Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 in Review

And....it's almost over.  Where did 2014 go?  Funny how I ask that question every year, but it seems to spin faster and faster...especially with a kiddo.  Regardless, looking back, its been a pretty cool year.  First, Christmas.  It was amazing.  We had one of those nauseatingly wonderful family holidays - from spending time together, playing with Santa's toys, building a snowman (in the 60 degree heat - that takes a miracle!) to too much eating and family cooking (and tweaking some traditions!!)

Reading with Aunt Lisa - the 'stache and snazzy big guy sweater!
Playing with drums Santa brought....so cool!
What do you bring a kid that has everything?  A snowman on a 60 degree day - Uncle Alan is magic!
Santa came!
No prunes, thankyouverymuch.
 The magic of the season.
 Polish (kinda) tradition....the Bochka Pierogie!

Awesome.  And the last few days have been consumed with leftovers, cleaning up, and gearing toward 2015, which, even though I know it can be done, will be hard to beat 2014!

I finished up my ride goal today, and am really looking forward to seeing how I can top 2014 fitness wise next year.  Santa brought me an activity tracker and I have some pretty cool ideas about how to make 2015 healthier and happier.  Stay tuned :-)

So how bout them rezzies??    I really enjoyed my goals for 2014 , and looking back, I think I did ok.  I DID NOT learn to curse less, and I need to seriously work on that one for this year with a little dude that's learning to talk!  But I did get out of my shell with a new kind of race (ultras) which I pretty much fell in love with.  Please don't divorce me, babe :-P  I also tried to work on a life balance and, with the help of my awesome husband and flexible boss, managed to run an ultra, a marathon, and a half ironman.  Success.  No PR's, but I seem to be settling into shape post baby just fine and I think if I focus on one goal in 2015 I can hit it.  What would that be?  I don't know.  We'll see!  House wise, we did really well this year - we went under 6 digits on the loan which is huge for us.  And, unexpectedly, we might be moving, which was not in the books!  Will be interesting to see what the new year brings!!

How was your year?  I hope everyone has a wonderful time celebrating the new year tonight - we will be having a low key gathering again this year and can't wait to ring in another amazing year!

Monday, December 22, 2014

Tis the Season

Two weeks???  Yikes.  I'm not gonna lie - the last few weeks have been so darn bust at the seams busy that at night....I just kind of collapse after putting kiddo to bed, wrapping gifts, cleaning, and yes, sometimes working until 9pm.  Needless to say, its been a bit hectic, and I sense a good ole resolution coming up - I hereby promise to post once a week, come hell or highwater.  Truth is, sometimes I really am not sure if my life is post worthy or if anyone cares to read it, but as a writer at heart, I don't ever mind sharing the mundane if you don't mind indulging me :-)  (your mundane, that is.  As you'll see ahead, I feel my life is utterly magical, especially at this time of year.  And especially with my cute little Christmas elf to make the season ten million times more wonderful!

House update - We are still in limbo.  It's a b(*&#tch selling a house during the holidays, and even more so when you can't accept any contingent offers.  Needless to say, none of the offers have been non contingent, so we are still a for salin'.  Our contract is up for renewal January 1, so we shall see what happens.  In the meantime, we have done a massive de cluttering and going through boxes we shipped out to my mom's- the VOA loves us, and we have a nice pared down stash now, and we haven't even moved yet!  Score.

In other news, work.  Nah.  We won't go there.  Two words.  Stress Salad.  Moving on...

It's Christmas, baby!  Easily my most favorite time of year, Rob and Dad (and some helpers!) have been making merry.  We've done a little baking...



 Some gingerbread house making (we started out with 3 dozen gumdrops.  Rob gave excellent direction and decided that the gumdrops looked silly on the house - much better in his mouth).
 Santa decided Rob deserved his Christmas sled a bit early....
 And we made some snowmen handprint ornaments (yes, thats a PLAY muffin tin, not to be used for baking, mom, thankyouverymuch :-P)
 And some good old fashioned Christmas wonder.
Hard to believe the big day is almost here, but without a doubt, we have been making the most of the season!  All the best wishes from our family to yours, and have a wonderful holiday!

