I'm a Sleeper Baker

Fast Friday Five

2012-01-27T11:17:00.000-05:00

1. I just hauled myself off the couch after sitting there for the past 3 hours. I was trying to deny that I was coming down with something, but I have. It feels a bit like my sinuses are filled with sand.

2. I have officially started half marathon training, I'm really excited for the More/Fitness Magazine Half, coming in April. Anyone else registered for this one??

3. This week when I was doing laundry, I realized I was washing clean clothes.

4. Eliza and I just split a Twinkie. It didn't taste like it used to. Maybe because it wasn't smashed up from being inside a lunch box.

5. Did you enter my Bob Harper Kettle bell DVD giveaway??? Check it out, here!

Tag Time

2012-01-26T09:10:00.001-05:00

I haven't done a random fact post in a while, and I was tagged by these two lovelies, Kristen from Run for Wine, and Jen from Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood.

And there are rules......

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

And I must share 11 random items about me:

1. My left foot is a size 11. My right foot is an 11.5.
2. My first car was a 1978 orange Chevy Malibu, the speedometer was broken the whole time I owned it. It finally died while my sister M was driving it, the floor under the pedals had rusted away, and the rug caught on fire from the heat of the engine. No accidents or injury, she just pulled over and someone called the cops.
3.I have a dent in my forehead, which I got while I was a kid. I walked into an open dryer door at the laundromat.
4.When I go to bed, I must have a glass of water (which I usually drink at four a.m.), lip balm (which I put on after drinking), and tissues (because my nose is always running) on my nightstand.
5. No matter what I do, I always burn grilled cheese.
6. I have a scar on my inside arm, that perfectly matches my sister M's fingernail.
7. I've had a subscription to Glamour magazine for 19 years.
8. I was a Cheerleader Captain in High School. I'll do a cheer for you, all you have to do is ask.
9. I'm appalled that my youngest sister A (by 12 years) hasn't seen movies like Better Off Dead.
10. I'm afraid of bridges.
11. I think that life is what you make of it.

And I must answer these 11 questions, from Kristen:

1. What is your biggest pet peeve? When people say AND when saying the date. As in two thousand AND one. AND means period, just say two thousand one.
2. If stranded on a desert island what 3 personal items (not including survival tools) would you want? lip balm, dental floss, and a book.
3. What’s the one food you could never give up? pizza. I can't even fathom the thought of giving it up.
4. What’s your best quality? I can liven things up if it needs to be done.
5. What was the last thing you really laughed over? When the dog brought a frozen piece of poop into the family room, and started playing with it.
6. What is your go-to book recommendation? Anything by Marian Keyes.
7. What’s your ideal time of day to workout? In the morning, get it done, then you have the whole rest of the day to do whatever.
8. What’s the last food you ate? a piece of banana bread.
9. Who is your favorite athlete (dead or alive)? Derek Jeter, or anyone from the 1986 NY Mets.
10. What’s the last movie you watched and would you recommend it? Bridesmaids, oh yes, I would recommend it.
11. Toilet paper over or under? Over. I really don't care, but my husband is particularly OCD about the toilet paper, so that's how I do it.

And now, the questions from Jen:

You are stranded on a deserted island. Tell me

1. What are the 5 foods you would pick to have with you? bread, peanut butter, cheese, apples, and chocolate chip cookies.

2. What 2 things would you pick to drink? water and coffee. Although I would miss my vino.

3. What book would you want to have? The Bible. I've never read the whole thing, but I would have plenty of time to read it on the island.

4. You are visited by ONE person for 24 hours only, who is it? My husband. My kids have the rest of their life to travel to deserted islands.

5. You can have ONE skill that you do not currently posses? What is it? To hold my breath for a really long time so I could dive deep and search for the big fish.

You just won 5 million dollars! Tell me

1. What is the first thing you do? pay off my debt, and the debt of my family.

2. What is the first thing you buy? plane tickets to Japan.

3. Who is the first person you share your winnings with? my hubs. He's let me stay home for several years, so I should share with him.

4. Would you relocate? Where? I'd keep our house in Syracuse, but I'd buy an apartment in our old neighborhood in Astoria so we could go back and forth.

5. Would you donate to charity? Yes, to the National Stroke Association, American Cancer Society, and the ASPCA.

6. You must buy me a gift, what do you get me?? running shoes! duh!!!

And now, these are the 11 questions I came up with:

1. what is the one song you never tire of?
2. what scares you?
3. what's on your bucket list?
4. salty or sweet?
5. what would you do with an unexpected day off?
6. boxers or briefs?
7. what would you have for your last meal?
8. what is your favorite body part?
9. what do you like best about your job?
10. Giants or Patriots?
11. what is your goal for 2012?

And this is who I tagged:

1. TriMOEngr at Climbing those hills
2. Wells L at My Story Chapter 2
3. Johann at Run Tall, Walk Tall
4. Stefano at Run With The Black Knight
5. Christi at Pedestrian Runner
6. BDD at Big Daddy Diesel
7. Miss Zippy
8. Marcia at The Studly Runner
9. Jill from Run With Jill
10. Michelle from Running With Attitude
11. Heather at 365 Days of Awesome

Have Fun!

WW: the best way to test a Pinewood Derby Race Car? The treadmill of course!

2012-01-25T08:41:00.002-05:00

I've Got Mail

2012-01-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

I'm a happy girl when the mailbox holds something other than bills. And last week did not disappoint!

I received a package from Italy, it was from Stefano, of Run With The Black Knight!

He was my Secret Gift Exchange Buddy, that Jill organized last December. The package held a Nike neck warmer, a Moleskine planner, and a key chain from Venice! You might remember in an older post, that last year Stefano sent me a key chain from Venice, but all I received was an empty envelope. He later sent me a key chain from Brussels, that I did receive. And this time around, everything was accounted for. I've already worn the neck warmer, and in true Black Knight spirit, everything was black. Thank You Stefano!!!

Remember CSN Stores? They're called Wayfair now, and I think the new website is much easier to navigate. I had a chance to review one of their products, and I chose a lamp, which we really needed. We have a desk for Luke and Eliza in a corner of the living room, but it was a pretty dark space. I had to assemble the lamp, which meant threading the electric cord through each of the pieces that made up the stand (I used a chopstick to get it through the tight spots), and screwing in the lampshades. It took 15 minutes to put together, and I really like the separate lampshade that I can focus directly on the desk.

Last year I did a two week challenge with Amazing Grass, and I'm about to do it again. It entails cutting back on sugar, and eating as clean as possible, while having a daily dose of Amazing Meal, which I add to smoothies. Instead of my usual chocolate flavor, I chose Pomegranate Mango, which just arrived. I'll keep you posted.

Do you ever watch the Today Show? On Thursday's they have a feature, with items you can buy online for a ridiculous discount. I've never ordered anything from it before, but last week, I couldn't turn down one particular item. It's a Kathy Kaehler workout DVD, which is a celeb favorite. It was usually $250, but the bargain price was $18!!

So I ran and got my credit card.

I'll let you know if my butt starts to look like Julia Robert's.

*Note, I was provided with a lamp from Wayfair for the purpose of the review, the opinions on the product are my own.

Bob Harper Kettlebell Workout, Review and Giveaway!

2012-01-20T09:05:00.003-05:00

I've always been a fan of Bob Harper, I like how he puts his Biggest Loser Contestants through the wringer, but he seems to have a sensitive side as well. I sometimes wonder how it would be to have a session with a celebrity trainer, I actually once entered a contest for a chance to work out with Bob.

When we got home from vacation, this was waiting for me:

Yahoo! Shine recently launched a new feature on their site called the Get It Guide, showcasing the things women are searching for and talking about, and the current Get It Guide topic is at home fitness. Which is where this kettle bell workout comes in.

I enjoy kettle bell workouts, they're different, and fun. Bob's was similar to ones I've done in the past, but his kettle bell is ergonomically shaped, so that when you raise it up, it fits more comfortably against your arm, as opposed to traditional kettle bells:

The contoured purple bell is Bob's.

The 30 minute workout went by quickly, there was a warm up, followed by a demonstration on the correct posture to have while using the kettle bell. I was moving the entire time, doing squats, jumping jacks, and swinging the kettle bell. One segment in particular was challenging. It was a one legged row, I had to put my opposite foot down a couple of times so I wouldn't fall over, but I felt the burn in my hamstrings. Bob included a stretch in between sets, which was good because I needed it!

We ended the session (don't you like how I say "we") with more stretches and then it was over. I felt it in my hamstrings later in the day, and even more the next morning, but I was still able to do my Virtual 10k for Team Gab.

WIN IT!

Would you like to try Bob's Kettle Bell workout? Here's your chance!

To enter:

1. tell me your favorite workout DVD
2. be a friend of my blog
3. follow me on twitter @MollySBaker
4. share the info on twitter, your blog, facebook, etc.
5. this is off topic, but it's soup season, and I need some new ideas. Let me know your favorite soup recipe!

I will choose a winner using radom.org on Monday, January 30th.

*Yahoo! Shine provided the product on behalf of their Get It Guide for the purpose of this review. The opinions on the product are my own.

I Love A Virtual Race or Two

2012-01-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling motivated on many levels, running wise, work wise, family wise. I got so much done yesterday, that I was able to squeeze in the first of two Virtual Races I'm doing this week. And kick off my half marathon training at the same time.

This 3.5 mile run was to celebrate Toni's (Running, Loving, Living) Birthday and 1st Blogiversary. I needed to catch up on my Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the DVR (who else has been watching??? Season finale next week!), so I hopped on the treadmill:

I worked up a good sweat, and tried to take a decent photo of myself, but Frank kept licking my face.

Today I'm going to do another virtual race, this time for Team Gab!

There is still time to register for this one, and raise funds for Pediatric Cancer Research, check it out here!!!!!

Many Firsts, the Disney Edition

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

It feels like we were gone for longer than seven days. We packed so much into our trip, but it never felt overwhelming. I'm playing a game of catch up now, after Christmas and vacation, reality is going to hit hard tomorrow.

We hit Disney World at a perfect time of year, the crowds were minimal, aside from the marathon runners we saw on Monday. I watched one guy walk down a set of steps sideways, and I told him I knew the feeling. We made sure to get to the parks as soon as they opened, and went directly to the most popular rides, we were able to walk right on, with little or no wait. Then we got fast passes for rides we wanted to do in the afternoon.

Monday was Animal Kingdom

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom

Wednesday was Epcot

Thursday was Disney Hollywood Studios AND Epcot

Friday was Animal Kingdom AND Magic Kingdom.

It sounds like a lot, on Tuesday alone we went on 14 attractions, saw 2 parades, and the fireworks show. But we took the time to have a good lunch every day, we sat down for every ride, and had snacks and lots of water. We went to the pool and hot tub at night, to work out the kinks in our tired feet. I didn't go near the pool, it was freezing, but my kids are tough.

I didn't run the whole trip. But this was the highest mileage for Friday, we walked a total of 34 miles over five days.

There were many other Firsts:

Eliza lost her first tooth walking out of the Soarin' ride at Epcot:

L & E battled Darth Vader for the first time:

I saw my friend of over 26 years, Christopher (who I think of whenever I see a bottle of Kahlua), the last time we were in Disney together, it was the ninth grade:

First time the kids freaked out at a 3D movie, It's Tough to Be a Bug. I myself didn't like the "stinger" that shot out of my seat and into my back.

First time they met and got autographs from Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Mr. & Mrs. Incredible. Eliza and I went to lunch with the Princesses: Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, Snow White and Ariel.

Luke was psyched to see Mater and Lightening McQueen.

It was the first time we tried Chick-fil-a,

and Giordano's authentic deep dish Chicago Pizza (I'm still a devoted fan of NY style pizza).

I was excited to see Cinderella's castle again for the first time, so much so, that I bought a castle ornament, as well as castle mug.

I was surprised at how much Eliza liked the Lego Store on our first visit:

it was probably the wall of Legos.

The first time we rode Splash Mountain, L&E loved it so much, we rode it THREE times.

The first time we rode It's A Small World, Mike said it smelled like an attic.

The first time we rode the Safari ride, an Ostrich came so close to me, I thought it was going to bite my head off.

The kids had their names written in Arabic, Japanese and Chinese for the first time as we went through all the different countries in Epcot.

Mike bought a new video camera, that also took photos. This was the first time he used it, and took a total of two hours of video, and almost 400 photos.

I took over a 100.

I think the next time we go on vacation, it's going to be to the beach. And the first time I move, it will be to adjust my lounge chair.

What have you done for the first time recently????

Who goes to Disney World Marathon Weekend and doesn't run? ME.

2012-01-05T20:35:00.002-05:00

Remember how we planned a trip to Disney, and then the furnace blew, and we had to spend the Disney cash on a new one?

As luck would have it, I'm still making the trip down.

This is me, the last time I was in Disney, with my dear friend Anna, and friend Natalie. We went with the high school marching band, I played the flute, and we marched in a Disney Parade.

Do you like my green sunglasses??

It took me a couple of weeks, but I realized that I'm arriving in Orlando the same weekend as the Disney Marathon. Only a few hours after it starts.

Oh well.

I'm hoping to try and meet up with a friend of mine, as well as some other bloggers. The weekend is coming at a perfect time, with the post-Christmas let down, snowy Syracuse, and the stress over the health of my father in law. I just can't wait to get the heck out of here, and decompress.

But I do have some races to register for.

The Boilermaker 15k will celebrate it's 35th Anniversary this summer, I was able to defer my registration from last summer to this summer because of my foot, but they made a change. I have to register with everyone else, but I have a code to use for the fee. This is my favorite race, and it gets more and more popular by the year, so I've got to get on the ball Saturday and register.

There is one other race that I want to do, and registration is next week, the More/Fitness Magazine Half Marathon, it takes place in April, in Central Park. Several of my friends want to run it, but this one is very popular, we'll see if I can get a chance to break away from It's A Small World and register for it.

aaaaaaaaaaand......I had to go bathing suit shopping.

In January.

After Christmas.

With pale, white, winter skin.

I found one online, and ordered it in two sizes. I'll bring both with me, to see which one fits.

It better be the smaller one.

Zipfizz! A review.

2012-01-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

When I first wake up, I'm already thinking of coffee. I love the taste, love the warmth of my cup on a cold day, and an icy jolt of it in the summer. One cup, and I'm good to go for the day.

I don't use energy drinks like Red Bull, but I do like electrolyte drinks after a long run. My big thing is the amount of sugar and calories in these types of drinks, the less the better.

Zipfizz is the only energy drink that comes in a tube, with 10 calories and zero sugar. It contains no ephedra or other artificial stimulants, but it does have amino acids, minerals, and vitamins, including 41,667 grams of vitamin B12. It does contain 100 mgs of caffeine from natural sources of green tea and Guarana.

The B12 is what gives the dose of energy, which can last between 4 - 6 hours after drinking.

The first time I tried Zipfizz, it was mid-morning, after I had a lousy night of sleep. I already drank my cup of joe, and had a full day and night ahead of me. I mixed a tube with 16 ounces of water (they suggest between 16 and 20 ounces), and gave it a go.

I tried the pink lemonade first, it was tart, like real lemonade, and I liked the added fizziness of the drink. About a half hour after I drank it, my head was less foggy. I didn't feel jittery, and decided to go for a run. I hit the treadmill for four miles, and felt good! I felt alert well into the evening, which was good because I had to take Luke to Cub Scouts. If you've ever been in a room with 10 seven year old's, then you know how that goes.

Zipfizz comes in five flavors, pink lemonade, grape, orange soda, citrus and berry. They also have a limited edition orange cream, which was pretty good too.

You can find more info on Zipfizz on their website here, or on twitter here, or facebook, right here.

Note: I was given a sample of Zipfizz for the purpose of this review. The opinions on the product are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: I'm taking her to Disney on Ice tonight, even though she said my butt is fluffy.

2012-01-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

Vega Sport: Prepare, Sustain, Recover. A Review.

2012-01-03T09:53:00.000-05:00

Right at the start of the busy holiday season, I received a box from Vega Sport, filled with a bunch of 100% natural plant based goodies.

Right off the bat, I liked their attitude.

The box contained everything you need to prepare for, sustain, and recover from a workout.

I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but I do eat meat-free meals often, when I do have meat it's normally at dinnertime. I was very curious about the ingredients in this line of products, since they are dairy, gluten and soy free, with no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners.

I first tried the Pom-Berry Electolyte Hydrator, part of the Sustain products, while running on the treadmill. I was happy to see that it was zero calories, but the taste was rather sweet. I added a bit more water to the bottle and that lightened up a bit.

One way I add protein to my diet is through a powder that I mix into my smoothies. I usually stick to chocolate flavored powders, but Vega Sport's Performance Protein (recovery) has chocolate, vanilla, and a berry flavor that I thought was a nice change. It mixed well, and I enjoyed the taste.

My favorite items were the Protein Bars, in both Chocolate Saviseed, and Chocolate Coconut. The coconut was seriously like a candy bar. I used these on two different Christmas Shopping excursions. I got my protein fix, and had enough fuel to battle the crowds at the mall.

The day after Christmas, I took Frank for a much needed run around my neighborhood. I was tired from all the festivities, so when we got home, I mixed up the Apple Berry Recovery Accelerator with some water to re-hydrate. What I especially liked was that the Accelerator "replenishes electrolytes....reduces inflammation.....and supports immune system function." Everything a body needs after a busy holiday season.

I'm just starting a round of half marathon training, so once I get into my longer runs, I'm going to try the endurance gel. For comparison sake, I looked at the ingredients of the gel, and compared it to the gel I normally use. The first ingredient in the Vega Sport gel was dates. The first ingredient in the other gel was maltodextrin.

Hmmmm.

I really like the fact that this line is focused on natural ingredients, you know exactly what kind of fuel is going into your body.

Starting today, you can enter the Vega Sport Sweepstakes, for a chance to win the following:

Grand Prize is a 15 day, $10,000 Vega Sport Adventure Trip for 2 to Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica!

There are 10 Runners Up prizes of $1,000 in Vega Sport Products.

