Mind games and a 'tweet up'

As of Tuesday morning, I had 21 miles to finish this month if I wanted to continue my 2010 100 miles per month streak.  I knew that Wednesday would only allow for about 4 miles, so that left me two days and 17 miles.  I.did.not.want.to.run.  I'm not sure why, but my mind was absolutely not in the game.  Sure, my legs were still a little sore from Saturday (what is up with that?), but really I was fine.  I just didn't want to.  I made a bargain.  I'd run 4 miles and push off the rest until Thursday or *gasp* accept that I wasn't going to hit 100 miles.

I headed out and knew it was going to be a hard run when I was already counting at .10.  Yes, at a tenth of a mile I was already saying "yay, one tenth down, only 39 more to go".  (I'd already used my "suck it up, buttercup" mantra to just get out the door LOL).  At mile 2, I convinced myself to turn away from home, knowing that would mean at least a five mile run.  At mile 5, I convinced myself that I could hit 7 and be a third of the way done with my remaining mileage.  At mile 7, I was still two miles from home.  Every time I finished a .10 of a mile, I convinced myself I could do one more.  At mile 9, I was in my neighborhood and decided to keep going.  Finally, at 10.6 miles, I was out of water and starving, so I called it a day.  Wednesday, I managed 4.3 miles, so all I have left today is about a 10K!

And about those 4.3 miles...

I'm fairly active on twitter with my Metro DC Mom "handle".  I tweet mostly about my other blog and random life as a mom stuff, but occasionally I mention running and this blog.  Well, one of the people I follow over there, direct messaged me after my race and said "are you so and so?"  After my heart started beating again, I realized that he lives down the block from me and while we'd never met, our lives overlap in a lot of ways, so it was no surprise he could figure out who I was.  Anyways, he offered to join me for a run this morning.  Long story short, we ran the 4 miles together on Wednesday at a speed approaching tempo for me.  I think I may have talked his ear off.  ;o)  Score another one for the small world that is the internet!

Oh and James at Runners Bug is hosting a virtual non-race.  He's extended the entry period until October 8, so go over and join in on the fun.

Words from Kids Wednesday

AKA "out of the mouths of babes".

Shoo: Mom, Erin is my girlfriend.
Me:  Oh?
Shoo: Yeah, she's a girl and she's my friend.
Me: Umm, OK.
Shoo:  You know, like Uncle Eric is your boyfriend.  And you work for him.  Yeah, he's your boyfriend and you work for him.

Me (thinking):  By that definition, he sounds like my pimp.

Great, one kid calls me a street walker, the other informs me I have a pimp, and the pictures from the 5k include a shot up my skirt.  And here I am, trying to write a G rated blog...

 And, no, this is not the picture

to which I am referring.

An evening with "Martha Speaks"

Ok, I didn't spend an evening with a book (or a tv show for that matter), but rather with the author Susan Meddaugh.  I also got to meet Erica Perl, author of Chicken Butt! and a Director over at First Book (an organization that provides new books to children in need), Amy from teachmama, Jeannine from PBS, and Kate from WGBH.  It.was.awesome!  Susan Meddaugh is wonderfully down to earth and funny.  I happened to be seated right next to her, so I spent much of my time talking with her.  We chatted about the inspiration for the idea (a lunch of alphabet soup with her son), rural life versus urban life, parenting, childbirth...  It was a lovely conversation.

I also had a chance to chat with the other women present.  It was a surprisingly comfortable time, considering I had never met any of these women before.  It was a group of incredibly friendly and witty women, who all had interesting opinions about books, children, and life and were quite happy to share them.  It did remind me that it has been a while since I've gone out for a moms' night out or even a moms' coffee.  I need to get on that.

It was wonderful to be included and get the chance to meet Susan.  That alone would have been enough, but they also gave me wine! and a gift bag of Martha Speaks books, videos, and a stuffed Martha toy.  The videos have been a hit with the boys, we've read all the books multiple times already, and Shoo has taken to sleeping with "Martha Speaks" as he calls the stuffed dog.  I even got Susan to sign one of the books to add to our small collection of signed children's books.

Many thanks to PBS and WGBH for including me.  And, of course, thank you to Susan Meddaugh for writing a fun series!

Disclaimer:  I received wine and a small gift bag, but I would have had a wonderful time without either.

Unrelated:  I did not run Monday.  That leaves 21 miles and 3 days.  Ouch!

Three things Monday?