Monday, December 8, 2014

My (super big) black friday

So....hopefully you didnt tune in for black friday shopping tips.  Yikes.  To be honest, I usually do 99% of my shopping online, using ebates, found coupon codes from fatwallet.com and the like, and a bit of dumb luck.  I did most of my shopping pre Thanksgiving and had a really lovely Norman Rockwell wanna puke Turkey day - full ofrelatives, yummy food, laughter, and off color jokes (oh c'mon, it cant all be brady bunch).  Then my cousin (god I love that girl) decided we needed to go pre black friday shopping, so I did get to enjoy the merrimant of a zillion silly people waiting for the latest x box and dollar dvds....but since it was with my girl, it was all worth it :-P
Lovin' with Great Uncle Alan
I moonlight as a flight photographer....
Day after Thanksgiving...its all good.  Ate leftover turkey, cut down the tree....

 Bought a house.  Wait, WHAT??  Yep, you got it.  While most people were dropping 3 (or 4!) figures on flat screen TVs, Greg and I heard back on a house we put an offer in on on a whim.  6 figures later....its ours :-P  Its a 5 bedroom 2 bath home in Fairport, right on the canal and less than half a mile from our old townhouse.  I guess things do come full circle.  So, of course, less than 3 days later, with a moving truck full of stuff parked in my moms garage and all of the half finished projects now finished (figures).  7 trips to Lowes, one meltdown (it was me, I own it), this happened:

Of course, it's with mixed feelings we put the house up for sale.  We moved in here 3 months after we got married.  I found out I was pregnant in this house, we brought home Rob to this home, and my little kitty has a spot in the backyard.  We have friends here.  But Fairport....seems like the place we need to be.  And so, with the right offer and a hope that the sellers in Fairport don't get a better offer (always a risk!)  this is my life right now.  A perfectly clean house, a life box, and 2 bengal cats, a toddler, and a partridge in a pear tree all ready to leap up for a showing.  We had our first open house on Sunday (house went live Wednesday) and had a favorable response so....we shall see!  Never a dull moment, is there?

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Cran Tastic

Well, Ill tell ya.  I feel like I've fallen off the wagon here.  Thanksgiving = tomorrow.  Christmas = less than a month away.  Yikes!!  I've never been a big turkey kinda girl, but I've come to love Thanksgiving for a few reasons.  Its a great time to come together with my family, who I don't get to see nearly as often as I like - everyone contributes so my aunt doesn't pull her hair out, and we have a great time catching up, eating, and plotting our Christmas shopping (lord help us).  Two years ago, Greg's and my lives changed forever when we found out we were expecting our perfect little guy - Thanksgiving week.  Right now, we have so much to be thankful for - health, our little family, our extended family, and a great relationship.  Not to mention a roof over our head, food to eat and good jobs.  Life is wonderful, and its important to recognize how good it is - I don't do it nearly enough.

But I will be honest.  The food is divine.  All of the fall harvest veggies, the once a year turkey, my moms homemade stuffing, and my favorite- the cranberry relish.  Super technical stuff (or not).  But if you don't have a recipe for it yet.....you will not be disappointed by this.  Swears.


Sugar Free Cranberry Clementine Relish (serves 16)

2 cups whole cranberries, rinsed
4 clementine oranges
1 tbsp clementine zest
1/4 cup nectresse (or other sweetener of your choice)
1 tbsp each: ginger, allspice, cinnamon, salt
1 cup seltzer

Pour the seltzer into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add in zest and spices, simmer for 2 minutes.  Add in sugar, simmer for 2 more minutes.  Dice clementines to cranberry sized bites (what, that's a measurement!).  Add in clems and cranberries, reduce heat to low for 10 minutes.

Best served the next day, in my experience - the flavors settle in beautifully!