There are 20 Finalist Prizes of $200 in Vega Sport Products.

Plus 5 Weekly Prizes of Vega Sport Products.

The Sweepstakes goes until March 31st, and you can enter HERE!

*Note: I was provided with product samples for the purpose of this review. The opinions stated are my own.

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-30T11:08:00.001-05:00

I don't know the exact number of miles I ran. Or biked. Or how many meters I swam.

But I do know, that I had probably the best year of racing.

Ever.

The first few months of the year, I ran for fun. I was on a first marathon post-race high, and I didn't race until March, in a really fun run, the Tipp Hill Shamrock Run 4 miler. Where I managed a 1 minute PR.

I braved the cold morning temps of spring, and met my friends for training runs in hilly, downtown Syracuse, prepping for the Mountain Goat 10 miler. I gave that goat a smack down with an 8 minute PR.

Ah, injury. While walking Frank, I rolled my foot off a path, and twisted my foot. My podiatrist felt I needed custom inserts, and new running shoes. I had to take over a month's rest, and was unable to run in one of my favorite races, the Boilermaker #15k. The lovely race director let me defer my registration to 2012, so I was happy.

One I was healed, it was go time for the Irongirl Triathlon. My biggest fear was the swim, but I ended up really enjoying it, and a few times at the pool, people complimented me on my stroke. I must have been doing something right, because in the swim, I placed 192 out of over a 1,000 finishers.

Then it was time for marathon training, and fundraising. I'm thankful and appreciative to all who donated, I raised over $2,800 for The Children's Tumor Foundation.

I learned the name for a muscle that I didn't know I had, the pes anerus, which I now call Pez. I pulled that sucker pretty well, so much so that I had to alter my marathon training. My last training run was capped at 18 miles, so I wasn't sure how I was going to do in the race.

But I traveled down to the area I grew up, and one of my life goals came true.

Oh yeah, and I pulled off an 18 minute PR.

While I was at the expo, I met up with two fabulous bloggers, Miss Zippy, and Lisa.

I finished 2011 with a Turkey Trot 10k, I felt fabulous the entire race, and finished just under an hour.

Throughout the year I ran with this speedster:

spent time with this guy:

and goofed around with these two knuckleheads:

So what's on tap for 2012?

My race schedule has a few things on it, but I want to try something new.

I'd love to do a Ragnar Relay, or a Tough Mudder.

I'm contemplating the Philadelphia Marathon.

One of my resolutions is to do speed work, I know I can get faster, I just have to suck it up and go for it.

Other than that, the year is wide open, waiting to be filled with new adventures.

Happy New Year!

I wish you much joy, health, and peace.

That isn't coal, it's chocolate

2011-12-26T10:27:00.001-05:00

I'm a happy girl today, after a weekend of Christmas Cheer.

I kicked off the weekend with lunch with two of my favorite running buddies, my sis in law Jeannine, and friend Norine. We were the last people in the restaurant when we finally left, we usually get all that chatting done while running, but this time we did it over panini's and a glass of vino.

Later that day, I did an annual exchange with our Jewish neighbor, he gave us a plate of his fabulous latkes, and I gave him a plate of Christmas cookies, the best of both worlds. We then headed to a party down the street. It's nice to be able to walk to a party. But it's not so good to be able to walk to a party. Our street was very quiet the next morning, I think there were a lot of hangovers to be had.

We went to my sister in law's for Christmas Eve, for the Feast of Fishes. I had 5 of the 7, a bit of haddock, shrimp, a scallop, crab legs, and a bit of pasta in anchovy sauce. There was a really good green salad, and stretch bread for dipping in tomato oil. I could have made a meal just of the bread, seriously.

We really felt the absence of Mike's Dad, we visited him on Christmas Eve, and Mike went again on Christmas Day, but it didn't feel the same without him. My Mother in Law has been staying with us, so I think it was nice for her to see the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning.

The kids have been a bit naughty lately, and there was much talk about how Santa might be leaving coal in their stockings instead of presents. After the kids were asleep, Mike made a trail of chocolate coal up the stairs.

Luke knew it was candy the second he saw it.

He was absolutely thrilled with his Lego Alien Conquest set.

Eliza was happy to see that she got the cupcake robe she requested.

Surprisingly, my two favorite gifts weren't running related, Mike gave me a Keurig coffee maker, and a set of Marty Moose Mugs.

You know you're jealous.

But at 1:05 on Christmas Day, my sister in law gave us the best present you could ask for, a new baby niece, Mia Maureen!! They live on Long Island, so we haven't seen her, but I can't wait!

We had dinner at home, Mike made prime rib, and I did something different with the potatoes this year, I roasted them by following this recipe from Ina Garten. They were gooood.

And now what am I going to do with my Day After Christmas? The toys need to be organized, and the house put back together, and I'm going to go for a long run. I've been hitting the treadmill, but I need to get outside and just GO.

Let's see what kind of power those potatoes will give me.

13 for Tuesday

2011-12-20T09:17:00.002-05:00

1. Sometimes I feel like I sweat more while I'm Christmas shopping, than when I'm running.

2. Everything I bought yesterday was on sale, or I made it be on sale by using a coupon.

3. I went to the dermatologist recently. Apparently I have acne, wrinkles, rosacea, and eczema. All at once.

4. Black Ice is back. This morning Luke wiped out right onto his rear end while walking to the bus. That hurts.

5. We're going to Disney in just a couple of weeks. I've barely had a chance to plan for it, but I'm heading to Barnes & Noble today to get a much needed guidebook.

6. I did a third round of Christmas baking on Saturday. I have one more round to do on Wednesday, then I should be good.

7. Two of my BFF's want to run their first half marathon in 2012, I'm so excited to do it with them!

8. I've had a great year race wise. I PR'd in every race I ran, including an 18 minute PR in NYC, and an 8 minute PR in a wicked hilly 10 mile race. I raced in my first sprint Triathlon, IronGirl Syracuse.

9. Why are race photos so expensive? I've never bought one, but I'm breaking out the credit card for the NYC photos.

10. The chocolate coconut Vega Sport Protein Bar is ridiculously good.

11. I don't have any New Years Resolutions. I'm turning 40 in January, that's enough to deal with.

12. I finished the Hunger Games Trilogy, Luke is already asking me about it. We're still on the first Harry Potter, I told him he has a long wait for HG.

13. The Countdown to Christmas is officially ON.

I think Puppy should skip school

2011-12-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

I was looking at Luke's homework agenda for the week, and read that he has to bring something in on Friday, to share with the class. I figured he would bring in some kind of Lego creation, but no, he wants to bring in his stuffed Puppy dog, that he sleeps with every night.

I bought Puppy at FAO Schwartz, when I was pregnant with Luke. It was the only thing I bought before having him, and it turned out to be his favorite animal. Luke loves to hear me tell the story of how I went shopping that day, very excited to be having a baby, and how much we loved the baby already, and wanted to buy a special gift for it.

But I'm not too keen on him bringing Puppy to school though, and here's why.

Last year we were getting ready for school, it was cold and snowy, and we couldn't find his gloves. I was afraid we were going to miss the bus, so I grabbed a pair of lavender colored mittens, put them on his hands, and off he went.

When he came home that afternoon, he got off the bus, with his head hanging down, and a sad look on his face. I asked him what was wrong, he said "The big kids made fun of my purple mittens."

UGH!

I felt like the worse Mom ever, I basically fed him straight to the bullies mouths.

There are always going to be those kids who make fun of others, I get it. I was called a "Carpenters Dream" in seventh grade, since I was "flat as a board and needed a screw." Fun times. But you can see why I'm putting my foot down about Puppy not going to school. I don't want any other seven year old's to make fun of having a stuffed animal, or making him feeling bad about something he loves. I told Luke that since Puppy is so special, we don't want to risk him losing him on the bus or at school. So he's going to choose something else.

And I'll make sure to keep Puppy away from Frank, the Stuffed Animal Eating Dog.

21 Random Things

2011-12-13T08:40:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Morning Runner J, to tell 21 things about myself, I've mentioned some of these before, but here goes....

1. I believe in everything in moderation, including moderation.
2. I'm an excellent multi-tasker.
3. One time at a work party, I knocked into Rupert Murdoch so hard he almost fell over.
4. I have 27 first cousins.
5. Both times I gave birth, the epidural only worked on my right side,
6. I could eat pizza every day.
7. I grew up in a haunted house, and I’ve seen the ghost. So has Luke and my sisters.
8. I used to travel the world before I had kids.
9. The majority of my clothing is either black or chocolate brown.
10. I was a fan of vampire books and movies way before the Twilight madness, and I think I saw one in New Orleans.
11. I have a great group of friends, although they’re all scattered across the state/country.
12. My birthday is usually on or around, the Superbowl.
13. I enjoy cooking and baking, I make a mean casserole.
14. I love finding a bargain, I never pay full price.
15. I’m not a big clothes shopper, but could do some serious damage in Barnes and Noble.
16. I love movies, I worked in a video store (what's that???) in high school, talk about dream job!
17. I used to be a beer kind of girl, but now I’m a wine kind of girl.
18. I’m a pretty happy person, and thankful for all I have.
19. I'm clumsy, and I've sprained ankles, broken my ankle twice, broken toes, had an operation on my toe.
20. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to retire down South, I love all the seasons too much.
21. I met Mike in college, while waiting on line at the movies. We dated for 9 years before getting married, and we celebrated 12 years of marriage last September. So we know each other pretty well : )

I'm supposed to tag other bloggers to share their randomness, so if you commented on my last post, consider yourself tagged!

Friday Five

2011-12-08T10:32:00.001-05:00

1. Is it just me, or is December flying by? Actually, this whole year has flown by, but I'm starting to feel the crunch. For those of you who have asked, my father in law is now out of the ICU, he was transferred this week to a rehab facility. He has a long road ahead of him, and we're still taking things day by day, but we're hopeful for his recovery.

2.That said, we got some good news this week, our trip to Disney is back on!

I'm so excited to take the kids to Disney, we're not going to tell about the trip until we're in the car going to the airport. Eliza is going to lose her mind, I want to take her to one of those "Breakfast with the Princess" type things.

3. I have so much shopping to do. I know what I need to get, it's just that the list is loooong, and I have to get a few more things for the kids. Luke could use a new bedspread, his bed is like a nest, he sleeps with about four extra blankets because he gets cold easily. I was looking at childrens duvet covers, Santa might have to bring him a nice new one.

4. There is a new race on the Syracuse calendar for 2012, the Lake Effect Half Marathon, on February 25th, it's put on by the club I used to run with. I'm considering it, but February in Syracuse means snow and cold, I'm okay with running four miles in weather like that, not sure about 13 miles though.

5. Thanks to everyone who entered the Collagen Sport Giveaway, I used random.org to choose the winner, and it is Penny, the Pink Hat Runner.....congrats!

Happy Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: I offered to climb the ladder, but we all know I would have ended up in the tree

2011-12-07T08:13:00.001-05:00

If you asked me how I got here, this is what I'd say.

2011-12-04T18:56:00.001-05:00

I've always been active, I grew up riding my bike, swimming, playing wiffle ball. In high school I played field hockey, was a cheerleader, and loved to play tennis. Like most people I caught the running bug during an effort to lose weight. I was out of college, living on my own, homesick, worried about being in the real world. I was really not taking care of myself, I ate too much of the wrong things, and spent the weekends at happy hours and parties.

Finally one New Years Eve I decided to make a change, bought some diet and exercise books, and joined a gym. I started slowly on the treadmill, I wouldn't look at myself in the mirror or talk to others. But I went back every day, and did a bit more each day. I would bargain with myself and challenge myself, by running farther each day, or faster. All through the winter I did it, and by early summer, I lost 12 pounds. It was time for a new challenge, running outside. I did the loop around the neighborhood that I used to walk.

I still remember the day I ran a whole six miles around my neighborhood. I couldn't believe it! I started running six miles a day. I still couldn't believe it! I decided to test myself some more and signed up for a Turkey Trot 10k. Then a 15k, half marathon, marathon, and triathlon. This past fall I ran my dream race, the New York City Marathon.

Once of the great things about being a FitFluential Ambassador is, you get to pay it forward, and share what you know about healthy living with others.

What tips would I share with someone about to start their healthy journey?

To start I would say....

1. Get some comfy work out gear! If you're wearing something too tight that gives you a wedgie, you're not going to be happy. Find a good sports bra, and wear something you feel confident, as well as comfortable in.

2. Just do it. There are days where I procrastinate before going for a run, then I finally go. The thing is, I never regret a workout. But I do regret not doing a workout.

3. Educate yourself. If you're changing your eating habits, make sure you know how many calories you require in a day, how much protein you should be taking in, and realize how much salt and sugar are in so many foods, and make sure not to go over those limits.

4. Keep a list of what you need to take in each day, the number of fruits and vegetables, and glasses of water, and check them off as you have them.

5. Make food swaps. For instance, choose salsa over sugar laden ketchup. I have been known to go through a jar of salsa every few days, it's so low in calories, and it's good.

6. Mix it up. Run one day, bike another, swim another, do yoga another....if you keep challenging yourself in different ways, you'll keep boredom at bay, and get the benefits of cross training at the same time.

7. Keep it in perspective. My brother once lost 5 pounds, and he felt like that was a low number. I told him to go and pick up a 5 pound bag of flour. When you look at weight loss that way, you can actually see what you're no longer lugging around.

If you're interested in learning more about FitFluential, or about becoming an Ambassador, check them out here!

It's never just three for Thursday

2011-12-01T08:38:00.001-05:00

The day after Thanksgiving I was walking Frank at night, and I came to my neighbor's driveway. They're an older couple, and don't have any kids. There were three young guys I've never seen before standing there, loading things into the back of their car. One of them said "It's a Pioneer!" So Miss Neighborhood Watch assumed they were robbing them of stereo equipment, so I ran home and told Mike to call over there. My neighbor answered the phone laughing, it was her nephew visiting for the Holiday, but she appreciated my watchfulness.

The next day we headed up to Mike's parent's place, to pick up some things for his Mom. Eliza was excited to go up for the night, so she packed her little suitcase with everything she needs to go to sleep: a teddy pillow, her Teddy Bunny, a little purple blanket, and her Tangled nightgown. She also put in her clothes. We packed up, made the two hour drive, and settled in. Until Eliza asked where her suitcase was. I thought Mike packed it. He thought I packed it. We didn't pack it. I've never seen a 5 year old so mad, she balled up her little fists, stamped her foot and said "I am just so MAD at you!" Poor kid cried until I lent her a shirt that I won in a giveaway at Angie's blog, and a pair of my socks, and her cousin lent her a stuffed bunny. Luckily it was just for one night, but now she wants to wear the shirt and socks to school.

I took Frank for a three mile run yesterday, I'm not sure how he's going to handle running in the snow once it hits. You know that feeling you get, when you want to run Every Single Day? I have that right now, but I'm going to force myself not to, and alternate cross training and running. I need to dust off my kettle bells, fire up a Jillian Michael's workout, and start doing planks again.

It's December First, and I've started on my shopping list for Christmas presents. I'm not a Black Friday shopper, more of a Cyber Monday shopper. The other day Mike and I went to Toy's R Us after visiting his Dad in the hospital. We never get a chance to shop together because of the kids, but they were at school so we took advantage of the time. I get anxious when shopping for toys, I give other shoppers the once over, and figure out where they're headed, hoping they're not looking for the same thing that I am. The only toy that Eliza has asked for is a Lalaoopsy Silly Hair Doll. Nothing else, just that doll. Of course it was sold out of Toy's R Us, as well as Walmart. I went online once we got home, it was sold out at Sears, Toy's R Us, Walmart, Target, and K Mart. I found it on Amazon, with about a 80% mark up. But then at the bottom of that page, I saw a sponsored link for Little Tikes, and lo and behold, they had the doll. SCORE! Now I can relax, and E is going to be a happy girl on Christmas morning.

Did you see my Collagen Sport Giveaway??? Enter here!

Collagen Sport Review and Giveaway!

2011-11-29T08:43:00.001-05:00

I'm a smoothie girl.

My standard mix is almond milk, a scoop of powdered greens, a frozen banana, and either frozen strawberries, blueberries or raspberries. The frozen fruit makes a thick shake, and with all that goodness in one shot, it gives me a head start on my day.

I haven't used whey protein powder in a while, and when the folks at Neocell contacted me about trying their Collagen Sport powder, designed for muscle recovery and helping with pain after training, I was all for it.

Collagen is used to strengthen and repair your body, specifically your bones and muscles, and it helps muscle mass to regenerate after sports-related injuries.

This is the low down on Collagen Sport:

15 grams Pure Ion-Exchange Whey Protein Isolate
15 grams Super Collagen™ Bioavailable Peptides
Rich in BCAAs
Good source of L-Glutamine
Enhanced with Exogenous Amino Acids

It does NOT contain:

Gluten, Wheat, Sugar & Lactose Free
Artificial Sweeteners or Flavors
Fillers or Synthetic Ingredients

Put this all together, and you get a powder that helps you to refuel and recover after a workout, while replenishing and regenerating your muscles.

I received my bottle of Collagen Sport (I chose the chocolate flavor, obviously) right before the NYC Marathon, which was perfect timing. When I opened it, the first thing I noticed was the scent, it smelled good! Which isn't always the case with whey powder. I put a few scoops in a plastic baggie, to bring with me to NY. Collagen Sport is formulated to mix with a spoon if you don't have a shaker, so I figured I would mix it with water when I was ready.

I tried it two days after the marathon, I mixed it with a glass of water, and drank it down. But once I was home, I added it to my smoothies, it mixes very well in the blender, and it gave the shake an almost silky texture. The chocolate flavor got a thumbs up from Eliza, who loves to share my smoothies.

I've said this before, but my marathon recovery has been going really well. I ran 3 miles two weeks after the race, and everything felt great, including Pez. I ran a 10k on Thanksgiving Day, my legs were a bit sore the next day, but I didn't have a chance to make my smoothie with all the cooking I was doing, and I was on my feet the entire day and night, so it made sense that my legs were tired. But overall, my body feels pretty good!

