Id say Im late to the party BUT

I just got mine.
and I actually LAUGH that Im quite honestly so excited.
Clean Well?

I HEART YOU.

the scent is amazing (please to see above aforementioned laughter. honestly, People, I really dont give a hoot about soap) and AESTHETICALLY there is something I love about it.

clean looking (pun intended) and not obtrusive on the counter.

dont take my word for it:

http://www.cleanwelltoday.com

go to the hand soap and run yer cursor over the containers & you'll see what I mean.

go ahead.


Ill wait.

Snow Days Are Making Me Fat

I feel like my kids have missed so much school these days! Today, despite what the weather man predicted, we have nothing but wet pavement and yet, the schools are closed....again. So what do I do? Bake....again. No running, just baking. Today, I made Outrageous Chocolate Cookies from Everyday Food. Oh. My. Gosh. Do not make these if you have any concern what so ever about the size of your butt because I guarantee you will not be able to stop eating them. To quote my 4-year-old Quinn, "These are the best cookies mommy has ever made in the whole entire world ever!"
You can find the recipe here. Oh, and just a tip, because these cookies are so dang chocolaty, I used good ghirardelli chocolate for both the batter and the chunks.

I am that Ground Hog

Howdy Running Mommys et al;
I'm just waiting for the thaw-- for that weather that MAKES you get out there. The weather where you feel sick inside that you did not get outside and run your heart out instead of oh well another workout canceled due to inclement weather. I'm in confession mode and have to admit that I've been doing 3 mile runs due to weather instead of 5 mile runs. This means I cross the railroad tracks and go to the 2nd pole and turn around instead of running all the way to the tank up on blocks and touch the sign post declaring Fort Knox is where you are. Yesterday I did the normal five and feel like I'm clean again. The guilt is gone. I'm headed to Texas in March for some real runs to feel completely human again and then it will be nice here. I ran more in Texas. It is a good thing we've changed directions and will be headed that way as we retire after 26 years.....

Mall Playground

I was at the mall the other day with a good friend of mine. We'd just set the boys free at the indoor playground. Moms were passing anti-bacterial soap like crazy.
"Hey," I said, all non-chalant and cool. "Look what I have."
I showed her my CleanWell.
"Try it," I told her. "You won't get addicted." He-he-he.
"Oh, I have this. But I'll try that. I mean, if it isn't more expensive..."
I bit my lip and grabbed her antibacterial soap.
"Ah-ha!" I pointed out. "Denatured alcohol."
"Well," she admitted. "My hands are already starting to feel a little dry. Okay, I'll try it."

Loved the smell. To me it smells like my favorite popsicle, the orange kind with the vanilla ice cream inside...
And it didn't dry out her hands.

I should have given her a coupon. Next time I will.

The fact is, I like the packaging and I like the statement the handsoap makes next to the bathroom sink.

Putting the Rat in "Gym Rats"

The National Institute of Health lays out the Body Mass Index (analysis of height & weight) into the following catagories:

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
• Overweight = 25-29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

That definition is pretty standard. You google Body Mass Index Calculator, you'll find a over two hundred thousand different resources to tell you the same thing. Although there is certainly reason to take one's BMI with a grain of salt, so to speak, it is common knowledge that anything under 18.5% is considered "Underweight" for women.

Which brings me to the point of my post. I train at a well known Fitness Center named after a major city in California. Walking out of my gym today, after what really felt like a break-though in my swim training, I was feeling great....until I saw a message on a dry erase board. I think the author might have fancied it to be inspirational, but I think otherwise.

2008 Summer Goals:

• New Swimsuit
• New Towel
• 16 % Body Fat

Sign up today for your consultation with a trainer.

Bravo, Gym Trainer for trying to gut my self-esteem, rather than aim to inspire. Bravo.

surrounded by superwomen....