Maybe I should call it "Miscellaneous Monday".  The only thing the following three things have in common is running.  So, "Three Things Monday" it is.  ;o)

1. My legs hurt all day Sunday.  My quads were trashed from the hills and my calves hurt from the combination of high heels on Friday and the Vibram Five Fingers on Saturday.   I wasn't "walk backwards down the stairs" stiff, just generally sore and achy.  It was only three miles!  Sheesh!  Someone asked if I thought it was just a fast race or if it was the Vibram Five Fingers.  I think it was the race.  In fact, I think I could have run it faster in shoes.  Towards the end, I was really struggling to maintain my form.  I think I spent a lot of extra energy on making sure I kept my head up and didn't land with my heels.  I'm hopeful that this will change in the future as I develop better form and get stronger. 
2. I have almost 21 miles left to run this month and only four days left.  Those four days are pretty much wall to wall with things to do.  As in, running is likely going to have to happen at 5:00 am or midnight.   Knowing how I feel about mornings, I have a feeling there may be a couple of midnight runs in my future.  Thank goodness for my treadmill.  I will NOT miss my 100 mile goal.
3. Winners of my 1000 mile giveaway...  Pam at Thirty Schmirty won the socks, Miss Zippy won the nuun, and Bobbi at Zero to 26.2 won the glass.  Email me at mom2shoo at gmail.com and I'll get those out to you sometime in the next year.  ;o)  Seriously though, I have managed to mail about half of the stuff from my virtual race.  I'm hoping to mail the rest this week.

First Vibram Five Fingers 5k Race

I would have to say that my first 5k in the Vibrams was a huge success!  I PR'd by 41 seconds, I came in under 25 minutes (barely) AND I took 2nd in my age group.

The running skirt?  That was a major FAIL from a running standpoint.  I've lost a couple of pounds, so the skirt kept sliding down and the compression shorts totally worked themselves up where they should not have gone.  It was a recipe for chafe.  It annoyed me at first, but I decided I wanted to focus on the run and I'd deal with the chafe later.  Surprisingly, while I'm sure it looked unattractive, I managed not to chafe.

The Vibrams were great for the most part.  The first mile and a half of this race are largely downhill.  The last mile and a half are rolling hills, with an uphill finish.  I'd bet there's less than a quarter mile in the entire race that is actually flat.  I started out in the crowd and still managed an 8 minute first mile.  Mile 2 came in at 7:42.  Mile 3 was all about holding on for dear life and I managed to pull out an 8:15 or so.  I didn't have much kick at the end.  I can run fast in the Vibrams, but I don't sprint well in them.

Overall, it was a positive experience.  Lots of people asked me questions and I passed a ton of people at the end.  There was one bad point though.  There are grates across the road at the bottom of the big hill that you can't avoid.  They have a very pointy top surface that borders on sharp.  My form going across that was not pretty.  ;o)  Today, my calves and feet are a bit sore, but I'm pretty sure that the mile I walked in high heels on Friday evening played a major part in that.

Things I learned on my 4 mile Vibram run

1. When I have good form, I can run faster.  
2. It's easiest to have good form when I'm completely barefoot.  Vibrams are better than shoes in terms of my running form.
3. It hurts my heels to run in Vibrams when I have poor form and start landing on my heels.
4. My form goes to hell at about 3.4 miles.  I had to slow way down for the last half mile+ to focus on keeping my head up and my feet hitting the ground correctly.
5. Tomorrow's steep downhill start may not work in my favor.  Usually I can take that hill at a sub-8 pace with little effort.  I'm having trouble running lightly down hills when in the Vibrams.
6. Landing on a rock where the ball of your foot transitions to arch hurts nearly as bad as childbirth.

I'm excited about running a race in the Vibram Five Fingers, but a bit nervous as well.  There are grates in the road for a big chunk of the downhill.  I'm afraid that will be an interesting and, quite possibly, painful experience.  I'm also thinking about racing in a running skirt. 'Cause you know, running in Vibrams won't stand out enough in the crowd.  ;o)

BTW, I've being featured today over at Mommy Only Has Two Hands.  Go check it out.  I'm not sure there's anything there I haven't already talked about here, but you never know...

Don't forget to enter my socks giveaway! It ends tonight.

Three Things Thursday

1.  Last night, I asked Shoo to get out of the bath and dry off.  He got out, walked into my bedroom, and rolled around on my bed until he was dry.  Perhaps I should have specified that he dry off with a towel.

2.  On Friday, I get to meet Susan Meddaugh, the author behind the PBS KIDS program Martha Speaks, about a dog who ate alphabet soup and gains the ability to talk.  I'm pretty excited because a) I get to talk with other grown ups without constant interruptions and b) the geeky librarian in me can't wait to meet an author.

3.  Today is going to be insane.  I want to run 10 miles four Vibram miles and I have a couple of writing deadlines.  Then, when I pick up Jones, I need to help with set-up for the book fair, take Jones to soccer practice, and then he has cub scouts.  I have so much going on that I'm meeting myself coming and going.  And last night I volunteered to be the room mom for Jones' class.  Anyone want to spend some time with me, teaching me how to say the word "no"?

