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So yesterday was moving day. We got our stuff back! Yay! It was all put into the house, and my husband and I spent the rest of the day putting stuff away, painting and cleaning up . . . oh, and fixing a leak!

This morning I did a 4 mile run, then we went out to the house. There, in the garage, I found them: My weights!

AAAH!

I picked them up and started to do some bicep curls. The girls thought I was crazy. It has been about a week and a half since I have touched a weight. Yes, I can do push ups, but honey it just isn’t the same! I love those darn weights!

I am missing my extra cardio but it will come, I see the end of this exercise setback in sight and it feels so good! Almost as good as those weights lol.

I did have a good run, though it was extremely cold this morning! I ran in my hat and long leggings, and I will do a short run tomorrow wearing the same. I think it was in the 30s. I loved it: I love running in the cold weather. Give me cold over hot anyday!

Now, I have stuff to do, (like watch Brad Pitt’s interview on Oprah, ha ha). Hope all of your runs today were good ones!

So I did it: I ran ten  miles this morning in our new town, on the area where I will be doing my long miles. Right now I am staying here, so it was get up and go out the door after eating a hard boiled egg and getting dressed.

From now on, though, I will be living about ten miles away, so I will be eating while driving to the spot where I will begin my run. Which, by the way, will be in a parking lot beside Starbucks! I’m so excited; I can finish up my long run and have a Starbucks all on a Saturday morning, yoo hoo!

Anyway, the morning was humid as heck. I am not used to that; we’ve been in the west for six years, so I can run for two hours and barely break a sweat. Here, ten minutes into the run I was wet.

I took off my shirt and ran in my sports bra, remembering with each step something I once read: “Come on girls, it’s a BRA, not a SHIRT!”

Too bad-it was too damn hot to really care about that!

The first few miles were rough; my legs felt like lead, and I questioned my choice of pre-run hard boiled egg, which was stuck in my throat. But the rest of the run went well. I stopped at a convenience store for a bottle of water and a bathroom break around mile 7.

At mile 8, I looked up in the sky-just before the rain really started to pour-and saw a double rainbow! The top was the darkest, and then a fainter rainbow directly beneath. I’m hoping that means good luck, as the floor guy really did not do a good job on our floors-at least the first try-and has to redo them tonight and tomorrow.

At mile 9 the sky opened up and for the last mile I ran in the rain. I love running in the rain. I know some people hate it, but I just love the freshness and coolness and cleanness. I got some strange looks. The waiters at IHOP gaped as I strolled by. I don’t care. Give me a ten miler in the rain and I will take it anyday.

I hope I can survive this humidity. It is cold out now. Wish I were running in the morning! The only thing better than rain running, to me, is running in the cold!

Hope your Saturday runs were good ones!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s long run. It will be a ten miler, and the first longer run (over 6) that I’ve done in two weeks! I’d like to go further but am afraid to injure myself. I was up to 13 before we moved, so we will see how tomorrow goes. I have to get up to 20 since the Disney marathon is in about two months!

The move is going well. We should get our furniture moved into the new home on Tuesday of next week and we will follow on Wednesday. Right now they are cleaning up and doing the floors, which were slightly ruined by the old owners.

My four year old is having a difficult time. She really misses her friends, so today while her sister napped we wrote some letters. It was sad to hear her say things like how much she missed them and wanted to go back there. I hope that once she gets settled in her new school she will be happy again!
Now , my issue: Swimming.

We have a pool in our new home, but of course we aren’t going to heat it and it is already cold. So, I have at least four months or so of cold water. Do I buy a wet suit, which I need for tris anyway, now, and swim in it until it warms up, or do I pay a lot of money to go to the one gym in town that has childcare (to the tune of eighty per month!) Thinking it would be way more cost effective to buy the wetsuit and swim while the kids take naptime each day (or on my swim days) . . . any thoughts? I mean, how cold can it really be in one of those suits (I know, stupid question, eh!?) Would I adjust? Do I buy a full suit or just a shorts and shirt suit? I could use it in the future when I start doing tris. I want my first one to be early this spring. I don’t know . . . thoughts?

Have a great run tomorrow! I am looking forward to mine, and can’t wait to lace up tomorrow morning bright and early!

I just love to run in new places! I think it is my favorite part of running.

This morning I ran around our temporary housing quarters. Now, since we are going from a job that provided a work car to one that does not, we now have to purchase a new car (or a used car, which is the way we are leaning) for my husband to use to get to and from work.

