Running Makes Me Feel . . . Tall

Let's get something straight: I'm not tall, I've never been tall and I will soon be overshadowed by the height of my children. As my 5 year old son likes to point out, "Mom, I'm getting taller every day and by the time I'm 7, I'll be as tall as YOU!" Ah, the exaggerations of an enthusiastic, competitive son. He likely won't make it that far by 7, but I'm sure he'll be there by 11. On a good day, I measure at 5'4.5" (and sometimes round up to 5' 5", you know, to keep it easy). But that doesn't mean I can't FEEL tall.

I think my self-perception stems from two life experiences:

1. I married a man who is 6' 4" on a short day. Just hanging out with him makes me feel tall, except when he reaches the things on the top shelf for me.

2. Runners who pass me tend to be tall. Including that tall husband of mine. (Or at least, he USED to pass me.)

So now that I'm becoming a stronger runner, I'm feeling taller. If I'm passing runners who are tall, then I must be tall, right? It FEELS that way to me. Until I get home and see in the mirror that I haven't grown at all, except for the improved posture and more confident twinkle in my eye. Yup, running makes me feel tall - and I like it.

Some of you were wondering how the Mercer Island 10K went on Sunday. Birthday Girl Christine and I didn't quite make her goal, but considering we underestimated the power of the hills (climbs at the start of each mile - AND, here's the kicker . . . a final climb to the finish line!) our finish in under 55:00 was strong. At an average pace of 8:45, I can't complain. And after today's 4 miler in the sunshine where I kept slipping into a 7:30 pace . . . Holy cow, did MY legs really do that? . . . I think that race was a good base-line for the season. And since I'm taller now (haha), I should be able to keep up the speed, right? We'll see in June when I do the Duvall Days 10K.

How about YOU? How does running make YOU feel?

On Your Mark . . .

Tomorrow I'll be peeling myself out of bed early to celebrate my friend Christine's birthday with her, runner-style. We're meeting up in our local grocery store parking lot at 6:50AM to carpool to the Mercer Island 10K. The trick is to get to the Park 'n Ride before it fills, but late enough that we don't have to wait around forever before the race starts at 8:30. Funny, but in the fall she was saying she didn't think she'd ever get up to run before 7. I guess she's been hanging around ME too much.



This is my first race of the season, and the race that will let me know if a half marathon really is a realistic consideration for 2010. Last year's race season was a great one - I ran consistently faster and even broke 25:00 for 5K. This year I've built up my mileage base steadily and my legs are feeling strong. I'm feeling ready to run!



Will my story be the same tomorrow? Not sure! There are a few things that have me feeling a bit uneasy (but not bad, just anxious I guess):

- Today was a sunny day with temperatures in the low 70s. Not bad for the 1st official day of Spring! Tomorrow is another beast entirely with the high forecast to be in the mid-50s and a 70-80% chance of rain all day.

- Christine and I previewed portions of the race course this afternoon after we picked up our packets. Let's just say I'm glad I did some hilly runs with her. *gulp*



- I'm not quite sure what to wear. Capri pants for sure, but the sleeve length is still up for a vote. Injinji socks (rainbow with toes!) were another easy choice, though - they are festive & comfortable.

My goals should put everything in perspective for me, though:

1. Have fun. This is a birthday run, after all and I'm there to support my friend and make sure she starts off this next year with a bang!



2. Settle into a good pace. This will take some steady breathing and some strong reminders for my controlling brain to BACK OFF and let my body take over and go for it. I know once I settle in that the run will be a good one. I have trained pretty well for this and need to put faith in my preparation.



3. While Christine has a definite time goal in mind, I'm approaching this as the starting point for my season. It'll be my baseline for the 10K I run in June. If I finish too fast in this race (say, under 50 minutes), I'll just get myself all competitive and crazy for June so I need to remember that this is the start. If I can keep going with Christine the whole race, I certainly will. But if I sense that she's ready to push a bit harder and I'm not . . . I'll wave her on with a smile and be happy to see her again at the finish line.



Get set . . . GO! Happy running!

10 Things that Make Me Happy

I was tagged by RunningDivaMom back in January to list some things that make me happy and pass it on to other bloggers. If you know me, I'm a fan of lists. They help me think straight and keep me from veering too far off course.

So, on this first Tuesday in March, I give you:

10 Things that Make Me Happy

1. Sunshine (like the nearly 5 days of it we had on Oahu last month - THAT'S where I was!)

2. Music from my high school days (I'm sure the list would surprise you . . . )

3. Empty laundry baskets (SO satisfying!)

4. A full workout clothes laundry basket (Yes, that's the opposite of #3, but it means I've been running!)

5. Phone calls/letters from friends

6. Tomatoes fresh out of the garden

7. My children singing

8. Book reviews from like-minded folks who celebrate the power of girlhood (and running)

9. Date night with my husband

10. Outdoor family adventures

Now I'm asking YOU to make your own list. Or just feel free to leave one or two of your favorites in the comments below. I'd love to see lists from my fellow redheaded gals (who count for #5):

Celeste of The Freckled Forest

Beth at A Sweaty Quest for Enlightenment

Erin C of The Connolly Clan (who I just now realized hasn't blogged in over a year . . . seems Facebook is her new fav. But she still makes my list because I wouldn't be where I am without her!)

Oh, and Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss. We read Fox in Socks and The Sneeches in your honor tonight! His books make me happy, too.

Just one Mile

A few weeks ago I left a comment on my friend's blog that I was thrilled 3 miles away from reaching my goal of running 15 miles that week - a task that would be easy to accomplish the next day, Saturday. It sure is easy to be smug . . . and a bit more of a challenge to bring to fruition.

