Yesterday was a busy day. I had to finish up two grants for work and get them submitted. Those grants sucked my will to live this past week, I swear. I was so mentally exhausted (and physically from the half marathon) that after I wrote grants for the day, my day was pretty much shot. I did get them submitted, though, by about 3pm - 4 whole hours before they were due. I could have totally procrastinated 4 more hours :) I did find out that a grant I wrote for about 2 months ago was granted to my company yesterday, too, so that was a little bit of a mental boost!
I did a 4.3 mile run yesterday. I started out walking a good 10 minutes and then did 10 minutes of running, and then it all kind of went back and forth from there. My gym was about 80 bajillion degrees and I was getting hot and sweaty by mile 1. By the time mile 4 came around I was seriously about to die. I had wanted to do 5 miles, but I was so tired that I called it at 4.3 (plus the gym daycare was going to close in a few minutes so I wouldn't have even been able to walk the remaining .7 miles). I don't know why, but I was just ticked off that I only got 4 miles in. To me, 4 miles doesn't seem like a "real" running distance. You either go hard and run your butt off in a 5k, or you make it to 5 miles. One or the other. You don't stop at 4. Four is just an in-between distance that you do when you get done with your 5k and feel like you go a little further, or you give-up on your 5 mile run (which I did, and is probably why I was grumpy about that distance). Either way, I did it, and it felt good and I didn't hurt. Which I guess is what I should really focus on and not gripe about distances.
After my run and my grant writing, I had planned on doing a total house clean up and going shopping for some shorts before my Mom showed up from Shreveport. My mom, however, ended up only having to work a half day, so she showed up about 1 hour after I finished grant writing. Yeah! She had just missed a family dance party too. The kids were being wild and D was hitting P, and things were getting out of hand. So I turned on my Ipod and blasted it and we danced like crazy for 4 songs, and then things calmed down. It was actually a bit of fun and it did make D not hit P anymore....Anyway, I had gotten some of the house cleaned, but still had a ways to go. My mom is always nice enough to overlook the mountain of toys strewn throughout the living room and the piles of clean (but unfolded) laundry in baskets in the hallway. She even helped me fold laundry last night. She's great!
We had supper at Chik-fil-A. I had intended to be really good about eating there. I ordered their Fruit and Chargrilled Salad (which is so stinking good!), but then P didn't eat her fries and I didn't want to just throw them away, so in my mouth they went. Then after a bout of shopping (where I bought a super cute running skirt and some new flip flops from Ross), we got her and the kids a yogurt parfait from McDonald's. Again, P didn't eat hers, so I finished hers off. Ahhh! Oh well, it's my birthday weekend, and I'm not too worried.
Today we are going to an Easter Egg Hunt and then hanging out with the family (and drinks later tonight!). It's been a good birthday so far. I'm 30 - yippee!
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Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Adult Conversations
Today was a fun day! I met up with my meet-up group for a play date at 10am. I don't know why, but being anywhere by 10am, let alone being dressed and presentable, seems to be a huge challenge for me. I mean, I go to the gym in the mornings, but I usually just pull my hair back into a pony tail, throw on a headband, brush my teeth, and put on my gym clothes. Not too sexy, but it gets the job done. I very rarely actually have occasion to wash and dry my hair. And God forbid I actually use a straight iron or a curling iron on it!! Or that any of that occurs before Noon. Anyway, long story short, it took me forever to get ready this morning. And to get Thing 1 and Thing 2 ready. Especially when D is screaming, "I don't want spiky hair!" and P is trying to take her clothes off. Seriously - that girl LOVES to just run around with no clothes on.
We did get on the road only about 5 minutes after I planned on leaving, so I thought I was doing stellar. Until I realized I didn't have coffee this morning. So, I treated myself to Starbucks. I used to order a Grande Nonfat Peppermint White Mocha (everyday back in Spokane). But those are like a bajillion Weight Watchers points, and on a week when I feel really motivated to lose (and know that my Mom is bringing a birthday cake with her on Saturday!), I chose my not so exciting stand-in: a grande skinny french vanilla latte. I know I should probably say, "It's low-calorie and still coffee and still delicious!" but every time I order it, I am just a *tad* bit sad that I'm not getting my favorite Starbucks drink. But I drink it all the same. And it is pretty good. Better than my normal cup of drip anyway! After my stop at the Bucks, our next stop was our play date.
Every time I meet up with these ladies, I just feel good for the rest of the day. I really miss interacting with other people, and comisserating about our mommy woes. The lady's house we were at today was just gorgeous. And it was really clean. Totally jealous! My house generally looks messy, but since I started putting in some extra work-from-home hours this week, it just looks ridiculous. I finally did a load of dishes this afternoon, but that was only because we had no more clean sippy cups or forks. Details! The lady's house was also a great place for a play date as it had a bonus room area where all the toys were set up. I think that's one of the things I miss most about our house back in Spokane - the kids' play area nook. I hate having all of their toys spread all over the "open living" living room we have.
My kids got some serious play time in too. D made a friend and played trains and cars with him, and P discovered that they have the SAME cookie set that we do, and was just flabbergasted by that. And that's primarily what she played with. And she ignored the other kids for the most part. But that's cool because she's still only 1 and parallel play is still the way to go at that age. And I was able to chat with the ladies there and use my full vocabulary and not just, "No!" and "Be nice to your brother/sister - he/she is the only one you've got!" and "Do you need a diaper change/to go to the bathroom?" Oh, the joys and sweet, sweet bliss of adult conversation!
D and P both came home and crashed (after a quick trip to Wal-Mart and lunch), and I got in almost 4 hours of work. I still probably have 5-6 hours worth of grant writing to do before I can hit "submit" for them, so it felt good to get a solid 4 hours in this afternoon. After the kids go to bed, I'll be doing another couple of hours.
Anyway, here is my food for the day, minus my snacks: my latte and a piece of cinnamon raisin bread.
Breakfast:
a slice of bread with a teaspoon of butter, 3 turkey sausages, and lots of salsa to dip by sausage in. Only way it could have been better is if it would have been smothered in maple syrup....next time!
We did get on the road only about 5 minutes after I planned on leaving, so I thought I was doing stellar. Until I realized I didn't have coffee this morning. So, I treated myself to Starbucks. I used to order a Grande Nonfat Peppermint White Mocha (everyday back in Spokane). But those are like a bajillion Weight Watchers points, and on a week when I feel really motivated to lose (and know that my Mom is bringing a birthday cake with her on Saturday!), I chose my not so exciting stand-in: a grande skinny french vanilla latte. I know I should probably say, "It's low-calorie and still coffee and still delicious!" but every time I order it, I am just a *tad* bit sad that I'm not getting my favorite Starbucks drink. But I drink it all the same. And it is pretty good. Better than my normal cup of drip anyway! After my stop at the Bucks, our next stop was our play date.
Every time I meet up with these ladies, I just feel good for the rest of the day. I really miss interacting with other people, and comisserating about our mommy woes. The lady's house we were at today was just gorgeous. And it was really clean. Totally jealous! My house generally looks messy, but since I started putting in some extra work-from-home hours this week, it just looks ridiculous. I finally did a load of dishes this afternoon, but that was only because we had no more clean sippy cups or forks. Details! The lady's house was also a great place for a play date as it had a bonus room area where all the toys were set up. I think that's one of the things I miss most about our house back in Spokane - the kids' play area nook. I hate having all of their toys spread all over the "open living" living room we have.
My kids got some serious play time in too. D made a friend and played trains and cars with him, and P discovered that they have the SAME cookie set that we do, and was just flabbergasted by that. And that's primarily what she played with. And she ignored the other kids for the most part. But that's cool because she's still only 1 and parallel play is still the way to go at that age. And I was able to chat with the ladies there and use my full vocabulary and not just, "No!" and "Be nice to your brother/sister - he/she is the only one you've got!" and "Do you need a diaper change/to go to the bathroom?" Oh, the joys and sweet, sweet bliss of adult conversation!
D and P both came home and crashed (after a quick trip to Wal-Mart and lunch), and I got in almost 4 hours of work. I still probably have 5-6 hours worth of grant writing to do before I can hit "submit" for them, so it felt good to get a solid 4 hours in this afternoon. After the kids go to bed, I'll be doing another couple of hours.
Anyway, here is my food for the day, minus my snacks: my latte and a piece of cinnamon raisin bread.
Breakfast:
a slice of bread with a teaspoon of butter, 3 turkey sausages, and lots of salsa to dip by sausage in. Only way it could have been better is if it would have been smothered in maple syrup....next time!
Lunch: a leftover taquito, some yummy sauce, and a banana.
Supper: I had about 1/3 of this 7 layer dip with 2 servings of tortilla chips. I had intended to use sliced veggies for my dippers, but the chips were just SO good! Dip is one can of refried beans on bottom layer, 10 ounces of fat free sour cream mixed with 1 packet of taco seasoning for next layer, 1 cup of reduced fat cheddar cheese, salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes. I added onion after the fact because my husband can't stand onion in his food. Even if you cut it really small, he finds it.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Food for Thought
I thought about ways to keep myself "honest" with my food choices. So, I thought documenting my food might help me. I got pictures of everything today, except for the little bit of popcorn that P fed me (it was her snack, but she loves feeding everyone else her food). So here goes!
Breakfast:
Coffee with peppermint creamer and blueberry Greek yogurt.
Breakfast:
Coffee with peppermint creamer and blueberry Greek yogurt.
Lunch:
A veggie burger with 2 slices bacon, a laughing cow cheese spread on the bun, sliced tomatoes, roasted chilis, fresh jalepeno, and 3 clementines. Yum!!
Snacks:
A 5 hour energy - to help motivate me to write grants! And a rather disappointing creation: two slices of bread rolled flat, laughing cow cheese spread inside, chilis, black olives, and jalepenos.
Supper:
Recipe from Our Best Bites: Chicken Taquitos, Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing, and a Wedge Salad. And a bunny peep. Yo. Those taquitos are so stinking good! I love them. I also like to double the recipe and freeze 3/4 of them for future meals. I ended up eating another 1/2 of one because they were just so good. I counted my Weight Watchers points, so I am good :)
Recovery
I'm so lucky to be able to work remotely for my old company back in Spokane. I don't know how much longer it's going to last, but I seriously love the work and being able to dictate my own hours. Right now, I have two grants that are due by 5pm on Friday. I have so much work to do on them, but my mind keeps going elsewhere. Like - have any new blog posts gone up? What's a good book about running marathons? Did White Rock Racing make their registration for their events live so I can register/see how much they cost?? Man. Right now all I can think about is running and blogging. Probably because I'm new to both. And I want to do better.
My running hero right now is Skinny Runner. She is doing 3 marathons over the course of a week in April. Cra-Zy! I can't even imagine being able to run that far. I just don't have the stamina. BUT, I find it very inspiring and cannot wait to hear about her running adventures. I've also been reading another blog by Running Aimlessly, who is training for a50k 50 mile race. Holy crud! People do that?!? I'm just so incredibly impressed by people who run long distances. Just everyday folks, running. A lot. It's just incredible!
I signed up for the New Year's Double here in Dallas. On New Year's Eve, I'm registered for the full marathon, and on New Year's Day, I'm registered for the 5k (planning to walk/crawl that one!). I'm so excited and nervous for the marathon - and it's still 9 months away! I just can't wait to get started on training. However, I know I have to do a few things in order to be able to run the marathon. First, I need to increase my speed. My half-marathon this past Sunday was done in 2hours, 53 minutes. I would really like to shave off at least 15 minutes by my May half-marathon. In order to accomplish this, I'm going to start incorporating some weight lifting into my work out routines, making sure I'm doing some good core exercises. I'm hoping that gaining some more strength will allow me to propel myself a little further, a little faster. I'm also going to start training at a faster pace and doing some interval training.
