Watch for FREE Kellogs FiberPlus in your Mailbox

This past week seeMOMMYrun mailed 10,000 coupons for FREE Kellogs FiberPlus bars with antioxidants. Any members who have given us your physical mailing address will receive one. So watch your mailbox for a white envelope with the coupon inside. Just a little THANK YOU from KELLOGS to our wonderful members for your participation!

Enjoy the yummy treats!

speedwork actually works, really

I run only four days a week and cover around 30 miles in those runs. If I run more often than that, I get injured, though I can increase my overall mileage without injury (and I feel compelled to write that I exercise every day because I am compulsive; the other three days of the week are for spinning, plyometrics, kickboxing, and strength training). Until recently, I incorporated one speed session a week…at most...when inspired.

This summer and fall, I decided to follow an “advanced” training program (which I modified for my four-day a week routine) in order to prepare in a more focused manner than usual for the Wilson Bridge Half-Marathon and the Army 10-Miler. So I had to up my speedwork to twice a week.

I don’t go to a track. (I do have a funky track near my house. “Funky” because you have to run, I think, 3 1/3 times around to cover a mile, which is simply confusing for speedwork.) My schedule incorporates one tempo run, one interval/fartlek run, one “regular old” run, and one distance run.

My speed sessions are definitely challenging, but not hard to incorporate every week, and they relieve any possible running boredom. This must be good for the brain as well as the body, since doing routines in new ways creates new neural pathways.

Without changing my diet, I have lost five pounds and my race pace of (just barely) sub-eights has become “comfortable” again—and I can even push into that less comfortable realm of 7:20s-7:30s for a mile or so at the end of even a long race.

I did nothing fancy, and I feel great.

(This may be my first “perky” post ever. I apologize.) 

Win a $200 shopping spree at Fit2bmom

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Running Stroller to High School Cross County

Hi there running Mommies! This is a time of new beginnings. My 3 year old started preschool so I have 3 mornings a week all to myself. First time in 16 years. I almost always get a good run in. The biggest news is my oldest started high school and to keep in shape for soccer I signed her up for summer cross country training with her high school team. She moaned and groaned and was so annoyed with me. She goes to a huge 5A school and all the sports are highly competitive here in Texas so I wanted her to have speed and endurance. As it turns out-- she has running genes!!! She loves it. She's thinking of not even trying out for soccer now and turning all her attention to running. We bought spikes-- who knew they had such a thing for cross country, but I had a field day in Fleet Street ooing and ahhing over all the cool running gear. This is a girl who flat out told me she hated running after doing track last year. She has her own mind, her own everything and I get to watch!!! She is no longer waiting at the finish line for me-- I'm there waiting for her with the camera..... Oh delight!

Running - 35 Weeks Pregnant

This past Saturday marked the 35 week mark in this pregnancy. 35 days till my official due date. The date is subjective and I don't take much stock in it, but nevertheless it gives me a concrete date to count from.


My due date is like knowing that Marine Corps Marathon is on 10/31/10 only it could randomly change at a moments notice and come sooner or later.

At this point in the pregnancy sleep has become invaluable. At about the time that my daughter started attending full day school, my son decided to stop napping. This means NO breaks during the day.

Heartburn and feeling uncomfortable stops me from getting a full nights sleep most nights. I don't set the alarm on the weekends. If I wake up in time to run, then great. If I don't, well then I don't.

I'm a self proclaimed morning runner - if I don't wake up and get it done, chances are I won't get it done at all. Sunday morning Miles woke up screaming for me. I decided - I'm up - I'm running.

I debated back and forth about whether or not I should go meet up with my running club to run or just go alone.

Would I be the slowest person there? Would I have anyone to run with? What if I was running alone - will I wish I had just started from my own house rather than driving to Starbucks? What if I can't keep up with the others I am running with and have to embarrassingly admit that they should just leave me? Why is that embarrassing - I'm 35 weeks pregnant?!

All these thoughts played out in my head - till I yelled STOP - silently. I would go - I would face my fears - because admittedly I know they are silly, though very real.

I was happy to see another pregnant runner, who has over the course of the past couple of months become someone I would consider a friend. Miles spent running give you plenty of time to get to know someone. Coincidentally she has a son named Miles as well. BEST.NAME.EVER.

Before we took off, another friend who I have gotten to know through running over the course of this summer, arrived. Hooray - I had people I could run with, or at least attempt to keep up with for a mile or two.

I started chirping. I talked the whole first mile and paid for it in the second. Half way through the second mile I decided to give myself an out. Guys I'm going to have to walk when we hit mile 3. I was giving them an OUT too - in case I was dragging them down.

Much to my surprise my body started to feel better. I got over the first three miles. Those miles are always the hardest for me, pregnant or not. I did not need to walk. I ran and ran and ran and got happier with every step. I can do this. I am strong. I am a woman. Hear me roar.

5 miles later I was elated. I knew inside though that I could not give myself the credit for this run. I would have stopped at a mile had I been alone. It was running friends who helped me achieve something I did not know was possible for my body. 5 miles running, not wunning at 35 weeks - I'll take it!

Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 10:43
Mile 3 - 10:53
Mile 4 - 10:51
Mile 5 - 10:13


How do your mommy friends help you achieve things you did not know were possible?

Visit my personal blog at:
www.mile-posts.blogspot.com

Current Giveaway: Free GU http://mile-posts.blogspot.com/2010/10/gu-energy-giveaway.html

Halloween Costume Run - Burke Lake

Burke Lake Park and South Run Recreation Center team up again to host the…
4th Annual Halloween 1-Mile Fun Run
(*Must be in costume to participate*)

When: Saturday October 30, 2010
Check-in begins at 8:15 am
Race begins at 9:15 am SHARP!
Where: Burke Lake Park - Shelter A (near the large playground)
Cost: $10 per child 12 and under
Parents are encouraged to accompany young children for no additional
charge.

Refreshments, face painting, and arts and crafts will
be available following the race. Everybody wins a
goody bag!

Other outdoor family fun:
Enjoy the Ghost Train Ride* (10am-5:15pm) provided by Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, spooky music, the parade of costumes, a playground, arts and crafts and face painting. *Ghost Train Ride: $4.50/person; pay this fee at Burke Lake upon riding the train

Reservations required. For more information and registration contact South Run Recreation Center 703.866.0566. (Laurie Strickland- Event Director)

Double Time: Road to San Antonio

My father was a military man..well, boy.  He lied about being 18 so he could run away from his drunk father and join the Coast Guard.   He craved order, fair discipline, and rituals like unloading the dishwasher the moment it finished its cycle.

My mother was...well, the opposite.  She was an untamed, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, wild-child who would rebel just for the sake of rebelling.

Clearly, it didn't end well.  But before their impromptu marriage fell apart, they managed to raise a daughter who sees no point in making the bed every morning, but who tries to do it because that's what you're supposed to do.

Which is exactly why, when I could not find a running group that fit my schedule, I made my own.  You see, I need the discipline of a group.  I find comfort in knowing that every Friday at 9am I must be ready to help my group tackle the next incremental step on our training schedule - a schedule that I devised.   I need the ritual of dropping my 5 year old off at Kindergarten, and zooming down to our meeting spot 20 minutes before the others arrive in order to sap the last bit of baby's on the stairs.  I love working on group communication e-mails that offer weekly tips and remind me to practice what I preach.   I crave the high that comes from looking down at my watch and reading that we've already done twice the miles than I realized because they melted away in conversation.

