What else to call it but Three for Thursday

1. Day 4 of my challenge, so far the hardest part has been my morning coffee.  I come downstairs and gaze at the coffee maker.  I miss my hot, caffeine laden mug, especially since it's been so chilly in the morning, but I'm making due with decaf Earl Grey.

2. To have some kind of reference point for the challenge, I decided to weigh myself for the first time in months (honestly). I looked at the number and was surprised, it hasn't changed much. Even though my running has gone way down, my weight didn't go up. My clothes still fit fine, even the skinny jeans.  So I guess yoga, weights and Jackie Warner are onto something.

3. And.....I'm uh....getting a tattoo this weekend.  Can you guess what it is?

Febreze Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator giveaway....I used random.org to pick the winners, and they are:

#10, Miss Zippy

and

#12, Julie The Hotlegs Runner


Yay! Now your workout clothes won't stink.  Send me an email and I'll get you set up!

Q&A...part 2

Here is are the rest of the Q&A from my 300th post......

Luke asked What did you do before being a stay at home mom?

I was in advertising sales for a newspaper in NYC, loved the job, loved the people.

Jennifer Leah asked As a SAHM too I would like to know 1-What do you find most rewarding about being home? 2-What do you find the most challenging??

1. What I find rewarding is that I can truly immerse myself in being a Mom. Especially because of how fast they grow, this photo was from 3 years ago, and to me, it could be last week.  I love that I'm there for every milestone and mishap, I'm the one who is nurturing these little people into who they are going to be. 

2. What I find challenging is the lack of certain stimulation, I interact with other parents or people at the grocery store, but sometimes I really miss looking at a spreadsheet.

Tracy asked what was the most unexpected thing/challenge/surprise when you moved from the big city to the 'wilds'?
The fact that I had to drive to get anywhere, or anything. I still miss the Bodega that was a few yards from my front door in Queens, where I could get my coffee and newspapers while still wearing my pj's.

Lisa asked If you could live any other place, where would it be?
I grew up near the ocean, so I wouldn't mind living near a large body of water again.

Dee asked what has your favorite post been?
My clumsiness post, which says a lot about me.

Cynthia asked Who do you idolize in the world of athletics? It doesn't have to be a runner

I'm a Met's fan, but I'd have to say Derek Jeter. Classic example of wanting something so badly, and making your dream come true. He's a great ballplayer, and for the most part, manages to stay under the radar gossip wise.

IronMike asked is Weezer's Troublemaker a worthy theme song for your blog?
YES! "....never been a faker....doing things my own way....never giving up...."

Heather asked: What is your favorite thing to do for fun or relaxation (not including running)?
I love to read, I always have a stack of books and magazines waiting for me to dive into.

Kelley asked I know you're a reader so what are your top 3 book suggestions?
Catchen in the Rye, I can read that one over and over. Favorite non-fiction is Personal History by Katharine Graham. And anything by Marian Keyes, I guess you could say she's chick lit, but I think her books always have a dark theme to them.

Canadian Runner asked: what is your favorite song to dance to??
That's a tough one, I love Dancing Queen by Abba, and at family weddings, it would be Build Me Up Buttercup!

Tracy asked So do you eat just one Baby Ruth once a year?
Yes, on Halloween! I enjoy my seasonal treats in moderation, I look forward to March because that's when I allow myself one Shamrock Shake. 

Lindsey asked I want to know what are your most favorite and least favorite holidays?
Fourth of July gets me nervous, I'm always afraid someone is going to blow off their arm while shooting off fireworks.  I love Christmas, but it's a very close tie with St. Patricks Day!

Erika asked: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be??
Pizza. Truly a perfect food, you've got grains in the crust, protein in the cheese, veggies in the sauce.  I favor thin crust, but put it in front of me and I'll eat it. Love it plain, or topped with onions and mushrooms.

Ashley asked What is your favorite type of coffee drink? and Dee asked what's your favorite drink at starbucks? :)
I drink most of my coffee at home, with some kind of nonfat creamer, but if I'm at Starbucks I love a nonfat vanilla latte.

Rae asked what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? :)
Hands down Mint Chocolate Chip. Mike and I have a running debate on whether it is called Chocolate Chip Mint, or Mint Chocolate Chip.