My first goal, though, is to get my legs back to feeling normal! Yesterday, I did a short, very slow (like 3 mph slow) walk at the gym. My legs were still killing me and it hurt to move. Today, I woke up feeling lots better, but still took it easy at the gym. I did 3.5 miles, but at 3.9 mph. Since I am fairly new to running, I am not really sure how long I should really take recovering from the half marathon. I'm assuming that 5 days is a decent amount of time to take it easy. I'm taking a rest day tomorrow, and then hopefully Friday I'll be able to run 3-4 miles at a regular pace. After the weekend, I hope to be back to a regular training schedule.
Okay, I have sufficiently procrastinated! Now back to writing grants.
My running hero right now is Skinny Runner. She is doing 3 marathons over the course of a week in April. Cra-Zy! I can't even imagine being able to run that far. I just don't have the stamina. BUT, I find it very inspiring and cannot wait to hear about her running adventures. I've also been reading another blog by Running Aimlessly, who is training for a
I signed up for the New Year's Double here in Dallas. On New Year's Eve, I'm registered for the full marathon, and on New Year's Day, I'm registered for the 5k (planning to walk/crawl that one!). I'm so excited and nervous for the marathon - and it's still 9 months away! I just can't wait to get started on training. However, I know I have to do a few things in order to be able to run the marathon. First, I need to increase my speed. My half-marathon this past Sunday was done in 2hours, 53 minutes. I would really like to shave off at least 15 minutes by my May half-marathon. In order to accomplish this, I'm going to start incorporating some weight lifting into my work out routines, making sure I'm doing some good core exercises. I'm hoping that gaining some more strength will allow me to propel myself a little further, a little faster. I'm also going to start training at a faster pace and doing some interval training.
My first goal, though, is to get my legs back to feeling normal! Yesterday, I did a short, very slow (like 3 mph slow) walk at the gym. My legs were still killing me and it hurt to move. Today, I woke up feeling lots better, but still took it easy at the gym. I did 3.5 miles, but at 3.9 mph. Since I am fairly new to running, I am not really sure how long I should really take recovering from the half marathon. I'm assuming that 5 days is a decent amount of time to take it easy. I'm taking a rest day tomorrow, and then hopefully Friday I'll be able to run 3-4 miles at a regular pace. After the weekend, I hope to be back to a regular training schedule.
Okay, I have sufficiently procrastinated! Now back to writing grants.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Adoption
No, I'm not adopting. But my friend (and only follower!) is. I had the pleasure to get to know Erin during college when we were both in the Community Health Education program at Eastern Washington University (Go Eagles!). Erin is one of the sweetest, kindest ladies I know. She is committed to God, her family, and her community. She is someone that I look up to and admire - she is such a great mom and is always doing things with her kiddos. Plus, in her pictures, her house always looks clean. How can you NOT admire that???
Erin and her equally amazing husband, Tim, decided to adopt a baby from Africa back in 2010. They began the process (which is QUITE lengthy and expensive, as it turns out), and have been placed with a little girl in Ethiopia. Her name is Harper, and from what I hear (Erin can't post pictures of her online as that can jeopardize their standing with the courts) she is beautiful! Erin and Tim have now been given a court date in Ethiopia, and will be travelling there next month to meet their little girl face to face for the first time. Like I said, though, this process is expensive. They are trying to raise money for their trip to Africa, and then the return trip when they will get to actually go get their little girl and bring her home. So, I have a favor to ask of all of you blogger stalkers (I see you!): give up your cup of coffee for a day or two and donate that money to bring baby Harper home to her forever family. It's easy to do, and it's through Paypal, so it's secure and legit and all that (Erin's smart like that). Here is her blog with the information for the Puzzle Fundraiser. I promise you, Erin and Tim are wonderful parents, and are going to truly bring happiness and love to this little girl. As a friend, I hope that I can convince some of you to donate so that they don't end up having to take out so many loans to provide a loving home to Harper.
Erin and her equally amazing husband, Tim, decided to adopt a baby from Africa back in 2010. They began the process (which is QUITE lengthy and expensive, as it turns out), and have been placed with a little girl in Ethiopia. Her name is Harper, and from what I hear (Erin can't post pictures of her online as that can jeopardize their standing with the courts) she is beautiful! Erin and Tim have now been given a court date in Ethiopia, and will be travelling there next month to meet their little girl face to face for the first time. Like I said, though, this process is expensive. They are trying to raise money for their trip to Africa, and then the return trip when they will get to actually go get their little girl and bring her home. So, I have a favor to ask of all of you blogger stalkers (I see you!): give up your cup of coffee for a day or two and donate that money to bring baby Harper home to her forever family. It's easy to do, and it's through Paypal, so it's secure and legit and all that (Erin's smart like that). Here is her blog with the information for the Puzzle Fundraiser. I promise you, Erin and Tim are wonderful parents, and are going to truly bring happiness and love to this little girl. As a friend, I hope that I can convince some of you to donate so that they don't end up having to take out so many loans to provide a loving home to Harper.
Monday Weigh In
I stepped on the scale yesterday morning, totally expecting to see a loss. Even a little loss. I hadn't been eating very good at all. But I ran a half marathon the day before my weigh in, so I figured it would all even out. I thought at least I would lose 1 pound. Well, I guess the good news is, I didn't gain! I lost .4 pounds. The week before, I had gained .6 pounds, so I'm almost back to where I started. I'm at 172.2 right now, and I really wanted to be at 169.8 by my birthday on Saturday. I'm realizing that this is not really an attainable goal right now. I just don't know if can happen. I am re-committing to losing weight, however. Losing weight to me is important for a number of reasons.
1 - To be healthier.
2 - To not have to haul as much junk in my trunk across the finish line at races. Even a 5 pound weight loss makes a difference to my knees, I'm sure!
3 - To feel good about how I look. I would love to say that I'm almost 30 and that my weight doesn't affect my happiness, but it does. I feel like a failure when I gain and it makes me depressed. I'm just tired of being overweight. When I lose weight and am at a maintenance weight, I feel good. I love being able to fit into my clothes. I realize I'm always going to have a little bit of a muffin top, but that goes down when I lose weight.
4 - As a person with a degree in health education, I feel that I *should* be at a healthy weight. I know the benefits. I know the why's and the how-to's. I want to be a role model; modeling being healthy in all of it's many facets.
5 - I want my children to understand what healthy is, and what a healthy weight is. Obesity runs in my family's genes. I want them to know that being healthy is something that you have to work at and balance the good and the bad in life to be healthy. I want them to be proud of themselves, confident in themselves, and to not have to struggle like I did. By choosing to stock my pantry with healthy foods, and modeling healthy behaviors to them, they will pick up on that and eat healthily and hopefully follow in my healthy footsteps.
6 - I would love, love, love to be a size 6. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a size 6. When I lost 60 pounds back in 2004, I made it to a size 8. But I wasn't really exercising at all. If I keep exercising while eating healthily, I think I can make it to my size 6. I don't know why a size 6 sounds like the end-all-be-all of sizes, but it does to me. Right now, I'm in a size 12, so I have a ways to go. I will get there....eventually!
I have lots of reasons to lose weight. Lots of reasons why I should believe in myself, that I can do this! It's just so easy to lose sight of why I set out on this journey in the first place. It can be overwhelming when I think that I would like to lose almost 30 pounds still, and have only lost about 5. It seems like I have worked so hard for that 5, that it's just unreal. Next Monday, though, I WILL see a loss. I know it!
1 - To be healthier.
2 - To not have to haul as much junk in my trunk across the finish line at races. Even a 5 pound weight loss makes a difference to my knees, I'm sure!
3 - To feel good about how I look. I would love to say that I'm almost 30 and that my weight doesn't affect my happiness, but it does. I feel like a failure when I gain and it makes me depressed. I'm just tired of being overweight. When I lose weight and am at a maintenance weight, I feel good. I love being able to fit into my clothes. I realize I'm always going to have a little bit of a muffin top, but that goes down when I lose weight.
4 - As a person with a degree in health education, I feel that I *should* be at a healthy weight. I know the benefits. I know the why's and the how-to's. I want to be a role model; modeling being healthy in all of it's many facets.
5 - I want my children to understand what healthy is, and what a healthy weight is. Obesity runs in my family's genes. I want them to know that being healthy is something that you have to work at and balance the good and the bad in life to be healthy. I want them to be proud of themselves, confident in themselves, and to not have to struggle like I did. By choosing to stock my pantry with healthy foods, and modeling healthy behaviors to them, they will pick up on that and eat healthily and hopefully follow in my healthy footsteps.
6 - I would love, love, love to be a size 6. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a size 6. When I lost 60 pounds back in 2004, I made it to a size 8. But I wasn't really exercising at all. If I keep exercising while eating healthily, I think I can make it to my size 6. I don't know why a size 6 sounds like the end-all-be-all of sizes, but it does to me. Right now, I'm in a size 12, so I have a ways to go. I will get there....eventually!
I have lots of reasons to lose weight. Lots of reasons why I should believe in myself, that I can do this! It's just so easy to lose sight of why I set out on this journey in the first place. It can be overwhelming when I think that I would like to lose almost 30 pounds still, and have only lost about 5. It seems like I have worked so hard for that 5, that it's just unreal. Next Monday, though, I WILL see a loss. I know it!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Rock N' Roll Dallas Half Marathon
Half Marathon Finished in: 2h53min
5k Finished In: 35:32
10k Finished In: 1:15:48
Pace: 13:15
In the words of my daughter's favorite TV show character, Dora the Explorer, "We did it! We did it! We did it! Hooray!" Yesterday, my dad, KL, and I all ran 13.1 miles. What an exhilarating experience! My Dad got in Saturday, and then we went and picked up our race packets at the Expo. I discovered Sweaty Bands were at the Expo, and my Dad bought two for me for my birthday. He also got me the CUTEST little SPIbelt that I have ever seen. Pink plaid?!? Yes please!
After that, we had some BBQ for supper and then my Dad spent some time hanging with the kiddos. He hadn't seen them in a long time (since D was 20 months old and since P was 6 months old!), so he was excited to get in there are play with them. My kids are usually a little stand-offish, but they both jumped right in there and loved on their Papa. It was awesome! After they went to bed, we stayed up a little and got our gear in order and made plans for the morning. My first half marathon (and only other previous half marathon) I did, I was super late to the start line and started about 15 minutes after everybody else and didn't have my number all the way on, and it was just a nightmare. It was nice to be prepared and even early this go-around.
KL showed up bright and early at 6am, and we were off to Fair Park for the bus to the start line. The bus line moved really quickly, and it was already pretty warm out (although I was cold, everyone else said it was warm). The buses were super nice - they even had seatbelts on them. Fancy! When we got to the start, we waited in the lines for the ever-lovely port-a-potties. I hate public bathrooms. Port-a-potties are like my arch nemeses. For realz. I despise those things. I always walk out feeling like I need a shower. Ick! After that, we went to our corral (Number 11!) so that we could line up - the other corrals had already started while we were in the icky-port-a-potty line.
The race started, and I plugged in my Ipod and took off. Generally, I'm a s-l-o-w runner. But when you put me in a race, I want to prove myself and run fast. This does not work to my advantage in long runs, because I get tired. It took me until about mile 4 or 5 to really find my pace and settle into it. As you can see from my times at the top, my 5k was done in 35 minutes. That is pretty fast for me! I was proud of that number. I had to walk a little after mile 2 (only probably a quarter mile or so) and then I started running again. I was totally unprepared for the number of hills that were on this course. I'm sure I could have actually *looked* at the elevation information provided by RNRDallas, but that would have too smart of me. I just assumed since most of Texas is flat, that the course would be flat a well. That was not the case. Holy F! There were a lot of hills! Nothing as bad as the dreaded Doomsday Hill from the Spokane Bloomsday Run (that is one killer hill!), but still some pretty long, low-grade hills that felt like my calves were on fire as I was running up them.