Otherwise, there's an awfully strong chance I would say To Hell With It and get stuck at 6 miles.   Without others counting on me, I don't push myself as hard as I should; my log book doesn't have as many miles in it (if I'm writing in it at all).  Of course, I WANT to run farther and faster, but I can't help but getting distracted by the rest of my life, including that ridiculous voice that says Go on, check Facebook one more time, maybe something fantastic popped up.  Or Oh, run tomorrow, today let's drag the kids around a new part of town on a whim despite their protests.

So, for 8 weeks now, 10-15 of us have been on the Road to San Antonio.  We're training for the November 14th Rock & Roll Half Marathon that tours the art district, several missions and of course, the Alamo.  We started at 5 miles and have worked our way up to 10 so far.  Each week, our gang varies slightly according to their schedules, but we have a strong 6 person core group on which the others depend.   They all expect me and the baby to be there, ready to talk their ears off (or as I like to think of it, distract them through the miles).  And they all apologize profusely if they've missed a run, promising to make it up the next day.

I guess we get along so well because we have a common bond.  We all make our beds...unless, of course, no one is looking.

Athem Great Pumpkin Kids Dash 2010

Saturday morning the alarm crowed. Literally crowed. The rooster on my phone seems more fitting these days to wake up to than a loud alarm bleeping.


The alarm meant it was finally time for Chloe and Miles to run the "kids race" they had been looking forward to.

I get giddy on race day. Whether I'm running or not - just being at a race brings it on. My husband calls it chirping. My mood is happy. I don't stop talking. Talking about everything and nothing all it once.

I felt giddy despite being a bit more stressed. After all, it is much harder getting two kids out the door early on a Saturday morning for a race than it is getting just myself ready.

That morning I felt I was giving my children a gift. My first race was in 2000 at the age of 18. Chloe's first race was 10 years later at the age of 4. I'm giving my children the gift of a head start on being healthy and athletic. They may never be runners. They might not even like sports. I am giving them a no-pressure option of learning early so they can decide for themselves.

Chloe is convinced that her and her best friend Ava won the race. In a sense they did. They won their own race. They ran their little hearts out for 100 meters and finished proud and confident. That is what winning is all about. Not being the best, but being their best.

In reality they really were among the first girls to cross the line. My competitive nature made sure that my friend Meredith and I were at the very front of the starting line with Ava, Chloe, Miles and Sophie. We didn't want any strollers, parents or kids who were out for a jog getting in our way. They wanted to race and we wanted them to.

Miles and Sophie are also convinced they won the kids 2's division. Miles the boys and Sophie the girls. There can be so many winners on race day. Male, Female, Age Groups, First Time Racers, PR's -- The list goes on.

Next time you race, think of these four children. They won. We didn't lie to them. They won. For winning is not always about crossing the line first but about your attitude about your performance.

When I need a race attitude adjustment or just a reminder of what winning is really about - I think back to Marine Corps 2008 when I qualified for Boston for the first time with a 24 minute marathon PR. On the way home I turned and said to my husband "I feel like a champion" -- I did and do to this day feel like a champion, even if I am just a champion in my own mind.

Visit my personal blog at:
http://www.mile-posts.blogspot.com/

34 Weeks Pregnant - Still Wunning

Wun: A wun is defined as any attempt at a run that despite all your best intentions turns into a run/walk. wun's commonly occur during pregnancy.

Monday morning I headed out in the dark for a solo run. I love running early in the morning before the sun rises. I find peace in the quietness and darkness surrounding me. My goal was to run 2 miles with out stopping for a break. Goal completed.

Mile 1, 10:52, seemed relatively easy compared to my wun's on the treadmill.

Mile 2, 11:34, was a struggle. I had no music, no one to distract me, so I was forced to be alone with my own thoughts.

Mile 3, 18:52, was a walk - no running - no wunning - a walk.

Here were my thoughts:
1. I am proud that at 34 weeks I can still run a mile. When my body gives me more I will be grateful.

2. The last time I ran 10 miles when I was pregnant with Miles was when I was about 7 weeks along at the Army Ten Miler 2007. The last time I ran 10 miles(running not wunning) this time around was when I was 26 weeks pregnant. I am no longer running to try to have a quick recovery back to my training and racing. I am running to be fit for myself and for this baby.

3. I know my fitness will come back. 6 months and 2 days after having Miles I ran a 24 minute marathon PR and qualified for Boston. Some of the worlds fastest women, put forth their best performances in the years immediately after having children.

4. So what if I have gained 30+ lbs?! I'm proud that I am a runner who once-upon-a-time in-the-not-so- distant past did consider herself small and that I DID NOT and DO NOT have an eating disorder. It truly makes me sad when I see women happy about only gaining a couple of pounds while pregnant. Weight gain during pregnancy helps your baby grow. Miles was 8.18 lbs when he was born! I'm excited to see how big this baby is going to be. My guess is bigger than his older brother.

5. I miss my friends. I miss training with them. I'm only 28 so I'm hoping that leaves a good 70 or so more years for me to run with them. I need to have patience.

Visit my personal blog at:
http://www.mile-posts.blogspot.com/

Oops I Did It Again*

I broke another Dreamer Design Double jogging stroller. While it is still unfortunate that they went out of business (can't redeem the lifetime warranty on the frame) it is not so unexpected. Apparently not the highest quality product? In their defense, I've run this stroller into the ground. At the time of death, there was about 80 pounds of child running 30 miles/week on mixed roads and trails. It was on its second set of tires, but the stroller was only used for a year and a half. More importantly - NO ONE ever sat on the foot rest this time around and the welding still came apart at the same spot next to the front wheel. This is a big vote for strollers with a solid frame or, like our Kelty, bolted together at the joints.

I was really hoping to squeak the rest of October out of this stroller since I still have several weeks until my fall marathon, but alas. My husband and I brainstormed the possible options for holding the stroller together (duct tape, drill and bolt a metal tube, etc.). While I hate the waste from an environmental point of view, fixing the welding isn't practical. We would have to remove the already torn fabric (i.e. flammable parts) which is riveted to the frame and then re-attach it afterwards. Plus, do you happen to have the ability to weld in your garage? Not unheard of, but also not common. We do not.

So, like tearing off a band-aid. It is done. My double-stroller days are over. Sniff. Sniff. No, really. Most people are like, "Oh! Are you so happy..." I actually start to cry a little when I think about it. If you've been in a position with multiple small children, you'll know what I mean: that stroller was like my life-line for 5 years. That red stroller gave me freedom to get out of the house and to work out and get/stay in shape and even just to walk to the store or the park.

Now it is just me and Francesca cruising in the ol' purple single jogger while the older kids are at school. We've even gone to the gym (agast!) when it was pouring rain...you know, like a normal person...


* Thanks Brittany Spears

Running - 34 Weeks Pregnant Minus A Day

Tomorrow will mark 34 weeks. I'd be lying if I said I didn't already feel like it's the end. It's not. I have 6 full weeks left till I am 40 weeks pregnant.

