SIbbetson

Life is good. You're awesome!

Is that you in the featured photo??

I wondered about the parents' upbringing and the dysfunctional patterns they'd learned, and also there were clearly mental health issues. It's terrible that all of those things happened to anyone.

I didn't read anything for pleasure during grad school!

Just Sara Ibbetson - or search by my email srosemajor@yahoo.com

I like variety. :-) I actually have Again to Carthage checked out right now! I don't read a ton of running books because I'm too obsessed with running as is, haha!

Great cover photo!

January 2020 in Review - Happy New Year! Total mileage for the month: 230.2 Dec. 30-Jan. 5: 79.2 Jan. 6-12: 68.6 Jan. 13-19: 63.8 Jan. 20-26: 13.1 (PR for the most days I've taken off running when not injured, at 5!) Jan. 27-Feb. 2: 45.5 Jumping January returns! Races: Jan. 19 - Chevron Houston Marathon in 2:58:45 for another chance to use the title "Houston, we had a problem...". With as sick as I was for this race, I was happy to finish and to extend my sub-3:00 streak to 10, but this was far off my goal time and fitness. It also officially closed the door on opportunities to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trials. Workouts: Jan. 3: 3 warm up, 3 x 1 mile w/ 3:00 recoveries in 5:52, 5:56, 5:53, 3 MP in 6:17, 6:16, 6:26, 5:00 recovery, 3 x 1 mile in 6:07, 6:13, 6:23 w/ 3:00 recoveries, 1 mile easy, 2 MP (was supposed to be 3 again) in 6:36, 6:34, 1 cool down. Meh. I was worried on the first set of tempos that I was reaching too much to stay in the 5:50-6:00 range, but I hoped that I'd feel better once I got going. I did feel much better on the first set of marathon pace miles; on the third mile I just lost focus due to talking to a friend who was running with me - you read that right, I had someone to run this workout with (Derek, who is a 1:11 half guy so was barely working) through the second repeat of the second set of tempo miles. 6:15 was much more comfortable than 5:55! But when it was time to drop back to tempo pace I could not get my pace back down to sub-6:00. Instead I got a little slower on each one, and on #3 when I couldn't even hit marathon pace I told myself that I could stop the workout at the end of that mile. I instead took a longer recovery, jogging for a mile instead of for 3:00, and gave it my best for 2 more marathon pace miles, which felt about like the end of a marathon death march. I knew I'd be fighting for pace at the end of Houston, and although I hoped my fight at Houston yielded faster splits, I fought to stay in the 6:30s then cooled down for 18 miles total. It was very windy, which definitely affected me, but this was also not my day. Jan. 8: 4 x 1 mile tempos with 90 second recovery jogs in 5:57, 6:02, 5:58, 5:57 (3 warm up, 2 cool down). My goal pace range was 5:55-6:00, and these felt better than my Jan. 3 workout but still harder than I wanted them too. My body wanted to run 6:0X pace and anytime I lost focus that's where I went, such as on #2. These was no wind for this one so I couldn't blame the weather! Jan. 10: 2 x 2 mile at marathon pace with 2:30 recovery in 6:10, 6:14, 6:18, 6:12 (3 warm up, 2.1 cool down). 6:10-6:15 is definitely easier that 5:55 (Captain Obvious), but this was another crazy windy day! Abby ran some of this one with me, which was really nice. She did the first full mile with me, then took a recovery and came in and out for 2-3 minutes at a time for the rest of the workout - getting her sub-19 5K ready! Jan. 14: 1 mile in 6:03, 1200 m at 5:56, 2 x 800 m at 5:41 and 5:36 with full recoveries (3.1 warm up, 1.8 cool down). This workout felt so short and easy, and it was nice to feel so great after not having the best streak of workouts. It was 40 degrees with no wind, which sure helped - plus Rebecca ran this with me and we are always better together! Doubles: Jan. 2, 6, 10. Strides: Jan. 17, 18, 30 and at least a few before all workouts and races. Strength work: Weekly totals of 1:43, 1:30, 0:20, 0:25 Yoga: Weekly totals of 2:05, 3:17, 2:27, 2:47 - I think it's clear this month consisted of tapering and recovering! Favorite workout: I loved the Jan. 3 workout but didn't love how I felt. I felt like a million bucks on Jan. 14! Unlike last year, we didn't get jumping pics every day My first ever hot yoga class, with Amy on Jan. 1 Jan. 10 post-workout Long Runs: Jan. 3: 18.4 miles, with a workout described above. Jan. 12: Snow and ice 11 miles (8:34). This run was an adventure on some of the worst road conditions I've ever run on! I wanted to wait until after church to run to allow some melting to occur, but Abby talked me into going in the morning. I enjoyed the time with her, but I ran very tentatively and worried about falling with each step. My husband could not believe I went out in it. Jan. 19: 27.5 with the Houston Marathon plus warm-up. Favorite long run: This month is a best of the worst contest, so Jan. 3. Post-Jan. 3 long run workout Jan. 11 post-long run Running highlights/thoughts/randomness: I made the Bill Snyder half marathon homepage and feature video. I also found myself pictured on the Rock the Parkway half marathon registration page. I tried hot yoga. My friend Amy attends classes regularly, and since I was off work on New Years Day we ran on a trail by the yoga studio then went to their morning class right after. I liked it for about 40 minutes and was then ready to be done; the yoga videos I usually do are around 30 minutes so I guess I haven't built up my yoga endurance. I was glad I had been doing videos, because otherwise I'd have been clueless about the poses. My pecs were sore after the class. I had a lot of confusion and uncertainty hit me in the 10 days leading up to Houston. I wasn't prepared for it, but there is no manual for grief and I've learned it comes in waves. Bill Snyder Half page Rock the Parkway registration My new 3-pack of food compression socks Life stuff: We welcomed 2020 with take-out and movies. I went to sleep around 10:00 p.m., but Jon and Albani watched another movie and welcomed in the New Year. We got a decent snow on January 10, and I remembered that I'm not very good at running in snow that's re-frozen on January 11. The Houston Marathon wasn't what I'd hoped for, but I enjoyed the trip with my husband and dad, and Albani sure enjoyed her Grandma time with my mom while we were away. Albani had her first school band concert - she plays clarinet. Mostly I had bronchitis this month. On New Years Day, we were lazy... ...and played a lot of card games Nugget's first snow Albani enjoyed it too After Albani's first band concert Books: Educated by Tara Westover Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips The Power by Naomi Alderman Framed by James Ponti An American Marriage by Tayari Jones Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron Do Not Become Alarmed by Malie Meloy You'll Never Know by Halie Ephrom Dead Sea Rising by Jerry B. Jenkins Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Night Night, Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephrom Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey Once a Runner by John L. Parker, Jr. Between the ride to Houston and being quite sick for 9 days, I read a lot. Also, I started a Goodreads account to track my 2020 reads! Theme of the month: Questionable decisions. I wasn't sure if I should go to Houston, then I wasn't sure if I should start Houston, and also I was unsure if I should finish Houston. While I now don't plan to return to Houston, I also probably would if circumstances end up being similar in 2024. It's a great event, but it has not gone well for me! I am currently still somewhat weak and wheezing, so it's questionable if I should be running in the cold, but I have improved a lot and was going crazy staying in.