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Runner

Look at those smiles!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!  It ends Friday!

You've come a long way, baby.

Three years ago, I ran my first double digit race.  It was the Army 10 miler and I actually ran it fairly fast for me. (9:30 pace)  When I got done, though, I was wiped.  I could barely walk back to my car and was majorly stiff for days afterwards.  The next spring I ran my first half marathon.  I ran it in about 2:20, but again, I was completely wiped at the end and sore for days.  In fact, my direct quote from my post about finishing it was:

"Short of natural childbirth, it was the hardest physical thing I've done in my life thus far, but I did it."

Sunday I ran a hilly half marathon.  Most of the comments I've heard about the course were that is was a challenging course.  I ran it at about the same pace as my first half marathon (if you subtract out our long bathroom stop.)  And it was easy.  I felt awesome the whole time.  I was happy the whole time (probably obnoxiously so).  The only time I felt at all winded was when I got talking too much and forgot to breathe LOL.  When I got done, I felt like I could have kept running for a lot more miles.

Yesterday I went out for a recovery run.  I ran 3.7 miles in my Vibram five fingers.   I wasn't even a little bit sore.  My legs felt great and I had plenty of energy.  In fact, I ended up running the middle two miles at 8:59 and 8:44 respectively and I didn't feel like I was killing myself. 

I'll never be a one of the fast kids and I may never beat the PRs I set last year, but I'm amazed at how far my body has come in it's ability to handle lots of miles and recover quickly.  I'll take that over speed, anytime.

Next up:  my first 5k race in the Vibrams.  Yes, I'll be the one at the Clarendon Days 5k rockin' the funky shoes.  Too bad my running skirt clashes.  ;o)

Wright Running socks review + 1000 mile giveaway

I have run two marathons, 5 half marathons, and numerous 15+ mile runs in the same pair of Wright Running socks.  I love them!  They are a two layer sock, made of a really light weight polyester and nylon mix.  I wear the quarter height because they prevent rubbing from the top of the shoe heel and the tongue.  I've worn them in all sorts of running conditions and never gotten a blister.   They are the one pair of socks I own that work in both brands of running shoes I wear. 

When I contacted the company and told them how awesome their socks are, they offered me a pair to give to a lucky reader of my blog.  I've decided to give them away as part of my "1000 miles for 2010" giveaway, along with one tube of nuun and the glass I "earned" on Friday night to three different winners.

To enter,  leave me a comment telling me which item you would prefer to win.

For extra entries(leave a comment for each):

1. Become a follower or remind me you are already a follower
2. "Like" MCM Mama on Facebook
3. Tweet about it (be sure to include @MCM Mama in your tweet, so I see it.)
4. Link the giveaway on your blog.
5. Tell me about your favorite running sock (I love these, but I like variety, so I'm always willing to try out something new.)

Giveaway ends Friday, September 24th at midnight.  Three winners announced on Saturday.

Disclaimer:  I received the socks I'm giving away free from the company, but my opinions are my own.  The nuun was purchased and the glass I received for drinking beer. ;o)

Wilson Bridge Half Marathon Race report

Short story: I ran with C.Mom at her pace and had an absolutely wonderful time. I really ought to run more races for fun!

Long story:

I got up this morning at 3:45 am so that I could hit the road by 5:00 am. One might think I was driving a distance to a race, but really the race start is less than 20 miles from my house. Unfortunately (for me), this race is a point to point race. I drove over to National Harbor to park my car. On the trip over there, I realized I had remembered everything except my id or any money. Luckily, there was plenty of free parking, so by 5:30, I was parked, had run into a friend, and was on a bus out to Mount Vernon. The bus trip and meeting up with C.Mom at the start went smoothly and we just hung out and chatted until the race started at 7:30 am.

I love this course. The GW Parkway is beautiful and has lots of shade. It also has nice, rolling hills. The downhills are fun, but not so steep as to hurt the quads and the uphills are totally manageable. I grabbed an oreo at mile 5 (loved that!) and we had a potty stop (more on that later) and we kept on going. It was pretty sunny out and getting warmer, but it was still a nice race day. Then we got there.

The Bridge! It has been billed as a pretty hard uphill.

I have to admit, I didn't find it that challenging. I'm not sure if it was because I was running around my long run pace rather than race pace or because I have so many hills around my house, but I felt great on the bridge. In fact, I was able to run ahead and then turn around and take C.Mom's picture.

