Or when I see those posts that say running can’t be fun; have you ever seen a runner smiling? (I smile a lot when I run, by the way! Some may say I look like a crazy person!)

Running is probably one of the most beautiful things, aside from marriage and babies, I’ve ever done.

I’ve run through numerous states, over a variety of landforms: hills, valleys, rocks, grass, sand.

I’ve run up mountains and down mountains; along the beach and past fields of flowers.

I’ve run in places I would forget if not for the specific running memories, like the small town in Utah that smelled so sweetly of wildflowers, and the snow-covered back country streets of West Virginia, where I prepared for my first-ever 5K.

I’ve run during sunrises and sunsets.

I’ve run in rain, in snow, in wind, and, once because I was mildly stupid, a small hurricane.

I’ve run through mental pains, like when my close friend died, my aunt died and my mother had a stroke.

I ran my first half marathon to commemorate a miscarriage at eleven  weeks, an event that left me devastated. At each mile marker of that race, I said goodbye to the baby I never got to hold.

On some of these runs the tears and heaping gulps of frustration stopped me, doubled me over; and when they did, I looked out over wherever I was – ocean or country, hills or flatlands -  and I thought, Wow. Life is beautiful.

All runners understand the beauty that rests in nothing but the feet and the mind. It’s tangible.

I can’t imagine living my life without it.

I had two excellent birthday runs this weekend. Both were beautiful; just see for yourself:

For the 12th year in a row.

It has gotten much easier, hitting that 3rd decade of my life. I’ve learned to take the milestone in stride. You realize, twelve years after, how much it really doesn’t matter. Life goes on. Things change. I’ve had a few kids, and we got a dog. We own a house rather than renting a cramped (but super cute) condo in Pasadena.

I’ve run two marathons. Completed a triathlon. Jogged endless 5Ks, 10Ks and halfs.

I’ve learned since turning thirty the first time to listen to my body if it is in pain. That doesn’t mean I accept it gracefully; I just listen more these days, and I take a break as needed.

I’ve learned it’s not so much the race but the participation in that matters. I could run through Florida or California, Georgia or Alabama, and it wouldn’t matter. What would matter would be that I enjoyed it. Soaked it all up. Got the medal at the finish line, regardless of my time.

I’ve learned PRs are cool, but that’s not all there is. I can be the slowest in the pack and enjoy it the most. That’s fine by me.

I’ve learned aging means understanding the difference between pushing through the pain and then not running for six weeks; or stopping, icing, resting and lacing back up in seven days.

I’ve learned to run just to run.

I’d say over the past 12 years of turning thirty, I’ve learned a hell of a lot!

—

That said, I started triathlon training this week. I figured out a schedule I believe will work while reducing the stress on my body that happened last year. I got back into the pool today, and all in all it was a good swim. 25 minutes, three laps at a time before a rest.

My only problem, and I know this is something I’ll need to deal with sooner rather than later – after swimming, I took the girls in, and because I wasn’t technically exercising, I experienced Raynauds. (Don’t know what that is? Fun little issue when your body temp drops and the blood stops circulating to your extremities.)This just started a few years ago, and only in my right pointer finger and right heel. This year it has moved a bit, and today it happened for the first time ever in my right thumb.

And I didn’t even feel that cold!

Pooey. Not sure what to do about this. I want to continue to swim, but it’s dangerous to allow it to happen often or for long periods of time. I certainly don’t want to give up swimming because of it.

Will I look like a total dork if I wear some type of gloves for warmth, so my fingers don’t turn white and then purple?

Yes, but turning 30 for 12 years has taught me I don’t give a crap how much of a dork I resemble, as long as I’m happy, safe and having a good time.

So guess I’ll be purchasing some gloves.

I hope I can run a few races and participate in a few triathlons this birthday year.

But I really hope that when I turn 30 next year, for the 13th year in a row, I can look back on this year and say how great it was!

The girl wants to cycle from the moment she wakes up each morning until the moment she hits the bed. If we are home, she’s asking for a bike ride (and who am I to say no?!)

Each morning, after Big One heads to school, Little One and I hop on our bikes and go. We have a favorite place to ride, next to the marsh as the sun comes up. Some mornings we see turtles. Other mornings, not another soul.

These photos really tell it all about a fall morning bike ride. What’s not to love?

Fall leaves and Spanish moss

Little One in the Lead

Making Trails in the Dew!

And Enjoying the Beautiful Views . . .

Breathtaking!

Get out and Pedal!

