Loose.

Limber.

Laid Back.

Yep, none of these describe me.

In fact, I’m not exactly sure how to describe my general demeanor, except that my family and friends pretty much tell me that you can spend 30 minutes with me each Wednesday night watching Modern Family.

Yep, Claire and I have the same awkward, passionate, one track mind, and uptight approach to life that makes us super fun to hang out with.  So, it’s not surprising that I constantly battle tightness in my ligaments and tendons.  Like…a LOT a lot..

Since Boston, I’ve been trying to stay on the offensive, rolling, twisting, stretching every which way to prevent tightness, but it just keeps migrating.  My work at home office, has gone from ergonomically correct desk work to looking something like this.

How do you teleconference at home?

And like two teenagers incapable of keeping their hands off of one another, my lacrosse ball and I are having a pretty torrid affair these days….always connected at the hip (and foot, and calf, and hamstring…)

Jealous??

My approach to staying loose and limber:

-Stretch.  Yep that’s right…a little yoga, a little light stretching whenever I can fit it in.

-Foam Roller.  I’ve written about it before, but I try to make sure I spend some quality time with the foam roller.  For Mother’s Day, my foam roller got taken to a whole ‘nother level by upgrading to the Grid with trigger point technology.

-Why Yogi?  I’m not super diligent about it, but when I am I do notice a big difference when I’m doing yoga.  Even if I’m not carving out a ton of time for it, I’m sure to do a few basic stretches (IT band flow, lunges, etc.) throughout the day.

I know there’s a million other ways to keep things loose and limber (ahem, a margarita might work from time to time right?!), anyone care to share?

]]> http://stridingmom.com/2013/05/22/loose-limber/feed/ 9 stridingmom Claire Dunphy How do you teleconference at home? IMG_3624 GRID 1.0 http://stridingmom.com/2013/05/20/monday-musings/ http://stridingmom.com/2013/05/20/monday-musings/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 13:47:05 +0000 stridingmom http://stridingmom.com/?p=3172 Continue reading →]]> 13ish miles over the weekend
Sentimental Strides

This weekend was one of nostalgia…on Saturday, my “big kids” graduated.  I’ve got my neapolitan crew (little kids), but I also teach at a local University (my big kids), so May is pretty special because I get to see them move onto bigger or better things…or with this economy back into Mom and Dad’s house.

In a world of Sheldons and Leonards I’m always a Wolowitz….

Between that, the picture perfect weather,and still working through the burnout that was the Boston training cycle, I have just been running how far I want, how fast I want…Kind of fartleking my workouts.

No looking at a watch, GPS or anything…just run and check out the details later (wait…you thought I wasn’t tracking it?!?  Hogwash…I’m a runner, of course I’m tracking it, I just don’t have to look at it until later).

Have their been hills?  Yep….lots of ‘em.
Have their been steady jogs?  Indeed!
Have their been breathless, pushing it runs?  When I feel like it.

But mostly, I’m just running however feels good at the time.

With a nice base run of about 5 miles 3-4 and 1 longer (8-10 mile) run a week, I’ve been clipping out around 7:15-7:40 paces on most of my runs….perhaps it’s the fabulous scenery….

Dana Point Sunday Morning Run….me and 10,000+ of my closest friends

But mostly it’s because I’m relaxed and just running less mileage (more like 25 miles a week instead of 40…but even my 8.5 mile “long run” on Sunday averaged out around a comfortable 7:30 pace and I didn’t feel like i was pushing it that hard….so let’s go with it.

I know myself and know that if I run the Laguna Hills half marathon on Monday, I’ll probably die a slow painful death, have fun and push it really hard, melt into a puddle of sweat from the heat, push it and get hurt again.

I’m not in half marathon PR shape, and I know it.  I am, however, probably in a really good place to try and stretch myself to run a sub 42 minute 10k.  It will be a stretch, but I really think it’s possible.  So bye bye 1 half a month (though on a technicality, I ran a full in April, so that should count for 2 months, right?) and hello, smart, healthy, fun, unplugged running….

Do you ever run “unplugged”?

What’s next on your race docket?

If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know I have a bottom problem:  I can’t find a short that I love, love, love.

Since I spent a significant amount of time in the 90′s sporting oversized men’s khaki cutoffs and American Eagle knee-length cargos, it seems that I am being punished for my shorts sins by spending my 30′s trying to find a pair of running shorts that work for me.

