Scheduled Absence

Hello Loyal Readers!

As you may have started to realize with the chaos of the last posting (including the inexcusable spelling error Nitmos caught - I wrote "son" when I should have typed "sun" - duh, I've been keen with homonyms for YEARS and even taught the darn things to third graders!) and my plea with myself to find some life balance . . . I'm a bit bogged down with stress right now. That's really more of an understatement, as my husband will tell you that my stress levels when I was teaching, finishing my thesis, taking comps AND 8 months pregnant with our first child were LOWER than my current levels.

Why am I feeling so much pressure? I'm a perfectionist who needs some R & R. And with the gas prices where they are, I'm not likely to make it to any beaches or exotic retreats anytime soon, BUT, I am instituting a self-imposed vacation from blogging. I'm going to TRY to stay away for at least a week. Minimum. I think.

I can't promise that I won't be reading your blogs and leaving some comments here and there, but I WILL be a less-frequent visitor and you won't have any of my ramblings to read until nearly July (I think). Just please don't forget about my humble little blog and promise to check back and say hi when I return!

Rest asured that while I'm "gone" I'll be:

- practicing yoga (like I did last night - hooray!)
- sleeping (hopefully!)
- running (maybe even doing some speedwork - *oooooooh!*)
- playing with kids
- planning a hike for my son's birthday party
- cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, keeping the dog from eating (or urinating on) any veggies that finally grow in our garden
- trying to keep the house from burning down
- finding my sanity
- doing a little book promo here and there (but trying desparately not to stress about it!)
- relaxing in the Father's Day hammock
- reading books (the library should have a summer program for adults, too, don't you think?)!

Wishing you well as your summer gets started! Happy running!

See you in a week . . . or so.

Burnin' Down the House

We nearly had a fire at our house today.

The kids were sleeping after a full morning of sun and fun at the park with some friends so I took a break from checking email so I could put in a load of laundry without "help".

When I walked in the bedroom to retrieve the overflowing pile of darks, I noticed a burning smell. I opened our window to see if the smell was coming from outside. Nope. Just fresh air from that source (which I then decided to leave open to take advantage of the nice breeze).

Maybe the smell was coming from downstairs thinking that because Big Brother was examining the lint trap in the dryer earlier something could be awry there. I also need to get said dirty clothes down to the laundry room.

Nope. Nothing burning there.

The smell really was contined in my bedroom/bathroom. Hmmmm . . .

*visualize wide eyes and disbelief here*

It was the medicine cabinet in my bathroom BURNING. Really, burning. Today is sunny (probably the 12th sunny day this calendar year, no joke) and we have a rather large and wonderful sky light in the bathroom. I also have a small make-up mirror on the counter in the bathroom. Turns out that little mirror was tilted at JUST THE RIGHT angle to bounce powerful, direct light from the son onto the wooden cabinet. What are the chances of that happening? I'm not even sure I could venture to guess . . . but I do know that we haven't had any other "fire" instances in the 3.5 years we've lived here with that mirror on the counter.

We now have some lovely charring details adorning the cabinet. Any ideas for how to make the big black spots in the middle of the cabinet look asthetically pleasing? I'll post a photo by the end of the day. It's going to take something miraculous to cover up this near-house-fire detail!

Balance? What's THAT?

Today was the first day of summer vacation from preschool. I'm thrilled to report that we survived it and even had a pretty good day, too. I'm sure the lucious sunshine had a role to play in our upbeat day, as it allowed us to get outside to play several times. We just love our sandbox and park times!

It is slowly dawing on me, though, that the great balance I worked so hard for the last few months to achieve is now gone. I had whittled out some variables and was able to rearrange my days to make way for the biggest priorities, taking out a few of my favorites, but overall it worked okay. But now . . . vacation is getting going and I'm totally off kilter again!

