Fall running efforts

I had a busy fall, running two half marathons and one 4.75 mile race on Thanksgiving day. The two half marathons were numbers 2 and 3 for me, and included 100% solo training. Running through the back roads of Connecticut was very interesting - and a great way to put running into perspective. The fact that the training was all done by myself, with no one asking if I would be there, or if I could go faster or slower,  or if I minded if they walked some. Those decisions were all mine. I was proud of the effort I put forth this year, and surprised myself at how many times I got up early and headed out for what I knew was going to be a very difficult effort. All in all, I enjoyed the overall experience, but am not sure I am ready to do that all over again anytime soon.

The last race was done with the entire family - a great way to start the day on Thanksgiving. Kaite started running with me, and stuck with me for over a mile. She put forth a great amount of effort - and knew when to pull up and wait for her mom and brother. At that point, I was able to put my head down and power through the rest of the first hill. After that hill, there was a very long downhill run - and I so enjoyed that! I just let my body flow down the hill, and ended the race with a 10:15 pace which is the best I've done on any run that long. Next year, I am shooting for a 9:30 pace for the race, but the crowd and my prep will be the things to determine if that is realistic. I loved the fact that the entire family participated - and that was the very best part about the race when all is said and done!

College, here we come...

It is really hard to believe that our son is starting to visit colleges. As a high school senior, the time is now. This weekend, he is visiting two colleges in Vermont, and stopping by a third to get a good view of the campus of a much larger university (my wife’s grad school). Jake and his two closest friends have come a long way since they started in kindergarten together. There is so much for him to do, and so much for us to do. We need to look at finances, logistics, and to help guide him into making the best decision he can.

School Starts Again

The summer has seemingly come to an end. School started for the kids this week, and Sue and I went to our first College Info meeting for Senior parents. Lots of great information was presented by two of the school counselors, and we got to meet the new high school principal. Jake’s main counselor is very familiar with Sue, but I finally got to put a face to the name I’ve heard for over a year. She is just as nice as I have heard.

The information was presented in a very organized way, making the overwhelming info into a sensible format. That said, I am really glad that Sue is the organized one that will be helping Jake get the paperwork completed. I’ll input the financial information, but Sue will get the rest done with Jake’s input.