I couldn’t come up with a topic to blog about so I figured I would throw out 10 things that people might not know about me in no particular order…
10. I took an acting class in college. I had big dreams of “making it” as an actor. They quickly fizzled when I realized I had no talent but it was a fun class nonetheless.
9. I make homemade wine. I haven’t since having my kids because of a lack of time but I would like to get back to it soon. Maybe this summer. Some of the flavors I’ve made in the past are: cherry, raspberry, blueberry, berry mix, grape, blackberry and strawberry. Strawberry was my least favorite and blackberry was my favorite. I bottled it myself and made my own labels.
8. My left foot is an inch longer than my right foot. This is tricky when buying shoes and one of the reasons being barefoot really appeals to me. No shoes means no squeezing one foot into a shoe or having one that’s way too big.
7. I wanted to have five kids until I had one. Turns out, they’re a lot of work. When you see that Jif commercial on tv where the one kid gets to cut the peanut butter sandwich and his brother gets to pick his piece first. The only thing the other kid says is “Oh shucks!”. Total and pure fiction. My kids would be in fisticuffs and the sandwich torn into tiny little inedible pieces.
6. I am ¼ Native American. My grandma on my mother’s side was full blooded Ottawa & Potawatomi. She could speak in her native tongue and was a real spitfire that I miss dearly.
5. I secretly like to sing karaoke. Even though it takes at least 3 or 4 drinks to give me the courage to sing, I really like it. One of my favorite songs to sing is by Patsy Cline, “I Go Out Walking, After Midnight”.
4. I’ve jumped out of an airplane. I went with my brother and at the time they weren’t letting you jump in tandem so I jumped static line. This means you have to get out on the arm of the airplane first before letting go and the parachute automatically deploys upon release. I really messed up the practice landing in class so I was worried about breaking my leg while landing. I landed ok but not what I would call graceful. I was too scared to climb out on the arm the first time so the plane had to circle back around before I worked up the courage.
3. When I was in high school I won a $500 scholarship to a community college for being the fastest transcriptionist. This meant I was the fastest at listening to someone speak on tape and recording it via typing. Dorky I know!
2. My sister and I have gone to a nude beach. Warning to those of you who think it would be exciting to see naked bodies. The only people we saw were men and women in their 70s and 80s.
1. I have never in my life eaten a hamburger. My mom raised her kids as vegetarians. We ate dairy and for reasons I’m still not sure of, we ate fish. I started eating chicken in 2000 and my mother still doesn’t know. My oldest is 5 and I keep waiting for her to out me with my mom but I’m riding this one to the end. I know I’m 34 but she’s still my mother and she can still make me feel guilty about nothing at all.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
My Lost Inner Child
My oh-so gracious mother agreed to watch the children for a few hours so my husband and I could run together again this Saturday. My plan was to try and run 12 or maybe 14 miles depending on our pace. I’m still trying to steadily increase my mileage for my race in May. I assumed we’d run our usual route we’ve been running for the past month or so. It’s mainly on backroads around our house that have less traffic.
When we were getting ready to drop off the kids, Jason suggested running a trail we never ran on before. One of the things I struggle with as a runner is getting too comfortable. If I find a route or a spot to run I stick with it. I don’t like to change it. Especially if it’s some place new. I don’t know if that’s a reflection of wanting stability or if it’s just a personality characteristic. I guess I like knowing we have 2 miles left or I’ve run 5 miles by looking at landmarks.
Some of the things I worry about is the terrain, if it will be crowded, will I like the route, will it be too muddy to get through, etc. This isn’t exclusive to trails or roads. I just seem to like running the same routes. I think I’m adventurous about many other things in my life like trying new foods - in China I ate snake and alligator and yes both tasted like chicken. I love traveling new places and have no problem running in new cities. I’ve jumped out of an airplane and walked down red light district in Amsterdam (saw lots of interesting things there).
So even though I was grumbling a little on the inside I agreed to the trails. Jason gets bored running the same routes and I’m the complete opposite. He’s good at making me push myself and do things that make me uncomfortable. Maybe I’ve gotten more comfortable running on roads and asphalt because it’s easier. I can run faster and farther. I feel like I’m actually a good runner when I run roads. It’s a bit of a boost to my ego. I don’t have to worry about stepping on anything, slipping and falling or hard packed snow. Having Jason there to push me is exactly what I need sometimes.
When we started running, the terrain was pretty good. It was muddy and slippery but manageable. We ran for a few miles and I was really getting into the trail and glad Jason suggested it. We ran around a hill and unfortunately encountered a pretty big stream of water which would make it impossible to run through (see pictures) so we were forced to turn around.
In my head I was grumbling again thinking I really need to get my mileage in. I wanted to increase the number of miles I ran from last weekend. My mom was only going to watch the kids for a few hours so this time was precious and we were wasting it!
At that point, I realized I wasn’t having fun. I needed to reassess why I like to run. I really do like running on trails because of how challenging it can be. I think the pressure of running road races was seeping into my consciousness and dampening my running spirit. Instead of worrying about running x amount of miles, I need to just run. Whether it’s trails or roads I have to remind myself it’s still running and I don’t want to lose sight of running for pure enjoyment.
Sometimes I’ll run farther and faster and sometimes I won’t. I’m still going to train for my race and increase mileage but I’m going to remind myself of why I run in the first place. I run for the freedom I feel while running. I run for the time it gives me to clear my mind and also as a form of exercise that I enjoy. I also thought a lot about a post from Barefoot AngieB’s blog and realized sometimes I lose sight of the big picture so thank you Angie!
