FEELING BETTER

Things are improving in the Trailmomma household. We had a good weekend. Let's recap ...

Friday, Squeaker was home with Vans. He took her to see the pediatrician but it turns out no ear infection ... just a regular cold but she is tons better today. After the visit to the pedi, Vans dropped her off at my office as I was getting out of work and he had to race to a meeting.

Squeaker and I took the jogger stroller to my old running location and busted out 6 miles! Afterwards I did some TRX strength moves at a nearby park.

Fitting it in the best I can.

Saturday was a busy day because Vans was participating in his first ever duathlon! TBF Racing hosts a free duathalon once a year. It consisted of a 2 mile run, a 7 mile bike ride followed by another 2 mile run. This may seem "easy" but Vans has never ever done anything of the sort. Sure he bikes and yes, he runs but he has never done a triathlon and has never run after biking ... as in ever. He was a bit nervous for this race because he had no idea what to expect.

Peanut & Squeaker bundled up waiting ...

Of course he did great. He experienced what it is like to cramp however during the transition when you are trying to put on your running shoes ... that part was not fun. It was also very cold Saturday morning but luckily, he finished before the strong winds came ....

Finished!.

Free food afterwards made it even better!

As always the Peanut was super excited to cheer Vans on ... she and the Squeaker are great when it comes to going to races and this race was very spectator friendly. While at the race, I ran into my new running partner TiggerT and she told me that her running group, the Java Joggers, were meeting on Sunday at the Fish Hatchery to run around Lake Natoma.

I thought about it and thought about it and was actually going to pass when it hit me on Saturday evening .... do it! You deserve it! I was a little worried about the distance since most of my runs have been in the 6 to 8 mile range but I figured, why not .... So bright and early Sunday morning I met the Java Joggers at the Fish Hatchery for a run. It was cold but it felt great!

We ran 11.66 miles around the lake and I felt amazing. I did not have one issue. No tummy troubles, no aches or pains ... not even a negative thought! I was on a total high and enjoying the company of those I was running with. Gosh how I missed running longer distances .... for fun!

While I was gone ... Vans and the girls were getting into some mischief.

Guess who is mobile now?

Squeaker is still rolling but she's also doing the army crawl thing a bit now too. All she does is look for her sister and then makes her way over to her ...

See.

The Peanut was too busy "creating" art to really notice her sister ....

Ta-Da! Such an artiste!

(and still obsessed with Christmas)

When I arrived home the girls were happy and the house wasn't entirely trashed ... I consider that a win win situation.

She loves her .... now

Later in the day we headed down to Sacramento for the CHP car seat inspection at Mel Rapton Honda. I just like to have our seats checked from time to time. This time, I am glad that I did. I knew that Squeaker's seat was semi-expired (yes, car seats apparently expire - they can last 5 years). Well, Squeaker's seat was VERY expired so much in fact that the CHP confiscated it! Yup, they took away our car seat ... and gave us a brand new one...for FREE!!!!! They installed it too. Sweet deal!

We then headed home after visiting with Grandma and Poppa. Vans went on a mountain bike ride while the Peanut and I got to work. She loves to bake and instead of an "Easy Bake Oven" for Christmas, Santa provided her with simple baking mixes like brownies and cookies. I let her go to town and bake her very own brownies. Jersey Gramie made her this neat apron for Christmas which she is obsessed with.

How cute!?

She made the brownies all by herself. I simply would measure out the ingredients and she would add and stir. They are not gluten free so I couldn't give them a taste but both Vans and the Peanut said they were VERY good! Squeaker is also gluten free for now (and a little young) so she also could not give them a taste test ...

Whatch-you talkin about mom?

Overall it was a great weekend. When I can get runs in without missing more than two days in between I always feel better. We shall see what this week brings in terms of workouts ... I have high hopes.

SMUDGING

Wow. I did not realize I have not posted anything in the "New Year." It is easy to not post as much when you do not have a computer at home and you are not running as much (aka not really having a reason to post). However, I should post something as this is supposed to be a "new" and "better" year right?

The Friday before New Years started off great. I was able to get in 6 miles on my old bike trail route before picking up the girls at daycare. It is the one time during the week that I get a little "me time" and I love it.

Happy to see Momma!

New Years Eve day I was home for a bit and then had to go to work at my part-time/once in a while job. It had been a while since I've seen the crew. Despite a horrendous game, it was fun to see the old gang again. I was able to make it home by 9:00 pm and just in time to say good night to the Peanut before ringing in the New Year with Vans.

New Years Day started off with a nice 8 mile run for me on some fire road trails near my house. I even busted out my new trail shoes because I miss wearing trail shoes (they weren't necessary for the terrain but it was nice to wear them).

Brooks Adrenaline ASR - heaven!

Right after our incident, a good friend of mine sent me a present to help change the recent string of bad luck we have had lately. She told me that we needed to get the "bad ju-ju" out of our house and so she purchased me a "smudge" so that we could smudge our house and chase out the bad ju-ju. Hey, I was game. Sure it sounded bizarre but at that point we really couldn't say no because things just kept getting worse and worse in our house.

Vans and I waited until January 1st, New Years Day to smudge. We figured it was a good way to welcome the New Year.

Smuding the house!

The Peanut enjoyed smudging with me.

I can see why the bad ju-ju goes away ... the smell of the smudge was terrible! It is basically bound up sage but when lit ... holy heaven it stank up our house something awful! We eventually had to open the windows and turn on the house fan to get the smell out! Bad ju-ju be gone!