Trish asked: I'd love to know what one treat you can never say no to?
Chocolate chip cookies. I make my own that I can't get enough of, but Chips Ahoy dunked in milk are also way up there!

14 days

Okay, I feel like I'm back on track exercise wise, so why not keep it interesting and look at my diet to see if I can shake things up?  I think in general, we eat pretty healthy, but we have things in the house that aren't the greatest choices.  And it's only going to get worse, since I saw THREE commercials last night with a Christmas theme, along with the fact that I've been planning my Thanksgiving Dinner for two weeks now.

I've been using Amazing Grass Superfood for well over a year, it's powdered greens and antioxidants that help you to reach your 5 to 9 daily servings of fruits and veggies.  I add it to my smoothies, I'm more of a vegetable person, so if I have to eat fruit, that's how I do it, all blended up. 

Amazing Grass has a Two Week Challenge to up your energy, and "redefine your health", and I'm starting it today.  Instead of the Superfood, you use their Amazing Meal, which has everything the Superfood does, but with the addition of protein and fiber.  

You receive daily emails with lessons to keep you motivated.  There is also a menu that you can follow for the 14 days, with fruit and vegetables, grains, chicken, tuna etc.  Nothing out of control, I already eat Ezekiel bread, and veggie burgers.  The one thing that is missing, is......coffee!!!  That's going to be hard, but it will be good for me though, because I'm trying to wean myself off my non-fat non-dairy creamer, which Mike calls my bottle of chemicals.  This summer I switched from butter to Earth's Balance spread, and about a month ago I switched from milk to almond milk in my smoothies.  I haven't given up cheese, but I am prone to the sniffles, and I realized the other day that my nose isn't as bad as it usually is.  There might be something to this going dairy free thing.

I'm also going to be mindful of my chocolate intake, since we still have Halloween candy everywhere, and I'm going to abstain from my evening vino....GASP!
Well.....here goes nothing!

26.2 on my mind

 

We're having a NYC Marathon/Football Sunday gathering this weekend, (football will be on Mike's new flat screen, his combo Birthday/Christmas/Anniversary/Valentines Day/New Job Present).  I remember watching the Marathon on television last year with Jeannine and thinking of how much I wanted to run one, and now, a year later we can both say that we have!  I used to love going to watch the Marathon in person, as a kid, as well as an adult.  We always stood at the 59th Street Bridge, to cheer on my friends who were running.

This is Luke and I on the way to his first NYC Marathon:

Now that I have a few good runs under my belt, I've been thinking of my next marathon. Once again I'll do the Lottery for NYC for 2011, but I need a back up.  This week it was announced that Syracuse will host the Empire State Marathon for the first time in October of next year.  I've looked at the course, and I've run parts of it before, but to do the full 26.2 you need to do two laps around the lake.  I don't know if I would be a fan of running something twice in one race, so I already think I'll just do the half.

A friend of mine is mulling over running the Buffalo Marathon in May, so there's another possibility.  But on the other hand, I think it would be fun to run a race somewhere other than NY State.

Hmmmmmmmm. Decisions, decisions.

If you didn't see my febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator giveaway, it's here.....two winners will have the chance to get the stank out of their workout wear!

no stink.

I just looked at my mileage for October, because of my 3 weeks of running rest, it was a dismal 19.5.  Compare that to August which was 148. I have 246 miles to go before the year is out, at this point I don't know if it's going to happen, but we'll see.

I did get to run on the treadmill this morning, and ran three miles on Halloween, was hoping for four but then felt like I couldn't push it just yet.  It was a weird weather day, during the course of the run it was cloudy, it hailed, and then it got sunny. I didn't mind though, I was just happy to be outside and moving.

I had a chance to try febreeze Laundry Odor Eliminator, for laundry that gets especially stinky, like ahem, running clothes.  I saved up all my workout wear for the week, and washed them along with Mike's nasty weekend chore clothes, which he wore while clearing up the backyard with his chainsaw.  His jeans and shirts smelled like gas and sweat, nice combo. He had to drive to New Hampshire and back on Friday, and he brought back lobsters for a late dinner.  I had a lobster pot water soaked dishtowel that stunk, so I threw that in too. You add the Febreeze along with your detergent, in true me fashion I managed to spill it all over my hand when I was pouring it.  It smelled nice, a bit like shampoo.  And it worked!  When the clothes came out of the dryer, there wasn't any extra soapy odor, they just smelled....clean.