The next day rolled around and before I knew it I had slept past 8AM (RARE!) - a full hour past when I planned to wake to knock out those easy 3 miles.

By 9:30 I had consumed the delicious big breakfast my husband so lovingly made. You know, the works: eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, toast, & OJ. Clearly the run wasn't going to happen before noon after THAT.

A post-breakfast shower and afternoon outing with the family made this "easy" goal further and further out of reach. I'm a morning runner, without a doubt, and by 4:30 when we dropped off the kiddos for an overnight at their grandparents' house, I still had not laced up those Brooks.

Rounding out a wonderful day of food, my husband and I had an actual date at a Thai restaurant. It was quite possibly the best Thai dinner we've ever had. I was pleased to have some to take home with me for lunch the next day, but my stomach was definitely full. Clock read 7:30 when we got home from our outing.

At this point my Type A personality started to twitch. Not only had I set the 15 mile goal for myself the previous Sunday, but I had bragged about it to a fellow runner (and dear friend). The goal was out in the world, ready to be reached. I made a deal with myself that if I just cranked out 1 mile, I'd be satisfied. So I laced up.

And I ran 1 mile. And my Type A personality reared its ugly head. I picked up the pace and made my way through a second mile.

By this time there was no stopping me. And my husband began laughing. "I knew you couldn't run 'just one mile,'" he poked.

That's when I smiled sweetly, blew him a kiss and went another mile and a half. He was right, clearly. Once I set my mind on a goal, anything less than 100% just doesn't feel right. And sometimes it feels good to prove to yourself that you can make it just a smidge further, hence that bonus half mile.

Funny, but up until that night I've been apprehensive about night running. At some point in my running life I had trouble calming myself after evening workouts and found it hard to sleep. But I found that at this point in my life the satisfaction of reaching a goal and staying true to myself was *just* what my body and mind needed to have one of the best night's sleep I've had in a good month.

Last week I ran into a morning that had no room for a run, so I got it in that evening. Same thing - the sense of accomplishment satisfied my spirit and I slept well.

This opens the doors WIDE for this runner gal. Knowing that my body and mind are now willing to go "the extra mile" anytime of day really gives me a boost. As a mom I treasure this new found flexibility. And as a wife whose husband is returning to the world of running after a bit of a break, I look forward to making running part of our date night experiences without worrying that I'll have to pay the "consequence" for running with my best friend in the evening with a sleepless night.

Happy running!

Starting Wet, but with a Thankful Heart

When I'm feeling overwhelmed or frustrated negativity can seep into my brain and set up camp there. So today I'm going to play a little game as I start the week with a thankful heart. I'm looking for the upside of negative thoughts in effort to push the negativity OUT!

1. The rain returned last night (and hasn't stopped all day) . . . but we took advantage of a string of nice days and filled them with park time and even a trip to the beach. We've stored up the outdoor activities like squirrels so the next stretch of inside days will have their own flavor of fun.

Here's me running in jeans and Keens with sweet ol' Albus Dumblepup on the beach. This dog loves to run and saw the sandy beach as his opportunity to GO!

2. My running mileage for last week was shy of my weekly goal . . . but I did an extra day of yoga, which relieved my tight hamstrings and made it possible for me to end the week with a good run. And my legs feel great this week!

3. My husband and I didn't make it to the Watershed Preserve in time for a hike on our date night (darn early sunset!) . . . but we made it to our favorite restaurant (45 minutes away) for a delicious dinner over which we did some preliminary planning for summer adventures. We also made the HARD decision about what to do for our children's schooling next year. It really was a good night and now we know for the next date night to head out just a little bit earlier to get in that hike.

4. The late winter sunrises make my Saturday morning running group hard to motivate . . . but we're taking the next month or so off. I hope the break will bring people back feeling fresh and motivated in April when the sun is up. This also gives me a chance to reach out invitations for others in the community to join us with the goal of running the June 5K/10K Duvall Days races. Sometimes fresh starts can make all the difference.

5. The kids were horrible in the car on our way home from the beach . . . but they did have a few bright moments that let us know the trip was worthwhile overall (see photos below - even the dog is smiling).

How about you? Can you find the positive outcome from an otherwise disappointing situation?

Have a great week - and happy running!

St-run-ggling

The sun came out today for the first time in probably a week. For my own personal sanity I try not to count the sunless days, so I'm not sure exactly how long. Today also happens to be the day my daughter attends the oo-op preschool without me. This created the perfect equation:

Sunshine (and warmer temperatures, too!) + both children at school = TRAIL RUN!

With new shoes and a new long-sleeved running shirt on, I was ready to head out for my first trail run of the year promptly at 9:40AM. Apparently my mind, legs, lungs, and spirit all had a different start time in mind, because for the first 3.5 miles of my 4.4 mile run, they were all out of sync. Big time. And my self-pity whining kicked in, or "st-run-ggling" (a play on "struggling", ya know?) as I decided to call it.

"I haven't run the trail in a month. I'm slower than I run when I'm with the group on Saturday mornings. I had to stop and walk. My left hamstring is tight. I should have stayed home to fold the mountains of laundry waiting for me. If I can't run well today, what makes me think a half-marathon should be in my plan for the year?" . . . on and on the excuses and complaints went. And on and on my body and mind fought.

I nearly turned around at the 5K half-way mark, but my brain tricked my legs into staying the course.

At the 2 mile marker my brain was ready to give in, but my spirit took over and noticed that the sun was shining and I had the trail to myself. It would be a shame to give up and not make it the last stretch to the 2.2 mile turn around point (a major Roundabout that leads to "the city") when no rain was pelting my face and no children were whining.

