfield. I had to go pick up dinner rolls for Thanksgiving and we all met back at home around 3 pm. All three boys went down to the field house to lift weights while I started supper and of course, all this time I was doing the mound of laundry the boys had brought home! We ate supper, I cleaned the kitchen plus the floors and now it's time to relax!!! Hope everyone has a great Turkey Day and be thankful for all we have!!!

Everyone Is Home:)

It's been four months since we all have been home together. Corey got in this evening and we celebrated his birthday during supper. It sure is good to have all the boys home! However, it lasted only a couple of hours before they were all out doing different things. Oh, well, at least I know they will be there in the morning. I'm looking to have a great Thanksgiving!!

Ran 6.5 miles this morning, did another one of Kyle's killer weight lifting workouts and swam a mile and a fourth, which included 12 x 25yd sprints, 4 x 50yd sprints and 450yd pull.

A New Lifting Workout

Kyle and his beloved dog, Rollo.

Got up this morning around 7 am and got Keith out the door to school. Then, I went out for what I thought would be a 7 mile run but it turned into 8. My stupid hamstring was bothering me again, for what reason , I don't know but I'm getting tired of it!! When I got back, Kyle was waiting on me to show me this new lifting program the OWU middle distance runners have been doing. The purpose is to build up lactic acid as you would in a race. You lift light weight for 20 sec. and then off for 10 sec. anywhere from 4 to 6 sets. It doesn't matter how many reps you do as long as you lift as quickly as you can and keep everything controlled. By the end of the session, I was trashed and couldn't even lift my arms above my head. It included bench, flies, shoulder press with DB, incline bench with DB, reverse flies, DB rows, DB lat raises and abs. It went very quick and took only 30 min. but real intense. After that, I managed to get in a mile and a half swim but my arms were extremely tired. It will be interesting to see if I'm sore in the morning.

Can't wait for Corey to come home tomorrow so we will be all under the same roof for a couple of days:)

A good One

It's been a good weekend!!! Keith got over the flu and Kyle is home for Thanksgiving break, now I am just waiting for Corey to come home on Tuesday and the family will be together for a couple of days:) Kyle did, however, come home with a cold which doesn't seem to bad but I'm really afraid that I will come down with this flu thing or a cold. Other than keeping my hands washed, there is not much else I can do:( I can't afford to be down with the flu or a cold!

Running went well this weekend. On Saturday, I ran 8.5 miles on the trails at Mohican and then lifted weights and did abs. Today, I meet up with Rob, Don, Luc, Julie and Michelle at 7 am at the Covered Bridge in Mohican to run at least 16 miles. It was a rather cool and foggy start but all in all a good run. We did encounter a couple of things along the way, the first was a poor racoon laying on the trail by the river. It must have been sick because it was squirming around and looked strange. It scared me because I thought it might attack us!! The second encounter, was on the purple loop, which includes the little and big lyons falls. We were running at the bottom of the little falls and there was hunters above us. We heard a shot go off and it sounded like it was directed at us! It was close and loud! It got us all moving pretty quickly!! We got back at the Covered Bridge with 12 miles and called it a day. Oh, by the way, the hamstring is much better but the numbness in my right leg from the pinched nerve in my back has been bothering me. If it's not one thing it's another! Until next time.........

Happy Birthday, Corey

Yesterday was my oldest son, Corey's, birthday. I can't believe he is 22 yr. old. It seems like he was just a little boy running around the house. What I would give to be 22 again and know what I know now! LOL He was born around 4:20 in the afternoon after 24+ hours of labor. After all that hard work, the Drs. took him by c-section but what a relief it was. I was so tire of pushing! He was a big one at 9 lbs 2 oz and 21 and 1/2 inches. The biggest of all three! The weird part was I only gained about 22 lbs. but I ran and swam through the whole pregnancy so it was all baby. He has grown into a fine young man and the world is wide open to him. Love you, Corey and Happy Birthday!!

Yesterday, I managed 6 miles, lifted wieghts, bicep and tricep workout and swam a mile and a half. Today, I ran annother 6 miles, lifted weights and swam a mile and a half with 10 x 25yd sprints, 6 x 50yd sprints and 500yd pull. The hamstring still hurts and doesn't seem to be getting any better:(. Tomorrow, I will probably run on the trails since it's easier on the body!