This is the point where I noticed Jason running. He was hopping around, bouncing off of the terrain and having a good time. Time to join in! I shook free those thoughts that were holding me back and just ran. I also like to pretend I’m a ninja because I wear all black and usually when we run by someone they don’t hear us because of our soft footsteps.
We got to a section of water, really more like a small river and Jason asked if I wanted to try getting through it. Sure! That sounds like fun. Time to get muddy and wet. Honestly, at this point it felt nice and cool on my feet. It then became a game to see how far we could go through the water. We found spots where it was too deep and we had to turn around. Luckily Jason tested the waters, literally.
There were some places where we splashed through water and mud. I ran fast and hard waving my arms as I went down the hills. I love running down hills and that slightly out of control feeling you get. You don’t know if you’re going to make it down without falling but you still want to go as fast as you can anyway. It’s such a freeing feeling.
I bounced back and forth off the pathway and it started to remind me of when I was a kid. I used to run in our backyard as fast as I could. I would run countless laps for the pure pleasure of running.
We got to a spot where we climbed a hill, again trying to get around the stream and continue the path. Great for the legs and the soul! It was fun climbing up hills and running down them just to feel the wind in my face. I took pictures of Jason and somehow managed to only get shots of him when he was behind a tree. It’s kind of like looking at a picture of “Where’s Waldo” but instead “Where’s Jason?” Can you find him?
Trails are definitely much more challenging and more of an all over workout. I run at a much slower pace. I can feel it in my quads, glutes, obliques and other places I don’t reach while running roads. Running trails is a great way to cross train and works a multitude of muscles.
Sometimes I need to slow down and to remind myself of the bigger picture. Yes, I’m training for a race and I want to increase my miles but at the end of the day I want to have fun. Running those trails was a great reminder of that and I have my husband to thank. I’m lucky he pushes me to do things I don’t always want to do and we can both share in the fun of our inner children. I was a muddy mess at the end and loved it!
While I ran in my Vibrams because I’m not quite brave enough to try running through snow yet in my bare feet, I am excited to join Jason totally barefoot soon!
When we were getting ready to drop off the kids, Jason suggested running a trail we never ran on before. One of the things I struggle with as a runner is getting too comfortable. If I find a route or a spot to run I stick with it. I don’t like to change it. Especially if it’s some place new. I don’t know if that’s a reflection of wanting stability or if it’s just a personality characteristic. I guess I like knowing we have 2 miles left or I’ve run 5 miles by looking at landmarks.
Some of the things I worry about is the terrain, if it will be crowded, will I like the route, will it be too muddy to get through, etc. This isn’t exclusive to trails or roads. I just seem to like running the same routes. I think I’m adventurous about many other things in my life like trying new foods - in China I ate snake and alligator and yes both tasted like chicken. I love traveling new places and have no problem running in new cities. I’ve jumped out of an airplane and walked down red light district in Amsterdam (saw lots of interesting things there).
So even though I was grumbling a little on the inside I agreed to the trails. Jason gets bored running the same routes and I’m the complete opposite. He’s good at making me push myself and do things that make me uncomfortable. Maybe I’ve gotten more comfortable running on roads and asphalt because it’s easier. I can run faster and farther. I feel like I’m actually a good runner when I run roads. It’s a bit of a boost to my ego. I don’t have to worry about stepping on anything, slipping and falling or hard packed snow. Having Jason there to push me is exactly what I need sometimes.
When we started running, the terrain was pretty good. It was muddy and slippery but manageable. We ran for a few miles and I was really getting into the trail and glad Jason suggested it. We ran around a hill and unfortunately encountered a pretty big stream of water which would make it impossible to run through (see pictures) so we were forced to turn around.
In my head I was grumbling again thinking I really need to get my mileage in. I wanted to increase the number of miles I ran from last weekend. My mom was only going to watch the kids for a few hours so this time was precious and we were wasting it!
At that point, I realized I wasn’t having fun. I needed to reassess why I like to run. I really do like running on trails because of how challenging it can be. I think the pressure of running road races was seeping into my consciousness and dampening my running spirit. Instead of worrying about running x amount of miles, I need to just run. Whether it’s trails or roads I have to remind myself it’s still running and I don’t want to lose sight of running for pure enjoyment.
Sometimes I’ll run farther and faster and sometimes I won’t. I’m still going to train for my race and increase mileage but I’m going to remind myself of why I run in the first place. I run for the freedom I feel while running. I run for the time it gives me to clear my mind and also as a form of exercise that I enjoy. I also thought a lot about a post from Barefoot AngieB’s blog and realized sometimes I lose sight of the big picture so thank you Angie!
This is the point where I noticed Jason running. He was hopping around, bouncing off of the terrain and having a good time. Time to join in! I shook free those thoughts that were holding me back and just ran. I also like to pretend I’m a ninja because I wear all black and usually when we run by someone they don’t hear us because of our soft footsteps.
We got to a section of water, really more like a small river and Jason asked if I wanted to try getting through it. Sure! That sounds like fun. Time to get muddy and wet. Honestly, at this point it felt nice and cool on my feet. It then became a game to see how far we could go through the water. We found spots where it was too deep and we had to turn around. Luckily Jason tested the waters, literally.
There were some places where we splashed through water and mud. I ran fast and hard waving my arms as I went down the hills. I love running down hills and that slightly out of control feeling you get. You don’t know if you’re going to make it down without falling but you still want to go as fast as you can anyway. It’s such a freeing feeling.
I bounced back and forth off the pathway and it started to remind me of when I was a kid. I used to run in our backyard as fast as I could. I would run countless laps for the pure pleasure of running.
