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Has anyone bought or seen Sweet Summer Love?
I have ordered two, they should arrive in a few weeks, I am just wondering if anyone has seen one in bloom or if you have ordered one. I love SAC, it is perfect for me here, no problem being invasive so far, dependable, love everything about it, so I hope Sweet Summer Love is as impressive.
Hi, I ordered one last year. I don't know if it survived or not, as it is under a ton of snow yet :)
It was a mail order plant around 4 inches high. I didn't see much of growth. Slugs seemed to like it bit, as it was a young plant.
It's a good thing you ordered two. You can try them in different locations and test them.
Yes true-blue, I have some that bloom one or two blooms the first year, and some that just sit. I will let you know, as all of my SAC that I have ordered from this company have bloomed the first year, maybe I will be lucky. I hope I do not have unreal expectations on this one. I will post a pic if I should get some summer or fall blooms. Thank you, Debra
My only clematis, which bloomed the first year, was also Sweet Autumn. It was a first!
It might be possible that your's might flower, given you have a longer growing season. But in my experience, least expectation is the easiest way of gardening. :-)
Keep us posted, anyway. I'll write somewhat later, around June probably to post about my SSL...
Sweet Summer Love arrived today, with a brown stem already which is a good sign for me. I never plant Clematis until the stem is brown or hardened at least 8 inches. I have learned alot the hard way. Yes, true-blue, my season is much longer than yours, most of my Clems are almost 24" already and several have a bloom bud or two. I will post pictures as soon as they start blooming.


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Category: Running
Making it Work
|January 30, 2015
|Posted by Lauren under Running
(Tim Gunn Style)
First – thank you for making me feel so loved on my last post. Unfortunately my blog has apparently decided to stop emailing me when people comment, so between that and just not being in the habit of checking this space on a regular basis, I actually had no idea people said anything for a long time. I'm sorry…I don't know how to fix the issue, but I'm working on it.
When I think about all the things I love most about running – that long list that makes me excited to get out the door – waking up before 5:00 AM to run in place on a moving belt while staring out a dark window is not one of them.
Picture from a rare morning when I actually got to run later than 5:00AM
Who would've thought, right?
And yet, 3ish times per week, I find myself doing that very thing. Cursing my 4:4X alarm after a night of restless sleep and crazy dreams about how I've already done my workout, stumbling through the motions of getting ready and getting myself out the door as quickly as possible. Trying not to slip on the ice in the dark and praying my car will actually start despite the negative temperature (the one time it did not start because it was -15? The absolute worst.). And then making the 8 minute drive to the gym so that I can check in, strip down and start running by 5:15, so that I can be back home by 6:15 and showered/ready to nurse Amelia around 6:30 (yes, we're still nursing. More on that another time if anyone is actually interested).
It's a bit disorienting to leave in the dark and come home in the dark to a (usually) sleeping house. And it feels like a mad rush from the second I wake up until the second Amelia and I sprint out the door for work at 7:20. There's no time to ease into the run. No time for cooling down or stretching or any of that other good stuff you're supposed to do after a good run. I have just enough time to run 5-6 miles, walk for a minute or two afterward, and go.
But in a weird way, I kind of love it. There's something so nice about being done with my run by 6:00 AM. And despite how hard it is to get up, and the fact that I crash at 8:00 every night, my day just feels better after a morning run. I'm more energized, more alert…happier. It's not enough to make me want to do it every single day of the week. But it's enough to make it a regular part of the routine.
Plus the reality is if I don't wake up, I have weeks like the beginning of this one (or let's be honest, like the months between Nov and Jan). Where it's suddenly Thursday and I haven't run once. Because on Monday I wanted a rest day (despite knowing there was a blizzard coming), and Tuesday we were snowed in and then Wednesday I turned off my alarm at 3:00 in the morning because I was nervous about the state of the roads after said storm, vowed to run at work instead but then right around 2:00 when I was getting ready to go, got a visit from Amelia and her teacher because of a bad rash/temperature. And so instead of a run, my afternoon consisted of sitting in the pediatrician's office only to be told that she's just fighting off a virus (like usual), the rash is fine, she doesn't need to be out of daycare.
In short, like so many others, if I don't run at the crack of dawn I don't get to run at all. I know this is not unique. That many grown adults with responsibilities have been doing it for years. I also know that I'm lucky enough to be able to squeeze in a lunch run from work once a week or so. And despite the hassle of lugging all my running stuff in along with everything else and then showering again in the middle of the day, and despite the fact that a good portion of my coworkers think I'm crazy, I love those runs out in the fresh air…after food and caffeine and sitting all morning. But I can't always count on them. So instead I wake up, drag myself to the treadmill, and pound out a workout while many are still asleep.
It sets the tone for my day. At least that's what I'm trying to tell myself. It's a good habit, provides structure and routine, and honestly makes me feel like I'm sort of training again…even though my mileage is still very low. Those early morning treadmill runs have even brought the return of speedwork into my life. It's relatively short and doubly painful so early, but man does it feel good. Yesterday, for the first time since I can remember, I ran a workout that made me want to puke – 3 mile repeats in the middle of a 6 mile run. No stopping in between, just a quick 0.25 mile recovery jog. Maybe not a workout to really write home about, but it was the hardest I've pushed in a long time. It made me feel strong while reminding me how far I still have to go. And it sure made the time on the treadmill pass by a lot faster.
Someday I'll take those early morning runs outside again. And I'll actually have time for more than 5-6 rushed miles. But for now, when it's pitch black and the temperature is below zero, I will make it work by stumbling my way onto the treadmill…thankful, at least, to not be battling humidity.
