Month: February 2014

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Living BOLD: Feburary 2014

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Living bold in February was all about one event: the Moms RUN This Town virtual winter half marathon.  Part of the reason I chose this word (or, really, this word chose me) was that I wanted to have the confidence to chase audacious goals again.  Sure, there are plenty of people who are all “Half marathon?  I eat half marathons for breakfast!” and to you I say, rock ‘n roll.  For me, though, a half marathon is a pretty big achievement and one that I don’t always believe is within my reach.  Well, this month I proved that it is within my reach.  I proved that I’m capable of running 13.1 miles in the ice and snow, and in temperatures dipping down to -5 degrees Fahrenheit.  (Yep, that actually was the RealFeel on the day I ran my half.)

Sometimes I don’t like to talk about running because I feel like I’m too slow to be a “real” runner (and what is that about?  If you run, you’re a runner.  Period.) and in the past, I haven’t always gotten votes of confidence when I share running goals with everyone in my life.  But you know what?  I don’t actually need votes of confidence.  If I learned anything from the winter virtual race, I learned that I do have the ability to put in the work and reach my goals, and that the only person I need to approve of my efforts is ME.  I think that’s pretty darn bold.  And along those lines, I went out on a limb and shared some of my other running goals for the year.  (I do have goals that I like to keep to myself, and obviously I’m not ready to chat about my hopes to run a “big scary dream race” just yet, but I’ll get there sometime soon.  One thing at a time.)

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If you chose a word for 2014, how have you been living it this month?

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My Evolving Race Calendar: Choosing Events for 2014

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(That’s me after the Freezer 5K on December 15, 2013, which I inexplicably thought was a good idea.  At least I’m smiling!)

In 2011, I was really into running.  I couldn’t even name all of the races I did that year without forgetting at least one or two, but I do remember the two biggies: the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, and the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon.  In 2012, I only ran one race: the Run Your Heart Out 5K on Valentine’s Day weekend.  I was queasy and dizzy all throughout the race (which was run on snow-packed trails) and nearly collapsed at the finish line (I had to sit down with my head between my knees for a good 10 minutes before I could walk straight).  Six days later, I found out there was a good reason for my weird symptoms (other than just being out of shape): I was pregnant!  I didn’t race again for the rest of the year, but in 2013 I ran three races: the Healthy Strides Community 5K in Burke, VA, and the Buffalo-Niagara YMCA Turkey Trot and Freezer 5K in Buffalo, NY.  And in 2014, so far, I’ve run one: the Moms RUN This Town “Start Your Engines” virtual half marathon.

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This year, in honor of my word of the year (bold), I have some audacious running goals.  I’ve been having so much fun training for and running in races over the past couple of months (even though I’m suuuuuuuper slow and will never win – I’m totally cool with that because for me, it’s about fun and fitness, and I’m only competing against myself), but I want to seriously up the ante in 2014.  With the “Start Your Engines” virtual half marathon behind me, I’m starting to piece together a race calendar for 2014, and it’s looking pretty ambitious.  I’m currently registered for one more half marathon and a bike event, but I’m eyeing several more races… and then there’s that big, scary race I mentioned (which I won’t reveal until I successfully register).  Here’s what I’m thinking when it comes to races for the remainder of this year.

May

  • Five Boro Bike Tour – This is a 40-mile bike ride (it’s not a race) that touches each of the five boroughs of New York City.  The ride starts in lower Manhattan, heads uptown, swings into the Bronx briefly before heading back downtown through Manhattan, into Queens for a loop, then into Brooklyn and across the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to finish in Staten Island.  My dad and brother did the ride last year and I was so jealous.  This year I’m riding with them, along with my brother’s girlfriend.  I’m crazy excited, but a little nervous at the same time – 40 miles is a long ride, and there are quite a few bridge climbs.  I’ll be spending most of April on the bike, training for this undertaking.  I’m currently registered for this event.
  • Run with the Rapids 5K – I was sort of waffling on doing this race, but I think I am going to sign up.  I had originally planned to run the Shamrock 8K back in March but decided (for a number of reasons) to opt out, which frees up some of my race registration budget.  This race goes right by Niagara Falls, and I think that sounds pretty cool.  I have a big May ahead, but I think I can squeeze in a 5K on top of my other two events.
  • Buffalo Marathon Relay – I wasn’t planning to run the last weekend in May – I was actually thinking of volunteering at the marathon.  But when my Stroller Strides group announced that it would be fielding a team to run the Buffalo Marathon Relay, I decided to be bold and immediately told the organizer to count me in.  There are four legs – three 10K and one 12K – and I’m committed to running one of the 10K legs.  We have three out of our four team members so far, so here’s hoping we can rope in a fourth mama and make this happen.  The stroller mamas did the relay last year and apparently everyone had a blast.  I’m committed to this event, but I’m not the one in charge of registering the team – yay!

June

  • 50 Yard Finish Half Marathon – I am really excited about this race!  This half marathon is run through Orchard Park and the finish line is located at the 50-yard line of Ralph Wilson Stadium (where the Buffalo Bills play).  I’m not even a football fan and I think that’s pretty neat.  Hubby is especially excited to go out on the field to cheer me across the finish line.  And several of my Stroller Strides friends are running this one, too!  It’ll be cool to see some familiar faces at the start line.  I’m currently registered for this race.