There are profiles of the athletes who use Collagen Sport, including Triathlete Russ Jones, on the Neocell website, which you can find here.

Now for the giveaway, here is how you can enter for a chance to win a full size bottle of Collagen Sport, in your choice of vanilla or chocolate. (Giveaway is open to residents of the US). You can leave one comment, just be sure to list all that you did:

1. Check out the Neocell website here, like them on facebook here, or twitter here

2. Be a friend of my blog, or a twitter follower @MollySBaker

3. share the giveaway info, by blog, facebook or twitter

4. tell me your favorite smoothie combos

5. tell me your fitness goals for 2012(!)

I will use random.org to choose a winner on Friday December 9th. Good Luck!

I received a sample of Collagen Sport for the purpose of this review. The opinions of the product are my own.

Fitfluential...and a winner!

2011-11-28T13:06:00.001-05:00

I'm ignoring my To Do List right now, which isn't a good thing, because there's waaaay too much on it. I'm having too much fun with Cyber Monday, and putting my house back together after the long weekend. I'm finishing up my seventh load of laundry, have a pot of vegetable turkey soup simmering on the stove, and just realized my library put a block on my account because of my overdue books.

So I should get to it. But I'm not, because I'm excited. Over the weekend I found out I was chosen to be a FitFluential Ambassador!

I meant to apply a while ago, then I heard more about them through my Twinsie Friend Jess. FitFluential is a "nationwide network of fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline through multiple social media platforms." I've connected with so many great people through blogging and tweeting, that I'm excited about this opportunity to network with others who share my love of healthy living.

On to the Giveaway Winner! Thanks to everyone who entered the Tag! You're It! giveaway....I used random.org to choose the winner, and it is Megan, from Fit Crafty English Teacher! Send me an email and I'll get you set up, Congrats!

Check back tomorrow, I'm posting another giveaway for all you protein powder lovers out there!

Mixed Mood

2011-11-26T09:35:00.001-05:00

Bullets are required today.

This has been the kind of week where I got confused over what day it was. On Tuesday, I could have sworn it was Monday.

The Neurological ICU is not a fun place to be.

My sister and her family came to spend Thanksgiving with us, which was so nice. Nothing like little girls and a baby that never stops smiling to lift your spirits. Here we are with our kiddos:

I ran a Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving morning, my first race post marathon. It felt really good to be out in the cold air and running, I managed a 59:57.

Once again the race t-shirt had the same logo as previous years, I actually scored a water bottle from Miss Zippy, when she held an ugly race shirt contest, with my shirt from a couple of years ago.

Dinner was relaxed, and really good. This was the first Thanksgiving I wore jeans and zero makeup to dinner. We scaled down in turkey size, last year it was a 29 pounder, this year it was19, Mike used a flavor injector to get some butter deep inside the bird.

Luke was very hungry.

This TV Addict is way behind on my shows, my DVR is at it's limit. I did get to see the Biggest Loser Where Are They Now (wow, Tara is an IRONMAN!) and this week's RHOBH (weird to see Russel on the show, since we all know what happened to him).

I think I'm going to have to suck it up and see Breaking Dawn in the theater with all the other Twi-hards. I'd rather watch Bella become a vampire in the comfort of my living room, but I can't wait for the DVD.

I'm surprised that with all the pumpkin cheesecake, wine and turkey I'm eating, I've lost weight. Stress will do that to you I guess.

There is still time to win a two disc silver necklace from Tag! You're It!....check that giveaway out here!

Weekend Update and Shutterfly Winners

2011-11-21T10:50:00.001-05:00

Thank you for all the good wishes for my Father in Law.

I was able to see him yesterday, after spending the weekend with my girlfriends in Northampton, MA. We talked, laughed, ate, and danced to our favorite tunes in a dive bar. We did some shopping, where I scored a cute new winter hat, and bought some authentic Whoopie Pie's for Mike and the kids.

My friend Jennifer lives in a woodsy area, her house sits at the top of a hill, with a mountain view. I ran for the first time since the marathon, I gave myself a two week rest period, to make sure Pez fully recovered. I went for three miles, and felt great, although the last 1/2 mile was all uphill and a killer.

The weekend flew by. I've known these girls for so long, it was so wonderful to see them, that I cried when I left.

On my way home, I was finally able to stop at the hospital to see Mike's Dad, which was hard. He had a bad night last night, so they moved him to the ICU today, and we're waiting to see what the doctors say.

I chose the winners of the Shutterfly giveaway, and don't forget to check out my Tag! You're It! giveaway. If you haven't entered already, you can find that here.

Congrats to Wells L, Danielle, and Ara. Send me an email and I'll get you set up!

Unsure

2011-11-18T08:24:00.001-05:00

It's been a difficult couple of days.

On Wednesday, my father in law suffered a stroke. You can imagine the range of emotions we're all feeling. At the moment he is stable, and the doctors are hoping to transfer him to a rehabilitation facility sometime soon.

My stomach has been in a knot, yesterday I had to face the grocery store, with a huge list of things to buy, including a turkey, before they're all gone.

Several months ago, my five girlfriends and I planned a girls weekend away to New Hampshire, for this weekend. We've been friends for over 25 years. We don't get to see each other very much, but for the first time in years, we found a date that worked for everyone.

Mike and his brother spent all of yesterday at his Dad's side at the hospital, talking about all sorts of things to fill the time. I had told Mike I wasn't going to go away this weekend, but he thought I should still go. When the topic of my girls weekend came up, his Dad looked over at him, and told him I was going.

And that was that.

I feel funny leaving, but my family wants me to. I figure if I need to come home, I can be back as fast as I can drive (and I can drive fast).

Please send good thoughts his way.

Tag! You're It! Designs.....a Giveaway..

2011-11-14T15:45:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, Mike came in from the mailbox with a small package, and he said for once, it was for him and not me.

But it really was for me, a present!!

For my first marathon Mike gave me flowers, and for my second, I got a necklace! I wonder what I'd get for the third?

I was so excited, my necklace is from Tag! You're It! Designs. I have a few silver necklaces that I have on rotation, and one of my favorites has a silver circle charm that reads Luke, and a silver flower charm that reads Eliza. This is my first piece of running themed jewelry, and it looks great on it's own, or paired with this other necklace.

Sarah, the designer, is a marathon runner herself, and as she stamps the discs, she understands the pride that goes along with having accomplished the distance. Tag! You're It! Jewelry is .925 sterling silver, and my necklace came with two polishing cloths to keep it looking shiny.

I love it.

Blurry photo courtesy of Luke.

Giveaway Time! Would you like a chance to win a 2 disc necklace of your own? Here's your chance!

To Enter:

1.Go to Tag! You're It! Designs on facebook, and like their page here .
2. Check out their website here, look around, and let me know what you would choose, and why
3. You receive extra entries for sharing the giveaway info via twitter, facebook or blog.
4. You can also receive extra entries if you are a friend of my blog, or follow me on twitter @MollySBaker

This giveaway ends on Monday November 28th, I will choose a winner using random.org.

Good Luck!

Time Flies.....a Shutterfly Giveaway!

2011-11-12T15:34:00.001-05:00

When I look at our past Christmas cards, I can't help but think of how quickly the kids are growing.

Two years ago, they looked like this:

They look like babies to me.

Then, last year it was this:

We wanted Frank in it, and this was the best shot we could get, when he wasn't crawling all over the kids. He looks like a baby here too!

You can see I favor black and white prints, and usually pick one photo that focuses on how the kids look at that particular point in time. I usually stress out over getting the best shot, but in the end, if the kids look happy, that's all that matters.

I lean towards choosing a card that is colorful, or a little different. Mike insists that it read "Merry Christmas," but I'd be happy with something that says "Noel". I'm thinking that for this year, I'm might mix things up and use multiple photos on one card.

Luckily, Shutterfly has so many Holiday Card designs to choose from, I know I'll find just the right one.

These are the two that are in the running for 2011:

Not only do they have great Holiday Cards, but Thank You Cards, and Greeting Cards as well.

Want a chance to win 25 free cards from Shutterfly?

Leave me a comment, and tell me which of the two cards you'd pick. Or, tell me what kind of card you send out, if you go the traditional route, or do something different. I'll pick THREE Winners on Sunday, November 20th.

Now I've got to got take a photo of the kids.

NYC Post Race Pics

2011-11-10T21:03:00.001-05:00

After I reunited with my family, we headed back to the apartment. I ended up walking a total of 30 blocks post race, which I think really helped with my recovery.

I took an ice bath while I spoke on the phone with my sister Meagen, who wasn't able to make it to the race (she has a good excuse, a baby and two kids all under the age of four). I was a bit dehydrated, so Mike forced water on me, along with some pretzels.

Post shower, time for a toast with the champagne that Nicole and Jen left for us.

Jeannine, Rob, me and Ali.

Me and Mike.

I was in the mood for Mexican food, so we hit up Ta Cocina, then crossed the street to our favorite bar in NYC, The Gaf. My younger sister has heard all about The Gaf, so this was her inaugural visit.

It was a blast re-hashing the day, I made it to about ten o'clock before I had to call it a night.

But not before stopping at a deli for a salami and provolone on a roll with lettuce and tomato. I would have taken a photo, but I inhaled it. I pulled on my compression socks, popped some advil, and slept like a rock. I don't think I moved for seven hours.

Marathon Monday was another gorgeous day, I was stiff when I rolled out of bed, but nothing terrible. We went back over to Central Park to have my medal engraved with my name and time. And I treated myself to an early birthday present, an official Finisher's Jacket.

Several days later, I'm feeling great.

I've recovered really well, and just registered for my first post marathon race, a local 10k held on Thanksgiving Day.

And my brain is buzzing thinking of what might come after that.

NYC Marathon, Race Recap

2011-11-09T08:21:00.002-05:00

Here is part two.......

I learned some lessons from my first marathon, and I put them to use this time around. For the most part, I was very confident about this race, I knew what it meant to run 26.2 miles, so I got my head in the right place, and kept it there.

Sure, I had my moments of doubt, because of my knee issue, and the fact that my longest training run was 18 miles. But I was confident because I had been active all year, running hills, training for a triathlon, and I considered the marathon my last long training run. I was also careful of pre-race fuel, I ate carbs at every meal for the three days before the race, and the day before I drank water, as well as Gatorade, but was careful not to over-hydrate.

I woke up race morning at 6:30, feeling pretty good, because of the time change it felt like 7:30. I got dressed pretty quickly, had some coffee, and went outside to meet Mike at the car. He had a salt bagel for me, and I put some peanut butter on it, although I wasn't really hungry, I ate what I could. We zipped down the West Side Highway, before I knew it we were at the Ferry. I got nervous for one second, kissed him goodbye, and joined the rest of the runners.

I was on the 8:15, but I was early enough to get the 8:00, I even scored a seat. I made friends with three other runners, we chatted through the ride, on the walk to the shuttle bus, then the ride to the start. That really helped to keep my nerves in check, I ate more of my bagel, and half a banana. There were three "villages" at the start, one orange, one green, and one blue, I was orange, so we wished each other luck, and separated.

The area had a long line of porta john's, as well as trucks to check your bags, coffee, water and bagels. I found a sunny spot, sat down and started stretching, then a cannon went off, and I saw the a wave of runners crossing the bridge.

I got a text from Mike, and I told him I was feeling surprisingly calm. Maybe too calm. I wandered around a bit, then decided to use the bathroom. I thought it was kind of odd that there weren't any lines. Then when I came out, I noticed instead of 12 baggage trucks, there was one left, and it was about to leave! I was such an airhead, I didn't realize they were closing the village, and that it was time to go to our corrals! I booked over to the truck, and thankfully was able to check my bag.

I was wearing a winter hat, and sweats over my running clothes, and as I walked to the corrals, I ditched my outer layer, there were volunteers collecting everything to donate. I heard they had a few tons of clothes, I guess 47,000 pairs of sweats weighs a lot.

The next thing I knew, we were walking up to the bridge, someone sang The National Anthem, then New York, New York, and we were off!

My plan was to stay at a 10:00 minute pace, until at least mile 13. I knew there were hills ahead, so I wanted to keep myself in check, which I did as we went over the bridge. It was a gorgeous day, and I was looking around, until a guy next to me fell down, after his foot got tangled in a wire. He was okay, but after that I kept my eye on the ground. There was clothing and banana peels right in the middle of the road, which was annoying.

Next thing I knew we were in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where my Dad lived for years, and where two of my sisters live. The crowds along Fourth Avenue were great, and the roads were wide enough that it didn't get too crowded, I met up with two other NF Runners, so we ran together for a few miles.

The one issue I had the entire time, were the water stops. There was one every mile, on each side of the road, with Gatorade, as well as water. You really had to slow down here, people would come to a complete stop, so I had to move around them, a few times I broke through people walking two or three across. There were cups everywhere, my socks would get wet from the water on the ground, and if that didn't happen, my shoes got sticky from Gatorade. I am so accident prone, that I really had to watch my step, and not wipe out like Bridge Guy.

The streets in Park Slope are small, and that's where it got really crowded, but the crowds cheering were just the best. I had a gel at mile seven, along with a saltine, Pez was behaving, I found my pace and locked it in. I felt great.

We went over the Pulaski Bridge, which leads into Queens, and I was getting excited because I knew my family was waiting for me at the 59th Street Bridge, mile 15. I had a second gel, along with a saltine. All of a sudden, there they were, Mike, my Mom & Dad, my sister Ali, brother in law Rob & sister in law Jeannine, right at the spot where Mike and I always cheered on the runners during past marathons.

It was surreal to be on the other side.

My Mom handed me a package of oyster crackers, and there was music playing, so I did a little dance as I went up the bridge. I put on my ipod and got into a good place, I was passing everyone who was walking, some who were running, and sailed right up, all those hills I trained on for the Mountain Goat really paid off. I was looking forward to the crowds that were going to be along First Avenue.

This stretch of Manhattan is known for it's crowd support, everyone is out, it was a perfect day, so there was a lot of noise. There were a some great signs, like "All I did today was have a Bloody Mary!"

I don't know what it is about me and mile 18, but once again, at mile 18, my stomach felt off. I was craving a can of Coke, so I figured it was time for some Gatorade, I had maybe half a cup. I was moving again, and then I puked up the Gatorade, but I swallowed it. I was determined not to have anything ruin my race.

I looked forward to mile 19, where Children's Tumor set up a cheering zone. After I passed them, I did the math, and realized I only had seven miles to go! I had some more water, and entered the Bronx.

That section went by pretty quickly, then we were in Harlem, and then to my surprise, I saw my family pop up again at mile 22!! I yelled out to my Dad that I was getting tired, and then Jeannine screamed "YOU LOOK SO STRONG!!"

That was the boost I needed to keep going.

We came down Fifth Avenue, with four miles to go. I was making due with water and Gatorade, I was afraid to take another gel, and I kept thinking of that Coke. There was an old man with a table full of cups of Coke, and I almost stopped, but I didn't know if I could trust a sketchy Coke. I thought my ipod would help distract me, I turned it on again, but it annoyed me, so I turned it off. The noise of the crowd was enough.

We turned into Central Park, and I kept telling myself to keep going, keep going.

I don't think I really hit "The Wall," I just skirted around it.

This last part was hilly, and such a tease, just when you think you're in the park for the home stretch, you come back out onto Columbus Circle, along Central Park South, then back into the park for the finish. I saw my friend Angelo up ahead, but then lost him in the crowd.

At this point I was on auto pilot. My head was powering my legs not to stop, and my legs were powering my mind to stay positive and finish.

Which I did.

With an 18 minute PR.

Right after I stopped running, my hamstrings cramped up, and were really painful, I tried to go to the side and stretch them out a bit, but the medic wouldn't let me. They gave me my medal, took my picture, wrapped me in a blanket, and gave me a bag of post-race fuel. We had to go through a long chute, we all hobbled along, and every time we stopped, I bent down to stretch my hammies, they were killing me. I drank some Gatorade, and it stayed down, so I alternated that with water.

Finally made it to the the trucks to claim my bag, and once I had my sweats and Birkenstocks on, my legs felt better. I called Mike, they were down on 58th Street, I was on 77th, so I started walking down to meet them.

The first thing my Mom did when I got there, was run and get me a Coke.

Part 3, Post Race, Coming Up Next!

NYC Marathon Part One: Expo and Pasta Dinner

2011-11-08T11:26:00.000-05:00

Mike and I arrived in NYC on Friday afternoon, we stayed at the apartment of our good friends Jennifer and Nicole, who were out of town for the weekend. They live in a perfect location, not far from Times Square and Central Park, so we saw runners pretty much everywhere we went. I can't tell you how that helped keep my stress level down, it was so nice to stay at a home and not a hotel. After settling in, we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Les Halles. We decided to walk down, but after about four blocks I decided to forgo vanity, and change back into my running shoes. The last thing I needed was to get a blister from my shoes, I was wearing flats, but I wasn't taking any chances.

I slept HORRIBLY Friday night, my mind wouldn't calm down, and I kept thinking that the most important sleep is the one you get two nights before a race, so that didn't help matters.

Saturday morning came soon enough, and after coffee and bagels, we took a walk over to get some post race treats:

Screw Michael Bloomberg putting the calorie contents on everything, I knew I deserved a 450 calorie cupcake after a marathon. Or two.

Then we met up with my Dad and sister Ali for an early lunch, where we caught up on things, and talked about the marathon. My Dad ran NYC twice, and he couldn't get over the amount of people who run it now, compared to the 20,000 he ran with. After lunch I took off for the Expo, while Mike headed to the Lego Store, and Hello Kitty Store to do some Christmas shopping (it's coming up fast folks).

As soon as I went up the escalator at the Javits Center, I saw Lisa from Early Morning Run standing there with her crutches, she is dealing with a stress fracture, but that didn't prevent her from volunteering at the Expo. We chatted a bit, and then I went to get my bib and shirt, it's a women's size so it fits really well. I am so OCD about certain things. The whole time I was at the Expo I checked several times to make sure I had my bib, it was safe in my bag, but I was paranoid I was going to lose it.