Except for today. It's Friday, it's (lightly) snowing, and the temperature is supposed to rise to freezing (32 degrees). Which at this point is a basically a heatwave. So today, I'm running outside at lunch.
On Monday, when the single digits return, I will retreat back to the safety of my treadmill…just me and the handful of other people crazy enough to be at the gym as soon as it opens. (Though not quite as crazy as those who actually manage to run outside in the dark and single digit temps.)
At least winter is bound to end at some point, right?
Oh and in case you want to know what, exactly, I'm training for? The answer is TBD. I've got my eye on a few spring/summer half marathons plus a summer relay, so for the past month I've been trying to reestablish a base after all those weeks of barely running. But it's almost February and it's time to actually commit to a 2015 race schedule. So more to come.
CHaD Hero Half Marathon Race Recap
|November 13, 2014
|Posted by Lauren under Running
I have been terrible about race recaps. Unfortunate, since those are the most fun to write (and read!). And since this is supposed to be a running blog, you'd think I'd be jumping at the opportunity for "content." Although my erratic blogging is a topic for another day, I suppose it's not really a coincidence that of the last 4 races I've run, the only one that made it to the blog was the 5K where I ran a PR. Maybe I'm vainer than I'd like to admit.
So here we are, over 2 weeks later, in the midst of other awesome marathon recaps and post-NYCM excitement, and I am about to babble on about a race where I well enough — not bad but certainly not a groundbreaking performance. Aren't you excited?
CHaD Hero
The CHaD Hero race weekend is a fundraiser for Dartmouth Children's Hospital. The Half Marathon was only one of three events that day and the entire atmosphere was of one big party. The course is well organized, there is good support (from bands, performers and crowds), the post-race feast is delicious and plentiful, and it's truly an inspiring event to be a part of. Trust me, that's not a word I use lightly. There were huge teams running in honor/memory of someone. Looking around at all the shirts with faces on the back at the starting line was incredibly moving.
And if all that was not enough to make we want to make this race a yearly tradition, the start is only about 3 miles from my house. You can't ask for a more super relaxing and easy race morning than that!
So while I loved being a part of the weekend, I won't say it's because of the course itself. This is a certified half marathon course and I know…the course is the course is the course. But it felt long. And it was harder than expected (no excuse for this really. See "race was basically in my town.") All the turns and the weaving around people in the beginning made it hard to run the tangents, and the very hilly last 3 miles seemed to drag on forever. From the beginning, my watch was 0.1 miles ahead of the official mile marker and that gap only grew throughout the race (finished at 13.3), despite my constant wish for things to even out.
I am ashamed to admit this now, but I was a slave to that stupid watch, completely unable to trust my body to tell me how fast to run. So the fact that it was beeping for the mile well before I could see the official marker really got into my head. Which is why, even though I ran a smart, strong race — never bonked or hit the wall, never felt like I hadn't trained enough or had that moment when I swore off running for good – why I was left feeling a little disappointed. Not so much about my time as about my attitude.
How's that for an uplifting introduction? As ashamed as I am that I let something as trivial as my Garmin splits throw me off for a race, it's all a part of this comeback journey, right? Part of learning how to race again, learning to trust my body, and remember what it's like to truly run by effort and know when to push.
So let's get on to the actual race, shall we?
Race Day
The half marathon didn't actually start until noon on Sunday, which made fueling a bit tricky. Evan and I woke up early (babies don't sleep in on the weekends), had a couple eggs and a piece of toast, and just sort of milled around with my parents for a few hours. All those things that I would have done the night before – finalizing my race outfit, making sure the Garmin and iPod (my other annoyance during the race – more about that later) were charged – I had put off until that morning since I had plenty of time.
Around 10:30 I figured I better eat something else, so I rushed down a piece of toast with almond butter, banana and honey. Standard race breakfast. I chugged more Nuun, nursed Amelia and finally around 11:15 or so, headed to the start. In hindsight, we probably could have waited until 11:55 to drive over, but the nerves got the best of me. My dad dropped Evan and I off right in front of the town green and we burned off some nervous energy by jogging around and using the portapotties a few times. Finally it was time to line up. The announcer had us recite the CHaD Hero oath (which included not complaining about the course…oops) and we were off!
The 5K and Half Marathon started together, making it hard not to get caught up in the surge of people at the start. Combine that with the slight downhill for the first two miles and my conservative plan to go out around 7:20-7:25, settle in and then drop the pace down from there (goal: 7:15s) was completely out the window. But I felt good and strong, so we went with it.
Somewhere around mile 2.5 or so…awesome form, LBC. Note the guy in sunglasses and bright orange shirt. He was an official pacer. This is important.
The first 3 miles weaved through Downtown Hanover before we heading over the Connecticut River and into Vermont. Those first two miles ticked off fast (7:07, 7:02). I knew my official splits were a little slower, but I still felt like I was moving at a decent clip — at least until the 7:30/mile pacer whizzed by us just before mile 3. Evan and I looked at each other in disbelief, and immediately I started to panic. Was I going that much slower than I even realized?
No sooner did Mr. 7:30 pacer pass us, but we saw my parents waiting with Amelia at the top of our first (only) really long descent. I wanted to yell — don't be nervous! I swear we aren't running 7:30s! But they didn't care. They were so excited to see us, so excited to show Amelia her parents, that I'm not even sure they noticed we were even behind him. My mom bounced Amelia up and down, and she waved at us with the biggest grin on her face. It was all I could do to not stop and scoop her up.