Add caption

Yum.  Perfect served with turkey, atop morning oats, or in a delish leftovers packed wrap.  Now let's hope it makes it till tomorrow (whistles innocently).....

have a wonderful holiday!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

OBX Marathon - Lessons Learned

Well, alot can happen in a week.  Last week at this time, I was sitting on the beach, playing in the sand with Greg and Rob, and just relaxing.  My legs still ached from their 26 mile jaunt on the beach, and reality was a distant thought.

I've been back to NY for 4 days now - there is snow on the ground, I have my winter coat out, we have ripped apart our bathroom (because all house decisions should be made at 3am in Pennsylvania) and I've gotten in a nice easy 7 miler on my post marathon legs, as well as a few nice easy spins and swims.  I' not ready to commit to another race right now - off season is awesome.  But I'm far enough away yet fresh enough to look back at my 5th marathon (3rd stand alone) and my 2nd failed attempt to break 4.  I think I know what I need to change next time to meet this goal, here goes....

Lessons Learned from OBX  - aka - what to do to PR next time (or in my case break 4 hours!):


1.  Travel is BAD for PRs.  Last time I tried to break 4 I drove 7 hours the night before.  Dumb.  This time it was 12 hours 2 days before.  I don't think this was as much of an issue this time, but sitting in one spot in the car, especially overnight (we drove through the night because strapping a 1 year old in a carseat for 650 miles during the day is just rude).  So it screwed with my hours and also my muscles.  Not a problem to run a marathon, but probably a problem to run it as well as I want to.  If I do a destination marathon again I will either run it just for fun or I will do it toward the end of the week instead.
Sand is fun, but not halfway through a race.
2.  Know the course in terms of geography.  This sounds like a big fat duh, but let me 'splain.  The OBX course had 3 plus miles of trail in the middle, which I knew about.  But, being from New York, I equated trail with our trails here.  Mendon.  I knew it would slow me down a bit, but I forgot that NC really doesn't have dirt.  They have sand.  So my "dirt trail" really was a "rocky sand" trail.  It didn't break my PR dream, but my miles pre sand trail was 8:30-8:40 per mile, and the sand portion averaged a 9:30 mile and trashed my legs a decent amount for the second half of the race.  It still would have been what it was, but I would have prepped a bit more with some dedicated trail portions of my long runs.
3.  Drive the course.  Again, a big ole "no kidding".  But not for terrain in this case.  I like to read the elevation charts so I can mimic my runs with them, which I did in this case.  But for run courses, I like to take the course fresh so that the scenery is new and I don't get bored.  In this case though, knowing where the big hill was would have helped.  Knowing the sand portion would have helped.  And knowing where the f*(#&ck the finish line was would have also helped - aka, when I had my tantrum at mile 23 and flipped out with the double mile at miles 24 and ....24.  I wasted so much time not knowing if the race had an end, whereas if I had driven the course I would have known, duh, where the end was.
4.  Use a *&@#%^&^% garmin- Knowing that the mile markers were off might not have helped my overall time (even the 4 hour pacer said the course was long) but it would have saved my sanity.  Makes  big difference when you think you are running 9 minute miles and the mile markers tell you that you are running 11 minute miles :-P  PS _ I do own a garmin.  I am just lame and run with a $20 timex.
5.  Run 4 days a week, not 3.  I have been following a plan for the last 2 marathons with a 3 run a week plan - tempo, speedwork, and long run.  They are all focused on paces, but I think one extra day a week easy run would help out in terms of time on my feet.  Maybe an easy run the day after a long run to help on tired legs.  I did 2-3 back to back days for my last ultra and that helped a ton.  So I guess the next marathon would NOT be on the edge of tri season :-P
6.  Add in a 22 mile LR - Conventional wisdom says you hit a wall at mile 20 - that the race is 2 races - a 20 miler and a 10k.  So I think going beyond that 20 mile mark would be a smart thing to do.  I averaged a 9:00 pace for the first 20 miles, and a 10:15 for the last 6.8  yikes.

