The streak continues and WInner! of the opener

I'm not a streaker.  In fact, in the past, three days in a row and a total of five days a week was about the max I would ever do.

Enter July.  I knew I'd have a hard time getting to 100 miles this month.  I wanted to run in Alaska, but I knew the reality was that I wouldn't run much.  And I was right.  I also knew that with the July heat, I'd have a hard time running longer than an hour.  So, before we left for Alaska, I ran every day in July, for a total of 33 miles.  While in Alaska, I ran less than 17 miles.

That left me with 11 days and a little over 50 miles to cover.  I did it!!! 102.2 miles for July!

Stats:
Longest run: 8.6 miles
Shortest run: 2.2 miles barefoot on the treadmill this morning
Most runs were between 4 and 6 miles in length.  I even managed to get a race and a bit of speedwork in and my legs still feel pretty darn good.

I'm not sure if I'll continue for much longer, but we'll see.

And the Winner is Dash!

I asked Shoo to choose a number between 1 and 18 and he chose 29 LOL.  I then recited the numbers for him and he chose 10, so Ms. Dash, send me an email at mom2shoo at gmail.com and I'll get your new opener to you.

Thank you to everyone who participated.  I'll be giving away a pair of Wrightsock running socks soon.

Not too late to join the virtual run - 45 participants so far.  Woot!!  I'll post a list later this week of everyone who has signed up.

Suck it up, Buttercup

Despite yesterday's whine, I have found that being part of the blog world has been a really positive experience for me.  I've run with some of you and drunk beer with others.  You've held me accountable for my training and gotten me to races when I really wasn't in the mood to run them.  And, wow, there are 41 of you willing to run a few miles in celebration of my 40th birthday!

In return for all the wonderful things you all have given me, I've blatantly stolen a mantra from Tonia and G.    Yeah, I'm nice like that.

The new mantra: Suck it up, Buttercup.

I tend to let my mind get in the way of what my body can do.  Unlike some of you, I'll cut a run short or go slow if I'm not feeling the love.  With my new mantra, I still listen to my body, but if I do an inventory and there's nothing really wrong, I keep going.  I've managed to get in longer runs than expected this week by doing this.


I may not want your goals, but I am going to try to make some of your traits my own.  I'm borrowing:

• Tonia's determination (already stole a mantra, so why not?), 
• Shelly's ability to get out there every day (I'm on day 9 of my current streak)
• Jess' willingness to run in the heat (it's frickin' hot here and I've been out every day at 10:00 am!)
• AngieB's tough feet (I've done a few barefoot miles on the treadmill and really want to do more)
• Jamoosh's beer fridge (a girl can dream, right?)

Now I just need to get someone to share their speed - Marlene, Mel, MissZippy, anyone, anyone?

ShutUpandRun can keep her digestive system, however.

So, suck it up, Buttercup.  And yes, I am getting the shirt.

Staying true to myself

I'm not a "keeping up with the Joneses" kind of girl.  Anyone who knows me IRL knows that.  I tend to zig when others zag.  Beer Geek is even more like that.

We live in a small house because we chose location over size.   And, while a master bath or a stove that's not older than me might be nice, I don't really need much more than what we have (thankfully beer is a relatively cheap luxury item).  I have a masters degree and had a very successful career before kids.  I could easily get back into that, but have found that my "drive" to succeed in that way is gone.  Now I want to do something that I enjoy, on my own schedule, the way I want to do it.  When I ponder winning the lottery (which I never will since I'd never actually enter the lottery LOL), the only big exciting thing I want is to travel more.  The rest of my thoughts go to things like paying off the mortgage, saving for the kids for college, etc.  (ok, upgrading my kitchen does come to mind).

I'm the same way when it comes to parenting.  I'm a big believer in doing what works for your family.  I've done some out of the mainstream things - home birth, extended nursing, co-sleeping, to name a few.   I'll share my opinions if asked, but I'm not going to be telling you what you should do.  If something works for your family and everyone is happy, healthy, and safe, who am I to judge?

I used to be that way when it came to running.  I started running for my mental and physical health.  I didn't care about how fast I was or how far I went.  I just cared that I could be a good mom and my jeans fit.

