The Anti-Gift List

As a blogger, a mother, a girlfriend, and member of the good old USA I tend to get smothered with (and sucked into) gift buying just like everyone else. I look at a pile of presents and wonder if it's 'enough'. I take on even more overtime to buy 'stuff' for the people I love. And then the holidays come and go and all that's left is a pile of wrapping paper. So instead of writing another 'what to buy the (runner, man, child) in your life' post I am writing the antithesis!

1.) Decorate your home/tree/yard together!

Go as big or little as you want. Put up inflatable Santas or wire and light reindeer. Make your own Charlie Brown tree. Bake salt dough ornaments. Or go all out Clark Griswold style!

2. Bake something!

You can make cookies or a cake. Make it as healthy (or not!) as you want. Get flour all over, feed eachother cookie dough, and laugh at the ridiculous cookie cutters Great Aunt Nancy gave you.

(Photo Credit: Tumblr)

3.) Get outside or workout

Throw snowballs, build a snowman, take a walk, head to the gym, or even shovel some white stuff together! 

(Photo Credit: PopSugar)

4.) Break out the home movies!

What else makes you feel closer to your loved ones than laughing at their bad perm or braces?

(Photo Credit: The Ellen Show)

5.) Make breakfast in bed

Because why not?!

(This is actually a tee shirt!)

6.) Write a letter

Yes, with a pen and a piece of paper. Grab and envelope and a stamp and send someone far away (or near!) an old fashioned note.

7.) Build a blanket and pillow fort

Because you can!

That's it! Get on with it! Go make some memories and save yourself the headaches of fighting crowds, tracking shipments, and losing the scissors or the tape while wrapping!

She Get It From Her Mama!

It's been a week from you-know-where. Nothing has gone right and I've felt like a total failure. I still ran a good bit more than I had in the last few weeks but nowhere near what I was hoping. Thankfully my mother had the cure for my melancholy!

I bought us a family membership to the YMCA so we could all enjoy a year of health and wellness. My mom had yet to use her membership so she asked me to go with her today. I was more than happy to have a reason to head to the gym and not be accompanied only by my iPod.

My mom's always been there. And I've always looked just like her!

 

We decided to do some cardio first and took side by side treadmills. She walked, I ran, and we chatted about anything and everything while we got our endorphin rush going. Thirty minutes later we headed over to the weight machines. I'm just going to admit that I had never used the machines at the YMCA prior to today.

 

Intimidation is a horrible feeling. There's always a couple high school or college athletes lifting the whole stack. And then there's me... I know I'm not that strong. And I know I won't get stronger without lifting. But it still didn't overcome my fear of being laughed at (just like what happened at the globogym I used to go to).

 

My mom was always active (and pretty hot too!)

 

But today, with my mother by my side, we walked over there and explored the equipment. Then we made a plan for our workout and went to it. And the best part is we could still pass for twins, at least when it came to strength. We went set for set and rep for rep at the exact same weight, neither of us able to outdo the other.

 

I think I've found my new workout partner (who's been there all along).

 

 

Is fitness a family affair in your home too?

A Day For Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Today I'm doing my best to be thankful for what I have instead of looking at what I do not have. So here's what I'm celebrating today:

1. My daughters. They are the reason I keep moving forward and bettering myself. Today it's just Gem and I hanging out at home. The weather prevented us from going to see our family which brings me to my second item....

2. Friends. My friends hold me up, support me, and kick me in the butt when needed. Today another one of my friends had no Thanksgiving plans. So we're making it a day of fun instead. We'll be having shepherd's pie, chili, apple pie, chocolate cake, and hot chocolate while watching Christmas specials and playing board games.

3. Family. Even though we're scattered over the east coast now we're still a family. I never would have made it this far without them.

4. The obvious one... RUNNING! Today I celebrated my health and ability by heading out at sunrise to run (post hole?) through the snow and ice in the park to meet my mileage goal for the year!