Tabbed and saved for next year.  So whats next?  I dunno.  If I want a PR, I might do Buffalo in May or Rochester in September.  If I want to check off another state and go see some family, its Olathe KS in April, Burlington VT in May or Estes Park in June.  Or all 3 :-P

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

OBX Marathon 2014: The Pit of Fire

Whew.  Well, excuse the ramble in advance - I want to write this report while its fresh, but A) its long, and B) Im still on vacation.  I walked away with alot of lessons learned I can't wait to apply to the next marathon, and now that I've had a chance to reflect....thats what I'm calling this race.  A big ole lesson.  We'll talk about that in the next post, but for now, here's the 411 for OBX 2014.  Spoiler alert - I missed sub 4.  You probably figured that one out :-)

Backin it up - we arrived in OBX Friday morning after driving through the night.  We got settled in, picked up race packets, and headed to the beach.  Such a gorgeous place.  After an early night, we headed to Kill Devil Hills for Greg's race - a 10k.  He did really well- a PR! and Rob and I hung out at the festival and had a blast - pics to come.  Greg was happy with his result, but bitched about a sand trail with ping pong ball sized rocks that went on for half the race.  I kidded with him about the fire pit, as he is known to um....stretch the truth post race.  (I ate some crow later for that one :-P)  Post race, we grabbed some grub, headed again to the beach, and I did a shake out 2 miler for Sunday's race - my right leg still felt tight, but not too bad.  Saturday night Rob decided to get up at 1am....so it nixed pre race jitters sleep - I only got 4 hours anyways :-P

Pre Race - I grabbed some coffee, applesauce oats and a pb flat.  Taped my gu's to my tights (I am so high class) and Greg and Rob dropped me at the start.  This was a point to point race, so the boys headed home (at mile 21) and took a nap, planning to rendezvous at mile 21 and then the finish. I hopped in a potty line, took care of business, then had the rest of my powerade, did a few stretches, then headed for the start line.  After a quick prayer (welcome to the south, y'all), they started the elites.  I was in corral 2, so we had 90 seconds then....GO TIME!!

Miles 1-8:  These miles were awesome.  I started out averaging 8:40 miles, which was about 30 seconds above race goal, which I know was a big no no.  But I felt great, effort felt minimal, and I just felt so happy to be alive and running.  The miles seem to tick by effortlessly, and I began to dream of.....a 3 on the clock at the finish.  Dangerous but exciting stuff. At mile 9, we rounded the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk and then moved onto part 2....

Miles 9-13:  $hit.  The first thing I thought of as I saw the woods ahead.  I saw some trail, which I knew was no big deal, but I knew my 8:30-8:40 pace was history.  Headed into Mile 9 at 1:18:xx....and into another world.  The trail, I soon realized, was alot like Mendon Ponds.  Hilly, and beautiful.  But, um, with rocks.  All across the path.  And North carolina....doesn't have dirt.  That have sand.  As in, beach sand.  And these sadistic people put 4 miles of sand in the middle of the damn course!  Yikes!  I sorta laughed about it and did a mental apology to my not so hyperbolic husband (yes, I really apologized later!) and trekked on.  I was saving some of my time in the bank for when miles got tough later, but $hit happens.  Took my first walk break at mile 11 - the water stops were every other mile, with gu at miles 7, 17 and 21.  Perfect hydration for me, and I took a gu at mile 5 and 10 to date.  Exited the hilly, sandy, crap at mile 13, and hit mile 13.1 halfway mark at 1:56:xx, an 8:55 pace.