I wish I had something new and exciting to add to the mix!

every time I start a post the famous Twain quote of:
Better to stay silent and be thought a slacking runner even if it IS due to illness, than to speak and remove all doubt.
pops into my mind for some reason


I always listen to the voices in my head.
you?

crazy woman

Or so they – my husband, my friends – say. I wake up at 5 a.m. to run (not every morning – other mornings I do a weight routine or a self-created spinning routine, but even then waking at 5 a.m.). After about 6-7 hours of interrupted sleep (my eight-month-old is a lousy sleeper – like his brother before him). So I am probably adding to my chronic sleep deprivation. But when else am I to be alone?

And they think this is crazy. I have told no one of the true running craziness to come.

It all started when I decided to run the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run on April 6. (I have run it a few times before, including after having my first child in 2005 and 2006). From experience, I knew I had to register as soon as registration opened online – on December 12. This race closes fast, usually within a few days.

That day, I had a sick baby and a ton of editing work to do – all of which I dealt with in the morning. So I lost track of registering first thing. Online registration was closed by the time I got online at 1pm – within a few hours, not a few days. Mail-in was open, but I had little hope – though I filled out that form by hand and popped it in the mail.

In a fit of needing to do run something BIG, I registered for other races: The Wirefly National Half-Marathon on March 29 and the George Washington Parkway Classic 10 Miler on April 27.

And then I found out I did indeed get in to the Cherry Blossom. That is three 10+ mile races in a month.

And I intend to run them all. With what will be a four-year-old and a nine-month old in the house. At least my husband is supportive. But I don’t think he yet has the whole picture.

I do have the training under my belt: I can cover 10 miles these days with (some) ease, and I ran the Parks Half-Marathon in September (yes, with a three-month-old at home).

But am I crazy?

What Not to Do

You might not want to take your two-year-old ice skating, increase your miles, throw on a little extra weight on at the gym, repeatedly toss your 35-pound child into the air, climb up and down from your washer and dryer to extract a live chipmunk from your dryer vent, replace said dryer vent, climb a ladder to fix some lightbulbs, and go to aerobics at the gym . . . in the same week . . . if you are pregnant.

You might hurt your back . . .

A day in the life of....

...a Half Marathoner.

10 pm: Double check that: bib number is pinned on shirt; chip is tied onto shoes. Gather socks, shorts, hat, watch, sports bra, mini water bottle, gu & Cliff Shots, diaper rash cream, baby powder, towel, dry clothes, and hair rubber band. Make sure coffee pot is loaded & ready.
10:30 pm: force self to try to sleep
10:40 pm: jump out of bed to print directions to parking lot/start line
10:50 pm: back in bed...for good this time.
10:55 pm: SET ALARM!!!!!
2:45 am: Finally doze off...
3:30 am: Roll out of bed, start coffee brewing, put on clothes.
3:55 am: Sit outside waiting for running buddy to pick you up.
4:55 am: Arrive to race area and pull into the parking spot the bar hoppers just abandoned.
5:15 am: Jump into one of the open, fresh port-a-lets.
5:20 am: Attached necessities to body (gu & shots, water bottle, diaper cream) and bag check the rest.
5:25 am: Stand 8 minutes in line for the port-a-lets and go in the one that has the wet roll of toilet paper.
5:40 am: Run into friends and talk shop about the last race you guys were at.
5:45 am: Try to figure out what the announcer is saying and realize a police officer is yelling at you to get out of the street because the wheelchairs are starting.
5:50 am: Find your spot in the half mile long corral, eventually discover you're near the back.
5:59 am: Realize you REALLY need to pee
6:00 am : Gun goes off! The race is on!

...to be continued...

uhhhh...

...crickets chirping...

Congratulations, Andrea! Seeing your amazing time made me run right to the calculator...I have you clocking in at about 12 minutes a mile! As someone who has never run a marathon, I have to tell you, I am simply in awe!

The daughter stayed home from school today, so I hopped on the treadmill and paced myself at, you got it, 12 minutes a mile. I just wanted to let you know that you are now running right beside me and you are quite the stringent trainer.

I have never been so impressed and so inspired. Someday I hope to run in a marathon beside, or just in front of ;) you.

XOXO