Seeing them helped me forget about pacing for a little while. We were entering my favorite part of the course – the Vermont section. Back on familiar roads where I did many long runs over the summer. The temperature was perfect, my legs were feeling warmed up and I just felt settled into a pace, trying to hold myself back because the numbers on the watch were making me nervous. I didn't really notice the gradual uphill during these miles. It just felt good to be running.
We gradually started gaining on the 7:30 pacer and the girl that was running with him (who seemed to be his biology study buddy?? Totally what I talk about when I'm racing too…). We had just pulled up alongside them when a man who was watching from the sidelines pointed to her and then to me, saying "6th woman, 7th woman!"
From that moment, it was on. Because, you know, getting 6th place in a race was exactly what I had been shooting for all along! My first reaction was to turn to Evan and say, "I wish he didn't say that." The competitive juices had started flowing and I couldn't stop them. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to be competitive. Wasn't sure this girl even considered me her competition. But it didn't matter. Whoever she was or whatever her goal for the day might have been, there was no way I was going to let her beat me. So without even really thinking about it, I picked up the pace just a notch and inched ahead of her and that annoying pacer.
Don't be jealous of my awesome race day outfit matching skills. Orange and pink are the new "it" colors for the season. Trust me on this one.
For the next couple of miles, Evan and I ran side by side without saying much – except to remark on how annoying it was that the mile markers seemed to be getting further and further apart (I know, I know). When we turned to head back into the center of Norwich, he told me he felt like we were going too fast and was afraid he was going to blow up. I told him I just wanted to make it to the hill after mile 9. I knew that would slow us down, so the entire race I had just been focused on making it to that spot. If I could keep a consistent and steady pace until then, it didn't matter what happened in those final miles.
New favorite race picture of all time! Feeling as strong and steady as I looked at mile 8.
We ran down along the Connecticut river, rounded the corner back across the bridge, and suddenly my family was there again. Waving and cheering and smiling! It was awesome and the perfect boost before the climbing began. I turned the corner to go up the hill and felt a little pep in my step. Trying to focus on one step at a time, I envisioned myself powering up the hill like a locomotive.
In reality it wasn't quite that powerful or smooth. But at least the effort felt steady. And that is where I lost Evan. I briefly debated slowing down and waiting for him. Despite my warnings before the race that I wouldn't, I hated not having him by my side. I thought if only I could get him to catch up with me again, he would be able to pace off of me the rest of the way.
In the end I just kept running. I was too afraid to break my own momentum…and half-convinced he was right behind me.
At mile 10, we reached the cruelest part of the course. After a mile of climbing, you run back through Hanover, across the main green and right past the finish line. There were people finishing and I still had 3 more miles to go. Awesome.
Debating if anyone would notice me making a u-turn to the finish
The fun just kept on coming. We climbed another steep hill that I didn't know existed before the race. I had told myself the hill a mile before was all that I had to make it through – this one felt even worse! We turned a corner into a residential neighborhood and it seemed to keep climbing. I willed my legs to move forward, but they just didn't have any speed in them. I kept wondering if I should take the gel I stashed in my shorts just in case, but since I hadn't trained with them and haven't taken a gel since, I don't know? 2012? I ultimately decided not to. Just kept powering along, telling myself that with all this climbing it HAD to be downhill to the finish.
I was wrong. The elevation profile will tell you that there were, in fact, some downhill stretches in the last 3 miles. I didn't notice them. Somehow it seemed like an endless climb. And my legs just had no speed. No power. I wasn't spent or ready to puke, but I still couldn't push any faster. Or maybe I had given up. By this point I had stopped looking at my watch, discouraged when I realized at mile 10 that I was going to finish more than a minute slower than what I had calculated. Any rational person probably would have turned off autolap and manually lapped their watch at the mile markers, or at least turned the screen to simply show the time of day or something, anything to get over the inaccuracies. But I wasn't thinking rationally. I was just pissed – pissed that my watch wasn't lining up with the course, pissed that I was pacing according to my watch and not the course in the first place, and pissed that I had let something so silly get into my head so much…especially for a race that I wasn't going to PR anyway.
Demonstrating more awesome running form
Finally we headed back through campus and I knew the finish line had to be close. I tried to pick up the pace and someone remarked that I was "making it look too easy" but it didn't feel easy. My brain was not communicating with my legs the way that I wanted to. I felt weird and disconnected. Like that pain place I used to know how to get to (and through) no longer existed for me. So I continued my steady run right across the finish line.
If you look really closely, you can see a man in a tan jacket and tan hat on the lefthand side of the photo, standing out into the course a little. That would be my Dad — my Mom is the little speck of blonde hair behind him. They both were amazing cheerleaders AND babysitters. We couldn't have done the race without them!
Also, today is my Dad's birthday, in case you want to send him a note.
And immediately felt guilty. I didn't see Evan. I was annoyed at myself for being so annoyed during the race, and upset with myself for leaving Evan — and all for what? For a moment, my attitude went from bad to worse, and suddenly the strong, relatively even paced race I had just run became this complete failure in every way. Talk about dramatic. (I am not proud, I will admit. And yes, I can now see how ridiculous I was about the whole thing.) I stood there, scanning the crowd, hoping that each person I saw would be Evan nearing the finish line. Finally, 4 minutes later he came in, happy and proud of his effort, while I blubbered like a baby and apologized for something he never asked me to do.
So my race day mental game and focus? Needs some work. The endurance is there, the strength is there, even the building blocks for that mental focus are there. I had my iPod on me the entire time in case I needed it, but I never even wanted it. For the first time in any distance race, I preferred the silence of my footsteps and thoughts over music. Instead it just became another annoyance as I tried to keep the stupid cords from bouncing around by wrapping them into my sports bra.