If you would like to try a 1.5 liter bottle of the Laundry Odor Eliminator courtesy of febreze, here is your chance....go to the febreze website here, then leave me a comment.  I'll pick two winners using random.org on November 10th.

*Note, I was provided with a bottle of febreze for the purpose of this review, the opinions on the product are my own.

Q&A #1.....Running

This is my first round of questions that were asked in my 300th post giveaway, these are all about running......

Miss Zippy asked: What is your dream race? then Stacie asked: What would your dream run/event/destination be?

For my dream race, the temperature would be in the low 60's, no humidity, with a mix of sun and shade, the route would cover both city and country.  The race would start at a later hour, so that I wouldn't have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. for it.  My dream destination/event would be a place I want to go back to, which means the Dublin Marathon.  The race would go exactly like my last long training run of 22 miles, where I got into my running zone, my feet were just moving on their own, and I didn't have any aches or pains or stomach issues.  Just a perfect run.

Angie asked: what are you doing over the winter. Any races? What do you do when its too cold and yucky to go outside to run?

I don't have any concrete race plans yet, but I'm working on it.  When it's too yucky outside, I hit the treadmill, or pick something to do on the exercise on demand channel.  I live within walking distance of a golf course, where I cross country ski, which is a nice change of pace, I get to be outside and I'm still moving.

Darlene asked: You've run a marathon. What's your next goal? 

I plan on running another marathon, my next goal is NYC, which I've wanted to do forever, I did the lottery last year, but didn't make it in.  I have a tiny "vision board" next to my laptop, it's the NYC Marathon logo.  Who knows how long it will take me to get in, but I'm going to run it.

Brittney asked: My question is how do you find time to run with kids?


I'm lucky that I own a treadmill, which I would use during naptime. Now that my kids are bigger, then can entertain themselves for 45 minutes while I run. Although there are times I have to hop on and off to deal with whatever comes up. My husband is very helpful on the weekends, and hangs out with them while I run. I think I'm setting a great example fitness wise, the other day my son said "run it like you mean it Mom!"

Rachel asked: What is your best tip for a person (me) training for their (my) first marathon?!


Have faith in yourself and your ability. You might have some rough moments, and that's when you have to dig deep down and believe in yourself. Be confident because you can do it.
Terri asked: How do you treat post-long-run soreness? Or do you even get that?


I would get sore after a long run, I was a fan of ice baths immediately after the run, and as the day and night wore on, I used ice packs to help with soreness. As my friend Kristin says, Enjoy your pain, you've earned it!

Andrew asked: what did you wear for that chilly february 5k?
 
I wore thick socks, an UnderArmour sweatshirt, with a NorthFace hoodie over it, along with Nike DryFit running pants.  Topped it off with a fleece headband around my ears, and gloves.
 
then One Crazy Penguin asked: What are your three must have winter running things?
1. my fleece headband.  Its made of acrylic, so you can toss it in the wash, it gets soaked with sweat.
2. knit gloves, which are thin enough that they fit in my pocket if my hands get too warm
3. a fitted, long sleeve shirt made for cold weather, which I wear under a Tech shirt.  I found mine at Target, from their C9 line, it's a great shirt, and it's reasonably priced.
 
Wells L asked: what have you learned about yourself through running?

I've learned that I'm not a wimp. Running is a release for me, and I'm constantly thinking of when I can fit it in.

Abbi asked: Since you say you have been running for years, how did you get started?

It started in an effort to lose weight. I gained weight in college, and my weight went up and down in the year after I graduated and was out in the real world.  I finally made a New Years Resolution to hit the gym every day, which I did, and started running on the treadmill.  I lost the weight, and at one point I was running six miles a day. I got the courage up to run my first race, and the rest is now history!  I was on RunnerDude's blog about how I started running, here is the link if you want to check it out.

Whew!  I'll answer the next round of questions in another post.....in the meantime, thanks to everyone who entered my 300th post giveaway......I used random.org, and the winner is Darlene! Congrats!!!