In the meantime, the girls and I will be without transportation once he begins his new job-tomorrow.

Luckily our temporary housing (which we will remain in for one week) is near a few things, like a few restaurants with play areas (not that I want the girls to eat fast food-I’m strictly against it-but we can get yogurts there). The place is near a grocery store, and I’m so iun luck because it is very close to a Starbucks!

Those were the only things I new it was by-until this morning’s run.

I went five miles, and on the way back got a little lost. Just a little. I knew where I was, kind of. But then I discovered this cute little shopping village filled with stores, restaurants and a bookstore! It’s within walking distance of the condo, so I can take the girls there during the day. I can’t wait to get into that bookstore! Bookstores are to me what I imagine Neiman Marcus is to a clothes shopper-just pure heaven!

I’m frustrated becasue along the way I have not been able to work out the amount I typically do. No biking, no swimming, few weights. I’ve run longer runs more frequently to make up for it, but still want my weights! i didn’t realize how much I enjoyed lifting until this trip. The one time I hit a really great gym was in New Orleans at the Sheraton. Little did I know, until our bill arrived, they charged me $10 for that gym visit! I told my husband I wouldn’t have gone if I had known prior to, but in all honesty I would have. I needed my crunches on the stability ball and my weights like a junkie needs crack, I think!

So, today we are off to pick out paint for the girls’ bedrooms, to get the home’s locks changed and to let the floor guy in so he can repair some damaged wood. We found out we have harp (my mom says it is heart but husband swears he said harp) pine floors. They are the knotty wood type, I love them. The previous owners did some damage trying to sheen them, so we are having that taken up and then having the house buffed.

I am going to attach pictures later today. Happy Running, Friends! Here is a shot of the girls and me in New Orleans, along our trip, as well as a few others of our cross country adventure!

I am sorry that i haven’t checked in lately!

We are on the road, in San Antonio right now.

The trip has gone like this: Friday night, Halloween in our old neighborhood.

Saturday morning, 5 1/2 hours to Phoenix.

Saturday night from 7Pm to 2 AM the girls threw up over and over and over again.

Sunday we drove to New Mexico. The girls threw up only once (the little one) but the big one had a fever.

Monday, on to Texas. Girls feeling better, only one throw up the little one again - and no fever.

Tuesday, everyone felt okay. not great, but okay.

Today, Wednesday, my husband got it. He’s been throwing up for a few hours.

Between driving and riding and cleaning up after sick little girls, this mom is tired! I have managed to sneak in a few quick runs and workouts, though. I’ll post more later, but here is the funny one of the day.

Today I ran for forty minutes while everyone slept (or tried to). I ran down through the River Walk area in San Antonio and wound up at the Alamo. It was so cool! There, where I didn’t expect it, was the freaking Alamo! This is why I love running outdoors in new places-you see so many cool things.

ANyway, I decided to run through the Alamo. I mean, how cool is that, running through the freaking  Alamo? When all of a sudden I heard, “MISS!” I turned around face to face with a guard, who informed me that you can’t run in the Alamo.

For some reason, that struck me as insanely funny. Perhaps it is the craziness of this trip, with everyone getting sick, or the fact that I haven’t slept super well. But whatever it was, I cracked up and then apologized.

The guard said, “About half a mile or so down the road is a great place to run, if you want to go there.” And he gave me directions.

I can say this, people in Texas have been super polite!

I didn’t go where he told me since I was at the end of my run, but instead headed back to the hotel, where everyone was awake-no one had slept-and husband was complaining that he might be sick. The girls and I ate down at the little manager’s dinner. Free chicken, salad and wine! woo hoo!

The trip is going okay, I will write much more later, despite the fact that everyone has the flu. We have seen some beautiful country, and I Just wish that we had seen it under better circumstances. This could truly have been a most spectacular trip had we all felt well and up for it.

Happy Running!

So I’m very far behind with my blog lately! Of course that happens when you try to move and continue to work and take care of the kids at the same time!

I have gotten some really great jobs for some really great companies lately. I’m doing a blog right now for a company that is involved in the music industry and it has been a lot of fun - and good listening! Many of the things I do for them brings up music links, of course, and I have heard some great tunes in the process.