Keith started to feel bad last night at the fall sports banquet, first yr. letter in football, and this morning he had a fever of 101 with an achy body. Oh, no here it comes! He slept most of the day and woke up with a terrible headache and feeling like shit! Hopefully, it will run it's course and he will be better by tomorrow. The bad think is, I'm the one who will probably be next even though my hands are raw from washing them so much! Everybody say a prayer for us!!!

A Soggy Trail Run

Decided to run on the trails today, thinking that the soft surface wouldn't be so hard on the hamstring. It felt much better than if I would have been on the road but I could still feel it pulling the whole time I was running. The heat seems to help loosen it up but I think I'm overstretching and that is irritating it. I'll just keep at it and take it easy. True to my word, I kept the miles low and got in 5.5 in the rain. On my way to the Camp A parking lot, it started to rain pretty hard. Oh well, couldn't very well turn around and go home, so off I went in the rain. The leaves on the ground started to get slippery so I ran rather slow but it was kind of peaceful. After I got home, I got dried off, went to the Y, swam a mile and a fourth and did a 45 min. spinning class. No lifting today:)

Tomorrow, will be Corey's 22nd birthday!! Happy B-Day, Sweetie!! It seems like yesterday since he was born. It's hard to forget 24 hrs. of hard labor and then the Drs. deciding it's time to do a c-section.But you all know me and I toughed it out and got a beautiful baby boy!! He is still at school so we will celebrate when he comes home for Thanksgiving. Until tomorrow.........

Not The Best Decision

I ran twice today, but it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do since my hamstring seems to be getting worse. Any suggestions for a quick cure would be great!! Don Baun told me to heat and then stretch which helps alittle but it is really tight and has a pull feeling. I'm going to try and run through it by staying with low miles. Hopefully, that will work!!

Ran 5 miles this morning and lifted weights. This afternoon, I ran 6 miles with Haley Young. Actually, 5 with her and a mile to my car for 6 miles total. It's always fun to run with Haley so I can catch up on all the gossip. Until tomorrow, stay strong and keep on runnin................

Hamstring Trouble??

What the #%@#, I have finally got over this pinched nerve thing in the back, now my right hamstring is really bothering me. For the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to ignore it but it is getting worse. Yesterday, on the trails, I could feel it pulling the whole time but since I was on a soft surface, I figured I would be ok. I had alittle trouble sleeping last night because it ached. This morning when I got up, it was very tight, but as I moved around and got Keith's breakfast it loosened a bit. Decided I would go ahead and run a short five and see what would happen. At first, it was painful and tight and I know I was running with a limp. The longer I ran, however, it started to loosen up. Right now it's justs aches and really pissing me off. The price I pay for running too much at my old age.LOL I did get in a slow 5 miles, lifted weights and swam a mile and a half with 14 x 25yd sprints, 4 x 50yd sprints and 500yd pull. The swimming didn't bother my hamstring at all. I did ice it after I got home from the Y and plan to ice it before bed. Hopefully, it's not going to be a big deal!!

The Last Game

It's was sad yesterday, seeing Corey walk off of the field for the last time. My, how the last four years have flow by! Marietta played Mt. Union and got crushed 56-0. Corey had 6 tackles and left his heart and soul on the field for the last time. He will be lost for awhile but he is structured enough that will set up a routine to keep him going. He wants to continue lifting and would like to run a half marathon this spring or sooner. We were thinking about the Athens half since it is close to Marietta. Of course, I will be right by his side. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Thrusday will be his 22nd birthday. He has grown into a fine young man and I am so proud!!

Kyle had a good day running at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, IN. OWU run in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championship meet, placing 6th out 36 teams and only 30 pts away from going to Nationals. Kyle was fourth for the team and 62nd out of 248 runners with a time of 27:2 for the 8k course.He said that the course was tough and the times were slow in general. Kyle also recieved acedemic all-american for the region. I am so proud of him!!! He was ready for C-C to be over so he could start running track, which is his true love. He loves to run fast unlike his mother. LOL

Yesterday, I got in 6 miles and did a short lift and today, I did 16 miles on the trail and another short lift. My hamstring is still bothering me, but the longer I run the better it feels. I think I will just run easy for the next week or so and hopefully it will work itself out. The price you pay for getting older!!