Despite the 17* temps, the icy conditions, and it being a holiday there were still three other crazies in the park. I struggled against the part of my brain that told me to go home, pig out, and be warm. Having others out there encouraged me and reminded me why I love the community that surrounds my sport. Hitting my mileage goal over a month early despite all the setbacks of the last three months was just icing on the cake.

I came home and bragged to Gem that I'd reached my 1,300 mile goal and she asked what I'd run in previous years. So I graphed it out:

I didn't realize this was a PR or just how far I'd come in the last 3 years. I have to say it's a great feeling and it made me even more grateful for my amazing coach who got me through my first hundred, a 50 miler four weeks later, third woman at North Coast 24 Hour, and a marathon PR. My daughters who are excited by mommy's running adventures and encourage me in my pursuits. My family who cheers me on while secretly worrying about my mental stability. My friends who listen sympathetically and then tell me to suck it up and get back to work. My teammates at FitFluential, INKnBURN, and Altra who prove to me on a daily basis that anything is possible with a good plan and hard work.

I am so blessed this holiday season and I hope all of you are as well! Share with me what has made your year and your Thanksgiving special!

Picture Fun and a Challenge

The holidays are here and so is the fun! From getting a new hairstyle to new clothes and eating goodies it's the most wonderful time of the year. Or so the song says...

Making cookies with my kiddos was a nice touch this week. Of course Ash's cookies went in a separate tupperware since I don't think anyone likes baby drool flavor!

Gem decorating cookies 

Ash eating sprinkles 

So much fun! 

Final products

 

Holidays also mean end of the year fun and get togethers so I took the time to get a new 'do.

 

Sheila is a genius!

 

And what's Christmas without presents?! Running Skirts hooked me up with an awesome outfit for my cold weather workouts. I love the fit and fabric and the color of the top. There's even little leopard print accents on the pants! Too fun! The headband stayed put through a CrossFit workout too.

 

Pretty!

 

Fits wonderfully! (And I need a new mirror.)

 

Speaking of presents, I spent two nights making a cross stitch (my first ever attempt) for Christmas. Gem gave it to her great-grandma for Christmas. I hope she liked it!

 

 

And really the best part is just the large amounts of quality family time. :)

 

Mom & Ash fun!

 

Just as fun but also serious, I've been challenged to a dual. Well, not really but kind of? It's a running challenge. Altra Zero Drop tweeted to ask "Why do you run?" I saw one of my running idols, Harold from a A Veteran Runnah, answer the question and my own answer came to me. I run because I want to be better! Like Harold who I saw in action (from very far behind) at the Runner's World Festival.

 

Harold's PR's are really impressive (for a retiree or not!). Somehow our tweets turned into a challenge. We'll compare our PR's at the end of 2013 and see who has improved the most to crown a winner (of what, we don't know). So as of right now my PR's for 2012 are:

5k: 24:27
10k: 59:30 (soft)
13.1: 2:20 official, 2:08 time trial
26.2: 4:34:05

And, of course, there's ultras but these aren't part of the challenge.

So what do you think my chances are? Anyone else want to join in on the fun?

 

Super Surprise!

This week has been rough. And I mean that in a my ass is kicked, stick a fork in me, did I just get hit by a bus kind of way. Gemma has been sick with a cough and fever since last Thursday. The doctors said to wait five days before taking her in, so I did. After being sent home from school a few times and then me keeping her home as well, I gave in and took her to the walk-in clinic. Nothing was obviously wrong with her so the NP gave her a course of antibiotics and sent us on our way.

After all that my boss texted me to say that I needed to work night shift for the rest of the week. I scrambled to get the kids to my mother-in-laws and drink enough caffeine to make it past 10PM. I ended up working 10pm-8am Thursday night and 10pm-6am last night. And I'll be working another night shift tonight and possibly tomorrow too.

I came home knowing that Shane had already signed us up for the Central Elementary Healthy Family 5k on the rail trail today. It was raining out and I hoped that he would decide to crawl in bed rather than get me up. I wasn't so lucky and he dragged me out of my warm covers to get ready.  The girls and Shane's mother were going to run with us too. Thankfully the rain had stopped for the most part by the time we made it down to the trailhead. I told myself I would go nice and easy and just shake out my legs.