Lately, I've found myself reading blogs and thinking "wow, she ran fast, I need to do more speedwork".  Or "hey, she can run x miles per week, why am I not putting in that kind of mileage?"  Or "I should be training for a marathon".

Never mind that a)I will never be a fast girl, b) I've never enjoyed the miles after about mile 15, and c) I hate running in hot weather.  I just feel like I need to be doing more and doing it faster because "everyone else" is.

I think that the biggest problem right now is that I have no running goals.  I have a lot going on outside of running, so I had decided to let running take a bit of a back seat.   That's not working for me.  Apparently I need a plan and something to work towards (or at least something to rebel against occasionally LOL).  So, I think it's time to go back to the drawing board and figure out where *I* want to go right now.  And to step away from the lure of the marathon.  Because, while there will be a time to go for that sub 4:30 goal, that time is not now.

Wordless Wednesday: Kenai Fjords, Alaska

Pictures from the Conservation Center up at Metro DC Mom

"Mama Goes Masters" Virtual Race

That's right, kids, as part of my 40th birthday (ACK!) celebration, I'm hosting my first Virtual Race.  And it might come as a surprise to many of you, but there will be no beer requirements.  Does that disappoint you?

Details, details...

"Mama Goes Masters" Virtual Race

When:  August 25th (or whatever date between August 20-25 that works for you.)

Distance:  You have three options:

• 4.0 miles in honor of turning 40
• 8.25 miles in honor of the actual day
• 40K if you dare.  (If you are crazy enough *coughToniacough*, do it whenever in August it works for your training, just let me know when you plan to do it.)

Cost:  Free





What to do next?  Comment and let me know that you are in.  Next, send me an email at mom2shoo at gmail.com with your name, planned distance, and blog address if you have one.  Feel free to share this on your blog too.  The more the merrier.

Then, keep an eye on my blog for a race bib to wear.

Finally, run your race and send me your pictures, a link to the race report, and your finish time.

What's in it for you?  Everyone who runs will be listed on the final recap when I recover from my birthday celebrating.  (Hey, I said you didn't have to drink beer, that doesn't mean I won't.) In addition, there will be a winner for each distance, plus at least three random winners.  Winnings will be things like Gu, nuun, etc, although I reserve the right to send beer glasses, socks, coffee or other things like that if the winner is someone who would appreciate that.



So, help make an old girl get excited about a new age group, 'kay?

"All I got was this lousy..." Giveaway

First, I want to welcome all my new commenters and followers! 200!  Woot! It's great to have you and I'm  doing my best to get around to everyone's blogs.

Second, I have a few questions to answer:

Jamoosh asked (in regards to last night's 5k):  What no post race brew?

Well, there was beer.  Bud to be exact.  I think I've mentioned before that I don't drink what my kids call "yellow beer."  I just don't like the taste and I'm way too old to drink just for the alcohol.  I gave away my beer ticket and came home instead (to a fridge that was sadly lacking in any cold beers I could drink).

Jamoosh also asked: What no moose?

There was a moose.  A mom and baby, no less, but not at the race.  We saw them on the edge of the highway:

There you go.  A little moose butt for you.

AJH asked: What state is next?

Funny she should ask.  Looks like the next state is Vermont in the fall.  Hope she'll meet up with me there.  ;o)

Now, on to the important stuff.  I'm sure you've all seen the t-shirts that say "My mom went to {insert cool place here} and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

Well, MCM Mama went to Alaska and all you are going to get is this lousy...

Bottle Opener.

I tried hard, but was unable to find a bottle opener at any of the breweries or brewpubs, so I bought the tackiest one I could find (it even has a magnet so you can hang it on your fridge).   Want it?  Here's what you've got to do...

Mandatory:  Be a follower or become a follower and leave me a comment telling me.  

Optional entries (leave separate comments for each):  

1. Tell me about a race or a brewery near you that I shouldn't miss
2. Become a follower of MCM Mama on Facebook (or let me know if you were already)
3. Post a picture of you with your favorite beverage on your blog (yes, I know some of you don't drink alcohol.  That's ok.  A pic of you with whatever you like to drink is fine.  Make sure to give me the link in your comment. )

Giveaway ends Friday, July 30 at midnight.  Winner will be chosen by my random number generator, aka Shoo (better hope you don't fall between 14 and 20 because in his world, the numbers are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,eleventeen, 12, 13, 21,22,23...)  Just kidding.  I'll either put the numbers in a hat or use a real random number generator.  And if bottle openers aren't your thing, stay tuned for a sock giveaway in a week or two.