I looked at some the items for sale, I needed a new visor, but they were sold out, but I came across a wall of hats. There were about 30 pink ones left, but I wanted to see what else was available. I came back 10 minutes later and there were only 3 left! So I bought one, and I love it.

I then went around to the different booths, I said hi to Cindy at Running Skirts, and thanked her for donating a skirt to my fundraising giveaway, then said thanks to the folks at nuun for donating as well. I showed the CEP people that I was wearing my pink compression socks (I figured with all the walking I was doing that they would help my legs stay fresh). I came upon a short line of people, they were waiting to meet Ryan Hall! So I hung around, then spoke with him and got his autograph. I felt like an Amazon standing next to him, I'm literally twice his size.

After that, I met up with Miss Zippy!

I had so much fun hanging out with her, we met up with Lisa again, then went through the Expo again, and chatted about all things running and family. On our way out, I saw a runner with pink hair, and I immediately knew it was Tonia from Racing With Babes. She and Katye from Long Legs on the Loose had come straight from the train, and we did what all bloggers do, and took a photo.

After that I had about an hour to hang out at the apartment with Mike, before heading down to Little Italy for the pasta dinner with the Children's Tumor Foundation Team. It was great to meet our team leaders Mary and Sarah, after "talking" these past 18 weeks through facebook and email. I sat next to Lisa, a runner who came all the way from New Zealand, her daughter has NF, and their doctor had never heard of this disease. While they were in the U.S. they were able to meet a doctor in Los Angeles, who gave their daughter a chemo therapy protocol to follow back in NZ. How great is that?

Can I get more Cowbell?????

I also sat with my friends from high school, Angelo and Mario, who were on the team as well.

After a dinner of salad, pasta in red sauce, penne a la vodka, tiramisu and lots 'o bread, we got the subway back uptown. We were getting nervous at this point, and were ready to go home and go to bed.

Once I got home, I laid out all my gear, took a shower, then realized I was starving. So we went out into Times Square for a slice of pizza and garlic knots, while I wore my pajama bottoms and birkenstocks. I was happy that we had to set the clocks back, I went to bed at ten, but I knew I was getting an extra hour of sleep, so I was relaxed and tired.

Then I was out.

I ran my dream marathon!

2011-11-07T11:15:00.003-05:00

I am going to have do the NYC Marathon justice, with more than one post. We're heading home in a minute, so I'll be brief for now.

I'm really proud of the way I ran this race, and I know I could have made my goal of 4:30, but due to the number of people, it was hard to do. The water stops alone were a log jam, and I ate up a bunch of time dodging around people who would literally stop right in front of me. Plus one mile into the race, a guy wiped out next to me, when he tripped on a wire, so that slowed me down for several seconds.

Anyhow, I managed an 18 minute PR, my final time was 4:51:21. I feel fantastic right now, and I'm relishing the post race high.

More to come, but check out this profile of me on the blog for Women's Fitness Magazine, you can find it here.

And THANK YOU for all the tweets, emails, and facebook messages, you guys all ROCK!!!

xoxoxoxo

I can hear Frank Sinatra now

2011-11-03T08:54:00.001-04:00

Holy Shnarkies, it's almost race day!

I have been a ball of energy all week, in fact, I'm not sure if I really need this cup of coffee right now.

I've been checking things off on the running packing list, as well as getting things set up for the kids and Frank while we're gone. Plus I have to work, which is a nice distraction.

I'm almost too prepared, thanks to the advice and support of my two NF Endurance team leaders, they have the inside scoop on all the race details, such as to run in the center of the Verrazano Bridge, aka The Worlds Longest Urinal. (I guess all that waiting at the start line makes you have to pee).

The weather looks great, in the 50's and sunny, although I bought a set of throw away sweats, hat and gloves to wear in the morning for the ferry ride and looong wait at the port a john's. I can't decide to wear a visor, or sunglasses.

I decided to wear this:

I'm wearing a running skirt over the compression shorts, I like my butt, but I think I'd rather not flash thousands of people as I run by them in my see-through shorts.

I have plans to meet up with Erin, Miss Zippy, and Lisa, it will be so much fun to see the people behind the blogs!

Can you tell that I'm typing fast? I can.

I went for one last tune up yesterday at PT, Michelle stretched me out, gave Pez a massage, and made me a post race appointment for next week. And reminded me to take an ice bath post race.

As a surprise, by brother and sister in law (marathon training partner Jeannine) told me they are coming down to cheer me on. Last night I helped Mike formulate a spectating plan, they're going to be zipping around on the subway to cheer me on at three different points.

Holy cow, if I could run this race right now I could.

I keep thinking of food, I'm following my carb loading plan for the next three days, from the November issue of Runners World. Carbs at every meal, gotta top off my tank! Which for today is oatmeal for breakfast, a bagel for lunch, and pasta for dinner.

Maybe it's already giving me energy! I think so!!!

Whew.

I also have a bit of a sore throat, Luke is coughing his head off, so I've been slamming the Amazing Grass to keep it at bay.

I'm horribly behind on blogs, but I shall catch up next week : )

Okay, I'm off like a dirty running shirt!

Yahoooooo!!!

Taper Dreams

2011-10-31T11:17:00.001-04:00

Can you guess what this is?

My camera took this picture as I was rushing down the stairs at the kid's school this morning. I thought their parade was at 10:30, not 10:00. I left early though, because I wanted a decent parking spot, and luckily enough, there was an open spot right in front of the school. I zipped through the school, to see the tail end of the parade, the kids saw me, and I saw them, so I wasn't as bad of a Mommy as I thought I was.

The pumpkins came out pretty well though.

With less than a week until race day, the anxiety dreams are starting to appear. Friday night I had a dream that I was running the race, and when I went to grab a GU, they all had turned into packets of oatmeal. Last week I had a dream that we had to drive to the starting line, and I realized we were still four hours away, and weren't going to make it.

Makes for a not so restful nights sleep.

What have you dreamed about during taper time? Are you dressing up for Halloween?

I was going to wear bunny ears for trick or treating, but Frank ate them.

I'll get him back. He's going to wear a black cape and be Super Dog.

Happy Halloween!

You Ran 15 Miles On Purpose?

2011-10-29T10:26:00.003-04:00

Who pressed the fast forward button on winter? We had a sprinkling of snow the other day, and I know parts of the East Coast are getting ready for the white stuff to fall. It's not unusual for the kids to wear their winter coats for Trick or Treating, but this is ridiculous!

I went for a bike ride yesterday, the roads were dry, so I thought I should go for it while I still can. It was a great ride, but Pez is a bit tight today. I have the heating pad on it right now, to loosen up before today's run. I'm wondering if I should pay one last visit to PT this week, just for good measure.

Have you seen this video? My friend Norine sent it to me, and it's hysterical, I was laughing out loud.

Crazy Marathon Runners.

Follow This Mother!

2011-10-27T08:17:00.001-04:00

If you've read this book:

or if you read Runners World, or the blog Another Mother Runner, you're familiar with the "Follow This Mother" Feature.......but even if you aren't.........click here to see who is featured today!!

Thank you Dimity and Sarah!!

WW: Luke's First NYC Marathon

2011-10-26T08:23:00.003-04:00

It's All Good

2011-10-21T08:29:00.002-04:00

Last week Mike and I were talking about what we want to do for my Big Birthday in January, and we agreed that it would be great to take the kids to Disney. He got the ball rolling by calling the travel agent, and that was that.

Until the weekend, which was cold, rainy and miserable. We still had Luke's soccer game though, my Mom was up for a visit and she was a good sport about the weather:

Once we got home, Mike turned on the furnace, to make sure everything was okay with it for this winter.

Yup, it didn't turn on.

Four days and $3,100 later, we have a new furnace.

Isn't it pretty?

So much for Disney. But I'd rather have heat.

I did get some good news this week though, after my last PT session, Michelle said I'm good to go for the marathon! I made an appointment for next week, just in case, that she said I could cancel if I need to, but she thinks I'll be okay. I just have to be smart, keep doing what I'm doing. I ran hills twice this week with Frank, and he kept me at an easy 9:20 pace. I ran 10 miles on the treadmill over the weekend, and I seriously had to force myself to stop. I was so amped up, I know I could have done another 10, at least.

So now I'm in taper mode, which is weird, because for the past couple of weeks I've been in a shorter run mode, and my longest run maxed out at 18. I don't feel like I'm truly tapering, because I'm biking and doing other things. I'm almost afraid to truly taper, I want to keep the endurance up, but I still have to take care of Pez.

I'm also focusing more on my diet, I eat pretty well overall, but I'm making sure I get these staples in, every single day. Breakfast has been oatmeal mixed with almonds, dried cherries, cinnamon, and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips (dark chocolate is very good for you). If I'm really hungry, I scramble an egg and have it on a slice of toast. I'm not a fan of bananas, but I make myself eat them anyway, they usually end up in a smoothie, along with a cup of either blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.

When I was out shopping yesterday, everyone seemed to be sniffling or coughing, so Amazing Grass is going to be in my diet for the next two weeks. Lunch and dinner is usually some kind of meat, along with veggies, or pasta. We roasted two huge butternut squashes the other night, along with shallots and rosemary, there was hardly any left. I love roasting veggies.

And, um, I've had a chocolate chip cookie or two every day this week. I blame my sister in law, she came over the other day with some killer cookies she made, we knocked those off, and I had to make some of my own.

Why is it that raw cookie dough is sometimes better than the cookie?

16 Days!

WW: Step Away From The Corn

2011-10-19T08:20:00.001-04:00

Would you run with your rear showing?

2011-10-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

I've been wearing the same running clothes for my long runs, making sure that everything fits right, and feels right.

For race day, I'll be wearing my Children's Tumor Foundation tech tank:

my favorite cushy socks, paired with calf sleeves:

and, I think, my compression shorts.

When I say, I think, it's because they're tight fitting, and a bit see through. Which means you can see my rear end, although it also looks like I'm either wearing white underwear (no, it's just my pale skin), or a black thong (due to the seams in the shorts).

I love how they fit for a long run, and I'm going to wear them, but I don't want to feel/look silly. I thought of putting a pair of loose shorts on over them, but I think I'd get too hot.

What do you think?

Do you run for comfort, no matter what? Or do you go with what looks best?

Thursday Three: Be Good

2011-10-13T08:34:00.000-04:00

1. This Sunday, Syracuse is hosting the inaugural Empire State Marathon, and Half Marathon. I have friends who are running both distances, but never signed up because I knew the race fell during my marathon training, and I didn't want to throw another race into the mix.

Pez is feeling good, and holding up. I ran Monday, biked Tuesday, and yesterday, ran 5 miles of hills. Today is a rest day, tomorrow is biking, Saturday is a long run, whose length is to be determined. While I was at PT the other day, I casually mentioned to Michelle that Empire State is this weekend, she gave me a look, and said "You are NOT running it! You're NOT! The last thing you need is to go all out, and hurt your knee at this stage of the game, NYC is less than three weeks away. Be good."

Okay Michelle, I'll be good. But I'm still raring to go.

2. I finally used a gift card to Barnes & Noble, that I got for a Christmas gift. It is very unlike me to wait so long to visit B&N, especially when free books are involved. I bought this:

and I can't put it down. It's very inspiring, and I love how I can picture in my head the neighborhoods he writes about. I'm hosting book club in January, and I told Mike that I was going to pick the Long Run for it. He didn't think everyone would want to read about running, and I was completely baffled. Doesn't everyone want to read about running?

3. I caught a few minutes of Kathie Lee & Hoda the other morning (roll your eyes, but they crack me up), and they were talking about some study that said running causes wrinkles. That would not be good, but just in case, I bought this.

I'll let you know in 12 long weeks if my running wrinkles disappear......

Thank You & 5k Winners

2011-10-12T08:39:00.001-04:00

Time is flying, and I'm wishing for extra hours in each day so that I can tackle everything I need to.

But for now, I wanted to say

THANK YOU.

Thank you to:

Marcia
Jill
Pam
Jen
Stephanie
Erin
Jess
Jennifer
Heather
Mandy
Colleen
The Green Girl
Anna
Kristen
Suzy
Paula
Darlene
ozone3
Laura
Kelly
Heather
Jason
Tara

Thank you for making donations to my NYC Marathon fundraising page, to benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation. I'm over 90% of my goal, and I'm so appreciative.

And without further ado....here are the winners of my Fall 5k:

First Place winner of the Everyday Endurance gift card: Jason, from Cook Train Eat Race, Time: 19:25

Second Place winner of the Silver Maple gift card: Tara, from Colorado Runner, Time: 23:35

Third Place of the Wrightsocks and GU: Heather, from Mommy Are You Going for a Run?, Time: 24:23

Congratulations!!!

Could corn chips be the answer?

2011-10-09T20:40:00.000-04:00

I went for a run yesterday morning with my girls, Jeannine and Norine. It was 45 degrees when we headed out for 10 miles around my neighborhood. The weather has been beautiful, warm in the afternoons, and the leaves are changing and falling so quickly.

I wasn't sure how Pez would hold up, I had 12 miles on my plan, but I thought I would err on the side of caution. I wore my compression socks, and the run was great, although my feet hurt towards the end. I'm going to have to make the switch to socks and sleeves, but for now, the full compression is doing the trick.

I've been thinking and reading more about my fuel for the 26.2, and how to get more salt into my system without causing any issues. I have to remember that odds are, we won't have a 90 degree, humid day, but you never know. The only thing I brought with me for yesterdays run was a gel, I had my fuel belt ready to go, but didn't feel like bringing it along. J & N said we could just hit water fountains when we needed water, which made sense to me.

I had my gel at the 5 mile mark, and instead of sucking it all down at once like I usually do, I took a little bit of it at a time. Then I had a some water from the fountain when we reached the park. Because of the cooler temps, I'm guessing I had three ounces of water, total for the 10 miles.

I have 20 miles to do next weekend, if Michelle from PT will let me, and for that run, my plan is to keep using GU, drink water only when I'm thirsty, and have something salty after eating a GU. At first I thought saltines or goldfish crackers would work, but Mike brought home some corn chips the other day, and I had a couple. Those things are so freaking salty, they'll be a perfect fit for the salt I need during a long run.

I've started each paragraph of this post with the letter "I" so why stop now.

I wanted to take advantage of the warm temps, and take the kids pumpkin picking. I don't know what this farm put into their fields, but every pumpkin we came across was HUGE, and perfect. They were a bargain at $2 a pop, so we ended up with seven.

Frank enjoyed knocking them over.

27 Days.

One month out

2011-10-06T09:37:00.000-04:00

This came in the mail this week:

ACK!

The marathon is a month from today, and after I started looking through the handbook, my nerves and excitement kicked in. Which made me think more about race day, the course, what I'm going to wear, how I'm going to feel, how I want to go in strong, how I don't want to fail.

For the past three nights, I've woken up around three, then I fall back to sleep around six-thirty, then get up at seven when Mike's alarm goes off. My stomach is bugging me, and my brain has been all consumed with race details, and Pez details.

I already know what I need to do with Pez, but here's what I need to figure out for the race:

1. The Course. I know the streets of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, from the four years I worked in sales, when I drove, and walked all over these three boroughs. I know that the 59th Street Bridge is going to be a bitch, as well as the end of the race through hilly Central Park. My Dad has run NYC, and we talked about the hills, and how I'll be able to tackle them, because I've run up worse.

2. Nutrition. I had stomach issues that came to a head at mile 18 of the Rochester Marathon. I wrote it off as too much GU, and nerves, but then after my 18 miler last weekend, I had the same queasy feeling. After reading some of the handbook, and this article in the NY Times about marathon hydration, I think it's because I was drinking too much, and diluting the salt in my system. I usually have crusty salt on my face, and apparently a lack of salt causes stomach upset. Anyone use salt tabs? I'm considering downing salt water before my run this weekend, and see what it does for me, because I need to figure this out.

3. Schedule. Daylight savings time is race weekend, so I gain an hour of sleep. Which will end up being an extra hour of laying in bed staring at the ceiling. Luckily I'm staying at a friends apartment, so I don't have to worry about hotel reservations, and we'll have our car so Mike can drive me down to the ferry. Which brings up a point, I chose a very early ferry, 7:45. We had to choose our times back in July, before we knew what waves we were in. I figured it made sense to get there early, but since my wave doesn't start until 10:40, I'm going to be hanging around for a while. Hopefully it won't be raining, or freezing out. Which brings me to...

4. Clothing. Fall in NY can be iffy, either its warm and lovely, or cool and rainy. So I'm going to have to pick out different options. I must wear my Children's Tumor Foundation tank, which I've worn several times, and luckily, it fits well and is comfortable. Although my compression shorts are slightly see-through (anyone behind me will get a good view of my, well, behind) they're a smart choice for hammy and Pez. Tommie Copper generously sent me calf sleeves and a top, so that's covered, but I'm not sure about my arms. I've never worn any kind of compression sleeves or arm warmers. Anyone have any feedback on that?

5. Gear. I'm thinking of leaving my fuel belt at home, and making due with the water and gatorade on the course. I'm a nuun girl, so I would have to get used to gatorade. My belt is big, and I don't know if I want to deal with it this time around. But I do need to figure out how to carry my cellphone, GU, and maybe goldfish crackers. Then there is the ipod question, will I need it? I think there will be plenty to distract me with along the course and spectators, but it's like a security blanket, I like to know it's there.

Speaking of ipods......I must say Thank You to Steve Jobs for all he created, especially the ipod, which has carried me through countless runs. May he rest in peace.

6. Fundraising. I'm very thankful, and grateful for all the donations I've received for The Children's Tumor Foundation. I'm still waiting for some of them to come in, and if they do, I have about $150 left to raise by October 24th. As of today, our team has raised over $63,000! Our goal is $70,000, which you can help us raise by clicking here.

Now I need to go for a run.

: )

In limbo

2011-10-04T19:24:00.001-04:00

Things are whirling in my brain, which is why I'm sleeping like crap.

I'm in that limbo of feeling ready to take on a marathon Right This Minute, to Wait A Minute, Am I Really Ready?