The race started at 9:30am on the dot and I went out quickly to get past some walkers and slower runners. I was right behind a woman who was running a pace that seemed comfortably hard. I decided to stay right with her and see how that went. About a half mile out I started looking up ahead and realized I couldn't see any other women besides the one in front of me. Could I really be in second place?

As we approached the turnaround I caught sight of a ponytail way off in the distance. I realized I must be third woman and decided I'd better go ahead and make a race of it afterall. I passed the woman I'd been drafting off of and tried to gap her but she stuck to me, always just off my shoulder. As we made the turn around she stopped to take a cup of water. I almost screamed with joy right then. I'm glad I didn't because it would have been premature. A half minute later she was back on my shoulder again.

I was starting to hurt and my breathing was ragged. A headwind felt like it was beating me back with every step. Only the footsteps echoing behind me kept me pushing. I started reminding myself, "It's supposed to hurt" and "It's all about who's willing to hurt the most now." A young boy caught us and as he went by the woman he told her, "You can catch her!" Knowing he meant me I decided to prove him wrong. I did my best to stay with him and it worked. I put a 10-15 second gap on the woman and was picking up speed. I didn't know if I could hold it but I figured passing out or puking were the only things that might stop me.

I temporarily passed the boy again but he sped up in the final tenth of a mile and beat me by a few seconds. As I reached the last stretch I glanced back and saw I had at least 15 seconds on the woman. I glanced ahead and I saw the clock said 24:10! What?! No way! I was going to PR AGAIN! I found my after burners and eeked out a strong kick to cross the line in 24:27, a 25 second PR!

Showing off my hardware

I found Shane and he had finished in 21:06 for a new PR as well (not counting his 20:50 on a short course). He also got 5th overall and first in his age group. We went back out to look for the girls and his mom and cheered on our friends along the way. One of our friends was really struggling so Shane turned around to run back to the finish with her and ended up helping her get a PR too! I continued to head back out along the course and around a half mile out I found Shane's mom pushing Ash in the stroller. I took the stroller from her and pushed Ash to the chute where I let her out and so she could run across the finish herself. Her time was 38:53 and she got second in her age group (but we gave it to the next girl because Ash was pushed). We cheered in my mother in law for a 39:23 finish and second in her age group. Shane went back out again to find Gemma and run her in. She finished around 55 minutes and was really upset she didn't get an award. I reminded her she's been sick for over a week now and it's okay to take it easy and walk when that happens.

Shane's medal

After the awards were announced we stuck around for door prize drawings. Gemma won a Kids' Book of coupons for clothing stores, entertainment, food, etc. Ash won a basket of Bath and Body Works goodies. We sure do have some lucky kids! A representative from GNC was there and sent me home with a bag of vitamins and goodies so I guess some of that rubbed off on me. :)

Basket and Coupon Book

 

All of our goodies

 

All in all it was a really pleasant surprise and I'm really excited to see what I can do in Baltimore next week!

Long Run Leisure

On Thursday I posted about how awesome it is to be a third of the way done with my training plan. I thoroughly enjoyed my rest day Friday. I took it easy at work, went out to lunch with coworkers, and really did nothing of consequence Friday night. It was wonderful!

Saturday was a little crazier. Every summer our neighborhood has a community yard sale. This year the weather didn't cooperate and it was misting and overcast all morning. We still took a chance and put out all the junk treasures we had to offer. Shane's parents also set up with us. Between getting up at 6 am, setting up all our stuff, and sitting in the drizzle for hours I was already worn out. Shane took the opportunity to advertise our race to all the people browsing plus the local churches and businesses that were offering food and refreshments for the bargain hunters.

Ash and 'baby' at the park.