I had my camera in my hand for most of the rest of the race.  It was so much fun.  I felt kind of bad because I was feeling fresh and having a good time and all around me people were struggling.  Then we ran by a medic and I took his picture (didn't turn out), so he offered to take our picture.  Fun!

Then, it was down off the bridge and up a spiral to another little bridge.  Finally, we headed into National Harbor with less than a 5k left.

In the last two miles, there was a big chunk that was dirt and rock, with a small amount of gravel section.  I wasn't thrilled with that part.  I was afraid I'd step wrong.  It was also pretty narrow, so it was hard to pass anyone.  After that, there was a short bit of paved section left.  I pushed C.Mom to give it all she had left and she gave it her all!  For the first time ever, I didn't even look at the clock as I finished, but I think it was somewhere in the 2:25 range.

All in all, this was an excellent race.  I had a lot of fun and there were plenty of water stops and I got an oreo.  ;o)  I have only two complaints about this race and only one of them could be fixed.  My first complaint was the number of porta potties.  We ended up spending more than 5 minutes standing in line to use the potty at mile 5.   The lines looked similar at every one we passed.  It would have been nice if there'd been an extra one at each stop or slightly more frequent opportunities.

My biggest complaint has to do with the logistics and I'm pretty sure there is no other way to handle this.  I was gone from my house for more than 6 hours to run a race nearby that took me less than 2.5 hours to run.  I didn't have much of a parking problem, but by the time I was in the bus riding out, the lines were horrid.  Then we had to wait for over an hour at the start while people were transported.  Then it took me over a half hour to get out of National Harbor.    I'm not sure there's any other way to handle this race, but it makes it pretty low on my list of races to run.  Too bad too, because otherwise, it was a well-organized race and a great course.  If we had stayed at the hotel, things would have been simpler, but I just can't justify it.

So, great race, great fun, but I probably won't run it again.

The things I do for YOU

So, last night we headed out for our usual Friday night dinner. Not surprisingly, the boys chose Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner. When we got there, the waiter informed us that if we had two 23 ounce beers in their logo glass, that the price was the same as two 23 ounce Mug Club beers AND we'd get to keep the glass. (See where I'm going with this?)

Now, I can't resist a deal. A free glass? Heck, yeah. So, I had myself a nice milk stout. It was yummy, but pretty filling so I had a small dinner. Then I got a glass of the Octoberfest. Hey, drink two, get a free glass! Of course I'm going to drink two!

Unfortunately, shortly into glass two, the boys decided they were done with good behavior. D.O.N.E. So, I called on my old "hanging out at the fraternity" skills and slammed about 18 ounces of beer in two swallows. Yeah, I used to be really good at beer olympics.

Why was this for you? Because on Monday, I'll be giving away a glass (and a pair of socks and some nuun) to three of YOU. And all I got was a headache...

1000 Miles!

2010 is the third year in a row that I've hit 1000+ miles. What makes this year significantly different is that this year I hit 1000 miles in mid-September, rather than having to crank out some major mileage in December.

The first year I hit 1000, I had December planned down to the .1 of a mile and ended up doing many of the last miles on my parent's treadmill at Christmas. The second year, I manage to hit 1000 on December 15 and managed to eke out a few more miles before the end of the year.

I planned to aim for at least 100 miles a month for each month in 2010. So far I'm on track for that. That would have put me at 1200 for the year. At this point, just hitting that goal will put me at 1300+ So, of course, my new goal for the year is at least 1400 miles.

Now I just need to find a cool number over 1400 to hit!

Edited to add: There will, of course, be a small giveaway to celebrate this milestone. Stay tuned!

Naked running

Ok, maybe not really naked, but it certainly felt like it yesterday. I ran in a pair of shorts, a running bra, and my Vibrams. Judging from the stares, you'd think no one had every seen a slightly chubby, pale white girl showing off some skin while wearing shoes with toes before. Sheesh! I scared one poor little toddler so much he went screaming back up the lawn towards his mommy (maybe he does that when anyone runs by his house?)

The actual run was quite good. I went out with the express purpose of paying attention to my form. I didn't pay attention to speed, I just tried to maintain the best form I could. I also focused on running lightly with quiet footsteps. It took a lot of focus, but in the end I managed 3.5 miles in 34:30. Not bad. I have, however, met my nemesis: acorns. I live in a neighborhood of 100 year old oaks. The ground is covered in acorns! Stepping on one of those in Vibrams is nearly as painful as childbirth.

Yesterday was my first day of both kids in school. I managed to spend the entire 2 hours of free time fighting with my taxes. Just for the record, while I love the work I'm doing, the financial end of being self employed is a pain in the ass. In the end, I had to ask a friend for help and then run a check up to the post office so it was postmarked on the 15th. OY! For that, I missed a coffee get together with friends.