Pez was still a bit sore on Monday, so to be on the safe side, I bagged my recovery run, and rode my bike instead. I went into PT, and Michelle asked me where I ran for my 18 miler. After I told her I did the whole thing on the treadmill without stopping, she looked at me, and said if I could do that right now, I'm ready for the full 26.2. I kind of agree with her. I was ready to be finished at 18, my feet hurt, but I could have done 8 more, I just wouldn't have been very happy about it.

But then she suggested that I forget about doing any more really long runs, to focus on cross training as much as possible, and do shorter runs. Her concern is that, now that Pez is healing, I don't want to aggravate it any further, and possibly bruise it.

It makes sense to me, but it scares me. I don't belong to a gym, and the pool is closed for winter. I was planning on running 20 miles this weekend, then start to taper off. But now I might stick to maybe 13, then taper the long runs.

And here's why:

Last September I ran a marathon, then stayed active through the winter with exercise DVD's, and the treadmill.
I ran outside starting in February, on very hilly roads, which ended in May, with a 10 mile race, where I PR'd by 8 minutes.
Then I sprained my foot while walking Frank, and took a few weeks off while I healed, then eased into my new custom orthotics.
Then I started biking, swimming, and running, training for my first sprint triathlon, in August.
I took a week off, then started an 18 week marathon training plan.
I hit all my runs, cross trained, but about a month ago, Pez started acting up, and I missed a 16 miler, and a 17 miler, while I rested for a week.
I've been modifying my training plan, had some great runs, and a confidence boosting 18 mile run.
I know there are training plans out there that max out at 18, although the longest run on mine is 21 miles.

That said, I realize I have a solid base.

At this particular moment, Pez feels fine.

So I think I'm going to take each day as it comes, although this is the first time I'm not following my training plan to a T, especially at this point in the game.

Which is where the nerves kick in.

But I'll keep on stretching, doing exercises, and using all of these:

33 Days.......

That run should have put me to sleep

2011-10-02T21:29:00.000-04:00

I feel an onset of my good friend Insomnia coming on. It usually happens without warning, but I had a restless night of sleep last night, and then I was up at six in the morning, and couldn't fall back to sleep.

Which is especially annoying, because I expected to sleep soundly, after a long treadmill run.

I did it, no bathroom breaks, no stopping, with inclines and hills mixed in. I started to watch Mildred Pierce, but I turned it off after I realized I taped it after it had started. I can't watch a movie after missing the beginning. Luckily I caught When Harry Met Sally right at the start, (I would have made an exception in this case if I tuned in at the middle) then I filled the last miles with MTV and VH1.

My knee (aka, Pez) felt great the entire time. I wore compression socks, along with compression shorts, and although my feet hurt the last couple of miles, Pez hung in. By mile 17 my stomach was bugging me a bit, I think it was from the GU, nuun, and water. I need to play around with my fuel a bit, I might throw some goldfish crackers into the mix, to settle all that, well, goo in my stomach.

When I finally got out of bed this morning, Pez was stiff and sore, but I get to see Michelle (aka my favorite physical therapist in the world) tomorrow, so I hope she won't be too pissed about what I might have done to my healing.

Five weeks until race day.........

Four Legged Speedwork

2011-09-30T11:02:00.000-04:00

When you run with a dog, your pace is all over the place.

You speed up, you slow down, you let the dog sniff things, you let him pee. Your pace might go down a bit when he gets tired, or when he tries to lap up the dew that's on the grass. Then it shoots up when he sees a chipmunk that he wants to chase.

But it's great to have a companion as enthusiastic about running as you are, especially when he finds your running shoes, brings them over to you, and drops them next to your feet.

My confidence level is slowly increasing, thanks in part to physical therapy, but also to Frank. I'm not one for doing speed work, but with the time I'm spending with him, I think I'm getting it done.

My last three runs have been great. When my knee first started to bother me, I was running between a 10:00 and 10:30 pace. But now that it's healing, I've been shocked when I look down at G-unit as we ramble on. I've been hitting between a 9:15 and a........8:30 pace!! At one point I was cruising along, and my chest was feeling a bit heavy, and I realized I was running a 7:40 pace. Wha wha whaaaaat?????

That's all well and good, but I think I need to fit in some solo runs, so I can find a consistent pace on my own. Which is where tomorrow's run comes in. Saturday it's going to be chilly and rainy, I'm talking 30 degrees in the morning chilly. I haven't run on the treadmill in a while, so I'm going to do my 18 miler inside. I think it will be good for me, mentally, and physically. I need to do some hills, and I have Mildred Pierce on the DVR, and I'm eager to get it done.

Tomorrow is day one for participating in my virtual Fall 5k race, details are here, but you have until October 9th to run a 5k, with a chance to win some great prizes. The registration fee is a donation to my NYC Marathon fundraising page, to benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation.

I'm so thankful for the donations I received this week, I truly appreciate it.

Happy Running, Biking, Swimming, Walking, Racing.....Happy Weekend : )

Frank's Fort

2011-09-28T08:33:00.001-04:00

This is Frank's newest thing.

He makes a little spot inside the couch pillows, then falls asleep.

Silly doggie.

I know blogger is having issues again with posting comments, if you're having trouble leaving a comment on my Fall Virtual 5k post, just send me an email and let me know you're in. Great prizes up for grabs, a $100 gift card to Everyday Endurance, a $30 gift card to the Silver Maple, and third prize is a pair of Wrightsocks and GU.

You can check it out.....here!

Fall 5k Virtual Race!

2011-09-26T10:59:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to host a virtual race for a while now, and since fall is the best time of year to run, here it is!

It seems like once fall hits, everyone has so much going on, but we still need to find time to run! Thus the 5k distance (which can be a part of a longer run if you'd like).

Prizes will be given as follows:

First place: a $100 electronic gift card to Everyday Endurance!!

Second place: a $30 gift card to The Silver Maple

Third place: a pair of Wrightsocks anti-blister socks, and a sample of GU

The NYC Marathon is six weeks away, and I'm still working on reaching my fundraising goal. So thanks to the generous donations from Everyday Endurance, the Silver Maple, Wrightsocks, and GU, I'm able to put on this Fundraising 5k!

Here is how it will work:

1. Your race fee to enter, is a donation of any size to my fundraising page HERE, for The Children's Tumor Foundation. If you have already donated, you're already in!

2. follow Everyday Endurance on twitter here, or facebook here. And please check out the beautiful jewelry at The Silver Maple.

3. Run 3.2 miles any time between Saturday October 1st, and Sunday, October 9th. You can include the 3.2 in a longer run if you like, just be sure to document your time in your race report.

4. Write up your report, and email me the link by Monday October 10th. I will post the winners on Tuesday October 11th.

So that's it! If you're in, please leave me a comment....and Happy Running!!

Let's do five for friday

2011-09-23T10:07:00.001-04:00

1. PT went well today. Michelle said that my leg is much looser than it was last Friday, which is great news. I've been vigilant about using my heating pad, rolling, and stretching, especially my IT bands, which are a big part of the problem. This is my new favorite stretch for that area, I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere.

this isn't me, it's a photo I found while searching online.

My other issue is my pelvis, it's tilted a bit. Michelle held my bent, bad leg to the table, then had me push down on my other leg. The bad leg immediately felt better, pushing on the opposite leg helps to straighten out my pelvis. Who knew such a small move would give big results.

I didn't do my 17 miles yesterday, but we're staying in town this weekend, so I get to run tomorrow. YIPEE!!!!!

2. I wiped out twice this week. The first time was when the kids and I took Frank for a walk. We went through a woodsy area, Frank darted after a squirrel, and yanked me down. The second time was when Mike and I were goofing around and dancing a bit, and I fell backwards, onto my lower back and elbow. Ouch. I think I need to be put into a box until race day.

3. Every day is a different day, I'm wearing a bunch of different hats, sometimes all at once. I'm more involved with the PTA this year, and so far, my part-time job is going well. I went into the office the other day, and had to go over some things with Mike. He was explaining something to me, and I just started laughing. It's so funny that he's my boss, but also my husband. I finally got a chance to catch up on blogs, and pay some more attention to my own. I have something fun coming up next week, so stay tuned!

4. How happy am I that fall television has started? Between Parenthood, The Office, Two and a Half Men (which I thought was pretty funny, but Mike thinks I just liked looked at a semi-naked Ashton Kutcher), and Survivor, my DVR is full. And I'm surprised that I'm team Coach this season, over Ozzie. I don't know, he grew on me.

5. These things are like crack. Stay away.

Happy Training, and Happy Weekend!

Optimism is a good thing

2011-09-20T13:45:00.002-04:00

Today I saw my favorite physical therapist, Michelle. When I got there, she told me that when she saw my chart, she thought to herself, "Molly must be doing another marathon."

My pes anserinus muscle is feeling better (thank you Laura Elaine, for telling me what it was called!). Other than spending 8 hours in the car for a quick visit to see my new niece, I rested Friday and Saturday, and stretched, iced, and used the heating pad as much as I could. Sunday I went for a five mile run, and I have to say, it was the best run I've had in a long time.

I went back in to PT today, and let Michelle know my running plans for the week. This weekend we're going to be away, so I want to do my 17 miler on Thursday. I missed last week's long run, so I really need to get it done. However, Michelle thinks I should cut it way down, and give my pes a chance to heal.

I get it, but I also need to get these long runs done. Last year my longest training run was 21 miles, and I'm planning on doing that again this time around. We talked about how there are so many different training plans out there, I know that some of them have the longest run be 16 miles, and that's it. Obviously my fitness level is there, but I want to make sure I'm prepared, mentally, and physically.

I'm going to bike today and tomorrow, then see how far I can go on Thursday.

Hopefully, I'll be able to go far.

Then it's back to PT on Friday.

That's the plan.

And here's my newest little nugget of a niece:

If it's September, then I'm in PT

2011-09-16T12:46:00.001-04:00

It's true.

The past two years in a row, I've had to visit my Physical Therapist, and for some reason, it's always in September.

I was really feeling my training this week, I'm smack dab in the middle of my schedule, with less than 8 weeks to go until the marathon. I've been dragging, the miles are starting to weigh on me, and my motivation is just not there. I only made it three miles on Wednesday, the inside of my left leg near my knee was really bugging me, so I decided to stop, and made an appointment with my PT.

I had juggled my schedule to clear up a few hours this afternoon to do my 17 miler, and when I went in to PT this morning, I was hopeful that I would still be able to bang it out.

My issues usually lie with my hamstring, but this time it's not the case. It turns out I strained the muscle that runs from the bottom of my hamstring, along the inside of my leg, past my knee, and into my calf. It's called a pez-something, I tried to google it but couldn't find anything about it. Luckily it's not a bad strain, there is no tear, but I need to rest it a few days. My IT band is pretty tight, so I have to do some stretching of that area, which is one spot I have a hard time getting a good stretch. Instead of running today, I need to walk for a few miles, then bike. I can run again on Monday, then I'll have PT a few times next week, and hopefully it will calm down.

I'm a little annoyed about the strain, I have been so good about cross training because of the triathlon I did in August, and I stretch twice a day. But it could be much worse, so I'm thankful for that.

Oddly, this is the boost I needed. A couple days of rest, then I have a fresh start. I'm allowing myself to get excited for the marathon, I got my bib number and wave start this week from NYRR, my wave is at 10:40, with the slower kids. My friend Jennifer is in the same wave, as are several of my NF Endurance teammates. I let myself look at the course, and elevation chart, now that I know what my start time is, I can figure out when I'll hit spots in Brooklyn and Queens, for my family to spectate.

It's getting real, and I can't wait.

Happy Weekend, and Happy Training!!!

this will inspire you

2011-09-14T08:31:00.002-04:00

I came across this story yesterday through The Children's Tumor Foundation's facebook page.

It is about Matt Hay, an athlete from Indiana, who was diagnosed 14 years ago with NF2, one of the types of neurofibromatosis, which is an incurable disease that causes tumors to grow throughout the body.

He has had eight surgeries and twice, had to re-learn how to walk. He lost full control of the left side of his face, and in 2004 he lost his hearing.

But last weekend, he completed Rev 3's Cedar Point Ironman Triathlon. Matt completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run in 15:41:02

You can read the complete story here, but I just think his accomplishment is amazing.

I'm running with Team NF Endurance, to raise funds for this foundation, while running the NYC Marathon.
If you would like to make a donation to my fundraising page, you can click the link on my sidebar.

running and juggling

2011-09-12T16:34:00.001-04:00

Let's play another round of "Do you know what this is?"

It's Woody's hat. From Toy Story. For some reason, Eliza decided to put it inside her bedroom lamp, onto the bulb, the night before school started. Luke alerted us to the smoking plastic, because he said Eliza's room smelled like fried chicken.

Once again I made a long run harder than it needed to be.

Last week was a step back week in my training, my long run Saturday was 12 miles, and I was happy because I was able to run with Jeannine and Norine. They're training for a half marathon in October, so my plan was to run with them, and once they were finished, I could go on and finish the last few miles on my own.

I drove over to Norine's neighborhood, and left a gel and bottle of water in my car, I figured when J&N were finished, I could guzzle them, then head back out. We did the route of our local Thanksgiving 10k, and when we hit the 9 mile mark, J said she was going to do the whole 12 with me. I was psyched, but by the time we hit the 10.5 mark, I was missing my water, big time, but I made it through.

It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but when I pull off a run like that, I know that my next long run will feel just a bit easier, because I'll be sure to be properly fueled and hydrated.

Now that school and the kid's activities have started, and I'm working my part time gig, I've had to really plan when I can run. I became an Aunt for the 8th time again last Friday, to sweet Baby Caroline. The night before that, my 90 year old dear Aunt Betti fell and broke her hip. I was already going down to NY for a baby shower this weekend, but I'm also going to see my new niece, and possibly my Aunt. Looks like I'm going to have to squeeze my 17 miler in on Friday. Which might mean getting up at four, in order to be finished by the time I have to get Luke ready for school.

That's a bit nuts, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

I will never forget.

2011-09-11T10:04:00.002-04:00

I wrote this post a couple of years ago, and I wanted to post it again today. I never need reminders of that day, because I will never forget.

I've been hemming and hawing about writing this post, I really don't want to be a Debbie Downer. But I can't believe it's been eight years since 9/11. That's a long time, when it's still so fresh in my memory. It's not something I talk about much with people, especially Mike. The days that lead up to the Anniversary are sometimes harder than the day itself. So I think it would help me to blog about what that day was like, just to get it out of my mind a bit.

That Tuesday was absolutely gorgeous. Blue skies, no humidity, the temperature was in the 70's. I was in Queens on my way back from an early appointment, and listening to Howard Stern. He started talking about the first plane hitting the WTC, which seemed bad, but we had no idea how bad it was going to get. The second plane hit. My cell phone stopped working, my last call was to my dad, we spoke about the planes but he said not to worry because everything would be fine. I inched my way down the highway, and decided to stop home before getting the subway to work. When I turned on the TV I saw how bad it was. Mike called on the land line, his office was downtown, and he said things were getting scary. He saw the first plane hit as he came out of the subway, he called his Dad in the Adirondacks to find out what was going on. He sat on the fire escape of his building with his coworkers, no believing what he saw. People leaping out of the WTC to their deaths. I told him to come home, just start walking and come home.

Mike started walking with hundreds of other people, most of them started running as they passed the Empire State Building, because they thought that was the next target. My sister worked at Homeland Security at the time, her boss ran into her courtrooom and said we were under attack. The thing that stands out in her mind is all of the shoes in the streets, shoes people kicked off their feet as they ran, shoes from God knows where else.

Mike got to the 59th Street Bridge that leads into Queens when he called again, we were on the phone as the second tower fell. I told him they were all gone, I couldn't believe all those people were gone.

I couldn't take it anymore so I turned off the TV and went outside. Right outside my front door was a National Guardsman holding a machine gun. I walked to the bodega next door and bought a beer, even though it was 10:30 in the morning. We lived 10 blocks from the entrance to the Triborough Bridge, and I couldn't get over the silence. Cars and tractor trailers just sitting there, with the engines turned off, listening to their radios. Mike got home and the rest of the day we sat there, we managed to get a couple of phone calls from family, but the phones didn't really work. We finally got a call at 11:30 that night, from our friends K&C. It was their wedding anniversary.

The next day I got up and went to work. It didn't make sense, but in a way, it did. I wanted to show those f**kers that they didn't change my life even though they tried. Have you ever seen that Tom Cruise movie Vanilla Sky, there is a scene where Time Square is empty? That is exactly what it was like. It was so surreal, it was like a movie. That weekened Mike and I went out and bought some things that the recovery workers needed, gloves, spray paint, etc., and brought them down to Ground Zero. On the walk over, we kept noticing pieces of paper that were floating around, charred around the edges. They were memos, reports, things from different offices.

It was hard working at a newspaper during this time. It was hard reading a newspaper during this time. Reading every day the new list of people who were identified. Seeing all the Missing Person flyers everywhere. My boss' wife had her baby on 9/11. In the days that followed, he enjoyed his newborn son, while attending 30 funerals. I did a double take whenever I saw a plane in the sky. We were in The Gaf, our favorite bar on the West Side, the night of the Concert for NY. It was weird to be in a bar that was usually loud and fun, it was silent as we all watched the concert on tv and drank our beers. We drank a lot that month.

A few months later my brother and sister in law came down for a visit, and we brought them down to Ground Zero. My brother in law couldn't get over the cross that was found in the rubble, just two pieces of steel that became a cross, and where prayer services were held for the recovery workers. I truly think that cross is meant as a message. The one thing I get comfort from out of all of this, is the hope that when those poor souls perished, that God was there to bring them to heaven.

and overnight, it all changed

2011-09-08T08:40:00.002-04:00

Today is the second day of school, and I'm sadder than I was yesterday.

The seasons changed, literally overnight. It was cool and rainy, the kids needed jackets, and I threw on a pair of jeans.

I'm okay with Luke going to school. He loves it, he does well, he's confident, he's a good kid. Although I didn't get a kiss goodbye when the bus came, he zipped right away from me, excited to see his friends.