Looking to pamper the lady you love . . . or yourself? With this giveaway you could do a little of both!

KMR Communications, Inc. contacted me about giving one fabulous reader all of these great gifts, and I jumped at the chance.

The thrifty side of me thought, “Oh yay, holiday gifts for women I love!” But the selfish side of me thought about how much I would love to win the body serum!

So what can you win for a friend/sister/lover/daughter/mother or yourself? A makeover from head to toe!

Grab a cup of java; this could take a while!

Take Her to the Bar . . . for Better Abs!

 Joey Decker, a dancer and owner of the Burbank, CA Bar Method Studio, guides you through exercises that will elongate muscles, firm and tone the jigglies, and help you get strong, fit abs, narrow thighs . . . and it takes just thirty-seven minutes! I don’t know about you, but I could use this workout!

MSRP:$20

The Bangles . . . on her Wrist . . .

Want to be bejeweled? What girl doesn’t? The lucky winner will receive two bangle bracelets similar to the one show above from Bombay Fashions, one of the largest online retailers for fashion jewelry.

Skin that Glows

Looking to exfoliate and moisturize? BrilliantFX, a body serum, contains lactic acid and Vitamin E to exfoliate and moisturize. Says co-founder of Trinity of Youth, the company that manufacture’s BrilliantFX, “By using naturally occurring medicinal agents that have been used for thousands of years, we can now offer out unique mixture that both alleviates dry, cracked skin and improves the appearance of aging skin on the body.” Sounds good to me!

MSRP $39.99

Hair You Love!

Piero and Luigi Pirri, brothers with hair salons in Connecticut and New York, have created a line of natural hair care products that includes as an ingredient Bergamot, which is an essential oil that comes from a fruit native to Calabria, Italy. The winner will receive shampoo, conditioner, serum and leave-in conditioner. Each product has been created to lock in moisture, which makes it a perfect product line for winter.

MSRP: Over $80

The Nails Have It!

Winter is here, which means skin will begin to dry if not cared for properly. Minus417 specializes in creating products that contain natural active components, such as select minerals from the Dead Sea and unique plant extracts from France. The winner will receive this kit, filled with hand moisturizer, foot moisturizer, cuticle oil, nail buffer and nail file.

MSRP: $39.48  

And Speaking of Nails . . .

Once her nails are looking great from all of the pampering in the Minus417 kit, she’ll be able to doll them up with these fun fingernail tips from Pretty Woman. The winner will receive two airbrushed nail kits! MSRP: Starting at $5.99 per kit  

How Can You Win?

It’s easy! Comment below for one chance to win; tell me the one way you love to spoil yourself, whether it is a product, an activity or just vegging on the couch in front of a good show!

Enter additional times by doing the following:

Become a new follower on twitter @mamamarathoner for 1 extra chance; comment here that you have followed me after doing so,and leave your twitter handle so I can follow back!

Like me on Facebook for TWO extra chances! Report back here, leaving two comments in the comment section below along the lines of I’m a Facebook Follower!

Share the joy! Tweet about this contest for one additional chance to win! Report back by pasting your tweet in the comment section. Please limit this tweet to one time per day so you don’t drive your followers crazy!

Don’t forget to come back and leave the above comments for your extra chance(s) to win!

Winner will be chosen by random.org on Friday, November 11th, and will have 48 hours to claim his or her prize. If no one comes forth during that time, a new winner will be selected through the same method.

Prizes will be shipped by KMR Communications, Inc.

And here is my liability claim . . . I accept no liability, period, even if you don’t like the stuff (how could you not?!) or you are sensitive to the products or you don’t have the energy to make it through the entire Bar Method workout.  I’m simply here to give away some great prizes!

An hour later, we returned home with this:

Yes, we now have in our possession enough candy to rot the teeth of all children ages 1-18 residing in the southern portion of the United States.

My children, stoked.

Our dentist, smiling, dreams of yachts dancing through her head.

My husband and I, to say the very, very least, quite fearful and, well, sick and tired of hearing, “Can I have a piece of candy now? Please? Please!” Stomp, stomp, stomp. “But I’ve only had five today!”

Do you know what it’s like to have a child who, as a toddler, scoured candy at the checkout line, picked up a few bars, and sniffed it the way a hunting dog tracks the ground?

And now, to have in our possession, a hundred bars of chocolate?

Not good.

Typically I toss out candy handful by handful until it is all gone, but this method takes way too long and in the interim we fight almost daily about how much candy she wants (8 pieces) versus how much I will allow her to eat (1).