Things that got squeezed out and I need to encourage back into my days:

- yoga (which will hopefully return with Date Night in July)
- date night (we've taken a hiatus for some family visitors at my parents' house)
- book reading (I've only neglected it for a week, but I miss it! I have read 3 magazines cover-to-cover twice, though)
- book promotion (I was fried and intentionally let this one go for about 2 weeks, but NEED to get back on it!)
- strength training (OK, you caught me - I've never been good at having this in my routine - other than yoga - so this is a new one that I'm wanting and needing to inject into my life. Are you proud, MizFit?)

Things that are new to my days and not going anywhere:

- having my son home all day, every day (LOVE him, but I'm not used to having him here all day!)
- my daughter's morning nap is getting later and later, sending me the red flag that the morning nap is about to become obsolete (AGH!!!!!!)
- sunshine (at least I hope this one is here to stay for at least one whole season!)

I'm thankful that other than ditching the 10K and replacing it with a short run on Saturday, my running has been a constant during the past few months. We have some "new" toys (translation: a freebie toy kitchen from a garage sale and the food toys that used to be without a cooking area) near the treadmill, so I'm thinking of having the kids explore their gourmet talents (translation: lick the plastic foods and then pass them to one another in plastic pots, open and close all of the doors a million times, stir around matchbox cars in the pots and flick the microwave "dinger" until it just won't ding anymore) one morning a week while I make like a hamster and log my miles in the house. I can run outside the other days in the evenings when my husband is home, but this gives the kids some toy variety and insures that I stick with my increase in milage.

That all being said, I'm off to relax. I think that's something else that gets neglected. Don't you think we'd all be a bit better off if we just took the time to breathe (and I don't mean on a run or practicing yoga, I just mean while doing nothing . . . or curling up with a book . . . ) and just BE. I'm so much of a "Type A" person that I forget that it is healthy to have rest, too.

How often do you find yourself revamping your plans for life balance?

Father's Day Energy

So I managed to hold off the kids from waking up my husband until about 7:45, which was a whole hour after they got up and nearly 2 hours later than he gets up on weekdays. Though I wish they could have waited a little bit longer, they really just couldn't contain themselves as it was FATHER'S DAY and they had cards to give him (the cards have been hidden for nearly 2 weeks - a lifetime for little ones!)!


I called my dad at what I thought was a time when he would be awake to get ready for church (I was wrong, it seems, proving that some things never change - and making my husband laugh that my dad was woken by his kid, too) so I could wish him a happy day. I was also calling to see if we could retrieve my husband's gift (a hammock and stand!) from hiding at my parents' house. I ended up getting it later in the day when my dad was NOT home, so I still have yet to pass along a true message of gratitude for his nearly 30 years of being my dad. Hopefully the double chocolate cake I made for dessert will help drive home the message.


That will change shortly when we head up to his house for dinner. My mom is in CA visiting her brother with her sisiters (the first time the 4 of them have been together in YEARS - like maybe a dozen or more), so it is just the four of us and my dad. I offered to make his favorite mac & cheese from scratch (this isn't the box stuff, folks!) to go with some grill stuff, but he just called and insisted that I not make anything. He's doing the whole dinner for us . . . which has me totally flabbergasted that HE is making HIS Father's Day dinner (to which he responded, "Let me do this for the father of my grandkids" and you don't have to worry)! That's my dad. Always giving. Always.


So . . . here's to a day that ended up being just lovely all around for my two favorite men (even though they were forced out of their slumber earlier than they would have liked)! You can see how their days are something to celebrate:


My husband:
- cards from the kids
- a hammock (he's wanted one for YEARS)
- 15 minutes of relaxing in hammock
- a new pair of trail running shoes
- a 5 mile run in new shoes on the trail
- SUNSHINE!!!
- the kids napped at the SAME TIME!

My dad (photo to be added as soon as I can get it from my husband's computer to mine):


- a new mower blade (don't ask)
- lunch with some friends
- dinner with his daughter (that's me!) and son-in-law (the son he never had) and grandkids (who ADORE him and push past everyone else to get to him for hugs)
- SUNSHINE!!