I have 6 days to finish 29 miles to reach my 100 for the month.  If I don't make it, it'll be my first sub 100 month this year.  Guess what I'll be doing this week.  ;o)  Good thing it's supposed to be a bit cooler.

CCT5k race report and Nathan handheld review

Last night I ran the Crystal City Twilighter 5k.  It was a hellishly hot 100 degrees when I left my house to volunteer at the race.  I spent two hours at the bag drop before the race, slowly sipping nuun out of my handheld.  This, of course, necessitated two stops at the potties before I ran, but at least it meant I was hydrated.  ;o)

For an incredibly hot day, there were a ton of people there...

Right before the race, I had a friend snap a picture of me.  Notice how I was not dripping in sweat.  Don't worry, that changed the minute I started running.  Hopefully the photographers got some pictures of that.

On my way to the start line, I ran into Katie from Run This Amazing Day!  Her boyfriend snapped a picture of us, so hopefully she'll post that.  I lost her in the crowd and couldn't find her at the end, so we didn't get much of a chance to talk.

Mile 1: 9:09 - Oops.  That was way faster than I meant to go.  Remember, it was still close to 100 out there.  I did get misted a bit and that helped, but I forgot to dump a water over my head at the water stop.

Mile 2: 8:53 - Really?  I didn't think I was going that fast.  At the halfway point, we passed by the finish line and the first man had just finished.  Color me jealous.

Mile 3: 9:35 - Yep, knew that was going to happen.  I was dying.  I was dripping sweat as I ran and barely able to keep my handheld on my hand.   I wanted to walk desperately, but made myself keep going.

Mile .1: Garmin says I was going a 4:54 pace.  I was flat out sprinting as I attempted to chic a guy and pass a fast looking girl (succeeded, by the way), but I doubt I was going that fast LOL.

I forgot to stop my watch, but Garmin says my overall pace was 9:09, but it also says I ran 3.22.  Whatever. 

I count this race as a success.  I met all of my goals:  I didn't walk, I finished in under 30 minutes, and I didn't puke.  Yay!

I did, however, have a minor failure.  I did not really like the Nathan handheld.  I thought I had the strap tight, but my hand kept slipping out and I nearly dropped it a couple of times.  I ended up putting my whole hand through it and wearing it on my wrist, which did work.   I do like the bottle and I'll definitely try it again with the strap tighter and when I'm not absolutely drenched in sweat and see if it works better.

I got home and hit the shower and then put Jones to bed.  He told me "Eww, you smell like soap."  I think that was better than the alternative LOL.

Speaking of comfort zones

I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm not exactly fond of them.  And I really freak out when my kids are up high with nothing between them and a fall.  So, if I had seen this sign BEFORE we hiked up...

I would have missed out on this...

and this....

and this...

But I also would not have had to done this...

In the bottom right you can see me with my dad and Shoo.  We were done with the scary steep part by that point.  There were parts where my dad would climb down a bit, make sure he was stable and I'd hand down Shoo.  Shoo's propensity to jump into thin air did not help the process.

Thank goodness for dramamine

Fifteen years ago, I discovered I get seasick.  We went on a small boat cruise out of Juneau, Alaska for our honeymoon and it quickly became apparent that I could not drink alcohol AT ALL when on the boat.  As long as I didn't drink, I was just a bit queasy.  Over the years, I've had a number of opportunities to confirm this, including a boat trip between islands in the Azores with rough seas while suffering from morning sickness with Jones.  Last year, I tried a non-drowsy formula of dramamine and managed to survive a boat ride out to the Dry Tortugas.  The waves were huge and I think Beer Geek, myself, and the crew were the only ones who didn't get sick.

So, when Beer Geek suggested that we take a float plane ride over the glaciers, the first thing I did was grab some drugs.  ;o)

 Why, yes, I was out of my comfort zone, thanks for asking.

Are you tired of Alaska pictures yet? I'm happy to keep sharing if you want...

