Well, done.

Sunday:  4 mile run
Monday:  50 minutes yoga
Tuesday:  6 mile run
Wednesday:  4 mile run
Saturday:  7 mile run

Sunday:  4 mile run
Monday:  4 mile run, 30 minutes yoga
Tuesday:  6.4 mile run
Wednesday:  15 minutes yoga
Thursday:  25 minutes yoga
Friday:  12 mile run
Saturday:  4 mile run

Two week total:  51.4 miles  (All outside!!)

I am super happy to have been able to run outside for the past two weeks.  YES the temps were near zero.  YES it was cold.  NO it did not bother me.  I grew up in Western New York.  My lungs probably turned to iron by the time I was in second grade.  It seriously does not bother me to breathe in the cold air.   I just slow down my pace a bit and pay very close attention to my footing.  Most of my runs lately can be divided into two categories:  Well done and Well, done.

Friday's 12 miler was well done and I was happy to not have to do that one on the treadmill.  I just finished up today's 4 miles and entered the house and mumbled to the dog, "Well, that's done."   A different day, a different run.  Sometimes they feel good, sometimes they don't.  That's just the way life is.

But back to that cold weather!  This time of year really makes me thankful for my snowy childhood south of Buffalo.  Our days were filled frolicking in the snow during extra long winters.  We had snowmobiles, snowshoes, skis and sleds.  I can not remember ever being told that it was too cold to go out and play or that I had to come in before some body part froze off.  

I rarely let temperature alone stop me from running outside.  Icy and/or windy conditions are the things that will make me head to the basement and get on the treadmill.  Unfortunately, both of those lovely weather items are in the forecast for the week.  I am supposed to run 13 miles this weekend!  I hope there will be a small opportunity for me to get out.  Otherwise, I may have to rearrange the training schedule a little bit!

Earth Day Challenge!

I've had this race on my radar for a couple of years and I am finally going to go for it!  The date is April 17 in Gambier, Ohio.  It's a small race:  120 in the marathon and twice that in the half marathon.  The start and finish are at the Kenyon College Athletic complex and before you say anything - this is NOT a college visit!  This is going to be a chance for me to have a nice long run in central Ohio on hopefully a beautiful spring day.  No pressure, no big goals, just breathing in some fresh air and stretching out these middle aged momma legs.   With any luck, I will come home with a nice shirt, a hand-crafted mug or medal, and a pine seedling!

Sunday:  4 miles
Monday:  4.3 miles treadmill, 20 minutes yoga
Tuesday:  30 minutes yoga
Wednesday 4.8 miles treadmill
Friday:  9 miles treadmill
Saturday:  2.5 miles treadmill

Is it me or is January flying by?  I am grabbing at any chance I can to get outside and run on the bike path.  Friday's 9 miles on the treadmill left me feeling a bit like a hamster on a wheel.  I broke it into two 45-minute sessions and passed the time watching way too much TLC.  Next time I am stuck on the treadmill for over an hour I will put in a movie!  "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant"  just has no purpose being a TV show.  I mean, really?  You didn't know?  Come on.........

One Eleven Eleven

Our day started with the realization that today's date is one of those fun ones.  That always gets things off to a good start.

Speaking of numbers and getting off to a good start, I managed to get some nice running in last week to start the new year.

Sunday:  6 miles
Monday:  5 miles
Tuesday:  30 minutes yoga
Wednesday:  10 mile run
Thursday:  3 miles treadmill, 20 minutes yoga
Friday:  6 miles treadmill

I also finally tallied up the numbers from 2010.  I ran a total of 1, 253 miles.  That was 80 miles less than 2009 but still satisfying.  I think I ran one 5K, one 10K, two half marathons and one full marathon.  Since I don't consider myself a "racer", those numbers are okay with me.  My t-shirt drawer is stuffed full of race shirts and a 5K can pretty much kill a Saturday morning, so I tend to stay home unless it's a race I want Gina and/or Abby to run for the experience. 

Since I usually run about 9 minutes/mile, that would mean I ran for about eight full days in 2010!

I also added up my documented time doing yoga.  Unfortunately I only came up with about 30 hours.  I was hoping for more!  I was very inconsistent and went months at a time without so much as one sun salutation or downward dog.  I will try to do better this year.  The older I get, the more I really NEED the things that yoga provides. 

My yoga practice has consisted solely of the free weekly class on Yoga Today .  Sometimes I think the one hour class is just too much for me to commit to so I end up talking myself out of it.  However, recently I discovered many yoga today videos on You Tube that are much shorter and easier to tackle.  Abby and I did three of them last night!  We finished up with the video below and felt great.  She commented about being able to breathe so much easier and I felt totally relaxed.  Try it out! 

Six Mile Swim

Gina, now officially 15.5 years old, swam a 10K at her high school swim practice on Tuesday morning. This is apparently a winter break tradition:  the 100x100s workout.   That's 6.2 miles.  In a pool.  Before lunch.  I won't tell you what I was doing when I was 15, but I was certainly not swimming a 10K.  Heck I didn't even run one until I was 35 or so.  Another pretty awesome achievement for her to be proud of.  In addition, she lettered in 100 Free and 100 Back at the meets last week!