So soon, yet so very far away.

I want to meet my new little man. I want him to stop kicking me so hard at night so I can sleep. I want to be able to have a run where I don't feel like the earth is shaking with my every step.

Chicago is this weekend, and though I certainly do NOT miss that race, I am missing all the marathon hype that goes on during October. It's marathon season - the time of the year when I am usually at my fittest - this time I'm 30+ lbs over that fittest point.

In the end I know my reward is greater than any marathon medal hanging around my neck. Though I still find myself wishing that in 3 weeks some nice marine was saying congrats ma'am.

I ran/walked for 30 minutes today on my treadmill. It really looks like he's getting a bit dusty. I think he misses me too. He's thinking why is this girl not running for 3 hours at a time anymore? Why is her running speed the speed she used to walk?

When they say you will do anything for your kids, it's true. There are only 3 people in this world that I would gain this much weight for, be this uncomfortable for, sacrifice my running for, and deal with my semi-out-of-control-emotions for. Two I have met, and one I'm just patiently, or not so patiently waiting to meet.

Visit my personal blog at:
http://www.mile-posts.blogspot.com/

Run Like A Mother

I'm excited to share my latest news!

Run Like A Mother picked me to be their Follow This Mother last week.

When I read my answers to their questions online I cried. It was one of those moments when you realize something about yourself. Who I am can be summed up into four words - I am a runner.

CLICK HERE to read the post.

When did you first decide you were *officially* a runner?

It makes for a story

An inaugural run is the unknown. The course is unknown. Race organizers, as excellent as they are, might miss something, misjudge something. Whatever the unknown brings, good or bad, it makes for a story.

The course of the inaugural Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, which was held yesterday, was known for the first 8 miles or so, since it covered the same course as the George Washington Parkway Classic 10-mile race.

I knew I’d start downhill and then face hills from miles 2-5. I knew miles 5-8 would be flat. Then I had to trust the course and elevation maps for clues as to how I might feel, the experience I might have. But maps can’t reveal the nitty gritty.

I assumed the first half of the Wilson Bridge would be uphill. Race organizers even dubbed this portion “The Rude Awakening” after “The Awakening” statue that had moved from Hains Point in DC to the National Harbor complex in Oxen Hill, MD, where the race finished. We all ran past a sign announcing “The Rude Awakening” at the entrance to the footpath on the bridge. But that hill was almost nothing, a gradual uphill that was easy to stay strong on – even though there was no shade, and the late summer morning was heating up.

Here is the trick, which I anticipated pre-race, but the rational expectation didn’t much lessen its impact: When we came over the bridge and hit the 10-mile mark, we could see National Harbor and the finish line in the distance, but it was still 3.1 miles away. We were still required to wrap up and around the National Harbor complex. No matter what I know rationally, the sight of the finish line affects me. And my subconscious brain has far too much influence on my body. Sometimes I have to fight to stay in charge. But I sped up, almost without noticing, enough that I felt ill and dizzy for a moment around mile 11. I think I’d run a 7:15 mile (slow to some, fast for me). So I slowed down. Then I felt as if I were crawling. But I fought to stay in control.

Then I was faced with a steep hill going up and curving to the right. I couldn’t see the end of it. I decided to walk for a moment. A very sweaty man (sweat was dripping off of his soaked shorts), considerably older than I, maybe in his 50s, shuffled by me and said, “Come on, just jog up it.” I replied, sounding much more cheery than I felt, “I’ll make it!” I did know I would make it, but I just needed a moment. But I listened to the wise runner, and I jogged. I passed him on the hill, thanking him as I went past.

From there, I knew the course was all downhill or flat. I let myself fly down the hill – leaning in to take advantage of gravity. A fantastic cooling breeze kicked up off the water.

But then I faced the last rude awakening, almost a mile on gravel, a bleak, under-construction stretch. These were grey, chunky stones, deep and loose enough that we were kicking them up, leaving distinct footprints. I felt forced into running on my toes, which I find uncomfortable and tiring. I kept going at a quick pace and just hoped that portion would be over soon and that I wouldn’t fall. Of course, I made it through. I was elated to see the cement sidewalk going along the harbor. I feared a turn to the right was going to be an uphill to the finish, but a quick left averted that and led to another left, where the finish was. The finish line snuck up on me a bit, but I was happy to see it. 

The Awakening statue looked much smaller at the harbor than it used to at the tip of Hains Point. But there was my husband and my two boys, aged 6 and 3. I ran to the side and lifted the 3-year-old up and over the fence. He reached for me, until he realized I was sweaty and scrambled to be handed back to his father. I pulled the 6-year-old up and over, and he, too, wanted to go back. He doesn't care if I'm sweaty, but the statue of the buried giant was more of an attraction. At this point, race volunteers reprimanded me, telling me to keep moving. I didn’t argue, and I got moving, assuming I could find my way back. I’ve done the find-the-family-in-a-packed-finish-area thing many times before.

"Getting Chicked"

According to Runner's World Magazine, "Getting Chicked" is trail-running lingo for
"Being outrun by a woman. This can only happen to men. It's best when it happens to macho men. It's even better when the woman is wearing a skirt. Tough trail women wear skirts. And look hot. And beat men."

I will one-up that. I like to pass men while wearing a skirt, looking hot, AND pushing my stroller! It happens! Often!

31 Weeks Pregnant and Still Running

6 Miles running/walking this morning, all while pushing my 4 year old daughter in the single stroller.

31 weeks today!

Mile 1 - 10:07
Mile 2 - 10:14
Mile 3 - 12:50
Mile 4 - 10:15
Mile 5 - 12:54
Mile 6 - 11:53

Life is still getting in the way of running, hence why I was unable to run alone this morning. I'm praying that my husband will heal soon, so he can handle the kids alone.

I'm still hoping that my body will give me one more 10 mile run before this baby is born. I think I could have done it today had I been alone. I felt amazing. I'll be grateful for 6 today though. Thankful I only had to push one child instead of two.

half-marathon respect

How do you approach half-marathon training?

I am a distance woman, so running 13.1 miles is not a huge stretch in a pinch. I usually run at least a 10-mile long run every other week when I’m not “in training.” But, this past spring, I realized that I was disrespecting the distance. Between the National Half Marathon at the end of March and the Zooma Annapolis at the beginning of June, I was smacked down. I finished the National Half Marathon, but I had to take walk breaks after mile 9. I still finished in less than 1:50, but those were a brutal last 4 miles; I felt like I was finishing a tough full marathon. The Zooma Annapolis race offered two distances, a half marathon and a 10K. At race start, it was already 80 degrees, very humid and sunny, but still. About a half mile past the 10K turnaround point, I stopped, turned, and chose to finish the 10K course instead.

I didn’t start either race too fast. I think I was simply cocky. I hope I have learned the proper lesson.

I decided to treat the half as I would a full marathon. So, for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon on Sunday, I have actually been following a training plan (Hal Higdon’s, if you must know, but I think the plan matters less than the following of one; they all seem similar).

I still may not sleep the night before (which may be the true culprit of my recent harsher race experiences), but I hope I have paid the proper respect to the distance.