On the running front, the Virginia heat is killing me.  I ran a miserable 3.5 miles yesterday where I forgot how much heat sucks and went out way too fast.  Today I ran 5.5 miles on the treadmill and I was absolutely soaked.  I think my running bra and shorts were as wet as my swimsuit was when I got out of the pool earlier today.  On Saturday, the projected high is 100 degrees and I'm running a 5k.  I'm pretty sure a PR is not in my future.  ;o)

State #11: Alaska!

In addition to my 11th state race report, this is my "Half minus a Half" race report for G and my snapshot of my run for Tonia.

Short story: 1:30:42 on a 9.65 mile course (9:24 average pace)

Long story (grab your lunch before you start):

Once we set our dates for our Alaska trip, I started looking for a race we could do while there.  The only race that was near where we were going to be was the Soldotna Unity run.  It had two options - a 5k and a 10 miler.  I'm trying to avoid 5ks to the extent possible for my state races, so that left us with the 10 mile option.  In past years, about 30-40 people run the 10 miles and this year was no different.  I consider myself a "middle of the pack" runner, but that was not the case here.  Apparently, only the fast runners run 10 miles.  I finished 18th out of 23 women and my dad was 15 out of 15 men.  So, I finished in the top 20 of women, but there were only five people after me!

Before the race:

It was really chilly.  48 degrees and cloudy.  I couldn't decide whether to run with my windbreaker or not.  I ended up not taking it, which meant I was FREEZING at the start line, but I ended up being glad I didn't have it.    Note my race number.  This may be the only time in my life I get a single digit number LOL.

The gun went off and we watched all except two of the runners head out of sight.   We had a plan and refused to be pulled out too fast, despite feeling REALLY slow.

Mile 1 (9:30):  Nice, easy mile.  I finally got warm enough to stop shaking.

Mile 2 (9:28): Another nice easy mile, although we were afraid we were going a little fast.

Mile 3 (9:42): I grabbed a bottle of powerade and ran with that for a while.  Disposing of it slowed me down a bit.

Mile 4 (9:37): Still right where we wanted to be.

Mile 5 (9:29):  We figured this would be our last "fast" mile as we were about to hit some wicked hills.

Mile 6 (9:30): Surprisingly, we managed to keep a decent pace while going up and then flew down the hills, so they didn't kill our average speed.

Mile 7 (9:29): Recovering from the hills.  I turned around and tried to get a picture of the temperature on the sign, but was too far away.

Mile 8 (8:55)  I was feeling awesome and we passed a couple of people.  By this point, we'd passed four people and there were two others behind us from the beginning.

Mile 9 (9:22): My dad's hamstring went from unhappy to angry, so we pulled back a little bit.

The end of the race (8:41):  One woman managed to pass us.  We didn't see her coming and she was sprinting for the finish.  She knew the finish was just around the corner, so was moving super fast.  I thought we still had a half mile left, so I didn't think I could keep up with her.  If I'd have known we were almost done, I would have totally raced her.  ;o)

The end:

All in all, it was an awesome race.  It was well organized, there was a cookout at the end, and I got to run (almost) 10 miles with my dad.  It was also a major confidence booster for me.  9:30 was an easy pace and even the 8:55 mile wasn't that hard, despite being 7 miles into the race.  The heat in Virginia has totally sapped my abilities, so I've been questioning my fitness.  This race proved to me that the heat is the issue, so as long as I keep running, I should be great once it cools back down.

Now if I could just get the kids back on east coast time...  

(Pictures of the kids in Alaska up on the Metro DC Mom blog).

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Signs

If only the RV drivers actually obeyed this one...

Just in case you were thinking of tossing a kid in to see...*

(I actually think this is an awesome sign as it definitely caught my attention and reminded me to keep a closer eye on Shoo (aka Danger Mouse))

Where in the world was MCM Mama?

Right at the moment, I am 30000 feet up somewhere over the middle of the United States.  Quite frankly, wi fi on an airplane may be the best invention ever.  ;o)

Several of you figured realized that the mountains in the background were not Virginia.  You guys are very observant!  The mountain in question was Flattop Mountain in Anchorage, Alaska.

We just spent the last 12 days traipsing around Alaska.  We rented a house on the Kenai Peninsula and spent a week exploring all that it had to offer, with the exception of fishing.  Beer Geek and I flew on a float plane over the glaciers, road in a catamaran with the boys out to see whales and puffins and seals (and more glaciers),  and hiked every chance we got.  My dad and I had the opportunity to run a 10 mile race, so now Alaska has been crossed off the list.  I ate more halibut and salmon in one week than one person should and visited all but one of the brewpubs/breweries in Anchorage and on the Kenai, as well as one up in Talkeetna (for a total of 8, I believe).