We got to a spot where we climbed a hill, again trying to get around the stream and continue the path. Great for the legs and the soul! It was fun climbing up hills and running down them just to feel the wind in my face. I took pictures of Jason and somehow managed to only get shots of him when he was behind a tree. It’s kind of like looking at a picture of “Where’s Waldo” but instead “Where’s Jason?” Can you find him?
Trails are definitely much more challenging and more of an all over workout. I run at a much slower pace. I can feel it in my quads, glutes, obliques and other places I don’t reach while running roads. Running trails is a great way to cross train and works a multitude of muscles.
Sometimes I need to slow down and to remind myself of the bigger picture. Yes, I’m training for a race and I want to increase my miles but at the end of the day I want to have fun. Running those trails was a great reminder of that and I have my husband to thank. I’m lucky he pushes me to do things I don’t always want to do and we can both share in the fun of our inner children. I was a muddy mess at the end and loved it!
While I ran in my Vibrams because I’m not quite brave enough to try running through snow yet in my bare feet, I am excited to join Jason totally barefoot soon!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
5 Things People Might Not Tell You About Kids Before You Have Them
This list is in no particular order. Be warned: this list may contain offensive language and/or material. All inappropriate material has been devised by my children.
5. You are going to see and do things you never thought imaginable. If you have a weak stomach or have an aversion to smells, no worries, you’ll get over it. The most vivid memory I have of this is when my second child, my son, was about 4 weeks old. I was on maternity leave and my daughter was sleeping in the next room so it was just me at home. My son had a dirty diaper so I cleaned him up and set the diaper aside. Not thinking he was going to have to go again so soon I made the rookie mistake of not setting another diaper underneath him. I realized he was going and it was either my hand (and I'm not talking about peeing here) or the carpet so I had to make a split second decision.
The conversation in my head went as follows: Hand? What does it take to clean my hand. Soap and water? Good. Carpet? What does it take to clean the carpet. I’m going to have to haul out the steam cleaner, fill it with water and soap, then go over the spot, multiple times of course. That’s a lot of work. Hand it is! Gross, yes. Worth it in my eyes? Yes.
4. Little boys love their penises. I realized this was the case but didn’t realize how soon it happens. As soon as they are able to reach down there it’s go time! You literally see them grow up before your very eyes as the realization hits them “I have found the best toy ever!”. My son has dedicated countless songs to his penis. My favorite at the moment: “If you’re happy and you know it clap your penis!”. I am constantly telling him to please take his hand out of his pants. If you want to do that, take it to your room for some privacy. At the very least he’s not doing it in public so he’s learning some social etiquette, right?
3. You are never going to be alone in the bathroom again. I lock the door and if I don’t lock it just right I hear the handle jiggling and they break in. Previously, that might have evoked some horror movie image of the bad guy trying to come in and hurt me. Not now. Now, I hear the jiggling and try to keep quiet. Maybe I can throw my voice and they'll think I'm downstairs. Outside I hear them, “Mom! Mom! What are you doing in there? Why are you taking so long? Mom! When are you coming out? Mom! Mom!” Even the baby who is only 10 months old is after me. I see his tiny little fingers slide under the door trying to get in.
2. You start to appreciate and grow accustomed to constant clutter. You almost miss it when it’s gone. My son puts Sanford and Son to shame with his hoarding ways. It doesn’t matter what it is, my son wants it. We went to the store and I let the kids pick out one thing under $2. My son picked out Q-Tips. Q-Tips? Really? I realized that night the appeal for Q-Tips. You can bend them, cut them, twist them and you never run out.
One (and only one) of his other passions at the moment? Stickers. Sticky, sticky stickers that get into everything and places you don’t quite imagine. One of them being his clothes. If you don’t catch a sticker before you wash it you are permanently leaving that sticker on said piece of clothing. It acts as an iron on patch and adheres to clothing. Reese has a lot of what I like to call couture clothing…one of a kind!
1.Your parents only want you to have children to see you suffer. It's payback for all those tantrums you had, all the messes, all the times they told you to put your glass away and you didn't. You have probably heard them ask "When are you going to have kids? My arms are aching for a grandbaby." Why? Sweet, sweet revenge!
A typical visit to grandma's house for my kids involves a juice box - it's juice...juice is good for you right?, candy of some sort, what my mother somehow calls healthy food -- cheetos (nevermind we NEVER had chips in the house growing up, they've somehow become healthy because they have part of the word cheese in their name), muffins and whatever else she can sneak them when I'm not looking. This is a mom who never bought sugared cereal for us kids growing up. All we got was cornflakes. If I was lucky I got to put a teaspoon of sugar on the cornflakes to pretend I had fancy sugared cereal.
I would go to my friend's houses wide-eyed and drooling at the sight of Golden Grahams, Coco Puffs and Lucky Charms. So this is how I know it's revenge. I am going to load your kids up on sugar and send them home to you. But the sad part is part of you is grateful because she does watch the kids for free.
I love my little creatures and wouldn’t change them for the world. I take great pleasure in their curious ways but try to find the humor in much of what they do.
Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories. ~John Wilmot
5. You are going to see and do things you never thought imaginable. If you have a weak stomach or have an aversion to smells, no worries, you’ll get over it. The most vivid memory I have of this is when my second child, my son, was about 4 weeks old. I was on maternity leave and my daughter was sleeping in the next room so it was just me at home. My son had a dirty diaper so I cleaned him up and set the diaper aside. Not thinking he was going to have to go again so soon I made the rookie mistake of not setting another diaper underneath him. I realized he was going and it was either my hand (and I'm not talking about peeing here) or the carpet so I had to make a split second decision.