Yet I don’t want my children to feel completely deprived.

Sharon Stone, director of operations at MindStream Academy, a co-ed health and wellness boarding school for teens who want to get fit, says, “One of the most important things to keep in mind is that keeping Halloween healthy can’t be about deprivation. If you keep your kids from candy altogether or are too tight-fisted when handing it out, your children’s desire to gobble it up will only intensify. It’s the classic forbidden fruit principle. Instead, make Halloween about enjoying treats in moderation. Try to achieve a balance between candy, healthy foods, and activity.”

So what can you do to strike a balance between a few bars and an entire semi-sized slab? Here, a few ways to dump the candy crack and return to a state of normalcy after Halloween:

1. Enjoy in moderation. Let your kids choose their favorites from their pile and make a deal about how many pieces per day can be consumed for the first few days, when the memory of Halloween is the freshest in their minds. We do two pieces. And we do this for only three days. After that, the candy bag is hidden and I try to deter them from having daily treats.
2. Balance eating with exercise. Says Stone, “After the trick-or-treating buzz has faded, make it a rule that no one gets to consume candy calories without first burning them. In order to eat a leftover treat, your kids will first have to play outside or participate in some other type of physical activity. This is a great time for some family bonding time too—play a game of kickball together or get everyone rounded up for a lap or two around the neighborhood.”
3. Freeze it. Yep, that’s right! JJ Virgin, host of TLC’s Freaky Eaters, says the beauty of frozen treats are you’re liable to break a tooth off if you try to take it out and eat it right away. (Explain this to the kiddos first, please, so they don’t give it a try.) Freeze the treats you’ve collected and only take out a few when you want. This way you and your children can’t walk by and grab a handful several times a day (or an hour).
4. Welcome the Great Pumpkin. Now that Halloween is over and the kids have gorged on some sugar, it might be time to begin ditching the treats. You can do this a bit at a time, as I’ve done over the years, or, and I love this idea because my kids are still young enough to believe in it, you might introduce the Great Pumpkin. Remember the Great Pumpkin, who flew around delivering toys to girls and boys? Stone offers this idea: Have your children choose a few treats to keep at the house. Then leave the rest outside for the Great Pumpkin, who visits the home and exchanges gifts for the candy you’ve left.
5. Find a buy back program. A dentist in our town offers wooden nickles that can be exchanged for toys. Some give away a dollar per pound for leftover candy. Find one in your area and trade it in for cash or prizes.

Last year, I was about halfway through the novel I’m currently writing when I decided to work on a second idea for NaNoWriMo. The thought scared me, not because I would sit down and write, write, write, but because it is unlike the process I normally use, which is to write a chapter, stop and edit until I feel it is solid, and then move on to write the next chapter.

Sitting down and writing a few hundred pages WITHOUT editing one little word? Daunting!

And yet, at the end of the month, I finished about 2/3rds of the book, which, I will now admit, has remained in its folder under My Documents since last November.

But that’s okay . . .

I didn’t think much about participating this year because that novel I was halfway through writing last year when I participated is now almost completed. I’m finishing up my climatic chapter (damn is it tough!), and I have one chapter left to write after that, which will be about ten pages in length. All told, my novel will be around 325 pages when completed.

My main goal: To finish up this novel by month’s end and begin a final edit in December, for the next NaNo event.

However, I started reading tweets and emails regarding NaNoWriMo just about the time I began mapping out the idea for the next novel I plan to write; and one day, like snapping my fingers, it clicked: I would participate this year by way of writing up my next novel idea in a very rough draft.

An internet writing group to which I belong began circulating messages about NaNo, and a few commented they wouldn’t participate because they didn’t think their writing would be worth much if they tried to crank it out in thirty days.

I get the reasoning, but I believe the only writing that can never be written is the one not put down on paper.

My thought: I can pump out a general story idea in a month’s time and have at least a very sketchy rough draft to work with when it comes time to pick up this story and go. And that’s what writing is to me anyway: You don’t start writing beautiful words; you start writing beautiful ideas, and then you spend hours breathing those words to life.

I don’t anticipate the words I write this month will be publishable when I’m done. I’m not looking for that. I am, however, hoping I get my next basic idea down on paper, even in a very rough form, so I have a place to begin when it is time.

Novels may not be written in publishable format in one month, but they are never publishable if they are never started.

Happy NaNoWriMo 2011! May the words be with you . . .

With young children, the focus is more on having fun with party games than on scaring the living crap outta the kids; though, I must say, this will one day be a highlight!