We ran through a gorgeous park with a reservoir/lake thing that had lilly pads throughout and flowers and it was just beautiful, and then we also ran through some neighborhoods that I would just LOVE to live in. Giant mansion like houses with impeccably manicured lawns and flower gardens. Seriously, I could get used to that. Around mile 8, I had to walk another quarter mile or so. By that point, I had just downed my third energy gel thing, and I was fading fast. I told myself that I could do it, and put my feet in motion again. At mile 10, I was starving. My peanut butter toast and banana I had for breakfast was long gone, and I was just exhausted and soo hungry. I took one more energy pack and ended up walking from mile 10 to mile 11. When I hit 11, though, I told myself that I had to do this. I had to RUN. I made it 12. Exhausted, hot, tired, and REALLY having to pee (but not wanting to stop to wait in a line for a port-a-potty). I thought about running into a Starbucks I saw and using their bathroom, but thought if I stopped, I might not be able to start again. So I kept on trucking. I told myself that I was bringing it in. Only 1.1 miles to go, and I could do this! I saw the Dallas Star ferris wheel that is in Fair Park (the end of the half), and I put my energy into it. When I got to 13 miles, I sprinted. I passed people left and right. I pumped my arms, propelled myself forward and finished in under 3 hours. Wahoo!
I went to the designated meeting place and waited for my Dad and KL. I felt really shaky and just not good. I grabbed a water, a banana, a high-protein cookie, and a Gatorade. I sat down and tried to do some gentle stretching, but man, my muscles were screaming!! KL and my Dad shortly joined me. This was KL's
I was silly and didn't ice anything yesterday, so I am sore today. My calves don't really feel that bad, and I am giving full credit to my Zensah compression sleeves for that. Way to go compression sleeves - you DID it! Seriously, compression sleeves are my new BFF. I now want compression leggings because my hips and thighs are hurting so bad. So bad, in fact, that last night I had trouble sleeping. I also got a pretty decent sunburned face, and some hilariously awesome compression sleeve tan lines on my legs. I have taken some tylenol and am hoping that my soreness lessons by tomorrow. I'm planning on doing a 2 - 3 mile walk tomorrow to ease myself back into exercise. It would be nice to not feel like kaka while I'm doing that. I totally pushed myself on this race. Normally, I only run about 1 mile, then walk a 1/2 mile, then repeat until I'm done running. I only walked 1.5 miles of this whole race. I'm pretty sure that is why I am so sore. Either way, I am proud of myself and looking forward to improving my time on my next half marathon in May!
5k Finished In: 35:32
10k Finished In: 1:15:48
Pace: 13:15
In the words of my daughter's favorite TV show character, Dora the Explorer, "We did it! We did it! We did it! Hooray!" Yesterday, my dad, KL, and I all ran 13.1 miles. What an exhilarating experience! My Dad got in Saturday, and then we went and picked up our race packets at the Expo. I discovered Sweaty Bands were at the Expo, and my Dad bought two for me for my birthday. He also got me the CUTEST little SPIbelt that I have ever seen. Pink plaid?!? Yes please!
After that, we had some BBQ for supper and then my Dad spent some time hanging with the kiddos. He hadn't seen them in a long time (since D was 20 months old and since P was 6 months old!), so he was excited to get in there are play with them. My kids are usually a little stand-offish, but they both jumped right in there and loved on their Papa. It was awesome! After they went to bed, we stayed up a little and got our gear in order and made plans for the morning. My first half marathon (and only other previous half marathon) I did, I was super late to the start line and started about 15 minutes after everybody else and didn't have my number all the way on, and it was just a nightmare. It was nice to be prepared and even early this go-around.
KL showed up bright and early at 6am, and we were off to Fair Park for the bus to the start line. The bus line moved really quickly, and it was already pretty warm out (although I was cold, everyone else said it was warm). The buses were super nice - they even had seatbelts on them. Fancy! When we got to the start, we waited in the lines for the ever-lovely port-a-potties. I hate public bathrooms. Port-a-potties are like my arch nemeses. For realz. I despise those things. I always walk out feeling like I need a shower. Ick! After that, we went to our corral (Number 11!) so that we could line up - the other corrals had already started while we were in the icky-port-a-potty line.
The race started, and I plugged in my Ipod and took off. Generally, I'm a s-l-o-w runner. But when you put me in a race, I want to prove myself and run fast. This does not work to my advantage in long runs, because I get tired. It took me until about mile 4 or 5 to really find my pace and settle into it. As you can see from my times at the top, my 5k was done in 35 minutes. That is pretty fast for me! I was proud of that number. I had to walk a little after mile 2 (only probably a quarter mile or so) and then I started running again. I was totally unprepared for the number of hills that were on this course. I'm sure I could have actually *looked* at the elevation information provided by RNRDallas, but that would have too smart of me. I just assumed since most of Texas is flat, that the course would be flat a well. That was not the case. Holy F! There were a lot of hills! Nothing as bad as the dreaded Doomsday Hill from the Spokane Bloomsday Run (that is one killer hill!), but still some pretty long, low-grade hills that felt like my calves were on fire as I was running up them.
We ran through a gorgeous park with a reservoir/lake thing that had lilly pads throughout and flowers and it was just beautiful, and then we also ran through some neighborhoods that I would just LOVE to live in. Giant mansion like houses with impeccably manicured lawns and flower gardens. Seriously, I could get used to that. Around mile 8, I had to walk another quarter mile or so. By that point, I had just downed my third energy gel thing, and I was fading fast. I told myself that I could do it, and put my feet in motion again. At mile 10, I was starving. My peanut butter toast and banana I had for breakfast was long gone, and I was just exhausted and soo hungry. I took one more energy pack and ended up walking from mile 10 to mile 11. When I hit 11, though, I told myself that I had to do this. I had to RUN. I made it 12. Exhausted, hot, tired, and REALLY having to pee (but not wanting to stop to wait in a line for a port-a-potty). I thought about running into a Starbucks I saw and using their bathroom, but thought if I stopped, I might not be able to start again. So I kept on trucking. I told myself that I was bringing it in. Only 1.1 miles to go, and I could do this! I saw the Dallas Star ferris wheel that is in Fair Park (the end of the half), and I put my energy into it. When I got to 13 miles, I sprinted. I passed people left and right. I pumped my arms, propelled myself forward and finished in under 3 hours. Wahoo!
I went to the designated meeting place and waited for my Dad and KL. I felt really shaky and just not good. I grabbed a water, a banana, a high-protein cookie, and a Gatorade. I sat down and tried to do some gentle stretching, but man, my muscles were screaming!! KL and my Dad shortly joined me. This was KL's
I was silly and didn't ice anything yesterday, so I am sore today. My calves don't really feel that bad, and I am giving full credit to my Zensah compression sleeves for that. Way to go compression sleeves - you DID it! Seriously, compression sleeves are my new BFF. I now want compression leggings because my hips and thighs are hurting so bad. So bad, in fact, that last night I had trouble sleeping. I also got a pretty decent sunburned face, and some hilariously awesome compression sleeve tan lines on my legs. I have taken some tylenol and am hoping that my soreness lessons by tomorrow. I'm planning on doing a 2 - 3 mile walk tomorrow to ease myself back into exercise. It would be nice to not feel like kaka while I'm doing that. I totally pushed myself on this race. Normally, I only run about 1 mile, then walk a 1/2 mile, then repeat until I'm done running. I only walked 1.5 miles of this whole race. I'm pretty sure that is why I am so sore. Either way, I am proud of myself and looking forward to improving my time on my next half marathon in May!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Cleaning
So I should be cleaning. I went out last night and bought new cleaners, gloves, scrubby brushes - all of it! I have all the supplies I need to clean. I could be the Mrs. to Mr Clean. I *could* be a cleaning fanatic! Instead, I'm here blogging. Ha! And catching up on Grey's Anatomy. Seeing that little micro-preemie of the intern's is making me super heartbroken. I don't know how momma's of little itty-bitty babies do it. Makes me want to go donate to March of Dimes right now!!
It's really beautiful today. While my hometown of Spokane is getting snow and icky weather, we are having 70 degrees and sunshine. Have I mentioned that I love warm weather winters?? Well, I guess it's spring now, so I love the warm weather springs :) Okay, I've procrastinated enough. Here is a list of things that I need to get done today:
It's really beautiful today. While my hometown of Spokane is getting snow and icky weather, we are having 70 degrees and sunshine. Have I mentioned that I love warm weather winters?? Well, I guess it's spring now, so I love the warm weather springs :) Okay, I've procrastinated enough. Here is a list of things that I need to get done today:
- Pick up kids' rooms.
- Pick up my and the hub's room.
- Tidy up kitchen.
- Tidy up living room.
- Sweep, mop, vacuum.
- Put clean sheets on the guest bedroom.
- Clean bathrooms and bathtubs
- Clean litter boxes.
- Make some food so I don't have to cook this weekend while my dad's here.
Does that sound reasonable while I am watching two toddlers and trying to get in 2-3 hours of work?? Ugh. I hate cleaning!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
What I've been up to....
The last few days I have been feeling L-A-Z-Y. It's been nice, except for the guilt of not doing much of anything. I have a lot to do too. Lots of cleaning to do, lots of preschool stuff to do, and lots of exercise I should be doing.
I decided to rest and take it easy so that my leg could get some healing time in before my race on Sunday. It is working - my leg is feeling quite a bit better. However, I am *itching* to run. Like creepy-crawly's in my legs screaming to RUN!! So, I'm really excited for my race. But I haven't worked out at all. Since like forever ago. Going to the gym is sometimes the only time I leave the house (okay, for the most part, it is the only time I get out of the house), and since I haven't been going, I've been just lounging around the house on the couch. Maybe I've been lounging in my pajamas for most of the day. And maybe, just maybe, I've been lounging on the couch and not showering. Oh yeah - I'm sexxxy and I know it!
And when I don't exercise, it seems my motivation for eating healthy goes out the window. So not only have I not been working out, but I've been eating some pretty (un)healthy portions as well. Like last night, I was craving some pizza and ended up eating an entire medium pizza by myself. Whoops! I've been doing better today, but, MAN! My stomach hurt yesterday from so much pizza. Like my body was reminding me of what a dumb move that was. I really, really want to be in the 160's by 3/31 (my birthday!!), so I'm really going to have to step up my game and eat healthy. Today, when I weighed myself (I always do a mid-week weigh in on Thursdays), I was at 172.4. Which is pretty much where I started the week at. So I guess God is wiping my slate clean and letting me start over. Thanks Big Guy! I needed that!!
Preschool has been going so-so. I've been reading to the kiddos, and we've been eating "bunny snacks," but until today, I've been taking it a bit too easy this week. But, today, I was back at it. Today, my Mom sent me a package of all the printouts from Oopsey Daisy's blog. They are super cute! We played "Magic Eggs" from her "E is for Easter" packet, read books, and then D and I talked about the days of the week. His favorite day of the week is Saturday because Daddy is home on Saturday's. Awwww! He is the sweetest little boy!!
So, what have I been doing if I haven't been running, planning out meals, or teaching little D and P preschool?
I decided to rest and take it easy so that my leg could get some healing time in before my race on Sunday. It is working - my leg is feeling quite a bit better. However, I am *itching* to run. Like creepy-crawly's in my legs screaming to RUN!! So, I'm really excited for my race. But I haven't worked out at all. Since like forever ago. Going to the gym is sometimes the only time I leave the house (okay, for the most part, it is the only time I get out of the house), and since I haven't been going, I've been just lounging around the house on the couch. Maybe I've been lounging in my pajamas for most of the day. And maybe, just maybe, I've been lounging on the couch and not showering. Oh yeah - I'm sexxxy and I know it!
And when I don't exercise, it seems my motivation for eating healthy goes out the window. So not only have I not been working out, but I've been eating some pretty (un)healthy portions as well. Like last night, I was craving some pizza and ended up eating an entire medium pizza by myself. Whoops! I've been doing better today, but, MAN! My stomach hurt yesterday from so much pizza. Like my body was reminding me of what a dumb move that was. I really, really want to be in the 160's by 3/31 (my birthday!!), so I'm really going to have to step up my game and eat healthy. Today, when I weighed myself (I always do a mid-week weigh in on Thursdays), I was at 172.4. Which is pretty much where I started the week at. So I guess God is wiping my slate clean and letting me start over. Thanks Big Guy! I needed that!!