The conversation in my head went as follows: Hand? What does it take to clean my hand. Soap and water? Good. Carpet? What does it take to clean the carpet. I’m going to have to haul out the steam cleaner, fill it with water and soap, then go over the spot, multiple times of course. That’s a lot of work. Hand it is! Gross, yes. Worth it in my eyes? Yes.
4. Little boys love their penises. I realized this was the case but didn’t realize how soon it happens. As soon as they are able to reach down there it’s go time! You literally see them grow up before your very eyes as the realization hits them “I have found the best toy ever!”. My son has dedicated countless songs to his penis. My favorite at the moment: “If you’re happy and you know it clap your penis!”. I am constantly telling him to please take his hand out of his pants. If you want to do that, take it to your room for some privacy. At the very least he’s not doing it in public so he’s learning some social etiquette, right?
3. You are never going to be alone in the bathroom again. I lock the door and if I don’t lock it just right I hear the handle jiggling and they break in. Previously, that might have evoked some horror movie image of the bad guy trying to come in and hurt me. Not now. Now, I hear the jiggling and try to keep quiet. Maybe I can throw my voice and they'll think I'm downstairs. Outside I hear them, “Mom! Mom! What are you doing in there? Why are you taking so long? Mom! When are you coming out? Mom! Mom!” Even the baby who is only 10 months old is after me. I see his tiny little fingers slide under the door trying to get in.
2. You start to appreciate and grow accustomed to constant clutter. You almost miss it when it’s gone. My son puts Sanford and Son to shame with his hoarding ways. It doesn’t matter what it is, my son wants it. We went to the store and I let the kids pick out one thing under $2. My son picked out Q-Tips. Q-Tips? Really? I realized that night the appeal for Q-Tips. You can bend them, cut them, twist them and you never run out.
One (and only one) of his other passions at the moment? Stickers. Sticky, sticky stickers that get into everything and places you don’t quite imagine. One of them being his clothes. If you don’t catch a sticker before you wash it you are permanently leaving that sticker on said piece of clothing. It acts as an iron on patch and adheres to clothing. Reese has a lot of what I like to call couture clothing…one of a kind!
1.Your parents only want you to have children to see you suffer. It's payback for all those tantrums you had, all the messes, all the times they told you to put your glass away and you didn't. You have probably heard them ask "When are you going to have kids? My arms are aching for a grandbaby." Why? Sweet, sweet revenge!
A typical visit to grandma's house for my kids involves a juice box - it's juice...juice is good for you right?, candy of some sort, what my mother somehow calls healthy food -- cheetos (nevermind we NEVER had chips in the house growing up, they've somehow become healthy because they have part of the word cheese in their name), muffins and whatever else she can sneak them when I'm not looking. This is a mom who never bought sugared cereal for us kids growing up. All we got was cornflakes. If I was lucky I got to put a teaspoon of sugar on the cornflakes to pretend I had fancy sugared cereal.
I would go to my friend's houses wide-eyed and drooling at the sight of Golden Grahams, Coco Puffs and Lucky Charms. So this is how I know it's revenge. I am going to load your kids up on sugar and send them home to you. But the sad part is part of you is grateful because she does watch the kids for free.
I love my little creatures and wouldn’t change them for the world. I take great pleasure in their curious ways but try to find the humor in much of what they do.
Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories. ~John Wilmot
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
My Balancing Act
In this order are some of the things I love to do. Spending time with my husband, spending time with my kids, traveling, running, cooking and reading. It can be hard to balance doing the things that I love and times where guilt creeps in but I try to look at the big picture.
Since I work, that takes a majority of my time. I've felt guilt that I work and don't stay at home. I think if I stayed home, I would feel guilt about being stressed out. What I try to do is be more aware of my children’s needs when we are together and make the most of that time.
I enjoy what I do, teaching computer and business classes to high school students but I can’t say it’s my life’s calling. I think I could find something else I enjoy doing if I had to. I think it’s important if you are going to work that it’s something you like and don’t dread. I used to work in an office environment and it’s was pure torture for me. I dreaded getting up every morning and going into work. I don’t feel that way about my current job. I like that it’s constantly changing, you’re seeing new faces and doing something that’s hands on. I am never bored and constantly challenged.
The longer I teach, the better at it I become. I feel sorry for those first year students of mine because it wasn’t pretty. I was trying to keep up with the subject matter so classroom management was just a concept not something I knew how to do very well. Like anything in life, it takes work and practice to become better at.
In a perfect world I would work part time. It would give me some social interaction but also more time with my kids. But to be honest, if I switched jobs and didn’t have summers off with my husband, I would be a very resentful , bitter wife.
When I start to feel bad about working I try to think of the positive things that come from it. I’m a teacher which means I’m done at 2:45 every day. I don’t coach or do any extra-curricular activity that’s school related so my free time is family time. I will get the same breaks off that my kids get when they’re in school. Having those breaks throughout the school year now is wonderful. The BEST one of all is my husband and I get all summer off with the kids (although depending on the day and their range of naughtiness this level of happiness may vary).
I look forward to the days when we get to travel together as a family whether that’s in Michigan or across the U.S. or overseas as the kids get older. I love viewing the world through kids eyes, exposing them to other cultures, ethnicities and foods.
Summer is only three months away and I’m looking forward to as the weather gets nicer outside. Some of the things we have planned as of now is traveling to races and clinics which might be something I regret but an adventure none the less .
We also plan on taking a few day trips to destinations unknown. We’re both not very good planners when it comes to long term things so we tend not plan too far ahead. That’s one of the perks about having that much time off, we don’t have to be good planners we can decide last minute we want to go to a water park or zoo with the family.
