It's been a pretty uneventful week here in Mommy/Wife/Runner Land.
1) I am looking forward to picking up our race packets tomorrow, visiting the race expo Saturday, and finally on Sunday- THE BIG DAY. I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am actually running 13.1 miles, and it's even more mind-boggling that I am excited about it!! Jacob wants to try to finish in 2.5 hours. I think he is insane, but I will push for it and I know he will do what he can to make it a reality too.
1) My Sparkle Skirt arrived yesterday. It is just as cute in person as it is in pictures. I would take a picture of it myself to post on here, but it looks gigantic so I won't. (Fantasia's dancing hippos come to mind.) I'll be sure to have some pictures of it on me next week though, so stay tuned for that. I can't wait until my clothes stop looking so huge. I just keep reminding myself that this is why I'm doing all this work. My jeans are getting baggier on me every day. Not flattering in the least, but I'm cheap and want to wait until they are practically falling off of me before I buy new ones. Almost there.
3) I love watching The Biggest Loser. My husband doesn't like how we both get sucked into it and then wind up not working out because we're watching the dang show and then we wind up staying up late, too. So I record it. I watched it this morning and wowie zowie. Who the heck loses 41 lbs? Even in two weeks, which is what I think they said. I am amazed. I think they are recording the show differently this year because it really shows what goes on in the gym. Every other year has shown more of the stories behind the people and this one seemed to focus on the intensity of the workouts and the trainers. Maybe too many people come on to the show thinking that it's going to be a piece of cake because it is depicted a certain way on the telecast. I don't think they will have that problem any more. Makes me see my "mean" coach husband in a whole new light. He is nowhere near as bad as those two. But then on the other hand...they're pushing through barriers that they never would if it weren't for the trainers so they should be thanking them. You never know what you can accomplish until you are pushed to do so. Anyway, so this morning I was doing my little situp routine and my 2 year old is watching me telling me, "go, go, go" and counting for me. Very cute, we're raising a little mini trainer!
That's all for today....I probably won't post again until after Sunday. Wish us luck!!
2)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Counting down....
In less than ONE WEEK, I will be running 13.1 miles. For fun. Am I crazy? I think I might be. Last year, Jacob couldn't drag me out the door to run 2 miles, yet here I am, excited as can be for this great experience. Sooo...this past weekend we went to Grand Lodge. It too, was a great experience. We departed on Friday after seriously altering the day's plans. Jacob was supposed to ride down with his buddy Brian and I was supposed to drive down later in the day after Brian's wife got off of work. She got off of work early, so I had to pack in four hours worth of last-minute preparations into one hour so that Jacob could make it to Frisco on time for his meeting. It was kind of hectic, and we wound up being late anyway, but oh well. I didn't forget anything. Wooohoo!! Although, close call....I realized right before packing my bag in the car that I didn't pack myself any underwear. Yikes! Off to Friso we go, where we stay at the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. I have never experienced valet parking or concierge service or anything like that. To be honest with you, I've never stayed in a hotel that has a mini-bar in the room. Naturally, I touched the containers of macadamia nuts and Red Bulls which signal magnetically that they have been removed and so we had $11 worth of mini-bar charges on our bill. They were glad to remove the charges when I explained what a retard I was. I learned quite a few things this weekend, for instance, never ever wear heels in San Francisco. I brought a pair of shoes with reasonable heels and two pairs of super tall super sexy shoes. Let me tell ya, those shoes are DANGEROUS when walking uphill, and downright deadly when walking downhill. Thank you Jacob for being a trooper and walking slowly with me and holding on to me so I wouldn't topple over. I also learned that everything in the Bay is ridiculously overpriced. Breakfast for 3? Can you say $75? OMG. Parking per day? $51.30. Double OMG. All-in-all it was an awesome weekend.