We had amazing weather for the majority of the trip, despite this summer being extremely cold and wet.  Even on our rainiest day, we managed to go on a jetboat ride and nature walk and see some bald eagles.  Thankfully, the only bears we saw were at the Conservation center.  They say that making a lot of noise keeps them away and we had Jones and Shoo with us, so noise accompanied us everywhere we went.

The only negative of the trip was that I barely ran.  The house we rented was in a very rural area and I was afraid to run on the road by myself.  I also couldn't run on the trails.  Did I mention the bears?  I didn't see any, but when we questioned the owner of the house we rented, he suggested running with bear spray.  Umm, no thanks.  Luckily, my parents were there, so I did get to run with my dad twice before the race.

I'll be boring you with lots of stories and pictures for the next few days.  Hope you don't mind.  ;o)  Thanks for hanging around while my internet access was spotty.  I hope to back to "normal" in a few days.

Succumbing

The first definition for "succumbing" that google popped up was "failing to resist".  That is exactly what is happening in my head right now.  The boys are nearly recovered from a nasty cold and I can feel my body starting to come down with it.  I'm so thrilled to be feeling crappy just as they are hitting their stride again.  (Ehh, who am I kidding?  They still had energy to spare even while coughing up a lung.) Right now, I have a headache and a stuffy head.  I'm just hoping that I don't get the wicked cough that came with theirs.  After pushing out two kids with big heads, coughing is an adventure in diapers around here.

Lots and lots to talk about, but I don't think well with a head full of snot, so I leave you with a teaser of things to come:

• a ten mile race where I finished both in the top 20 for women and nearly DFL*
• a picture of each mile of said race
• a review of Born to Run
• a review of Run Like a Mother
• an encounter with Vibram shoes (I sooo want a pair now)
• a post from an unusual place

*That would be Dead F$%cking Last

Sports detergents review

A while back I read an article that Running Laur wrote about caring for your technical fabrics.  I'll freely admit that before that article, running clothes went in with whatever else was going in the laundry.  I paid no attention to temperature and occasionally even threw things in the dryer.  After reading the article, I decided to try taking care of my running clothes appropriately.

Running Laur was nice enough to send me some Sports Wash  detergent.  I did three loads with that and found that I did notice a small decrease in smell at the beginning of the run.  To be honest though, I didn't notice a lot of smell before I used this, but I don't know if that's because I don't reek or I'm oblivious LOL.

Next I tried the Tide version.  I can state unequivacobly that I did not like this detergent.  It seemed to do a decent enough job cleaning, but it has febreze in it and the smell was overwhelming.  As in, my laundry room and basement smelled like it for days afterwards.  In fact, I only washed one load in it and the items that were washed in that load still smell like it several washes later.

Right now I'm using Win detergent, only because that's what my local running store had in stock when I needed to find something new.  This one does have a much lighter smell and I definitely am not noticing any lingering scent of sweat when I start a run.  I've sniffed my shirt at the end of a run as well and the smell is still pretty minimal.

My biggest issue with all of the sports detergents is that I don't feel like any of them get my clothes really clean.  I apparently leave a dark ring around the collars of most of my shirts and I'm absolutely a dirt magnet.  Even rubbing the detergents on full strength doesn't remove all of the stains.

I do plan to try using a stain treatment of some type in conjunction with the special detergent and see if I get better results.  I'd love to find a regimen that removes the smell AND the stains.  I'll keep you posted.

On the running front, I managed a nice 4 miler on Thursday evening.  I hadn't planned to run, but the opportunity arose, so I took it.  Other than the fact that I really wanted to throw up my dinner on someone's lawn ala Tonia, it was a nice run.  My right hamstring doesn't like me much right now, but I'm hoping that I can stretch it into submission soon.

"That" point

As of Tuesday afternoon, I had not run in 5 days.   I did have moments of activity in those days, but there were also too many moments of doing nothing active.  I don't think I've missed 5 days of running since the week after my first marathon, but circumstances conspired to make running impossible this past week.