These beauties + oversized t-shirts = angsty adolescent garb

This weekend I tried out a pair of new shorts (the North Face Better Than Naked shorts I snagged for $13 at the Boston Marathon Expo – SCORE!) and while they had some perks, I’ve decided I need to go all Frankenshorts and piece together what my absolutely perfect short would look like.

The Base:  LuluLemon Speed Short

Yes I know this is short, too short for some…but I apparently take the minimalist approach beyond my shoes to keep the tan lines as close to my swimsuit as possible.  I love the length of these shorts, but I don’t love a few things.  First of all, the pockets are hard to squeeze gels into and hard to grab during a long run/race.  Secondly, while I love picking flowers, chocolates from a box, and even my favorite dessert (who am I kidding…all of them!), I don’t like picking my built-in runderwear from my arse….so these get a big fatty epic fail in that department.

The Bottom:  Oiselle Rogas

While Shakespeare may have wondered about being or not to being, runners often discuss to wear or not to wear…underwear.  I’m a big fan of less layers, so needless to say, I was grinning like the Cheshire cat at mile 17 or so when I saw this sign on the side of the road:

I’m a big fan of letting my shorts do all of the work for me, and one of my favorite features of the Oiselle Roga is that I’ve met sports bras that move more than the runderwear inside these bad boys.   Those suckers are staying exactly put- holding firm around the tush and not going anywhere no matter how sweaty, long, slow or fast my run is.  I also dig the super comfy waistband to hold that little gift 2 of my 3 kids left me around my midsection – that is skin that I can pull up to my chin or drop down to my knees on command.  Yay motherhood!

My only complaint is the colored fabric (not the black) shows water VERY visibly, so if I’m going to do a super sweaty run and show up to school for pickup- I best be prepared to have some finger pointing, eye rolling and toddlers asking why I peed my pants…which may or may not be true.

The Storage:  New Balance Better Than Naked

As a mom, I have to carry a lot of crap around (can you hold my Pokemon cards? How about this 3 week old kleenex? Oh, how about this snail I just found!?!).  And when I run, I don’t want to carry more than I have to.  These shorts have perfectly placed pockets that fall right above the bum and they are vented, so the sweat goes through.  You can easily carry 4-5 gels comfortably in these (better yet, you can access them easily as well with an elastic top to hold fuel in them).  During my dramatic run the other day, I was thrilled to be able to stash my key, a solid wad of TP and a gel, and still had a pocket to spare.  Nothing flipped, nothing flopped – I found my perfect pockets.  Honestly it’s like a built in fuel belt…love, love, love….

That said the fabric on the actual shorts is supposed to be super fast wicking, but it was so thin that when I started sweating it literally felt like I peed my pants.  I do that enough, I don’t need my running shorts to deceive me into a false alarm.

So there it is…my favorite features on my favorite shorts.  If I was talented enough I’d bust out the sewing machine and piece these bad boys together…but then I’d probably end up with no shorts at all, so until then I’ll just stick to sewing simple Halloween costumes, and hemming pants, and generally taking up closet space.

What feature do your shorts absolutely must have?

Happy Mother’s Day to my mother runner

Mumsie dearest (yes that’s how she’s listed in my phone) and I after the iTryathlon last year

In true mother runner form, she got a 5k in yesterday and I’m so proud of her as she shaved 2 minutes of her time!

For Mother’s Day, I was given a few hours yesterday to work on my killer running tan go do a long run playing in the trails.  I still haven’t had a run where I just felt 100% physically great since the Boston marathon, and yesterday the tides turned.

I set out on the trails to just run based on how I felt.  I was super cautious in the beginning and stayed away from monstrous hills (stuck to the more reasonable ones) and had a really…nice…run.

Most of the time I was thinking about if I want to do the Laguna Hills Half Marathon in 2 weeks.  The script in my mind throughout the run went something like this:

• Oh this feels nice.  Half marathon for sure.
• Who tied to weights to my legs at mile 3…Hello 10k, mama’s coming home to ya
• You’ll be clawing your eyes out watching the halfers finish after a 10k, you know this right?
• I can probably “race” a much faster 10k
• Was that 4 consecutive sub-8 mile splits?  Halfsies for sure.
• I’m so out of shape 10k, indeed
• Bathroom.  Bathroom.  Bathroom.  
• Water.  Water.  Water.

The run was mostly uneventful which is exactly how you want them, until 5 when I realized I was 2.5 miles away from the nearest bathroom.  I was really hoping to not have to use the sweaty emergency stash of TP in my pocket, so I ran like the wind to try to get to the bathroom so I didn’t

poo my pance
(Yes, this was an actual search term that led some poor soul to my blog yesterday.)