This is just one part of my balancing act so for the sake of length, I will write more on the other areas in future entries.
Since I work, that takes a majority of my time. I've felt guilt that I work and don't stay at home. I think if I stayed home, I would feel guilt about being stressed out. What I try to do is be more aware of my children’s needs when we are together and make the most of that time.
I enjoy what I do, teaching computer and business classes to high school students but I can’t say it’s my life’s calling. I think I could find something else I enjoy doing if I had to. I think it’s important if you are going to work that it’s something you like and don’t dread. I used to work in an office environment and it’s was pure torture for me. I dreaded getting up every morning and going into work. I don’t feel that way about my current job. I like that it’s constantly changing, you’re seeing new faces and doing something that’s hands on. I am never bored and constantly challenged.
The longer I teach, the better at it I become. I feel sorry for those first year students of mine because it wasn’t pretty. I was trying to keep up with the subject matter so classroom management was just a concept not something I knew how to do very well. Like anything in life, it takes work and practice to become better at.
In a perfect world I would work part time. It would give me some social interaction but also more time with my kids. But to be honest, if I switched jobs and didn’t have summers off with my husband, I would be a very resentful , bitter wife.
When I start to feel bad about working I try to think of the positive things that come from it. I’m a teacher which means I’m done at 2:45 every day. I don’t coach or do any extra-curricular activity that’s school related so my free time is family time. I will get the same breaks off that my kids get when they’re in school. Having those breaks throughout the school year now is wonderful. The BEST one of all is my husband and I get all summer off with the kids (although depending on the day and their range of naughtiness this level of happiness may vary).
I look forward to the days when we get to travel together as a family whether that’s in Michigan or across the U.S. or overseas as the kids get older. I love viewing the world through kids eyes, exposing them to other cultures, ethnicities and foods.
Summer is only three months away and I’m looking forward to as the weather gets nicer outside. Some of the things we have planned as of now is traveling to races and clinics which might be something I regret but an adventure none the less .
We also plan on taking a few day trips to destinations unknown. We’re both not very good planners when it comes to long term things so we tend not plan too far ahead. That’s one of the perks about having that much time off, we don’t have to be good planners we can decide last minute we want to go to a water park or zoo with the family.
This is just one part of my balancing act so for the sake of length, I will write more on the other areas in future entries.
Monday, March 8, 2010
A Goal Achieved!
I set out to run 30 miles in 3 days last Friday through Sunday and I did it! What a difference a week makes. I wasn’t sure how my body would respond but I was amazed at how good I felt even after running back to back.
Day 1: I started out with the intention of getting up Friday morning to run on the treadmill. I had high hopes of running at least 2-3 miles but only made it 1 mile. I am a morning person in the sense that I like to get up in the morning but I like to get up to drink coffee, watch the news or surf the Internet - not run. If I try in the future I need to get up earlier to give myself a little time before running.
Day 1 – Part II: After school, we have about 45 minutes after school before we have to pick the kids up so Jason and I went for a quick 3 mile run. We only have one Garmin at the moment and he was wearing it. I told him I wanted to run at a quicker pace, somewhere between a 9 to a 9:30 minute mile. Afternoon running is also tough for me - my ideal running time would be around 9:30 or 10 in the morning. We were at the 2.5 mile mark and I asked Jason what our pace was. I was feeling really sluggish so I was curious to see how fast we were running. He told me we were just under a 10 minute mile. I was hoping for better but figured the time of day was making it more difficult. But that Jason is a sneaky one! When we finished he told me our real pace was an average of 8:47! So excited! I smacked him on the arm but I was happy for his white lie. I’ve gotten a little faster overall and am excited about our upcoming 5k (March 20th) to see if I can set a new Personal Record (PR). Day one netted 4 miles.
Day 2: Saturday morning has been my longer weekly run. I was looking forward to running but I really wanted to run with my husband. So I decided to call…….ok, I set my daughter up to call my mom. My daughter asked grandma if she would watch her and the other two kids. Which, by the way, is a great way of guilting grandma into watching your kids. How can she say no to her grandbabies? I too am sneaky! I promised my mom I would make treats for her next meeting and she was happy with the tradeoff. We ran 12 glorious miles in the sun. It was the perfect time of day for me to run and relatively low traffic on the roads. I have found without music I run much slower, so even when I run with Jason, I still put in one ear bud so I have that rhythm going in the background. I love music and it’s so motivating for me even if it’s not loud. I was still able to hold a conversation with him but it adds that extra boost I need while running. Hopefully he didn’t mind my singing along to Bon Jovi (old school) during the run. Day 2 complete! At this point, I was a little worried about getting in 14 miles on the third day since my legs would be tired from the previous two days.