Preschool has been going so-so. I've been reading to the kiddos, and we've been eating "bunny snacks," but until today, I've been taking it a bit too easy this week. But, today, I was back at it. Today, my Mom sent me a package of all the printouts from Oopsey Daisy's blog. They are super cute! We played "Magic Eggs" from her "E is for Easter" packet, read books, and then D and I talked about the days of the week. His favorite day of the week is Saturday because Daddy is home on Saturday's. Awwww! He is the sweetest little boy!!
So, what have I been doing if I haven't been running, planning out meals, or teaching little D and P preschool?
- I finished Book 3 of the Game of Thrones series. Wow! There were some scenes where I just wanted to say OMG and tell my husband what was going on. BUT, he's watching the show and not reading the books, and I do not want to spoil those surprises. I seriously am in love with that series. I was reading online book reviews of the next book, though, and it seems like people didn't really like it *sad* So, now I'm looking for another book to read.
- Catching up on episodes of Walking Dead. Yowzer! That show threw in some curve balls. I mean, Dang! I do think I watch just a few too many zombie/vampire/supernatural type shows. There's True Blood, Being Human, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones...even Once Upon a Time (while not zombies or vampires, there are supernatural elements!).
- And speaking of vampires, I finally watched the latest installment of the Twilight movies. It was better than what I thought it was going to be, but I'm still not 100% sold on Twilight. Even after reading all of the books, and watching all the movies that are out. RPats is cute and all, but his hair bothers me, and I have a hard time getting over that.
- Reading blogs and articles on running and injuries and injury prevention. And races. I look at races.
- I registered for the Patriot Half Marathon on Memorial Day in Rockwall, TX. This will be my first half with rolling hills - hope I do okay on that one. I'm hoping to run the race completely with no stopping for walking.
- I registered for the New Year's Double at Celebration Park in Allen, TX: a marathon on New Year's Eve and a 5k on New Year's Day. It'll be my first full marathon, and a great way to end my Year of Racing. Woo-hoo! I plan to run (or at least, mostly run) the marathon, and then completely walk the 5k the next day. I don't know if I'm crazy to do a double, but you get a cool commemorative plate that both of your medals go into. Isn't that cool? Totally worth being sore and not able to move on January 2nd. Right??
So, you can, tell, I've been really busy. And I totally have my priorities straight.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
To Run or Not to Run
Last week I made it to 9 miles, and I did a couple of follow up runs. It felt pretty good. Now, though, I have a sore spot on my leg. I haven't run in about 3 days, and my leg seems to be feeling a little better. With only 5 days (including today) till my half marathon, I don't know if I should get in some more practice runs, try to run a 10 miler, or just keep off of my leg altogether and read Game of Thrones....
I don't really know which I should do. I feel like running. I want to run so bad my legs are itching for it. BUT, I don't want to run and hurt my leg and not be able to run the half marathon. Maybe I'll just go for a walk or something a little less strenuous. My Hal Higdon training schedule says that a few days before a race, you shouldn't do any activity to be well rested for the race, but have I gone too long? Will I cause an injury because I haven't run consistently these last two weeks??
This is when I wish I still had a personal trainer that I loved (and completely trusted!) like I did back in Spokane. I could ask her what to do, and she would give me some honest feedback - and would probably have helped prevent the injury in the first place. I have been researching injury prevention stuff and it seems like one of the best things to do is to do some strength training and build core muscles. I'm going to do that after the half marathon: start taking some weight lifting classes. But for now, I'm kind of out of luck. I hope this injury doesn't cause problems!!
I don't really know which I should do. I feel like running. I want to run so bad my legs are itching for it. BUT, I don't want to run and hurt my leg and not be able to run the half marathon. Maybe I'll just go for a walk or something a little less strenuous. My Hal Higdon training schedule says that a few days before a race, you shouldn't do any activity to be well rested for the race, but have I gone too long? Will I cause an injury because I haven't run consistently these last two weeks??
This is when I wish I still had a personal trainer that I loved (and completely trusted!) like I did back in Spokane. I could ask her what to do, and she would give me some honest feedback - and would probably have helped prevent the injury in the first place. I have been researching injury prevention stuff and it seems like one of the best things to do is to do some strength training and build core muscles. I'm going to do that after the half marathon: start taking some weight lifting classes. But for now, I'm kind of out of luck. I hope this injury doesn't cause problems!!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday Weigh IN
I did my Monday morning weigh in this morning, and to my surprise, I only gained .6 pounds from last week. The reason I was surprised at so little a gain was because the last two days I have just been eating, eating, eating! Last night KL came over, and we made the best chicken I've had in a while. It was SO delicious! It was Mexican Chicken with Jalepeno Popper Sauce. And that sauce was to die for. I was eating the sauce by the spoonful. I could've licked the bowl it was so good. I do have some leftover sauce, and I'm thinking of using it to make nachos later in the week. I can just imagine how good it'll taste!
After that yummy, yummy supper, we all decided that cake sounded good. So we went to Albertsons and bought a fudge frosted chocolate cake, some brownie bites sprinkled with powdered sugar, and two cartons of ice cream (it was buy one get one FREE and you can't have cake without ice cream. Right??). And home we went for some delicious-ness. I ended up having a few spoonsfuls of ice cream, but two medium/large pieces of cake and about 6 brownie bites. I hadn't counted points pretty much all day, and knew that I was WAY over. Plus, I didn't go to the gym. So that is why I'm surprised at such a small gain. I imagined gaining like 5 pounds.
So, today, is my get back on track day. I'm determined to still be 169 by my birthday, so now I have a little extra to lose before I get there. Depending on when the hubs gets home, I'm going to try and do my 10 mile run tonight. P woke up coughing and hacking and gagging, so I decided to not even take her out to the gym. We're going to have a pajama day and just relax. We're currently watching Dora the Explorer - one of her favorite shows. We've already read her favorite Dora book about 12 times (it's only 5 pages long!), and I have plans to watch her cowgirl Dora DVD later. It's a big Dora day I guess :)
For pre-school today, we are moving on to the theme of Easter, the letter E, and the color Purple. If you haven't already checked out Oopsey Daisy's blog, do it now for some great pre-school activities and lesson plans. Today, we are reading some Easter books (including a Christ-centered Easter story), playing an Easter egg alphabet matching game (wrote capital and small letters on plastic eggs, and D has to try to match up the capital and small letters to make a match), and singing some Easter songs. I'm really excited for Friday because we are watching HOP and eating bunny snacks (my Mom found some jelly belly jelly beans shaped like peas and carrots, I have carrots, a reece's pieces packet shaped in a carrot, and celery).
And my Dad is coming on Saturday! I haven't seen him since my grandfather's funeral 15 months ago. I took P with me to the funeral, and she turned 6 months old while we were there. The last time my Dad saw D was about 19 months ago. My Dad won't even know what to do with these grown up children! My Dad and KL are running the half marathon with me on Sunday, too. He heads back on Monday, and then he is coming down to Dallas in mid-April with my grandma. I can't wait for that visit, because they are coming for a full week. It's amazing how much you can miss your family! I just can't wait to show them how wonderful my kids are, because I gotta say...they are pretty amazing!
After that yummy, yummy supper, we all decided that cake sounded good. So we went to Albertsons and bought a fudge frosted chocolate cake, some brownie bites sprinkled with powdered sugar, and two cartons of ice cream (it was buy one get one FREE and you can't have cake without ice cream. Right??). And home we went for some delicious-ness. I ended up having a few spoonsfuls of ice cream, but two medium/large pieces of cake and about 6 brownie bites. I hadn't counted points pretty much all day, and knew that I was WAY over. Plus, I didn't go to the gym. So that is why I'm surprised at such a small gain. I imagined gaining like 5 pounds.
So, today, is my get back on track day. I'm determined to still be 169 by my birthday, so now I have a little extra to lose before I get there. Depending on when the hubs gets home, I'm going to try and do my 10 mile run tonight. P woke up coughing and hacking and gagging, so I decided to not even take her out to the gym. We're going to have a pajama day and just relax. We're currently watching Dora the Explorer - one of her favorite shows. We've already read her favorite Dora book about 12 times (it's only 5 pages long!), and I have plans to watch her cowgirl Dora DVD later. It's a big Dora day I guess :)
For pre-school today, we are moving on to the theme of Easter, the letter E, and the color Purple. If you haven't already checked out Oopsey Daisy's blog, do it now for some great pre-school activities and lesson plans. Today, we are reading some Easter books (including a Christ-centered Easter story), playing an Easter egg alphabet matching game (wrote capital and small letters on plastic eggs, and D has to try to match up the capital and small letters to make a match), and singing some Easter songs. I'm really excited for Friday because we are watching HOP and eating bunny snacks (my Mom found some jelly belly jelly beans shaped like peas and carrots, I have carrots, a reece's pieces packet shaped in a carrot, and celery).
And my Dad is coming on Saturday! I haven't seen him since my grandfather's funeral 15 months ago. I took P with me to the funeral, and she turned 6 months old while we were there. The last time my Dad saw D was about 19 months ago. My Dad won't even know what to do with these grown up children! My Dad and KL are running the half marathon with me on Sunday, too. He heads back on Monday, and then he is coming down to Dallas in mid-April with my grandma. I can't wait for that visit, because they are coming for a full week. It's amazing how much you can miss your family! I just can't wait to show them how wonderful my kids are, because I gotta say...they are pretty amazing!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
An Angel Got Her Wings Today
My Mom has such an open and giving heart, and always cares so much for other people. Somehow - I'm not sure how exactly - she befriended a young military family; probably in the course of her work, but I'm not sure. This young family had a little girl who was very sick. Little Reagan just turned 3 about a month ago and is just about a month younger than my own son. My mom and step-dad visited Reagan at St.Jude's Hospital in Memphis right after Thanksgiving and gave her a Rock N Roll Elmo. Reagan loved Elmo and smiled so big when she received her gift. My Mom said she drug the bag with Elmo in it all over the hospital with a huge smile on her face. My Mom would always tell me stories about how she was doing and how her treatments were going. Although Reagan seemed happy, she had a lot on her plate for a 3 year old: she had cancer.
Last week Reagan's parents received the news that no parents want to hear: Reagan's cancer had grown despite several rounds of chemo and weeks of intense radiation. They were told that there was no further curative treatments for their daughter, and were told to go home and make their little girl comfortable. Reagan was given 2 weeks to a couple of months to live.
I had meant to write a post on here to remind people to pray for her; praying for her pain to be tolerable and for her days to be happy. I envisioned her family taking her to Disney, playing on the beach, saying goodbye to each other and filling their days with happy memories before little Reagan grew weak and unresponsive. That's what I would want for my own children: happy days until the end. But Reagan doesn't need our prayers anymore, and my vision of what Reagan's final days should have been like never came to be. Reagan died this afternoon in her Mommy's arms with her Daddy nearby.
So now, I ask that you hold your babies close. Kiss them. Even when they are driving you crazy or insane and you just want a moment alone. Be glad that they are here and healthy and able to drive you crazy. And pray. Pray for Reagan's parents. From what my mom tells me, they are young and going through a terrible tragedy. Pray that they can go through this together, and make their pain tolerable. Make it so that they can find comfort in one another and love each other and love God.
I never met Reagan. But I see her face in my own children. I watch D and P playing and just think about how much I never want them to hurt, and how much pain Reagan must have been in, and how enraging it must be as a parent to see your child hurting and not be able to stop it. My heart grieves for Reagan's parents, but as Reagan's mother put it - Reagan is no longer in pain, and that is something to be thankful for.
To read Reagan's story, you go here.
Last week Reagan's parents received the news that no parents want to hear: Reagan's cancer had grown despite several rounds of chemo and weeks of intense radiation. They were told that there was no further curative treatments for their daughter, and were told to go home and make their little girl comfortable. Reagan was given 2 weeks to a couple of months to live.
