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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!