Day 3: My plan was to go to a school parking lot near our house and run laps. I love running here because I don’t have to worry about traffic. It’s also a smooth, snow free surface so I can run without worrying about stumbling or watching out for cars. This is also the perfect training ground for the upcoming race (MTD’s) which will consist of running a half mile loop for 12 hours. Each loop of the parking lot is about .35 of a mile so 3 laps equals a mile. My goal was to run 10 miles total. When I got there I got a little scared because there was a guy walking around the part of the school that turns into a park. It’s not unusual to see people walking around because it is a great place to take a walk but since it was 8:30 in the morning on a Sunday (when most people in my neighborhood are in church) it did startle me. Luckily, he left shortly after I got there. Though my paranoid mind kept looking around making sure he wasn’t going to leap up from behind a snow bank or from behind the building to attack me. I think I need to read and watch less crime thriller plots because I sometimes wonder if I’m the most paranoid person on the planet or if others worry about these things as well. After a few laps I forgot about the stranger and got into a nice groove. During this run I was more fatigued, but wanted to test out some theories and see if eating or drinking helped. Since I had a light breakfast, I definitely needed something more to keep my on my feet. So far my food of choice while running is wheat bread and all natural peanut butter, washed down with some water. I have yet to start using any type of electrolyte replacement but it’s something on my to do list along with a few other items suggested to me recently (I have to make it to the store one of these days). Eating the peanut butter sandwich provided the extra energy I needed to keep me going. I thought about running an extra mile or two to get me closer to my 30 mile goal, but I’m glad I didn’t. My hubby and me had a miscommunication about the time he was going to run. Since he was going to run after I got home, I would have made him late if I had added any time to my run. Which means he would have been late meeting his running buddy at the trail.
Day 3 – Part II: I was really happy with myself for completing 26 miles. Only 4 to go! I couldn’t decide if I wanted to hop on the treadmill or even what time I would be able to run. My kids were getting into all sorts of trouble (gum in the dogs hair, painting Barbies, and so forth) so I thought the best thing to do was to tire them out. I asked the most wonderful husband in the universe (in case he’s reading this and I want him to help out in the future) if he would watch the kids at the park while I finished my last 4 miles. He said yes, so we loaded up the kids and headed to the same park I ran loops at in the morning. We put our 3 year old son and 10 month old baby in the jogging stroller and let our daughter push them around in the attempt to tire her out even more. But those darn 5 year olds :) After hearing a scream and seeing the stroller almost tip over we thought it might be better if dad takes over. Dad took kid duty and I ran my loops. My muscles were definitely feeling it but not to the point where I couldn’t go on. I even managed to run at a 10:30 pace the entire time including stops to chase the kids. I figured if I chased them a little, they would run faster and tire them out for bed much more quickly….and it worked! Before this run, I ate a salad along with 2 stolen chicken nuggets from my kid’s plate. I wanted to experience running on a fuller stomach. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t easy either.
What I learned: I got a better idea of when and how much to eat. I was able to run on a full stomach and my muscles were in much better shape than I would have guessed. I really give credit to barefoot/minimalist running shoes because I know as a result, my form is much improved. When I ran with shoes, even if it were only a few miles, my feet would ache. I would BEG my husband to rub my feet to make them feel better. One of the unforeseen side effects of not using traditional shoes, is how little my feet hurt. Not that I don’t still enjoy a good foot rub! I also learned to run through mental fatigue. There were times I wanted to stop but kept thinking of my end goal of finishing 30 miles. I also thought of my other fellow running friends who are putting up such great miles and they helped give me the motivation and inspiration to follow through. I also learned you can eat those tempting foods guilt free after running 30 miles! I had one of my favorite pizzas without worrying at all about gaining weight. I can be an emotional eater and still struggle with using food for energy versus emotional support. When my kids are stressing me out, it’s all too easy for me to reach for food as my comfort. I’m trying to view food still as something pleasurable, but as something my body needs for fuel and energy instead of something that makes me happy when I’m feeling down.
All in all, I’m very proud of completing my goal. The next tough question is how many miles to run next weekend?
Day 1: I started out with the intention of getting up Friday morning to run on the treadmill. I had high hopes of running at least 2-3 miles but only made it 1 mile. I am a morning person in the sense that I like to get up in the morning but I like to get up to drink coffee, watch the news or surf the Internet - not run. If I try in the future I need to get up earlier to give myself a little time before running.
Day 1 – Part II: After school, we have about 45 minutes after school before we have to pick the kids up so Jason and I went for a quick 3 mile run. We only have one Garmin at the moment and he was wearing it. I told him I wanted to run at a quicker pace, somewhere between a 9 to a 9:30 minute mile. Afternoon running is also tough for me - my ideal running time would be around 9:30 or 10 in the morning. We were at the 2.5 mile mark and I asked Jason what our pace was. I was feeling really sluggish so I was curious to see how fast we were running. He told me we were just under a 10 minute mile. I was hoping for better but figured the time of day was making it more difficult. But that Jason is a sneaky one! When we finished he told me our real pace was an average of 8:47! So excited! I smacked him on the arm but I was happy for his white lie. I’ve gotten a little faster overall and am excited about our upcoming 5k (March 20th) to see if I can set a new Personal Record (PR). Day one netted 4 miles.
Day 2: Saturday morning has been my longer weekly run. I was looking forward to running but I really wanted to run with my husband. So I decided to call…….ok, I set my daughter up to call my mom. My daughter asked grandma if she would watch her and the other two kids. Which, by the way, is a great way of guilting grandma into watching your kids. How can she say no to her grandbabies? I too am sneaky! I promised my mom I would make treats for her next meeting and she was happy with the tradeoff. We ran 12 glorious miles in the sun. It was the perfect time of day for me to run and relatively low traffic on the roads. I have found without music I run much slower, so even when I run with Jason, I still put in one ear bud so I have that rhythm going in the background. I love music and it’s so motivating for me even if it’s not loud. I was still able to hold a conversation with him but it adds that extra boost I need while running. Hopefully he didn’t mind my singing along to Bon Jovi (old school) during the run. Day 2 complete! At this point, I was a little worried about getting in 14 miles on the third day since my legs would be tired from the previous two days.