I had meant to write a post on here to remind people to pray for her; praying for her pain to be tolerable and for her days to be happy. I envisioned her family taking her to Disney, playing on the beach, saying goodbye to each other and filling their days with happy memories before little Reagan grew weak and unresponsive. That's what I would want for my own children: happy days until the end. But Reagan doesn't need our prayers anymore, and my vision of what Reagan's final days should have been like never came to be. Reagan died this afternoon in her Mommy's arms with her Daddy nearby.
So now, I ask that you hold your babies close. Kiss them. Even when they are driving you crazy or insane and you just want a moment alone. Be glad that they are here and healthy and able to drive you crazy. And pray. Pray for Reagan's parents. From what my mom tells me, they are young and going through a terrible tragedy. Pray that they can go through this together, and make their pain tolerable. Make it so that they can find comfort in one another and love each other and love God.
I never met Reagan. But I see her face in my own children. I watch D and P playing and just think about how much I never want them to hurt, and how much pain Reagan must have been in, and how enraging it must be as a parent to see your child hurting and not be able to stop it. My heart grieves for Reagan's parents, but as Reagan's mother put it - Reagan is no longer in pain, and that is something to be thankful for.
To read Reagan's story, you go here.
Busy Days
What a busy last couple of days! I can't believe that we have crammed so much stuff into just the last few days. Thursday after I got P up from her restless nap (well, it was more like she was in her room dumping buckets of plastic toy food all over her room and putting on her princess dresses. It was an awful messy nap!), and decided that we were just going. Getting out of the house in order to make Momma a little less crazy.
I know - they are cuties. Love these guys - we're ready to go on an adventure!
We started our fun at the St. Patrick's Day library cake walk. They had all kinds of characters there dressed up - P was a little terrified, but D was all about them! He even followed (aka stalked) the Dewey the Duck character in order to dance with the duck. It was really cute. He kept following him, and following him, dancing the whole time. Then at the end, he bonked the duck on the tail! Silly boy! The cake walk was pretty awesome - P won on the first go-round and we went inside the library and picked up a pretty awesome set of mini-cupcakes. The kids were completely stoked, and I was happy with the share-ability of the cupcakes (Momma needed some sugar!).
After our winning, we ventured on to Lofland Park over in Rockwall. We'd never been here, but it looked pretty cool so we decided to give it a shot. The main play structure is a train, so D immediately loved it. P had a little trouble because it was really built for older kids (and of course she HAD to do whatever big brother was doing!). The train play structure ended up having a nest of red wasps (another critter for me to loathe!) and the Park and Rec maintenance guys showed up to remove it, so we hightailed it over to the other little play area with a single slide, a jungle gym thing, and a carousel spinner thing (does this have a real name?). P totally biffed it off the end of the slide and got a mouthful of bark and some minor scratches on her face. She immediately got back up and went back down the slide. That girl LOVES the slide. D fell in love with the carousel thing and wanted to spin and spin and spin.
After that, it was ice cream at Braum's and then off to the gym for my 5 mile run (which went awesome!). We ended the day by discovering that on our adventures, we had lost P's beloved blankie. So, we spent the next hour tracking it down. Turns out she had put it in the gym's play area's toy fridge. Of all places?!?
Friday was a day spent with me finishing up a big work-from-home project and then my mom came to visit. Saturday morning we woke up somewhat early. The hubs and I had planned to go to the DMV and get our licenses, but they are closed on Saturdays (boo), so we decided to go out to lunch at a place called Hoolihans and then to see The Lorax movie. Lunch was phenomenal! I got a turkey wrap and a side salad. I was completely full and felt good about eating healthy. The movie was so cute and bright and colorful and spring-ish. And it made me want to go plant a tree. Or a bush. Or a flower. Or...something. Only I suck at watering plants, which is somewhat vital to their survival (so I've been told) so I knew better than to plant and then kill a cute little tree/bush/flower/thing.We also went shopping and bought the kids coordinating Easter outfits. Let me just tell you, my kids are going to be so flippin' cute!! 
And yes, my children are both trying to run away. Good thing I have the Mommy death grip or else we'd be in serious trouble! This was their second movie in a movie theater.
I totally botched the diet last night by getting some Chinese takeout (why oh why did I do that???). I haven't gone running since Thursday, and the way my kids are behaving has me thinking that it is not looking likely for today either. The hubs is currently outside playing soccer with D while the P sleeps. Hoping that D working off some energy and P having a nap will make them less of a handful, but I'm not being overly hopeful. They have been at each other all morning. Oh toddlers!!
P has a hacking cough that doesn't seem to be going away. She's had it for almost a week now too. I think we will take it easy the next few days and see if she feels any better. I bought some honey elixer/natural cough suppressant stuff and she has been taking that since yesterday. She looks a little better, but her behavior has gone downhill fast. Does that mean she's better?? She keeps saying her head hurts, too, so I've given her a little tylenol. I know sometimes when I cough a lot it gives me a headache big time. Hoping that it's just that and not a sinus infection. Guess if she's not better by next week, we'll be headed to the doctor.
Oh, and did I mention, this time next week, I will be recovering from a half marathon??!!?? Crazy days.
Happy St. Patty's Day! And yes, my kids look like zombies. I was trying to get them to sit nicely for a picture, so I turned on Bubble Guppies. Big mistake. They look like cute zombies :)
We started our fun at the St. Patrick's Day library cake walk. They had all kinds of characters there dressed up - P was a little terrified, but D was all about them! He even followed (aka stalked) the Dewey the Duck character in order to dance with the duck. It was really cute. He kept following him, and following him, dancing the whole time. Then at the end, he bonked the duck on the tail! Silly boy! The cake walk was pretty awesome - P won on the first go-round and we went inside the library and picked up a pretty awesome set of mini-cupcakes. The kids were completely stoked, and I was happy with the share-ability of the cupcakes (Momma needed some sugar!).
After our winning, we ventured on to Lofland Park over in Rockwall. We'd never been here, but it looked pretty cool so we decided to give it a shot. The main play structure is a train, so D immediately loved it. P had a little trouble because it was really built for older kids (and of course she HAD to do whatever big brother was doing!). The train play structure ended up having a nest of red wasps (another critter for me to loathe!) and the Park and Rec maintenance guys showed up to remove it, so we hightailed it over to the other little play area with a single slide, a jungle gym thing, and a carousel spinner thing (does this have a real name?). P totally biffed it off the end of the slide and got a mouthful of bark and some minor scratches on her face. She immediately got back up and went back down the slide. That girl LOVES the slide. D fell in love with the carousel thing and wanted to spin and spin and spin.
The P after she fell off the bottom of the slide.
After that, it was ice cream at Braum's and then off to the gym for my 5 mile run (which went awesome!). We ended the day by discovering that on our adventures, we had lost P's beloved blankie. So, we spent the next hour tracking it down. Turns out she had put it in the gym's play area's toy fridge. Of all places?!?
And yes, my children are both trying to run away. Good thing I have the Mommy death grip or else we'd be in serious trouble! This was their second movie in a movie theater.
I totally botched the diet last night by getting some Chinese takeout (why oh why did I do that???). I haven't gone running since Thursday, and the way my kids are behaving has me thinking that it is not looking likely for today either. The hubs is currently outside playing soccer with D while the P sleeps. Hoping that D working off some energy and P having a nap will make them less of a handful, but I'm not being overly hopeful. They have been at each other all morning. Oh toddlers!!
P has a hacking cough that doesn't seem to be going away. She's had it for almost a week now too. I think we will take it easy the next few days and see if she feels any better. I bought some honey elixer/natural cough suppressant stuff and she has been taking that since yesterday. She looks a little better, but her behavior has gone downhill fast. Does that mean she's better?? She keeps saying her head hurts, too, so I've given her a little tylenol. I know sometimes when I cough a lot it gives me a headache big time. Hoping that it's just that and not a sinus infection. Guess if she's not better by next week, we'll be headed to the doctor.
Oh, and did I mention, this time next week, I will be recovering from a half marathon??!!?? Crazy days.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Spring Ahead and Snooze
Anyone else still feeling completely groggy by the time change? I am in total snooze mode and can't seem to get over it. I'm currently on my second cup of coffee, and I started taking my B Vitamins again. Come on energy boost! And I know that exercise is supposed to wake you up, but I can't even make it to the gym, which makes it really hard to get that energy boost! Last night I went for a run (for the first time this week - yikes!), and was so late in getting to the gym, that after only 2.5 miles I had to stop running because it was 6:30 and I knew the kids would be starving by the time I made supper. I did feel slightly more awake after my little bit of exercise, but today I am back to being tired.
This morning, I got the kids in the car and was all ready to go, and realized that by the time I would get to the gym, there would only be about 20 minutes before the daycare area at the gym closed. FAIL. So, I got the kids out of their carseats and came back inside and did the Mommy Preschool lessons and had lunch. P doesn't seem to have really adjusted to the time change either, because she has had a horrible time taking her naps this week. Momma is not ready for TWO kids not taking naps! She is currently "resting" in her room while D watches the Smurfs movie. My plan is go to the gym at 4:30 today (when the afternoon daycare session opens) and run my heart out. Or until I reach 5 miles. Whichever comes first!
Despite my lack of energy, we have been keeping busy. We've done 3 days of Mommy Preschool, which D seems to have taken to really well. He has even started singing the little songs with me instead of me just singing to him, which is a plus. Yesterday, we took a little adventure with my meetup group to Jump Mania out in Plano. The kids had fun, but it was CRAZY busy. There were little kids everywhere, and it was just a little insane. It is spring break here, and I guess all the mommas had the same idea as us to let their kids get their energy out. For the three of us to go, it was only $10, which wasn't too bad. They had more than just jumping too - they had a couple of little kitchens with plastic food (which was really nice), some bean bag chairs and couches for mommas and daddies (with a big, flat screen TV playing HGTV - my fave channel!!), and some little red cars to ride in (which is where my kids spent the majority of their time). After that, we met my sister KL for lunch and then went for a playground trip where D had an accident and pooed in his boots (after he had *just* gone to the bathroom too!). It was an adventure for sure! Then after all that, we went to the gym. Maybe that is why I'm exhausted :)
Today, we are headed to the library for a St. Patrick's Day Cake Walk. There is supposed to be all sorts of characters there from local sports teams, the Chick-Fil-A cows, etc and of course, cake. I don't know if my kids will really get it, but I saw the word "cake" and new it was an activity meant for me! I just have to be careful to not eat too much cake - I am determined to be in the 160's by my birthday, and I have about two weeks to go, and two pounds to lose. I can do it IF I don't make bad decisions between now and then. Maybe we can win individually wrapped cupcakes! Portion control is where it's at. I better start getting ready, though, because at my snail's pace, I'm sure it will take me an hour to get ready.
This morning, I got the kids in the car and was all ready to go, and realized that by the time I would get to the gym, there would only be about 20 minutes before the daycare area at the gym closed. FAIL. So, I got the kids out of their carseats and came back inside and did the Mommy Preschool lessons and had lunch. P doesn't seem to have really adjusted to the time change either, because she has had a horrible time taking her naps this week. Momma is not ready for TWO kids not taking naps! She is currently "resting" in her room while D watches the Smurfs movie. My plan is go to the gym at 4:30 today (when the afternoon daycare session opens) and run my heart out. Or until I reach 5 miles. Whichever comes first!
