New Lily

What Do You Do When Your Running Partner is Injured?

Here I am with #9 (Sam). I know…I’m not running.

I am officially pitiful.  I can’t believe how fast I have become unmotivated!  My running partner, Susan (the one I run with the most), is injured.  She broke her toe when a mannequin at work fell on her foot.  OUCH.  That was a month ago.  Since then I have suffered from a serious lack of motivation (it wasn’t my toe, I know – guess I am a very empathetic friend). I used to meet Susan at 5:30 am about three times a week, but now I have basically almost stopped even setting my alarm for an early morning run.  Thank God for the other Susan in my life…my twin sister.  She and I run together at least once a week, usually around 6:15 am from her house.  I am grateful for her and for that run once a week!  But she is training to run the Savannah Half Marathon in November and is therefore in much better shape than me at the moment. With every week I notice how much slower I seem in comparison. [Read more…]

It’s Cross Country Season at my House..Just Watch the Laundry Pile Up!

Just a few of the running shoes around our house these days!

Just a few of the running shoes around our house these days!

It isn’t hard to figure out what season we are in.  It isn’t summer or fall…it’s XC season (at least at the Hetzel house it is)!  As the coach of the Grace Academy cross country team, I am running with the athletes about four days a week…and my kids are running too (#8 and #7 – C.C. and John-run with our group and even # 9 hops out of the baby jogger often).  #4 (Peter), #5 (Annie), and #6 (Grace) also run for my team as high school and middle school runners.  That’s a lot of shoes lying around…especially when you consider the additional spikes, too.

Death by laundry...

Death by laundry…

Many people think of football when they think of fall and the start of the school year…not me.  Cross country practices, meets, and invitationals fill our fall days. Tempo runs, stride outs, Indian runs, Kenyan outbacks, track workouts, ladders…this is our language. Unfortunately for me, it means a lot more laundry too. What are your fall days filled with?