However. Yes there is a however. We found ourselves with people that don't care about their fitness. "Why would you run?" they ask. "You're not going to do that, watch," they said. Turned out they were right. Taking advantage of the adult weekend, we indulged in champagne and a $42 bottle of wine (which I didn't know was a $42 bottle of wine, OMG) as well as some other wine that was snuck into the hotel by our friends. We didn't run. At all. We set our alarm for early on Saturday morning so we could visit the fitness center, but that didn't happen. On Sunday morning we had to pack our room and check out before our business meeting at 9. We had also been up until 1 am so we did not greet the early morning sun. I feel ridiculous that we had these goals and didn't meet them. Darn our friends for being right. Runner buddies- how do you guys keep up with your training when those around you aren't supportive?
We are tapering this week so the runs are shorter. One run, one crosstrain, and then rest rest rest until Sunday. I'm keeping my eye out for the mailman this week because I am expecting my package from Team Sparkle!! Yay!! I am going to be sporting the hot pink Traveling Sparkle Skirt for my race and I am super duper excited about it. Usually I like to stay more under the radar and don't go out on a limb like this to stand out unless I'm part of a group so I'm a little eensy weensy bit nervous, but at the same time I am stoked!! I will make sure to post pictures.
I am looking for something tasty and effective for our Saturday night carb-loading dinner. We also have to figure out how exactly we are going to work out the breakfast situation on Sunday morning. I'm sure it will all work out fine. It better.
In other non-half-marathon news, I have committed to participating in a virtual 10k hosted by Running Diva Mom on 10-10-10. I am looking forward to it, and if you are looking for an event to run but can't find one that fits your schedule, this is a great one because it can be completed anytime between October 1st and 15th! Check it out HERE .
Oh, and definitely stop by Tall Mom on the Run's blog here to check out her awesome giveaway! Seriously cool running stuff going on here.
Hope everyone's fantastic and all that jazz, talk to y'all soon!!
However. Yes there is a however. We found ourselves with people that don't care about their fitness. "Why would you run?" they ask. "You're not going to do that, watch," they said. Turned out they were right. Taking advantage of the adult weekend, we indulged in champagne and a $42 bottle of wine (which I didn't know was a $42 bottle of wine, OMG) as well as some other wine that was snuck into the hotel by our friends. We didn't run. At all. We set our alarm for early on Saturday morning so we could visit the fitness center, but that didn't happen. On Sunday morning we had to pack our room and check out before our business meeting at 9. We had also been up until 1 am so we did not greet the early morning sun. I feel ridiculous that we had these goals and didn't meet them. Darn our friends for being right. Runner buddies- how do you guys keep up with your training when those around you aren't supportive?
We are tapering this week so the runs are shorter. One run, one crosstrain, and then rest rest rest until Sunday. I'm keeping my eye out for the mailman this week because I am expecting my package from Team Sparkle!! Yay!! I am going to be sporting the hot pink Traveling Sparkle Skirt for my race and I am super duper excited about it. Usually I like to stay more under the radar and don't go out on a limb like this to stand out unless I'm part of a group so I'm a little eensy weensy bit nervous, but at the same time I am stoked!! I will make sure to post pictures.
I am looking for something tasty and effective for our Saturday night carb-loading dinner. We also have to figure out how exactly we are going to work out the breakfast situation on Sunday morning. I'm sure it will all work out fine. It better.
In other non-half-marathon news, I have committed to participating in a virtual 10k hosted by Running Diva Mom on 10-10-10. I am looking forward to it, and if you are looking for an event to run but can't find one that fits your schedule, this is a great one because it can be completed anytime between October 1st and 15th! Check it out HERE .
Oh, and definitely stop by Tall Mom on the Run's blog here to check out her awesome giveaway! Seriously cool running stuff going on here.
Hope everyone's fantastic and all that jazz, talk to y'all soon!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Three Things Thursday- Let's try this out
I've been slacking on my blogging lately, why I do not know. So I'm going to attempt to do a Three Things Thursday to at least keep me up-to-date once a week.