I hope they both know how loved they are.

Change of Plans . . .

So, this week was one that required us all to hang on tight and just ride out. I'm happy to report that we made it, but it was touch and go there for awhile.

- We opted out of school for my son on Monday due to a raspy/barky cough (which is still lingering, but not as bad as it was Monday morning)
- I took my daughter to the doc on Monday afternoon due to a head-smacked-into-door-jamb incident (all okay, but there's a nice bruise there still)
- my husband is sick
- my daughter is sick (requiring 1 sheet/jammie change through half-open eyes in the middle of the night . . . among other things)
- our son has been up every night (but one - and then I was awake out of habit - grrrr) this week for one reason or another
- I only ran one day

SO . . . mix that in with lots of good things:
- my mom's sisters are both visiting (think silliness, sewing, wine, visiting, eating, etc.)
- the sun has come out to peek at us twice
- the end-of-year school-wide field day and family picnic (think silliness, visiting, eating, running, sloshing through muddy fields to go to the bathroom, picture taking, crying when time to go home)
- the Symphony with the kids and my dad!
- playdates

And you get ONE WHIPPED PUPPY (that's me) and maybe even a somewhat neglected real pup! My plan to do a 10K tomorrow morning is OUT. I don't even think we'll downgrade to the 5K (and my still-sick husband has thrown in the towel, too). I think the plan for tomorrow is:

- sleep as long as the children will allow
- play the remainder of the day by ear
- be sure to fit in a trip to REI to get my dad's Father's Day present (one part is already taken care of, but won't be here by Sunday, so it is ESSENTIAL to have this other part on hand for our Father's Day cookout on Sunday).
- pray that BOTH children nap at the SAME time in the afternoon so that we can kick back and either nap or just veg out
- if everyone feels well, go for a casual run in the afternoon together with the double jogger

Wishing you dads out there a great Father's Day! May you find the weekend to be rejuvinating (that's what we're hoping for on this end)!

Game of Tag

Boy, oh, boy. I've been tagged by Erin to take part in a bit of Q & A about my running life. But, like Nitmos, who violated the rules and tagged one fellow running blogger, I'll just ponder it for a bit and go for just two or three.

But before I follow-through with that fun, I have to brag a bit. You know how I mentioned that my mom has started adding some running to her walking? And how she completed her first ever 5K on Saturday (in the cold RAIN, no less - this woman wasn't going to let a muddy trail get in the way of her goal!)? Well, I'm so very excited to report that she finished THIRD in her age group!!!!!! How's THAT?!!!! Go, Mom, Go!

Borrowing the rules from above mentioned speedy Nitmos:

Each player answers the 5 questions on their own blog. At the end of your post you tag 5 other people and post their names. Go to their blogs and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they've been tagged and to look at your blog for details. When they've answered the questions on their own blog, they come back to yours to tell you. (My edit: Or any version that works for you. It's fun to break the rules once and a while, right?)

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Ha! I didn't know ANYTHING about running except that it scared me and there was no way in the world you'd get me to do it. Well, wait a minute . . . I'm doing the math and having some flashbacks . . . I think about 11 or 12 years ago I HAD dabbled in it a bit and knew that it wasn't a good fit because I hadn't unlocked the mystery of breathing while running (an essential piece, don't you think?). I tried to like it, really I did. And I had a crush on a soccer player who loved to run, which was somewhat motivating . . . but, it didn't stick. So, yes, 10 years ago, I didn't run.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

My worst run experience was 3 years ago when my husband and I took our son (then 9 months old) on a trail run with us. The problem wasn't really with the run itself, but rather due to the fact that he had a delayed allergic reaction to his first dairy experience that afternoon. So, once we noticed the problem (pretty obvious hives and facial swelling - that weren't there when we started, I should note), we high tailed it back to our car and straight to the ER. Thankfully all was well, but we felt rather shameful that we were out for a run while our son was having an allergic reaction, and a bit gross in our sweaty gear as we hung out in the hospital. It was hard for me to get back to running after that because every time I saw my shoes I felt guilty.