In spite of everything, I still managed to place 2nd in my age group, and was somehow able to hold onto that overall female finish spot (and the first place girl in my AG actually finished 3rd overall, but they awarded her both prizes, so…).
Finish: 1:36:04 (7:20 pace); 46th overall, 7th woman (my friend at mile 5 must've counted wrong because no female passed me after I thought I was in 6th), and 2/141 AG
Just because I found it interesting: 5 of the 6 women ahead of me were under 25 – talk about a group of fast, young women (thinking the Dartmouth track and cross country teams must have been well represented here)! Only 3 of the ladies in the top 10 were in their 30s…it's not every day I feel like the old lady of the group.
For my prize, I won this super cool, exclusive cup that Amelia immediately claimed. I figured she earned it more than I did for being such a trooper the entire day. She missed her afternoon nap to sit outside and wait in the damp cold. And didn't complain once. That's worthy of a gold star in my book.
Here's how the splits broke down. Keep in mind that these don't add up to my overall official pace
Net Elevation
|Mile 1 – 7:07
|Mile 2 – 7:02
|Mile 3 – 7:10
|Mile 4 – 7:02
|Mile 5 – 7:16
|Mile 6 – 7:10
|Mile 7 – 7:03
|Mile 8 – 7:04
|Mile 9 – 7:31
|Mile 10 – 7:36
|Mile 11 – 7:38
|Mile 12 – 7:09
|Mile 13 – 7:17
|Last 0.3 – 6:43 pace
|The only flat section!
|Garmin: 13.3 miles in 1:36:06 (7:14 pace)
|Official: 13.1 miles in 1:36:04 (7:20 pace)
And the elevation profile. The entire course was rolling – not sure there was any section besides that final stretch that you could consider "flat."
So there you have it. A tale of how a crummy attitude can ruin an otherwise good race. Overall I really loved being able to run most of the half with Evan, and it has lit the fire for speed. I know I can run faster. I know I have another gear. I just need to remember how to access it.
Not sure what's next for me. But I know it's going to include speedwork.
Race Week! Let's Talk "Goals"
|October 24, 2014
|Posted by Lauren under Running
It's been awhile since I've written one of these.
Sunday is technically my "goal" race. The one I have been training for all season.
Please note that I use the word training lightly here, since I wouldn't say it's been particularly strict or intense. But I have been running. There was a "cycle." I built up my mileage and I tried to stay consistent. There wasn't exactly any speed work, but I occasionally ran fast and did a few short races to work on speed. And I've even seen a little improvement. My endurance has gotten better, my paces have dropped. I think I am a stronger runner now than I was in June.
But I am not where I want to be – where I hoped I'd be way back when I was plotting my comeback. I've come to peace with this and I honestly have no regrets about the way my training went down. Just stating a fact.
So when it comes to setting goals for Sunday, I am sort of at a loss. I can look at projected time calculators and obsess over pacing all I want, but when it comes down to it, I still don't really trust what my body can do. Racing still feels like unfamiliar territory – that confidence I used to feel on a starting line has not quite returned.
But I also would be lying if I said I had no goals whatsoever. That I would be happy just to finish this half marathon. I did that back in April. This time, I want more.
This is what I do know:
A. I want to race this thing. Whatever that means for Sunday, I want to go into the half marathon ready to run "competitively" (with myself) and know that I ran as fast as I could on that day.
B. I would like to run faster than I did during my first postpartum half back in April (<1:48:28). I think (hope) I've got this one in the bag, but you know…anything can happen.
C. Ideally I want to see a 1:3X on that clock when I cross the line. I realize this is a very big range (anywhere from 7:33 to 6:51 pace), but I will not be quite as happy with anything over 1:40. There, I said it.
D. While I would love to PR (<1:33:07), I know I am not in that kind of shape. The unrealistic side of me focuses on the fact that my PR half was run on a snowy day in the middle of marathon training when I was battling a really awful chest cold. I would like to think I could (theoretically–someday) run faster. But my sane, practical side knows that even sick Lauren from 2011 was faster than I am now.
So where does that leave me? Doing a whole lot of babbling over a whole lot of nothing, you could say.
Given how my runs have gone over the past few months, I think a 1:35 is probably a realistically challenging goal. If I can hold a 7:15 pace for 13.1 miles, I will be more than happy. I guess we will see how it goes!
Evan will be running with me, so the other part of my goal of course is to not let him beat me. At our last race (which I promise to recap soon only because it was awesome), I chased Evan the entire way. Finally caught him in the last 0.5 mile, passed him and thought I really opened up the lead in the final stretch. So imagine my surprise when I crossed the finish line and suddenly saw a flash of his bouncy dark hair right next to me. The jerk leaned across the line for the tie. And since E comes before L in the alphabet, he is now listed first in the results for all of eternity.
At least we have documentation of our "photo finish." So I will leave you with that, and let you be the judge…
Back soon with race recaps! Best of luck to everyone racing this weekend!
Training & Life Update
|September 19, 2014
|Posted by Lauren under Running
It's National Run@Work Day! Anyone celebrating? My office is hosting our own Run/Walk@Work event next week (just want to be nonconformists, I suppose) but I'll still be getting in a few miles during lunch today. It's the least I could do to support the awesome sport of running, you know?
Anyway, it's been awhile, but that's kind of the norm around here now. So let's just jump right in!
Fall Racing
After 100on100, I took a full week off to recover. The event itself really deserves its own post (I keep meaning to, I promise!), but the short version is that it was an amazing, grueling race…in a completely different way than the 200-mile overnight relay.
