So, I guess I'm a blogger now...

I've recently been reading a lot of blogs (i.e. not using my time wisely) so I guess I was finally inspired to get on and blog myself after what I saw today.
This morning, I was feeling pretty darn good about myself and my recent string of days where I managed to shower and dress nicely (not dirty sweats and a hat to cover the bedhead). I had a plan for the day and was already partly done with the errand list, we hadn't had one meltdown and I still had time to get some more done before I had to pick up the carpool. Plus, the weather was gorgeous for early February! It was all ruined by a trip out the PW Parkway. Ruined may be a bit harsh, but the guilt has definitely set in. Right about the time where I usually say, "Hey, Ben, are there any horses out today?" I got to say, "Hey, Ben, there's my running friend Miss Heidi!" (Ben usually responds, "Where?!?" and looks out the wrong side of the car, missing the running friend, the horses, the fire truck, the motorcycle, the whatever!) I thought about beeping and waving in support but decided just to let the peaceful run continue uninterrupted...Heidi probably wouldn't recognize the van anyway.
Feeling extremely proud of my running buddies, I rounded the corner only to see the outline of someone with a jogging stroller in the distance. I was excited, as I usually am when I see jogging strollers, mostly because it isn't me pushing one, but because to me, it is a really powerful sight. Anyway, as I got closer, I couldn't believe it...it was Katy M and Leah!! Again, I thought about honking and waving but decided not to interrupt. Plus, this was unprecedented...two running buddies on one drive down the Parkway!!
All I could think was, so much for my productivity, these ladies are awesome...I should have been running...

Army Ten Miler

All things considered, this was a successful race for me!! I hadn't trained as well as I would have liked (so what else is new!) and had a pretty crazy day before the race, meeting up with relatives in town and taking extensive Metro rides with my two kids in a stroller with a bum wheel. Thank goodness I brought a balloon with me in the morning, which helped Jami find me. I had literally just told Jenny, who was planning to do a walk/run with several of my other usual companions, "I HAVE to find Jami; I can't do this race without her!" when there she was, saying how glad she was to find me and how she couldn't do this race without me. We had a great time together (at least I did!) and stuck together the whole way. Having Tara jump in with us at mile 7.5 or so was a HUGE blessing -- she kept us going the rest of the way. I don't recall if I ever apologized for Jami for completely shutting down on the last hill, but I knew I needed to just push as hard as I could if I was going to make it. And I knew Tara was with Jami, so I just concentrated on getting myself through that last hill and across the finish line. As always, I say that I'm happy with anything around 1:40 for a ten-mile race; my finish of 1:40:47 was just fine with me.

My last post was WHEN??

Good grief -- I can't believe I haven't posted since April. How lame am I?!?!?

Now, in my own defense, during that time I :

• was sick for several weeks (actually, all of May, I think)
• had a 4th birthday party for my son
• potty trained 2 kids
• took a short trip to the beach
• hosted my Dad (twice!) and sister for visits
• enrolled my son in preschool

and (drum roll, please....)

• found out I can do 100 push ups (REAL ones, not on my knees!!) in one series of push ups / stair climbs!!

Yup, pretty damn proud of that last one!! During Boot Camp, my Tues/Thurs class at the gym, the instructor had us split into 2 groups and head into an interior stairwell. One group ran the stairs for 30 seconds while the other group did push ups at the bottom of the stairwell. On the insanely hard tile floor. Doing "modified" knee push ups was not an option because the floor was just too hard, so I did "real" ones. After 30 seconds, the groups would switch. After several sets of those he extended the time to 45 seconds per set. I have this often-annoying habit of counting without even realizing I'm doing it, so of course I counted each set of push ups. Actually, in that kind of situation I don't find the counting habit too annoying; it's a good way to see if I'm maintaining the same intensity or starting to slack. Anyway, I started to add up my sets and quickly realized that if I reallyreally pushed it on the last set, I would do 100 push ups!! It took every bit of strength I have, a whole lot of ugly grunting, and a few seconds longer than the allotted 45 (during which I was ribbed endlessly by my classmates for showing off!), but I DID IT!!

