100 miles

Probably not a big deal for you 1k mile/ year runners------
But tomorrow I will hit 100 miles in my log since mid January. I can barely believe it!!

Not-So-Fast Food

The combined influences of having a number of friends who have just had their first – or fourth baby – and then finally passing the halfway point of my own pregnancy has led me to think back to some memorable stories about running with an infant.

I think that many people would agree that eating is a popular activity to keep the kids quiet in the stroller. Or, if you find yourself rushing everyone through breakfast to get out on your run, as I do, I’ve found it so much easier to just feed them in the stroller. This tactic, of course, is dependent on the kids being old enough to get 51% of their snack actually in their own mouth and not choke on it.

So, in the spirit of reminiscing, I’ll tell you what does NOT work:

Six months after my first daughter was born, my husband returned from a 7-month deployment and he started to train for the Honolulu Marathon. Along on a training run with him, I had to feed the baby during the 2 hour run. At about 7-months old, she was, maybe, old enough to hold the bottle in her own mouth, but as a primarily breastfed baby she just didn’t get a lot of practice with that. Here’s the problem: this is partially defrosted breast milk so it is cold, right. So there I am, running down Monserrat Ave. in Honolulu, pushing the jogging stroller, with a 4-oz Playtex bottle stuffed in my sports bra, trying to thaw it enough for consumption.

The short story is that it did not work and we had to hose off the stroller when we got home.

hello new leaf!!! once again Im turning you over.

sometimes I feel as though I (we?) are unlike many women.
I really do make the time to eat well.
I know that when I dont I feel tired, get sick, become crabby, become TIRED and Im no good to *anyone.*

that said, I need to be a smidge more encouraging? firm? nagging? (who can say) with my toddler and HER food selections.

I fear I give in too easily because Im often just happy she is eating SOMETHING.

Im going to try these.

Ill letcha know how it goes.

want something you should try for YOU?

check out this site.

one word: YUM.

Heel to Toe

When we used to run together, Dad would tell me, "Heel to toe." And I remember thinking, "Well, that's kind of silly. How else are you supposed to put your feet on the ground." Then I would sort of exxagerate the whole heel to toe thing, making my feet into two rocking chairs. I probably drove him crazy.

(He left us, you know. Got new families as the mood suited him. Writing about him is helping me to forgive him. Because I should. Because I want to be that kind of person.)

Now it's my turn to be the parent patiently coaching the tender runner.

"Heel to toe." I told her.

She's not like me, taking the words and assuming any confusion is her fault. Nope. She wants to KNOW.

"What do you mean?"

I showed her.

She tried it.

"Wow." She bounced along. "That is better."

Pace. Pace. Pace.

"But now I'm getting tired."

"That's your muscles. You're working new ones."

"Oh."

I love being the parent I always wished I'd had.

Heel to Toe.

Spring Gets My Mind Racing!

Ever since changing the clocks, I've been a bundle full of excitement over Spring! It's almost here! I don't know about you guys, but the idea of warmer weather always has me working double time on home projects. Cleaning, rearranging furniture, changing towels, adding accents with fun colors, you get it. There just isn't enough time in the day for all the things I'd love to be doing. My pre-running hobby was scrapbooking. Any time I had a free moment or two, you could find me at my scrapbook table working away on pages. Or just wandering around a scrapbook store. Well, every since I started running, scrapbooking has been shoved to the back burner. I just don't have the time. I'm sure some of you must have more than one hobby, how do you do it? If I sit down to try and scrap, I feel guilty because I really should be using that time to run! I'm desperate to get back into it though. Something about this warmer weather has me taking photos again (something else I shoved aside) and I'd love to scrap a few. I did find something to help save me some much needed time though. In the mail today, I received the latest flyer from Bed Bath and Beyond. In it, I found the perfect floor cleaning solution: Slipper Genie Micro Fiber Cleaning Slippers. Yup. You read that correctly...cleaning slippers. I think getting a pair for each of my boys would be the perfect time-saving solution!

Pain in the butt!