I did have concerns about Eliza. She's Mamma's girl, my little buddy, she can be a bit shy when she first meets you, but once she connects with you, you're her best friend. I thought that when the bus came, she would either cry, and not want to get on, or be okay, and climb aboard.

She needed to pose with her vanity.

Mike took a half day, E goes to afternoon kindergarten, so he was able to see her off. It was pouring out, so we waited at the garage door.....for almost 40 minutes!! I called the bus department, got their voice mail, and the box was full so I couldn't leave a message. I couldn't believe it. Well, I could, because I spent two days last week, making phone call after phone call to the bus department, because they had gotten rid of our bus stop!

Eliza was in a good mood, but since we were waiting so long, she started to get nervous. She asked for Teddy Bunny, but I told her Bunnies weren't allowed in school. The look on her face made me feel terrible, and she ran inside. I got her to go back outside by slipping her a couple of m&m's.

Finally, the bus came, I got a kiss this time, and she was off.

I was so annoyed at the bus being late, that I didn't cry like I thought I would. Mike and I went out for Mexican food and a margarita to celebrate the kids making it to school.

I go into work today for some training, this is so weird for me, to be going somewhere in the afternoons while the kids are elsewhere.

I'm excited, but feeling sad, I'm still a Mom, but I'm no longer a mom to babies, I'm a Mom to kids.

They still need me, but in a slightly different way.

But I need them too.

Nine Weeks Out

2011-09-06T10:04:00.000-04:00

I have the sniffles.

I can't remember the last time I was sick, but I'm ending the weekend with a stuffed up nose, scratchy throat, and a sleepy head. But on the bright side, I got all my runs in.

Saturday morning was my 16 miler, and when I set out with Frank, it was so humid you could practically see the water hanging in the air. My plan was to take him out for five miles, drop him back home, then head back out. But when we were done, and after I gave him a treat, I realized how much nicer it was in my house, so I hopped on the treadmill in my quiet basement, to finish off the last 11 miles. It went really well, I watched some of the movie Say Anything, which was on HBO, as well as some of the MTV Video Music Awards. Anyone else catch Adele's performance of Someone Like You? It seriously gave me the chills.

At the 14 mile mark, I had to take off my shirt, it was so full of sweat that it made a TWACK sound after I tossed it on the floor. Gross, but a great indicator of my hard work.

I have to say, I love my treadmill, always have. I run on an incline of 1%, to mimick an outdoor run, and I love to watch the miles tick by. I think the longest run I've done on my mill is 14 miles. I've been thinking more and more of doing my long runs on the treadmill, I mean, why not? I will definitely do my longest training run of 20 miles outside, but I don't see any real disadvantage of spending training time on the treadmill, a la EMZ.

Can you think of any?

I felt good after I was done, did the whole ice bath/compression sock recovery. The weird thing was, Sunday morning, I woke up, and my left knee was hurting. It was pretty stiff, so I popped some advil, and pulled one of my compression sleeves up, and over my knee. We took the kids to play mini-golf, then went to the pool, I swam a short 200 meters to loosen my knee up a bit, and when we were finally home for good, I iced on and off for the rest of the night. Monday, it was perfectly fine, and I was able to do my scheduled 5 miler.

Weird, right?

Tomorrow the kids go back to school, Eliza is starting kindergarten, and I'm very sad that my little one will be heading out into the world. On Thursday, for me it's.......back to work!!!!

And in NINE short weeks, it's marathon time.

Those weeks are going to fly right on by.

Thanks to everyone who entered my YMX giveaway, as usual, I used random.org to choose the winner, Tracy, from Our Life With 3 Guys and a Doll!

Congrats! Send me your deets and I'll get you set up!

Tattoo Number Two?

2011-09-01T20:31:00.000-04:00

Tattoo's intrigue me.

Last fall I finally got my first tattoo, to celebrate my marathon, and to just celebrate being me. Before that, I kept changing my mind over what I wanted to have done, I even went to a tattoo place, but chickened out at the last minute. And when Luke was born, I realized why people get tat's of their kids names or faces.

I drew the Celtic cross that I had inked on my ankle, although Newt the Tattoo Artist made it look nicer than what I had come up with, and I love it.

But I feel a bit unbalanced. I've talked to others who also have just one tattoo, and they think the same way. I kind of need another one, on an opposite body part, to even it out.

My sister came up a few weekends ago, and mentioned she's getting a small musical note on her ankle. I was so excited, I told her I would get one with her, that afternoon if she wanted (it's a fun bonding experience, I went with my friend Lori when she got one, and my BFF Dawn and I got ours together). But she already has plans to go with a friend, so no go for me.

I'm thinking of getting another small one, on my right wrist, to balance my left ankle. If I do it, I'll wait until after I run the NYC Marathon (have you checked out my fundraising page???), and it will be simple.

Some kind of combo of M L E.

The first letters of Mike, Luke and Eliza.

Do you have any tattoos?? What are they? What do they represent??

Did you enter my YMX sleeveless jersey giveaway yet? Check it, here!!!

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

It's September.

ACK!

How do YOU know how strong you are?

2011-08-30T20:25:00.000-04:00

This has been a great summer for me, cross training wise.

I was always bad about mixing up my workouts, but I was forced to after I had to take several weeks off of running due to my foot injury. After I eased back into running, while adjusting to my new custom orthotics, I wasn't sure how strong I was going to be going into triathlon/marathon training.

I filled those non-running hours with floor exercises, stretches, foam rolling, and swimming. I gauge my fitness level by how many miles I can run, so it was hard for me to tell how I was doing based solely on these activities.

Then I read a post by Miss Zippy, about squats. Now, I happen to like squats, and what I learned from that post, is that a squat is most effective when you do it while barefoot, and by keeping your heels on the ground the whole time. After I read her post, I thought,"whoo hoo! I must be doing something right, I can do that!"

Let me demonstrate:

I start by standing as straight as possible, feet shoulder distance apart, with my arms in the air:

Can you see Frank sitting there on the grill cover? That dog blends into everything, sometimes I'll walk into the family room, and not even see him sleeping on the chocolate brown couch.

Slowly lower yourself down, and keep your heels flat on the floor.

Get as low as you can, without leaning forward or backward, then return to start.

Pretty cool, huh?

Do you have a favorite strength exercise or stretch? I've got to keep mixing things up, so let me know!

I've had better 14 mile runs, I've had worse

2011-08-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

My 14 miler yesterday pretty much stunk.

I had planned on running while we were up in the Adirondacks, but we went up a day late, and basically didn't have enough time to fit it in. We spent the whole day Friday at the water park, hauling tubes up hills, climbing steps to the rides, and being thrown around by water. By the end of the day I was wiped out, and for some reason my knee was hurting, but I was happy we were able to finally make the trip before school started.

Here we are on the train ride:

Saturday we needed to head home, we had shopping and cleaning to do for the annual birthday party we throw in August for Eliza, Mike, and his Dad. This year we added my mom in law to the mix, as well as Mike's cousin. We had a lot of cake....

Back to my run. We left the ADK around lunchtime, it was very weird, it was so quiet on the lake for a Saturday in August. The state closed the campgrounds near my mom and dad in law's place, because of Hurricane Irene. We're four hours north of NYC, but strong winds and rain were expected, so they were being on the safe side I guess.

We didn't eat before starting the drive, so I didn't fuel up as well as I should have before a 14 mile run, I had nuun, water, two Little Debbie peanut butter wafer bars, and goldfish crackers. Stupid Stupid. By the time we got home and unpacked, it was after three o'clock, but I set off in the 81 degree heat, it was humid to boot.

I really wasn't in the mood to run.

I made it about a mile, and was still in my neighborhood, when I saw what looked like a body on the side of the road. As I got closer, I realized it was a huge deer. Which annoyed me, obviously someone had hit it, and just left it there.

I got out on the main road, with the sun right overhead, and found my pace. A cyclist passed by me, and gave me the high sign. I was okay for a while, but was feeling the heat, so I looked at G-unit, and had barely gone four miles. WTF? I can bang out six miles no sweat, but at this point, I was already dragging.

So I put on my ipod, didn't help.

Had a GU, didn't help.

Tried paying attention to my surroundings, didn't help.

Thought of all my fellow runners who are injured, and how much they would love to be running right now, didn't help.

Thought of my family and friends in NYC and Long Island, and the hurricane, didn't help.

Started to think about my blog. Thought about how lately, I feel like I'm censoring myself a bit. How I don't think people want to read about the things I think about, and worry about, on a daily basis, so I don't go there. How I wrote a long email to my BFF Jennifer, and after I sent it, realized that could have been a whole blog post.

Thought of how this run really sucked, and that my head was not in it.

Thought of Yo Gabba Gabba, and their song "Don't Stop Don't Give Up." Didn't work.

Thought of the marathon, and all my family and friends who are going to come and watch me run by and give them a high five. Didn't help.

Thought of how great it's going to feel to run through all those NYC Streets that I know so well. Didn't help.

Thought about 9/11, and how I'm not ready for the 10th Anniversary coverage to start. Didn't help.

Thought of Julia, and my friend J's husband, and my friend L, and how they live with Neurofibromatosis. Didn't help.

At mile 8.5, called Mike, and asked him to come get me, so I could finish the run in the comfort of my basement treadmill.

Felt like a failure.

Got moving again, felt a second wind, probably because I knew I was going home. Was trudging along, when a white Honda came towards me, with my friend Norine hanging out the car window to give me a high five. She was coming home from playing golf, and if Mike weren't on his way to get me, I swear I would have climbed right into her back seat.

Then Mike and the kids came along, I got in his car, got home, went down to the basement, banged out the last 5 miles while watching Rachel Zoe's show on Bravo. Have no idea what it's called, I have no real interest in fashion, but I got sucked in.

Then I was done.

Finally.

Then I remembered that it's okay to have a sucky run once in a while.

Because that's why they call it training.

A winner, a giveaway, a new blogger and 14 miles

2011-08-25T11:07:00.000-04:00

1. I have a 14 mile run planned for Saturday while we're in the Adirondacks, which will be a nice change of pace scenery wise, but that means hills. Lot's of them, paired with my silly fear that at some point while I'm on a woodsy stretch of road, a bear is going to come charging out and eat me.

I'm going to try and not eat any of these, although they are the best donuts in the world when they're hot.

2. My friend Heather started a blog, she's a runner who is training for the Atlantic City Marathon this fall, her first. Heather and I shared a house our senior year of college, and every time I hear that 4 Non Blondes song "What's Going On" I think of her. : ) Check her out here: Mommy Are You Going For A Run?

3. Did you see my YMX giveaway? There's a very cool jersey up for grabs.

And winner #5 of my Fundraising Giveaway is Jess, The Blonde Ponytail! She's actually running the Hood to Coast Relay this weekend, Good Luck Jess, and Congrats!

Wordless Wednesday: A Birthday + A New Tangled Nightgown = Pure Happiness

2011-08-24T08:32:00.002-04:00

YMX Maori Dragon Sleeveless Jersey Review & Giveaway!

2011-08-21T20:08:00.002-04:00

Now that I am officially a triathlete, I've been checking out swimming and cycling gear, there really is so much out there to add to my training arsenal. Right before Irongirl, I was contacted by YMX to do a review of their Maori Dragon cycling/running jersey. After checking out their website of funky, functional jerseys, tanks, and shirts, I was definitely eager to try it out!

I was sent two items, first, the YMX Maori Dragon Sleeveless jersey. At first I wasn't sure which size to choose, I always seem to fall in between sizes, I figured I would want more of a snug fit if I were biking, but I know I don't like a tight fit when running. To be on the safe side, I went with the larger one, and was happy with the fit.

How cool is this jersey? I love the funky pattern, as well as the three back pockets. They are wide enough, as well as deep enough to fit a water bottle, cellphone, camera (which every blogger needs) and several gels. I thought about putting my ipod in a pocket, there was plenty of room, but I've been going without music on my runs with Frank the Dog, so decided to leave it out.

The fabric is great, I'm used to the tech shirts I receive at races, but this was something completely different. The jersey is made of a "MadKool" fabric, it was very light and soft, and a bit stretchy, with a bonus UV Protection of 50+. In addition, it's wrinkle and abrasion resistant, which is nice, especially when your dog jumps up on you, while you're wearing the jersey, as you take him for a run.

I wore it on my 13 mile run last Friday, and it was very comfortable. It rode up a bit when I wore it with my slippery compression shorts, but stayed in place when I wore it with my regular biking shorts.

Once I hit the 9 mile mark, I was swimming with sweat. I put my hand on my back, and it was wet, but the wicking fabric kept the sweat away from me. Bonus!! I especially liked the front zipper, because as I got warmer, I zipped it lower, and it cooled me off.

The second item that I tried out, was something I've never seen before, the YMX Maori Stripe Bolero.

This is a really great idea. It's a bolero, which wraps around your back, and covers your arms. It's made of the same fabric as the jersey, with all the same benefits. I paired it up with my CTF tank, and went for a bike ride. Loved the pattern, loved the bolero.

I look a bit spacey here. Must be all these marathon training miles are wearing me out. And you know what? All these funky patterns are making me want to get another tattoo. : )

All in all, thumbs up for the YMX gear, I'm already looking at their fall collection!!

WIN IT!!

Would you like a Maori Dragon Jersey of you own? Here is your chance!

How to enter, please leave a separate comment for each:

1. Please go to YMX by YellowMan, and check out their gear. Let me know what you would love to have!
2. Be a friend of my blog, or follow me on twitter.
3. Follow YMX on facebook here, or twitter here.
4. Share the giveaway info any way you'd like, as in facebook, twitter, or you blog.
5. If you have donated to my NYC Marathon Fundraising Giveaway for the Children's Tumor Foundation, let me know, you automatically received 5 entries.
6. Make a donation to CTF, through my fundraising page, here. For every $5.00 you donate, you receive one entry.
7. Let me know what race you're training for next.

I will choose a winner on Tuesday, September 6th.

Good Luck!!!

*Note: I was provided with a YMX Jersey and Bolero for the purpose of this review. My opinions on the product are entirely my own, and were not influenced in any way by any outside parties.

2011-08-19T09:16:00.001-04:00

I think I'm getting used to this "getting up early and running" thing. I'm usually up around five anyway, and instead of trying to go back to sleep, I get out of bed to run. This morning Jeannine and I brought Frank out for five miles, then I ran 8 on the treadmill. Early mornings in the summer are perfect for running. Plus I got to test out a new shirt that I'm going to review next week, along with a....giveaway!

I'm also out of my food rut, I was making the same things over and over. I read about a cookbook called Cooking Up A Storm, that was published after Hurricane Katrina. So many people lost family recipes in the flooding, that the local newspaper asked readers to send in their favorite recipes, so that everyone could have them again. I bought the cookbook for Mike for his birthday,

and for dinner this week, we had the Spicy Cajun Shrimp:

We only used half of the cayenne, but it was still pretty spicy. I prefer brown rice, but we went with white to stay true to the recipe, and it was Kill-er!!!

Speaking of food, my Dad is coming up from Maryland today for the weekend, and he's bringing us a mess of crabs, hopefully I'll remember to take a few photos while we're scarfing them down.

It's Friday again, time for winner #4 of my fundraising giveaway for The Children's Tumor Foundation, using random.org, it's Colleen from Irondiva! Congrats, and let me know which TWO prizes you would like, the necklace, socks, sweaty band, and towels are available.

Have a happy weekend : )

You guessed it

2011-08-18T10:01:00.004-04:00

Yup, I got a job. And it happened really fast.

I've been thinking of going back to work for a while now. Believe me, I am so appreciative and happy that I have been home raising Luke and Eliza, but I knew at some point I was going to go back. But back to what, exactly, is where I was confused.

For the past several months, I'd been thinking seriously of becoming a personal trainer. That meant going back to school, then starting my own business. I knew how I was going to market myself, and who I wanted to target. But I didn't pull the trigger, for several reasons. Ultimately, I kept seeing myself going back into sales, I really enjoy it, so I decided to go back down that path.

This week I met with a recruiter, to see what my options were for part time, actually to see if I had any options. I got out one of my favorite suits from my working girl days, (Luke took the photo of me in my suit after I got home), and I was thrilled that it still fit. I had to take a typing test (63 wpm if you're curious), and other tests, I still know my way around a spreadsheet, and a word document. I even had to watch a video on "Safety in the Workplace." I felt like I was fresh out of college, and looking for my first job. I have a good resume, apparently almost too good, so if I want to go back full time, it's going to take a while to find a position. And the part time jobs that they have would be a tough fit around my family's schedule.

Then yesterday, Mike and I talked more about one other option.....working for his company, part time. Making calls for the sales team, generating leads, all that good stuff. So I said, Hire Me. So now Mike's my boss. Hee Hee.

I feel an odd sense of relief, and excitement. I'm going into these last few weeks before school starts feeling good, and looking forward to this new chapter.

Because who knows what can happen next. : )

Wordless Wednesday: Mama wants to go back to work

2011-08-17T08:09:00.000-04:00

My Seven Links

2011-08-15T17:53:00.004-04:00

I took the kids to the movies today to see The Smurfs, it's rainy and cloudy, a perfect day for it. The last time we went to the movies, someone broke into the Jeep and stole the DVD player. Today we made it out unscathed, although I think I was the only person in the theater eating a banana instead of popcorn. Yup, I'm the Mom who smuggles in water and snacks in my purse.

Did I ever mention I'm not a fan of bananas? I make myself eat them anyway, since they're a runners BFF.

A while back, my Twinsie Jess, of the Blond Ponytail, tagged me for Seven Links.....and here they are!

1. My Most Popular Post: it was my recap of my First Marathon!

2. My Most Beautiful Post: I guess it would be the post I wrote for me and Mike's 10th Wedding Anniversary...

3. My Most Controversial Post was the one I titled "Scary Food" it was about some of the sugary breakfast choices at a local restaurant, along with how I felt that some food commercials were taking treats to the extreme.

4. My Most Helpful Post: I don't dole out much advice, but I wrote a post about how I needed to pay closer attention to servicing my Jeep. That post got a lot of hits, so hopefully some of you guys went out and checked the level of air in your tires after reading it. : )

5. A post whose success surprised me: the post where I wrote about our adoption of Frank, from a local Animal Rescue. I was surprised at how many people commented over how great it was to do something like that, and I realized how many of us are animal lovers.