Despite my lack of energy, we have been keeping busy. We've done 3 days of Mommy Preschool, which D seems to have taken to really well. He has even started singing the little songs with me instead of me just singing to him, which is a plus. Yesterday, we took a little adventure with my meetup group to Jump Mania out in Plano. The kids had fun, but it was CRAZY busy. There were little kids everywhere, and it was just a little insane. It is spring break here, and I guess all the mommas had the same idea as us to let their kids get their energy out. For the three of us to go, it was only $10, which wasn't too bad. They had more than just jumping too - they had a couple of little kitchens with plastic food (which was really nice), some bean bag chairs and couches for mommas and daddies (with a big, flat screen TV playing HGTV - my fave channel!!), and some little red cars to ride in (which is where my kids spent the majority of their time). After that, we met my sister KL for lunch and then went for a playground trip where D had an accident and pooed in his boots (after he had *just* gone to the bathroom too!). It was an adventure for sure! Then after all that, we went to the gym. Maybe that is why I'm exhausted :)
Today, we are headed to the library for a St. Patrick's Day Cake Walk. There is supposed to be all sorts of characters there from local sports teams, the Chick-Fil-A cows, etc and of course, cake. I don't know if my kids will really get it, but I saw the word "cake" and new it was an activity meant for me! I just have to be careful to not eat too much cake - I am determined to be in the 160's by my birthday, and I have about two weeks to go, and two pounds to lose. I can do it IF I don't make bad decisions between now and then. Maybe we can win individually wrapped cupcakes! Portion control is where it's at. I better start getting ready, though, because at my snail's pace, I'm sure it will take me an hour to get ready.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Preschool Pressure
As I'm meeting new people here in Texas, when they hear that D is 3 (his birthday is December 15), they ask what preschool he attends. I was caught off guard at first. When I was a kid, preschool started at 4. Plus, D will not be starting kindergarden until he is 5 and just a few months shy of turning 6. In my mind, he wouldn't be starting preschool until he was 4, about to turn 5. The more and more moms I meet, though, the more and more I hear that preschool can start in the 2-3 year old range now. In fact, it's quite common.
This has me alarmed on a number of levels, but mostly, I am concerned that D will now be "behind" his peers in school. And right now, we just simply cannot afford preschool. The state of our finances is a whole other post for sure, but the short and sweet of it is this: we are still adjusting to only having one income. I do work very part time for my company back in Spokane (about 10 hours a week), and that has been what we have been using for an "extras" during the month. And there is not an "extra" money left over for preschool, unfortunately.
So, I've begun scouring the internet for preschool activities that I can do with D, and adjust so that P is able to do them too. And I think I have THE site. The author of the site is a former first grade teacher that creates lesson plans to do with her son. The site is called Oopsey Daisy, and really it is just phenomenal! The lesson plans she creates come in a printable PDF packet and are easy to use. I did a half hour session with D this morning and he loved it. I decided we would start off with the St. Patrick's Day materials and use those for this week, and then move on to the Easter packet for the next few weeks. After that, cars and trucks and then insects (I have to work up to that one - hate bugs, but I know that any 3 year old BOY would love it!).
I'm really excited to be teaching D something new. I mentioned in a previous post that I really feel like I'm in survival mode, and I would really like to break out of that rut. I am, after all, staying home for a reason! I now have the time to provide this education to him - I would really like to seize the opportunity and help show him the world!
This has me alarmed on a number of levels, but mostly, I am concerned that D will now be "behind" his peers in school. And right now, we just simply cannot afford preschool. The state of our finances is a whole other post for sure, but the short and sweet of it is this: we are still adjusting to only having one income. I do work very part time for my company back in Spokane (about 10 hours a week), and that has been what we have been using for an "extras" during the month. And there is not an "extra" money left over for preschool, unfortunately.
So, I've begun scouring the internet for preschool activities that I can do with D, and adjust so that P is able to do them too. And I think I have THE site. The author of the site is a former first grade teacher that creates lesson plans to do with her son. The site is called Oopsey Daisy, and really it is just phenomenal! The lesson plans she creates come in a printable PDF packet and are easy to use. I did a half hour session with D this morning and he loved it. I decided we would start off with the St. Patrick's Day materials and use those for this week, and then move on to the Easter packet for the next few weeks. After that, cars and trucks and then insects (I have to work up to that one - hate bugs, but I know that any 3 year old BOY would love it!).
I'm really excited to be teaching D something new. I mentioned in a previous post that I really feel like I'm in survival mode, and I would really like to break out of that rut. I am, after all, staying home for a reason! I now have the time to provide this education to him - I would really like to seize the opportunity and help show him the world!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Critters and Weight Loss
It is a beautiful day here in Texas - I am so blessed to be living in a state with warm weather in early March! Right now, at 2:30pm, at my house it is 73*F. In my hometown of Spokane, WA, it is only 42*F. I love being able to go out and play in the sunshine, and the kids really love it. I love it when they come inside after playing and they just *smell* like sunshine. I'm sure it is only a combination of sunscreen and sweat, but it just reminds me of summer and it makes my heart happy. It is very different than Spokane, where I have seen it snow into June! I guess the only thing I am not liking about the warm weather is the abundance of "critters" that have sprung up recently. Right now my house is plagued by two critters that I could really do without. One is a crane fly, and the other ants.
A crane fly (that's the technical term, I've always called them Skeeter Eaters) look like a Daddy Long Legs with wings. Can you say CREEPY??? I've only had one inside the house, but they cling to my car and flutter around in my garage and outside, they are everywhere. And they fly like they are drunk - bumping into everything and everyone. D is a little terrified of them and yells outs, "Squish it Mom!" when they get too close. Oh, and they don't even EAT mosquitoes so I don't know why they are called Skeeter Eaters...
My other bug nemesis right now is the ant. At least I am plagued with black ants rather than red ants. Anyone ever been bit by one of those things? Ouch!! Since moving into our rental house in late November, I've found ants in the guest bathroom (don't really know why they are visiting that particular room - nothing in there!), my bedroom (had one ON my bed. Barf!), and in the kitchen. In the kitchen, they want to crawl into my recycling bin...which makes me want to stop recycling immediately! I think the better course of action is to just buy a small trash can with a lid to use as my recycling bin, but I hate bugs, and the *thought* of them in my kitchen is just too disgusting for words. Every couple of hours I bleach the crud out of the floor near the recycling can and the window, which is where I am thinking they must be getting in. I've always heard that ants secrete an enzyme that helps them find their way to and from food sources, so I'm hoping the bleach wipes it all out. Ick!
In other, happier, less creepy-crawly, news, I just completed week 3 on weight watchers. I weighed in today and have lost 5.8 pounds total in the three weeks! At the gym on Saturday, I measured my body fat percentage, and had lost 1.5% body fat. Woo-hoo! Go me :) It may not sound like much, but losing body fat is really hard to do, so I am quite pleased with losing that high of a percentage over only a month's time. I have also lost 3.5 inches in the last month from around various parts of my body (measuring arm/bicep, thigh, waist, chest, hips, and calf). I am really trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and body fat %. After I had D, I lost 60 pounds (40 pregnancy pounds, plus 20 additional pounds), and reduced my body fat % by quite a bit. I was at my personal best when I found I was pregnant with P.
I found out I was pregnant with P when I tried to get birth control, and lo and behold, I was already pregnant (breastfeeding is not birth control!). I had some bleeding early on, so my doctor ordered an ultrasound. I had my ultrasound on Halloween 2009, and the following Monday, my doctor called to tell me that it appeared that I was losing the baby. On the ultrasound, they could see an embryonic sac, but they saw no fetal pole or heartbeat. I was told to prepare for the worst, and that it looked like I had a blighted ovum and not a true pregnancy. I remember bursting into tears, and I was driving, and it was just awful. I had to work that night, and I had never been SO glad that no one showed up to one of my events. I was beside myself. Mostly because the husband and I had been so surprised by the news that I was pregnant, and the shock that I had conceived when my son was only 9 months old, that I had some deep regret that I was pregnant. And now, it looked like I was losing my baby, and I wondered if I was being punished for not loving this gift immediately. After blood work to show that my numbers were doubling, and two more ultrasounds, we finally saw a fetal pole and a heartbeat. I cried and felt like a fierce momma bear - wanting to protect my little cub in any way I could. I still do - I always am trying to make sure P knows just how loved she is. Unplanned is NOT unloved!!
During that 3-4 weeks of ultrasounds and the unknown, though, I gained about 15 pounds. I think I have mentioned before that I am a stress eater, and the thought of losing my baby was the most stressful thing I could imagine. My eating habits didn't change much, though, after we found little P in the womb. I gained a total of 50 pounds. And that 50 pounds didn't come off as easily as it had with D. I am still, in fact, holding onto some baby weight. But, I am on the right track now, with running and eating right. I will lose this weight!
A crane fly (that's the technical term, I've always called them Skeeter Eaters) look like a Daddy Long Legs with wings. Can you say CREEPY??? I've only had one inside the house, but they cling to my car and flutter around in my garage and outside, they are everywhere. And they fly like they are drunk - bumping into everything and everyone. D is a little terrified of them and yells outs, "Squish it Mom!" when they get too close. Oh, and they don't even EAT mosquitoes so I don't know why they are called Skeeter Eaters...
My other bug nemesis right now is the ant. At least I am plagued with black ants rather than red ants. Anyone ever been bit by one of those things? Ouch!! Since moving into our rental house in late November, I've found ants in the guest bathroom (don't really know why they are visiting that particular room - nothing in there!), my bedroom (had one ON my bed. Barf!), and in the kitchen. In the kitchen, they want to crawl into my recycling bin...which makes me want to stop recycling immediately! I think the better course of action is to just buy a small trash can with a lid to use as my recycling bin, but I hate bugs, and the *thought* of them in my kitchen is just too disgusting for words. Every couple of hours I bleach the crud out of the floor near the recycling can and the window, which is where I am thinking they must be getting in. I've always heard that ants secrete an enzyme that helps them find their way to and from food sources, so I'm hoping the bleach wipes it all out. Ick!
In other, happier, less creepy-crawly, news, I just completed week 3 on weight watchers. I weighed in today and have lost 5.8 pounds total in the three weeks! At the gym on Saturday, I measured my body fat percentage, and had lost 1.5% body fat. Woo-hoo! Go me :) It may not sound like much, but losing body fat is really hard to do, so I am quite pleased with losing that high of a percentage over only a month's time. I have also lost 3.5 inches in the last month from around various parts of my body (measuring arm/bicep, thigh, waist, chest, hips, and calf). I am really trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and body fat %. After I had D, I lost 60 pounds (40 pregnancy pounds, plus 20 additional pounds), and reduced my body fat % by quite a bit. I was at my personal best when I found I was pregnant with P.
I found out I was pregnant with P when I tried to get birth control, and lo and behold, I was already pregnant (breastfeeding is not birth control!). I had some bleeding early on, so my doctor ordered an ultrasound. I had my ultrasound on Halloween 2009, and the following Monday, my doctor called to tell me that it appeared that I was losing the baby. On the ultrasound, they could see an embryonic sac, but they saw no fetal pole or heartbeat. I was told to prepare for the worst, and that it looked like I had a blighted ovum and not a true pregnancy. I remember bursting into tears, and I was driving, and it was just awful. I had to work that night, and I had never been SO glad that no one showed up to one of my events. I was beside myself. Mostly because the husband and I had been so surprised by the news that I was pregnant, and the shock that I had conceived when my son was only 9 months old, that I had some deep regret that I was pregnant. And now, it looked like I was losing my baby, and I wondered if I was being punished for not loving this gift immediately. After blood work to show that my numbers were doubling, and two more ultrasounds, we finally saw a fetal pole and a heartbeat. I cried and felt like a fierce momma bear - wanting to protect my little cub in any way I could. I still do - I always am trying to make sure P knows just how loved she is. Unplanned is NOT unloved!!
During that 3-4 weeks of ultrasounds and the unknown, though, I gained about 15 pounds. I think I have mentioned before that I am a stress eater, and the thought of losing my baby was the most stressful thing I could imagine. My eating habits didn't change much, though, after we found little P in the womb. I gained a total of 50 pounds. And that 50 pounds didn't come off as easily as it had with D. I am still, in fact, holding onto some baby weight. But, I am on the right track now, with running and eating right. I will lose this weight!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
9 miles
Last Sunday, when I was working over at my sister's house without the kiddos' constant distractions, we took a little break and went to a running store called Run On. KL needed some new running shoes - well, she needed running shoes in general as the shoes she had been running on were cute, but not really meant for running - and I wanted some sports nutrition. We both left with a little more than we had intended, but our extra purchases were so worth it! I bought my first pair of compression sleeves - Zensah hot pink calf sleeves. They were $39.99, which seems to be a few bucks less than a lot of other brands I've heard of. I also walked out with a variety of sports nutrition gels to try out as well. KL got new shoes, running socks, and sports nutrition as well.