Today will be much of the same. I'm finally trying to get all of my paperwork organized and some stuff written ahead of time AND I plan to actually get all the goodies from my race ready to send. I have another giveaway to do, but I'd like to at least pack up the stuff from the last one before I do it LOL. Next week, I'll take some time off to socialize and then it's time to start using my "free time" to get my house back in shape. Gosh, isn't my life exciting? ;o)

Mostly Wordless Wednesday: End of an Era

Tuesday was Shoo's first day of preschool.*  It was my last first day of preschool and I wasn't even there.  I'm surprisingly ok with that.

 Shoo -  yesterday

Shoo - 2009

Shoo - 2008

Shoo - 2007

Jones - 2006

Jones - 2005

Every year since 2005, I've at least attempted to send someone off to preschool (2007 was a complete failure for Shoo and lasted all of about a week).  It's hard to believe this is "our" last year in preschool.

*More details about Shoo's first day over at Metro DC Mom.

Tuesday Randomness

• Today is Shoo's first day of preschool.  I have a tour of a waste water treatment plant, so I won't be dropping him off.  I'm pretty sure that puts me high up there in the "Worst Mom of the Year" competition.
• Yesterday I spent the day at a drinking water treatment plant.  Ironically, I ended up dehydrated.
• Driving in rush hour traffic with a stick shift is a pretty accurate definition of hell.
• A (really cool) three hour walking/standing tour + not drinking enough water + a long commute home = no running.  
• Today is pretty jam-packed as well.  If I don't find time to run today, I might just cry.  

What have I learned from all this?  I like the flexibility of not working a full-time job.  I'd rather run during the day or right after Beer Geek gets off work and then work late at night than get up early to run or run after a full day at work.   Right at the moment, I'm doing a lousy job of balancing all my roles.  I'm really hoping having Shoo in preschool will let me get my feet under me.  I'm really tired of feeling like I am constantly rushing from one thing to the next and only barely finishing every thing I need to do.  And some day soon, I'd really like to have time to read and comment on more than a blog or two a day.  And not getting many miles in is absolutely not helping me.    ;o)

Officially 40!

OK, nevermind that my birthday was actually two weeks ago, I am now officially 40.  On Saturday night, we went out to dinner at Mad Fox Brewing Company.  We were joined by my parents, Beer Geek's dad and step-mom, and a small number of very close friends we've known forever. (I realized after the fact that all four of Beer Geek's groomsmen were there!)  The food was amazing, the beer was yummy, and my dad was the designated driver, so I had a great time.  ;o)  Meanwhile, six kids were back at our house with two babysitters having a huge playdate.   AWESOME!

I think the look of fear on my friend's face has to do 

with the huge knife and the amount of beer I'd had...

The rest of the weekend has been quite nice as well.  Saturday morning, my dad and I went for a five mile run.  It didn't feel great at the beginning and I was definitely having some breathing issues from the allergies, but we managed to run the two middle miles at 9:17 and 9:16.  Sweet!

Sunday, I ended up not running, thereby ending my week with less than 20 miles.  I've only done that a handful of times all year!  Oh well, it was a crazy week and my mom and I were on a major organizing spree.  We moved all of the outgrown clothes out of the boys' dressers, packed away the stuff I'm keeping for Shoo, threw away a huge trash bag full of, well, trash, and packed up several boxes of books, Shoo's outgrown clothing, and baby blankets to donate.   Sadly, there's still way too much stuff packed in my very small house...

Today, I get to go on a tour of a local water treatment plant and Tuesday I get to go on a tour of a local waste treatment plant.  I know, I lead a glamorous life.  Yes, I will be blogging all about it over at Metro DC Mom. 

Sometimes I think running hates me

Or maybe my body hates me.  It certainly felt like it last night.  My allergies are driving me crazy, so my breathing was off.  My ankle was stiff and my legs were tired.  I really didn't want to run, but it was one of those runs I needed to do.  And to add insult to injury, my digestive system decided to add some commentary at about 2.5 miles in to what turned out to be a 3 mile run. 

I try not to get down about the fact that I don't seem to be getting much faster overall.  I can manage a "fast" run every once in a while and I do ok at speedwork, but I'm not making any consistant gains.  I try to remind myself that I run to stay healthy and to be a good mom, but honestly, right now I'm kind of pissed at my body for not improving. 

I've thought about not running for a while, but I'm not sure my marriage could survive that.  So, c'mon body, give me a good run and start showing me some steady improvement. 

If today's run sucks as bad as last night's, I'm going to drink my weight in beer tonight.  Oh, wait.  I think that was the plan anyways...

If I coud go back...

As I mentioned in my "cherry on top" award, I wouldn't really change much about my life experiences because everything that happened led me to where I am today.  And today is a pretty good place.