Luckily I didn’t (poo my pants that is) and chalked up to mid-run speed work and after 10 miles I decided to call it conservative quits for the sake of not pushing it too far given the tweaks and tightness that I’ve been dealing with.  I then recovered the best way possible

Babes at the beach

Tell me about your mother runner?  

How did you celebrate your Mother’s Day?

Today, we’ll look at the next two steps:  Pick a Place & Pick a Pace

After a mud run…I thought 3 boys would like this, but they were mostly just cold and didn’t like waiting in line to shower & change before I let them in the car.

Picking a Place
When I talk about “Place” I really mean teaching your kids about race etiquette.  In order for them to really enjoy the experience, I think it’s important for them to have spent some time around races so they know the culture, the crowds, the noise, the expectations.  It helps alleviate the shell shock so when they show up with race day adrenaline pumping through their teeny tiny veins.  They can handle the whole experience better this way.

Potty Talk
One thing I was surprised by (especially as a parent of boys, was the shock of having to stand in line for bathrooms and then…gasp…they smell and are dirty.  Given their propensity to and love for peeing in any bush without question, this was a little surprising.  Also, most racers are willing to let a hippity, hopping, crotch clutching kid cut in line if they really need to go.  Maybe I should bring them to all of my races?

Proof my kids do like each other and get along. Also at the start of the PCRF 5k Source

Corral Crowds

By far the most unnerving part is starting in the corral.  In typical fashion, kids just want to go to the front of the line.  This is not the time nor place for you kid to be the line leader (unless it’s a kid’s race or they are running a 14-18 minute 5k).

Yes I know it’s exciting, yes I like being there too, but I usually have a conversation that goes something like this:

“Honey, see that man who looks like a praying mantis he’s so tall and lean and is wearing a pair of shorts that is smaller than most of the diapers you wore? Yes, honey, he’s going to be eyeing the finish line before you even hit mile marker 1, so let’s let him go in front. kthanksbye.”

Vanilla running a kids run

It’s also a matter of safety:  the first 1/4 to 1/2 mile of a race is everyone trying to get into their pace, break free from the crowds, etc.  It’s really easy for focused runners to not see the pint-sized competitors and trip over them causing a major safety hazard in a crowded start.

Cool Rules
Also make sure kids know the rules in advance:  stay on the course, don’t dart from side to side tripping up other runners, etc.  By now, I am making this sound like an awful lot of fun, eh?  My writing is probably coming across like Charlie Brown’s teacher, but there are also some other rules I teach my kids as well…

Chocolate running a 1k when he was 3

-Laugh, Laugh, Laugh – this is fun…make jokes, raise your hands and yell how far you’ve gone at the mile markers (my favorite is to do the Count from Sesame Street at each mile marker….”One! One mile…hah hah hah hah!”)

-Water Days – I’ll never forget the first time my kids each hit a water station and I explained they could take a sip and THROW the cup to the side on the ground.  Then I explained you could even pour the water on your own head (not anyone else’s unless you ask first).  The giggles, smiles and memories that come from the water tables are probably the best of the race (other than the finish line of course).

And now for the last and probably simplest rule:  Pick your Pace.

By nature, kids push boundaries- that’s what they were designed to do.  They will want to go out sprinting and will die about 1/4 of a mile in, and they have a long way to go…ensure that they aren’t going gangbusters too early- especially their first few races.  As Strawberry has gotten more experienced, I’ve noticed he can usually hold his own pace…but sometimes I need to just get him slowed down out of the gate (uh, he clearly gets this from his mother).

Photo courtesy of Heather.  What? You didn’t know there were Team Gab mini-dresses? #mommyneedslongershorts

If you can get another adult to help split kids into groups that run a similar pace – I could not recommend this more.

Push vs. Pull
Now comes the part, I struggle the most with – where do you go from challenging and encouraging your kids to pushing them.  At the PCRF 5k, I was running with two kids who have entirely different abilities.  It was so frustrating.  I was having to hold one back and try not to push the other one too far.  Apparently my “You’re amazing, you can do this, just a little bit further honey’s!” were too much because at mile 2.25 he yells,

“STOP MOM YOU’RE BEING ANNOYING!”

At the finish line – not annoyed now are we? Source

Each kid is different – some need a little external motivation, others do juuuust fine on their own.  Just remember, at the finish line, you don’t want them to hate you.