I was really excited to try all my running gear out. I felt like a "real" runner - even if hot pink calf sleeves are the opposite of sexy. Especially when paired with capris and a green t-shirt, which is what I did yesterday when I went for my long run. I'm sure the ladies at my gym thought I was a weird-o with no fashion sense. I might have looked like a fool, but my run was amazing. I did my 9 mile long run for my half marathon training, which is QUICKLY approaching! I had been kind of dreading it all week long because of a little running funk I had been in recently. I think part of the reason that I didn't really want to do my long run was because when I did my 8 mile run, my legs HURT. For days afterwards hurt. It was not particularly pleasant, and I was really not wanting to go through the pain again. However, now I had my new compression sleeves and the gooey goodness of the gel sports nutrition to get me through.
And get me through they did! I took/ate/drank a goo packet about 10 minutes before I started running, and took another one about one hour into my run. I have to say, I was a *little* skeptical of sports nutrition. I wasn't sure if it was really important, or just a gimmick to make you buy something that you didn't really need. I'm here to tell you, that salty goodness was worth it. I was really trying to get all 9 miles in before I had to get the kids out of the gym daycare (they have a 2 hour time limit), and with my speed, I knew I was going to be pushing it to finish it and get a cool down in. So I had been running at a little faster pace than was my norm. With the goo, though, I was able to make it through and not feel like I was going to pass out. Which is always a bonus!
I had put my calf sleeves on before I started running, and left them on for about 4 hours afterwards. I love them. I will now religiously wear them for my long runs, regardless of how silly I look in them! Throughout the run, my legs felt nice and strong. After the race, the compression did something miraculous to my legs. That's the only way to describe it because today, I feel no pain. None! If you've been thinking about getting compression gear, stop thinking about it and just go do it. Seriously, it made a huge difference. The one complaint I have about compression sleeves (and this is in general, not just relating to the pair that I bought) is that there is no information on how long you are supposed to wear them for to receive the maximum benefit. Reading some blogs, I gathered that some people leave them on overnight, but I don't know if that is what you are supposed to do. I figured 4 hours was a decent amount of time, and I don't feel any pain today so I guess that was a good time limit. Maybe it's supposed to be subjective??
Running has been a learning process. And not just learning about gear. I'm also learning about my body, how my body (and mind!) reacts to short vs. distance runs, how those first 3 miles are HELL until my runner's high starts kicking in and I get into a good rhythm, and how at peace or zen I feel after a fun. Running is so much more to me than just getting in shape and looking good. It is my "me" time, my time to test myself and my strength, to reflect on the day or just focus all of my thoughts and energy into getting to the next mile. I love it. Love, love, love it!!
I was really excited to try all my running gear out. I felt like a "real" runner - even if hot pink calf sleeves are the opposite of sexy. Especially when paired with capris and a green t-shirt, which is what I did yesterday when I went for my long run. I'm sure the ladies at my gym thought I was a weird-o with no fashion sense. I might have looked like a fool, but my run was amazing. I did my 9 mile long run for my half marathon training, which is QUICKLY approaching! I had been kind of dreading it all week long because of a little running funk I had been in recently. I think part of the reason that I didn't really want to do my long run was because when I did my 8 mile run, my legs HURT. For days afterwards hurt. It was not particularly pleasant, and I was really not wanting to go through the pain again. However, now I had my new compression sleeves and the gooey goodness of the gel sports nutrition to get me through.
And get me through they did! I took/ate/drank a goo packet about 10 minutes before I started running, and took another one about one hour into my run. I have to say, I was a *little* skeptical of sports nutrition. I wasn't sure if it was really important, or just a gimmick to make you buy something that you didn't really need. I'm here to tell you, that salty goodness was worth it. I was really trying to get all 9 miles in before I had to get the kids out of the gym daycare (they have a 2 hour time limit), and with my speed, I knew I was going to be pushing it to finish it and get a cool down in. So I had been running at a little faster pace than was my norm. With the goo, though, I was able to make it through and not feel like I was going to pass out. Which is always a bonus!
I had put my calf sleeves on before I started running, and left them on for about 4 hours afterwards. I love them. I will now religiously wear them for my long runs, regardless of how silly I look in them! Throughout the run, my legs felt nice and strong. After the race, the compression did something miraculous to my legs. That's the only way to describe it because today, I feel no pain. None! If you've been thinking about getting compression gear, stop thinking about it and just go do it. Seriously, it made a huge difference. The one complaint I have about compression sleeves (and this is in general, not just relating to the pair that I bought) is that there is no information on how long you are supposed to wear them for to receive the maximum benefit. Reading some blogs, I gathered that some people leave them on overnight, but I don't know if that is what you are supposed to do. I figured 4 hours was a decent amount of time, and I don't feel any pain today so I guess that was a good time limit. Maybe it's supposed to be subjective??
Running has been a learning process. And not just learning about gear. I'm also learning about my body, how my body (and mind!) reacts to short vs. distance runs, how those first 3 miles are HELL until my runner's high starts kicking in and I get into a good rhythm, and how at peace or zen I feel after a fun. Running is so much more to me than just getting in shape and looking good. It is my "me" time, my time to test myself and my strength, to reflect on the day or just focus all of my thoughts and energy into getting to the next mile. I love it. Love, love, love it!!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Survival Mode
When my little darlings, D and P, entered the world, I was completely smitten with providing them with everything I could to make their upbringing the best that I possibly could. I breast-fed, read books to them, oohed and awwed appropriately, and relished their warm body snuggles when they fell asleep in my arms. Seriously, D didn't lay down for a nap until he was probably 2 months old and I went back to work and the husband was a work from home Dad. I loved holding him while he slept, even if that meant not washing the dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, or folding laundry. I mean, really, who would choose house cleaning over baby cuddling??
My husband saw it all in a different light. He saw the first 3 or 4 months of our children's lives as survival mode. As in, we are responsible for keeping the kid alive; survival. He hated that their necks wobbled and couldn't support their giant heads, the fact that we were constantly changing diapers, nursing the baby, etc. I don't know if he truly connected with the kids at this time, because he felt more like a caretaker and didn't experience that "rush" of love and instantaneous infatuation with all things baby. I'm not saying that my husband didn't love our kids (he's a really great dad!), but I think it was just different than what he expected. More like a survivor mode than this magical destination called parenthood.
Today, when I walked in on my now 3 year old son, D, coloring the kitchen floor with a crayon in one hand and a pencil in the other, I thought of my husband's feelings of survival mode. Sometimes that is what I feel like I am in as a stay at home mom. When I worked full time, I was in this constant battle with myself and my guilt of not staying home with my kids. I had visions of me and the kids going to story time at the library, play dates with other mommies and their littles, taking D and P on half day excursions and visiting Daddy at work. And of course, D would learn to read and write by 4, and P would soon follow in her big brother's footsteps. Reality of being a stay at home mom is a stark contrast to what I thought it would be.
While I might go to story time at the library, play dates with other mommies and their littles, etc, my kids are not the obedient, docile children of my daydreams. Reality is my kids deciding that running laps in the library is WAY more fun than listening to a lady with an admittedly creepy puppet reading stories and singing songs. Reality is D running half a mile into a field while we are supposed to be meeting and playing with other kids at the playground. Reality is also me feeling so completely exhausted and defeated with keeping my kids from fighting, fed, diapered, and potty trained, that I haven't really spent time teaching them anything. I am simply surviving the day. And it's hard. Really hard.
Being a stay at home mom is not all rainbows and butterflies. When I worked full time, I told myself that I was being a strong role model for my children by showing them how I worked my way through college, grad school, and up the corporate ladder until I was in management (making it to a management position was actually my 5 year goal and I did it in 3.5 years. boo-yah!). I didn't feel that being a stay at home mom was really an example that I wanted to set. I mean, here I was, responsible for entire programs, for budgets, for my staff, statewide health planning and implementation, putting out "fires" and improving health outcomes for communities - how could that possibly compare to staying home with two toddlers? Ha! Now I just hope that my kids realize the hardships, the sacrifices, the COURAGE it takes to be a stay at home mom in a society that identifies a person's worth by the job that he or she does - and often believes that stay at home moms are an antiquated concept that should have gone the way of the Dodo bird once women were accepted into the workplace.
Being a stay at home mom takes perseverance, persistence, and patience. It takes a mom who is able to navigate the hardships of the day; to manage; to triage situations and decide what is necessary and what it is non-essential; to survive. A mom who might be at her wit's end with her son and daughter, but completely melts when her little boy calls his sister his best friend and hugs her (even if his hug resembles a headlock).
In the end, maybe I am just surviving. Maybe I'm taking it one day at a time. Maybe it's the repetition that has made it feel this way. Whatever the reason, I am happy to be surviving my stay at home momness. I would rather stay at home and put out fires (literal and figurative!) between two toddlers than work in the corporate world and put out fires between employees. And who knows, maybe my survival mode will disappear once I have grown and evolved into my awesome mommy self. Maybe stay-at-home moms follow Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and eventually reach self-actualization. I've only been a stay at home mom for about 4 months now. Maybe my "neck" will learn to support my "giant head" and I'll be more confident, more skilled, knowledgeable and agile; able to not only survive but THRIVE during the day.
My husband saw it all in a different light. He saw the first 3 or 4 months of our children's lives as survival mode. As in, we are responsible for keeping the kid alive; survival. He hated that their necks wobbled and couldn't support their giant heads, the fact that we were constantly changing diapers, nursing the baby, etc. I don't know if he truly connected with the kids at this time, because he felt more like a caretaker and didn't experience that "rush" of love and instantaneous infatuation with all things baby. I'm not saying that my husband didn't love our kids (he's a really great dad!), but I think it was just different than what he expected. More like a survivor mode than this magical destination called parenthood.
Today, when I walked in on my now 3 year old son, D, coloring the kitchen floor with a crayon in one hand and a pencil in the other, I thought of my husband's feelings of survival mode. Sometimes that is what I feel like I am in as a stay at home mom. When I worked full time, I was in this constant battle with myself and my guilt of not staying home with my kids. I had visions of me and the kids going to story time at the library, play dates with other mommies and their littles, taking D and P on half day excursions and visiting Daddy at work. And of course, D would learn to read and write by 4, and P would soon follow in her big brother's footsteps. Reality of being a stay at home mom is a stark contrast to what I thought it would be.
While I might go to story time at the library, play dates with other mommies and their littles, etc, my kids are not the obedient, docile children of my daydreams. Reality is my kids deciding that running laps in the library is WAY more fun than listening to a lady with an admittedly creepy puppet reading stories and singing songs. Reality is D running half a mile into a field while we are supposed to be meeting and playing with other kids at the playground. Reality is also me feeling so completely exhausted and defeated with keeping my kids from fighting, fed, diapered, and potty trained, that I haven't really spent time teaching them anything. I am simply surviving the day. And it's hard. Really hard.
Being a stay at home mom is not all rainbows and butterflies. When I worked full time, I told myself that I was being a strong role model for my children by showing them how I worked my way through college, grad school, and up the corporate ladder until I was in management (making it to a management position was actually my 5 year goal and I did it in 3.5 years. boo-yah!). I didn't feel that being a stay at home mom was really an example that I wanted to set. I mean, here I was, responsible for entire programs, for budgets, for my staff, statewide health planning and implementation, putting out "fires" and improving health outcomes for communities - how could that possibly compare to staying home with two toddlers? Ha! Now I just hope that my kids realize the hardships, the sacrifices, the COURAGE it takes to be a stay at home mom in a society that identifies a person's worth by the job that he or she does - and often believes that stay at home moms are an antiquated concept that should have gone the way of the Dodo bird once women were accepted into the workplace.
Being a stay at home mom takes perseverance, persistence, and patience. It takes a mom who is able to navigate the hardships of the day; to manage; to triage situations and decide what is necessary and what it is non-essential; to survive. A mom who might be at her wit's end with her son and daughter, but completely melts when her little boy calls his sister his best friend and hugs her (even if his hug resembles a headlock).