What I'd really like to do though, is go back and give some words of wisdom to the new mom that I became nearly nine years ago.  Because she really needed to know that "today" would come.

As a new mom, I suffered from postpartum depression (PPD).  Comparatively speaking, my case was pretty mild and running eventually pulled me out of it.  I consider myself very lucky in that regard.  Anyways, I spent the better part of the first months of Jones' life sitting on the couch crying.  I was exhausted (he was a poor sleeper).  I was worn out (he nursed pretty much constantly.)  I was stressed out (we were trying to figure out his food allergies.)  I spent a lot of that time sitting in a semi-dark room feeling sorry for myself.  I was convinced I'd never have time to run again and that I'd never get to go out and do fun things.  Life was over.  The rest of my life was just going to be dealing with this child with constant needs.  Even after I began to recover, a night where Beer Geek had to work late or, even worse, had to travel for work would set me back.

A couple of nights ago, Beer Geek had a meeting after work, so I was alone with the boys from 1:00 until bedtime (plus I'd had Shoo for most of the morning.)  And it was no big deal.  My incredibly dependent baby has grown into a reasonably mature almost nine year old.  He did his homework the minute he came home from school.  He made his own sandwich for lunch the next day.  He read a book.  He played with his legos.  He gave himself a bath.  Even my almost five year old gave himself his own bath.  Yes, there was some Wii, but in reasonable amounts.  It wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, but I was able to make dinner, water the outside plants, clean up the kitchen.  Heck, I even got a little bit of work done.

If I could go back, I'd tell my new mom self that it really wasn't the end of the world.  That even the most dependent babies (who am I kidding, he was an incredibly dependent toddler and preschooler and kindergartner...) eventually do give you breathing space and start doing things for themselves.  That I would eventually get to run again (and that I'd even manage a couple of marathons.)  That eventually my world would be bigger than my living room (and that it would happen sooner rather than later.)

I'm not sure if knowing how fast the time would fly would have made a huge difference in my PPD, but maybe it would have allowed me to appreciate those long hours stuck on the couch.  Maybe I would have read more or watched a few movies.  Maybe then I would have been able to appreciate Jones' babyhood in the same way that I did eventually enjoy Shoo's.  Oh, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't tell my new mom self that Jones wouldn't sleep through the night (by any definition) until after he was four or that at one month shy of 9 he'd still suck at sleeping.   I'm not sure I could have handled knowing that piece of information LOL.

Is there a piece of wisdom you'd like to go back and tell your younger self?  Do you think it would have helped you through a tough situation?

Three Things Thursday

1.  It appears that this is going to be one of "those" weeks.  One of those where running has to be squished in around life.  Today I ran 2.3 miles on the treadmill in 20 minutes, spent a little over an hour on the phone for a conference call, and then ran another 3.1 miles in 28 minutes on the treadmill before Shoo was dropped off again.  I ran the first 2.3 as intervals, so at least I got a speed work out this week.  Not sure how I'm fitting in running tomorrow or Friday, but I will find at least a small piece of time each day.  Almost makes me wish I were a morning runner.

2.  If I can survive to the weekend, I will be rewarded.  My parents, Beer Geek's dad and step-mom, and a small number of friends are headed to a brewpub for dinner and beer to finally celebrate my 40th birthday.  Yes, I am dragging that sucker out as long as possible.  ;o)  Stalkers are welcome to join us after dinner, but only if you buy me a beer. ;o)

3.  My left eye has been bothering me for the last 24ish hours.  I'm hoping it's just allergies (which is possible), but I'm worried that it's pink eye.  I've decided to take at least a day off from contacts to see if it stops or if I need to see my eye doctor.   I hate wearing my glasses and I hate running in them even more, so if I can't wear my contacts soon, I might just lose my mind...

Oh, and I will try to get the virtual race awards in the mail next week.  Life has been just a bit too crazy the last couple of weeks.

File under: EWWW!!!

We discovered this weekend that an animal had gotten down the vent of our radon fan.   We could hear it, but we were unable to get the poor thing out.  Due to the holiday weekend, we couldn't get anyone out to resolve the problem until today.

I'm gonna leave a lot of details out here, but when the radon guy came today, we discovered not one, but two squirrels in there.  One had apparently been there a while (this is all outside the house, so we never smelled anything).  Let's just say that I would have paid the guy what it cost to get a new fan, a better vent arrangement and a screen at the top just for the fact that I did not have to be the one to deal with the removal.  (And one way you know I'm a mom of boys?  They were all about the gory details.  Gross.)

After dealing with that particularly lovely event, I needed to run.  Seriously.needed.to.run.  I decided to give the Vibrams a whirl outside.