Tuesday afternoon, I reached "that point".  You all know it.  I'm sure most of you have felt the same feeling at least to some degree.

I had to run.

Running was no longer an option.  It was a requirement.  It was a matter of life or death (or at least a matter of having any ability to be a decent mom.  For those who don't know, running is what keeps me from needing anti-depressants.  If I don't run, I get depressed and it manifests itself as anger at the world.)

The boys were in the middle of the 5,234,987th argument of the day and I just walked out the door.  (Don't worry, Beer Geek was in the same room with them.)  I ran 3 hard miles.  The last mile was mostly uphill and I did it in 9:04.  This was not an easy run.  This was a push and then push some more run.

When I walked back in the door, I could be a good mom again.  Thank God for endorphins.

I'm on my way!

I just registered for the RRCA Coaching Certification course.  I'm torn between "Woohoo!" and "holy cow, what have I done?"

Thankfully, it's local, so I'll be able to be home at night and one of the days the boys will be at school.

I've already had a couple of moms approach me about working with them once I get the certification.  I'm nervous about adding one more thing to the list of stuff I balance, but excited about trying something new.  And, if nothing else, the recent streak showed me that I'll be able to run for my own training and still be able to throw in some miles with clients when necessary.

Deep breath...

Cross Training

I didn't run Thursday.

I didn't run Friday.

Instead, I spent Friday hiking a 1.5 mile (each way) trail with an elevation gain of 1200 feet and a final section that involved scrambling up rocks using hands and feet.   The amazing thing is that both boys managed to make it as well, although I did carry Shoo on my back for about the last quarter mile or so.

That's why I run.

Five Things Friday: Streaking and barefoot running.

1.  I ran 10 days in a row.  I know that for a lot of people that's not a big deal.  Around here, however, it's huge.  Oddly enough, I think I could have kept going if life were not intervening.  My legs felt good the whole time.  I think my body was beginning to adapt to a daily run and I managed to do about 45 miles in the 10 days.  I may have to try this again in the fall when the boys are in school.  The heat made the last two runs slower and shorter than planned, but they still got done.

2.  This has seriously been a "duct tape" week.  I've had a lot of things going on and the boys are not in camp.  When you add in the ridiculous heat, you're left with a cranky mom and two boys who love to fight.  Thank goodness for a trip out to the Udvar-Hazy Center.  It was nice, cool, and gave everyone a bit of space.

3.  I opened a bank account for my new business.  I think that was the last step in getting everything set up.  I'm not at all "entrepreneurial" (some might even call me extremely risk averse LOL), so I've stepped way outside my box on this.  Fingers crossed that it has a neutral to positive effect in our lives.

4.  Today I finally mailed all of the items that people won in my two giveaways.  Yeah, I'm slow like that.  I only have one more item to do for a giveaway.  Guess I need to start thinking about some more beer related giveaways in the future.

5. I'm still hanging in there with the barefoot running.  The last day of my streak was a 1.4 mile run on the treadmill in a basement that was trying to match the outside temps of 102.  As you might imagine, I didn't run any extra.  I'm still trying to figure out a "moccasin like" shoe to try for outside running.  I'd just like a little bit of leather between me and the pavement (and glass and other nasty stuff around here).

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: Running hot

Color me unhappy.  I ran on the treadmill last night and, despite a fan blowing on me, looked like I'd been swimming by the time I was done.  Wonder if I'll manage to pull off the last day of my 10 day streak today?

Four "free" miles and Ryders Sunglasses Giveaway winners

I've got a bit of a mini running streak going.  Yesterday, I ran for the 7th day in a row!  Runs ranged from 3.5 miles to 10.1 miles, for a total of 37 miles this week (2.5 of them barefoot).  This is not normal for me.  Three days in a row is usually my max with the very occasional week of 4 in a row.  I think ONCE I ran 5 days in a row LOL.  I know this is nothing compared to Shelly, or even Jess, but it's a pretty big deal for me.  I have three more days before my life gets insane, so my goal is 10 days in a row.  The key thing I've learned is to keep most of my miles are at my long run pace, with only an occasional faster run or hill workout.  So far, so good.