I just took another blog design job that will begin in the next day or so. It’s a clean up job really, fixing up a blog that someone started and didn’t finish. I’m doing these types of jobs right now, easy blog designs and quick web design projects, since we will be moving and I don’t have time for a full website design project.

I have been exercising, but am skipping the gym today. The Santa Ana winds, the ones responsible for all of this damage and for spreading these fires in LA, makes everyone sick, and my oldest daughter who never gets sick is not an exception to this rule. She has some type of allergic reaction right now, stuffy runny nose and coughing. So, we are homebound. I think we may go tot he park for a bit to get out of the house since we took it really easy yesterday. I’d like to pick up these two lap tray type devices they had at michaels for the trip across the country. They’ll need a place to keep their papers that they color and the books they want to read as we drive.

Later I’ll add more to this post, but time to get the girls some breakfast!

Today’s long run was great. I woke up feeling a bit like I had last week when I questioned whether I wanted to go so far. But I have learned that even if I question this I should get out of the house and go. And I did, and it turned out great. I ran all the way up to the Huntington Beach pier, which is about 6 miles from my house. I thought it was 6.5, so the entire run would be 13 miles, but even going out onto the pier didn’t get me quite to 6.5.

On the way back toward land as I ran on the pier I looked off to the right. The sun was rising, and I had this fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean and the sun rising over the mountains and I realized how much I will miss Southern California. Some parts of it, anyway, like the way the land rises and falls, and the great weather in the winter when it cools down and the days are not blistering hot.

I realized, too, that though I have always lived the gypsy life, never having stayed in one place for longer than three years, and although I am always antsy to move on to the next thing even before I actually do, I always miss what I leave behind. I started considering the things I will miss, like my friends and the runs I have had, but then I realized that we are moving toward something new in our life. It’s exciting, and once I got home I realized how ready I am for the next step.

So I did a total of 12.4 miles. Why that amount? I was planning to go to thirteen but decided to stop at the donut shop and pick up some snacks for the kids and husband. I had these two bags in my hand and about half a mile to go - and I was at mile 12 - when I ran into the yard sale. I found a lite brite and a huge dinosaur puzzle for a dollar each. So then I ran the rest of the way home with the two bags of donuts, the Lite Brite and a dinosaur puzzle box in my hands.

It was a great run. It’s amazing how much I love those distances. I was cruising toward the end, running between 8:30 and 9:15. I ate a Power Bar, vanilla crisp, throughout the run. I also had some gatorade but I have found that I can’t drink the amount they say to drink to keep myself hydrated. It’s so much that it sloshes in my stomach, so instead I drink what I need and when I feel thirsty, a little at a time.

Now we are off to find something to eat for dinner. Husband wants our standard Saturday night pizza. I’m not a big pizza fun, so I’m hoping for something else. There is this great little Cuban restaurant down the street, with sweet fried plantains and black beans and rice. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! But I bet we do pizza again. Oh well, I’ll soon be back near Florida, which has some of the best Cuban food in the world!

I have been missing in action this week.
We are winding down to our big move. I’m trying to get everything set up on the east coast, and everything set up on the west coast. The car had to be fixed, we are packing up our clothes, and we are going through the things we want to get rid of before we move.

I’m pooped! I have been working out. I missed one swim this week while they had our car. Had a great bike ride the other morning, though, in place of the swim.

Tomorrow my plan is 13 miles. We’ll see how it goes. I’m heading to bed now, but wanted to check in with everyone and let you know I am alive and I WILL BE BACK!

Happy Running Trails . . .

Once upon a time there was a runner (that’s me!) She ate a lot of pasta and ice cream on Friday night, went to be at 9:30 and thought that by doing all of this she would have a great Saturday morning run.

After eating, she felt like this:

This runner has a love of distances and always looks forward to going each Saturday.

Yet this Saturday morning, something had changed. As she stood on her tiptoes and peered out of the bathroom window to see what the weather was like outside, and she saw the darkened sky and the fog that had been creeping over the Pacific throughout the night, she thought this:

“Maybe I should stop doing all of these distances.”

Where did this doubt come from?

As she stepped out into the cold morning, she thought, “I’ll just do six miles.”

She’d eaten a half peanut butter sandwich, loaded up with her Gatorades and Fig Newtons, but realized she’d forgotten her Ipod.

“That’s okay, ” she told the stars, “I’m not going that far.”

So she ran. And she ran and she ran and she ran. She ran like she had wings.

She ran like a Super Hero (only with smaller breasts).