Short story:  I really liked them!

Long story:  If I don't pay attention, the Vibrams allow me to land on my heels in a way that I don't tend to do when I'm truly barefoot.  I'm not sure why that is.  The souls are very thin and I feel like I can really feel the ground with them, so there doesn't seem to be a reason for that to happen.  In order to step lightly and keep good form, I had to really pay attention.  If I didn't, my form got sloppy, my feet tended to slap the ground more, and my heels hurt.  When I run with shoes, bad form does not result in such immediate feedback.

In the end, I did 3.2 miles in them and I felt it was a successful run.  I got progressively faster (9:59, 9:32, 8:58) without feeling like I was pushing myself all that hard.  I was pretty tired at the end, probably from a combination of the heat and paying constant attention to how I was holding my body. Hopefully, as I continue to slowly build my barefoot mileage, I'll be more able to naturally hold a good form.  (And I need to spend a little more time with Jamoosh's hard core club...)

Virtual Race action

I love racing.  Really love it.  Despite the fact that the night before every race I totally freak out and wonder why I signed up and totally lower my expectations of myself (I know, I have issues.), I do love racing.

Virtual races are a ton of fun too and a whole lot easier to fit in my schedule.  I had such a blast organizing and running "Mama Goes Masters" that I thought I'd try to gather all the fall virtual races I can find in one place (maybe this way I won't forget what I've signed up to run LOL).

So, here you go...

TeaMarcia over at Running off at the Mouth  is organizing the Power of Ten virtual race to benefit The Lupus Foundation.   This one is super flexible.  Between now and 10/10/10, donate to the Lupus Foundation, complete any distance that equals 10 (10K, 2 5Ks, heck, even 10 blocks) and let her know.  Random winners have the chance to win some pretty cool stuff.

Running Diva Mom is offering the 10/10/10 10K race.  Run anytime between October 1 and October 15th and email her with your info.

Laura over at Jog for Joubert Syndrome is organizing the Jog 4 Joubert Syndrome 10K.    Donate $10 (if you can) to the Joubert Syndrome Foundation via the facebook page and let Laura know you want in.  Run a 10K between October 3rd and October 10th and email her your results and race report.

Want to run a real race and "compete" with your online buddies?  Check out Amanda at Run to Finish's PR challenge.  In this challenge, you compete to see who can get the biggest PR.  I'm still trying to figure out what which distance to choose.  Most of my fall races are wierd lengths LOL.

(Exact details available at the individual's blogs.  I'm sure I've got at least a few things wrong.)

Any other Virtual Races out there I should know about?  Let me know and I'll update the post.

You never know until you try...

Friday night at dinner, we decided to go to Great Falls Park on Saturday (review of our day at Metro DC Mom).  I mentioned to Beer Geek that a lot of people hike in their Vibrams, but that I didn't think I was quite ready for that yet. 

Jones looked at me and said "You won't know if you don't try."

Well, hmm, guess he has been listening all these years.

So, off we went to Great Falls, with me in my Vibrams.  We proceeded to walk some rocky paths and climb some big rocks near the falls.  The verdict:  they worked well, but I probably wasn't quite ready for them.  I had to be really careful to always land on my forefoot.  If I landed mid-foot, invariably there would be a rock right under my arch that would hurt like hell.  I had good traction, which was nice, but it was overshadowed by my worry that I was going to step wrong and hurt my foot.  At one point, I stepped on a rock and it rolled.  If I'd been wearing traditional shoes, I would have likely kept slipping to the side and turned my ankle.  Instead, my foot stayed with the rock and I ended up bruising my instep.  Not sure which would have hurt the most.

All in all, it was a positive experience.  I'm not sure I'm ready to turn in my hiking boots for my Vibrams, but it was a fun experiment.  The only time I wished I'd had real shoes was when we met this guy...

You know how everyone *thinks* they've seen a copperhead and it turns out to just be a rat snake.  Well, I was convinced it was a harmless snake until we showed the picture to the park ranger, who confirmed it was a copperhead.  Good thing I have a complete phobia about healthy respect for snakes and we stayed well back and let it cross the path first.

In running news, I finally got in a 12 miler this morning in preparation of my upcoming half marathon.  Despite a lousy start, I ended up finishing strong and averaged about 10:12 minute miles.  Mile 11 was 9:05 (I decided to "leave it all on the pavement") and probably would have been significantly faster if there had not been a quarter mile uphill in it.  Now we just need to pray for cool weather on September 19th.

In honor of 90210...

I decide to go through a box of crap letters and pictures from college.  It seemed appropriate since I spent many an evening hanging with my sorority sisters watching "Beverly Hills, 90210".  We LOVED that show.  (Did you realize it was still on until 2000?  Really?  Pretty sure I ditched the show long before that LOL).