Miles 14-21:  I was so excited for the road, I almost kissed it.  I tried to chat up the woman next to me to kid about how bad the course was swept for the last 4 miles and how awesome it was now, and...nothing.  It was a recurring theme - seems as if southern hospitality just did not apply to these runners.  Oh well.  I run for me time, so I was fine with it.  I had a healthy diet of Ed Sheeran, Pitbull, Lil John and other bad pop rock to indulge in, and miles to go.  Except...my feet hurt.  The rocks in teh trail certainly took a beating on my foosas, and it seemed as if the last 13 miles would indeed be willpower driven.  Nevermind.  I still clocked off 9:00 miles pretty consistently - miles 14 on in 2:06, 2:15, 2:24, 2:32, 2:41, feelin good.  I saw a familiar SUV pass at mile 17 and I fist bumped - I was so happy.  Only 8 miles to go....oh I can taste that sub 4!  We turned into a development at that point, and my music died.  ^;#!@%%^.  I spent a minute fixing it, and hit mile 19 late in 2:52, which was a little weird to me...was I slowing that rapidly?  Hmm.  I was thrown a bit, but I did my mental math (as all you racers know, it keeps you (in)sane but occupied...I could still do it if I hit mile 21 by 3:01.  Hit mile 20 in 2:59....wait.  There's no way I pulled a sub 8 minute mile....maybe mile 19 was off?  COOL!  Mile 20-21 dragged a bit - I knew my boys were at mile 21 with a go go squeeze, nuun and hugs, so I trotted on.  Saw my world at mile 21 as promised - Rob gave me a sqeeeee! And Greg filled me up with noms.  I didnt stop - I was on a quest.  Blew them a kiss (he gets it) and I moved on.  Ahh, those happy miles.  Then came mile 21.  3:12.

Miles 22-26.2?  or 27? or..... - WAIT.  3:12?  There is no way I ran a 13 minute mile.  I realized that this fact meant I needed exactly a 9 minute mile to finish in 3:59.  Fu$k.  I did a little pep talk - I knew there was a hill coming at mile 23, but I figured maybe, just maybe, they were a little late with the mile.  Mile 22.  3:23.  At this point, I saw the 4 hour pacer come up next to me with his crew, and I joined the crowd.  One woman asked him if they were going to make it.  He said for sure - his garmin had them at 22.4, not 22, so maybe the mile markers were off.  Ok, cool.  But then I saw another mile 22 on the road.  WTF.  And a huge bridge ahead.  My confidence flagged.  I walked more of that bridge than I should have, but it was a Mendon x2 hill at mile 23, and I was so confused about where we were in tha race (I race with a $30 timex - no garmin for me.)  No mile 23.  At the end of the bridge, I saw mile 24 in 3:44, which I thought was decent for the amount of walking I did on the bridge.  SCORE!  I knew at this point a sub 4 was out of range, but I figured I could pull off a 4:04.  Still decent, especially after driving 700 miles less than 48 hours ago and on 4 hours of sleep.  I can do this.  I would run for 2 minutes, then walk for 30 seconds.  Then run for....wait, is that a crab and a shark ahead?  It was!  A cheer station with costumed people, welcoming us to mile 24.  WTF???  And with that, my race fell apart.  I stood stock still for a second, wanting to cry, and then stalked off, unable to run at the moment.  A cheer sign right after the incident told me I only had 2.7 miles to go- and at that point, I realized that NC must have a new torture method for marathoners.  I hated the race, the state, and everyone.  I jogged halfheartedly for a minute, then walked.  Repeat 5 times.  Mile 25? appeared at 3:56, and the girl I was running with muttered "really?" under her breath.  A guy on the sidelines cheered us on..."One mile to go!" and we grunted.  Onward.  I was so mad at the race, and myself.  I let it get to my head, and I didn't care about a PR, or any damn thing anymore.  Just fuc%ing get me out of here.  Mile 26 in 4:06.   No finish line in sight.  A  guy right ahead of me that I halfheartedly passed asked...when will this be OVER?  And I had no response.  I kept jogging and finally saw the finish....grimacing (cant wait to see those pics) through the finish line in 4:09:04, no sub 4, no PR, and a broken runner.

Race Bling
I collected my medal, visor and some water, decided not to wait in the food line (yep, you had to wait to get your bbq or fries) and went to find my boys.  I collapsed into Greg, sobbing about how damn mad I was at the mile markers, the race, and mostly myself for letting it freakin get to me.  He hadnt seen the finish (traffic killed him) so I clued him in, and at that point, the 4 hour pacer came by, chatting with racers.  Turned out they missed their mark by 3 minutes, which sucks.  A racer with a garmin clocked the course in 26.84 miles, which wouldnt have mattered time wise for me, but its the second long marathon Ive raced (I understand tangents, but a marathon true to form probably would have been 26.3 or 4).  Meh.  I left the race dispirited, not gonna lie.