6. A post I felt didn't get the attention it deserved: hmmmm. I have no idea honestly. Although I thought more people would comment on the post I wrote after we had a medium come to my mom's house, and she described the ghosts we had seen in the house to a T.

7. The Post I'm Most Proud of: I'm proud of everything I write, but I'm proud of the post I wrote about why I blog. If you want to know more about me, that's the one to read : )

So there it is, seven links. I can't remember who has, or hasn't done this post, so tell me, what's your favorite post? I'd love to read it!!

The Friday Five

2011-08-12T09:14:00.001-04:00

1. I had a good week, still feeling the good vibes from Iron Girl. A few people asked me which part of the race I liked the best, and I'm surprised to say that it was the swim! I think it's because I'm happy with how I've progressed with my swimming, my endurance in the water is up, and I'm comfortable with my stroke. I think that came into play in the race, once I found my groove, it centered me, calmed me down, and got me into the right mindset for the rest of the race. I looked at my swim results again, and I was ranked 192 for the swim, out of over 1,000 finishers!

2. So now marathon training has become the priority. I ran 11 miles this morning, 5 miles outside with Frank, then finished it up with 6 on the treadmill while the kids slept and Mike left for work. I thought about getting up super early and doing all of it outside, but thought better of it, I'll save that for the reeeally long runs.

3. Speaking of Frank, he's going to turn one on September First! We didn't get him until he was 12 weeks old, but we're going to have to make a little celebration for him. He's doing well, although he still gets super excited when someone comes over. He barks now when he wants our attention, and I swear he thinks he can talk. He'll walk over to me and go "woaa woaa woaaaaa" then grab my shorts. So that means he wants to go out. I also made the mistake of giving him a piece of deli ham out of the fridge one day, so now this is his favorite spot:

4. It felt like summer was flying by the other day, but after I looked at the calendar, I realized school still doesn't start for a month. I'm trying to fit in as much outdoor fun as I can, we're going to take a trip to the water park, and I already bought our State Fair tickets (and I'm already thinking of what I'm going to eat there). Today it's going to be beautiful, and we're going to spend the whole afternoon at the pool.

5. Time to pick winner #3 for my Fundraising Giveaway! You can still donate to enter, check it out here. I used random.org to choose the winner.....Congrats to Giraffy at 365 Days of Awesome!!!!!
Let me know which TWO prizes you would like : )

Happy Training, Happy Racing, Happy Weekend!!!

Iron Girl Triathlon Race Report

2011-08-08T15:21:00.000-04:00

What a great race.

I'm really happy today. For me, I love the day after a race, when all the details set in, and I get to further enjoy my race high.

Going into race weekend, I felt a little uneasy. I couldn't really do a proper taper, because I'm in the middle of marathon training, and I slept lousy the entire week. The race was on Sunday, and Friday night I think I slept a total of three hours, which bugged me out because I know it's the sleep you get two nights before a race, that really counts.

Saturday morning Jeannine and Gina and I headed out to Oneida Shores, to check in our bikes, pick up our race packets, and check out the expo for Iron Girl Syracuse. During the ride over, I told Jeannine that I was bugging out a bit, and feeling nervous. I know that it was the fear of the unknown, but I started to feel better once we got our bikes and got on line to check in. I saw several of my friends, and chatted up the woman who was racking her bike next to me, about the best spot to place my bike, well, S's bike. I put it towards the end of the row, closest to where I would head out to the bike course. I figured I would rather run farther after the swim, to avoid having to maneuver my bike through everyone.

We listened to the course talk, and learned where we needed to go for each leg of the race, then we headed home. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with the kids and Mike, getting my gear together, and doing laundry (which is rapidly becoming a daily thing). Then I got goofy with my new swim cap:

I had my usual dinner of pasta, sauce and bread, and I was in bed by 9:30. I knew I was going to be tossing and turning, but I think I dropped off around 10:30, and slept pretty well until 3:30. I figured I could fall back asleep for another hour, but as soon as I thought of the swim, that was it. I got out of bed at 4:30, and took Frankie for a short walk, I knew I was up early when the newspaper delivery guy came by and dropped off our paper. I made my coffee, bagel with peanut butter and grabbed half a banana, then I waited on my front steps for the girls to pick me up. We decided to leave a five, we wanted to park at the lake, and not have to take the shuttle, so we left early.

It was already crowded when we got to transition, and the sun was just coming up:

I laid everything out, and was drinking some nuun, when I looked up and saw my friend Kelly coming down the row. She gave me a hug, and for a second there I got reeeeallly nervous. She was in my swim wave, so I told her I would try to get towards the front of the pack, because I planned on swimming as soon as I could. I heard other people saying they were going to walk as long as possible, and I wanted to get in front of them.

We thought the sun behind our heads made us look angelic.

Transition closed, we headed down to the lake, to figure out the swim, my wave was at 7:25. Jeannine and Gina were in the wave ahead of me, so after they left, I kind of stood there, getting nervous. I was the only one in my wave in just a swim suit, everyone else had on wet suits or tri suits. I had a couple of minutes until we had to get in the water, and I heard someone call my name, it was my friend Norine! I went over and gave her a hug, and told her I was freaking out a bit. I was so happy to see her, we ran the marathon together last year, and I felt so much better after talking to her.

Then it was time to swim!!! I got right in, the water wasn't very cold, I kept my head up while I swam, just so I could get my bearings, and be comfortable with my surroundings. There didn't seem to be many people in my wave. The swim was a rectangle, and after I got past the first buoy, I put my head down, and got into my swimming groove. I kept my stroke nice and easy, and found my breathing pattern, and pretended I was back in the pool. The swim went by fast. As I was getting out of the water, I looked up and saw Kelly running onto the sand, she's hardcore, and I knew I had done well because I was only a couple of minutes behind her. *there are rumors floating around that the distance was farther than 600, but I didn't wear my garmin in the water, so I don't know for sure.

Swim: 600+ meters, 15:49

The run from the lake to transition was long, I dipped my feet in a baby pool to rinse them off, and kept my eyes on the medal bars holding up the screens along the chute, I didn't want to stub my toes or wipe out. I

ran right past my bike, backed up, and found my stuff. Helmet, sunglasses, shorts on, socks, shoes on, GU in the top of my suit, then grabbed the bike, and headed to the exit.

T1 4:31 (I laughed out loud when I saw my time. What the hell was I doing? All I can think of was that it was that long run from the beach)

This was the third time I had ridden S's bike, but I was comfortable on it. I did have to play with the gears throughout the ride, but for the most part, it worked great. The course was fairly flat, and I was actually passing people, and I got to call out "on your left!" several times. I tried to keep my speed at 17 mph, but I worried the whole time about getting a flat, I passed a girl who was changing one and felt bad for her. We had to go over some deep railroad tracks two different times, they were some big bumps. At about mile 12 we went over a bridge with this crazy grooved metal road, if you could call it that. I thought "this is it, this is going to blow my tires." but luckily it didn't. Then it started raining a bit, but it felt good. I fished the pack of GU out of my top, and sucked it down at mile 15.

Then next thing I new, we were nearing the end of the course. The roads weren't closed for the race, and I saw a cop yell at a mini van that didn't stop, and at another point, a car went through the group of us, and a girl was stuck on the wrong side of his car, and couldn't get over to where she needed to be. Not cool.

I LOVED cruising down the chute into transition, with everyone yelling, and ringing their cowbells (although whenever I hear a cowbell, I always think of that SNL episode with Christopher Walken and Will Farrell, and he keeps saying "more cowbell!").

Bike: 18 miles, 1:06:53

I got my bike back where it needed to be, and for some reason, I was trying to take my helmet off in the back. Then I remembered to unclip it in the front. I swapped it out for a visor, then struggled a bit to put my tank on. I got to the end of the row, looked at the spectators standing there, and yelled "where do I go?!?!?!" they started yelling and pointing, so I headed right back to where I came in on the bike, which was pretty close.

T2: 2:03 (okay, that was better)

I kept feeling like I was forgetting something, and I fumbled a bit with G-unit, switching it over from bike mode to run mode, so I wasn't really running as fast as I should. Then I looked up, and saw my friend Sheila there! So I hugged her, then started moving again, then I saw my brother in law Rob (Jeannine's husband) and niece. After that I had to buckle down and run, which I did, although it was getting pretty muggy out. I couldn't seem to regulate my breath, but I was moving at a 9:20 pace. It was an flat out and back along the lake, and again the road was open to cars. Halfway through I felt like I was getting a cramp, it was just hovering there, waiting to blow. I saw S with his kids, and I yelled out to him that the bike worked great, and towards the end I saw his wife K, she had already finished. The last half mile I felt myself slowing down, especially when I came upon a rocky, gravely stretch, and I was determined not to wipe out. Next thing I knew, I was in the chute, I gave Mike a high five, and crossed the finish!

Run: 3.2 miles, 29:54 (not my best, but I wasted time with G-unit, and getting out of transition)

I met my goal of finishing under two hours, my time was 1:59:10. I was 98/184 in my division, and 444 out of 1047 finishers.

Whoo hooo!

Me, Jeannine, and Gina, with our medals:

Me, Mike and the kiddos:

I was pretty skanky when I got home:

I spent the rest of the day at the pool, having a bit of champagne, and a grilled cheese and pretzels. Jeannine ate her burger so fast I swear it was gone in 60 seconds. Mike bought me a cake and ice cream, I scarfed down a half a pint of mint chocolate chip, and admired the flowers I received from my BFF Jennifer:

This morning I got another gift from Luke and Eliza, they let me sleep until 9:00!!!!!!!

This was the perfect triathlon for a first timer, Iron Girl was well organized, with great volunteers, I thanked as many of them as I could.

Thanks to everyone for all the luck and supportive comments as I trained for my first triathlon. : )

What a day.

I'm still smiling.

Triathlon Pre Race Jitters and Giveaway Winner #2

2011-08-04T13:03:00.000-04:00

This morning Luke asked what we were doing this weekend. I told him I had a race, but it was a race that I had never done before. After I explained what a triathlon was all about, he asked me "Do you get to rest in between?" When I said no, he gave me a look and said "Wow."

I'm excited for Saturday. I've had mixed feelings about doing a triathlon, I never really thought I would do one. I can't believe it's been 8 months since that New Years Day when I decided to go for it. I'm definitely nervous, but excited too. I feel like I'm ready for it. The one area that I thought I would be the weakest in, the swim, is actually pretty good. I know what it means to find my rhythm while swimming, the other day I was cruising along so nice and easy, that I rammed right into the end of the lap lane. Sounds about right for me : )

The bike has been a worry, since I've been training on my mountain bike. I had road tires put on it, but the thing is so heavy that it is a major energy suck for me. The other day my friend K offered up her husband's road bike for the race. I was completely surprised. I took it for a ride today, and holy cow, what a difference. S is the same height as me, I adjusted the seat a bit, but it feels good. I had him take the cages off the pedals, I'm not ready to try something new like that for a race. I'm going to ride it again tomorrow, but I'm 98% sure I'm going to use it for the race.

The run........well, I'm not worried about the run.

I shouldn't have a time goal for my first sprint triathlon, but I would be happy to complete the race in two hours. I have no idea what to expect, so I'm going to focus on having fun, and enjoying the experience. But I do have a goal for each leg of the race:

For the swim, I hope to avoid the zebra mussels. Still debating on whether or not I should put duct tape on my feet. Probably not, but once I get in the water, I'm going to swim as soon as I can, and for as long as I can.

For the bike, I don't want to do anything that would make me, or someone else, wipe out.

For the run, I want to remember to take off my helmet.

Wish me luck!!!

Tomorrow is Mike's birthday, so we have a busy day planned, so today I picked the second winner off my fundraising giveaway for The Children's Tumor Foundation. THANK YOU for the new donations I received this week! You can still donate to enter, until all the prizes are gone. Using random.org, the winner is Darlene, from My First 5k, Congrats!

Please let me know which two prizes you would like, the sunglasses and compression shirt were picked last week.

Have a great weekend, happy training, and happy racing!!

Tommie Copper Compression Review...and a chance to win it!

2011-08-02T21:44:00.001-04:00

Are you familiar with this company?

I came across Tommie Copper Compression when I entered a few giveaways for compression sleeves. I didn't win, but a few weeks later I contacted Tommie Copper to see if they were interested in donating to my fundraising giveaway (which you can find here). And they were! Not only did they donate a compression shirt (as shown in the above photo) and sleeves, but they sent me some gear to try out as I train for the NYC Marathon!

How cool is that?

I first wore the calf sleeves after an 18 mile bike ride. When I pulled them on, I was surprised at how light and thin the fabric felt. I'm a huge fan of compression, but between the wiggling and stretching and sweating to get it on, you get a bit of a workout before you even work out.

Tommie Copper uses Therapeutic Copper Compression, it is made from a "revolutionary, proprietary fabric" actually made with copper, and it can be used to reduce pain from all sorts of ailments, by stimulating the muscles, increasing circulation and reducing inflammation. Which is exactly what someone who is training for both a marathon, and triathlon, needs.

I've worn the sleeves on a few runs, and I have to say, when I was finished with first a 7 miler, and a 6 miler, my legs felt great. I kept them on for about an hour after each run, to reap their benefits. I'm planning on wearing the sleeves this weekend, when I race in my first triathlon, Irongirl Syracuse!

I tested out the compression shirt on two shorter runs, and it was comfortable, with smooth seams, and again, that thin fabric. But the true test was one morning, I woke up after a lousy night sleep, and as I got out of bed, I did a weird twist, that resulted in a painful kink in my back. You know, one of those shooting aches you get when you're in your late thirties? I thought I would put the shirt on to see if it would help, and I'm happy I did. By afternoon, my back was much, much looser, and I felt good enough to......go for a run.

If you're in need of some comfortable, lightweight, but effective compression, check out Tommie Copper Compression on facebook here, on twitter, here, or their website, here.

AND if you're really curious, check out my fundraising giveaway for The Children's Tumor Foundation, please donate, and you'll have a chance to win some Tommie Copper of your own!!

Note: I was provided with a shirt and calf sleeves for the purpose of this review, the opinions of the product are entirely my own.

Q & A whaddaya say

2011-08-01T11:26:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling a bit punchy this morning. So bear with me while I answer the rest of my Q and A.....

Julie asked:

What is your favorite thing to cook? I really love to cook in the fall and winter, pots of soup, comfort foods, anything that you can put in a casserole that makes lots of leftovers.

If you could travel anywhere that you have not been where would it be? Japan.

Miss Zippy also asked about my dream vacation, as well as what's your favorite book?   I have so many it's hard to choose, but Catcher in the Rye and Bridget Jones' Diary are my faves.

EMZ asked:

Your favorite recipe? This Mediterranean pasta with chicken is reeeeallly good, you can find it here.

Your favorite item of running wear / clothing: I love my purple camo running skirt and knock around cotton skirt from Old Navy.

What one thing can you never forget to bring on vacation?   Something to read, lots of magazines and book I can get lost in.

BDD asked:

I know your training for your first tri, but I guarantee you been to a bike shop and have seen a bike that your absolutely in love with, what is that bike you highly desire.   I would be happy with anything that has a frame that is lighter than my mountain bike, and the Cervelo bikes look pretty sweet. And light.

Johann asked:

Is running still your favorite sport? It is, because you can do it anywhere, anytime, and I always feel better after a run.

What is your greatest long term running/sporting goal? The NYC Marathon has been a goal of mine for pretty much my whole life. After I conquer that, I'd like to take on a trail race, or a relay of some sort.

Do you see yourself continue blogging as the years go on?   I do, I've connected with so many great people through blogging, it's such a supportive community that I love being a part of.

Jen asked:

who is your hero, role model or inspiration....we all call those people by different names...but who makes you want to be a better person?

I would have to say my children are my inspiration. I want them to grow up to be well rounded, happy healthy, people, and I need to strive to be the best version of myself, and hopefully they will learn by my example.

Colleen asked:

If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, and have lunch with them, who would it be? Hmmmmm. Eddie Vedder. I love Pearl Jam, plus, he's hot.

Harmony asked:

Ok here is my question? If you could meet up with 5 bloggers to run a race. Who would it be? Where? and Why?

I can't narrow it down to just 5 bloggers, there are five just in New York! I would love to meet up with everyone in a city where we could have a huge carb filled dinner, then burn it all off the next day with a long run along the ocean where the temperature was a balmy 65 degrees with zero humidity.  Then we would end the day with a round of beers.

Winner #1: Fundraising Giveaway for the Children's Tumor Foundation

2011-07-29T10:02:00.001-04:00

Today I picked the first winner of my fundraising giveaway. I'll choose one winner each week until all the prizes are gone, so if you haven't entered, please do so HERE, your donation to enter benefits The Children's Tumor Foundation.

I am exactly halfway to my fundraising goal for the NYC Marathon. It's so exciting to see the number go up, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated, I truly appreciate it. And THANK YOU again to all the companies who have donated items:

Tommie Copper Compression
Running Skirts
WrightSocks
GU
Sweaty Bands
Lift Your Sole
Ryders
Gone For a Run
Inperspire

Now, on to the winner! I used random.org to choose the winner, I have a print screen of the results, but I think those charts are boring to look at, so I'm leaving it off the post : ) So without further ado.....congrats to Marcia, The Studly Runner! Let me know which two items you would like, and I'll hook you up!

Happy Friday, and Happy Training!!!!

Q & A Part One

2011-07-27T12:38:00.003-04:00

We're back home, and now my Mom is here visiting, which is nice since she hasn't been up here since winter. So I'm snagging a few minutes to answer some of the questions asked in my last post.

Erin from See Mom Run Far asked:

What food(s) are your biggest temptations? If chocolate is staring me in the face, I have to take a nibble. Pizza often calls to me, and if we're out somewhere and Mike gets fries with his meal, a few of them some how manage to make it onto my plate.