Day 3: My plan was to go to a school parking lot near our house and run laps. I love running here because I don’t have to worry about traffic. It’s also a smooth, snow free surface so I can run without worrying about stumbling or watching out for cars. This is also the perfect training ground for the upcoming race (MTD’s) which will consist of running a half mile loop for 12 hours. Each loop of the parking lot is about .35 of a mile so 3 laps equals a mile. My goal was to run 10 miles total. When I got there I got a little scared because there was a guy walking around the part of the school that turns into a park. It’s not unusual to see people walking around because it is a great place to take a walk but since it was 8:30 in the morning on a Sunday (when most people in my neighborhood are in church) it did startle me. Luckily, he left shortly after I got there. Though my paranoid mind kept looking around making sure he wasn’t going to leap up from behind a snow bank or from behind the building to attack me. I think I need to read and watch less crime thriller plots because I sometimes wonder if I’m the most paranoid person on the planet or if others worry about these things as well. After a few laps I forgot about the stranger and got into a nice groove. During this run I was more fatigued, but wanted to test out some theories and see if eating or drinking helped. Since I had a light breakfast, I definitely needed something more to keep my on my feet. So far my food of choice while running is wheat bread and all natural peanut butter, washed down with some water. I have yet to start using any type of electrolyte replacement but it’s something on my to do list along with a few other items suggested to me recently (I have to make it to the store one of these days). Eating the peanut butter sandwich provided the extra energy I needed to keep me going. I thought about running an extra mile or two to get me closer to my 30 mile goal, but I’m glad I didn’t. My hubby and me had a miscommunication about the time he was going to run. Since he was going to run after I got home, I would have made him late if I had added any time to my run. Which means he would have been late meeting his running buddy at the trail.
Day 3 – Part II: I was really happy with myself for completing 26 miles. Only 4 to go! I couldn’t decide if I wanted to hop on the treadmill or even what time I would be able to run. My kids were getting into all sorts of trouble (gum in the dogs hair, painting Barbies, and so forth) so I thought the best thing to do was to tire them out. I asked the most wonderful husband in the universe (in case he’s reading this and I want him to help out in the future) if he would watch the kids at the park while I finished my last 4 miles. He said yes, so we loaded up the kids and headed to the same park I ran loops at in the morning. We put our 3 year old son and 10 month old baby in the jogging stroller and let our daughter push them around in the attempt to tire her out even more. But those darn 5 year olds :) After hearing a scream and seeing the stroller almost tip over we thought it might be better if dad takes over. Dad took kid duty and I ran my loops. My muscles were definitely feeling it but not to the point where I couldn’t go on. I even managed to run at a 10:30 pace the entire time including stops to chase the kids. I figured if I chased them a little, they would run faster and tire them out for bed much more quickly….and it worked! Before this run, I ate a salad along with 2 stolen chicken nuggets from my kid’s plate. I wanted to experience running on a fuller stomach. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t easy either.
What I learned: I got a better idea of when and how much to eat. I was able to run on a full stomach and my muscles were in much better shape than I would have guessed. I really give credit to barefoot/minimalist running shoes because I know as a result, my form is much improved. When I ran with shoes, even if it were only a few miles, my feet would ache. I would BEG my husband to rub my feet to make them feel better. One of the unforeseen side effects of not using traditional shoes, is how little my feet hurt. Not that I don’t still enjoy a good foot rub! I also learned to run through mental fatigue. There were times I wanted to stop but kept thinking of my end goal of finishing 30 miles. I also thought of my other fellow running friends who are putting up such great miles and they helped give me the motivation and inspiration to follow through. I also learned you can eat those tempting foods guilt free after running 30 miles! I had one of my favorite pizzas without worrying at all about gaining weight. I can be an emotional eater and still struggle with using food for energy versus emotional support. When my kids are stressing me out, it’s all too easy for me to reach for food as my comfort. I’m trying to view food still as something pleasurable, but as something my body needs for fuel and energy instead of something that makes me happy when I’m feeling down.
All in all, I’m very proud of completing my goal. The next tough question is how many miles to run next weekend?
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sick Days
I hate being sick. I have 3 young children and trying to keep up with them on a good day can be challenging but when I’m sick it's 100 times worse. I also can’t run when I’m sick, although I tried and it wasn’t a smart idea on my part. Mostly, I hate being sick because I feel vulnerable. Negative thoughts seem to pop up much more easily when I’m sick and self doubt creeps in.
I consider myself to be a very independent person. Before I was married, I traveled to many places including a study abroad program to China during college. I have also traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Nice (Southern France), Mexico, The Virgin Islands and The Dominican Republic. I moved out of my house when I was 17 (I was a young high school graduate) because I was ready to do my own thing. I rented for a while and bought my first trailer when I was 18 years old and made a nice little profit off of it when I sold it two years later. I also worked almost full time while going to college to support myself.
One of the lessons my mother taught me from a very young age was to be independent because you don’t know what the future will bring. You cannot rely on someone solely for your own well being or financially. My mother divorced my father when I was three. Most kids want their parents together, but even at the tender age of three I knew that wasn’t a good idea. My father was a dangerous alcoholic. When my parents divorced, I was relieved. No more living in fear and worrying about him cutting off our electric so we had no power. No more worrying about coming home from my grandmothers to find out he smashed every window in the house. No more worrying about the endless arguing and smashing glass against the wall.
My mother married when she was 18 years old. To say she was naïve is an understatement. When my father left, he drained their bank account and left her with nothing. She had to learn how to pay the bills, change the locks, and manage four kids on her own. She taught me that I shouldn’t rely on someone to do these things for me and it was important that I learn to be self sufficient.