In the hours after the race, I decided I could be a brat for 24 hours.  It took less to come out of it.  I'm still dissapointed in myself mostly - I should have tossed those mile markers away and raced my race to my best effort.  I wouldnt have come in under 4, but I probably could have hit a 4:04.  My legs were shot, but my heart and mind gave up.  Its the second course Ive done this on, and it annoys the hell out of me because THAT ISNT ME.  But we all have our bad days, and even though I threw a friggin temper tantrum on the course, I finished.  As I looked up the results later, I realized that everyone struggled.  I finished in the top third overall - top 20% women and top 25% AG.  That's pretty cool.  And according to the garmin dude, my race results put me at a 9:16 mile, which is pretty awesome.  Still- for 21 miles that sub 4 was mine.  But as a wise woman said to me....3rd times the charm.  I'll be back for that sub 4.  And I have learned from this race - more on that one later.  For now, it's 8pm on a Tuesday evening and I'm on a beach.  My kiddo is in bed, and my husband is waiting for me with a glass of wine and a bubbling hot tub.  And that's what life is about right now.  I think I'll focus on that :-)

Night, friends.  Thank you for listening!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Treats, not tricks

 Hello there!  Once again, I am always missing.  Why is this?  I swear that I think about this blog more than I let on.  I write posts during workouts, during boring meetings (wait, what?) and during my commute.  I really need to get a Voice transfer option.....it's just that when I get 5 minutes to spare, I wont lie.  A bubble bath, cup of coffee, gossip sites, the latest Jodi Picoult....well, you know what I mean.  I need to get better at this though, because I always have so much to share with you guys!!

First, a marathon update.  We are 11 days out and....I'm nervous.  I rocked out my last 20 miler 9 days ago and officially started taper.  True to form, I managed to f*ck up my leg pretty bad and have been dealing with quad pain for the last week.  I stopped running, and did swimming and some low key biking and stretching, and attempted a 5 miler Monday.  It went well, cardio wise, but I felt super tight.  This is pretty normal for me (I hate taper wiht a passion) and I think its just a lack of rest, stretching, and a bit of a push on that last run.  I hope.  Hello epsom salts, foam rolling, and a massage pre race.  And crossed fingers.  Cause that works.  I would really like to PR, but I will take this one as it comes.  I could feel super awesome November 9, but if I don't, I won't kill myself.  It's been way too long of a season....it will be nice to have some down time, training wise.  But our other big development,.,,,is of course Rob.

He checked in at 15 months and is doing awesome - 24 pounds, 31" tall and ahead of the curve in terms of both physical (running) and mental (string words together) milestones.  Go Rob!!  And, of course, we have been having all sorts of fun toddler fall excitement....we did a fall costume festival put on by the rotary club with hayrides, carnival rides (yes, we took him on the tilt a whirl.....bad parents! and face painting.  Our little leopard loved it!!!
We also have been teaching fine motor skills...errr....how to dance!!  He's getting pretty good at it:
You know the ladies will eat that one up with a spoon.  And last night, we showed him the second best thing about Halloween (aside from Candy candy candy! )  We watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, then made our own great pumpkin!



Clearly, we had a blast.  And Rob thinks pumpkin tastes pretty good, not that we ever doubted that one :-P  Halloween in t minus 2 days....and it's on a Friday!  I some trick or treating for a certain lil leopard!  What are you doing for the holiday?

Friday, October 17, 2014

What an "Incredible" 5k - Safe Journey Race Report

Hey hey there!  Hope everyone had a good week.  I actually seem to have turned a corner with marathon training- I'm still so freakin tired but I had a few awesome tempo runs in the 8-10 range, so here's hoping to a solid 20 mile run this weekend, which would make me feel so much better about this whole thing!  3 weeks to go - I know I have it in me to run a pretty solid marathon *if* the stars align as they should!