At 2.2 miles I had no choice but to run another 2.2 miles back to my car, so after quick hamstring stretch and a deep breath, I got going again.

Somewhere between mile 3 and 3.5 I came to the realization that how I felt about this run was up to ME. So I began asking myself some important questions:

Why do I run? (It is time for myself, it makes me feel strong, I'm less stressed afterward, it is the only time that I feel beautiful while sweating)

Why did I choose the trail this morning? (The sun was shining, I wanted to test out my new shoes on the trail, my children were at school)

Why am I whining? (FOR NO GOOD REASON!!!)

And with that, everything fell into place. I found my stride, I lifted my chin, my steady breathing rhythm hit and off I went to finish the remaining 0.9 mile stretch.

When I reached the end of the trail and checked my watch, I realized the joke was on me. Despite the fact that I felt slower, stopped to watch some ducks duke it out in the river, took a stretch break and took several walk breaks . . . I still finished in under 40 minutes, which put me at under a 10:00 pace. Not bad considering all of the mental commotion.

So if someone asks me about my run today I can now say that it was a sunny, eye-opening run filled with self-reflection. Not my best run, but definitely not my worst. And now that I've faced my whining demons, I'm sure my next run WILL be a good one. It is all about perspective.

What do YOU do when your body-mind-spirit are out of whack on a run?

Starting with a Thankful Heart in 2010

Welcome 2010.

I kicked off the year on January 1st with 3.5 miles on my trusty ol' treadmill. After two weeks of not running, it was fabulous. Delicious even, if a treadmill could be considered such. I went the next step and even recorded my mileage! That's right, this year I'm going to track it. I suppose that could be considered one of my New Year's resolutions - write down the good things!

Remember the running calendar I told you about in December, Carol Goodrow's What a Day for Running!? Well, I bought one when they came out and a running pal of mine gave me a copy for Christmas. We're using one to keep track of family stuff and I'm using the other to track my mileage. I think I'll hang the second one by the treadmill for ease of recording since I use the treadmill year-round (I DO get outside for runs, too, don't worry).

Though the year is still quite new, it has been full. A local friend of mine welcomed her second son into the world at noon on the 1st and my college roommate said goodbye to her mom for the last time the night of the 3rd. These two life-changing experiences prompted me to return to my Starting with a Thankful Heart posts. Life is too precious and too short not to take notice of the little things that make life full and rich and worth sharing.

So, on this first Monday of 2010, I give you a short list of things that make my heart happy.

1. I am thankful for my daughter's question as I tucked her into bed tonight: "Can I hold yours hand?" While her nearly-three year-old self can sure push me over the edge sometimes, she does know what to say to melt her mama's heart.

2. I am thankful that I cranked out 2.5 miles this morning before getting back into the groove of post-holiday reality. One day at a time I'm getting back to my workout routine and it feels GREAT!

3. I am thankful that others reach out to share their passion with the world. A high school friend of mine is kicking-off her 2010 in grand running style. Please take a minute to visit my Beth on her Sweaty Quest for Enlightenment blog. She's a strong, smart, sassy go-getter of a redhead who is using running to get her life back after several years of serious illness and time taking care of everyone but herself. Please join me in supporting her on her quest and enjoying her new found passion for running! And I do have to toot my own horn here, too, in mentioning that she's a big supporter of my book, for which I am forever grateful.

4. I am thankful that after the stressful holidays we managed to squeeze in a day trip to Camano Island yesterday before my husband's vacation was over. We practically had the beach to ourselves and even brought along dear ol' Albus Dumblepup. There were many treasures to be found, as you can tell from my son's bursting arms.

How about YOU? Is there something big or small that makes you thankful today?

Looking Forward to Good Health in the New Year

So, I did it - I finished all of the pillowcases for 30+ people (including one for myself - with a running shoe print, of course) for Christmas. They really did make for the perfect wrapping paper - they fit gifts of ALL sizes and shapes!

I wish I could report that Christmas came and went without a hitch and that I even ran on our trip to my mother-in-laws, but that's not quite how it all went. Running didn't happen for a variety of reasons - icy roads, lots of visiting with family, adjusting to the time difference (3 hours), etc. The biggest reason was the most important one, though. Our son was transported by ambulance on Christmas night from the ER to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he was admitted for three nights.

After working for 2 weeks to get the kids healthy for our trip (daughter had pneumonia, son had sinus infection), they were both finally off meds and ready to go when a cold erupted in both of them the day before the trip. After several days of coughing and general ickiness, we began to realize that this bugger was not going to pass quickly. At Christmas dinner with 22 family members, our son picked at his dinner (RARE, as this kid eats non-stop) and had a wicked coughing fit that told us it was time to get help. My husband took him to the ER to be checked and after 2 breathing treatments they transported my boys by red sleigh (translation: ambulance) to Children's in Pittsburgh. Diagnosis: pneumonia and aggravated asthma.

The next 3 days were filled with trips back and forth to the hospital for visits/tag-team overnight stuff while the docs, nurses and respiratory therapists worked to get his oxygen level steady. We are ever so grateful for my husband's family who drove us back and forth (I don't know the highways and city area well enough to make the drive in the dark) and took care of the little sister who was dealing with missing her brother and fighting her own cold/bout of pneumonia. The day before our return home to Washington our son was released from the hospital and our daughter took her trip to the ER for a chest x-ray that confirmed her illness. Armed with a bag loaded with antibiotics and inhalers, we were able to get on our regularly scheduled flights home on Tuesday morning (despite the fact that I lost my driver's license in PA . . . but that's a WHOLE other story). There is no place like home!