Eleven miles later, when she returned home, she wondered why she had doubted her long distances at all.

The End.

How does this happen? How is it that you can start a run feeling like crap and then, somehow, somewhere, it changes?

I don’t wake up feeling like I don’t want to run. I never feel this way. I love running. It’s my life. I read a story about this guy in Runner’s World last month who had his leg amputated because he could no longer run. Now he can run. At first I thought, holy crap! I don’t know if I could have that nerve!

Then I thought, On the other hand, imagine a life with no running.

I don’t know what happened with all the self doubts this morning, but I’m glad it all got turned around during the run. I had a GREAT run. I could have done 13, which is what I was going to initially do, but decided to get back a bit early and see how the family was doing.

And they were fine.

Husband was up, kids were up, and all was good in the home.

No more doubts. The weight, I have to deal with that. It is my nemesis. I know that it is frustrating to be overweight, but it is also frustrating to be underweight. Yet I was thinking today, I bet everyone is frustrated about their body, somehow, something that bothers them. The key is to live with what I have and make the most of it. To learn to accept it and move on.

Bunion Surgery:
I had bunion surgery on both feet about 15 years ago. I wasn’t running then. Active, but not jogging or running.

The pain from surgery was excruciating. I’d almost rather have another C section than go through that again, except then I’d have to take care of another baby and I’m not sure I have the energy for that lol! At least with a C section I was given pain meds.

With bunion surgery I was sent home with Tylenol and codeine. Now, I am not a medicine popper. I don’t take ibuprofen for headaches, Motrin for cramps or cold medication when I have a sneezy nose. I don’t take any medicine, ever. Unless I’m in excruciating pain.

Cutting open foot, removing part of bone, stitching back up = excruciating pain. Wanted meds.

Anyway, the last few long runs I’ve had I’ve noticed a pain in my right foot where the bunion was. When I visited the foot doctor the last time I trained because my toe was going numb, he said, “Wow, you really have some large bunions.”

“I had them removed when I was about 24.”

He shook his head. “Well, I wouldn’t say they did the best job. If they don’t hurt your okay. If they start to hurt you may have to have another surgery.”

Needless to say, I’m ignoring the pain. I don’t want to go through surgery again. I’d rather eat glass. So, let’s just hope this is a distance thing, getting used to going farther (even though I am staying around the same mileage), and that my feet will adapt and overcome.

Mileage:
I’ve been at the same long distances, between 9 and 11 miles, for about a month now. I like it here. I think I’m going to try to keep my long distance runs at 10 miles at least, in the double digits, so that when we get to Georgia I can start training from there for the Disney marathon. Then, I’d ultimately like to remain at these numbers for good, so that when other races come up I can start training from there. Plus, I really enjoy runs lasting about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Over that and it’s hard to get up early enough to get home early enough.

Anyway, those are my Saturday stories and I’m sticking to them. I got in a nice hour long nap while everyone rested and now I’m taking the girls to the park for some swinging and sand play. It is cold here, so I can’t wait to wrap up under the covers tonight and watch some good TV with the husband man. Hope you are all having a great weekend. Stay fit!

On Fridays I don’t do cardio, since I do such a long run on Saturday. I don’t work on my legs either, just abs and arms and a mini warm up using my kettle bell and jump rope.

Today my kids joined me for stretching and ab work lol. It was funny. I love it when the youngest, who is almost two, almost bends in half as though it is no problem! I wish we stayed that flexible through life!

Thought it would be fun to share fun fitness ideas on Fridays. Today’s is about being a mom and trying to fit in a workout-and doing so at the park!

At times I run with the jogging stroller, and we go to a park down the street. When I do my workouts like this I use the park as my gym! I thought I’d list a few of the exercises I do when I’m at the park and dressed in workout gear.

Tree Stretch: You guessed it, I use the tree to do the leg stretch I wrote about yesterday!
Sprinting: The kids run and I chase. They love it and so do I!
Squats: As they climb the stairs and go down the slide, I do squats! Then I tickle them as they are on their way down!
Pull Ups: Pull ups on the monkey bars, of course!
Abs: I do abs in the grass while we play ring around the rosies and other games in the grass. For some reason my girls love doing ab work with me lol!
Push Ups: Against the concrete, while we use sidewalk chalk.

Hope these give you some fun ideas for the next time you have a park day and can’t figure out how to squeeze in a workout!