August

  • The Color Run – Who wouldn’t want to run a 5K while people throw colored corn starch at you?  I’ve never done a novelty 5K before, so I’m excited about this.  (Plus, it’s called “The Happiest 5K on the Planet” – now, doesn’t that sound like a can’t-miss event?)  Color Me Rad is also coming, so I might swap them out, but I’m pretty sure I want to do the Color Run, because you get a “COLOR RUNNER” sweatband, which is ’80s fabulous.
  • Tops Run for Roswell 10K – This one is for a great cause (the Roswell Park Cancer Institute) and I didn’t have a standalone 10K on my calendar (just the Buffalo Marathon Relay, in which I’m running one of the 10K legs).  Sold.
  • The Biggest Loser Run/Walk Half Marathon – Maybe.  I’m sort of torn about this one.  I had been really wanting to run a Biggest Loser race – I’d planned to do the DC 10K but got caught up in moving logistics and was thrilled to learn that the BL half marathon was coming to Buffalo.  But the recent controversy about the season 15 finale has me a little unnerved.  (I’m not going to get into a whole discussion about that – this is neither the time nor the place.)  It appears the producers are considering changes to the format to prevent future contestants from taking things too far (which the winner has admitted she did do) so I’m still leaning toward running the race (and continuing to watch the show, which has changed many lives for the better).  I do want to run the BL half, because I know that there are a lot of people who worked hard to bring this race to Buffalo and any national race series coming here is a big deal.  Plus it benefits a great local charity.  But I’m just not sure I’m comfortable at this point.  Fortunately, I have awhile to make up my mind, because the registration price isn’t scheduled to increase for a few months.

September

  • Finn McCool 4 Mile Odyssey – Another race I’ve never done before – this is a mud run!  The pictures look super fun, and the obstacles seem to be challenging but not too intimidating, so I’m keen to try it.  (Where I draw the line: electricity.  My father-in-law asked if I’d ever do a Tough Mudder, and my immediate answer was “HECK no, I don’t fancy being shocked in the face.”)  Finn McCool seems to have just the right combination of challenges and hijinks, so I’m psyched.  Plus, the finisher’s medal doubles as a bottle opener, and hubby said he needs a new bottle opener.
  • Mighty Niagara Half Marathon – Maybe.  I was sort of feeling like I had enough half marathons on the docket this year, but my high school BFF expressed some interest in running this one together.  So I’m putting it on the list, but currently waffling.  If I decide not to run the Biggest Loser half, I’m pretty set on signing up for this one as a replacement.

October

  • BIG SCARY DREAM RACE – This is the month I’m targeting for my “scary race.”  There are two that I have in mind, and while I’m pretty sure which one I want to do, I haven’t quite made up my mind.  (The race that I think is my top choice is almost all either flat or downhill – yay! – but would require me to travel and has a cut-off time for finishers that I’m not totally confident I can achieve.)  If it doesn’t work out, there’s another race, the same distance, in Buffalo later in the month and I’ll probably try for that one.  I hope.  I sure will feel bold if I pull either one off.  I’ll tell you guys all about it once I (1) successfully register, and (2) get over the shock of successfully registering.

November

  • Buffalo-Niagara YMCA Turkey Trot – This is getting to be a bit of a family tradition!  I definitely won’t care if I PR this one, though.  It’ll just be a fun race to run with my sisters-in-law.

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December

  • Freezer 5K or Holly Jolly 5K – Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be up for a race in December, considering the big year of running I have planned, not to mention the fact that I’m still thawing out from the 2013 Freezer 5K.  (“Freezer” was an appropriate name for that race.)  But who knows?  I might decide that I still have energy to burn and that running a holiday race would be fun.  If I do, I plan to run in costume, because why sign up for one of these if you’re not going to get a bit silly?

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I probably won’t end up doing all of these races.  I don’t know if this calendar is doable or not, but I’ll revise it as I see fit to avoid injury and put myself in the best position to achieve my main goals.  I’d also love to try a trail race sometime this year, but haven’t figured out which.  (There was one I was planning to run, but it’s the weekend I’ll be in NYC for the Five Boro Bike Tour, so that’s out.  There are a few others that look interesting, but I need to cross-check my race calendar and make sure they don’t conflict with anything I’m more anxious to do – or with the vacation we’re trying to plan.)  And I might find myself tossing in a spur-of-the-moment 5K here or there.  But I’m looking forward to a great year of trying new things and running bold in 2014!

Are you a runner?  Do you daydream about your race calendar?

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Peanut’s Picks: MAISY CLEANS UP

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Fellow shorties: today I have a public service announcement to share with you.  BEWARE of the book Maisy Cleans Up.  This book is part of a nefarious scheme by tall people to get you to pick up after yourself.  Do not be taken in.  I repeat: DO NOT BE TAKEN IN.

For those of you not acquainted with Maisy, she is the star of a series of books about a goody-two-shoes mouse and her socially awkward friends.  I have several of these books and let me tell you, they are head scratchers.  Like, for instance, in Maisy Takes a Bath, Maisy’s friend Tallulah, who is some kind of bird, repeatedly rings Maisy’s doorbell and then (after being told at least three times to go away) pirates Maisy’s bath.  That would SO not fly in my house.  (<–See what I did there?  Bird?  Fly?  Bird?  Fly?)  And in Maisy Makes Lemonade, Eddie the Elephant comes over and steals all of Maisy’s lemonade.  But anyway.

In Maisy Cleans Up (spoilers ahead!) Maisy is cleaning her house.  (Red flag #1 – what kind of kid voluntarily cleans the house?  I’m assuming Maisy is a kid, since she goes to preschool.  Although you never see her parents, which is another head scratcher.)  She has mopped the kitchen when her “friend” Charley the Crocodile comes over and immediately goes into the kitchen to steal food from Maisy.  I like the way Charley thinks, but sadly for him the floor is wet because Maisy had mopped it (WHO is she trying to impress here?) so Charley has to wait.  Rather unrealistically, he uses this time to help Maisy do things like pick up toys and wash the windows.  (Red flag #2 – do you really want to let a crocodile near your toys?)  Then Maisy and Charley both eat cupcakes.  (Red flag #3 – do you really want to let a crocodile near your cupcakes?)

Ankle-biters, I want to share a cautionary tale with you.  Santa very cruelly brought me this book (why, Santa?  I’m a good baby!), and my mom very cruelly (and pointlessly) keeps reading it.  At the same time, and completely coincidentally I assure you, I have developed an intellectual interest in putting small objects into receptacles.  One day, I made the mistake of putting my blocks into the basket that my mom uses to hide them from me.  This got my mom freakishly excited.  She screeched “LOOK AT YOU PUTTING YOUR TOYS AWAY!  GOOD GIRL!  GOOD GIRL!  GOOD BIG GIRL PUTS HER TOYS AWAY!” and then she called my Nana to brag.  And ever since then she keeps asking me these inane questions like “Can my big girl put her blocks in the basket?  Can my big girl put her books back on the shelf?  Can my big girl put her tractor away?”  Sheesh.  You make one little mistake and they can’t let it go.