I had planned to share the series of haiku I wrote for our Christmas cards on Christmas Day with you all, but I think this last day of 2009 is an appropriate day to share the poems, too. As I look back on the year, I remember our fun-filled summer fondly, I appreciate the supportive network of family and friends and I am amazed at all my children grew through. I look forward to 2010 as a year of further personal growth - as a writer, a runner, a wife and a mother. And I pray that it is a HEALTHY one - not just for my family, but for yours, too!

And now . . . the haikus:

Daily Adventures
Two bicycles race
Beside the family garden
A rope swing beckons

Camano Island
Logs stretch out their arms
For kids to construct their caves
On the rocky shore

Little Sister
Red hair flows freely
As she dances side to side
Laughing and singing

Big Brother
"I have an idea!"
Inspiration is bellowed
Filled notebooks are proof

Brianna
Behind the dense fog
Ducks quack and cows moo, "Hello!"
As she runs the trail

Husband
Stars twinkle above
As the crowd dances freely
Music-filled nights rock

Albus
Kids reach for the leash
Announcing a family walk
Swish, swish goes his tail

Our Wish for You
Christmas lights glimmer
As the New Year approaches
May love fill your days

Happy reading, running and good health to you in 2010!

Up and running

I like a full plate. This sometimes makes my husband cringe, and sometimes causes me to breakout like a 15 year old . . . but, I like to be involved in things. I like to connect with people and I like to help others. It's in my nature, like my love for hot chocolate on cool autumn night.

I'm currently working on several exciting ventures:

1. Writing proposals for using We Are Girls Who Love to Run in corporate campaigns
2. Creating running clubs for Spring 2010 modeled after Carol Goodrow's Happy Feet, Healthy Food club at local elementary schools
3. Reading great books and resources, a mix of old & new, to review here SOON!
4. Increasing my own running milage back up to 15-20 miles/week
5. Keeping up with housework more consistently so I can focus better during times when my children are sleeping/away and I have time to work.

The first three items have my greatest focus.

The fourth is being supported by the increase in participation for the Saturday morning trail runs I'm orchestrating in my community. I ran a fabulous 5 miles with a fellow-mom last Saturday. It was such a great run, I practically floated through the rest of the day. Some runs are like that - and I hope to enjoy plenty more!

That fifth item is a constant struggle. Housework has never been at the top of my list, but the better I do with it, the more I'm willing to keep up with it . . . and the more willing I am to actually let people past the front door! If my book ever makes millions, you can bet I'll hire a cleaning crew so that cleaning isn't ever on my list.

Less is More

Somehow August snuck up on me. June and July were filled with just about ALL of the things we were looking forward to doing this summer, but now it is August and we have 4 weeks until the start of the school year. My two lingering, yet contradictory, questions are:

1) What the heck am I going to do with these kiddos until school gets underway in September?
2) How is it that my calendar is filling so quickly for August and September when those pages were BLANK last week?

Since #2 is happening so quickly, I don't think #1 will be much of an issue. But it does leave me thinking that it is time to rethink and regroup. I'm changing my mindset to consider a new approach: Less is More. As a "Type A" go-getter, this is a tricky one for me. I'm betting it has big rewards, though.

For example:

1. Blueberry picking - eat less, put more in bucket

Instead of eating them all while picking (my kids' favorite approach), I'm opting to just nibble one or two every bush or so. The reward is a full bucket to take home and enjoy in muffins, pancakes, etc. We have 3 gallon-sized bags frozen to enjoy through the year. My parents have over 50 pounds frozen at their place. Less is definitely MORE!!!

2. Child Motivation - yell less, get more cooperation

Instead of yelling at my son (which never works anyhow, so I don't know why I'd even bother) to clean up the disaster in the family room, down the hall, in his room, in the bathroom . . . you get the idea, it was BAD . . . I implemented a tip I got from a friend's nanny last week. I set a timer for 5 minutes. My son worked on cleaning the family room. When the timer went off, he could stop there and pick the next space to clean. Then I reset the timer for 5 minutes as he worked on his bedroom. He could see immediate progress in a short amount of time without being overwhelmed by the sheer task of shoveling himself out of the disaster. In 20 minutes he had 2 rooms completely cleaned and neither of us had a single meltdown. Smaller chunks of time (less!), led to cleaner spaces (more!) and happier people (hooray!).

3. Entertainment and opportunity - less scheduled time, more time for unique experiences

One of the Seattle theatres called in May to see if we wanted season tickets (which included tickets to Wicked). I called my mom, we quickly decided on some shows and I hurriedly bought tickets for 4 shows between September and May. It happened FAST. Then I discovered that the IronGirl Seattle event (including a 2 Day Expo!) was the same weekend as Wicked and I'd have to find a babysitter for the kids after I had been gone all day at the Expo. Since my kids usually get Oma and Papa as their sitters (yes, yes, we're ALL spoiled by that one!), this is not really an easy thing. Just thinking about it for 2 days had me stressed to the MAX.

Having We Are Girls Who Love to Run at the expo is just too good an experience to pass up - especially since Seattle is just a stone's throw from us. And although I know Wicked is supposed to be AMAZING, the stress of the whole experience isn't worthwhile. I cancelled our tickets on Friday and couldn't be more content with the decision. I feel good about having the other 3 show dates free, too, even if they don't coincide with another event. I also feel good about not having shelled out all the moolah for the shows. I love theatre, but maybe this is our year to experience some good local talent. Less expense/time commitment for entertainment leads to increased potential for business and more family time.