Baby #2 arrived 3 weeks ago today. I'd post pics, but since my husband is a computer geek (albeit a sexy one!) I've never bothered to learn how. If you are motivated, Miss Ainsley is available at www.ainsleymcd.com. She is as sweet as can be, and I can't wait to buy her her first pair of sneakers!
I've been anxious to get back into running, myself, but since I sat on my butt for 8 months, I've got to start slow. I'm walking about 2 miles a day and increasing my distance daily. I had a C-section, so even though my wonderful doctor has not exactly banned me from running, I'll probably wait 3 more weeks to step up the impact. I was lucky (from what I hear) to have experienced minimal pain from the start - in my abs at least! I can do a sit up almost effortlessly...but my butt hurts when I walk! It's partially discouraging...and somehow funny just the same! On the bright side, it doesn't take much to feel like I've gotten a work out in!
Any suggestions on why the glutes are burning? My husband suggested my posture has changed. Curious.

first race...

...of the (almost) spring season and since September. I used to race almost every weekend when I lived in New York City (where I grew up and lived until 1999) and was a member of the NYRR. I thought I was done enjoying the ritual of race morning. I thought I no longer cared (too much) about speed. Not that I was ever the fastest. But I had some ability.

But in the St. Patrick's Day 8K, I finished in 38:15. I was the 16th (out of over 300) in my age group (35-39), and the 100th woman overall (out of over 2,000). I am thrilled -- I had no idea I still had a little speed left. And it wasn't too hard, either. I was hoping for less than 45 minutes. I am pleasantly astounded.

Sunday was a cold one in Washington, DC -- 30 degrees with a wind chill of 19 degrees. Waiting in line for the Port-O-Potties, I overheard and joined in conversations on "Why do we do this?" I remain unsure.

I think part of it is the ritual: a ritual that is all mine, does not involve my children or spouse (but I liked it even before children and a spouse). It is a quiet ritual. I pull out my special race-day bag, my NYC Marathon 2000 backpack. I check the forecast and lay out my clothes for race morning. I set my alarm and plan when to leave so I will have enough time for two Port-O-Potty visits (yes, two). I often warm up. (On Sunday I did not. I was unwilling to give up my warm fleece to baggage check until the last minute.) I try to line up 5-10 minutes before gun time. After the race, I find the closest coffee shop -- usually a Starbucks -- and get myself the largest possible skim latte. This latter part of my ritual was particularly satisfying on Sunday -- a warm cup and tasty coffee for the walk back to the car.

My pacing is no longer what it used to be. I used to be pretty consistent. If I ran the first mile in 7:35, the subsequent miles would be within 5-10 seconds (no, not as consistent as an elite runner). On Sunday I ran a 7:50, a 7:12, an 8:00. A little wacky. But I don't care so much about pacing anymore -- I just check in, "Does this pace feel okay? Can I keep this up? Speed up? Slow down?"

Maybe I can do that half-marathon on March 29 in sub-8:00s...

Oh, and on race morning of the 8K, but unrelated to the race, see what I did at 6am (5am without the "spring forward") to save my car.

Updates

Update #1: I conquered red wine!! Well, sorta of.... I find if I mix it with Acai/ raspberry juice it is quite tasty. Now I can get a double shot of antioxidants.

Update #2: Trail running...........For me, it was like childbirth. The entire time I was wondering what the heck I got myself into and "swearing" ( in more ways than one) that I'd NEVER do this again ( I have 4 kids soooo obviously I forgot quickly!!). As soon as I crossed the finish line, just like seeing your brand new baby, I thought, Geez, that wasn't so bad and felt pretty good about the whole thing. Will I try it again? Probably, but a different trail for sure. This one advertised to be 5 miles but was actually 5.9 ( I know.....picky,picky me.....). The real clincher was that I have never seen such steep upward hills outside of a roller coaster. There were very few downhills and of course they were muddy with loose gravel. Top off my dismay with the temperature being a balmy 28 degrees F. I HATE THE COLD---------------I HATE HILLS-------------- But I do love a sense of accomplishment plus I wasn't the last to finish ( that is about as competitive I am) . One more "good" thing: I wasn't sore AT ALL!! Hmmm....was it because I went slow ( but still all those hills!!), was it my Astavita? Was it because I wasn't on concrete or blacktop. I don't know. I was pretty pleased though. That whole pole dancing thing left me sore for days!!!