Last night I worked for several hours preparing a variety of games (see below) and treats. Today, we are putting the finishing touches on the kids Halloween snacks and the girls will spend a crazy amount of time wrapping streamers around every available surface in my home, so that I am still finding it at Christmas.

Want to throw a fun two-hour party? Here are some inexpensive ideas. Get the kids to help if they are old enough – it’s a good way to pass some time and get a little creative!

On the Menu

 
Wormy cupcakes
Chocolate or vanilla cupcakes,though you’ll need chocolate cupcakes or Oreos for ‘dirt’. Use a cupcake hole puncher to create a hole in the middle, from which you can stick the worm. (The kids helped with this and loved it!) Ice with chocolate frosting; then crumble chocolate cake on top so it looks like dirt. The kids did this part, too.

Pumpkin Cake Balls
Use leftover cupcakes and frosting and roll into balls. Don’t make the balls too big or they will be too heavy on the sticks. Refrigerate for several hours. Use lollipop sticks and candy melts to create the pumpkins. Prior to putting the ball on the stick, dab a little melted chocolate on the stick so it will harden and the ball will stick better. I get my supplies at Michael’s (gotta love the forty to fifty percent off coupons they offer!) but they also have them at Wal Mart. My daughter created this box for the sticks since I forgot to purchase a green styrofoam block!

Chocolate Monster Pretzels on a Stick
Sadly, I didn’t get a photo of these cute dudes, but I used molds I found at Michaels for the mummies. Melted orange candy into the mold and stuck a large pretzel rod into the candy before it hardened. These were a hit! I placed them in glasses and handed them out at the end of the party.

Cheese Doodles, because they are orange
Candy corn in a dish (aka Wolf Fingernails)
Chocolate eyeball candies
Fruit punch (aka Spider’s Blood)

Fun and Games

We played a variety of games; these seemed to be the most popular!

1. Build a Monster: This was one of the kids’ favorites. I drew a picture of a fun Frankenstein-type monster on posterboard and then created pieces of him (bolts, hands, arms, legs, shoes) using various colored construction paper. Kids drew a ‘piece’ and got blindfolded, then had to place the piece on the monster where they thought it belonged. The other kids ‘led them’ by saying up, down, left and right. In the end, he looked nothing like he was supposed to!
2. Witches Stew. This was one of the favorites. I cut out shapes of bats, ghosts and witch hats about the size of dimes. Ten shapes for each kid, two kids, so twenty  shapes altogether. The shapes were scattered on the table. Each child also got a small cereal bowl and a straw. The object of the game: pick up the pieces of paper by sucking on the straw and holding the pieces against the straw until they were dropped into the bowl. The first person to pick up all ten pieces won! One boy won them all!
3. Eyeball relay races. I found a bag of small chocolate candies that looked like eyeballs at the Dollar Tree. Outside I marked the driveway with two lines and the kids used spoons to hold the eyeball as they raced down and back. If the eyeball fell they had to stop, put it back on and continue the race.
4. Ghost Tag. The ghost wore a white sheet. I outlined a section of the driveway and told kids if they went ‘out’ they were it. The ghost said “Boo” and, in Marco Polo fashion, the other kids yelled ‘Ah’ to let the ghost know where they were. Whoever got tagged by the ghost was it.
5. Pumpkin bowling. This is always one of our favorites! Use a small pumpkin and several plastic water bottles partially filled. Bowl!
6. Halloween Hopscotch. I drew the hopscotch with pictures of pumpkins and ghosts inside. The kids tossed pieces of candy instead of rocks.
7. Candy Toss. Each kid got three pieces of candy and tried to toss them into plastic pumpkin heads.

A 10K – did it, then got sick after.

A sprint triathlon – cancelled because I was afraid of getting sick.

A half marathon – cancelled because I don’t want to get sick.

My race season has amounted to little more than 6 miles followed by four hours of feeling like poo poo.

It’s sucked, in other words.

In the meantime, I keep thinking about what I ‘want’ to do but am afraid to do. Go more than five miles? No way! Last time I did six I got so sick I had to sit down in the grass twice while walking across my daughter’s soccer field!

Ride more than 10 miles? No! What happens if I get out there and start to feel poorly?

Instead, I’ve been doing short sessions.

This Sunday, I ran 3.5 while my kids rode their bikes. There was a lot of stop and go and doubling back and racing up and down the same stretch of road while they played in the dirt.

Yesterday I did 8 miles on my bike and then took two additional rides with my family – a 2 miler and a 1 or so miler – later in the day.

