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AJ Runs Several Ks...and Writes About It

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On Saturday, May 6, I returned to half marathon racing. It had been quite a hiatus, and my previous half marathon, was completed with a blown out IT band, so I did have to balance high hopes and realistic expectations. After all, a lot has changed since that last race. They say that age is just a number, and by that logic, a half marathon is just miles. 13.1 long and hilly miles in this case, and now officially in the next decade of my life. Yeah, yeah, just a number. Last year, still in my 30s, I toyed with the idea of returning to racing and with running the Door County Half Marathon. We were in Peninsula State Park for our annual Mother’s Day weekend, and the race was taking place. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back to some really good training. Our plan - always - is to be in Door County for our Mother’s Day celebration, so why not sign up?! Well, back to numbers. Two children, one partner, too many hours at work each week, one bike ride/race to each weekend, an
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My Dad, OUR Hero

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This past weekend, we celebrated my dad’s 30 years of service to and retirement from the Mukwonago Fire Department. As both a volunteer fire fighter and EMT, he has spent several decades in service of others. During what surely was one of their most trying times, it was my dad who was with people he’d never met and likely wouldn’t see again. To do that on top investing in full-time work, his family, and his other interests is simply remarkable. And that’s my dad: a driven, generous, passionate man. The Mukwonago Fire Department was a part of my youth. The men and women he served with became my dad’s second family, and thus they were there for many of my milestones. My weekends were were filled with various events hosted by MFD, including community events and that one family picnics that ended with Dad getting stitches. Sometimes my weekends - and weeknights - were also filled with quick goodbyes as another call pulled Dad away from our family plans. The sound of his pager and the
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Milestone

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I mentioned, not too long ago, interest in a birthday trip to ATL. Michelle Obama would be there for her book tour, the weather is fall-like this time of year and perfect for a long run, and it’s a city I haven’t explored much of. My partner heard me. He showed up, like really showed up!   Just about a week ago, Harper brought me a birthday card and gift she and B had been working on. It was my own copy of  The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times , and a Happy Birthday picture of a plane, a peach, and a pink and purple suitcase (my favorite colors).     I had otherwise been planning a jaunt from home along the Glacial Drumlin Trail and snack day at H’s school. That would have been great. But Brian has been helping me work on prioritizing myself to maintain balance; time away was earned, needed, permissable. To say I was excited for the weekend was an understatement. B attended to all the details (also needed AND appreciated): flights, hotel accommodations, transportation,
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Ten. Twenty. Twenty TWO

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  Our baby is officially a little boy; he declared it with the same excitement he used to proclaim he is “Twooooo.”   To celebrate, we did many of E’s favorite things. We took Sister to school, had pancakes and sausage (“hot dogs!”) for breakfast; cleaned all the things; baked (Who doesn’t love    to “stir, stir, whoa!”?);    read lots of books; looked for trucks, airplanes, and machines; snuggled; swung on the swings with Sister; had black beans for dinner; stayed up late and ate ice cream.   We even turned E’s crib into a big boy bed, hoping it would help take us back to his rockstar sleeper days - always a solid 12 hours. I wrote this while on hour two of holding E so he won’t scream and potentially wake up his sister, so the bed plan didn’t work. (He keeps reminding me it’s dark out, and I tell him it’s because it’s 2am). I wishfully thought he’d show us some gratitude for his birthday present — his very own vacuum — by allow us one night of uninterrupted sleep. Welp.  As I reflect
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