That's what I love about that class -- would I ever have tried to do that on my own? No way! And even if I had, I would have quit much sooner. Somehow that extra "accountability" or whatever you want to call it really kicks in and keeps me going.

Kinda like those Saturdays I plan to run to Moore and back and find myself going to Yates Ford or beyond.....

You've been warned...

Fair warning: this has nothing to do with running and everything to do with my underwear. It may well be TMI, so consider yourself warned! That said, it was too funny not to share!!

Yesterday as I was getting dressed, putting on some “low-rise” jeans, my 2 1/2 year old daughter (who never misses a thing!!) walked in the room. I had a thong on so that it wouldn’t show over the top of my jeans. I had my back to the door as she walked in and she said, “Mama, how come you don’t have on any underpants?” I turned around and said, “I do have on underpants, sweetie – see?” and I held up a bit of the fabric from the front. She said, “But you don’t have any underpants on your bum, Mama.” Guess she had me there....

I ♥ VA Runner!

I blogged recently about my new shoes, and the great experience I had buying them. Unfortunately, while wearing them in the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler I knew by about mile 7 that I was well on the way to developing The Mother of All Blisters. Sure enough, I had a lovely little cluster of them, on the instep of my right foot. Left foot: fine. Right foot: not so much. The store has a 14-day return ploicy on shoes that they have recommended, so right there on day 14 my shoes and I went back. Jeff and other guy helped me, taking their time to listen, look at my feet, look at my shoes, and render an opinion. It seems the insole caused a problem, which may or may not have been exacerbated by the cold wet weather the day of the race. Their advice was to let my foot heal completely, wearing my old shoes until the blisters are completely gone. Then start wearing the new ones again, keeping an eye on things. If the blisters come back, I'llhead back in and they can tweak some things for me. Bottom line: regardless of if it takes several weeks more, they want me to be happy with my purchase and happy with their store. And I am!! Honestly, if you need shoes or gear, I can't recommend them highly enough!!

Hey Katy, look what I did, I blogged! This is a picture of SMR "Try Running" group after the Army 10 miler in October 2007. "Running Strong" is a subset of this group, and consists of the 4 members on the right (top 2, bottom 2). Last Sunday 3 Running Strong team members ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington D.C.

We blossomed!!

Sunday was chilly and rainy, but that did not stop 3 of the 4 members of this team (and two members and one hopefully-soon-to-be-member of our Saturday running group) from trekking into downtown DC for the annual Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. We met the night before for our traditional pasta dinner, then met up in the wee early morning hours at the Metro station. We arrived downtown without a hitch, in plenty of time to don trash bags and wait around, hitting the porta-potties twice before the start of the race. I even sported a new fashion this year -- my jacket was keeping me reasonably warm and dry on top, so I used my trash bag as a skirt (with a lovely drawstring waist -- look for it on the Paris runways soon!) to keep my nekkid legs warm.

There was a new course this year, which I thought was really awesome. It was much more scenic than the previous route, and would have been really great for viewing the cherry blossoms if I hadn't been looking at the ground to watch for puddles!

Four of us from our Saturday group stayed together for the first mile and change, then one team member (that would be speedy Kim!) took off. The remaining three of us stayed together for a while, until pregnant Sarah's bladder got the better of her and she had to wait for a porta-potty. Heidi, the other team member, and I stayed together until somewhere around mile 8. It's always good to run with friends, and the best friends to run with are the ones with whom you are equally comfortable either talking or silent. Such is the case with Heidi, without a doubt! We quietly kept each other truly running strong and I am, as always, both proud of and humbled by her friendship.

I met my finishing goal with a few seconds to spare, and somehow managed not to vomit as I crossed the finish line (although I was quite sure I would!). We all regrouped afterwards in the now steady rain, which suddenly felt so much colder when we weren't running! Slogging back to Metro (and longing to be warm and dry!) I offered up a silent prayer of thanks -- for friends, strength, and faith in myself and one another.