If you could run any race anywhere, what would it be? I would love to run a marathon in Ireland, I just think that would be so cool.

Would you rather run a flat marathon in crazy heat, or one that was all uphill? I can deal wtih hills pretty well, but I think 26.2 miles of them would be extreme. I'd rather load my hat and sports bra up with ice and run through the heat.

Who is your favorite blogger from Wyoming??   Well, she has 12 kids and is running the NYC Marathon, and I'm looking forward to meeting her, so that would be you Erin!

AJH from Age Groups Rock also asked:

What is your guiltiest food or drink pleasure? I'm happy to expand on my answer above....drink wise, I love wine, or a margarita. When I was waitressing I came across the best taste combo ever, chocolate mousse with a glass of red wine. Heaven.

So what is your favorite terrain to run on? Is there a terrain you hate? I really enjoy running on the paved paths of my neighborhood, and I love to run in the Adirondacks. Every once in a while I'll do a trail run, but I'm so clumsy that half the time I'm watching the ground for roots or rocks and I don't enjoy it as much as I could.

Raquelita from Historiadora on the Run asked:

When and why did you decide to become a runner? I had to run in high school when I played field hockey, but I didn't run on a regular basis until after I graduated from college. I was trying to drop some weight, and soon enough, I was hooked. After several years of running for fun and health, I did a Turkey Trot, then 10k's, 15k's, a half marathon, then a full.

What is your favorite pizza topping? Mushrooms and Onions, I kind of have a thing for onions, I put them on everything.

Suzy from Running On My Time asked:

What are you looking forward to most about doing a tri? I'm looking forward to the challenge of three different sports in one race, it's a whole new type of race for me, one that I never thought I would do.   I'm also secretly happy that this race is All Women, it lowers the intimidation factor a bit.

Are you afraid of any animals? Geese scare the heck out of me. If I come across them on the path, I run the other way, even if I have Frank the dog with me.

Run or bike? Definitely run. Before my tri training started, I liked to take leisurely bike rides, which I'll continue to do for cross training.

Baby Weight My Fat Ass asked:

What's the hardest part of training for you? Fitting it in around everyone's schedules. On Sunday's I look at my week and figure out when I can work out, it's usually when the kids are at school or summer camp.

Kristen from Run For Wine asked:

What did you do before you had children? Before Luke and Eliza came on the scene, I was an Account Exec (which is a fancy word for working in Advertising Sales) at a newspaper in NYC. I worked with a fabulous group of people, and handled national retail accounts, as well as small Mom and Pop shops. Mike and I took advantage of our time there, we worked hard and played hard, we traveled, explored the city, went to concerts and games, stayed out until 4 a.m.   We waited through 31.5 hours of labor for Luke to be born, but when I held him for the first time, I realized I had been waiting for much longer than that.

Part Two will be in my next post....but in the meantime....have you checked out my Fundraising Giveaway??? Great gear from Tommie Copper Compression, Running Skirts, Wrightsocks, Sweaty Bands, Lift Your Sole, GU, Gone for a Run, Inperspire and Ryders! Click here to enter!

What's That You Asked?

2011-07-24T18:15:00.002-04:00

We're spending some time at my Mom & Dad in law's house in the Adirondacks, with some of the best summer weather I can remember. Usually I have to put jeans or a hoodie on at night, but last night at the campfire I was still roasting.

Yesterday I practiced swimming in the lake, Mike walked along the shore with G-unit, to keep track of my time and distance. The water was choppy, and I got slapped in the face with water a couple of times, but I managed a quarter mile in 10:34.

Today my marathon training plan called for a three mile run on hills, what better place to be for that! I took Frank with me, I thought he would be tired after a mile, but he went the whole way, pausing once to drink out of the lake. He's pretty fast, but then again, he has four legs, and I only have two.

I'm probably the last blogger to jump on the Q & A bandwagon that Colleen started, but what the heck. Let me know if you have any burning questions for me, and I'll answer in my next post.

: )

I TRI'd it!

2011-07-21T09:54:00.000-04:00

The other day Jason and Jess and I were tweeting about doing a #kcirb, which is a reverse brick. I tweeted about how I was going out to do my first swim/run, and would that be called a #swib?? So the next day a woman in Scotland tweeted that she was intrigued, and asked me what that meant, since for her, it stands for Scottish Women In Business.

I thought that was kind of funny.

Last night I went up to Oneida Shores with Jeannine and Gina to do my first open water swim, then practice my transition to the bike. It was still almost 90 degrees at five o'clock, so it was good night to get into the lake. We got there pretty early, there were about 150 people there, so we were able to talk to some of them about the best way to set up our bikes and ask about the swim.

As we were watching everyone else set up, I noticed that several people were wearing either water shoes, what looked like rubber socks, or duct tape on their feet. I know that there are Zebra mussels in this lake, and they can really tear up your feet if you step on them. So I started to get worried about that, the last thing I wanted was bloody shoes.

They set us up in waves of 50 people, and I saw Kristin as I went in. Everyone was walking until the water was waist high before they dove in. A woman next to me asked me if this was my first time there, and I told her it was, and that I was nervous about the mussels. She pointed out the spot where they start to show up, and instead of trying to pick my way through them, I decided to just start swimming.

It went really well, although when I put my face in the water, the murky green color reminded me of the opening credits of True Blood, so that freaked me out. I kept my head up for a while, and kept my eyes on the first bouey, passed that easily, and went straight to the second. I was actually coming up on people so when I saw their legs I slowed down and went around. I need to practice my sighting, I figured if I stayed with the group I'd go straight to the shore, but when I looked up, I realized I was making a circle away from shore. So I straightened up, and swam until my chest hit sand. I was really paranoid about those mussels.

The swim went fast, I thought it was 400 meters, but someone told me it was 600, which is even better.

I transitioned really quickly, I had my sunglasses in my helmet, and G-unit was already strapped to my bike. I just put on my shoes, shorts, and fuel belt, since I still haven't bought a holder for a water bottle. I'm feeling confident about my training, the only part that has been bugging me is the bike, I aim to ride between 16 - 18 miles per hour, but because it's a mountain bike, it slows me down. I lost track of how many people said "On your left" as they zipped on by me with looked like much less effort.

We did nine miles in about 40 minutes, which is slow, but what can you do. We were dripping with sweat, it
was still very hot, but we went out and ran a mile.

I don't know why I'm so hung up on how long it's going to take me to do this race. It's a whole new thing for me, I've got to get grip and just do it. If it takes me 2 hours, so be it, I just want to have fun.

Remind me of that on August 7th, okay?

Full On Training Mode

2011-07-18T10:14:00.001-04:00

Whose idea was it to train for a triathlon and marathon at the same time?

Oh, that's right, mine.

I'm in the middle of juggling my training schedule, in order to hit the right workouts, not miss any of them, but not overdo anything that might irritate my foot. Saturday I went for an 18 mile bike ride, so I can now do each of the distances for my sprint, just not all at once!

I had an issue with one of my new bike tires a couple of weeks ago, I got a really bad flat, which was surprising. In the interest of time I took it to the bike shop near my house, not the shop I bought the new tires from, and they told me the tube was pinched inside the tire. Whoever had put on the new tires didn't do it correctly. So now I'm paranoid that the back tire is going to blow out, right in the middle of my race.

On Wednesday I'm heading up to the lake for an open water swim and bike ride. I'm going with my sis in law/running partner Jeannine, and her sister Gina, who had the idea to do IronGirl. I feel really confident in the pool, and I'm eager to see how I do in the lake.

It's Monday again, with another great weekend behind us. Mike put together the playhouse:

and we went berry picking for the third Sunday in a row, this time for blueberries. They are the size of my thumbnail:

Now it's time for a run.

And please check out my NYC Marathon Fundraising giveaway here, with items from Running Skirts, Tommie Copper Compression, Lift Your Sole, Gone for a Run, GU, Inperspire, Ryders Eyewear and Wrightsocks!!!

You can help me meet my fundraising goal, your donation benefits The Children's Tumor Foundation!

NYC Marathon Fundraising Giveaway for the Children's Tumor Foundation

2011-07-14T12:58:00.006-04:00

You might have heard me mention that I'm running the NYC Marathon this fall, raising funds for Team Ladybug, which benefits The Children's Tumor Foundation.

This is Julia, she is eight years old, and lives with neurofibromatosis, which is a unpredictable genetic mutation that causes tumors to develop in nerve tissue. NF is a progressive disorder that affects 1 in 3,000 births and can show up in any family, at any time. NF can produce tumors, bone deformations, learning disabilities, deafness, blindness, malignancies, and chronic pain.

And there is no cure.

In an effort to help meet the fundraising goal given to me by NY Road Runners, some fabulous companies have donated products for this giveaway. This time around, there will be multiple winners. Starting Friday July 29th, I will pick one winner per week, and they will have their choice of two items up for grabs.

Here is the lineup:

1. ~~A cheeta print skirt trimmed with aqua, in size 2 (fits a size 4/6) , from Running Skirts! They didn't have a photo of that particular print, but here is what it looks like in black.~~ chosen by Darlene

2. Three items fromTommie Copper, copper infused compression wear to address a natural solution for pain.

a. ~~your choice of two individual compression sleeves~~ these were chosen by Giraffy

~~b. one compression shirt:~~ this item was chosen by the first winner, Marcia : )

~~3. A pair of~~ ~~Ryders Eyewear~~ ~~Sunglasses, the VTX model, in~~ ~~white.~~ This item was chosen by Marcia.

I have a pair of Ryders that I love, they stay in place during a sweaty run, and the lenses do a great job blocking out glare.

4. One large runner girl charm necklace from Lift Your Sole:

5. An U~~ltra Pocket Hat from Gone For A Run~~ this was chosen by Giraffy

6. ~~A GU Performance Energy sampler, along with a Gel Bot. I am a huge fan of GU, I used the gels durning training for my first marathon.~~ On long runs I would start with a caffeine free strawberry banana about four miles in. If I had a second one, it would be one of the flavors with caffeine, to give me an extra boost to get me through to the end. Chocolate is the best : )

~~It includes: 9 GU Original Gels, 5 Roctane Gels, 2 Chomps, 2 Electrolyte Brew Packs, 1 Recovery Pack, 3 Individual Electrolyte Tablets.~~ this was chosen by Darlene

7. Two pairs of Wrightsocks, one set in size large, one set in size medium.

8. ~~Two~~ Fitness Towels from Inperspire, (chosen by Colleen, the Irondiva)

9. ~~A Sweaty Band in this pattern~~: this was chosen by Colleen

To enter, please make a donation to CTF, you can find my fundraising page here, and leave a comment. The more you donate, the more entries you'll receive. If you've already donated, you'll receive 10 additional entries!

You can also receive entries if you tweet, facebook, or blog about the giveaway, or if you're a friend of my blog, or follow me on twitter @MollySBaker. For even more entries, you can like or follow these great companies on twitter or facebook:

On facebook:

On Twitter

Thank You!!!!

Fish In Foil

2011-07-13T14:01:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't been keeping track, next week is the final Weigh In Wednesday. I was happy today, no gain, no loss. I'm wondering if this is going to be it for my weight loss. I'm in week two of marathon training, and there are four weeks until IronGirl. Last year when I trained for the 26.2, I didn't lose weight like I thought I would, so maybe history will repeat itself. I've just got to keep an eye on the amount of foods I'm taking in, and make good choices.

Last night was a perfect example, I made fish en papillote. Well, I didn't have the parchment paper, so I made due with tin foil, which I think is easier to use, thus making it "Fish in Foil." I used filet's of tilapia, olive oil, salt and pepper, and lemon slices. I took a sheet of foil, folded it in half, placed the ingredients inside, then folded over the edges so it made a half circle, leaving room to allow the foil to puff up while it cooked. I put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. So easy, quick, and good for the waistline.

I also had a bunch of lovely spinach, so I sauteed that with olive oil and garlic. I can never get over how much spinach shrinks when you cook it.

Before.

After.

I also made some brown rice to go with it, and voila, the finished Fish In Foil:

Do you have a favorite healthy dish???

Final Weigh In is next Wednesday! Good Luck!!

Blog Bling

2011-07-12T12:33:00.000-04:00

The lovely Irondiva Colleen tagged me with this one.....ready for some random facts about me??

My favorite cartoon character is....Piglet!

My favorite thing to photograph is…my kiddos. This was taken this morning, of Ninja Luke and Ballerina Eliza, ready for "Halloween in July" at summer camp.

My favorite thing to cook is… comfort food, I consider myself the queen of one pot meals, quiche, Shepard's pie, enchiladas, lasagna....and of course, pizza!

My favorite way to exercise is…isn't it obvious?

My favorite movie is…I love so many movies, but this one is probably my favorite:

My favorite article of clothing is… this super comfy skirt from Old Navy that I bought for $5.

My favorite flower......not sure if I have a favorite, but sunflowers are always cheerful!

My favorite breakfast is…I usually have a smoothie, or peanut butter toast. If I'm out, I'm all about an omelet with feta cheese and spinach.

For this one, I tag:

Jess at The Blonde Ponytail
Giraffy at 365 Days of Awesome
Jill at Run for the Hills
Green Girl at Journey of a Running Green Girl
Erin at See Mom Run Far

Have Fun!!

A Weekend of Finds

2011-07-10T18:24:00.000-04:00

Don't you love it when you find things that make your day? Or just surprise you? I had several of those moments this weekend.

The first one was yesterday morning.

I found out that I bought the wrong paint color:

Then I took the kids shopping, where I found these goodies:

Cultured almond milk, I'm assuming it's like yogurt. It has a whopping 8 grams of fat per cup, but I was curious. Anyone ever have it?

In the next aisle I found this:

Marley's Mellow Mood decaf iced tea. I love reggae, during our wedding reception, Mike and I had the venue play reggae during our cocktail hour. So I had to buy this tea. Later on I read the back of the bottle, this isn't your usual iced tea, there is a warning not to drive after you drink this stuff, and to limit yourself to two bottles a day! It has melatonin in it, which is a natural sleep aid. I think I'll save this for when my friend Insomnia comes to visit.

When we were in BJ's, I came across this frozen treat:

I only buy ice cream for the kids, I can't trust myself around it, I can easily scarf down a tub, no problem. But this time I made an exception. I love those Baci chocolates, we used to get them in our Christmas stockings as kids, and now when Mike brings them home for me, the kids know not to touch "Mommy's candy."

In another aisle, I spotted something on sale, that I've wanted to buy the kids for a while:

It was $100 off, so it finally fit into my budget. The instructions say to allow 3 - 4 hours for assembly. But if you can remember how long it took me to put together that toy kitchen at Christmas, it's going to take more like 8 - 9 hours.

When we got home, I found my new bathing suit in my mailbox. It's a grab bag suit, and I was happy with what they sent:

I went right out and swam 600 meters. I felt as slick as a seal.

After my swim, I saw that Eliza found her inner yogi:

That was some Saturday.

Did you find anything great this weekend????

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for Friday

2011-07-08T13:56:00.001-04:00

1. It's going to be hot this weekend. Which means I'll be able to fit in a bunch of biking, swimming and running.

I'm going to appreciate the warm temps since we'll have this in about six months:

2. I'm not in a cooking mood, so we're having Thai food tonight. Although I'd rather have this:

3. I ordered a TYR grab bag bathing suit last week, but because of the holiday, the shipment has been delayed. I may or may not post a photo of myself wearing it. I must say though, I'm getting more and more comfortable in the water. I still have to take on an Open Water Swim, so let's see what I have to say after that.

4. I have been wearing my kids OUT. They have summer camp in the mornings, followed by swim lessons. Then I take them back to the pool in the late afternoon. This morning I literally had to drag them out of bed, I felt like a drill Sargent.

5. I am posting Mega Fundraising Giveaway Number Two next week. This time around, there will be multiple winners. Here is a list of just some of the fabulous companies who donated products: Running Skirts, Ryders, Lift Your Sole, GU, Wrightsocks, Sweaty Bands, Gone for a Run, and Inperspire! And remember, if you've already donated, you automatically gain entries : )

Have a fabulous weekend!!!!

It All Worked Out

2011-07-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

I appreciate all the comments over my Boilermaker 15k Dilemma. After thinking it over, talking with Mike, and checking in with my Doc, I decided to forgo the race this year.

I'm very bummed not to run it, I'm going to miss running with my girls for the fifth year in a row, and I was planning on meeting up with Jon, but it's not in the cards this year. I ran two miles yesterday, and my foot is a teeny bit sore today, nothing like it was after my 3 miler. I just need to take things slower than I hoped, but I'll get there.

I spoke with the Race Director, who was very helpful and optimistic. Since I have an injury, I can defer my registration until next summer (the 35th Anniversary of the race!), and he's giving my slot to a runner on the waiting list. So it works out all around.

Oh. And it's um, Weigh In Wednesday.................but it's a good one, I lost 2 pounds!

I was a little surprised, since we're coming off a Holiday Weekend. But I was mindful of what I ate all weekend. At one BBQ, I avoided the burgers & dogs, pasta and meatballs, and filled my plate with salads, including this whole berry salad that Mike's Aunt and Uncle make, it is soooo good.

The photo is blurry since I had to use my phone, but it's made with wheat, barley, nuts, dried cherries and feta. You can find the recipe for it here.

But I wasn't a saint, I had beers, half a chocolate chip cookie, and these salt and pepper Kettle Chips that are seriously like crack. I never buy them for myself, it would be too dangerous. But it's perfectly fine to bring them to a party. Along with a party hat.

At another BBQ, I did the same thing, ate salads, and a veggie burger, and clams. And some of Mama's Little Helper aka Chardonnay. My friend Norine made a couple of dips based on Weight Watcher recipes, where you substitute yogurt for sour cream, and light cheese on top of a corn salsa dip. So I didn't feel guilty over my choices.

I'm sure the fact that I ran four times since last Tuesday, and swam almost every day last week contributed to that weight loss.

Anyhoo, I hope everyone else had some good direction on the scale.

My question this week is:

How do you handle eating at parties? Do you avoid treats? Eat just a small portion of them? Do you ever switch ingredients to make a dish lighter?

Inquiring minds want to know!