Yesterday I went out for a Garminless four miles.  I hadn't planned it that way, but for some reason, Garmin did not charge.  I even forgot to start the timer on my watch so I have no clue how long it took me to run the four miles.  What a weird feeling to just run.  Reminds me of the good old days before I started training for my first marathon and started blogging LOL.

And the winners of the Ryders sunglasses are...

#49 - Anne from Asthma and the Gift of Running

and

#98 - Badgergirl from Adventures of Badgergirl.

Anne, email me your choice and address at mom2shoo at gmail.com as soon as you can.  Badgergirl, I have your address and I'll send you whichever pair Anne doesn't want as soon as I hear from her.

Thank you to everyone who entered and who reads my blog.  I've enjoyed "meeting" each and every one of you.  We are ramping up into some crazy times here at the MCM Mama household, so running will be infrequent, posting will be erratic, and commenting will be extremely hit or miss.   Gotta love summer.  ;o)

Happy Birthday, Mom! and happy Fourth of July to everyone!

Thanks for being the best mom a girl could ask for!  Enjoy your birthday fireworks.  ;o)

Hill training and barefoot running

No, not at the same time, although I did consider running my barefoot mile outside.

Yesterday was the boys' last day of camp up in the hilly part of our county.  I decided I should take advantage of that.  Where we live isn't flat, but these were Serious.Hills.  I ran a nice little mile warm up on the small hills and then found a tenth of a mile hill that was so steep I couldn't comfortably run down it.  I went down it, attempting not to kill myself and then turned around and jogged back up.  Slowly.  When I hit the top, I kept going and realized I had a nice little half mile loop that would take me down a less steep hill, up a slight incline and to the bottom of the evil hill.  I did the loop three times, so I ran up the hill a total of four times.  By the last one, I seriously wasn't moving at more than a shuffle and was pretty sure my heart was going to beat right out of my chest.  Then I looped around and ended up going another half mile downhill.  I nearly cried when I realized the only way to get back to my car was to go back up!  I ended up managing 5.1 miles at a 10:15 pace.

As soon as I finished, I jumped in my car and drove home.  I ran in the door, yanked off my shoes, socks, and hat and hit the treadmill.  I did another 1.2 miles at an average of a 10:30 pace barefoot on the 'mill.   Now I just need to find a minimalist shoe for outside...

Two days into July and I've already managed 10.3 miles.  Woot!  This morning's plan is another slow 10 miles, but we'll see what my quads have to say about that.

Life with Kids

Some days my kids make it perfectly clear why I'm a runner...

• before we left for camp yesterday, Jones had already lost a few privileges because he couldn't keep his hands off of his brother
• we are nearly out of food because taking both boys to the grocery store is one of the forgotten circles of hell
• Jones is attending a camp this week that includes playing in the stream each day.  The description made it sound like they'd get their feet wet.  Jones has been in the water up to his neck every.single.day.  
• Thanks to that camp and Shoo's camp, my house smells like wet tennis shoes and stinky boys.  (At least it's been cool enough the last couple of days to open the windows.)
• "hugs" on the metro ride to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival quickly led to hitting and biting
• Shoo is in a biting stage and I haven't figured out what his "currency" is these days
• Overheard in the car on the way home from the metro - J: "You're a big fat meanie".  S: "I'm not fat." (There was no protest about the tag of meanie, sigh.)

I was already halfway down the yard on my way for a run by the time Beer Geek got out of his car after work.   I ran an easy four miles in 38:54 and it felt wonderful.  That certainly made up for Wednesday's horrible 3.5 mile run in beautiful weather.  By the time I got home, I was no longer considering the merits of duct tape versus velcro. 

Don't forget - last chance to get in on the Ryders giveaway.  Also, if you want more info about today's adventure, head over to my review of the Folklife Festival.

Three Things Thursday

1.  This month I got to meet Tonia, G, AJH, and Jamoosh.  They were all a lot of fun.  I love that I've gotten a chance to meet in person some of the people that I really enjoy interacting with online.  So, who's up next?  I'll be in Wisconsin in August if any midwest peeps want to try to get together.   I'm up for a run or a beer or both.  ;o)

2.  I barely made 100 miles this month.  I only managed one double digit run in June.  Since I usually run only 4 times a week, that made it really difficult to get the miles in.  I'd like to say that July will be better, but I'm not holding my breath.

3.  Sometimes you buy a beer just because of its name...