The highlights: I was really happy with how I ran, I absolutely loved the course (every leg was scenic!), and I am already planning for next year. But more about that later.
I didn't intend to take a week completely off running after the race, but it took longer for the desire to come back than it did for my legs to feel whole again. And in the end, I think the extended rest was good. Despite training at a lower volume than I used it, I'm finding that it takes a bigger toll on my body these days. That complete week of rest gave me the boost I needed to start ramping up again.
Now I'm happy to be back in training. The big race for the fall is the CHaD Hero Half Marathon. It feels a little strange to "just" be training for a half, but the theme of this year has been rebuilding. I really want to work on getting my endurance back, building up a little bit of speed, and making regular training a habit again.
And this race really is the perfect one to train for. The course is practically in my backyard, it's for a great cause, Evan wants to run it too, AND my parents are coming up from NC to babysit Amelia. So basically all the stars have aligned. Although I'm pretty certain that a PR is not feasible, I really just want to get back into racing distance again. I'll talk more about goals in a future post, but the main purpose of this is to shake the rust off and finish "competitively" (by my own standards – which basically means faster than the one I ran in April). Oh, and beating Evan would be nice. Or at least not getting smoked by him in the final sprint.
Right now the other race on my calendar is the Harpoon Brewery Octoberfest during Columbus Day weekend. This will be our 3rd year in a row running, and this year I've got my sights set on a case of beer. The distance is weird (3.6 miles) and the fee is a bit steeper than a typical 5K, but for awesome beer mugs and post-race drink tickets, it's more than worth it. Plus, did I mention the cases of beer up for grabs for the top finishers?
My goal for this cycle is to build up to consistently running 6 days per week again…easier said than done, it seems! I've been at 5 for awhile now and honestly, that feels pretty comfortable. I don't remember it being so difficult in the past but man, these days it tires me out. In an ideal world, I would also like to get myself back over 40 mpw for the first time since pre-pregnancy. I've been sitting pretty comfortably in the low/mid-30s and surprisingly, it feels like enough. If I don't make it out of the 30s before the half, I won't stress about it. I know I can complete one on less (though maybe wouldn't recommend it). However, I would like to feel decently competitive at this race, which means stepping outside my comfort zone for just a few weeks.
The biggest wrench in my training lately has been the increasingly shorter days. I could write a whole post whining about this, but in the end it just sounds like a bunch of excuses. Short story long – I got into a habit of running in the early morning over the summer and, for the first time in my life, started to enjoy it (but shhhh I still won't call myself a morning runner). Lately, however, I'm finding it harder to get myself out the door. Not just because it's early and cold(er), but the dark makes me nervous. It's not like I've never run in the dark before. There's just something about the pre-dawn darkness at 5:30AM that feels a little more unsafe than 5:30PM.
I don't necessarily think my greatest threat is other people. I live in a safe, low-crime area (yes, I know, I still need to be alert because anything can happen) that is also pretty rural with very few sidewalks. At least part of every single run is along the major route through town. And in the darkness of the morning, I've seen my life flash before my eyes a few times while running along stretches with a thin shoulder as cars speed toward me with their brights on.
I'm not sure what the best solution to this issue is. I wear reflective gear, don't listen to music, and stay completely alert. I've been trying to experiment with running at different times of day, but really my best chance at running more than 5 miles is in the morning. Lunchtime runs are short, the window between finishing work and daycare closing really only gives me 45-50 minutes, and running after I get home is tough because it throws off everyone's (read: the baby's) schedule. Plus the dog doesn't get his walk. Just one more thing to feel guilty about…
Yes, I know, this is a really minor problem that I'm making into a big one. In reality, I just need to suck it up and get it done when I can…just like every other person who fits training into their life. But if anyone has any tips, advice or can commiserate, I'd love to hear it!
Amelia is going to be 9 months on Sunday; 40 weeks on the 27th. Out as long as she was in. These past 9 months have gone by in a blur. She is crawling, standing, and walking with assistance. She hasn't met a food she doesn't love, loves going for runs with us in the BOB (she "sings" to herself on our runs) and waves at everyone and everything. Watching someone learn new skills every single day is one of the most amazing things I've ever gotten to experience. She has already changed so much from that teeny little newborn and I know it's only going to keep getting better.
I still have a love/hate relationship with work. The roller coaster of loving my job and feeling as though I'm doing something meaningful one minute and hating the fact that I work the next has not really faded since I've been back. Fortunately, however, the ache of being away from the baby during the day that I felt in those first few weeks is long gone. I see how much she has blossomed in daycare, I see how she interacts with the kids there and I see how much she truly loves her "teachers" and it makes me happy. Makes me think that this is good for her (and for me)…or so I hope.
And in terms of my body? It's different. Not "back" but not gone either…if that makes any sense. I plan to do more of an update on this later only because it's relevant to running/racing, but I will tell you that as long as my body is able to run I'm happy. I've seen glimpses of that old speed come back during recent races and random runs (like a 6-mile sub-7 evening run that came out of nowhere), and it's incredibly encouraging. Gradual forward progress. That's really all anyone can ask for, I think.
Cigna 5K Race Recap
|August 29, 2014
|Posted by Lauren under Running
Last year, when I was pregnant and relatively naïve about motherhood, I made lots of grand claims (both publicly and privately) about running and training post-pregnancy. It's my first time doing this whole parenting thing after all, and so I had no frame of reference – no real idea of what life would be like on the other side. I only knew how old LBC felt about training. And Old LBC was pretty passionate about it.