4 Mile Pregnant Double Stroller Run

Last week I emailed my local running group, asking if anyone wanted to meet up for a run later in the morning. It's not that I don't want to run at 5:30 am, I do - I would, but for our family 5:30 doesn't work. I was pleased when another mommy runner emailed back and said she could meet up for a stroller run at a 10:00 - 10:30 pace. Wooo Hooo.

If you knew me in high school you would probably have described me as either shy or stuck up. I wasn't stuck up, far from it, but sometimes my shyness was interpreted as me being *too good* Over the years I have worked hard to come out of my shell and have forced myself into many an uncomfortable situation. This helped me to learn to have confidence when meeting new people, speaking in small groups and then later speaking in front of large groups. It's a journey that I can't believe I was capable of making, but I have. [I will admit, at times it still feels like a never ending journey]

After I had agreed to meet up - I had anxiety - would this mom like me? Would I be able to keep up in the running stroller for 3 - 4 miles. Goodness knows that some days a 2 mile run/walk is hard enough. I let my fears get the best of me and came up with excuses of why I should just email her and let her know I couldn't run.

I set the alarm this morning and hurried around the house. A run with two kids is not an easy feat. Yes the running itself is work, but the prep beforehand is equally hard.

Is everyone dressed appropriately? Do they need sunscreen? Hats? Do we have enough snacks? Water that won't spill? Lollipops in case they get whinny? Shoes that won't fall off[we have lost a croc before and had to retrace our entire run to try and locate it]? Will the snacks/lollipops keep them occupied or should I bring some toys and books? Do I have water? Where is my cell phone[always a good idea to bring along when you go on a run with kids]? Did I bodyglide[the body moves in strange motions when trying to push 100 lbs up a hill - I don't want to chafe]? The list goes on. It took 50 minutes to get out of the house this morning, a number I was actually impressed with.

The whole time I was getting ready, I kept checking my phone. It was overcast out and I was wondering if she would call to cancel....was I hoping she would? I don't know. I will admit that the shy girl from high school/college was rearing her ugly head and was making me nervous. Why?!? She didn't call, so we headed to the meeting point.

Fast forward to the end. I ran 4 miles total, we chatted the whole time, she was lovely, her daughter was adorable, and I found myself really, really happy that I had taken a chance and met a new person to run.

And who knows maybe she will even want to meet me again?[though I know I did chat her head off - I think it's a reflex reaction to being nervous?!]

Ummmmmmmmmmm and can you believe I ran 4 miles pushing two kids while 25+ weeks pregnant? I certainly can't. On Monday with Miss Becca I pushed the kids for 2 miles before having to start walking. I was really really proud of myself for just that!

Here's to praying that tomorrow's run is just as cool and that my body cooperates as it did today :)

Mile 1 - 10:05
Mile 2 - 10:02
Mile 3 - 9:49
Mile 4 - 10:17


Are you pregnant now? Still running? Tell us your due date!!

Health Benefits of Exercise

Just wanted to share a great article I found on Oprah.com about the health benefits of exercise!!

Hope you all are staying cool in this heat. I think it may be the worst summer ever to be pregnant ;)

Visit my personal blog to enter the GoLite Hydration Giveaway. Giveaway ends 8/20/10

The Life You Have Imagined

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
Live the life you have imagined.

~Henry David Thoreau

What does the life you imagine look like? Where do you want to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?

I've never really made lists other than the typical to do lists or the must loose X lbs as my New Years Resolution, but about a year ago I made a list of things that I wanted to accomplish in my life. I knew most of them would not be ones I could cross off easily, but I wanted them on paper anyways. [here are a couple]

~ Go under 3:15 in the marathon
~ Become a race director
~ Really truly inspire someone

I'm constantly reminded that this is my one-go-round at this thing called life. I'm reminded every time I see someone who is overweight and wants to loose it, I used to be that girl. I'm reminded every time someone picks up and starts running for the very first time, I used to be that girl too. I'm reminded when someone says to me "oh I'm not a fast runner like you," I was that girl also.

The first step in moving past the person you are now and growing is setting goals, imagining the life you want to have, and just go after it inch by inch, mile by mile. Maybe your life is just perfect the way it is, kudos to you, but I'd like to argue that you still have room for growth. Maybe your goals could be to be a nicer person, to not skip the last mile of your cool down on your track work out, and so on. Maybe the person you are today is someone who you like but you think you could feel better inside, have more happy days and less sad ones. Imagine your life. Go after it. Or maybe just maybe you are reading this and you feel beyond hope, you don't even know where to begin or what changes to go after. I say - just go - start. Start with anything. A walk around the block. A smile when someone holds the door for you. Little things will turn into big things and soon enough you might just find that the life you couldn't imagine is easier to imagine.

Over a year ago I had the dream of starting a blog. I loved running and loved talking about it. I wondered though if there was anyone else who would be interested in what I had to say, who would care about whether I had a good run or a bad run, whether anyone could or would be inspired by a girl who couldn't run a mile, let alone 10 feet with out wanting to stop when she started running, but now craved the feeling after 26.2 of those miles.

And so began my journey of bearing my soul to those closest to me, and those who I've never met before. It all began with a dream. As I look back to my first entry - there are ZERO comments. It's okay. I started this not only to share with you my journey and hopefully create a site that you can return to time and time again for inspiration, motivation, and information - but also to see myself grow as a runner, a student of life, a child of God, and a mother of two amazing children.

As you go about your day today, think of this quote and set forth on your plan of living the life you imagined.

Never let the odds keep you from doing
what you know in your heart you were meant to do.

~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Summers Off

I've had the opportunity to run without my jogging stroller (agast!) this August as I did last August. Due in part to my accommodating husband and in part to waking up before dawn, I've some lovely experiences with solitude and summer sunrises. The hard lesson I learned last September, however, after enjoying this luxury all summer, was that kids keep growing all summer! I can remember how hard that first day back with the jogging stroller was last September.

So, we packed up the family for a family run the other morning. It's good to get the husband out with a stroller from time to time too (empathy). My response was that it was good to keep the stroller pushing muscles fresh and perhaps more importantly, keep the kids in the habit of riding. My husband's response was, "These kids need to learn how to ride their bikes!" Also true.

So, a couple tips as you re-enter your fall schedule (or start running with your stroller for the first time):
1. Destination running (to the park, pool, store, etc.) is a good step to get the kids psyched up again and keep each trip shorter.
2. It is still hot. Bring everyone their own water or somehow you'll end up with none.
3. Start with relatively flat, straight routes. Add the hills as you regain comfort. If the kids are indeed heavier than when you left off in the spring, downhills are just as much a change and the uphills. Be careful.
4. Hide secret snacks/toys that the kids only get on the way home/second half.
5. Try running longer routes more frequently (i.e. 6 miles every-other day rather than 3 miles everyday). It is easier to keep going once everyone is already packed up and the kids won't drag their feet about the stroller so much if it is not EVERY day.
6. Check tire pressure. Air leaks out when you don't use the stroller for a while. Like a car uses more gas when your tires are under-inflated, pushing the stroller with flat tires makes it much harder.

Good luck.