4. Running - fewer people for a group run, more thinking time and quality one-on-one chatter

I'm keepin' on with my Saturday group run stuff. Some mornings I've had 6 or 7 women join me, other times it is just little ol' me. While I do get a bit bummed if I'm running solo, it isn't always a bad thing to have the trail to myself (and my cell phone for safety). This past Saturday I started the run by myself and was pleased that I fell into a nice pace and as able to work through some mental challenges. I also got to have a few powerful moments of eye contact with a cow in a pasture alongside the trail when I stopped to shed my long-sleeved shirt. That cow seemed to get me. Really, she did.

Shortly after my turn-around spot, a member of the Saturday crew came down the trail, so I turned back around to run with her. Big group runs are fun, but every run has its own purpose and I walked away from Saturday's run feeling more satisfied than I have post-run in a long time.

Whew! That was more than I expected to write, but now I have less clutter in my brain which gives me more thinking space for enjoying a good book tonight.

How about YOU? How can you apply the LESS is MORE theory in your life?

My Running Triangle

Last night I took our trusty old pup, Albus, for a run. It was one of those ideal summer nights - a little overcast without covering the tri-colored sunset, a gentle cool breeze, and both of the children were sound asleep so my husband could enjoy the quiet at home. I left the Garmin at home and we just went. We seemed to bound up the first hill (usually a killer), and fell into a comfortable pace immediately. I slowed to a walk a few times to make sure I wasn't over-exerting Albus (he is nearly 9 years old, after all), but each time he looked at me with a glimmer in his eye that said, "Come on, Mom. I may be old, but I've still got it. Let's GO!" It was summer running perfection for the both of us!

But after we got home I realized that while the run itself was great, I shouldn't get too excited about my running fitness just yet. My post-run stretch was a loud reminder from my body that while my strength and endurance are better than they've been in years, my flexibility is at a near all-time LOW.

Further reflection led me to a self-discovery: I've never been diligent about maintaining all THREE elements of my running (endurance, strength & flexibility) simultaneously. In my younger years I was a dancer - I had some endurance, but strength and flexibility outshined it. I discovered yoga shortly after running found me, thus giving me the great combo of endurance and flexibility. But when I integrated strength training into my workout mix last fall, the yoga slowly faded to make room for the weights. So, though my fitness triangle shifts regularly, I have yet to find the sweet spot where all the sides get equal attention!

Maybe this is a casualty of motherhood, or maybe it is because I've never had a formal plan to integrate all three elements effectively. Whatever it is, my plan is to work on it! I've been doing 3 days of weight training each week, but I think it is time to change the plan. I'll keep using the SaneFit strength training workouts, but I'll knock it down to 2 days of weights to welcome at least one day of yoga practice/week back into my life. The running can stay the same at 3-4 times/week. For now. I'm interested to see if increased flexibility will help me as I get rolling with my longer runs.

How about YOU? Do you find that you go through phases where one element of your workouts take over and you neglect other aspects? How do you keep things balanced in your fitness life?

Kids' Birthdays aren't Just for Kids

Tomorrow is my son’s fifth birthday (that's him doing what he loves best above). As my mother-in-law says, he’ll officially be a whole handful.

I find birthdays and anniversaries to be great times to reflect on personal growth and to check-in with progress on goals I’ve set. Don't worry, there will be cake and singing and silliness, too. And a few tears that only mothers know how to cry when their babies get older.

When I think back over the “whole handful” of years, I’m amazed at all that has happened in our little family (I’m keeping with the “5” theme):

1. We moved all the way across the country from Charlotte, NC to just outside Seattle, WA. If that situation doesn’t provide growth, I don’t know what will!
2. After two serious allergic reactions before his first birthday, our son was diagnosed with a long list of food allergies. As of last week, we’ve been given the green flag to add in larger amounts of eggs & milk into baked food products. This is cause for celebration at our house!
3. Our son became a loving big brother to a spit-fire little sister.
4. We’re now able to enjoy family adventures lasting longer than 6 hours. We’ve managed 2 weekend-long camping trips already this summer. I really never thought this day would come.
5. Our kids speak of their futures using empowering phrases like, “When I’m a runner . . . “ and “I’ll do that, too, because I’m strong!” I can't wait to see what will happen when they make those phrases come true.

Although the birthday is HIS, as the mama who birthed him, the day belongs to ME, too! This gives me the clearance to evaluate my goals in relationship to his life-span.

1. In his short/long (I haven’t decided if the time has been fast or slow!) life I published a book and sold over 1,000 copies of it.
2. Two weekends ago I set a running PR that blows anything from my “pre-kids life” out of the water.
3. I have completed at last a dozen quilts and already have a growing list of quilts to create over the course of his next five years. Only one quilt in his lifetime was for me – the others have all been gifts to celebrate weddings and births.
4. I started a non-profit social moms group in our community 3 years ago and it is still running.
5. My husband and I celebrated our 10 year engagement-iversary last week and our marriage is still going strong.

Now that know I can guide a child through life longer than I’ve held down any single paying job, my challenge begins. I must ask myself:

What are my new goals?
What experiences will I have the pleasure of remembering when the NEXT birthday rolls around?

Don't go yet! I have a challenge for you:

What life events prompt YOU to take a look at where you’ve been on your life path? What experiences lead you to set new goals as you head forward?

Reaching Beyond the Comforts of Home

"Mom, can we just stay home today?" my son occasionally asks.

For someone who is so set on adventuring and exploring, some days we find that home satisfies his needs. I feel that way sometimes, too.