Stop vs. Go
Also remember that your kid might want to stop or walk for a few minutes.  Be sure to pull them to the side to do this.  Also, while the event us super memorable, don’t run ahead and stop to take pictures if the course is crowded.  Not only can it annoy some racers, but can actually be very dangerous and create a tripping hazard resulting in a domino effect tripping & falling fiasco.

Do you cheer for kids on the course?

What’s the most amazing kid racing situation you’ve witnessed?

I always like watching kids push it at the end – they truly understand how to give it their all and do it moreso than most adults, so I could watch the last 100 yards of a 5k with kids all.day.long.  I wish I could bottle that tenacity up and pour it in my coffee every morning!

New tires!

On Saturday morning I had a fantastic run.  I got myself some new kicks, headed out for my first 5+ mile run since Boston and after 8 miles I felt like I could have easily gone for 5+ more, except my legs were just super tight.

So I ended it there because I was also responsible for getting the fixins for a soccer party ready.  Way to kill my endorphin buzz parental responsibilities.

The tightness has been lingering since Boston.  Like I said, my body is just not recovering well.  Yes, it’s been 3 weeks, but I’m not back to normal.  Yes, it makes me feel lame – especially when I hang out with a lot of people who run marathons like I eat cheerios for breakfast.

But it’s my reality – I carry a pretty heavy “life” load, so I don’t get to train when and how I want, recover like I should, and my life is a little more unpredictable than the average bear’s.

Perfect example:  snapshot from Tuesday evening.

Running hat:  check
Running shorts:  check
Running shirt:  check
Time in the day to actually get the running done:  uncheck

I literally stayed in my running clothes all day long hoping to squeeze in a few miles and the day just slipped by without any sweaty strides in sight.  I actually think that’s the reason I was sleep walking last night – trying to get my wiggles in somehow!

That said, I’m waiting for the funk to pass and my body and brain to just align.  I have a race on the deck for Memorial Day weekend, but it will very likely just be a fun run more than a race (the course is literally a mile from my house).

How do you get past your funky place?
I’ve been mixing it up a bit – bike, elliptical, weight training, Body Pump classes, etc.  Plus I think a little more clock time and a lot of kid time should do the trick.

I told you that I’d be back to give you more details on the PCRF 5k...but mostly, this is your somewhat informed guide to surviving a 5k with multiple children.  I’ve raced with Strawberry a handful of times, but Sunday was the first attempt to get 3 kids between 6-8 and to run a 5k.

I *mostly* survived.

Photo courtesy of the fabulous running photog Heather

In order to do this effectively, I really think you need to hit all 3 -ace’s:
-Pick your Race
-Pick your Place
-Pick your Pace

Honestly, I think it’s worth a few posts to cover this appropriately, so today I’ll just cover the first one – Picking your Race.

Pick Your Race
First of all, be smart about your race.  Embrace your inner Goldilocks and remember, not too big, not too small…but get that race size juuuuust riiiiight.

The Big Kahuna Perks & Pouts:
Don’t pick a 5k with 8,000 relatively competitive runners all trying to PR.  Last spring I did a Hot Chocolate 5k with Strawberry for his 7th birthday (his race entry was what he actually asked for as a gift…he’s corrupted already).  It was a little chaotic since it was a fairly sizable race, and I spent a lot of time body checking people (don’t mess with mama bear) the first 3/4 of a mile or so as we went around a lot of corners to ensure my little man didn’t get taken out by a rogue, PR-setting adult.

That said, we pretty much forgot about all our woes as the race thinned out, he got a new PR (28:45) and then we dove head first into chocolate, chocolate, chocolate…which I truly think is how every race should end if kids are involved.

The pros of a bigger race – the crowd support and post-race goodies.  At the end of the Hot Chocolate 5k, we hit the last half mile which had a ton of cheers, cowbells and general chaos that kids love. The little man realized he could get a new PR if he broke loose…I’ve never seen a kid kick it into high gear for so long at the end of the race and I attribute this less to eating his Wheaties that morning and more to the hundreds of people screaming for him.

Let’s face it, as a kid, running 3.1 miles is a lot of work, so some sugar, smiles and shout outs from the crowd are always monstrously fun during and after a race.

Teeny Tiny Perks and Pouts:

Strawberry’s first 5k was a really small local race up in the San Fernando Valley and it was just about 120 people or so and was fairly disorganized.  The great news was I didn’t have to drag a crabby, overtired 6 year-old to a chaotic starting line uber early in the morning.

