the best ever!

Absolutely, positively, hands down, bar none! If you have had the opportunity to run in any of the Nike Women’s Half Marathon series races, I bet you know what I’m about to share. Yes, the best finisher’s medal necklace EVER! Compliments of Tiffany & Co.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I paid for that finisher’s necklace in a round about way, but it’s the only medal necklace I ever wear. Nike was pretty smart, I thought, when they paired with Tiffany & Co.  What girl doesn’t want a piece of Tiffany jewelry that showcases her favorite sport and passion, running! Drum roll, please!

We Run DC 2013 & 2014

And then there was the Nike Expo.  My BFF & BRF, Holly, ran Nike with me in 2013 & 2014 and when we were at the expo we were like, TAKE.MY.MONEY.NOW! I mean who can’t resist a pair of these awesome sneakers. Not me 🙂

Run DC

Oh So Pretty!

Honestly I’ve run my share of 5k’s, 1/2 marathons, and marathons, but nothing compares to the Nike races I was fortunate enough to run in Washington D.C. You can read the race recap here.

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While I’m on the topic of extremely impressive race swag, I can’t help but to mention the Baltimore Running Festival.  Their UnderArmour race shirts are the best and they never, ever disappoint!  I have several half marathon shirts and a 5k shirt.  I just need the marathon shirt to round out my collection. I may, just may, earn that shirt this fall but I’m truly on the fence.  I would love to run Baltimore again in the fall because when I ran the half-marathon last fall, I came home with this:

Yes, I’m a sucker for commemorative race jewelry and chances are if Pandora is going to show up in Baltimore, I’ll be there too in some fashion.  In the meantime, I’m headed to the beautiful city of Pittsburgh on Sunday to run the 1/2 marathon.  Who knows what I’ll bring home from there, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

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triathlon

tri-ath-lon

[trīˈaTHlən]  noun

a long-distance race that has three parts: swimming, bicycling, and running

As in:  Brilliant sunshine

on April 17th

Matt swimming 300 yards,

the first leg

of the sprint triathlon,

gliding through the water

taking a mere 6 minutes,

59 seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As in: Crystal blue skies,

time to jump on the bike,

peddle, peddle, peddle,

as fast as you can,

as fast as you can!

riding 16 miles

for 54 minutes & 56 seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As in: The last leg of the race,

run, Matt, run!

up the hills,

around the corner,

down the hills.

run, run, running,

3.1 miles

in 26 minutes, 16 seconds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As in: Crossing the finish line,

cheering for you!

a personal record,

a personal best,

1 hour, 30 minutes, 17 seconds-

easy-peasy!

swim

bike

run

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Triathlon in the Books

triathlon #10,

number ten complete!

how can that be?

Harrisburg 2 times,

Hempfield 3 times,

Mt. Gretna,

Cambridge 2 times,

Syracuse,

and

Lake Placid

70.3

140.7

more than just numbers,

it’s about

training,

dedication,

sweat,

pain,

perseverance,

determination,

strength,

tenacity

and

mind over matter.

you.got.this!

you can do hard things,

a swim, a bike, a run,

a triatlon!

triathlon buddies

 

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Mentor Text:

The Crossover 

by

Kwame Alexander

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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A Poem for Your Pocket

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day!

It’s a day where people celebrate by selecting a poem, carry it with them, and share it with others throughout the day at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, and workplaces.

The poem that I am sharing with my students and with you is from The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Its title is “Basketball Rule #3”.

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Basketball Rule #3

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https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day

 

Let’s Chat & Have Some Coffee Too

If we were chatting over coffee this morning, I would share…

that I am in week eleven of my half marathon training. My training plan is a twelve week plan so that means another race is around the corner.  The first weekend of May I will be running 13.1 miles in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh.  I ran the marathon last year and it is truly an awesome race and a fantastic city.  I do not have any more races scheduled this year, but I will let you know that there is a very strong possibility that I will be training for a full marathon (26.2 miles) in the fall.

If we were chatting over coffee this morning, I would share…

that  Matt and I have started a new tradition on Friday nights.  Let’s just say I call it “Fresh Fish Friday.” A new seafood store opened in our area right before Christmas and Matt has made it part of his routine to stop in on Fridays and bring home a great catch. When he arrives home, he whips up fabulous meals. I’m not going to lie; the man is an amazing chef! Our dinners have included salmon, halibut, soft-shelled crabs, and clams.  I’m also trying to enjoy, or should I say eat, oysters. Not too sure about them yet, but I’m trying.

If we were chatting over coffee this morning, I would share…

that I just finished the book The Crossover by Kwame Alexander.  I have to admit that I started this book some time ago and just could not get into the “reading zone.” You can guess what happened; I abandoned it. I did, however, keep hearing rave reviews about it, so I gave it a second chance.  And, boy-oh-boy, am I glad I did. I absolutely loved it!  There are so many wise words sprinkled throughout, and I’m a huge fan of books in verse.  Now I’m anxious to get my my hands on Booked by the same author. In the meantime though I’m actively reading Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, 59 Reasons to Write by Kate Messner, and Poetry Mentor Texts by Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli. Oh, and just so you know, spell check thinks Lynne’s last name is Doorman and Rose’s is Cappella.  I love technology!

If we were chatting over coffee this morning, I would share…

that Matt competed in a sprint triathlon on Sunday. His race recap will be posted shortly. Maddie just turned twenty and I don’t know where the time has gone. We have two more days of PSSA testing this week. The weather has been down right perfect here in Pennsylvania. And last but not least, I’m wondering what you would be sharing over coffee this morning!

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And Just Like That…

I remember when you were one,

we took you for walks in your stroller and snuggled in the afternoon.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were two,

we spent our time together at the pool and the playground.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were three,

we read from your basket of books and enjoyed milk & cookies.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were four,

we went to the Rail Trail and you learned to ride a two-wheel bike.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were five,

you went off to kindergarten-reading and writing on your own.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were six,

you loved playing in the backyard and taking care of your turtle, Puska.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were seven,

we took you to Boyd’s Bears and you brought home Grace.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were eight,

we moved into our new house and went to visit Micky Mouse.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were nine,

you went to a new school and Mrs. Patterson taught you cursive.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were ten,

you got your first pet, Nibbles our beloved chinchilla.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were eleven,

we went on vacation to Deep Creek Lake. Now it’s a family tradition.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were twelve,

you found a new passion in baking cakes and cupcakes.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were thirteen,

you played your oboe in the middle school band.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were fourteen,

you ran Cross Country for the varsity team and competed in States.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were fifteen,

you took your favorite class, chemistry biology.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were sixteen,

you found a new sense of freedom after getting your driver’s license.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were seventeen,

we visited colleges and you decided to attend Duquesne University.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were eighteen,

you graduated from high school and started college.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were nineteen,

you traveled on Spring break, leaving Mom & Dad behind.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

And so it is,

just like that,

now you’re twenty!

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(a slide-show of just a few of my favorite pictures through the years)

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April Is Here!

In April I see…

liveliness as the neighborhood stirs with eagerness to enjoy the day,

blossoms of perfect pink on the Kwanzan cherry tree,

wisps of yellow forsythia all around,

vibrant color of the lush green grass.

In April I hear…

honking of the gaggle of geese flocking to claim their territory,

pitter-patter of April showers on a hushed afternoon,

a chorus of spring peepers amidst wet, soggy ground,

cheering of children playing baseball at the park.

In April I feel…

crisp, clear air as the sun rises during a morning run,

the breeze of the warm swirling wind that brings delight,

warmth of the sun’s rays stretching longer each day,

excitement for the days ahead.

April is here!

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