Home is safe. We can really let it all hang out at home: we stay in our jammies until after lunch, watch an extra show on TV, splash in our kiddie pool, swing from the rope swing on our giant cedar tree, and read as many books as we can before falling asleep in the bean bag chair together. After stuffing our mouths with juicy berries . . . and maybe even some fruit snacks or otter pops (ice pops, icees, whatever your region calls them!), of course.

But, before long the kids do get antsy and we all know that means it is time to head to a park, take the dog for a walk, check out the used bookstore for a fun treasure, pick-up requested titles at the library, or meet up with friends for a play date. Those things are good for the soul, too, even if we do toss a haircut or grocery trip into the mix!

Sometimes I wish a change of pace for writing/promoting books could be so easy. How nice it would be to have a switch to flip for switching into high gear or back down into low gear. Or maybe there could be a GPS system for book publishing that calls out the next steps for me or helps redirect me if I miss my turn. Now THAT would be grand!

I've been enjoying some of that good ol' time at home recently, but know that the worker in me is antsy to get back into the swing of things - seriously.

Some ideas are brewing for new books, but now is really not the time to be thinking of publishing another title, or even sending out manuscripts to other publishers for consideration. Still, I think the ideas are worth of recording, so I need to block out some blocks of time to just sit and write, even if nothing official can happen with the work yet.

Getting out to meet readers/runners is important for promoting the book, but I've been so busy with my own running and life that a book tour hasn't panned out yet. I see some good options on the horizon, though, so one of my next steps is working to make public appearances happen.

I also hope to connect with readers more, both adults and kids. You can become a fan of We Are Girls Who Love to Run on FB (I hope you do!), I'm on twitter (http://twitter.com/writingrunner) and I do my best to visit other runners' blogs to get a good feel for the pulse in the running world. It is my hope that connecting with others virtually will help me find opportunities for face-to-face experiences (like I mentioned earlier!). See, I really do need to take that step OUT into the world to encourage girls and runners to recognize their strengths and reach their goals.

Making the book easy to buy is another goal of ours. We Are Girls Who Love to Run is listed on Amazon (you can even get a signed copy there!), but we're working to get the book into more brick and mortar stores and more on-line retail shops. That's another important step for our business to take this year. People can't buy it if they don't see it, right? Several specialty running stores in the Pacific NW carry the book, but I know there are some other good matches for it out there, Oh, and feel free to let me know if YOU know of a good place for my book!

I see that my son's desires for home days tend to come after wild weeks of inconsistency and unfamiliarity. Home is safe and home is comfortable. But I also see that my son has incredible times of growth and self-discovery when we do venture out and explore the "unknown". And my daughter? Well, she thrives on outings and outside experiences, too. In fact, I like to tell my husband that when I grow up, I want to be like HER. These photos say it all:

I'm more like my son, or maybe it is the other way around. It is easy for me to just tread water with the things I know. We can continue to sell a handful of copies each week using the few venues in place. That's easy. But, to really bring the book's message to life and reach out to girls and runners, I need to do more. It is time for me to really take a stand with this book and step into the scary "unknown" to reach our goal of selling 3,000 copies of the book this year. That's how we can make a difference. The trick is to keep it all in balance.

Scary?

Yes!

Hard?

Definitely!

Exhilarating?

I hope so!

As always: Happy running and happy summer reading!

Becoming a Good Sport

My son is just 12 days shy of his 5th birthday. For those of you without children, here's a translation:

He is a confident force to be reckoned with!

Really and truly, he wants to be a super hero when he grows up. If that doesn't pan out, he's sure that he will be "the best Globe Trotter EVER!" (despite the fact that his current basketball skill is that he knows what a basketball is). He assures me that he is a faster runner than me (despite the fact that he begs me to slow down so he can catch up when I'm running and he's biking with me) and asserts on a daily basis that he will always be older than his sister (which is, in fact, true).

Unfortunately hurt feelings can accompany all of this young confidence. He's starting to discover that other people's athletic skills are a bit more fine tuned than his and that hitting a ball with a bat is harder than it looks (even with a tee)! This makes my job as his mom a bit more challenging this summer than I thought it would be.

Thankfully I have some good stuff in my arsenal.

1. YMCA Rookie Sports Camp - My son spent the first week out of school at the soccer/t-ball rookie camp. I was thrilled that the core value they promoted all week was Sportsmanship. In addition to working on dribbling, catching, hitting (and running in the right direction), the group of 4-8 year olds learned how to encourage one another and celebrate success without being arrogant.

2. Books that promote kindness and acceptance of others - Now that he's reading independently more regularly, we're reading books together and discussing them the first time through. Then he rereads them on his own. After we read them again as a family (with little sister!) I have him tell me something the main character learned in the story. This often leads to an age-appropriate discussion about if/when he faces that situation what he can do. Where's Your Smile, Crocodile? by Claire Freedman was a good one we read last week that showed the importance of helping others. I was also happy to discover an Early Reader that chronicled a pair of friends who struggled with competition: Cork & Fuzz: Good Sports by Dori Chaconas. And you'll notice the new book Nico & Lola: Kindness shared between a boy and a dog by Meggan Hill in the photo below.

3. Family Runs/Rides - I DO want my son to feel confident, but I want him to feel good about specific things he can do (not just what he *thinks* he can do!). So even though when he rides his bike while I run it makes my runs s-l-o-w-e-r, I know this won't always be the case. To build his confidence as a rider, I'm using the time to cheer for him when he's doing well with detailed compliments: "Wow! When you steer straight like that, you can go farther faster!" or "I noticed how smoothly you took that turn!" These become part of our reports to his dad at dinner time and then we set a skill focus/goal for the next bike outing. Of course, riding on the tag-along on the back of Dad's bike during our family trail rides is great, too.