I got a lot of "just you wait" comments in those days. And while I listened to them and knew they were coming from a place of good intentions, I didn't fully understand. I figured life would be different and my priorities would shift, but I couldn't imagine a life without wanting to train. Or one where I didn't care if I wasn't in great shape or my body was mushy.
Well, turns out a lot of those commenters were right – almost. Life is different, my priorities are different, and for what seemed like a long time, I wasn't sure I would ever have the desire or energy to actually train again. Competitive LBC seemed to be gone. I felt content with just going out a few times a week for a few slow miles. Not necessarily because I was so incredibly busy (although there were times I felt like I was struggling to keep my head above water). I just didn't want to do it. And to be perfectly honest – getting back in shape kind of sucks. It's humbling and at times demoralizing. Part of the fun (for me) is feeling like I'm fast and light and fit and strong. Slogging along for a couple of miles just to say that I completed a run doesn't do it for me.
I would be lying if I said I didn't stress about this change in perspective a little bit. But for the most part, I tried to take a step back and let things work themselves out. Tried to give myself patience and time to get back at it again. And you know what? It worked. Slowly, as the months have gone by, I've felt that fire burning again. Just a flicker at first. But over the past several months it has grown and grown until it has become a strong flame, pushing me to get up in the dark to pound out miles before work. The training is different, the intensity is less, but it's coming back. Turns out Competitive LBC never really went away. She was just dormant for a little while.
Which is how I found myself, on a warm evening in the middle of August, after limited training and absolutely no speed work, with a shiny new 5K PR. Don't ask me how it happened. Even after 2 weeks of reflection, I still couldn't tell you.
I signed up for the Cigna 5K with a team from work. Every year we enter a team in the corporate race. I missed out last year because of the pregnancy (running a hot August 5K after work hours away from home was just not appealing), so I felt a little extra pressure to run this year. I somehow roped Evan into the race with me by claiming that we could just run "easy" together. I'm pretty sure he knew I was lying right from the start, but to his credit he agreed – despite the fact that the 5K was only 2 days before 100on100.
I had butterflies in my stomach all day long. I felt like I was back in school, waiting for a cross country meet. I couldn't focus, didn't know what to eat, and had absolutely no idea how I was going to run a fast 5K after sitting at my desk all day.
Fortunately for us, it was cooler than normal that evening, with temperatures in the mid-70s. We got to Manchester in just enough time to use the porta-potties, drop Amelia off with my friend and her son who were there to support her husband, do a quick (5 minutes – not enough!!) warm up, and fight our way into the crowds on the line. With over 5,600 participants, this was (by far) the largest 5K I have ever run. We were in the first wave (sub-23:00) and I knew the lead pack would go out fast. So my only goal was to go out strong and hold on.
Before we started I made Evan promise that he wouldn't hold back for me. Don't get me wrong – I wanted more than anything to beat him. But I didn't want him to make it easy. And I had no plans to wait for him if he fell behind (just being honest – he wouldn't want me to either!).
The gun went off and everyone surged. I took off quickly, weaving in and out of the crowds. I told myself not to waste so much energy going around people but it was nearly impossible. After what felt like forever, Evan and I settled into a pace side by side. I looked down at my watch and felt a wave of disappointment when I saw the pace: 6:30/mile. Normally at the beginning of a 5K, I am hopped up on adrenaline and go out way too fast. But I was already struggling. 6:30 felt harder than I wanted it to be and I panicked. I needed to get out of my own head.
So I changed my strategy. All that mattered from that point on was perceived effort. I wasn't allowed to look at my watch except for at the mile markers (there were timing clocks at every mile). I just focused on staying with Evan and keeping an even pace. "Lock it in!" I told myself, repeating it so many times that it became my motto for the race – the words I went back to over and over when I started to struggle.
Mile 1 – 6:19
Turns out the first mile was all uphill (hence the struggle). We turned a corner in the 2nd mile and went down a very welcome hill. Spectators were out cheering and spraying us with hoses. I ran alongside a woman with a hose and got hammered with water right in my face. It was amazing! A temporary break from focusing on the pain — before Evan suddenly started to pull ahead just a little bit. I tried not to let him get far or become discouraged. I still had time. I still had energy. I could catch him eventually.
Normally mile 2 of a 5K seems to drag on forever – the adrenaline from the first mile has worn off and the final mile still feels so far away. I don't know if it was the slight downhill or the fact that I was sort of chasing Evan, but the mile went by so quickly. I looked down at my watch at the mile marker: 6:18. Nearly identical split to my first mile. Keep it locked in, I thought.
The final mile brought us along the back of the warehouses in Manchester and I knew there would be a hill to the finish. The same one that destroyed me during MCM two years ago. Evan seemed to find a second wind and started pulling further away. My head yelled at my legs to go with him, but my heart wasn't in it. If I had taken a moment to think about how fast I was running or how close I would be to my old PR, maybe I would have found the motivation. Or maybe I would've crumbled under the pressure…who knows. For the first time in maybe ever, I didn't do any math during a race. I had absolutely no idea what my projected finish time would be until I saw the clock at the line. It was kind of freeing.
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally turned a corner and there it was – the hill I had been dreading for the past mile. I put my head down, lifted my knees and tried to drive my way up. People seemed to be passing me left and right but I only had eyes for one competitor – my husband. Evan may have the leg speed, but I knew I was faster than him on hills. I made it my mission to catch him.
And I did. For a few brief seconds I even pulled ahead. I could see the finish line (still looking so far away) and I tried to sprint with every ounce of energy left in my legs. Unfortunately for me, Evan could see it too. And he was determined not to be out-kicked by his wife in the final sprint. He took off, and I helplessly watched as his back got further and further away.