Our holidays were awesome.  The girls were off school for 14 days and Jerry was off from work for 12 days.  I was also able to take a break from my client and did minimal cooking and other household tasks.  We planned some good family dates and ended up in lots of fun places and restaurants.  The list includes Fine Points Knit Shop in Cleveland followed by a late lunch at Tommy's in Coventry.  A few days later we went to Don Drumm Studios in Akron followed by lunch at The Vegiterranean Restaurant.  To top it all off we saw The King's Speech at the Cedar Lee theater and then had dinner at Lemongrass.  Great vegetarain food at all of the above places.  Oh yeah, we celebrated the end of the first school semester at Organic Energy in Solon!  In between those activities we traveled to Dayton and western NY to celebrate Christmas and New Years with our families. 

With the New Year comes planning out events for 2011.  We've had some good discussions going and Jerry's registration for the Laurel Highlands 77-mile ultra is on its way to PA. It's undetermined if this will be a family event or if he will fly solo.   I had a good 10-mile run yesterday and feel fairly confident I can pull off training for a spring marathon.  Details coming soon!

Happy New Year to all!  I hope this is a year of good health and fitness for everyone!

Ruby Slippers

Gina tore through the door on Friday after swim team practice and ripped open her backpack.  She then presented us with - and I quote - "her greatest academic achievement so far!"   She had the Ruby Slippers sticker from her 10th grade Honors Language Arts teacher.  Apparently, very few students hold this distinction.   It was awarded to her for her final research essay on Huckleberry Finn.  I did not read the essay before she turned it in.  I have now, and I have to say that it was really, really good.  She is super proud, and so am I.  That was a lot of hard work.

Abby has been going nuts with her knitting!  I have been doing a lot of reading on gifted kids, and I now understand the importance of her down time.  Academically school is easy for her, but socially it is draining.  This photo is how she has been chilling lately, and I just love it!  We have plans to visit a fancy schmancy knitting shop in Cleveland this week for yarn and cool project ideas.  I'm starting to think this could be an expensive habit, but lately we are getting blessed up one side and down the other so yarn shop here we come!

Book Quote

Sunday:  2.2 miles treadmill intervals, 30 minutes strength stuff
Monday:  45 minutes yoga, 4.6 miles treadmill intervals
Tuesday:  2.2 miles treadmill intervals
Wednesday:  2.2 miles treadmill intervals
Friday:  6.5 miles treadmill
Saturday:  4 miles outside

....And the snow just keeps piling up!  I am so thankful for my treadmill and my nice finished basement (thank you, Jerry!)  I know it will get old fast, but it sure beats slipping and sliding on the icy paths and climbing through snow drifts.

A couple of months ago I left a comment on the MamaSweat blog.  If you have never visited this blog you should check it out.  The particular blog post was regarding pelvic floor issues.  I know that might sound like a yucky topic for a blog post, but it seemed to light a fire in many a reader, including myself.  I like to think of myself as an incredibly healthy 44-year-old woman, but there are some things that all the healthy living in the world just can't seem to undo:  like what happened to my bladder after two pregnancies.  As each pregnancy drew to an end, my bladder felt like it had the capacity of a raisin.  We have been brainwashed as women to believe that kegel excercises would help.  That was what the blog post was about that I commented on - an anti-kegel sort of thing.

Then I received an email asking if my rather embarrassing comment could be used as a quote in an upcoming book called "Hot (Sweaty) Mamas:  Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom."  I think I laughed until I cried - that would be my luck to finally get something in print, and it is about something so embarrassing I never even told my husband about it.  The book will be out in the spring.  You will have to buy it if you want to know the details, but I am not sure I want you to unless you are a marathon running mommy who might understand what it's like to run for a couple of hours with a somewhat compromised system. 


 Men just have it so easy!

White as Snow

Sunday:  6 mile run with Jerry
Tuesday:  4.4 mile treadmill intervals
Wednesday:  5 mile run
Friday:  4.4 mile treadmill intervals


Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow....



During a snowy week like we have been having, I have a hard time not thinking of a song we sing a lot at our awesome church.  A snippet of the lyrics are above.  The snow has really been piling up and making the world look fresh and clean.  Not good for outdoor running, but a beautiful reminder that with God's help we can wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start on life.

So it was time to turn to the treadmill.  I actually really like the interval training I can now focus on.  I have iFit workouts from Jillian Michaels that seriously make me huff and puff.  The mileage doesn't look so great on paper but walking along at 5 miles an hour on an 8% incline really gets things going.  I will get outside when I can, but until then I will make the most of the treadmill in the basement.

That's thinking positive, right?  And if you like that sort of thing, check out this list of 75 Ways to Stay Unhappy Forever.  I think I'm going to print it out and hang it in the kitchen.