Strawberry’s First 5k

And while family was waiting at the finish line, it was pretty anti-climatic along the course and he didn’t get quite the same buzz as he has with medium-to-larger sized races.  In addition, he had total and utter disappointment that he did not get a medal.  Let’s face, it at 6.5 bling is your thing.

That said, it was nice not to worry about craziness, crowds, and parking and to just focus on running….

Other Tips

• If you can find races with a “Walk” option or that are targeted towards kids or families (like PCRF, a color run, a chocolate run…or basically any gimmick run out there) you’re sure to find a great race that’s large enough to feel like a big freaking deal to a little person, but small enough to not worry about constantly losing your children or them dying of a New Balance & Newton stampede.
• Also remember that no matter how tired your kids are during the race and how much they complain, you’re literally going to find nothing more fun than free stuff, rides and attention at a killer post-race celebration.
• I also like to write my kid’s names on their bibs or give them a cutesy t-shirt with something (for Strawberry’s birthday run he wore a shirt that said, “Wish me a Happy 7th birthday” and I wore one that said, “Wish the cute redhead next to me a happy birthday”) so people can cheer for them specifically.
• For little kids, bling is just as important as it is to Dolly Parton in her stage getups – it matters!  After Strawberry’s first 5k, he didn’t get so much as a piece of paper acknowledging his race.  Though he as pretty high on himself, he was a little bummed to not have a “souvenir” to remember the event.

(In other news he asked me what a souvenir was the other day and I explained, “It’s something you take and/or keep to remember a time and/or place.  Kind of like you’re a souvenir from my 20′s”…sadly my lame joke actually got him to understand the concept)

Any other tips?

I actually am curious at what age you would actually let your kid run a 5k alone…this has been a heated topic in our house lately.

Sunday:  
3.1 Miles
5k Dominating, Kid Wrangling Strides

This morning was the perfect morning to run a long distance race.  Mid-50′s, overcast with a slight mist and slight winds.  But I got to have the awesome experience of not having my physical endurance tried, just my emotional patience as I tried to wrangle 3 kids to the early start line of the PCRF 5k.

After an early wakeup call, and the realization that one of said children had hit up my waning supply of Nuun tattoos, we parked at the Irvine Spectrum and walked on over to the start line.

You want to know what’s more fun than finding out that there’s no bathroom lines at the Port-a-Potties?

Explaining why you must go to the bathroom to 3 kids between the ages of 6-8 and telling them they will absolutely not die going in to a portable bathroom.  Newsflash:  Everyone survived.

PCRF is a medium-sized, super family friendly race that really is the best of the best if you want your kids to try out a 5k.   It was Vanilla & Chocolate’s first 5k, and Strawberry walked around strutting his stuff trying to figure out if it was his day for a PR (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t, but it wasn’t his fault).

We hit the starting line and caught Heather in the corral and set off.  Right away we split into two teams (one adult with Vanilla and Chocolate and Strawberry decided to try the “fast race” with me).  By the mile mark we realized that this was not Chocolate’s day and we were going far slower than his fleet footed brother’s patience could bear.  I spent the entire race trying to keep them from killing one another.  More on this later this week when I talk about how to race with small children.

It’s a relatively flat, quick course (maybe I’ve been running too many longer races, I have no idea what a good 5k course is anymore so correct me if I’m wrong) and with a half mile left I realized there was virtually no crowd support and I was watching kid after kid between the ages of 8-10 blow past us, so I let Strawberry take the wheels out for a little spin and told him to wait by the medal hander outer at the finish line until I got there.

Strawberry finished in 29 minutes and change.  Chocolate in 30:05 and Vanilla in 35 and change.  They had a great time running….but then the real fun began.

Jump around…jump up, jump and get down!

The expo after is pretty much every 5k running kid’s dream.  Despite the protests that the legs were too tired to walk/run on the course, they suddenly found renewed strength and stamina to tackle fun things like: trampoline jumping, waiting in line to get Jamba Juice, Juice it Up, popcorn, free hot dogs, free corn dogs, photo booths, caricature drawings, etc.  We stayed for several hours and probably could have lasted longer had the winds not picked up and I hadn’t started freezing.  #socalweenie

Corndogs at 8am? Why not?!

I have to say that this race is so family friendly.  My grandmother was in town visiting and the parking was so far away from the post-race area and she has a hard time walking around.  I stopped by the solutions tent and within minutes they had me in a van driving to the Spectrum Center to pick her up….that’s taking family friendly to a whole ‘nother level.