Kids: THIS BOOK IS NOTHING SHORT OF PROPAGANDA.  PURE AND SIMPLE.  If you read it once and then put any of your toys in a place where your mom thinks they should be (like I can understand the chaos in her head) YOUR PARENTS WILL THINK IT IS TIME TO TEACH YOU TO CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF.  Do not fall for this trick.  Let’s all stand together and tell our parents that whatever nonsense Maisy and Charley get up to, WE WILL NOT BE OPPRESSED INTO PICKING UP OUR TOYS.  Now, talk to me about these cupcakes.

Lesson for parents: What, do you think I was born yesterday?

Parents who want to oppress their children into indentured block collection can buy Maisy Cleans Up here, or support your local indie bookstore!  This is not an affiliate link, because if it was I would have more blocks to leave on the floor.

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Eighteen Months Old!

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NO FREAKING WAY is it possible that my tiny peanut baby is eighteen months old!  Seriously, I feel like it was only five minutes ago that she looked like this:

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Sniffle, sniffle.  Anyway, although I’m not doing monthly updates anymore (if you’d like to see monthly posts about Peanut’s first year, you can find them on the family page) I thought it would be fun to pop in and just say a few words about what Peanut is up to, now that she’s one-and-a-half (!) years old.

The Toddler Races

Friends, we officially have a toddler on our hands.  Peanut started to walk – cautiously, while holding onto my hands – around Thanksgiving.  For Christmas we made the mistake of giving her a little walker (which we quickly christened “the Vroom,” since Peanut loves to shout “Vroom!  Vroom!  Vroooooooom!” when she uses it) but she really only needed it for about two weeks or so.  By mid-January she was walking confidently – sometimes running – without any assistance.  (She still likes to use her Vroom, though.  It makes some spectacularly loud crashes when you ram it into the wall.)

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Our days are moving at a faster pace now, as you can probably guess.  Peanut loves to climb the stairs, rummage in the kitchen cabinets, play with anything belonging to Dad, and generally wreak havoc all over the house.  I spend most of her waking hours chasing her all over creation… and it’s a LOT of fun.

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The words started coming around the time Peanut turned one, and lately her vocabulary has just exploded.  She knows a lot of animals and animal sounds, a few colors, and plenty of other words.  Her favorite word is still:

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“Booka.”  Of course.  There’s no doubt she’s my kid.

Back around the time she turned one, and she hadn’t really said much yet, I was a little bit worried about whether she’d hit the “twenty words by twenty months” milestone that seems so important.  She hadn’t shown much inclination to walk at that point, so I didn’t think she was an “early walker, late talker.”  Well, I’m no longer worried about whether she’ll have a twenty-word vocabulary in two months’ time, because I’ve been keeping a list of her words and she’s already got more than fifty.  (And that’s without counting “Yoda” or “Death Star,” which Dad insists that she knows and uses appropriately.)

Peanut can also request her favorite books by title these days.  She asks for “Madlala” – that’s either of her two Madeline books – “Ti Pi” (Tiny Pie), “Lalalamalalama” (Is Your Mama a Llama?), “Cat Hat,” (The Cat in the Hat), “Go Go Go!” (Go Dog Go), “Imma Pon” (In My Pond), and “Mom Tree” (My Mom Hugs Trees) most frequently.  But her all-time favorite book is “Bay-beeeeeeeeeee!” – a Shutterfly book that I made with hundreds of photos of her first year.  (We kept a copy for ourselves and also gave copies to the grandparents for Christmas.)  Peanut looooooooooves to look at “bay-bee,” and she knows some of her milestones.  For instance, she announces “Home!” every time she reaches the page about her NICU discharge day.  And, adorably, the title page (her first picture, all wrapped up in the OR) gets an “Awwwww!”  Too cute.

Open Question

Who doesn’t love to play “where’d that come from?”  We’ve known from the beginning that Peanut got my eyes and ears, and hubby’s mouth, but we’re still embroiled in a heated debate over where her nose comes from.  Hubby and my parents maintain that Peanut has my nose.  But I – and the in-laws – see Aunt Grace all over it.  Guess we’ll just have to wait and see as she grows.

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Foodie Baby

I really need to do a post about current foods, since I’ve let the ball drop on my “Babyfood Diaries.”  We have started offering pouches of baby food that we’re actually buying, but they’re more of a supplement than anything else.  Peanut is mostly eating whole foods these days – lots of fruit, some vegetables (she turns up her nose at a lot of the good green stuff), chicken, turkey and fish, bread and butter, cheese (her favorite!) and some toddler-style snacks.  She loves Annie’s Bunnies (both the cookies and the fruit snacks, which I keep for special treats; I figure she’s going to encounter these foods eventually, and I’d rather her first experience be with the more natural options, so that she doesn’t develop a taste for the really junky stuff).  Next up on my agenda is teaching her to feed herself with utensils, which I am dreading.  (I know I should have started earlier, but Peanut and I have both been focused on the verbal stuff.  No more procrastinating, though.)