I don't know that I can pinpoint a BEST experience, but my Turkey Trot run of 2007 was pretty fabulous (and also my FIRST blog post!) and my race on Saturday was pretty good, despite the rain! It sure helps that they are hometown races. There's a special element to a run in your community that isn't there when you run out of town (those have their own special excitement!).

3. Why do you run?





I could write about this all day. In fact, I spent 3 years writing and publishing a book about it (and since then, a good number of interviews, etc. about it): We Are Girls Who Love to Run. Haven't read it yet? See the bar to the left of your screen with the book's cover? Click on it and order it through Amazon.com or, better yet . . . ask for it at your local running specialty store! If they don't have it, request that they order it to carry it in their store. Sorry . . . shameless little plug there!


4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?

Holy moly. That's a big question! I think that having shoes custom fit is the best advice I've followed. I'm sure there are some other good pieces I've picked-up along the way, too, but the shoes one really sticks with me. AND, I think it is good to be re-fit for shoes occasionally, too. I ran in the same style of shoes for 5 years (New Balance) and though I love them and all of the time they supported me in my running, I just had a fitting last month. Turns out, my new pair of Brooks are a better fit for me in my current phase of foot-shape, how my foot strikes, my stride, etc. I love them, but know that I never would have found them if I hadn't gone to have them professionally fit!

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

Well, you all know about my love of cookies and more cookies . . . and that in a previous life I was a pom pon girl (sorry, no pics of that!) . . . so, what could possibly be left?

OK, here's something totally random for ya. I have an adversion to foods that have a yogurt-like or cottage cheese-like texture. Tapioca pudding is out, sour cream is out (unless it is mixed into something) and of course yogurt and cottage cheese themselves. I realize this is a bit sad, as it keeps me from the great benefits of yogurt and some other potentially fun flavors, but since I was a kid, I haven't been able to stomach even the thought of swallowing those foods. I keep hoping it will change, but it hasn't yet!

Tag . . . you're it:
1) Michelle (who is currently wilting in the heat, like many of you!)
2) Sarah (who runs faster than I can ever hope to run)
3) Holly (a Marine Corps Marathon entrant!)

Duvall Days 10K Race Report

I just finished up with an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill while my kids miraculously played happily beside me. Hooray! It was apparently so much fun playing with trucks and with the dog that when we were finished my daughter walked over to her crib to request a nap. My son is happy to relax and watch Word World for a bit (which is good because he's home from school today with a nasty cough and needs the down time) while I finally get to post my race report from Saturday morning's 10K.

To get an idea of what the run is like, here's the elevation for the race (it'll make your eyes pop!). Somehow the route map isn't available anymore.

The weather here has been pretty constant for the last 2 weeks: drizzly and in the 50s & sometimes low 60s. Blah. For the race, it was much the same. My husband and I hadn't considered packing gloves as we packed up the kids to drop at my parents' house, but thankfully I had a pair hanging out in the car (hooray for me, though sad I didn't have a pair for hubs) - I think they made a BIG difference for me, though they were fleece and got pretty heavy by the end.

So, we left the kids with my dad and picked up my mom so she could do her first 5K. Though she pre-registered and we were doing race day registration, we made it through the line first and then ran back to the car to drop off the race bag and do a bit of a warm-up (and potty break!). Before we knew it, it was time to GO!

The race started fairly flat for about a tenth of a mile, but then started the assent up the first hill. Though we got caught up in a fast start, our first mile was right around 10:20. Not terrible, but slower than I really wanted. Mile 2 clocked SLOWER (agh!) at 10:40, but that's really where we were primarily UPHILL. Things picked up for Mile 3 (though now 2 days later I can't recall what it was . . . somewhere around 9:50, I think). I forced my husband to take a few mini walk breaks with me (he would have pounded out 8:30 minutes uphill, if he was doing this on his own), but they were really rejuvinating and helped me find a good groove as we continued on.