4. Water Balloons - Good ol' "Catch" isn't a favorite at our house (i.e., we have strong reading skills, but need to work more on hand-eye coordination!), so now we're working to make it fun and game-like so he can be successful when he plays a bit more seriously with kids at school or the playground. Water balloons are great for this on these warm summer days.

This last summer before he heads off to Kindergarten promises to be one of growth for all of us. I'm glad that fun can be at the base of all of it!

How about YOU? What do you do to help your children strike a healthy confidence balance? What's in your fun/learning parenting kit?

Checking the Numbers

I posted at the start of May that I would be tracking my mileage on the calendar. This is the first time I've really charted my distance since marathon training in 2003 (yikes, that was a long time ago!), so it was a true learning experience. I had to get back in the groove of remembering to transfer the happy little number from my Garmin to the calendar AND I had to get over the shock of how much lower my mileage was than I expected.

I was pleased to see that I really did get in 3-4 runs/week, which isn't bad when you consider we also got in a 4 day trip to CA to visit Yosemite and family and that I also did 18 miles on my bike (towing my daughter in the trailer, no less!) and we hiked countless miles. But 39.2 miles over the course of a month was lower than I thought it would be. If the Run Like Hell Half in Portland this October is going to be a successful reality, these feet have some more running to do!

How will I get my mileage up this month?

- My Saturday group runs really will turn into long runs now that more ladies are participating. At least two of the gals are also planning for the Half, so instead of 2-4 miles on Saturday, we'll be logging 5-6 to start and then increasing our mileage from there.

- My amazingly talented singer/songwriter friend, Loni Rose, is now joining me for a run on Wednesdays while our sons are in school (and maybe the boys can bike beside us when school is out!) and she likes to run a good distance. We celebrated National Running Day with a 5K run and were pleased to discover that our paces are similar and that we really had fun together (even though we were a bit slower than either of us would run with our husbands - less chatting with the guys, is my guess!). 2 loops around the lake is 5K, so next week we're adding a third loop.

- Now that my pace is a bit faster (when not talking too much!), I can get in more distance in a shorter time while pushing my daughter in the jogger. She's also happy to go now, especially if we can stop at a park mid-way or post-run. The park "carrot" also enables us to go for a bit longer.

- My son will be in a YMCA soccer/t-ball camp in the mornings the last week of June, allowing me to keep with our usual weekly routine for the month. July will be a different story, but I'm just taking things one month at a time.

How about YOU? What do you do to increase your mileage? Any challenges you have to work around?

Starting with a Thankful Heart returns . . .

It is too pretty of a day to be sitting at the computer (for which I am most thankful!), so I'll keep this post short.

I'm starting this week with a smile in my heart because I'm thankful for:

1. The 5 women that joined me to run on Saturday morning (and one brought along her daughter to ride her bike along side her!). This women's running group is really picking up momentum! It is great to see people come together to share their passion and support one another, no matter their speed.

2. The beauty of Camano Island, WA. We spent Memorial Day there and went back again yesterday. I haven't felt so connected with a place since living in Italy for a summer. Although the day was a bit hazy, we could still see the Olympic Mountains and enjoyed a picnic and walk along the rocky shore of Camano Island State Park.

3. The excitement of running this week to prep for Saturday's Duvall Days 5K. I'm thinking that with all of the weight training and more frequent runs I'm doing that this could be a PR race for me! I ran the Duvall Days 10K last year (brutal hills!!!), so it should be fun to do the flat 5K route for a change of pace this year.

4. I remembered to use sun screen today! Sunscreen is almost part of our daily routine now. It took some getting used to once the weather improved, but now even the kids think to ask about it.

5. The house has been purged of baby gear. That's right - 2 SUV loads of stuff (in good shape, no junk!) went to the Duvall Co-op Preschool to help raise money at their garage sale next weekend in conjunction with the big Fire fighter's Pancake Breakfast event next door to the preschool. This is BIG time stuff in our little town. :) There's actually room to park a car in our garage now - and should I want, I can twirl around in just about any room in our house without knocking my shins into excess toys.

I do thank you for stopping by to visit, but I must encourage you to please leave a quick comment and then step away from your computer and get outside to enjoy your day/evening! What about me, you ask? I'm following my own advice by relaxing in our hammock before the kids get up from their naps and we head to the park.

Happy June and happy running!

Ending with a Thankful Heart

Somehow I got away from my "Starting with a Thankful Heart" posts. They really are a great way to kick-off a work week, so you can count on me getting back to those. When I find frustration building-up or feel like I'm swimming against the current, I can often turn my attitude around by taking a minute to acknowledge at least ONE thing for which I am thankful.

Granted, gratitude can be a bit like pulling teeth when you have a two year-old screaming in your ear and a four year-old taking apart every last thing he can get his hands on. But it can be done. And when I can latch on to one or two things for which I truly am grateful, I find I can get to the root of the screaming (lately, the arrival of molars and a significant physical growth - as evidenced by the dramatic shoe size change overnight!) and redirect my son's curiosity for good instead of evil (it always helps to address him as a Superhero and give him tasks that can "save the day"). Oh, don't bother asking me about the socks - I really don't know why they're an important part of the outfit, but they are.

In the spirit of those usual Monday posts, here's my "Ending with a Thankful Heart" gratitude list:

1. My husband recognizing that I was ready to hear him say "You can run faster if you want to. I know you can." After plodding along at the same pace for at least 2 years and with a nearly 6 months of strength training under my belt, he's right. I can go faster - because I have the tools to do so. I kicked-off my "I can go faster" mind-set this morning with a tempo run on the treadmill - and, no kidding, he was right!