Quirks

When I wrote Peanut’s monthly updates, I always liked to include something about her funny little personality quirks.  Well, as she’s gotten older, she’s just gotten funnier and quirkier.  She has a few little Peanut-isms that get us laughing every time:

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  • “Dada!”  Peanut recently went through a stage where she called all men (and also Jillian Michaels) “Dada.”  She knows perfectly well who her dad is, so we’re pretty sure she did this just to bother hubby.  Her favorite game, for awhile there, was to walk up to hubby’s boxed set of Game of Thrones novels, point to the picture of Jon Snow on the side of the box, and announce “Dada!”  The funniest part of all this was the smug look on her face when she would – inevitably – get a rise out of hubby.  We tried to explain to her that Jon Snow took the Black so he can’t possibly be her Dada (oh, also, he’s not real) but she continued to call him – and Dr. Harvey Karp, and some scientist in her Mars Rover book – “Dada” for weeks.  I thought it was HILARIOUS.  Hubby, not so much.
  • Drive-by quacking.  Nana gave Peanut a book of “Farm Friends” with little buttons to press to hear various animal sounds.  (Because Peanut didn’t have enough noisy toys.)  Peanut likes looking through the book and pressing all of the buttons, but lately she has been pressing the duck button, specifically, whenever she is on her way out of the living room.  (It’s right on the way.)  We call it the “drive-by quacking.”  Anytime we hear “quack quack quack,” we know that Peanut is on the move.  (Well, we already knew that, because we watch her constantly.  But she only does the drive-by quacking when she actually intends to leave the room.)
  • Daddy’s little nerd.  Anyone who steps one foot into our house can’t possibly doubt that Peanut is awash in toys.  Still, she would much rather play with anything belonging to Dad.  (She likes my shoes and my water bottle, but given the choice between my stuff and hubby’s, she’ll choose hubby’s every time.  And she often prefers to read his Death Star Owner’s Technical Manual over any of her own books.)  I’m constantly chasing her away from the remote controls, the computer, the headphones, the electric guitar… and despite my vigilance, there have been multiple incidents in which Peanut has somehow managed to turn on the Xbox while it is stored inside a closed cabinet.  I don’t even know how to do that.  Kids and technology!

Not All Fun and Games

We have had one not-so-fun milestone in the last few months: Peanut’s first sick visit to the pediatrician.  Over Christmas, she came down with a bad cold and her first ear infection.  Poor little kid!  Being sick when you’re little and you can’t understand what is happening or why your nose is suddenly plugged… that’s the worst.  She just recently fought off her second cold, but fortunately it seemed to be a little milder than the first.

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Still in good spirits, even with a runny nose!

All in all, we’ve been enjoying the heck out of our time together over the past few months!  I can’t believe I actually have a legitimate toddler running around the house.  We dance, sing, play with her books and her plastic cars and her little farm animals, sled, feed each other cheese, go to Stroller Strides and the library, and just enjoy each other’s company all day.  I love it!  She’s a hoot and a half.

Happy 18 months, Peanut!

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Winter Workout Routine, or How I Trained for the Virtual Half

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With the Moms RUN This Town virtual half marathon behind me, I thought it might be worthwhile to say a few words about how I trained for the event, because my training was – by necessity – a little different this time around than it has been in the past.  Usually, when I am training for a race (and I mean really training, not just running for giggles, which is something I only do with 5Ks) I like to run three to four days per week, rest one day, and mix in cross-training and yoga to fill out the rest of the week.  That’s a formula that has worked for me in the past and has led to me successfully completing a ten mile race and a half marathon, as well as a number of shorter distance races (5Ks, 8Ks and 10Ks).

Although there was no set start and finish line, I wanted to treat the MRTT virtual half like a real race, and train for it.  As I mentioned in the recap, there was no requirement that runners complete their chosen distance in one go – you had all month to get the distance done, and all the group asked was that you complete it in a way that challenged you.  But I really wanted to bang out the entire 13.1 in one shot, so I knew I needed to train.  I had a couple of issues, though, that meant I couldn’t train the way I had in the past:

  • I am restricted in the times I can run outside.  I am only able to get outside for a run if hubby is home to watch Peanut, or if the weather is nice enough for me to take her with me in the stroller.  That means that, once in a blue moon, Peanut and I are able to get out for a jog together, but usually, I’m only able to run on the weekends.  (I go during Peanut’s naptime so that I don’t miss any awake time.)  It’s dark in the mornings before hubby leaves for work and in the evenings when he gets home and I don’t know the safe streets here well enough, yet, to feel confident running alone in the dark, so I don’t go.
  • I am restricted in the places I can run outside.  There is a big park not too far away with a well-maintained ring road that is generally clear and dry (or at least, reliably plowed to a packed snow surface), and is the best place to run at the moment.  Running in the neighborhoods is possible, although not pleasant, because not everyone is diligent about shoveling their sidewalks.  (You can only pretend to be running on the beach for so long before you have to get real with yourself.)  If I’m on my own, I can power through, but the same areas are impassible with the stroller.  So if I want to get a run in with Peanut, we have to drive to the park or another well-maintained trail to get it done.
  • I have no access to my treadmill.  I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be longingly caressing my treadmill, but it’s here.  I bought it back in 2011 when I was training for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, so that I could use it early in the mornings as an alternative to running in my neighborhood (where sidewalks were sporadic and street lights almost nonexistent).  It was a great tool and a big part of my success in completing that race.  (I didn’t use it as much for half marathon training, because I was training in the late spring and it was light enough to run outdoors at 5:30 a.m.)  I could really use my treadmill right about now, but it’s in storage in my garage (which is detached from the house and has no power source).  The movers were unable to get it into the house (just one of the many areas where they were kind of bumbling and useless, but that’s another story), hubby and I can’t shift it ourselves, and hiring fitness equipment specialists to bring it inside is not in the budget.  So I am currently sans treadmill, shooting pathetic looks at the empty floor space in the sunroom, where I’d planned to put the treadmill… and resigning myself to the fact that as long as I live in this house, I’m running outdoors or not at all.  (I suppose if I get really desperate, I could get a gym membership… but that’s not really in the budget either.)