Stroller Marathon Training*

I'm signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon - again - this year and we are now inside of 16 weeks so I guess I should start making my plan. Like with cooking, I am notorious in my house for finding a recipe and then only sort of following it. Plans are more like inspirations. I used to be a big planner: very detail-oriented and the like. Three kids later...

I have run 5 marathons before - 2 of which have been the Marine Corp. The wrench thrown into last year's training was appendicitis. At least I can count on that not happening again. I figured the first place to start with forming my training plan was considering what I did last time. My husband, who has a knack less for planning and more for recording afterwards as though he planned it all along - has a great athletic log.


A while back I cut out "Marathon Training for Busy People" from Runner's World Magazine. Subtitle: "Running by Time, Not Miles, Lets You Get the Most Out of Every Minute". It peaks with about "6 hours 30 minutes" rather than the more traditional "40 miles" +/-. It allows faster runners to get more miles in...you get the idea. It is, in essence, a very traditional plan, however. It mixes tempo runs with easy runs and long runs on weekends. It has 2 rest days, but little suggestion about cross training.

What I am proposing is entirely different. This year, I am considering running my son to school which is an 11-12 mile round-trip. Three days a week plus just a couple 20-milers on the weekends might do the trick. I really like my gym days despite waking at 4:30 am so that takes up Wed and Fri. Sundays I like yoga after church. I like my schedule, why change it? It is working. I haven't suffered any running injuries. So, here's the gist of my Marathon Training with Jogging Stroller:
Mon 10-12 miles
Tues 10-12 miles
Wed weights gym
Thurs 10-12 miles
Fri weights/bike gym
Sat 15-20 miles
Sun yoga gym

*Not racing with the stroller - the race organizers don't allow it. PLUS I'm not talking about a single stroller with a cute little 15-pounder riding along like those dads that have those record marathon-with-stroller times. I'm using a double stroller with a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old weighing a combined 75 lbs +/-.

Lift Your Sole Jewelry Giveaway

Head on over to my blog www.mile-posts.blogspot.com to win a runner girl charm from Lift Your Soul!

Hope all you mommies are staying cool in this crazy hot weather :)

Slow to try new things

Greetings Running Mommies! I finally got into a store and got some great new running shoes and I even bought a running skirt!~!! I was never going to do that-- thought they were for sissies or fake runners and they just grew on me. I ran 5 miles this morning and it was fun/fine and I felt covered and good. I'm so slow to try new things. I only recently threw out the t'shirt I wore in my first marathon in 2002. I guess I do not want to rush into these things. Now for fall training. This will be the first fall in 15.5 years that I've not had a baby or toddler or homeschoolers in my house every day. My 3 year old is going to preschool three days a week. Oh my, what will I do with the time! My oldest is going to high school, one starting middle school, one starting first grade-- I have chills!!!

A Last Hurrah

On Saturday, we walked to a 4th of July parade 3.1 miles away. By "we" I mean I walked, pushed and carried (two in the stroller and one in the backpack) us to a 4th of July parade 3.1 miles away...and back. After 7 years, I've become so accustomed to loading them up and going where I want to go. With one being 7 and the other nearing 5, my days are numbered.

I recently watched "Up In The Air" - that George Clooney movie. A part of the movie is Clooney's character traveling around making "motivational" speeches beginning with the question, "What does your life weigh?" Well, MY life weighs about 125 pounds plus gear (that's two 50-pound kids plus a 25-pound kid). I happily take the burden of that weight over the alternatives of finding and paying a babysitter every single time I need to exit the house and/or get a little exercise. Even bringing them to the gym isn't a great solution since I have to work around nap time and camp or school and it is sort of a zoo in there Monday-Friday.

So, having all three home most of the time this summer is sort of like a sneak preview for when I can't run whenever I want by just loading up the stroller. Enter: creative solutions. Today I did Step aerobics in the basement during nap time. Before that I rode the bike trainer in the garage (not so scenic), we have been to the gym too, there was the stroller plus backpack incident, but I was pretty sore after that. I've considered wind sprints back and forth in the driveway, but fear that to be over the line of mind-numbing. It is a good thing that I am not training for something right now. I've got this month "off" before marathon training sets in.

Gotta get some new shoes

Howdy Running Mommies: Hot days in Texas are not really an excuse not to run. My problem is I cannot get the gumption up to get some new running shoes. I used to be fanatical about having two pairs of shoes going equally used and knew when I bought them. Then something weird happened. My 10 year old can wear my shoes and took two pairs of them after getting his muddy and ruined. I was in severe shock and disbelief and after a thorough tongue lashing he probably will not do that again, but then my 14 year old started running track and needed good running shoes. I took her to the nearest great running store and bought my usual brand and realized the budget is tight for these and I've been runnign in one pair longer than I should. In all of that chaos I bought some Brooks shoes -- they are ok, but now my perfect fit and I need to go to back issues of Runners World and my purchase history on Road Runner sports and figure out what my aging feet, knees, and legs need. I'm a terrible shopper -- hate it. Hate to try on shoes. This is pure misery, but worse is not getting in enough runs because I know my shoes are too old and need to be replaced. Maybe tomorrow.......

GoneForARun.com CORRECT CODE

The June e-newsletter contained an INCORRECT DISCOUNT CODE for GoneForARun.com. The correct code is MOMMYRUN10 and is good thru July 7th. They have some very cool, unique gifts for runners - so SHOP GoneForARun.com NOW!!

"What It's Like To Be In the Jogging Stroller"

This summer marks the 7th anniversary of my eldest daughter's first ride in the jogging stroller. In honor of this grand occasion, and in light of one of her summer assignment to "Write a diary, journal or blog entry," here's what she has to say about riding in the jogging stroller:

The best thing about being in the jogging stroller is that you can eat snacks the whole entire ride. I like to go across streams in the jogging stroller because it is fun. If you are wearing shoes, you can jump out and walk across the stepping stones. I like riding in the double stroller better than riding in the single stroller because there's more room. It's better when one parent pushes you in the jogging stroller because you only have one grown up to talk to and you don't get mixed up when the other person tries to talk to you. I prefer riding in the jogging stroller with my little sister [rather than my little brother]. She doesn't talk as much as my brother who is really really annoying. He talks constantly.

I like to run to playgrounds because I love to play at playgrounds! When it is a bumpy ride I like to shout out, "Ahhh," and make my voice sound all bumpy. My least favorite thing about the jogging stroller is when you get squished like a potato when your brother or sister reaches over and punches you. To me it doesn't seem fair when my little brother and sister get to ride, but I have to walk [to school].

If you have to ride in a jogging stroller try to stay to your side. If you have a brother or sister they might punch you. Example: My mom is going to put me in the jogging stroller tomorrow and I am going to bring fruit snacks. You might want to bring a sweater or socks just in case, but I don't like to. It takes more work. That's all. The end.

The beginning of the end

Despite my near constant training this winter and spring (T minus 5 days until Half-Ironman!) pushing the double jogging stroller started feeling harder than it should be. For the first time, I was faced with the possibility that the kids might be outgrowing the jogging stroller! Oh no! Like letting my younger walk down the stairs by herself: I'm just not ready for that!