At that moment I finally looked up at the clock. I was in shock – I saw the 19:xx, watched the seconds ticking closer and closer to my PR and thought maybe, just maybe I could squeak out a few seconds. It was the motivation I needed. I gave one final push, focused on the other backs in front of me (including one female who I had been chasing the entire race), and somehow found another gear. I crossed the finish line absolutely spent but victorious: 19:36, a 10 second PR.
Evan beat me by 3 whole seconds (a PR for him as well!). Which seems like nothing when I type it out. But at the end of a hard 5K, 3 seconds can be an eternity.
Am I happy with that PR? Absolutely! I had no idea what to expect going into the race and would've been happy if I had managed to pull off a 20:xx 5K. I pushed hard and ran an even effort. I still can't believe my splits when I look at them – by far the most consistent 5K I've ever run. The PR was just icing on the cake.
I'm happy, excited, and feeling confident…but I'm not satisfied. And really – what kind of runner would I be if I was? I find myself thinking, if I could run that time under those circumstances, just imagine what I can do with X training?? The plight of the runner is to be endlessly unsatisfied, I think. Because the thing is, even if my run was a fluke, even if it was the result of everything magically coming together to give me a time faster than what I could really train to run, I still have that hope. That fire that burns. The will to see how much faster I can go, how much harder I can push. It's the thing that keeps us running. The thing that makes our runner's hearts beat.
Competitive LBC is back. She isn't the same as before, but she's in there. And that's enough for now.
Garmin results: 6:19, 6:20, 6:19, last 0.1 – 6:14 pace (19:38)
Official results: 19:36 (6:19), 3rd in AG and 15th female
Seeing as the winning time was 14:38 and the first female ran a 16:36, I am super excited about those stats. And our female corporate team came in 10th overall. An awesome evening at the races!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A single molded plastic part forms the actuator, the latching beam and the retainer for holding the latch mechanism in position, and also provides detented open and closed positions. The latch mechanism can be used with the door or closure for an opening in a housing, such as the battery door for a small portable electronic device. The one-part latch has an actuating button on one side of the door which cooperates with resilient retainer tabs to hold the latch in movable engagement with the door. An integral latching beam may extend on the other side of the door and be movable to a position to latch the door. Indentations on the beam, or on another part of the latch, can cooperate with a detent cam to hold the latch mechanism in released or open, and latched or closed positions. The latch mechanism can be either slidably or rotatably movable for the latching operation.
1. A one-piece springless fingerlike latch mechanism for use on a portable, hand-held device having a housing and a door movable in relation thereto and wherein the door is slidable between first and second positions and has an opening therein, such latch mechanism including in combination:
an actuating portion on one side of the slidable door for operating the latch mechanism in lateral rectilinear movement;
a coupling portion connected to said actuating portion and extending through the opening in the slidable door, and said coupling portion having resilient ribs engaging the opposite side of the slidable door for holding the latch mechanism in said rectilinearly movable relation on the slidable door; and
a springless latching portion formed integrally with said actuating portion and said coupling portion, and laterally slidable by said actuating portion between a first set released position and a second set latched position engaging the housing.
2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said latch mechanism has portions cooperating with the slidable door forming detents which define the set released and set latched positions.
3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said latching portion extends from said coupling portion and is on the opposite side of the slidable door.
4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said coupling portion is rectilinearly slidable in the opening of the slidable door, and said latching portion is a latch beam adapted to engage the housing.
5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said latch beam has indentations therein forming detents for holding the latch mechanism in released and latched positions.
6. A door and latch combination for a portable, hand-held device including in combination:
a door slidably movable between first and second positions and having a relatively flat portion with an opening therein; and
a one-piece springless latch member laterally slidable in rectilinear movement within said opening and having an integral actuating portion on one side of said door and an integral fingerlike latching portion on the opposite side of said door, wherein said door has a detent cam thereon, and said fingerlike latch member has portions cooperating with said cam to hold said latch member in first set released and second set latched positions.
7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said fingerlike latch member has integral resilient retainer tabs engaging said opposite side of said slidable door cooperating with said actuating portion to hold said latched member in a laterally slidable relation on said door.
Portable electronic devices are commonly energized by a battery which is placed within the housing of the device. To provide access to the battery, an opening is provided in the housing with a door or other closure for the same. In small devices, such as a radio pager, a plastic housing may be used, and the door may also be formed of plastic. However, it is important that the housing be rugged as these devices are subjected to rough usage, and the door must not open accidentally when the device is dropped or encounters severe shocks in other ways. Various integral latching arrangements have been used, but these are not sufficiently rugged for many applications.
Although strong latches are known which may be used on a door, these have not been entirely satisfactory. In some cases, the latches are objectionably large and are formed of a number of separate parts resulting in excessive costs for the manufacture and assembly of the parts. Also, some latches have actuators which protrude objectionably and may be accidentally released.
It is an object of this invention to provide a simple one-piece latch mechanism which may be used with the door or closure of a housing for a small portable electronic device.
Another object of the invention is to provide a one-piece latch having an actuator on one side of a door and an integral latching beam or projection on the opposite side which is movable to latch the door.
A further object of the invention is to provide a one-piece molded latch for use on a molded door, wherein the latch has integral resilient tabs for engaging the door to hold the latch thereon, with the latch being slidable or rotatable with respect to the door to hold the same in closed position.
A still further object is to provide a molded latch which includes integral actuating and latching portions with indentations on one portion cooperating with a detent cam to hold the latch in released and latched positions.