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These factors combined mean that I can’t count on more than two running days (Saturday and Sunday) per week.  I might get in one or two weekday runs if I’m lucky and the weather cooperates, but there’s no guarantee of that.  Two days of running is not really enough to train for a race – especially not a long one like a half marathon – but it’s what I had to work with and I had to figure something out.  I approached my training plan with a couple of principles in mind:

  • Long runs are the most important workout of the week.  If there’s one thing that all the experts tell you, it’s that when you’re training for a long-distance race, you MUST NOT BAIL on the long runs.  If you get only one thing done in a week, make it your long run.  You can jettison speedwork and hill training and easy miles if you must, but you MUST do the long run.  So I knew that if I was doing two runs per week, one of those two runs had to be a long run.
  • Anytime I could squeeze in an additional run, I should.  If the weather is nice enough for me to take Peanut out, I will absolutely ditch my other workout plans and take advantage of the opportunity to run.  Any additional running I can do will benefit me.  (Obviously, there comes a point when you’re running too much.  No one should run seven days a week.  But there was no way I was getting to that point given my current constraints.  In my case, this “rule” meant that I might get a couple of three- or four-run-weeks in over the course of training, which is still not that much if you’re preparing for a race.  As it happened, that only occurred once toward the beginning of my half marathon training, and then the Polar Vortex swept in and put an end to mom-and-baby running for the rest of the training cycle.)
  • Anything I can do to improve my strength and endurance will help me run better.  I find myself stuck indoors a lot these days.  But that’s no excuse to be lazy!  If I can’t go out and run, I can still do things to grow stronger and more fit, and those workouts count on race day, too.  They might not be “as good” as running (remember, I’m talking about race preparation here – I don’t think other types of exercise are inferior to running, but when you’re training for a race, you’ve got to run!), but they’re better than nothing.  So I dipped into my stash of Jillian Michaels DVDs, or did calisthenics and strength training workouts while watching TV, or used my set of CRUNCH cardio dance DVDs (hilariously, since I have all the grace of a drunken hedgehog) – anything to get my heart rate up and build endurance.

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With those principles in mind, I experimented and tinkered until I came up with a workout routine that fit my needs and enabled me to have the endurance I needed to run 13.1 miles two Saturdays ago:

  • Sunday: long run.  (I started at 5 miles and worked my way up, increasing distance by a mile every week or two, until my last
    “pre-race” long run of 10 miles.  I had actually planned to do an 11 mile run too, but I was getting burnt out on winter training – running the same loop around the park five times in a row gets old after a few weeks – and Hal Higdon says that if you can run 10 miles, you can run 13.1.  I trust Hal.)
  • Monday: yoga for runners.  There’s a free 20-minute class on YogaDownload.com, and I found it was a great way to stretch out my sore muscles the day after a long run.
  • Tuesday: strength and conditioning / circuit training.  Sometimes this meant doing a Jillian DVD (like “Extreme Shed ‘n Shred”) or one of her free workouts on the Lionsgate BeFit YouTube channel (best discovery ever!); other times it meant just doing any strength exercise that came into my head for a set period of time.
  • Wednesday: cardio – usually kick-boxing, but sometimes circuit training, dance or calisthenics, whatever I feel like doing.  (Usually what I feel like doing is kick-boxing.  I really like kick-boxing.)  If I can fold some strength training into the workout, so much the better.
  • Thursday: REST.
  • Friday: circuit training, either on my own or attending a Stroller Strides class.
  • Saturday: run.  I never have a set run planned for Saturday.  Sometimes I feel like doing speedwork (although I need dry pavement for that).  Other times I want to just get in some easy miles (to keep things fun).  I go with the flow and do whatever the heck I want to do, as long as I’m running.

As I said above, this was a fluid “training plan” – rest days could get shuffled around, and other workouts could get dropped if a running opportunity presented itself.  I also might switch my long run from Sunday to Saturday if the weather forecast looked better on Saturday – that’s what happened on half marathon day, as a matter of fact.  (Running three miles in the rain or snow is doable.  Running eight is… also doable, but five miles less pleasant.)

(Please note: I am definitely NOT an expert!  This is just a routine I came up with that met my own needs, based on my own personal goals and constraints.  I also know that it’s far from an ideal training plan for an event like a half marathon, which is a long distance and a big deal.  I’m sharing my training because I don’t talk much about it on this blog, and I don’t want to give the impression that I approach any races without preparing for them first, as best I can.  Do what feels right for YOU, not for me or anyone else.  And it probably goes without saying, but check with your doctor before you start any kind of workout routine.  Especially if you’re pregnant or have a medical condition.  Safety first!)

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So… did it work?  Well… I’d have to say that it did!  On the day I chose to do the virtual race, I was able to step out of my door feeling prepared and knowing that I did everything I could to make this run a good one.  I had plenty of long runs under my belt, I had experience running on the snowy surface around the park, and I’d stuck to my workout routine fairly consistently.  I didn’t have a time goal going into the run; although I was hoping to beat my PR (personal record) from my last half marathon, I knew I was running under sub-optimal conditions (-5 degrees, and 95% of the run on frozen surfaces with no Yak Trax on my shoes – they don’t make them small enough to fit me – is far from ideal).  But midway through the run, when it seemed to be going fairly well, I thought to myself, “I think I can do this in under 2:40!”  And… I did.  My final time (2:37:02) gives me a lot of pride, a good number to beat next time, and a shot of confidence that I can shave even more time off the next half marathon.

Speaking of which…  Now that I’m no longer sore, I’m thinking about what’s next.  I’m the type of person who likes to have a goal to work for, and I have a few fun events coming up.  At the moment I’m participating in my Stroller Strides’ group’s “Mom Olympics” and thinking about picking up some spinning classes at a studio a few blocks from my house.  (Living in the city again does have some advantages!)  And next week I’ll have a post about the races and events I’m targeting for the rest of 2014.  I’m excited!

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Bookish Treats for Mini Foodies

In slightly less than 18 months on the planet, my little bookworm has amassed quite the library.  The kid just flat-out loves books.

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With all the reading we do (and all the time I spend picking up the books she leaves everywhere and putting them back on the shelves) I definitely notice patterns in the themes of the books we tend to acquire.  We have a lot of books featuring beloved characters (Angelina Ballerina, Olivia, Fancy Nancy, Babar, Madeline, Clifford…) and plenty of Dr. Seuss, but Peanut also has been amassing quite the collection of food-themed books.  Here are some of our favorite books for gastro-babies:

Foodie Babies Wear Bibs

Foodie Babies Wear Bibs, by Michelle Sinclair Colman – This installment in the Urban Babies Wear Black series of board books is too cute.  The “foodie babies” in the book have quite sophisticated palettes, but they’re still babies… so they get up to all kinds of mischief: raiding Dad’s backpack at the farmers’ market, tossing peas at Mom, feeding cookies to pigeons, and so forth.  The pictures have a kind of 1960s mod flair, the text is charming and witty, and the babies are a riot.