Aww, thank you!

That means a lot - thank you!

Awesome for him!

Throughout my Olympic Trials Qualifying time-chase, I've connected with many amazing women who shared the same goal. Over the past couple of years, I've celebrated with several who have reached the goal. I've commiserated with several who have missed. I've connected with many who kept dreaming. Before the Houston Marathon, I was included in a message group with the 2:45 pacer and other women planning to run with the group. While I struggled with feeling like an outsider because I was struggling to find the same importance in the pursuit as I previously did after losing my brother, I related to the women and their passion. Group photo before Saturday's shake-out run No one plans to try for the OTQ on the very last day the qualifying window is open, 6 weeks before the Trials. The women in this group hadn't achieved the standard for one reason or another: near misses (one woman had run 2:45:02), injury (one woman was in a boot at her goal race), disagreeable weather, pregnancy, illness, simply a bad day, etc. Some had breakthrough performances in the fall, such as dropping 5-10 minute PRs for 2:48-2:52s and wondered if they could dream a little bigger still. Some had already raced 3 fall marathons, coming close each time. Some had raced attempts just 2 weeks prior to Houston! Pre-race note in Runners World Pre-race note in Fast Women newsletter These ladies were the most determined grittiest women you'll find. Every single person felt that the perfect day would be her finishing in the very back of the huge pack in 2:45:00. I passionately wanted every one of the women to get it, and I believe they all have a sub-2:45 in them. I really realized that the difference between those who qualified and those who didn't was often just things aligning slightly differently - whether that was weather, a pace group, health, timing, etc. It's just a different perspective when you're one of the 2:46s versus one of the 2:44s. My friend Liz from Portland was among the dreamers - she & I ran the Portland Marathon together in 2009 (I ran a PR of 3:08 then) Everyone loves the stories about the woman who got the standard in her first marathon, of the woman who ran it off of 50 miles a week, of the woman who ran it despite surgery or injury, of the woman who ran it 6 months postpartum (or while pregnant!), of the woman who did it because she just wanted it bad enough. I guarantee that every women in the Houston last chance group wanted it more than bad enough. I'm thrilled for every woman who made it to the Trials - especially those for whom it didn't come easy to - and I celebrate this amazing time in U.S. women's marathoning. But! I admire the tenacity of the underdogs so much. Some women tried for 10 years before they got it - others tried for 10 years to narrowly miss it. Some ran several 2:45:XXs. Some debuted with 4:00 marathons and kept showing up. Talent is a beautiful thing, but hard work is even more beautiful. Shake-out run taking off Pre-shake out chatter I am so thankful this goal has connected me with so many strong women, with so many hard-working dreamers. I was so honored to be part of the Houston group. I now have friends all over the U.S. who understand how I felt on January 20. The goal is gone, but the spirit and community live on. My dad's video from the OTQ shake-out run is here. See the pre-race mention of the 2:45 pace group in the Fast Women Newsletter here. My short Houston race recap is here. Read my longer race recap part 1 here, and part 2 here. Our group was featured in Runners World here (3 screenshots from article below)! Happy group I'm glad Runners World didn't use this one since my face is halfway blocked! Shake out run Shake out run My dad cheered for me at every attempt My husband supported this chase 100%

I'm so thankful there are people like you in this world to do this!

Glad you shared and best wishes for half/full marathon training - it’s the best. 😊

😁