When Shane returned I went to get up from my chair and something in my left knee popped. I almost fell over and caught myself on the edge of our table. There was no pain but I knew something wasn't right. I waited a little bit longer before doing my scheduled 8 miler. It was supposed to be at marathon pace but I ended up running 5 miles pretty slowly and then doing the last 3 near tempo pace to come out almost at marathon pace for the average. My knee was still stiff and a little tender last night. After everything I gave up and went to bed at 8pm. I guess I needed it because I slept for almost 13 hours!

Today I felt better and my knee was stiff but no longer aching. I figured I'd give my long run a try. My husband kindly agreed to take Ash grocery shopping with him while Gem stayed and played at home. Being that Gem is 7 she can easily entertain herself for three hours so this worked out well. I hit the treadmill and decided to break the run up into 4 mile segments. After each 4 mile portion I took a Gu and drank about 6-8oz of water before starting the next one. It helped me stay fueled and hydrated but it also helped me stay aware of my knee. After slowing down my knee would be stiff again and it took me 2-3 minutes to loosen it up. It never gave me any pain though or I was prepared to shut it down and miss mileage for the first time this cycle.

After I finished (in 2:54:49), Shane had already put away the groceries and made gnocchi for lunch. I wolfed down my portion and then drove down to the corner gas station to pick up some bagged ice. I had a feeling the 4 trays in our freezer wouldn't be enough today. Our hot water tank went out a few days ago and the new one is like super-powered or something. Even when our faucet is on fully cold the water is still warm. Even with 7 lbs of ice I only shivered for a minute before the water started to melt the ice and I warmed back up.

Yeah, I rock the Disney princess wash cloth!

Luckily, the ice bath seems to have done its job. My knee is no longer tight or tender. I took 2 Advil after my ice bath and then focused on rehydrating and staying moving. We took the kids on a walk to the park where we played for about an hour. Dinner was a quickly thrown-together pulled pork BBQ, corn on the cob, and salad. It's really amazing how quickly the weekends go now that my long runs take up a significant portion!

Do you take ice baths? Why or why not? And how do you stay connected with family and friends when you're devoting significant time to training?

Forge Your Own Path

I'm not trying to say that anyone is evil but sometimes people are wrong. Personally, I find it REALLY hard to admit when I'm wrong but it's something I've been working on. Maybe that's why it gets under my skin when other people are stubborn and rude.

Thankfully I have my husband, two gorgeous kids, and an awesome family and friends to remind me why I am working on myself. Everyone who has commented on my last post or on my FaceBook and Twitter has reminded me that the world is full of people who have my back. That stupid meme about "all my friends live in my computer"... I think it applies to me!

My husband has always been my champion but I have to hand it to him this time. Our niece is visiting from out of state and he dragged her to our house late in the evening. I came out from moping in the bedroom to find them and the baby dressed and ready to run. I switched into running clothes thinking to myself how hard it was going to be, how much it was going to hurt after Saturday's race, etc. Wouldn't you know I had a great run?!

Our niece surprised the heck out of me! She was holding a 9:50-ish pace for over a mile and a half before asking for a walk break! My husband and I took turns pushing the jogging stroller and handing out flyers for our upcoming race. Everyone we spoke with was smiling and excited to hear about the race and a few already knew about it. Three miles later I felt like a whole new woman. It was a great way to finish off the weekend.

I woke up bummed again. It stormed all night and I had weird dreams. The pounding rain kept the dogs awake and whining at our door too. I wasn't looking forward to work at all. At lunch time I dragged myself to the gym. After all, I pay for it so I might as well use it right? I don't know why I can't get it through my thick skull! I feel SO much better after a good, hard session with my personal trainer. Every Monday he kicks the after-weekend-blahs right out of me. Today we did every set to failure. By the time I left I could barely drive the mile back to my office and typing was difficult. And I LOVED it!

Time to quit moping! I've got a marathon to PR at! And my husband says he's coming to do the half too! Wonder if he'll break the stellar 1:44 he ran in April? Who wants to take a bet on his time? I think I can come up with some kind of giveaway for the closest guess! Watch out for that in a new post.

In closing, thank you to my friends, family, FitFluential peeps, Team Aquaphor crew, and my supporters. You all make this world a better place and I'm blessed to share it with you!