First, I couldn't make it up the hill at the bottom of my street anymore without unloading one or more kids. Then my son reached 45 pounds (the manufacturer's maximum recommended weight is 50 lbs). The fabric on his side of the stroller is starting to tear. I tried to switch him to the other side of the stroller, but I guess I wasn't accustomed to that since that whole side of my body seized up by the end of that run.

I had been forming grand plans to run my son to school next year, but I may need to revisit those plans. Luckily he will be in school five mornings a week so it is not a desperate situation. None of the kids are proficient bike riders and none are even close to being old enough to be left behind at home. We are, perhaps, entering a sort of limbo. I will still be able to run with my daughter in the single stroller while he is at school, but that puts us back in the car a lot more than I would like.

In the meantime, I replaced the bald tires (that set only lasted one year) and made sure they were fully inflated. I lubricated the moving parts. Perhaps most importantly, I am constantly reminding the kids to sit BACK. I've written before about how much it affects the steering when the kids lean forward.

And it's making me stronger...

Odds & Evens

There are some things I can do, there are some things I can't do. Running odds is one of them.

Ask me to go for a 10 mile run - I'll say yes - ask me to run 15 - I might say no. I like to run 10's, 12's, 14's, 16's, 18's and 20's but I really don't enjoy the odds. I'm not sure why it seems better to me to run 6 miles than 7 or 14 rather than 15, but it does.

My only exception to this rule is 11. It's my favorite number, the day I was born. I recently had a laugh when thinking about the phrase *here's the 411*[and yes at age 28 this is the first time I've had this thought] Its fitting to me that I was born 4/11. I am a walking google search engine and know a little bit about the most random things. I'm getting better at keeping my random wealth of knowledge to myself, but don't be surprised if you ask me a question and I happen to not only know the answer but give you way more information than you wanted to know.

This morning I ran 11 G-R-E-A-T miles with 4 wonderful friends. One met me at 6:30, she drove all the way to me even though that meant she was up at 5:30(she has two kids), the other two met us at 7(both have kids and are preggers). It doesn't always work out that we end up being the same pace - today it did. I loved our little running pack, sharing the trials and the miles of life together.

Can you run odds? Have any weird running hang ups?

Free Museum Passes, Zoo Visits, and More for Bank of America Customers

If you're looking for some fun, yet frugal activities this summer, Bank of America has a program called Museums on Us for their customers.

The first weekend of every month, just show your Bank of America credit, debit, or ATM card at over 100 different museums, botanical gardens, zoos, and science centers, and you'll receive free admission.

New locations have been added, and popular locations include the the Met and the Bronx Zoo in New York, the Art Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, children's museums, science centers, and more. Click here to find participating locations near you.

If you'll be traveling, you might want to check this list before you leave to see if there are any museums on the list at your destination city. Remember though, that the free admission offer is only good during the first weekend of the month.

And, in case you missed it, be sure to check out my previous post on free (and almost free) movies for kids for more inexpensive summer entertainment.

Looking for more deals and freebies? Join the MomsWhoSave.com email list, follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook, and visit the MomsWhoSave.com main deals page here!

Howdy

Howdy Running Moms everywhere. I wish you a happy day of running in pure bliss.....

first place

The Cicada Crunch 5K is on Saturday. I don’t expect you’ve heard of this race. It is a small, local race in the town of Cheverly, MD. In 2008, the last time it was held, maybe 70 people ran. The race starts and finishes less than a quarter mile from my front door. I have to run it (yes, “have to”), though I’ve not run a 5K since the last Cicada Crunch. I’m a distance woman; I like my 10-milers and half-marathons.

But I can’t avoid this race, though I hold little affection for 5Ks. I used to run them all the time. My first race, the Run for the Rainforest in Central Park in 1998, was a 5K. You see, I can’t get comfortable and settle into a pace. I feel a self-imposed pressure to be as fast as I can be. The pressure is more significant this time because I won the Cicada Crunch in 2008. Know that I feel strange admitting this. I am not boasting. I am no elite runner. I am not even local-level fast. I ran it in 23 minutes and some change. While that is not slow, it is not a winning 5K time.  (I will, however, take a moment to boast that I made that time even though at least a mile of the 5K course is uphill – really, it might be more – with at least 4 of the 8 uphill segments long and steep.)

Yet I want to hold on to my first place, even though that race is long over. Even though I feel as if I didn’t quite deserve it. This reminds me of listening to Julie Moss on RadioLab’s show on limits. When she unexpectedly took first place in the 1982 Ironman Triathlon, she felt compelled to hold on to it. (If you haven’t seen the video of her taking first-place and then collapsing before the finish, check it out here.)

She explains, “There I am in the lead, and all of a sudden things started to shift. I’m good at something, and somebody is trying to take it away from me…It felt like she was breathing down my neck and trying to take something that I was becoming very attached to.”

I feel like that. I know I am in little danger of collapsing in a short event like this. But someone else could win. Easily. And, I admit, I really want to win again.

Gardening This Summer? Check Out VeggieTrader.com -- A New Fruit & Veggie Exchange

Depending on where you live, you may be getting ready to plant a vegetable garden. More and more people are growing their own food--either to save money, to avoid pesticides and enjoy fresher produce, or both.

You may also have fruit trees where you live. We were happily surprised to find a pear tree in the backyard of the house we moved into a few years ago. Well, I should say I was. No one else ate pears in our house, and we had a TON of them at the end of the summer!

You might have the same situation with your garden--lots of extra food that you can't eat fast enough. You can freeze or can it, and you can also check out this new website, VeggieTrader.com. It's a free site where people with extra produce can sign up to exchange their fruits and veggies with another gardener who has something they'd like to trade.

This is a new site as I mentioned, so the more people who register, the more successful it will be. The site has lots of information about how it works, how to "make a trade," and a link to help you find out where to donate extra food if you'd rather do that than swap it. You can even find out how to buy and sell your fresh produce.

All of you gardeners may want to bookmark VeggieTrader.com for the end of summer when that big bumper crop comes in!

 

Free --and Almost Free-- Summer Movies for Kids

Soon the kids will be out of school, and it might not take long until you start hearing "I'm bored!" When that happens, or for a rainy summer day, here's a list of theaters offering free (and almost free) kids' movies this summer.

Keep in mind, most, if not all, of these movies have already come out on DVD. Of course, it's much more fun to go to the theater, eat movie popcorn, and sit in the dark to watch a movie, so go enjoy yourself with the kids and cool off on a hot day for not too much money!

By the way, be sure to check locations, since not all theaters serve all areas.

free movies offered at:

Regal Theaters

Cobb Theaters - first find your local theater, then see the free movie details on your local theater's page along the left sidebar

$1 movies offered at:

AMC Theaters information hasn't been released yet for their summer movie program, but keep checking this link.

Classic Cinemas
Join their email list to get a free popcorn!

 $2.75 includes movie, popcorn, and soda
Marcus Theaters  


$3.00 includes movie, popcorn, and soda
Grand Theaters

Looking for more deals? You can visit MomsWhoSave.com's main deals site for coupon codes and great offers every day!

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Send a Mother's Day Card to Help Women

All mothers share the same hopes and dreams.

Whether they are from Sudan or Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina or the United States, they want their children to be safe, have enough to eat, and have a chance for a better tomorrow. Make a difference this Mother's Day with Women for Women International!