Unmotivated!!

I don't think I can get anymore unmotivated than I have been today. Just feeling tired and sluggish! To top things off, my right hamstring has been bothering me. I don't think it's a big deal but it's enough to piss me off! Ran 6 miles at around 7:00 this morning, got my weight lifting in and swam a mile and a half, including 450yd pull. Keith didn't have school today bacause of teacher-parent conferences but went shopping with his girlfriend for most of the day. Since he was gone, I did absolutely nothing but lay around and watch TV. I felt guilty because it was such a nice day and I should have been outside doing yard work. Tomorrow, we will be traveling to Mt. Union, to watch Corey play his last football game. Kind of sad:( Kyle will be running at Terre Haute, IN in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships. We won't be there, so best of luck to him and his teammates! He is ready for C-C to be over and anxious for track to start. Should be exciting!! I'm so proud of my boys!!! That's all for now...........

On The Trails

Met Mike Keller, Daniel Bellinger and Don Baun this morning at 7:00 for a trail run at Mohican. The temperature was about 27 degrees at the start and my right hamstring was bothering me so I didn't know what type of run it would be. It turned out to be a very fun and relaxing run! We started out running along the river until we reached the covered bridge. From there, we headed up to the firetower and ran on the road until we got to the gorge overlook. It's been a long time since I have been at the overlook so it was a real treat to see and enjoy the beauty of it all. We then, headed down some trail that was to intersect the bike trail, according to Don. Sure enough, we found our way to the bike trail for the last three miles. I have never ran on that part of the bike trail so it was nice to do something different. It was a really nice morning and great conversation:) Never a dull moment with those guys! Thanks!! Of course, I couldn't stop there, so I came home and lifted weights:D

Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all those who are serving or did serve our country! It's because of all of you that we have this great place to live in! We should all be so proud!! On rte. 39 going into Perrysville, the cementary had hundreds of flags honoring the fallen. It was really cool and I wish I had my camera for all to see.

Yesterday, I swam a mile and a half with 450yd pull.

After two days off of running, I got in 5 miles this morning. It was a very slow 5 miles but at least I got it done. I'm still tired and it's not a sleepy tired , more of a physical tired. I think the last month of racing has finally caught up to me. I just need to be patient and let my body heal along with my mind. LOL After my run, I lifted weights and after talking to a very wise ultrarunner, Mr. Ron Ross, believes that strength is very important to a runner especially as you get older. I probably over do the lifting part but I really enjoy it! Crazy, I know!! I then went to the Y and swam a mile and a half.

The plan for tomorrow, is to meet a group of people at Mohican for a run. I think we will be running around 14 miles. Hopefully, it won't be a very hard run but I'm always up for running with others on the trails.

Bobcat Trail Marathon

The weekend started out with a trip to Tiffin,OH to watch Corey play at Heidelberg College on Saturday. It wasn't a very good day for the Marietta Pioneers on the gridiron. Marietta lost 42-14. It was a far cry from last week when they beat Otterbein. Corey however, had a good game with 8 tackles and a fumble recovery. One more game left for his football career and then I'm going to try to turn him into a runner:D

Sunday was the Bobcat Trail Marathon in Glouster, OH at the Burr Oak park. It was a beautiful day for a run on the trails! I have never ran a marathon race on the trails, so I had no idea how to run it. I started out with a 50k pace which was nice and relaxed since I was not too sure how recovered I was from the 50 miler two weeks ago. I got in a real nice group of about five runners and met a woman named Cassandra McCune. Her and I stuck with four men for about the first 10 miles. The leaves were thick and the terrain was pretty rough and I only went down once in the first 10 miles. Thank goodness the leaves were down to cushion my falls! After we left the first aid station, there were about five or so runners ahead of us and we soon discovered that we had all made a wrong turn and were off course. We ended up running a half mile off course by the time we were on track again. At that point, I was running 4th for the women but was able to catch up with the 3rd place woman because she was in the group ahead of us that also got lost. Her and I picked up the pace and passed the woman that was in second. Everything was going just fine, even after a couple more spills in the leaves and I was able to pass the second place woman at about mile 18. I even got tangled up in prickers and had blood running down my arm and leg. I probably was quite a sight at the end of the race!! For a course that was suppose to be flat and fast there were a lot of hills and it seemed that they were all in the last six miles. By mile 21, I was starting to suffer a bit but I knew I had to keep pushing. I was told that the leading woman was about 15 min ahead of me. I knew I probably wouldn't catch her but you know me I had to try! At mile 22, I caught up with Kevin Martin, who was also struggling a bit, so we stayed together and kept each other going. With 2 miles left, I was really hurting and the hills just kept coming. Everytime I came to a hill in those last couple miles, the curse words would come pretty easily. Thanks, Vince! (the race Director) I was able to make up some ground on the leader and I managed to pass a couple more male runners, but it was TOUGH! I finished 2nd female and 11th overall with a time of 4:41.23. So much for a fast, flat course!