In the end, maybe I am just surviving. Maybe I'm taking it one day at a time. Maybe it's the repetition that has made it feel this way. Whatever the reason, I am happy to be surviving my stay at home momness. I would rather stay at home and put out fires (literal and figurative!) between two toddlers than work in the corporate world and put out fires between employees. And who knows, maybe my survival mode will disappear once I have grown and evolved into my awesome mommy self. Maybe stay-at-home moms follow Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and eventually reach self-actualization. I've only been a stay at home mom for about 4 months now. Maybe my "neck" will learn to support my "giant head" and I'll be more confident, more skilled, knowledgeable and agile; able to not only survive but THRIVE during the day.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Work It Out Wednesday
Last May (2011), I ran my first half-marathon. I was able to "run" the whole thing and felt like a complete rock star when I finished. Tired as I was, I still had enough endorphins pumping through my body to go out dancing later that night. In 3 inch heels. Like I said, rock star.
About two weeks after that, my sister came and visited me in Spokane and I slacked off on running. Her visit was followed by a visit from my in-laws, which was followed by a visit from my mom, which was followed by news that the husband would be losing his job. Needless to say, my running stopped, my stress level rose pretty darn high, and my stress induced indulgences sky-rocketed. In short, I gained 20 pounds from the end of May 2011 until we moved to Dallas in late November 2011. In six months, I gained 20 pounds, lost my strength, and gained about 6% body fat. I felt like one unhealthy momma, on many levels.
My self-talk was pretty horrible too. I saw a quote on pinterest the other day, "If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?" Isn't that true? When we moved to Texas, I felt pretty horrible about myself - I've got to admit. I don't know if I would have been my friend. But, really, who wants to be friends with someone who constantly puts themselves down?
Remembering how I felt when I was a runner (and that runner's high! <3), I decided to join a gym. I'm sure I could have just run outside, but a 1 year old and a then-2 year old were not my ideal running partners. And my little side-kicks were not going anywhere. That is why a gym works for me: childcare! I can sweat it out (and believe me, I do sweat like a crazy person. Like I just got drenched with a super soaker. It's pretty gross.), and D and P can run and play in the childcare area.
Following the lead of one of my junior high BFF's, I decided to register for a race every month in 2012; as a dedication to getting fit and getting back into running. In January, I did a MLK 5k pushing the kiddos in a stroller on one of the most humid January days I've ever experienced. You can be sure that I was extra sweaty after that one! In February, I did an adventure race: the Zombi Race (and yes, I left the 'e' off of zombie intentionally). It was approximately 5 - 7 miles and had zombies who would chase you as you tried to find clues to create a 'zombie survival pack.' It was fun, and I did it with my mom, sister, and one of my sister's friends, so that was fun too. I'm doing my first half-marathon, the Rock N' Roll Dallas, on March 25. My Dad and sister (did I mention that KL is really my step-sister....well, to be technical, ex-step-sister?) are doing that one with me. It's only like 2.5 weeks away!
I've been training since I joined my gym back in December. I cannot run 13.1 miles, though. I can barely run 3. But, with a combo of running and walking, I am hoping to complete this half marathon in about 3 hours (a half hour behind my previous half-marathon timing). I am following the Hal Higdon Novice Training Program, and am supposed to be doing 9 miles this week. That's a lot! To get me through it, I have started using sports nutrition. At my last half, I used gels, gummies, HEED, and stingers on race day having never used them before. Everyone told me that having done that was pretty dangerous because some people get sick to their stomachs the first time or two they use sports nutrition. Woops! This time, I decided to add them in a little earlier. I am trying out a couple of different products to see what works best and does't taste disgusting. I have tried one that had a God-awful after taste. For reals, I thought I was going to get sick. But, the good news is, I tried them BEFORE the race, so I know what will make me want to vomit now rather than in the middle of 13.1 miles (and thousands of people). I'm hoping to do a little product review here shortly, when I have tried a few more flavors/brands.
Today, I ran 6.5 miles in 91 minutes. It was incredibly hard to do. I was completely unmotivated and for the first 2 miles, you would have sworn I was a man with a cold (is it just me, or does every man seem to act like the BIGGEST baby when they get a cold??!!??). I was whining (in my head, not out loud. That would have been weird), and my legs hurt, and...okay, wait. I'm starting to whine again! Anywho, after I got through the first two miles, I made it to 3, then 4, and then my motivation completely left and I had to do a S-L-O-W mile where I just convinced myself that I would be proud of myself when I got to 5. All I had to do was get to 5. When I got to 5 though, a really good song was playing, so I upped the speed and ran for 1 mile to make it to 6 miles. Then I just wanted to show myself I could do it, so I did another another half mile. And I was right, I did feel pretty proud. On a day when I felt like calling it quits at mile 1, I didn't give up. I did 6.5 miles. Rock Star. Now I can't wait for tomorrow's run!
About two weeks after that, my sister came and visited me in Spokane and I slacked off on running. Her visit was followed by a visit from my in-laws, which was followed by a visit from my mom, which was followed by news that the husband would be losing his job. Needless to say, my running stopped, my stress level rose pretty darn high, and my stress induced indulgences sky-rocketed. In short, I gained 20 pounds from the end of May 2011 until we moved to Dallas in late November 2011. In six months, I gained 20 pounds, lost my strength, and gained about 6% body fat. I felt like one unhealthy momma, on many levels.
My self-talk was pretty horrible too. I saw a quote on pinterest the other day, "If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?" Isn't that true? When we moved to Texas, I felt pretty horrible about myself - I've got to admit. I don't know if I would have been my friend. But, really, who wants to be friends with someone who constantly puts themselves down?
Remembering how I felt when I was a runner (and that runner's high! <3), I decided to join a gym. I'm sure I could have just run outside, but a 1 year old and a then-2 year old were not my ideal running partners. And my little side-kicks were not going anywhere. That is why a gym works for me: childcare! I can sweat it out (and believe me, I do sweat like a crazy person. Like I just got drenched with a super soaker. It's pretty gross.), and D and P can run and play in the childcare area.
Following the lead of one of my junior high BFF's, I decided to register for a race every month in 2012; as a dedication to getting fit and getting back into running. In January, I did a MLK 5k pushing the kiddos in a stroller on one of the most humid January days I've ever experienced. You can be sure that I was extra sweaty after that one! In February, I did an adventure race: the Zombi Race (and yes, I left the 'e' off of zombie intentionally). It was approximately 5 - 7 miles and had zombies who would chase you as you tried to find clues to create a 'zombie survival pack.' It was fun, and I did it with my mom, sister, and one of my sister's friends, so that was fun too. I'm doing my first half-marathon, the Rock N' Roll Dallas, on March 25. My Dad and sister (did I mention that KL is really my step-sister....well, to be technical, ex-step-sister?) are doing that one with me. It's only like 2.5 weeks away!
I've been training since I joined my gym back in December. I cannot run 13.1 miles, though. I can barely run 3. But, with a combo of running and walking, I am hoping to complete this half marathon in about 3 hours (a half hour behind my previous half-marathon timing). I am following the Hal Higdon Novice Training Program, and am supposed to be doing 9 miles this week. That's a lot! To get me through it, I have started using sports nutrition. At my last half, I used gels, gummies, HEED, and stingers on race day having never used them before. Everyone told me that having done that was pretty dangerous because some people get sick to their stomachs the first time or two they use sports nutrition. Woops! This time, I decided to add them in a little earlier. I am trying out a couple of different products to see what works best and does't taste disgusting. I have tried one that had a God-awful after taste. For reals, I thought I was going to get sick. But, the good news is, I tried them BEFORE the race, so I know what will make me want to vomit now rather than in the middle of 13.1 miles (and thousands of people). I'm hoping to do a little product review here shortly, when I have tried a few more flavors/brands.
Today, I ran 6.5 miles in 91 minutes. It was incredibly hard to do. I was completely unmotivated and for the first 2 miles, you would have sworn I was a man with a cold (is it just me, or does every man seem to act like the BIGGEST baby when they get a cold??!!??). I was whining (in my head, not out loud. That would have been weird), and my legs hurt, and...okay, wait. I'm starting to whine again! Anywho, after I got through the first two miles, I made it to 3, then 4, and then my motivation completely left and I had to do a S-L-O-W mile where I just convinced myself that I would be proud of myself when I got to 5. All I had to do was get to 5. When I got to 5 though, a really good song was playing, so I upped the speed and ran for 1 mile to make it to 6 miles. Then I just wanted to show myself I could do it, so I did another another half mile. And I was right, I did feel pretty proud. On a day when I felt like calling it quits at mile 1, I didn't give up. I did 6.5 miles. Rock Star. Now I can't wait for tomorrow's run!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Making Friends
I grew up a military brat. People were always coming and going out of my life; either my family was moving, or my friends' family was relocating to a different base. I always relied on school to meet new friends, and when I got older and graduated from high school, college, and then grad school, I met friends through work. But now, as a stay at home mom, I find myself grasping at straws. How do you meet people?
I tried going to the public library for story time to meet other moms, but my kids arevery, very a little rambunctious, so that that was a fail. There was one mom I talked to for a little bit, but I convinced her to let her almost 2 year old go into the play structure at Chik-Fil-A. Of course, the kid got stuck, and she did not react very well. I haven't been back since. It was more than a little disheartening. I remember leaving and feeling like I had ruined - RUINED - my ONLY chance at friendship.
Making friends is hard when you know NO ONE. It really is. It can be demoralizing and degrading and leaves you feeling like a 10 year old waiting to be picked for the dodgeball team in PE. I want to play it cool, but inside I'm screaming, "Pick me! Pick me! I'm fun!"
So, I'm trying to be brave. I'm doing things I never thought I would do. I'm meeting complete strangers. I went online to meetup.com and found a group that sounds like it might work for me. I've gone to two meetups, and while the ladies there are not yet my BFF's, I know we are all in the same boat. We are all looking for friends, and we're not necessarily weird or hear voices in our heads or anything crazy like that. We are just lonely. We are looking for companionship. We want our young kiddos to have friends and play dates and grow up strong and confident and loved. Is there anything better than that?
I'm also going out for playdates with some of my husband's co-workers who also have kids around my son D's age. One kiddo even sounds like he has as much energy as D does (which is a lot!).
I'm hoping that by being brave, taking chances, and believing that every day has a new possibility, I'll be able to make some good friends - friends that I can laugh with, cry with, drink a bottle (or two!) of wine with. I miss being connected. I miss grabbing coffee with my BFF back in Spokane every morning at work. I miss the routine of my previous life and having a reason (really, a responsibility) to get up and take a shower and do my hair and make up every day. I know that will come with time, but until then, I'm off to make some friends.
I tried going to the public library for story time to meet other moms, but my kids are
Making friends is hard when you know NO ONE. It really is. It can be demoralizing and degrading and leaves you feeling like a 10 year old waiting to be picked for the dodgeball team in PE. I want to play it cool, but inside I'm screaming, "Pick me! Pick me! I'm fun!"
So, I'm trying to be brave. I'm doing things I never thought I would do. I'm meeting complete strangers. I went online to meetup.com and found a group that sounds like it might work for me. I've gone to two meetups, and while the ladies there are not yet my BFF's, I know we are all in the same boat. We are all looking for friends, and we're not necessarily weird or hear voices in our heads or anything crazy like that. We are just lonely. We are looking for companionship. We want our young kiddos to have friends and play dates and grow up strong and confident and loved. Is there anything better than that?
I'm also going out for playdates with some of my husband's co-workers who also have kids around my son D's age. One kiddo even sounds like he has as much energy as D does (which is a lot!).
I'm hoping that by being brave, taking chances, and believing that every day has a new possibility, I'll be able to make some good friends - friends that I can laugh with, cry with, drink a bottle (or two!) of wine with. I miss being connected. I miss grabbing coffee with my BFF back in Spokane every morning at work. I miss the routine of my previous life and having a reason (really, a responsibility) to get up and take a shower and do my hair and make up every day. I know that will come with time, but until then, I'm off to make some friends.
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