Goodbye 2010!

What a great way to end 2010! Who would have thought that on December 31, I would get to run outside in the Midwest in 62 degrees, Capri running tights and short sleeves?!?! Amazing and fantastic!

2010 was a very up and down year in my running. I started with high hopes for getting back into shape and running a half in May. I ended up doing the 5k instead... And very slowly. First one back from a baby so I will cut myself a little slack.

Then came the marathon proclamation that ended up being two half marathons (August and October) instead. At least October left me with my PR in the half even though I missed out in the marathon. The year ended with on and off running, but excitement for 2011 running!

I did meet my goal of losing all the baby weight and then some. And outside of running, I did find some balance in work, motherhood and wifedom. I started a new business and said goodbye to a significant amount of my old job. I said goodbye to late night working and hello to daily cooking and cleaning.

2010 was not a bad year, not a great year. It had it's highs and lows, it's ups and downs. I look forward to a clean slate for 2011. I can feel some major changes happening in my 30th year!

Have a safe and happy new year!

what an astounding christmas!

Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday today!

The Ray-Man, baby girl and I most certainly did!  Samantha woke up this morning not quite understanding what was going on, but the Christmas fever quickly got to her.  Her energy level shot up and then crashed hard for her morning nap.  I got her all dolled up for Grandma and Grandpa's with the most adorable bows and pigtails and that is when all hell started to break loose!  The child hates anything in her hair...  she cried and cried and cried until I reached back and took it all out...  Then the energy level skyrocketed!  She opened more gifts than she could possibly realize and promptly started to throw a fit about taking a nap.  Poor child, poor mama, poor extended family...  I am just starting to see what future Christmases and Birthdays may be like with her.  It does not look pretty...

Well for me it was quite a bountiful and astounding day!  I finally got the gift I have been asking for: A Kindle!  And it is already full for the upcoming trips thanks to a gift card from my in-laws.  (Any book suggestions would be greatly appreciated!)  I have only recently fell in love again with reading and find myself escaping to another world while baby girl is napping.  Reading is my true relaxation and I cannot wait to dive into all of the books I picked out!

The Ray-man also got me a great display for all of my running medals!  It is the Allied Medal Runner Girl display.  I absolutely love it and cannot wait to put it up above my jewelry box.  Hopefully it will be able to inspire the Ray-man as well...

Because in a completely unasked for gift, the Ray-man signed up to run the Indy Mini- Marathon with me! 

First, you have to know that the Ray-man is not a runner.  AT ALL.  He would love to just lift every day of his life and not do a single bit of cardio.  I once got him to run a 4 mile race on Thanksgiving Day and I thought he was going to kill me.

Second, the Ray-man is by nature lazy.  Sorry, but it is true.  And he knows it and he owns it.  While I am out running, he is playing video games and just relaxing.  For every go-go-go gene that I (and baby girl for that matter) have, the Ray-man has a stop-stop-stop gene.  He is easy going, easy to please and enjoys the comfort of his couch.

After the Thanksgiving Day run, I stopped asking him to run with me so this is a complete surprise!  He has a 1/2 marathon on his things while he is in his 30s list, but I honestly never thought he would do it!

I am 110% excited for him, 110% excited to train with him (I usually train by myself!) and 110% worried about him all at the same time!  I am hoping that this all goes well physically and emotionally for him and I am secretly hoping that he will fall in love with running and become my permanent training partner.

So what a great Christmas Day for our household and the next few days will be even more eventful as we journey to see my family.

Any suggestions for husband and wife training partners??  Any suggestions for easing into training with someone??  Any suggestions for how I can get the Ray-man to wear one of the Team Sparkle skirts with me during his inaugural 1/2 marathon????

Merry Christmas!!!

another busy day in december, another day of no running...

After another non-run day, I am sitting here looking for some motivation.  I am still feeling some effects of being sick Monday/ Tuesday and trying to jump right back into life.  I have every intention of going to the gym tomorrow and I am just hoping that I can make it in there.  I know next week is going to be tough to get the miles in with our holiday traveling, so I have to make that daily mile counter go up tomorrow and Friday!

Instead of running, the Ray-Man and I took baby girl to the Indianapolis Children's Museum and out to dinner with my friend Erin and her husband Greg.  I would call Greg a friend, but I sold him out tonight in an attempt to get Erin and Greg motivated to join me in the mini marathon in May in Indy...  not sure if it worked and Greg did not look pleased with me!  :)

He looked as about pleased as baby girl did with Santa!  She is such a lover of Santa when in line.  She even says, "Ho Ho Ho!" when you ask what Santa says, but get her close and it is all down hill...

Now this is by far my favorite museum ever and I know that we will be making lots more trips there.  I am hoping baby girl loves it as much as I do!  But sadly after the museum I came to the realization that going out to dinner with baby girl is a thing of the past.  It is no longer a pleasant experience and I certainly hope that after tonight, Erin and Greg still want to have kids!  (baby girl is having some potty issues...  that certainly does not help!)