1) Jacob and I ran 9 miles on Sunday! It was amazing. It felt LOOOOOOnnnnnngggggg, mostly because, well, it was. We were feeling pretty good and even incorporated a small hill (Palamidessi Bridge) in the middle. We tried out Hammer Gel for the first time, which was not to bad tasting. The texture was odd and unexpected, but not terrible. I managed to keep my feet on the ground for almost the whole run. See, I have bad luck with cracks in the road/sidewalk. (I even fell once while 37 weeks pregnant with my son, wound up getting taken to the emergency room, good stuff.) So as we're running along WestAcre, I'm telling myself that we're in the home stretch, just pretend like this is just another run, we're almost done...and boom! I hit a spot in the sidewalk where the crack is raised about an inch above the rest. I go flying forward, almost losing my shoe, and plant my palms into the sidewalk. Somehow I didn't skid. Somehow only my hands touched the ground. Somehow I didn't get roadrash on my palms. I imagine it's because I was moving at snail speed, but whatever. Jacob comes running back to me, asking me, "what the hell are you doing?" Uh-huh that was totally intentional. He drives me crazy sometimes. Anyway, I shook it off and got back on my feet. We finished the nine miles at right around 2 hours. I am optimistic about adding 4 miles to finish out the half marathon. If I can do 9, I can do 13.1. Right?
2) My husband and I preparing for our first weekend away from the kids in a lonnnnnng time. He is a Freemason, currently the Master of his lodge and this weekend is Grand Lodge, where they get to vote and that good stuff. We get to stay in a fancy schmancy hotel, I get to go to a ladies' luncheon while he is at his business meeting, and then we get to get all dolled up (think prom, for adults) for a formal banquet and dancing. I am really excited for adult time with our friends that we have made within our Lodge and others in the area. I am kinda stressing out about the packing thing....I have to pack for the kids for the weekend with their grandparents, plus pack for Jacob and I for business meetings and a formal night out. I'm sure to forget something- last time we did something like this, I forgot his dress socks and bow tie for his tux.
3) I recently added two things to my "bucket list". One is to run on the Embarcadero in San Francisco and the other is to run Ali'i Drive in my hometown, Kailua-Kona. Well, we are about to cross something off the list. Unfortunately, it's not running in Kona. This weekend, we have a ten miler slated. We know for damn sure we won't want to run Sunday night after getting home from Frisco. We also know that we don't want to run on a treadmill for 2+ hours, gross! So that only leaves us with one option- wake up early on Sunday and run in the one spot in San Francisco that's not a hill. We are running the Embarcadero!! We mapped it out from the little beach at the end to the bridge and it's 2.5 miles each way. Four times and we'll be good. So wish us luck with that!!
That's all for now, my little angel (ha!) is demanding lunch, RIGHT NOW. She's so bossy sometimes...I have no idea where she gets it from. ;)
1) Jacob and I ran 9 miles on Sunday! It was amazing. It felt LOOOOOOnnnnnngggggg, mostly because, well, it was. We were feeling pretty good and even incorporated a small hill (Palamidessi Bridge) in the middle. We tried out Hammer Gel for the first time, which was not to bad tasting. The texture was odd and unexpected, but not terrible. I managed to keep my feet on the ground for almost the whole run. See, I have bad luck with cracks in the road/sidewalk. (I even fell once while 37 weeks pregnant with my son, wound up getting taken to the emergency room, good stuff.) So as we're running along WestAcre, I'm telling myself that we're in the home stretch, just pretend like this is just another run, we're almost done...and boom! I hit a spot in the sidewalk where the crack is raised about an inch above the rest. I go flying forward, almost losing my shoe, and plant my palms into the sidewalk. Somehow I didn't skid. Somehow only my hands touched the ground. Somehow I didn't get roadrash on my palms. I imagine it's because I was moving at snail speed, but whatever. Jacob comes running back to me, asking me, "what the hell are you doing?" Uh-huh that was totally intentional. He drives me crazy sometimes. Anyway, I shook it off and got back on my feet. We finished the nine miles at right around 2 hours. I am optimistic about adding 4 miles to finish out the half marathon. If I can do 9, I can do 13.1. Right?