The Not-So-Obvious List of How to Pack for a Music Festival with a Small Child

Taking a small child to a festival can sound pretty scary. There's the heat**, expensive unhealthy food, the question of napping and all the freaky people (if it's a good one). But I think it's really rewarding to dance in a field with your child, if you are prepared. In fact, I substituted it for my long run on Sunday.

While looking online to see if I'd forgotten anything, I found no help in getting ready. So, in a change from my usual posting, I've decided to write down a few things I've learned in the last 3 years of parenting-at-festivals. In addition to the usual (sunblock, water, hat), these few items can fit into a backpack (except the final two, of course).


(random video from youtube, this cute boy isn't mine)

• Food: I don't care that festivals don't allow food. I always pack a small lunch box, aim for the security queue with a woman who looks like a mother and hope she'll know there is no joy is spending 12 hours with a toddler living on corndogs & coke. Pack an apple, a banana, a PBJ, ziplock bag of raisins/nuts/dried fruit, an applesauce & mini spoon, a few boxes of Parmalat (boxed milk), water cup. Add a granola bar for you or whatever you need to keep you from your own melt down when you're tired and sick of waiting in the burrito line for 45 minutes. Bringing food for your kid is legit - they know you'll still spend money on beer and kettle corn.
  
• Earplugs/Studio Headphones: It's so very loud, even in the back, so cover those ears so you have at least the option of heading up front with the wee one. Great for naps, too. If you don't have studio headphones or Bose sound canceling headphones, bring several pairs of the foam plugs since they are easy to lose (and oh so cheap, and I guarantee you'll be asked by another desperate-looking mother if you've got extra).
  
• 2 changes of kids clothes in Gallon Ziplocks: tightly folded in large ziplock - put everything in it's own ziplock. When the chaos of the fest hits, individual see through bags make it easy to sift through. The ziplocks can be used to hold trash later.
  
• Pajamas: tightly folded in large ziplock. Dress kid in PJ's as you leave venue & pray for sleep on ride home. Leave 'em in the car if the walk/ride back to your ride isn't too long.
  
• Blinky Light: Put on kid when sun starts to go down and so (s)he won't beg you to buy a $12 glow toy.
  
• Camera/Cell phone/Pen: Take photo of kid when you get to fest so if/when (s)he gets lost you say to staff (s)he looks exactly like this. I have a ribbon that has our info on it that I safety pin to the back of my kid's clothes and when I forget it, I just write my phone number on his arm.
• Folding Beach Mat: I've recently discovered the absolute beauty of one of these folding mats. Not only is it totally compact & easy to fold, but you can sit in wet grass without getting wet. And if it rains or gets mud on it, it cleans up and dries quickly.
  
• Small squirt Bottle: Because it's hot & water makes it tolerable. Besides, it's an activity.
• One small imagination toy: like a truck, a couple matchbox cars, an inflatable ball, doll, or a shovel.
  
• Jogging stroller: You need giant wheels to get you through the grass, mud and rugged terrain of a festival. You need a place for your child to nap. You need instant shade. If emptied of valuables, it can be left anywhere. No one is going to steal it (people leave tents, blankets and chairs near stages, your stoller is no different).
  
• Prepped Car: Leave behind in the car a bottle of water (because you'll never be able to find water once you leave), bedtime stuff (blankie/animals/box of milk) and change of clothes for you . Keep an extra snack/sandwich/munchie for the ride home. You might want to have wipes (for a hippie bath) and a pillow.

Anyhow - If it sounds like a lot, it really isn't. I haven't ventured camping at a fest with my boy, yet, but that's more because I can't talk his dad into it. And of course, I only have one, so I'm sure it's easier than it would be with more children.

I'm curious to learn your "Big Event" packing strategies. Go on, share.

**I live in South Florida where the comment about heat makes sense.  For all you folks up North, this is your "In preparation for Spring/Summer" preview.