My parents' neighborhood is right at the top of our final big hill, which was the PERFECT place for my dad and our kids to plant themselves (in the pouring rain!) to cheer on the runners. It was thrilling to have our very own chering squad. We saw their lone umbrella as we made our way up the hill - us with our arms over our heads waving to them to see us. We could see that Dad recognized us and he had the kids start waving harder than they already were. "Go, runners!" yelled our son, until he spotted us and started dancing around, "Go, Mama!" "Hooray, Dad!" Little Sister flapped her arms and squealed as their treasured "Papa" worked to get a few photos of us in action. It was really the highlight of the race. And from there on out, we did manage to pick-up the pace with happy hearts and soaked (but warmed-up) bodies. Sorry the photo is so blurry - it is hard to take a good pic while holding a wet toddler and umbrella in the rain! And, yes, for those of you who "know me" - that IS a yellow hat I'm wearing (see, Running Knitter, you don't have to worry!).

Mile 4 was at a 9:40 pace - and the flat part was coming, followed by the fast downhill. I forgot to mention that they had a photographer planted near the crest of the MONSTER hill to capture our survival. It was nice to see that they got photos of us on the way DOWN, too. I can't wait to compare the two to check out the difference in facial expressions. We did Mile 5 at a 8:something pace, with Mile 6 sprinting down toward the finish at an 8:20 pace. Talk about a day of negative splits! Edit: The results are now posted and as it turns out, when all was said and run, I finished in 58:46.77 (7 out of 14 for my age group).

I overheard that there were about 100 runners for the 10K, which is amazing since there were only about 30 the first year (3 years ago). Only a handful of folks passed us and we managed to pass some of them in the second half of the race. I may not be the strongest runner on the hills, but I'm getting better. AND, I do have the endurance, so even if they were faster on the hills, the hills wiped them out and we were able to keep going strong. That part made me smile.

The kick into the finish was great. I felt so strong that we sprinted past the "crowd" of 5K finishers and folks arriving for the Duvall Days Parade/festivities. It was a bit crazy with people milling about, and I did have to yell out "On your right!" to zip safely past some 5K finishers (they ran on a different course - a trail run - but our finish lines were the same). It was fun to see that in just under 59 minutes we were able to pass the 5K runners who started 15 minutes after our start. AND, I was excited that my mom crossed the line ahead of us, probably at around a 37 minute finish for her FIRST EVER 5K - hooray, Mom! Sadly we forgot to get photos to prove she was there, but one of her friends did note that "we were walking together, but your mom was much faster, so I told her to go on ahead and run. She just blasted right past me!" That's so cool!

Anyway, we finised the morning by quickly heading back to my parents' house to retrieve the children (peeling Little Sister out of her crib from her 20 minute nap) so my dad could take his van and piano to the parade line-up. We rushed home, changed out of our sloshy shoes and wet clothes, threw the kids in the double jogger and hoofed it 2 miles into town to see the parade (downhill). After enjoying the bands, horses, seeing my parents in the parade, etc., we made the 2 mile uphill walk back home, rounding out our milage to 10 for the day. What a FULL morning!

I could probably write more, but Mr. Music is desperately seeking a snack and Little Sister is waking. I'll post the photos ASAP. They're fun!

Oh, and did I mention I like the 10K distance so much that I'm doing it again this Saturday? A flat one this time, so maybe I'll PR (easy to do since this week was my first - ha!).

And while I'm actually thinking about photos, I'll go ahead and throw in one from the in-person Book Launch Party in May. From left to right: My mom, my aunt, Maria (the lovely hostess!), me, my husband. My dad was the photographer (as usual, it seems!) and took care of documenting the start of the party before we all forgot to take pictures when the guests started to arrive (which is what always seems to happen to me - just like I tend to forget to get a fork at the start of a buffet line - it is inevitable!)!

Have a great week!