I think at this point, I'm more physically tired then anything. I'm not sore, just tired! This old body can only take so much! Overall, it was a great race and a perfect day to be out on the trails. I'm glad I did it but glad it's over! Good job to all those who ran the race! A prayer goes out to Ron Ross who turned his ankle at miles 10 and had to stop. Hope it is ok!

The next couple of days, I will take it easy. I swam 1 and1/4 miles today and will probably do the same tomorrow. I will try to start running on Wednesday.

A Little Bit of Everything!

Well, it's Friday night and nothing to do. Mark and I did go out but neither one of us wanted to go far or do anything fancy, so we went to East of Chicago for pizza right here in Loudonville. Kieth is out on a date with his girlfriend, Shelby, Corey is on his way to Heidelberg for their game tomorrow and I have no idea what Kyle is doing since they do not have a meet tomorrow. Hopefully, he is behaving! I am really looking forward to having everyone home for Thanksgiving break in a couple of weeks. Corey and Kyle will have to go back to school for finals before they are off for Christmas. Then, they will be home for a month and I will probably be ready to send them back at the first of the year.LOL Very proud of Keith's grade card, that was sent out today. He has an cum. grade pt. of 3.7 and this nine weeks he had all A's with two B+'s. Next semester, he will really have to buckle down because his classes will be a lot harder. I can't remember if I already talked about this but Keith has decided not to go out for basketball and instead will be running indoor track and lifting for football. He really was quite a good basketball player and would probably have seen some varsity time this year as a Sophmore. However, he really loves football and wants to get stronger and faster so Mark and I gave up trying to persuade him to play on the court.

Not really tapering for Sunday's marathon and I will probably regret it half way through the race. I ran 5 miles this morning and swam 1 mile that included 450yd pull. For some reason, my right hamstring was bothering me. I don't think it's a big deal because once I got warmed-up, it was fine. I'm alittle nervous about Sunday, I just don't want to get lost and I want to run if not a respectable time than at least a respectable place. I'll let everyone know how it turns out! Until next time...........

On The Trails

Ran 6.3 miles this morning on the trails in Mohican. Did it alittle different this morning by starting at the Firetower instead of the Covered Bridge. From the Tower, I got on the bike trail and ran north until I hit the horse trail and then ran on it, up to the Bridle Staging area. From there, I ran back to the Firetower and then headed south on the bike trail. I have never been on that part of the trail so it was a nice change of pace. There were hills and switchbacks but nothing too hard. The leaves are off the trees so foot placement is not as hard as it was a week or so ago. I ran between 10:30 and 11:00 min. miles which was very comfortable. I will probably try to run 10:00 min. miles or better during Sunday's Marathon. I really don't know how to run a marathon on the trails, alot will depend on the course. After my run, I went to the Y and swam a mile that included 300yd pull and 150yd kick. On the way home, I just had to stop at Wal-Mart to shop. LOL

Tomorrow, we will finally have a free night because High School football is over for us. Maybe Mark and I will go on a date!! Corey play's at Heidelberg on Saturday, Kyle has the weekend off and I will be running on Sunday. It's going to be a slow weekend!LOL