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insomnia and the tutu

I am two people, two runners. 

The first has developed increasingly severe insomnia preceding races. This woman has never had trouble sleeping in her lifetime. The insomnia worsens with every race. She is not worried about covering the distance (she is always well-trained), nor is she concerned that she might not wake up (or maybe she is; she sets all three alarms on her watch in 10-minute intervals). She is confident, but her body is race-ready and full of adrenaline a good 12 hours before the race starts. Her heart races, flutters in her chest. Chamomile tea and warm milk don’t help; yoga chants repeated silently in her mind don’t help (she’s not a big mantra-type person; but this used to help); an audiobook doesn’t help; once, clonazepam took the edge off, but she merely dozed on and off (she was indeed calmer during the somewhat wakeful night and felt somewhat better during the 10-miler). If she does fall asleep, she wakes with a start 20 or 30 minutes later, amazed she fell asleep and then can’t fall asleep again. So she just waits for morning. This has made races much harder; she suffers toward the end in ways she never did when she could sleep.

The other person has decided to do battle with the first and wear a tutu to all races. This way, she hopes to take them less seriously. She knows she can run at a good clip – but is not worried if sometimes she runs a little faster or a little slower. Feeling good and enjoying the race are the goals. If she feels anxious and driven to run sub-eights, she can laugh and say, “Relax, you’re wearing a tutu!” She remembers wanting to get faster every race; she remembers a spectating friend cheering “Sub-eights, yeah!” as she finished a 10K in Central Park, her first time breaking an eight-minute mile for a race; she remembers running a half-marathon, her first,  in 7:30s; she remembers her first age-group award, for the City of Long Beach 10-Miler. She’s not much slower nowadays, and she trains well, but she wants to relax and not care about being faster and faster and faster.

Neither person is winning the war in my psyche. 

Can't Touch This*

As the kids roll along in the big jogging stroller, we see many things (cars, trucks, squirrels, etc.), hear many things (cars, trucks, birds), smell many things (cars, trucks, skunks), taste many tasty stroller snacks, but touch? The kids are mostly told to STOP touching each other! So, to engage this fifth - and so important a - sense, we made a new game.

As we pass street sign or stop sign posts at each intersection, we alternate passing them on the right or left so that the kids can "tag" the post. We slow down, of course, to avoid injury, but don't stop! You'll have to pry their little hands off! It helps the time pass and breaks things up into short intervals. I was surprised by how much with kids liked playing this.

(A disclaimer: this is not for when you are in a hurry. You also need to be careful to avoid wooden posts with splinters, rusty staples, etc.)

This is especially fun when it involves going up and down curbs or struggling through brush. Make it an adventure :)


*Credit due to MC Hammer???

Burn 100 Calories in 10 Minutes

This list comes from Oxygen Magazine. It helps motivate me every time I look at it. Burn, baby, burn! And have fun too!

Only have a few minutes to spare? Burn 100 Calories in 10 minutes!

1. Stationary bike (200 watts)

2. Stp aerobics (using a 10 to 12-inch step)

3. Rock climbing (ascending)

4. Running (9-minute mile)

5. Soccer (competitive game)

6. Plyometrics circuit (jump squats, high knees, burpees, etc.)

7. Racquetball

8. Martial arts (judo, karate or kickboxing)

9. Jumping Rope

10. Simming (butterfly stroke, breaststroke, or freestyle)


(calorie burn based on a 130-pound woman).

A break up note

Dear 6 Mile Run,

I'm over you.  I know we've been together every week for the last few months, but I moved on today...to a 7 mile run: something I haven't done in over a year and a half.  I'll be working my way up to half-marathon distance soon, because I have a group now, and they'll help me get there just like they helped me leave you behind.

I'll see you again, but just for fun, nothing serious.  You can't keep me down forever.

Sincerely,
Crumbs

Rainy Days

I don't dislike them.

Have you ever noticed how life seems to slow just a little on a day where it's wet?

For this reason I've never hated rainy days. In high school I can remember many a time getting excited about an impending thunderstorm. Dumping buckets of warm water on everything. Being so excited that I wanted to act like I was 5 again. Wanting to run outside and splash in large puddles. I did.

Sometimes I feel the same now. At 28 the urge to put on a t-shirt and go run around outside barefoot splashing around has not gone away. It's a tad chilly for it today but I am reminded that I need to teach my children this easy and carefree activity. To learn to love every day for what it brings, not just the sunny ones.

Sure rain can mess with a run. Especially if you have kids and they don't want to be wet and cold for hours. But I appreciate the rain just the same. It nourishes the earth, much like a tall glass of water when I am desperately thirsty. I thirst so why not let the grass, the trees, the flowers be quenched as well.

I'm glad for the slow down today - I needed the rest.

www.mile-posts.blogspot.com

Fartlek

No time to get to a track? Don't live near a track? Hate the track with a passion?

The fartlek is your speed workout answer.

According to wikipedia fartlek is defined as:
"speed play" in Swedish, is a form of conditioning which puts stress mainly on the aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress. Most fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45 minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting.

My favorite fartlek workout is comprised of a 10 - 20 minute warm up - which is usually anywhere between 1 mile and 3 miles. If you don't have a Garmin then go for time, if you have one then go for distance on the warm up. Then run 2 minutes on - running a hard pace - 2 minutes off - jogging. Immediately after run 1 minute on - again at a hard pace - then one minute off at a very easy pace. Following one minute do 30 seconds on, and then 30 seconds off. NO WALKING ALLOWED. If you have to walk at any point during this workout then you are doing your *on* sections too hard. Adjust so that you are pushing yourself but you are still able to complete the workout without taking breaks. Repeat this at least 4 times working up to 8 times. Finish with a 10 - 15 minute cool down.

The warm up is more important in this work out that the cool down is. In order to be sure that your body is running at a faster than normal pace you want to make sure that your muscles are warmed up and that your heart rate is already up before you begin the *on* segments.So to repeat the workout is 10 - 20 WU 2 min on, 2 min off, 1 min on, 1 min off, :30 seconds on, :30 seconds off X 4 - 8 with a 10 - 15 min CD.

The hardest part of the workout will be the 2 minutes on immediately following only 30 seconds off. After repeating this cycle 4 to 8 times your legs will feel like lead. This means the workout worked!

I love this workout because it can be done anywhere, and on any surface. You don't need a Garmin. You don't need to know how far you went. The workout can be completed all on time and perceived effort.

This was a key workout for me going into Marine Corps 2008 where I took my marathon PR from 3:59 to 3:36 - 6 months after having my 2nd child.

Make sure to stretch after and revel in knowing that you are one work out closer to getting faster!

What doesn't bend, breaks.

They say, your children teach you how to be a parent; that you can try to force them into your preconceived ideas on what your family should be like, but ultimately, what doesn't bend, breaks.

Even as young as 3 1/2, my 5 year-old boy has had an extraordinary ability to focus on building Lego worlds. Left alone in his room with a 500 piece set, he can assemble the entire thing without a lick of help. This awesomely peaceful time recharges all of us. However, despite his love of long, solitary hours of building, he needs to know I'm still keeping an eye on him....otherwise he launches into brutal, piece-by-piece tutorial that painstakingly teaches me how he built his vehicles. When he's caught me ignoring him for too long, he shows no mercy and milks my mommy-guilt like a newborn. Glance away for a millisecond? He starts over.