And you know what?

It has been fun.

I feel like stepping back from having my mind set on particular goals – a sub 2 hour half, or a 24 minute 5K – has enabled me to really enjoy what it is I’m doing. I’m not so serious about it all right now. I don’t care if I run fast (in fact, I’m afraid to!), but I just want to run. I’m afraid to run far, so I just go.

It has taken a few weeks to get to this point. To not be so nervous if I miss a day of running, or only put in a single digit number on my bike. I have slowed down some, and while it was tough to do, I’m finding it’s kind of enjoyable.

Okay, really enjoyable, but that doesn’t make me sound competitive at all!

Do I want to go farther and faster in the future? (Now say that three times!)

I do! I really, really do.

But for now, I’m doing what I have to do to stay healthy. And until I figure out what is exactly going on with my crazy system, this is what has to be done.

So for now, you may not find me at the start line of any races, but you will find me lagging behind my daughters, who can put in a mean 9:30 minute mile on their bikes!

And, chances are, I’ll be laughing as I go.

How do you reconnect to working out when your training schedule has gotten too hectic?

The downs? My running continues to be an uphill battle. I lace up and get out, but I’m walking a lot and huffing and puffing when I do jog. My pace, which was down around 9:15 for a while, is now hovering in the mid-10s and sometimes the low 11s. A 5 mile run that used to take 45 minutes now takes 54. Ouch.

It’s disheartening, to say the least. Since getting sick the last time, and then experiencing flu-like symptoms for four hours after the two runs that followed the last sickness, I have not been able to get my breathing coordinated or my pace up.

I am simply slogging through the mire, putting in the motions, and, above all of the drudgery when out there, I get home and wind up having a lot of aches and pains that I normally wouldn’t experience doing such short, easy runs. My hip hurts. My ankles hurt.  I feel I’ve aged about ten years in the past two months! Which makes me mad, because I was in such a good place with my running before all of this started.

But on a good note: I got my new Schwinn!

As I posted before, I was chosen as a Joy Agent for Schwinn bikes, and my new Prelude arrived at my local bike store (LBS in biker’s terms – I know, as I’m learning them!), monkeywrench, last Friday.

I picked her up on Wednesday, so excited to see how sweet she looked and to feel she was lighter compared to my old – but still lovely – Schwinn.

The bike did not come with a water bottle, and in my excitement I failed to notice. So, I haven’t been able to do a longer ride,  but I did take her out for 7 miles last week and it was wonderful! I was able to easily hit 17mph, which for me is near racing speed (I did about 18 during my sprint tri). It was an easy pedal, so I’m hoping that’s a result of the new bike and not the fact that I haven’t cycled in a while and was overly eager to do so!

Plus, cycling didn’t make me sick!

But the best thing? Well, it has to be the experience itself. There’s nothing like getting out and experiencing life. Cycling is such a great way to do this.

Today I did a 5 miler and followed it up with a cycle around the neighborhood with the kids! So far, feeling well. Who knows? Maybe I will one day be mamacycler rather than mamamarathoner . . .

This weekend I have a 10K; October 8, a sprint tri; and November 5th, a half marathon.

I didn’t intentionally schedule races this way. In general, I take a month or so before events, and for a number of reasons. First, child care is tough to come by. I’m lucky to have a mom who has newly retired and lives close enough to come and hang out for the weekend; she’ll be watching the kids for this weekend’s 10K as I race.

Money is also an issue. Racing fees are crazy these days! I’ll sound old here, but I remember when you could pay $25 for a race AND get a t-shirt and fully stocked goody bag! My last tri: over $75!  Racing isn’t cheap, so I try to pick and choose carefully.

Also, my body requires more rest these days. I’ll post soon about some health issues I’m having, which may make long distance running a thing of my past; but, I’m still trying to swallow that thought down without puking it back up, so I’m gonna put that post on hold.

However, I can say this: A 14 mile run isn’t as easy as it once was. Recovery takes a bit longer, and I find the more I push myself on a steady basis, the more likely I am to pick up whatever buggies the kids carry home from school. They stay well, I end up sneezing, coughing, or hunkering down in bed for a few days. Not good.

On the flip side of all of this, there are only so many races nearby, and most of ours take place in the fall and early or late winter months, when the heat of the south has dissipated and left behind some coolness in its wake. Basically, you have to take advantage when you can, which is probably the biggest reason I’m doing three races nearly back to back.

How do you determine your racing schedule? Do you try to pick and choose so you have a balanced schedule, or do you decide based on price?