2) My husband and I preparing for our first weekend away from the kids in a lonnnnnng time. He is a Freemason, currently the Master of his lodge and this weekend is Grand Lodge, where they get to vote and that good stuff. We get to stay in a fancy schmancy hotel, I get to go to a ladies' luncheon while he is at his business meeting, and then we get to get all dolled up (think prom, for adults) for a formal banquet and dancing. I am really excited for adult time with our friends that we have made within our Lodge and others in the area. I am kinda stressing out about the packing thing....I have to pack for the kids for the weekend with their grandparents, plus pack for Jacob and I for business meetings and a formal night out. I'm sure to forget something- last time we did something like this, I forgot his dress socks and bow tie for his tux.
3) I recently added two things to my "bucket list". One is to run on the Embarcadero in San Francisco and the other is to run Ali'i Drive in my hometown, Kailua-Kona. Well, we are about to cross something off the list. Unfortunately, it's not running in Kona. This weekend, we have a ten miler slated. We know for damn sure we won't want to run Sunday night after getting home from Frisco. We also know that we don't want to run on a treadmill for 2+ hours, gross! So that only leaves us with one option- wake up early on Sunday and run in the one spot in San Francisco that's not a hill. We are running the Embarcadero!! We mapped it out from the little beach at the end to the bridge and it's 2.5 miles each way. Four times and we'll be good. So wish us luck with that!!
That's all for now, my little angel (ha!) is demanding lunch, RIGHT NOW. She's so bossy sometimes...I have no idea where she gets it from. ;)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Bloggy blog blogger
Howdy doody neighboroonies! It's been hectic, crazy, and all things related this past month or so.
Proud moments: My son is in first grade this year, and I think he's doing wonderful! He is exceling in the math and reading program. His teacher actually pulled us aside at Back to School night and let us know that she has assessed him at a higher reading level and he and one other boy will be given "special" assignments to keep them interested and challenged. She is also going to talk to the principal to discuss sending them to a second grade class for the reading portion of the day. I am so excited for him! I remember doing the same thing. He has already mentioned that he went to a different class for a project earlier this week, so I think they are experimenting to see how it works. The class uses a card system to keep track of the students' behavior. Green means good behavior, yellow means that she has had to speak to them a few times and they lose a recess, and red means that they lose both recesses. She sends home a sort of a progress report each week to tell us how our child is doing. Two weeks in a row he has been all green, but last week his came home with a comment that he "seems to be easily swayed by others to make the wrong decisions". Boo. I was worried about that. I remember a lot about being that age and how important it seemed to fit in, even though the kids I wanted to fit in with were doing things I didn't want to. So we had a talk with him about making the right decisions and setting good examples for others. He seemed to understand and took pride the rest of this week to tell us that he made his own decisions during the day. I am so incredibly proud of him. <3
Also, on the running front, Jacob and I are officially back on track with our training program! We couldn't seem to get past the dang 5 mile mark; it was terrible! It is hard to get out there for over an hour.... but we decided last week to try for seven miles. That would be our house to the Capitol building and back. But we felt so good that we just kept going. We made the loop around the Capitol building and gardens (which is 1.12 miles) and headed home. Our total run distance: 8.12 miles. Our total run time: 1:48. It took us a long time, but we both felt great and completely accomplished.
Fail run: Well, you know since we ran 8 miles, I thought we were the leet and a 5 mile run wouldn't be a problem! We figured that since we are spending more time out on the road, we needed to figure out how to get hydrated. We headed to our favorite local Fleet Feet store and got into a lengthy conversation with a worker there about nutrition supplements and hydration options. Jacob opted for a simple waist pack with a big 20 oz water bottle that chills in the small of his back. Me, I had to go with the cute handheld one that was purple and reflective. Very cute, and felt good at the store. While empty. Good grief. On our run that night, we decided to head out with the new gear just to test it out. After one mile, I felt like crap. At about the 1.75 mile marker, I was almost in tears and ready to head home. Jacob is usually very good about keeping me motivated and positive but this time he realized that something was really bothering me. My calves and ankles were killing me. So we walked mile 3. Still limping, we walked mile 4. And then still limping, almost in tears with shame and irritation, we walked mile 5. I couldn't figure it out! What was the problem? The only thing that was different was the water bottle, which while a little bit heavy on the arm when full of water, should have had nothing to do with my legs. Guess again. I happened to be flipping through my current issue of Runners World and they had an article regarding jogging strollers. It said that anytime you alter the body's running mechanics (i.e., pushing a jogging stroller or holding a bottle of water) you cause greater stress on the core and legs. Holy crap! A little 20 oz bottle of water wreaked that kind of havoc on me???? Ridiculous!