As a baby/toddler, he could only fall asleep on the move; and the louder the environment, the better. We could (and were motivated) to tote him to parties, to the theater, to restaurants and The Nap Master would sleep....until, of course, we were at home, at night.

This boy has taught me how to be the parent I am. Feel a "class" is about to start? I now know to bathe him in my undivided attention while changing the topic. Won't admit to being tired? There's "a quick errand" in the car we need to run. Doesn't get hurt despite how bad the spill seems? Sure you can climb on the outside of the tube-slide.

How different would life be if my kids had been born in reverse order?

My 5 month old baby refuses to sleep in the car and in a stroller, nor will he doze off if there is any noise or light. Yikes! BUT...he sleeps through the night*. He won't let me nurse him to sleep in front of the TV or con him into a nap by circling the block a few times. Nope. He forces me to take him to my room, and lay him down in dark silence. Then, he'll see me in the morning. Had he been my first child, I would have probably had our family on a strict schedule from the beginning. Then my other one would have been born into an organized household and adapted to it, because that's just how he is. We'd all be well-rested, perky, with bluebirds landing upon our shoulders as our four-part harmonies clear the clouds from the skies.

Then, of course, I never would have learned to love running.

I wouldn't have so desperately strapped him into a stroller and hit the road in attempt to get him to sleep. Had I not already experience the joy that comes after the first 6 sucky weeks of getting back into shape, I wouldn't have gotten my butt out the door a second time because this baby HATES the stroller. My parenting arsenal wouldn't have included "attitude adjustment" runs - the kind that inspired my boy to say (when he was old enough to form his own thoughts):"Mommy, you're nicer after you run." I wouldn't have met my best friend Kelly during marathon training, or seen the sun rise from the Biscayne Bridge, or eaten at Amy's Ice Cream 3 days in a row without guilt. I wouldn't have found that cool stream my boy and I skim rocks in. I wouldn't have traded in wine for my new favorite drug: runner's high. (Okay, maybe "supplemented" would have been more appropriate).

How different would it have been? Well, my first-born inadvertently made me a runner, and being a runner makes me a better mom to my kids. So, I guess all those sleepless nights were worth it. It's not like I could sing well enough to harmonize with the family anyway.

*If you don't count all these sick days recently!

Change my name....

Since I have been doing more of this, I will have to change my

name to the "Cross-training Mommy".

Come on Spring - were are you?

I want to get out and run with the girls!

The Running Mommy Joins the club!

Hello,

I would like to introduce myself. I am Lisa and I am a runner!
(insert - "Hi Lisa")

I have been running for about 20 years, running everything between a 5K to marathons. My marathon PR = 4:19:19...so I am slow!

I am a mother of 2 girls - hence the Running Mommy - who LOVE to go running with me!

I have made it my quest to help other running mommies out in their quest to keep motivated and to keep running.

I am working now with some races in the Metro Detroit area to become more baby jogger friendly!

I will keep posting tips from time to time.

Keep Running

Lisa

March e-News Has TONS of Discounts and Giveaways

Just wanted to let those of you who do NOT receive the seeMOMMYrun e-newsletter, that the March newsletter is posted HERE. There are PLENTY of discounts on cool products, FREE workouts, and giveaways. So check it out!

my purple tutu

I am going to try being one of those runners, one who pulls on a tutu over the running tights. I have bought myself a purple one -- seemed the best color choice. (I'm not such a pink person.) And I am excited about the whole idea. I enjoyed picking out my ensemble for the race more than I usually do.


I am wearing it for the St Patrick's Day 8K tomorrow. The race is a festive dress-up kind of one, though a green tutu might be more appropriate -- but I don't have one of those. And the race is a shorter distance, so I can test run the tutu for next weekend's National Half Marathon. That's the ultimate plan, people!


My time goal? Around 40 minutes. But I have not run a race since November 2009, and I've had an injury, so we'll see what I can pull out, especially in a tutu. But I also don't care so much about being faster and faster anymore. Though I still like being kind of fast. And, in a purple tutu, kinda fast will also be fun.


Look for me if you are in downtown DC on Sunday morning at 9am -- Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th Street!


The next question: How do I wash the tutu?

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sign of spring

These three 60-degree days in a row are making me over-confident about spring. I assume we'll face some freezing temps again before March is out. But the birds are singing loudly.

The first major sign of spring: Shirtless men running over the Key Bridge at noon on Monday. This is totally different from that one crazy guy (or group of crazy teens or early twenty-somethings) running without a shirt, his skin turning red, in a winter race.

injuries: not sure I am getting any smarter about them

I had not had a running injury in 10 years when I faced up to the fact that I had runner’s knee. That’s a pretty good track record, right? When I started running in 1997, I soon was running almost every day and racing every weekend in Central Park; the New York Road Runners held races almost every weekend. I was addicted to getting faster. Within a year, I’d cut my 5K time from 33 minutes to 21 minutes.

I signed up for my first marathon in 1999, The New York City Marathon. I was injured the July before it (I can’t even remember what that injury was). This hit immediately after I ran the Bronx Half Marathon and a Central Park weekday 10K within days of each other. I was not running again until late September, but I managed to pull my first marathon out of my you-know-what in  3:44 and some seconds. Is this the beauty of being 28? But I didn’t finish my next marathon the following year. Then I developed stress fractures in 2001. Oh, I was so, so angry and frustrated. But I healed and have run many races and three marathons since.

I now run a “mere” four days a week for total mileage of 25-30 miles. (I’m a distance woman.) I love every run, and I cross and strength train on the three other days. I believe this varied routine has staved off any injuries by keeping everything in balance. 

But in December, less than six weeks after the Marine Corps Marathon, my knee started bothering me. I probably had not rested long enough post-marathon. Typical. First, my knee didn’t bother me during runs, but then I’d limp downstairs. After two weeks, I tried taking a week off. But then I limped through my next (very short) run. Damn. So, I took another week off. By “off,” I mean no running. I sat on my road bike hooked up to a spinning week for 60-120 minutes four times a week instead. This was actually a good deal with all the snow and subsequent icing we've been dealing with in the DC area. 

I did get cranky. I worried about all the spring races I have coming up. I’d hate to miss them. I saw my podiatrist to replace my 10-year-old orthotics. I started running, but walked every downhill. I built back up to an eight mile long run with little walking. I tried to pay attention to whether I was limping or not, but you know how that is; I can convince myself of anything if I want it badly enough.

When my knee bothered me more during a run last week, I couldn't gloss it over. So, again, I took time off, but just three days. I looked at my calendar and realized the National Half Marathon was only three weeks away. Damn and a half. I decided to try for whatever distance I could over the weekend. I know I am a fool, but this time it worked, so far. I ran 12 miles with no pain and no walking. Maybe it was the new and now broken-in orthotics. Or a miracle. 

I’ll keep paying attention to my knee, but I feel like I’m coming out of the tunnel of injury. And I feel like spring is coming.