On a fun note, we did a family run this past weekend in a nearby town (Fairport).  It's a 5k that benefits domestic violence and incorporates a fun Halloween theme for all to enjoy.  This is a rare race that allows for strollers right in the rules (even includes awards!).  Rob and I did this race last year as our first race together (3 months old!) and I thought we kicked butt at 28 minutes, second stroller in and in the top half of my AG.  This year Greg decided to join the team and we had a goal of going sub 27.  To sweeten the pot?  We decided costumes were IN!

We dressed up as the Incredibles - Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and Dash.  Rob wasn't too sure about the masks, but for the run, he was IN.  It was a gorgeous morning, mid 50s and cloudy, perfect for running.  We had a few family snafus and some upset tummies, but seeing as this is a flat course, we decided to push on.

We lined up toward the right and back in order to go wide.  I grabbed the handles and took first shift- before we knew it we were off!  The first mile of the course has a slight uphill at first, and then a great downhill section where you can fly!  We passed people left and right in mile one and clocked in at 7:40.  Mile two flattens out and is in a narrower section of the canal, so it was a bit harder to pass.  Greg and I relied on hand signals (he was having some leg pain and my tummy was not happy) but we managed a respectable mile 2, total clock 16:01.  Mile 3 was more of the same....we saw the lead stroller at the turnaround and knew we couldn't catch it (clocked in at sub 22) and so we held on the best we could for the last 2 miles and finished our 5k in 25:37, a firm STROLLER PR!  Gregs garmin clocked a 3.18, 8:08 pace which I was super pleased with.

Post race we had an awesome breakfast of breakfast pizza, granola bars, starbucks, and hot dogs (ROb ate one by himself!)  We didnt stick around to see if we won best costume (It was naptime, and Rob also wanted to get home :-P) but we placed 136 out of 500 people - I came in 6th out of 27 in my AG and Greg came in smack in the middle of his.  An awesome 5k and we will be back again next year, family costume in tow!!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Just 26.2. - NBD

Well, the time has come. No more putting it off.  Race day is 34 days away, and it's time to embark upon my 5th 26.2.....3rd standalone.  Yikes.

Before we get into that craziness, let's recap the last week....we had some birthdays (my 32nd), some sickies (hate colds) and....well...see for yourself.
blowin out the candles!
Helping mom open her presents!!

Sleepin off those sickies....love my boys.

PANTY RAID!!
I formally apologize to my 16 year old son in 2929 but....kid seriously has a thing for my clean underwear.  He wears them around the house like a vest and flings them like a slingshot.  Oh, the ladies are just gonna love him! :-P

All fun and games aside though, with minus 5 weeks till go day on my last race I've realized....it's ed been a long season.  Starting in May with my double marathon, 4 tris, a half, and assorted running races....I'll be glad to finish the season out soon.  I'm currently following the Runners World FIRST plan, which is supposed to be 3 runs a week - one tempo, one speedwork and one long run.  They are all timed off your 10k best - my long runs are about a 9:30, tempo is anywhere from 8-8:30 and speedwork 7:00-7:30.  I've been making some tweaks to allow for working full time and mommyhood along with work travel, but I've tried to be pretty consistent.  I felt good about it up until about 2 weeks ago and now my long runs seem to just fall apart.  Not sure why.  I've been testing out a varied approach and making 4 runs a week, one easy, one tempo, one long, and a HIIT workout thats about 25 minutes with 5' warmup, cool down, and then 1 minute all out (10 mph) alternating with 2 minutes easy run.  Eh, it's all a crap shoot.  Honestly, I'm a bit sleep deprived, a bit stressed, and I think my body is tired.  The goal is to break 4, but I'm honestly having some doubts about it...I did well with this plan back in 2011 and missed a sub 4 by minutes.  So the plan is good.  And I know my base is strong - I could do a marathon right now, no problem.  But the thought of holding a 9 minute mile for 26.2 kinda freaks me out.  Thoughts from you speedy people?  I know it's all relative and to be honest. I really am enjoying 99% of my runs.  I've learned how to run on 2 hours sleep.  How to do an 18 miler on the treadmill.  How to get in 15 miles...in 3 separate runs due to kiddo stuff.  How to run in the 90 degree heat at 6am after being hungover.  For the first time, running feels like a release and not always such hard work.  But....I don't want to be a hobby jogger.  I feel that 3:5x.  It's there.  And I'm not sure what I can do in the next 5 weeks to catch it.  I have one more 20 miler, two 15s and a handful of longish tempo runs.  I think this might be a don't let the horse out of the barn.  I've started doing some yoga and Pilate's.  Eating more meat.  Hydrating.  We'll see if it helps.  I probably just need rest, but when running is your stress relief....hah.