In accordance with the invention, a one-piece molded plastic latch mechanism is adapted for use with a door or closure for an opening in a housing for a portable electronic device, such as the door for a battery opening. The latch mechanism includes an actuator operated from the outside of the housing, a coupling portion extending through an opening in the housing and a latching portion on the inside. Integral resilient tabs hold the mechanism in movable relation on the housing. The mechanism can be slidable in a slot in the housing to move a beam into latching position, or can be rotatable to move a projecting lip into latching position. Detent indentations can be provided on the beam, or on some other part of the one-piece mechanism, which cooperate with a detent cam to hold the latch mechanism in either released or open position, or in latched or closed position. The latch mechanism can be secured to the door of a housing to engage a fixed part thereof for latching the door closed, or can be secured to another part of the housing to engage the door to latch the same.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a paging receiver utilizing the latch mechanism of the invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views along the lines 2--2 and 3--3 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3 showing the cooperation of the latch with the housing;
FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the latch mechanism in more detail; and
FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a second embodiment of the latch mechanism of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a portable electronic device, such as a radio pager, which includes the latch mechanism of the invention. This includes a housing 10 having a removable battery door or cover 12. The pager may have controls 14 at the top and a grille 16 on the front for the passage of sound. A clip 18 may be provided on the back of the housing 10 for holding the pager on a belt or the like, as is well known. The battery door 12 slidably engages the bottom of the housing 10, having grooves 13 and 23 therein (FIG. 2) for receiving projecting ribs 11 and 21 extending at the bottom of housing 10. A latch member 20 holds the door 12 in closed position on the housing.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show more in detail the engagement between the door 12 and the bottom of the housing 10. This housing has an L-shaped lip 11 on the bottom at the back (right side in FIG. 2) which is slidably received in the groove 13 of the door 12. A similar lip 21 extends from the front of housing 10 (left side in FIG. 2) which is slidably received in groove 23 of the door 12. As has been stated, the door or cover 12 may enclose a battery, indicated by numeral 15 in FIG. 2. The door 12 can be slidably removed from housing 10 to permit removal and replacement of the battery.
FIG. 3 shows the latch member 20 in position in the door 12, and this member is shown in more detail in FIGS. 5-7. The member 20 is a one-piece molded part which includes an actuator 25 on the outside of door 12 for operating the latch. The actuator 25 is positioned in a recess 24 in door 12 so that it does not protrude from the housing, and may have ribs along the exposed surface to facilitate moving the same. Connected to the actuator 25 is a coupling or body portion 26 which extends through a slot 28 in the door 12. The portion 26 has integral resilient retainer tabs 30 thereon which engage the inside of door 12, as best shown in FIG. 7. The tabs 30 will flex to permit insertion of the latch member onto the door 12, with slanting edges 29 on the sides of slot 28 facilitating such action. Connected to the portion 26 of the latch member 20 are two beams 32 and 33. These beams are molded integrally with the actuator 25 and body portion 26, and extend along the inside of door 12. The beams 32 and 33 having angularly extending ends 34 which extend into a notch 35 cut in the lip 11 of the housing 10 to block sliding movement of the door 12 with respect to the housing 10. FIG. 4 shows the ends 34 of the beams 32 and 33 positioned in the notch 35 cut in the lip 11.
The beam 32 has two indentations 36 and 37 along one side thereof positioned to cooperate with a detent cam 38 on the door 12 (FIG. 6). The indentation 37 engages cam 38 when the actuator is in open or released position, as shown in FIG. 6. When the latch member is moved forward to the latching or closed position, the beam 32 will flex so that the indentation 37 is moved past the cam 38 and the indentation 36 engages this cam. Thus the latch member 20 is detented in both the open or released position, and also in the latched or blocking position. FIG. 3 shows the latch member 20 in blocking position by solid lines and in released position by dotted lines.
FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a second embodiment of the latch mechanism of the invention which is adapted for rotary movement. The actuator 40 is provided on the outside of a door 42 for a housing 44. If desired, the actuator can be provided in a recess in the door so that it will not protrude. The actuator 40 can have a slot 41 in the exposed surface thereof to facilitate operation of the same. Connected to actuator 40 are a plurality of resilient coupling segments 45 which extend through an opening 43 in the door 42. The segments 45 have outwardly extending retainer tabs or ribs 46 which engage the inside of door 42 to hold the latch member assembled thereto. The segments 45, are resilient, and spaced from each other, and will flex to allow insertion of the latch member through the opening 43 in the door 42.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, one of the segments 45, which is designated 45A, has a projecting lip 48 which extends outwardly from the rib 46. When the actuator 40 is rotated clockwise to the dotted position (FIG. 8), the lip 48 will extend beyond the edge of the door 42 to engage the housing 44. Thus the lip 48 forms a latch which holds the door in fixed position with respect to the housing.
As in the prior embodiment, the latch mechanism of FIGS. 8 and 9 is detented in both the released and latching positions. A detent cam 49 is provided on the door 42 and is positioned with respect to the edges 46A and 46B of ribs 46 to provide detent action when the latch is in open position. An indentation 50 is provided on the rib 46 opposite to lip 48, which cooperates with the cam 49 to provide detent action when the latch mechanism is in the latched position. It will be noted that a 45� rotation of actuator 40 will operate the latch between the released and actuated positions.
Although the latch mechanism has been illustrated as positioned on a door of a housing, it will be obvious that the mechanism described can be positioned on the fixed part of a housing to latch a door, or can be used in many applications to latch one relatively movable element with respect to another. As the latch is provided by a single part which forms many functions, it can be produced at small cost. It can also be made of a size for use on small housings and still it provides a very secure latch which is detented so that it is not easily accidentally released.
Patent Citations
Referenced by
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