If you are ever in Indianapolis, you have to check this place out!  Whether you have kids or not, the exhibits are phenomenal and there is certainly something there for everyone!

Here is to hoping I make it into the gym tomorrow!

Fever Friday nite???

Well I got that run in yesterday!  And it felt awesome!  A slow 3 miler on the treadmill so that I could lift some weights and use the Ray-man's favorite Ab Solo machine.  (Ever used the Ab Solo machine?  You throw medicine balls into this contraption and it shoots them back out.  I am not quite sure how guys use this one.  I was proud yesterday when I only had 1 medicine ball come flying out at me.  Usually it happens at least 3 times!)  That is the one problem when I get training for a race.  Lifting gets left behind because of the mileage I am trying to get in.  I hope to change that this time around!

After my workout, I headed home to the Ray-man and already snoozing Samantha.  But unfortunately not for long.  The fever that took over our FriDay, also took over my FriNite and early Saturday morn.  At 12:30 am, I made the decision that we were heading to the doctor.  The baby girl was warm and uncomfortable.  Her and I hit the pull out sofabed downstairs and watched her boyfriend, Handy Manny.  Finally at 3 am the baby girl blessed me with some sleep.

We got up this morning and headed to the doctor where of course baby girl had no fever, no earache, nothing!  :(  I hate when I make those appointments and that happens!  The Ray-man called it my piece of mind appointment.  It frustrates me because again it points out to me to trust my instincts and not overreact... first fever though I guess it could not be helped...

But while at the doctor's office I promoted my favorite piece of running equipment!  I had in my favorite pink headband and the nurse asked about it.  So of course I had to tell her all about my SWEATY BAND!  If you have not yet tried this headband you are missing out!  The club I teach at was selling them in the pro shop and I loved it!  When I headed to Cincy for the ATP, they had a booth.  (Cincy is where they are made.) I spent a small fortune, but would gladly do it again! 

 
Viva Diva Super Skinny ~ Black

This one would match my team sparkle skirt!  It might just be my reward for the runcbus 10 miler in April.  Or maybe just because!  Check out Sweaty Bands.  I can run without my garmin and iPod but certainly not my Sweaty Band!

I hope everyone has a great Saturday!  Only 1 more week until the big man in the red suit hits!

Fever Friday

Today the fever has taken over the house and hence completely derailed my day!

The lil' one woke up at 5:30 am with a slight fever.  Nothing too major, but still our first fever.  Happy we had made it to 13.5 months.  So mama's gym plans went right out the door, along with my resolve to not waste this day! 

So here I sit, 3 pm, and I have just gotten out of my jammies.  Now mind you the lil' one is still in her's!  She is down for her hopefully long afternoon nap and I have gotten more done in the last 15 minutes then I had all morning.  (There was lots of temperature taking and snuggling going on this morning.  Sam is not a snuggler so I will gladly take it when I can get it!)

The dishwasher has been emptied and refilled, the laundry started, the bed made and the fever has gone down.  I am getting my mojo back!  When I finally shed the jammies, I put on my running clothes.  There will be no looking back now.

The Ray-Man will walk through that door at 6 pm.  I will show him the pizza in the oven.  I will show him a much better feeling baby girl.  And at 6:05 pm, I will get in my car, drive to the gym, put on my headphones and run.

I will run away from the whines, the fever, the unproductiveness and sadly the snuggles.

But I will get that run in.

three things thursday!

New tradition here on my blog! Three Things Thursday! :)

1. I was just reading The Average Woman Runner blog and loved her Team Sparkle idea! Since she will be doing the traveling skirt for the Indy Mini- Marathon, I had to come up with something different. So I called my sister Amy who will be running it as well with some friends and talked her into running in the skirts! Now we have to start coordinating colors and I call purple! :)

2. I saw there is a new 10 miler here in Columbus runcbus 10 miler on April 10, 2011. I thought it would be a great way to test my racing skills before Indy. I want to do the Cincy Heart half marathon, but just don't think I can handle the possibility of running in snow and cold on March 20. I want to get signed up asap so I can get my free jacket! Just anxiously waiting for the Ray-man's approval.

3. I actually made it to the gym. The Ray-man laughed at me when I told him it felt good to sweat yesterday. He thinks I am the only nutball out there who thinks that way. I think that there are alot of people who do! (R u one??) I got in a 3 miler yesterday and a 4 miler today on the dreaded treadmill. Man I hate that thing! But at least I had Gilmore Girls to watch. I will have to plan all longer runs on the treadmill around Gilmore Girls to help pass the time. Hoping to make it a trifecta and get in there tomorrow as well. A light run and weights is the plan!