Anyways, I found lots of letters from people I no longer remember and pictures of people I can't identify.  Needless to say, a whole lot of stuff hit the trash can, which was pretty much the point of the endeavor.  It was amusing to read the things we thought were important back then and to see how few of the ones I'm still in touch with actually followed the dreams we planned back then.  I also found a lot of supportive letters and cards from my parents and other family members.  Those, I kept.  I only read a few, because if I had read them all, I would have spent the evening in memories with tears running down my face.  (Yes, I'm a sap.)

The other thing I found?  18 years worth of dust.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to breathe again...

Totally unrelated, I wore my Vibram shoes outside yesterday.  I didn't run because Jones had open house at his school, but I did get to walk a ways in them.   You can definitely feel the ground through them. I'm planning to run on the treadmill again today.  Right now, the Vibrams and I are still on a honeymoon.  Hope it lasts.

Three Things Thursday: Vibrams, Mileage, and Hard Core

1.  I went for a short run on the treadmill in my Vibram shoes on Wednesday.  I put a pair of knee hi's over them to protect the bottoms (I'm sure it was attractive, but, no, I did not take a picture) and figured I'd run about a quarter mile.  I ended up running 2.4 miles.*  I told myself I'd stop if they bothered me, but they never did.  So, welcome to my shoe collection, Vibram Sprints.  Next up?  An outdoor run with them.  I can't wait!

2.   I have finished just over 950 miles for the year. My original goal for 2010 was 1000 miles. Barring a freak injury, I expect to make that goal by mid-September. I've now changed my goal to 1400 for the year. Got to have a challenge, right? August (with 132 miles) was my second highest mileage month EVER!

I've designated September my "cut myself some slack" month. I still plan to hit at least 100 miles, but I think I'm going to go back to just five days of running a week. My legs just seem to be tired all the time.  Also, this week the kids have no camp. Jones goes back to school next week, but Shoo doesn't. I have some work commitments coming up, as well as some volunteer stuff. Each week I'll plan out my runs, but if the need arises an extra rest day won't kill me. This should get me ready for my goal of surpassing 150 miles in October.

3. I started Jamoosh's hard core club on Monday.   I expected to not be able to move the next day.  I was right, but apparently my shoulders are my weak spot.  My abs?  They were fine.

*I would not recommend doing that much the first time in them if you haven't already been doing some barefoot running.

A little cherry on the top

THE RULES:
#1 Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

#2 The second thing you have to do is, pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the person that they have gotten this award.

#3 The third and final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.


#1.  I had a really hard time with this question.  I made a number of decisions in high school and college that in retrospect were not "the best decision".  My high school boyfriend?  Horrible decision.  Where I went to college? Probably not the best fit for me.  My original major?  Bad idea.  Some of the "fun" stuff I did in college?  File under: extremely stupid.  BUT! (and there always is one of those)  All of those "bad decisions" eventually led me to where I am now.  If I were to go back and change even one, would I have met Beer Geek?  Would I still have the amazing friends that I've had since high school and college?  Heck, would I have even ended up in the career field that I loved? Or had the hellions darlings I call kids?


The one thing I'd change is that I would have become a focused runner much earlier.  I've run off and on since high school   Sometimes more off than on, but I've always come back to it.  But until after Jones was born, it was just something I did for exercise.  I wanted my jeans to fit.  I wanted to be able to eat good food and drink good beer.  Running was a means to an end, not an end in and of itself.  And it wasn't until after Shoo was born that I ran my first race.  Beer Geek and I waited 7 years to have kids.  Why didn't I use some of that time to run a marathon?  Or at least a 5K?  Maybe if running had been a more serious part of my life, I would have run during pregnancy.  Maybe I would have bounced back faster.   If I had known what a crucial role running plays in my mental health, maybe I would have managed to avoid post partum depression, instead of having to run my way out of it.


I'll never really know if things would have happened that way, but adding more running to my life earlier in my life seems like a positive change I could go back and make that would have only positive consequences.


#2 All of these women inspire me to get out there and run, even when I'm not feeling the love.  They put in miles that just blow me away, all with smiles on their faces while juggling jobs/kids/husbands, etc.  So I'm sending the "Cherry on Top" award to Tonia, G, RunningLaur, Marlene, Shelly, and Miss Zippy.


#3.  A huge thank you to Barefoot AngieB for giving me this award.  Angie inspires me in so many ways.  She's a girl after my crunchy heart (I don't know many homebirthin' running mamas besides her and myself LOL).  If it weren't for her, I don't think I would have seriously contemplated the idea of running barefoot.  Angie, you rock!