IN LOVING MEMORY

On Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 at 6:44am, the world lost an amazing man while Heaven welcomed a Saint from earth. His name was William Bailey Hughes and he was my grandfather.

"The man is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had."

Robert Louis Stevenson 

I honestly have no words to adequately express the type of person my grandfather was. while this day has been expected for the past 3 years, it didn't make his passing any easier. Time is the one thing in this life that we can not stop, yet it is the most valuable gift and treasure. All the money in the world can not buy you a second of time. My grandfather lived the last 3 years of his life on borrowed time, and he made every moment count, knowing how precious memories would carry on long after he left this earth. In May of this year, he traveled to Alaska with my Grandmother, just to get a picture of them together in front of the State Capitol Building. That journey completed their 70 year quest to have their picture taken at every single state capitol building in the US. On July 4th weekend, my grandparents made the trip to my brother in laws farm to celebrate with us, despite my grandfathers horrible back pains.

 

On August 7th, my grandparents celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. He made her a promise that he wouldn't leave her on an odd year. He held on for his Ruby and loved her with every single ounce of his soul.

8/7/2019- celebrating 70 years of marriage

My grandfather was a firm believer in blood donation and gave nearly 20 gallons in his lifetime. He drove over 3.5 million safe miles as a professional truck driver and more times than not , greeted everyone with a "Merry Christmas". He was a selfless individual who always gave the best of himself to anyone who needed it and never expected anything in return. He was a brave soldier, one of the last few WWII veterans and served his country proudly. He was the man I named my sons after,a man I was proud to call my granddaddy, my biggest supporter, my strongest encourager. He was my superman, my hero (and the REAL reason I race with a Superman shirt). He is an end to an era that stayed connected without being " connected" and my heart ACHES to know his journey in this life has ended. Yet I find comfort and joy in the memories and moments and all of lifes lessons he taught me. I'll pass the knowledge he gave me to my children and will always honor his life and legacy....

I'll see you on the other side my friend.....

5 mile race PR

In April, 2 weeks after the Cooper River Bridge Run, I ran a spur of the moment race held in Columbia called the Heart and Sole 5 miler. Not only was this my first 5 mile race, it was my first all female race-no men allowed except to spectate and volunteer, of course.

I woke up to a chilly morning and full expectations that i could reach my A goal of 33 minutes (6:36 pace) Based on my previous 5k race in March of 20:33 (6:31pace), and the previous 10k at 6:52pace, i thought i could handle it.

I had to make an early start due to the 1hr and 45 minute drive to Columbia. Thankfully  I found my way without getting lost, parked and picked up my race packet. I ran into a handful of the fastest ladies in the state during my warm up. They were finishing up theirs while i was just getting started. i get in any easy mile and a half and make my way to the starting line. I see Shawanna,Shannon and Joy,and a really fast masters runner named Sarah. I do some striders before the race start to make me feel a like a "fast" runner but I really just laughed at myself.Top 5 runners would be awarded cash prizes, so my goal was top 10. The pace was going to be set to a fast pace just given the amount of talent that was lined up. Sarah asked me what my goals were and i said, "33? but in all honesty i just want to run these hills without dying and of course, most importantly, not to get lost!"
' (Shawanna had told me about the hills and to be on the look out for course markers, bc some turns werent marked very well). Sarah gave me a huge smile and said just remember this isnt a 5k, dont try to run it like one by going out way too fast and then not have any gas left in the tank for the final 2 miles. she told me what miles to expect the hills, which i was very grateful for!(basically hills after the first mile)

We line up, gun goes off, and off we go!
I knew I needed to have a 6:31 pace so I would try to hold steady. I also knew there were hills so my plan was to use every bit of downhill to make up for the time lost going up.
mile 1-6:32
I was happy to see that,and I was also happy to be trailing the 6th palce female. Maybe I could hang on her heels? At the start of miel 2 the lead runners broke off from the pack. mile 2 there was a slight hill. ugh. but I still have yellow shirt girl in my sights...
mile 2: 6:43
oh boy, I started to get tired. the girl in front of me was picking up her pace, I was losing sight of her. I knew I needed to see mile 3 at 20 minutes then fly on the down hills in order to reach my A goal.
mile 3-7:03
This is a 20:18. Im 18 seconds off pace. I was ok with that. anything in the 33 range is what I was aiming for next. I still needed those 6:30s for the last 2 miles.
But then my wheels fell off. helllloooo hills!!!!!!!