2. The open arms of the great outdoors. For SO many reasons, but especially since it provides my children with a place to be themselves, full throttle.

3. Pizza. Late-night pizza with my husband after a full day last night and family pizza night with my mom tonight. Is there such thing as too much pizza? I'm sure there is, but we haven't reached that point yet.

4. And finally, as my dad would say, "Cuteness personified." The boundless energy of my children can't be beat (though there ARE days when I could use a second run to get a bit more time to myself - let's be honest here!). They wear me out and they challenge me daily, but I wouldn't trade 'em for anything.

How about YOU? Can you think of at least one thing for which you are thankful this week? Big or small, feel free to share in the comments.

Update Central

I've been away from the blog world, but this time my absence was not due to sick children!

1. Since deciding to do a Half, I really have been running more. My training plan isn't set yet, but a few gals (from our newly-formed Saturday morning running group!) and I have our sights on the Portland Half in August . . . or maybe Seattle in November.

2. I've been putting our YMCA membership to better use and even have our daughter taking a Toddler Sports class (fits perfectly between my run & shower and the time we have to leave to get Mr. Music from preschool - full morning, but awesome!).

3. We took a trip to Yosemite National Park - AMAZING (that's me running through the valley, because I could).

4. We Are Girls Who Love to Run finally has a Facebook page - become a fan - REALLY!!

5. I've joined the world of Twitter (@writingrunner), though I'm still tinkering with it to figure out what it is all about.

6. Though I've been home since Monday night, my brain is still stuck in Yosemite. My only running was once through a meadow with my son (seen above), but you can surely see why I've had a hard time getting back to "real life" once you take a look at these photos (we took nearly 250 in the 3 days we were there . . . and that was just OUR camera - my brother-in-law's fam took just as many with theirs!).

7. Be sure you take the time this weekend to thank a Service Member (former/current and/or their family members) for their dedication to our country and our freedom.

And now I leave you with images from the amazing national treasure that is Yosemite National Park (yes, we took these ourselves!!!):

Community of Runners (Part 2)

Saturday was the official running of the John Wilt Memorial 5K. Thanks to Facebook, I can tell you that John's friends were running everywhere on Saturday - thus far I've seen photo evidence of runners in Manhattan and Tuscon, and have read reports of others running, too. I expect more photos will be posted this week showing those runners in action. My friend Beth, the race's director, reported that the race started with John's best friend, TJ, and her husband (a fellow former Marine, like John) starting out 20 seconds early with the Marine flag. It was a somber start to the race, a true heart-felt and silent tribute to John. But, as John would have insisted, the race quickly picked up energy and excitement once the rest of the runners got going, ending with a post-race celebration with quite a large group of our classmates who were able to attend the race.

I originally thought just a few local runners would join me for my Washington-based tribute run. While my closest running gal friends showed up, I was thrilled that an additional 3 were able to join, bringing our tally to six moms out for an early morning 5K on Mother's Day Eve. Since we started in the parking lot by our local police station, we were able to flag down an officer to take our photo before he headed out on his rounds. The fog hadn't completely lifted yet when we got started, but it didn't slow us down any. With six runners on the course, we were able to comfortably split into two pace groups. One gal sprinted ahead to do a fast final mile (WAY faster than I could maintain - she truly left us in her dust!), but my neighbor and I managed a respectable 28:30 finish and we jogged back to accompany the second pace group to the finish just a few short minutes later. Two of those gals report that they ran PRs! We were truly "Girls Who Love to Run". And, yes, that is me with my yellow hat!

I don't remember the last time I ran with someone else, let alone a handful of women for a group run. I really enjoyed it. And apparently, so did they (not so surprising, based on what I've read on other people's blogs and on on-line running communities, group runs ARE inspiring). They asked if I'd put together some group runs again soon, which I plan to start-up in the next week (and already know of a few others who would like to run with us). And to top it all off, my neighbor and I decided today to sign-up and train for a fall half-marathon together since our pacing is so similar. I guess I AM doing a half this year, no more excuses!!

So, thanks to my friend Beth and our John (and his parents and close friends), for bringing together this little group of women in Duvall, WA for a run on Saturday. It seems their reach of influence far exceeds the John Wilt Memorial 5K - they're now responsible for influencing a Saturday morning running group and a pair of women who can count on one another for half-marathon training support. Aren't runners and girlfriends the best? I love being part of this community.

So what's next on my race plate? I'll be running with an 11 year-old girl for the Duvall Days 5K the first Saturday in June! Her parents won a package the REF auction that included a copy of my book and the chance to have me run with someone at the race. I'm excited!

May - Tracking My Distance

I'm not really a competitive runner. I just like the way running feels, the way it clears my head and the way it leaves me feeling strong. I enjoy races, but haven't been one to push myself toward any goals since having the kiddos. But all that is about to change!

Now that I'm back in my running shoes 4-6 times/week, I'm curious about how much distance I'm actually covering. Before now I think the statistics would have frustrated me since I really couldn't get in more running. But NOW I'm in a groove and I think the statistics will help me build up my distance and encourage me to consider building speed as we approach the summer months and some fun 5K & 10K races.

I know there are fancy things I can do to track my runs (heck, I can do so on my Garmin, right?!), but for starters I've been recording my distances by hand on our family calendar. There's something satisfying about hand writing the numbers. Perhaps June will be the month that I learn to utilize the high tech tools I have - when I'm really getting outside more for my runs and gearing-up for some races.

I look forward to reporting my total for May at the end of the month!

How about YOU? What motivates you to go the distance or pick up your pace? Take a second and leave a comment!

Have a great week . . . and happy running!