Minettes Feast

Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat, by Susanna Reich – I bought this adorable story book when my pen-pal Katie was visiting, back when I was still expecting Peanut.  (It seemed appropriate to buy it while bookstore browsing with Katie; after all, the book As Always, Julia – a collection of letters between Julia Child and her pen-pal Avis de Voto – brought us together and inspired us to write one another.)  In the book, Minette – Julia’s mischievous poussiquette – takes a starring role as she judges all of Julia’s culinary concoctions.  Julia is inspired to attend Le Cordon Bleu, but will her newly acquired culinary skills impress Minette?  Or will Minette remain devoted to her favorite meal: mouse?  Peanut loves to flip the pages and announce “Cat!” each time Minette appears (which is every page, since, ya know, she’s the main character… but Peanut is surprised and delighted anew with every turn of the page).

Tiny Pie

Tiny Pie, by Mark Bailey and Michael Oatman; Recipe by Alice Waters – This is one of our favorite books in Peanut’s entire library, and a must for any parents who consider themselves fans of Food Network.  In fact, Peanut herself requests it all. the. time.  (“Ti Pi!  Ti Pi!  Ti Pi!”)  Ellie is a little elephant who can’t help but get underfoot at her parents’ sophisticated cocktail party.  She’s hungry, but no one is paying any attention to her.  Ellie follows her rumbly tummy into the kitchen, where she discovers a celebrity chef mouse hosting a cooking show.  The illustrations are sweet, the story is so creative, and the recipe for “tiny apple pies” in the back of the book – by culinary great Alice Waters! – looks delish.  I can’t wait until Peanut is big enough to cook with me; we’ll definitely be baking some tiny pie!

Tea Rex

Tea Rex, by Molly Idle – Every foodie needs a good entertaining manual.  Tea Rex will stand you in good stead… especially if you’re planning to host an elegant tea party with any prehistoric guests.  Molly Idle’s charming, hilarious guide to throwing a tea for a t-rex has every situation covered, from how to make small talk with a dinosaur to how to handle those little upsets… like Mr. Rex attempting to eat your brother’s stuffed bear.  Peanut has been taking notes for the next time she throws a party for a dinosaur.

(Psst – all images are sourced from Google.)

Do you have a favorite food-themed children’s book?  Do share!

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I Don’t Want My Daughter to be a Heartbreaker

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It’s Valentine’s Day time again, and hearts are everywhere – whole hearts, which is just what hearts should be.

When Peanut was born I got lots of comments – and still do to this day – about what a cutie she is.  (And she is.  I know, I’m her mom, so I’m biased, but… it’s true.  Kid is adorable.)  And every so often, I’d get a comment along the lines of “The boys are going to be falling at her feet!” or “She’s going to be a heartbreaker!”  To which I respond: gosh, I hope not.

When my daughter grows up, I don’t want her to be a heartbreaker.  I’d much rather she be a compassionate person who shows respect and kindness to everyone she meets, and leaves their hearts perfectly intact.  Even leaves them a little bit fuller than she found them.

I want my daughter to be a good friend.

I want my daughter to know that a beautiful spirit is more important than a beautiful face.

I want my daughter to see the best in everyone she meets.

I want my daughter to value her intelligence, and…

I want my daughter to value others’ intelligence, too.

I want my daughter to give compliments freely and to mean them.

I want my daughter to proud of her friends for their achievements.

I want my daughter to treat her peers – boys and girls – with respect.

I want my daughter to behave with compassion if she’s ever the object of an unrequited crush.

I want my daughter to know that she’s loved and she deserves to be loved, even when she has an unrequited crush of her own (as we all do at some point).

I want my daughter to respect others’ beliefs, even when she disagrees with them.

I want my daughter to see beyond looks and value people for who they are.

I hope my daughter goes through life without breaking a single heart.  I know that’s a tough thing to do, especially when you’re young and thoughtless.  I plan to do my best to teach her that it’s a far, far better thing to leave a legacy of friendship and kindness than a string of fractured hearts.

Happy Valentine’s Day.  May your hearts be full of love today (and every day).

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Start Your Engines Virtual Half Marathon

It’s February, which means that herds of people are falling off of the healthy living wagon, and fitness-themed organizations are pulling out all the stops to keep their readers and subscribers motivated for the long wintry slog ahead.  My Stroller Strides group is doing a “Mom Olympics,” the fitness magazines are full of inspiration to stay strong after the January rush, and one of my favorite organizations – Moms RUN This Town, a confederation of running moms organized by locale – hosted a winter virtual race.  I signed up back in November, for one primary reason: the race included a finisher’s medal (and I love finisher’s medals even more than I love long-sleeved t-shirts) and it was only $11!  I don’t know of any other race that includes a finisher’s medal at such a low price, so I was all over that.

Here’s the idea: there were three possible distances: a 5K (3.1 miles for my non-running friends), a 10K (6.2 miles), and a half marathon (13.1 miles).  You could sign up for any of the three, and whatever distance you chose, you had the entire month of February to complete it.  All the group asked was that you complete the distance on foot if possible (no bike or elliptical unless absolutely necessary – say, if you’re injured) and that you do it in a time frame that personally challenges you.  So if you choose the half marathon and it would be challenging for you to complete the distance in the space of a week, then that’s what you should do.  It’s a very laid-back approach to conducting a race, and I love that.

I chose the half marathon distance, because I wanted to do another half (I ran the Virginia Wine Country Half in 2011), and I wanted to do one sooner rather than later.  I also have this strange quirk where I don’t like to claim a t-shirt or finisher’s medal that covers multiple distances unless I’ve done the longest distance.  (Weird, I know.  It’s not like there are rules about this.  It’s just a thing I have.)  So I knew I wanted to run the full 13.1, and the only question was whether I’d do the entire distance all at once, or break it up into multiple days.  Running 13.1 miles over a week wouldn’t really challenge me, but I thought it would be a bit challenging to do it over a weekend – say, 6.1 miles on Saturday and 7.0 on Sunday – so that was my backup plan.  Plan A, though, was to run the whole distance in one shot, and I really wanted to do it.