Maybe it’s a lesson I take too far at times. I have a wonderful husband and three beautiful kids (although mischievous at times). I want to be a superwoman but sometimes the superwoman needs her own heroes to take care of her. I love taking care of my kids and making them feel special when they’re sick so I should allow myself that same comfort. My mother never had anyone to take care of her. She never had that relationship that she felt safe in or a stable partner to help. I am lucky enough to have that and need to remember that it’s not a bad thing to rely on others and that it can be very satisfying for those that love you to be able to take care of you in your time of need. It’s a lesson I hope to teach my own children.
I consider myself to be a very independent person. Before I was married, I traveled to many places including a study abroad program to China during college. I have also traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Nice (Southern France), Mexico, The Virgin Islands and The Dominican Republic. I moved out of my house when I was 17 (I was a young high school graduate) because I was ready to do my own thing. I rented for a while and bought my first trailer when I was 18 years old and made a nice little profit off of it when I sold it two years later. I also worked almost full time while going to college to support myself.
One of the lessons my mother taught me from a very young age was to be independent because you don’t know what the future will bring. You cannot rely on someone solely for your own well being or financially. My mother divorced my father when I was three. Most kids want their parents together, but even at the tender age of three I knew that wasn’t a good idea. My father was a dangerous alcoholic. When my parents divorced, I was relieved. No more living in fear and worrying about him cutting off our electric so we had no power. No more worrying about coming home from my grandmothers to find out he smashed every window in the house. No more worrying about the endless arguing and smashing glass against the wall.
My mother married when she was 18 years old. To say she was naïve is an understatement. When my father left, he drained their bank account and left her with nothing. She had to learn how to pay the bills, change the locks, and manage four kids on her own. She taught me that I shouldn’t rely on someone to do these things for me and it was important that I learn to be self sufficient.
Maybe it’s a lesson I take too far at times. I have a wonderful husband and three beautiful kids (although mischievous at times). I want to be a superwoman but sometimes the superwoman needs her own heroes to take care of her. I love taking care of my kids and making them feel special when they’re sick so I should allow myself that same comfort. My mother never had anyone to take care of her. She never had that relationship that she felt safe in or a stable partner to help. I am lucky enough to have that and need to remember that it’s not a bad thing to rely on others and that it can be very satisfying for those that love you to be able to take care of you in your time of need. It’s a lesson I hope to teach my own children.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
30 Miles in 3 Days
My plan for last Friday, Saturday and Sunday was to run 30 miles in preparation for my first 12 hour race, Mind The Ducks on May 15th. The longest race I have run so far is a 25k which was almost four years ago. I signed up for the race because I am interested in running ultras but more importantly because it really scares me. One of my goals for this year has been to do a number of things that scare me and this ranks right up there. I have grown a lot over the past year. I’ve confronted issues from my past and for the first time feel like I’ve finally overcome them. While it hasn’t been easy, it’s been a very rewarding process. It's been a lot of hard work but it's given me the ability to change. It has been a very liberating process and one I cannot give up. While some days I might still struggle, I will never go back to my previous way of thinking. I want to continually push myself mentally and physically and what better way to accomplish both? I have found that by doing those very things that scare me, they suddenly aren’t so scary anymore.
With that being said, I didn’t accomplish my goal. I started out strong and got 15 miles done in 2 days. My plan was to run in the morning and run again in the afternoon to break up the running and also to give myself time with the family. Unfortunately, sickness prevailed and I came down with a nasty chest cold. I still tried to run on Sunday and made it 3/4 of a mile before I decided I really needed to rest and it was foolish to push myself while I was still slightly feverish. I am the biggest hypocrite when it comes to giving advice. I like to give it but I don't like to take it. I always learn the hard way.
My plan is to try again for 30 miles in 3 days to get used to running while I’m fatigued and learning what to eat and when to eat. I’ve tested out a few things and have learned I cannot eat large quantities of anything yet without feeling like I have rocks in my stomach but my husband has told me that will get better in time. Since I haven’t run continuously more than 12 miles this winter, I haven’t run into any other issues yet and am worried I’m not going to be prepared enough but there are still 2 ½ more months of learning . Since the weather seems to be on a warming trend and more importantly the sun is making an appearance I hope to increase my mileage steadily every weekend and I’m going to pick a date for my first 20 mile run. Yikes! If I put it in writing, I have to follow through right?
I’m going into this race with the attitude of this will be fun and a good learning experience for any future races I will run. I am going to run happy and more importantly have fun!
With that being said, I didn’t accomplish my goal. I started out strong and got 15 miles done in 2 days. My plan was to run in the morning and run again in the afternoon to break up the running and also to give myself time with the family. Unfortunately, sickness prevailed and I came down with a nasty chest cold. I still tried to run on Sunday and made it 3/4 of a mile before I decided I really needed to rest and it was foolish to push myself while I was still slightly feverish. I am the biggest hypocrite when it comes to giving advice. I like to give it but I don't like to take it. I always learn the hard way.
My plan is to try again for 30 miles in 3 days to get used to running while I’m fatigued and learning what to eat and when to eat. I’ve tested out a few things and have learned I cannot eat large quantities of anything yet without feeling like I have rocks in my stomach but my husband has told me that will get better in time. Since I haven’t run continuously more than 12 miles this winter, I haven’t run into any other issues yet and am worried I’m not going to be prepared enough but there are still 2 ½ more months of learning . Since the weather seems to be on a warming trend and more importantly the sun is making an appearance I hope to increase my mileage steadily every weekend and I’m going to pick a date for my first 20 mile run. Yikes! If I put it in writing, I have to follow through right?
I’m going into this race with the attitude of this will be fun and a good learning experience for any future races I will run. I am going to run happy and more importantly have fun!
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