Family bonding over the first 5k!

Overall, if you’re looking for a super family friend race or if your bambinos are wanting to take the 5k plunge, I couldn’t recommend this race any more highly.  It’s enough people to be exciting, not enough to worry about them getting chucked off the course like a person in Pamplona…the after race festivities are beyond fabulous and even the “inefficiencies” (craptastic parking) can provide a workaround if you need it.

Do you ever race with your kids?

What’s your favorite post-race activity?

You know those days where you just think you’ve had enough and then…

well, you open up a kid’s homework folder you see this.

When did “whore” get on the spelling list this week?

My response to my mom and sisters:  It’s nice to see Meg is happy to see her friends even if they are a little slutty.  

Funny how sometimes a little sideways “s” makes you change your perspective and chuckle (along with others).

I’m slowly getting back into my running routine post-Boston.  Even 2 weeks out I can tell my recovery is still slow-going.  Yesterday I got a 5-miler in…and…

Yeah- hello inconsistency.  My splits are as varied as Lindsay Lohan’s personality these days.

For what it’s worth I’m pretty sure I stopped to stretch in mile 3 for a bit and forgot to turn my timer off, but I can’t be sure – it might very well be the strangest splits I’ve seen.

In other news, I have a BIG race this weekend.

Last year after the Laguna Hills 1k for Kids

And by big I mean HUGE…because not only are we running the PCRF 5k on Team Gab, but more importantly, the Vanilla & Chocolate are running their first 5k!

Strawberry’s already asked if I can “pace him to a new PR” (PR’s are a disease and he’s got it) in his efforts.  Given that they haven’t actually done a single training run – I’m thinking they’ll be…

JUST FINE.

Have you ever hung out with 3 little boys before?  Yes, they could be running better if we had done a training run or 5, but if I slapped a pedometer on their little feet, they probably run 3 miles every 30 minutes when they’re outside with the neighbor kids playing.

Do you ever run with your kids?

Do you ever race with your kids?
I do from time to time and it’s SOOOOO hard watching all the speedsters cruise by during the race knowing that I could be there pushing myself with them, but there’s nothing that replaces crossing the finish line and seeing the look on their faces – so speed on speedsters, I get the biggest hug at the end of the finish line that just can’t be replaced!

Recovery has been rough…and quite honestly, while there was pain, I actually heeded Josie’s advice, just a little too well.

Yes, I was hurt, but I was also just emotionally, physically and mentally spent, so I’ve kind of been a bum for two weeks….

But over the weekend I started getting twitchy toes.  The bike riding and cross training at the gym wasn’t exactly cutting it.  My hatred for the gym was in full effect and if my family thought the taper tantrums were bad, watching me not run at all was starting to wreak havoc on those around me.

After enough ibuprofen, rolling and a few days of feeling good, I tied up the (new) laces and hit the road.  You might have seen me out there….

Source

I’m pretty sure this is how I looked.  Pounding and prancing for about 4 miles on the streets  with a goofy grin on my face.  Actually I started out all panicked and tense and realized it wasn’t going to help anything, so I let go and watched over a minute slip off my pace as I pounded out the last few miles.

I don’t have any major looming goals ahead of me, and it’s kind of nice.  I have my 12 in 12 challenge that’s ongoing, but running a half marathon once a month doesn’t seem to be too problematic.  I had originally toyed with the idea of pushing myself on the Laguna Hills Half at the end of May to make up for last year’s epic failure, but I don’t want to get injured or tick my knee off again, so it seems a fun run is in order.

So for now, I’ll run for the sake of running, race when I want to, and evaluate what I’m doing next.

The last year has taught me a few things about my running:

-I love the challenge of full marathon training, but I like hanging out with my family more.  The truth is these little buttheads really like hanging around with me now.  In about 4 years, they’re going to want to be with their friends and that’s going to come so freaking fast.  I want to eat up every moment I can with them like it’s a molten lava cake.

-I’m a middle distance, moderately fast kinda gal.  Too short and too fast and I’m too hurt.  Too long and too slow and I’m hurt.  I’ll go with the halfsie and a moderately quick pace and see where that leads me.  That said, it will likely lead me to the beer tent to celebrate my accomplishment while I wait for my uber ambitious friends to finish their additional 13 miles. Pshhh….

Sarah and I celebrating a new PR in October – first tapped keg #winning

What big goals do you have coming up?

What’s your most favoritest run recently?