I trained as though the winter virtual was a “real” race, in which I’d have no choice but to run 13.1 miles in one shot, or else take a DNF.  (More about my training next week.  This isn’t a running blog, but I do want to say a few words about training for the run, because 13.1 miles is a looooooong way to go and I don’t want to give the impression that I don’t respect the distance or that I set out for this run without training.)  So when I stepped out the door to run 13.1 miles on Saturday, I knew that I was prepared.  I also knew, however, that it was going to be a tougher-than-usual run, because most of my route looked like this:

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Here’s something I’ve learned about running, after training for this event through the early winter in Buffalo: you don’t truly appreciate dry pavement until you haven’t got it.  Running on snow, ice, or slush is a completely different animal from running on a dry trail on a lovely fall day.  (Just a dream I had…)  You’re using all kinds of muscles, including stabilizing muscles that don’t come into play at all on those “perfect running days.”  Just to stay upright requires what sometimes feels like a superhuman effort.

I felt as though in some ways, I got lucky with the weather on Saturday.  The sun was shining in a crystal clear blue sky (I know it doesn’t look it in the pictures – the sun washed out my iPhone camera and is making the sky look white), there wasn’t too much wind, and there was no slush to speak of.  The downside: the RealFeel temperature was -5 degrees Fahrenheit and my entire route, excepting maybe 5%, was packed snow.  Packed snow is a better running surface than ice or slush, but really, that’s not saying much.  Still, I knew that (1) Sunday would be a worse day, weather-wise; and (2) I really wanted to get this half marathon done.  Yes, I had all month to do it, but I prefer to procrastinate over laundry than half marathons.  So, on Saturday, after hanging around the house charging my Garmin and complaining about the cold for WAY too long, I finally laced up my shoes and headed out to run 13.1 miles.

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The picture above was an accidental snap – I was trying to put my phone in my pocket at the time – but it perfectly illustrates the running surface I enjoyed for most of the half marathon.  U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you UGLY.  Anyway.

When I signed up for the race, I’d intended to run about four miles downtown, run by the river a bit, then run back to my neighborhood and finish the day in one of the nearby parks.  A few weeks into training, however, it became clear that wasn’t going to be an option unless the weather changed drastically.  As you can see, it didn’t.  So I jettisoned the plan that would have me running on sporadically shoveled sidewalks and headed, instead, to the park where I’d done most of my training runs.  The park had the best running surface of all the bad options, but the negative?  The loop is only 1.8 miles around.  It’s really pretty the first few times you run it, but becomes mind-numbingly boring by lap number 5.  Still, I decided I’d rather be bored than wear a cast for the next six weeks.  (Oh, I’m such a drama queen!)  The park it was.

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Just some snowbanks.  Nothing to see here.

Miles 1-3: Head out my door and run up my street toward a big museum (that I haven’t yet made time to visit, for shame), then turn and head toward the park.  It’s about 1.25 miles or so before I make the turn onto the park’s ring road and it’s a pleasant little jog over there.  Not too much ice, and I’m feeling good.  As each mile pops up on my Garmin, I tick it off.  “Only 12.1 to go!  Only 11.1 to go!”  I could do this all day.

Miles 3-5:  Wheeeeeee!  This is fun!  Hi, cross-country skier!  Hi, doggie!  What a great day!  Yippee!

Mile 6:  I’m not hungry yet, but I slow to a walk and break into the Ziploc baggie of dates I brought for fuel.  I’d rather eat one before I start to get hungry than face a growling, upset tummy.  The dates are frozen solid, so that’s fun.  I eat one, toss the pit aside and wonder if I’ll see a date tree on my runs this spring.  Do dates even grow on trees?  Where do dates come from?  I ponder this for a little while.

Miles 7-9: I’m bored.  Bored bored bored.  Bored bored bored bored bored.  I try to figure out how many loops I’ve made around the park, can’t.  Lost count about 30 minutes ago.  Do some math to figure out how many more laps I need to run before I can go home.  Have lost ability to do math.  Eat two more frozen dates.  Whimper a little bit.

Mile 10: SECOND WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND!  I’m a freaking gazelle!

Mile 11: Sweet baby carrots, I’m tired.

Mile 12: Everything hurts.  I mean, everything.  There’s a knot in the back of my neck and I’m wondering if maybe someone shot me and I didn’t notice because my legs were hurting and distracting me.  My quads are frozen and yet in hideous pain at the same time.  How is that possible?  A new mantra pops into my head: “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”  I’ve never used this mantra on a run before, but it seems appropriate here.  I’ve left the park now – I had another lap to go but couldn’t face it, so I decided to finish off the run in the neighborhood instead.  I chant my mantra silently and watch each crack in the pavement scroll by under my feet.  I turn and start heading home.

Mile 12.6: Slip on an icy patch and skid several feet.  Make a pact with myself: don’t fall and crack your head open here, and you can go ahead and die once you hit mile 13.1.

Mile 12.8: Okay, the home stretch!  I pretend there’s a finish line ahead and start sprinting for all I’m worth.  (That’s probably about a 10 minute mile… sad… but it’s been a long, snowy road.)  Push, push, push.

Mile 13.1: DONE!  Final time 2:37:02.  That’s a big PR for me (although part of my terrible time in my last half was due to being held up for ten minutes while a crossing guard let cars go by, much to the chagrin of the increasingly irate group of runners standing by the side of the road plotting to smother him with Gu).  But even taking that ten minutes out of the equation, it’s still a PR, and a good one, and I did it in the snow and in temps below freezing.  I’m THRILLED.  I start walking the half mile I have left to get home, relying on my runner’s high and PR adrenaline to keep me upright.  I did it!

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When I got home, there was a small – but very welcome – package on the doorstep.  My finisher’s medal!  Perfect timing!  I tore open the package and immediately put on the medal, which is beautifully made and really cool looking.  And since the virtual race was organized by a moms’ running group, I posed for a pic with the girl who made me a mom.  (She loved my medal, by the way.  She totally thinks it’s hers.  And I taught her a new word: “Bling.”)