First Snow of the Season

Got up and out the door by 8:30 this morning without paying attention to what the weather was doing. Had on tights, a long sleeve shirt and glooves. I decided that I would be tough and not wear a hat or head band which was a big mistake. About a mile and a half into my run, I noticed it was starting to snow, but no big deal, I have ran in snow before! It started to snow harder and harder and it was that big, flake, wet snow that feels like rain. I couldn't believe it! The longer I ran, the more it started to snow and the wetter and colder I got! I think I looked like a snowman running down the road because the snow was sticking to me, my ears were freezing and my nose probably was fire engine red! I even had on my new road shoes that were delivered yesterday, so they got wet, which really pissed me off! So much for keeping my new shoes clean and dry! The other bad thing was, I had left our dog, Rollo, outside and he was soaked by the time I got back. Poor thing, I kind of felt sorry for him! Not only did I get wet and cold running, but I felt horrible! My legs were tired and I tried a heel lift in my right shoe that the foot Dr. wanted me to try, BIG MISTAKE!!! I had to stop and take it out at about mile 2 because it was making me feel unbalanced and my right leg was hurting. Maybe I have to just get use to it, don't really want to find out. I have enought problems with injuries without adding to them! Anyway, ended up with 6.5 miles, lifted weights and swam a mile and a half. I then went to Sam's Club to shop and spend money!!

Yesterday, I ran 7 miles and felt a heck of a lot better than today. Did weight lifting and then cleaned all the wood floors in the house. I need to start tapering for Sunday. I have never ran a marathon on the trails so I have no idea how to run it or what type of pace I should shoot for. I guess, I'll just go with the flow!!!

A Lemke Weekend

I haven't had any time until now to write anything about the weekend until now, so here goes.

The weekend started out Friday night at the Redbird Stadium. The Loudonville Rebird football team, which includes my son Keith, played the undefeated Fredericktown Freddies. As you can see from the first picture, it was parents night since it was the last home game. Unfortunately, the Redbirds lost in the last 30 sec. of the game with a score of 31-28. It was quite a great game but it just wasn't in the cards for us to win and of course , we made our share of mistakes! Keith had a good game on the defense side of the ball with 6 tackles. I am so proud of him this year. He worked very hard and did a great job all season. He loves football, like his older brother, so this winter he has decided not to go out for basketball and instead, he is going to lift and run indoor track. He wants to play football in college so that will be his concentration.

Saturday, turned out to be a great day! First of all, Kyle who runs for OWU, ran in the All-North Coast Athletic Conference C-C meet at Liberty Park in Powell, OH. He had quite a day running! Conditions weren't the best because it was cold, rainy and muddy! He was able to break into the varsity squad for the second time this season, placing 4th for the team and 30th overall out of 109 runners. For the 8k course, he ran a 27:56.3. The top four runners for OWU, were all sophomores! The team placed 4th behind Allegheny,Wabash and Oberlin. Good job, runners!
I don't have any pictures of Kyle at the meet because I was at Marietta watching Corey play his last football game at home.

Corey played his last home game of his football career at Marietta. It was Senior Day and they honored all the senior players and their parents. The picture above is us on the field before the game. Out of about 67 players that came in with Corey as freshman, there are only 6 left. I am so proud of Corey that he stuck it out!! At times, it was very rough for him, but he is my son and he knows how to stick things out!! They played Otterbein, who was undefeated and ranked 7th in the nation, until Saturday. Marietta hung tough to the very end and won!! Everyone was in total shock!! It was such an upset!! Marietta had only won one game until then! It was a great victory!! Sometimes, that's what it is all about, winning the one special game!! Corey had 6 tackles and 1 pass break-up. Great job, Corey!! It was kind of sad however, because that was his last game in Marietta. He will only have two more games and he will be done. He will miss it terribly because for the last 12 years of his life, he has gone nothing but eat, sleep and breathe football. He will adjust and move on to the real world!! We are so proud!!

My running went pretty good this weekend. Friday, I ran 6 miles, lifted weights and swam a mile and a half. Saturday, I ran 6.5 miles. On Sunday, I ran 15.5 miles on the trail at Mohican. Today, Monday, I ran 6.5 miles, lifted weights and swam a mile and a half. I have also decided to run the Bobcat Trail Marathon this coming Sunday, which should be my last race of the year, unless I decide to run a 5k here and there!!