We are heading out tonight for another 5 miler. I will not be bringing my cute new water bottle friend, just to test it and see how things go. We may have to make another trip to Fleet Feet to get me a waist pack...especially since we are slated for a nine mile run on Sunday!! Wish us luck, I think we might need it!
Proud moments: My son is in first grade this year, and I think he's doing wonderful! He is exceling in the math and reading program. His teacher actually pulled us aside at Back to School night and let us know that she has assessed him at a higher reading level and he and one other boy will be given "special" assignments to keep them interested and challenged. She is also going to talk to the principal to discuss sending them to a second grade class for the reading portion of the day. I am so excited for him! I remember doing the same thing. He has already mentioned that he went to a different class for a project earlier this week, so I think they are experimenting to see how it works. The class uses a card system to keep track of the students' behavior. Green means good behavior, yellow means that she has had to speak to them a few times and they lose a recess, and red means that they lose both recesses. She sends home a sort of a progress report each week to tell us how our child is doing. Two weeks in a row he has been all green, but last week his came home with a comment that he "seems to be easily swayed by others to make the wrong decisions". Boo. I was worried about that. I remember a lot about being that age and how important it seemed to fit in, even though the kids I wanted to fit in with were doing things I didn't want to. So we had a talk with him about making the right decisions and setting good examples for others. He seemed to understand and took pride the rest of this week to tell us that he made his own decisions during the day. I am so incredibly proud of him. <3
Also, on the running front, Jacob and I are officially back on track with our training program! We couldn't seem to get past the dang 5 mile mark; it was terrible! It is hard to get out there for over an hour.... but we decided last week to try for seven miles. That would be our house to the Capitol building and back. But we felt so good that we just kept going. We made the loop around the Capitol building and gardens (which is 1.12 miles) and headed home. Our total run distance: 8.12 miles. Our total run time: 1:48. It took us a long time, but we both felt great and completely accomplished.
Fail run: Well, you know since we ran 8 miles, I thought we were the leet and a 5 mile run wouldn't be a problem! We figured that since we are spending more time out on the road, we needed to figure out how to get hydrated. We headed to our favorite local Fleet Feet store and got into a lengthy conversation with a worker there about nutrition supplements and hydration options. Jacob opted for a simple waist pack with a big 20 oz water bottle that chills in the small of his back. Me, I had to go with the cute handheld one that was purple and reflective. Very cute, and felt good at the store. While empty. Good grief. On our run that night, we decided to head out with the new gear just to test it out. After one mile, I felt like crap. At about the 1.75 mile marker, I was almost in tears and ready to head home. Jacob is usually very good about keeping me motivated and positive but this time he realized that something was really bothering me. My calves and ankles were killing me. So we walked mile 3. Still limping, we walked mile 4. And then still limping, almost in tears with shame and irritation, we walked mile 5. I couldn't figure it out! What was the problem? The only thing that was different was the water bottle, which while a little bit heavy on the arm when full of water, should have had nothing to do with my legs. Guess again. I happened to be flipping through my current issue of Runners World and they had an article regarding jogging strollers. It said that anytime you alter the body's running mechanics (i.e., pushing a jogging stroller or holding a bottle of water) you cause greater stress on the core and legs. Holy crap! A little 20 oz bottle of water wreaked that kind of havoc on me???? Ridiculous!
We are heading out tonight for another 5 miler. I will not be bringing my cute new water bottle friend, just to test it and see how things go. We may have to make another trip to Fleet Feet to get me a waist pack...especially since we are slated for a nine mile run on Sunday!! Wish us luck, I think we might need it!
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