I received several encouraging words by spectators, I heard some one shout"youre top 10!". I looked behind me and didnt see anyone. I lost sight of the number 6 gal.I was in no mans land and had officially jumped on the pain train. and to make it worse I had no idea where I was going. I had to ask the volunteers and spectators which way to go, or ask if this was the right turn. this threw me off my already struggling pace.
mile 4-7:06
oh jeez, I tried to do mental math to see how fast I needed to be in order to see sub 34. once I knew a sub 34 want in the cards, I focused on a sub 35,which I had calculated in my head I would need a sub 7 mile. my ipod died so I was left with silence except for the negative self talk in my head. ugh another hill, but sweet mother mary of jesus, a down hill finish!!!!!! the last half mile, I put my head down, climb the hill and then sprint my way down to the finish....
mile 5-6:57
last 0.05-5:37
34:41 (6:51pace)

 I crossed the line and immediately I had so many negative thoughts in my head. I was really disappointed  and was just being really hard on myself. however, this feeling didn't last very long. I mean how could it when I was surrounded by so many uplifting and supportive women???? I found my "fast running friends" congratulated them all and was asked to go on a cool down run. several of the ladies had to get in their long run and were running around 5-10 extra miles. I ended up doing a 3 mile cooldown and had great conservations with the overall winner (she was 5 months pregnant at the time and ran a sub 30!) and the rest of the top 10 ladies.  I ended up placing 7th overall.

Top 10 ladies!!

I received a rose and a big medal when I crossed the Finish Line and then I won a pink foam roller and a dicks gift card for winning my age group. While I didn't execute this race very well, I am very thankful to have been surrounded by so much positivity. I love the comradery of this sport, and am glad I was able to be part of this race, fighting for a great cause-heart disease in women.
Im looking forward to nexts years race, and hopefully I will be better prepared and execute a better race plan!

10k PR

Hey Hey blogland! It’s been a while I know. So much has happened in since I last blogged. But first up, a 10k recap from April. The Cooper River Bridge Run. I love to hate it, hate to love it.
So, a quick recap:
An early wake up call. My friend picked me up and dropped me and her husband off about 2 miles from the start line. That wasn’t the plan but traffic was horrible. We were running a few minutes late. But Jim and I made the 2 mile warm up, met up with the CRC and fleet feet running friends. Jim’s goal was 40 minutes. My goal was faster than 43:17, which is what I ran last year.  I went in this race not in the best conditioning, less fitness than last year. But I was confident I could get a PR based on the 5 mile race I did a few weeks prior to this race. All I needed was a 6:56 pace to see sub 43.
The race Plan:
Since the CRBR has a huge bridge in the middle of it, it’s good to have a race plan. Last year I went out way too fast and died up the incline of the bridge with my wheels falling off by mile 4. This year my plan was simple. Take the first mile faster than goal pace (6:30) get a good groove going up the incline of the bridge, then take the down hill mile fast and just hang in to sub 7 pace the last 2 miles.

The race:
Gun goes off and I’m determined to stick to the race plan which includes not sprinting up the bridge. I see mile 1 in 6:35. ( and I lost sight of Jim, he took off fast!)So far so good! And then a weird thing with the weather happens. It had been sunny at the start of the race. I had sunglasses on. At the start of mile 2, I thought my sunglasses were fogging up due to the humidity. Well turns out it was actual fog. I ran the entire way up the bridge and down the bridge in fog. I couldn’t see the 3 mile marker or even the top of the bridge so I didn’t have a point of reference. This was a blessing in disguise!!!! I relied on how my legs felt. And how I felt the inclined and decline. I was wanting to see under 7:20 pace for miles 2 and 3 ( the incline parts of the bridge) I see 7:07 for mile 2, 7:27 for mile 3. I knew I needed to get a faster mile on the decline then just hold on for the ride until the finish.
When the decline started, I picked my pace up and told myself I’m over half way done.  My legs were starting to feel a little heavy as the decline turned into flat land. I knew this stretch of flat would feel tough. I see mile 4 at 6:27. Right on target!!! Now it was just a matter of keeping a sub 7 pace until the finish. Miles 5 and 6 were hard both mentally and physically. The fog had lifted after I turned the corner off the bridge and on flat ground. The crowd support was awesome. I see mile 5 in 6:51. Just 1 more mile. All my thoughts turned towards my grandfather that final mile. I was running for those who could not. Every time I thought about how bad I felt I pushed a little harder. Or at least I tried to. I see mile 6 in 6:59. I was happy to see another sub 7! I was following the race plan nicely BUT I had to sprint the last .2 if I was expecting to see sub 43. I somehow manage a 6:25 pace the final .24 and finish with a 42:56!!!!!

I finished 7th in my AG, 56th female overall and 446th person overall out of around 30,000 runners! I made top 500, and got a PR! Yay! I was so glad to finish and finally be done! I see a lot of friends and CRC crew. I find Jim and he CRUSHED his goal and ended up getting a 38xx! Which means he will get a in the sub 40 corral next year!! I was super excited for him. He worked hard for it.
After the race Jim and I hit the after party for a bit, grab some free goodies then we find Dawn. She drives me back home and I then I took a long hot epsom salt bath. PRs sure do hurt!

Final thoughts:

I know I have a faster time in me  42:56 on the bridge is good but I wonder what I can do on a flat course? Can I break 40? I think that answer is a YES! But this year of training hasn’t been the greatest  more in that later  but I’m so proud of this race  I ran last year in much better condition and higher fitness levels  but I think following the race plan on a strategic course paid off   I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do next year!!