So there you go.  2014 marathon in a nutshell.  I'm an idiot.  But at least I'm an idiot with a goal, right? :-)

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Old School Comfort

Well, it caught me.  I refuse to say that I caught a cold because....well, I was chasing something else (more like a marathon PR!) but the dreaded plague of head stuffs, congestion, and general light headed miserable-ness has descended upon me.  Yuck.  I've been low functioning since Monday morning (hold that snark) and have basically shuffled through the last 48 hours in a daze.  Bless the fact that the insanity of work is nearly behind me (just a few more weeks, and nowhere near as nuts!) and that, with tri season over, my only real workouts are my runs, which are only 3-4x a week.  So I haven't run since Saturday, which is no big deal.  I've been trying to rest, load up on Earl Gray, and...soup.  Not usually a homemade soup kinda girl, but I had a craving for some good ole tomato soup and grilled cheese comfort food, and with 3 large, gorgeous tomatoes sitting on my counter and a pot full of fresh basil....well, Campbell's was sacrilege. So we made soup

Fresh Tomato Basil Soup

3 large tomatoes, diced (4 cups)
1 small onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tbsp sugar (optional)




Another so easy I feel ridiculous writing it.  Add the onion and tomatoes to the chicken stock, bring to a boil.  Simmer on low for 20 minutes, adding in spices.  If desired (I didn't) let cool and whirl in an immersion blender.  Serves 2, with freshly made grilled cheese on the side.


Enjoyed best on a TV tray, on the couch, while watching the soaps.  Or the Price is Right.  Or the Wonder Years.  And for a split second, you are 8 years old, playing hooky from school, and Mom will be over in a few minutes to bring you some ice cream.  And it's all better :-)

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Big EZ

Hello, all!  Welcome to fall.  It's a gorgeous day in New York - bright, sunny and 70 degrees.  Perfect.  I could go on and on about the best season here.....sweaters, bright colors in the leaf changes, perfect running weather, excellent in season food (squash, pumpkin, apples, YUM), Halloween.....and my birthday :-)  What's not to love?  I have a pretty busy and fun fall planned - marathon training....I swear I will chat about this...I'm in week 6 of a 12 week plan right now.  It has it's ups and downs, but we will see what I can accomplish.

But today, I want to go far away.  Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans for work - we were presenting at a national conference, and my boss was awesome enough to allow Greg and Rob to come along with me for the cost of the flight and food.  Sweet.  So, last Tuesday, we embarked on a journey...Robs first out of state and on a plane!  For a 5 day trip to NOLA.  It was amazing. .....

 On a plane for the first time - so excited by the windows!!

 Chillin at a layover....first with shades and then flyin his own plane!!

At the hotel....SOMEONE'S gotta get the work done!
Our hotel - Royal Sonesta.  Right on Bourbon St. in the heart of the city!
Fine NOLA cuisine....HAH.  This is a liquid city :-)

Muffaletta at Central Grocery - a NOLA staple.
Cafe Dumond - we feasted on french chicory and beignets.  YUM.
St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square - just gorgeous.
By no means inclusive, but the whole city was just amazing.  Friendly, delicious, and BUSY.  Rob never got tired of checking out all of the amazing sights, and we had a nice balance of work and family time.  Rob had a BLAST in the pool, and was just the perfect little traveler.  Bodes well for our next adventure to OBX :-)  If you haven't gone to NOLA, I would highly recommend!  But only for a week.  Your stomach and liver can't handle more :-P