Here’s a better view of the medal:

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The newest addition to the collection!  And many more to come, I hope.  (More about that – my race calendar for 2014 – coming soon.)  Thanks to Moms RUN This Town for hosting this event – super fun!

Did you do anything fun last weekend?

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Two Weeks of Celebrating Snow

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So, from what I hear, this winter has been legendary.  (And I bet you’re all sick of hearing me complain about it.)  The whole country, it seems, has suffered from the Polar Vortex.  And here in Buffalo, we’re told that we’re already approaching record snowfall for the year, and it’s only early February.  So we’re all tired of it, and we’re all ready for spring.  At least, we’re all ready for spring… in a few weeks.  Because right now, it’s THAT TIME, the miraculous time that only comes every four years, when winter is fun again.

Yes, I am talking about the Olympics.

My first memory of being really aware of the Olympics was the 1992 Albertville games.  I’m sure I was conscious of the Games before that, but Albertville was the first time I remember getting really into the spirit of the thing.  It certainly helped that I was watching the Games while on a ski vacation to Lake Placid, site of the 1932 and 1980 Olympics.  Olympic fever was everywhere.  You couldn’t walk out the door without seeing the Olympic rings.  For the week of our vacation, I fell headlong down the Olympics rabbit hole.  During the day, I was either skiing Whiteface with my family or ice skating on the Olympic Oval (or on Mirror Lake).  And in the evenings, after dinner, we all trooped back to the hotel room to watch the Olympic programming from France.

I was especially enchanted with the figure skating – naturally, being a ten-year-old girl.  Team USA had some strong players that year, and I loved Nancy Kerrigan, but for me there was only one figure skater, and that was Kristi Yamaguchi.  I waited with bated breath for Kristi to skate her programs, and I still remember the sparkly blue costume she wore during her gold medal skate.  And I also remember arguing vehemently against my dad’s contention that figure skating was “an art, not a sport,” and didn’t belong in the Olympics.  I like to think I gave a rousing defense of the sport of figure skating.

These days, I’m much more interested in the skiing and snowboarding, and in the men’s ice hockey, than I am in the figure skating events – although I’ll watch any Olympic programming eagerly and enthusiastically (and I was glued to Meryl and Charlie’s ice dancing performance, just like the rest of the country).  I love to cheer for Team USA, to critique their Opening Ceremony garb (were we all going to an Ugly Sweater party after the ceremony?) and to follow their stories from childhood to podium.  And while I have some great memories of the Summer Games – watching Michael Phelps’ marvelous performance in Beijing, for example, or Misty and Kerri’s three consecutive gold medals in beach volleyball, and of course the little viewing party that hubby and I had with Katie and Jeremiah during the 2012 London Games (we made scones!) – it’s the Winter Games that hold my heart.  Someday, someday, hubby and Peanut and I will get to the Games in person.  (Hubby and I tried for Vancouver tickets, but were shut out of every event we applied for.)  And in the meantime, I’ll spend these few weeks not whining about the snow.  Instead, I’ll spend them pulling Peanut around on her little sled while commentating as if she’s a tiny bobsledder, celebrating big events like the Opening Ceremonies with caviar and blinis (hey, it’s Russia!), watching Twitter like a hawk in case Jon Stewart puts out fake spoilers again (my favorite from 2012: “Sailing teams lodge official protest over Greece releasing Kraken. #fakespoiler”) and jumping off the couch and pumping my fists whenever Team USA notches another medal.

I love the Olympics.  I love the gathering of nations in the spirit of friendly competition.  (It brings back Jessup memories.  Holla back, fellow moot court nerds!)  I love the five rings, the Olympic flame, the kitschy yet cool opening ceremonies, the athletes’ visibly pumping adrenaline, the flags rising over the medalists as the gold medalist’s national anthem pumps loud and proud… and for a little while, anyway, I love winter.  Because without winter, there’d be no Winter Games.

Now… let’s go USA!

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A Day in East Aurora

Brrrrrrr.  Like most of the country, we’ve been dealing with some ridiculously cold days, and that’s prevented us from getting out and enjoying the winter as much as we’d like to.  Next year, I hope, we’ll be out and about, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, all winter long.  But this year, we’ve just tried to get some outdoor family fun time in whenever we could, and not worried about it if we were stuck inside.

A couple of weeks ago we decided to have a little family day in East Aurora.  It’s a cute town south of Buffalo, with a pretty main street and plenty of eclectic shops and restaurants.  We decided that the weather was nice enough to venture out, so we headed down for lunch and a short walk down the main drag.  And since it was convenient to them, we invited the in-laws to tag along.

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We started with lunch at Elm Street Bakery.  As I mentioned in my previous post about the Buffalo dining scene, we had heard that they made wood-fired pizza and we’ve been on the hunt for a replacement to Pizzeria Paradiso, our favorite joint in Old Town Alexandria.  I’ve been trying to avoid gluten, since I’ve noticed that my headaches and tummy distress are much reduced when I eat gluten-free, but I make exceptions (and willingly accept the consequences) for wood-fired pizza.  The pizza was delicious and I definitely think we’ll be back to sample their granola, soups, salads and gluten-full breads.  (The in-laws stuck with soups, salads and sandwiches while we enjoyed our pizza.)

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After lunch, we headed out for a walk down the main street.  Before we even got there, we encountered a little used bookshop (aptly named “The Bookworm”) and clearly we had to look in.

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They had an especially good children’s section.  I didn’t buy anything this time, but will definitely be back.  After the bookstore, we took a stroll down the main street (unfortunately, WordPress doesn’t seem to like the picture I snapped of the main street looking all pretty in the snow, but you can check it out on Instagram, here, along with a few other shots I took that day).  The boys and Peanut ducked into the five-and-dime while the ladies made for the yarn shop (I needed darning needles, a circular needle, and some buttons – I found them all and successfully resisted buying any yarn).

Such a fun day in East Aurora!  We’ll definitely be back, many times, I’m sure.  (Next time we go, I’ll try to get more pictures for ya – darn technical difficulties.)

What’s your favorite day trip to take with family?