The rest of the weekend was spent doing some fun things like fooling around on the Peanut's new art easel from Santa ... I have to say, she's quite talented for a 3 year old ...

Santa ...and a few other people

She drew me, Vans (complete with mohawk) and herself

on a skateboard with Squeaker "sleeping" above us

We all had Monday off. Vans got in a nice mountain bike ride while I rearranged furniture in our house trying to make our upstairs more functional. Later we ventured to Costco. This is how we roll at Costco ... using our jogging stroller ....

Squeaker's socks make her look like that scene in The Wizard of Oz!

Needless to say, back to work on Tuesday and life's been a struggle since then. Tuesday resulted in no workouts for me because the Peanut had evening swim lessons. Wednesday I got motivated (and Squeaker slept well) and I lifted some weights in the morning and then ran 3.5 hilly miles with my running partner after work.

Unfortunately, Squeaker was up all night last night which resulted in me sleeping with her in a recliner chair from midnight to 5:30 am when I had to get ready for work. Not fun and it also meant no morning workout as planned. If I want to get anything in tonight (which should be my TRX) I will have to do it when both girls are asleep tonight ... after 8:30 pm. I don't enjoy that but things are kind of crazy right now and I need to relieve some stress.

Despite high hopes for this New Year ... there is an ugly situation that I am currently dealing with on a daily basis. I am kind of just waiting for something to erupt or explode but never knowing when it might happen or if it will happen. I am just trying to take it day by day.

I am trying to have a better attitude about my commute as well but on days when I have just a few hours of sleep, miss a workout and feel like I am being tugged in a million directions it is hard. I honestly regret our move and oddly enough, Vans has found peace with it ... although Vans can workout at lunch, Vans doesn't have to commute as far, Vans doesn't have to feed Squeaker all night long ... but Vans does have to hear me and deal with me. He's a great help and a great Dad. I am not ragging on him but sometimes, I wish that men could either nurse or multi-task.

Happy New Years Blog World

CHRISTMAS RECAP & NEW TOYS

Christmas came and went in our house rather quickly but it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

He came!

This was the first time the Peanut "really" understood and was excited for Santa. We did the Elf on the Shelf thing starting December 1st and that really REALLY made Christmas seem to drag on last forever.

Fortunately for us she slept in until about 7 am (her usual time) and we heard her squeal from the living room with excitement. Unfortunately for her, we made her wait until Squeaker woke up (on her own) which was not until 8 am. Torture!

Squeaker and I had a nice trip to Kaiser on Christmas Eve Day ... never doubt a mother's intuition. I knew something was not right with her despite being fever-less ... sure enough, she had an ear infection and is now on antibiotics. Luckily, the antibiotics kicked in really quickly.

Christmas morning was wonderful. The Peanut enjoyed opening her AND Squeaker's presents. We Skyped with my family on the east coast and opened more gifts and then had our California family over for dinner and opened even more presents.

The Peanut and I made cookies for the family & of course for Santa.

I hope he isn't diabetic

We made one for Dad.

I also made dinner for the entire family. It was great having Saturday free to prep everything and then just tossing it all in the oven on Christmas morning.

Regular & Gluten Free/Vegan Baked Ziti

YUM!

Santa was good to all of us. Vans got a new Garmin watch for his training (which, ahem, still sits unopened in its packaging on his night stand) and I got a few nice things as well including a work out bench!

I have been wanting one of those for a while. I have been using my stability ball for most of my dumbbell moves but this bench is nice and compact and convenient. Santa also got me something I have wanted forever ... well, to be honest, I got myself this but Santa needs to attach it to the ceiling to make it work better.

TRX

Since I have had limited time to run due to my long commute and just having to be a mom in the evenings, having these tools in our garage gym have been a life saver. Of course I still miss running. I haven't abandoned running all together mind you ... I just don't do it has often as I would like.

Right now I am running two nights a week with a friend which has been great. She is super flexible in her schedule and is patient with me and my commute and my evening mommy duties. Last night we ran for 4 miles in the dark decked out in our headlamps and reflective gear. Once school is back in session we plan to maybe hit the high school track once a week and do some speed work.

On the nights I don't run I try and spend at least 45 minutes in the garage doing some TRX moves as well as some moves with my dumbbell set (purchased on craigslist) and squats. I did the TRX on Tuesday evening and my bum is still a bit sore but in a good way. I am looking forward to using it tonight.

Work lately has been very very stressful and without these outlets I don't think I would be handling it all very well. I also don't think without my wonderful girls in my life would I be as sane as I am.

The Peanut in SF

Having Monday off was great as well. Vans took the Peanut to San Francisco to see The Grinch play and she was in heaven. Vans was exhausted. While those two were off playing in the city, Squeaker and I were playing around at home.

Always smiling!

Squeaker and I went on a nice 5 mile run too with the jogging stroller. She loves it (lucky for me) and I needed a good run.

The Trailmomma family is hoping that the New Year brings us some better mojo. We had a rough 2011. Oddly, it is starting out with me working New Years Eve and Vans getting oral surgery the first few weeks of the New Year but beyond that ... bring on the happy, healthy vibes!

Happy New Year Everyone!

STILL AROUND

I am still here. I just haven't been running much more than one day a week so I really haven't had that much to blog about.

However, I realize it is the holidays and I do have two adorable little girls and that a lot of my audience tunes in just to see what THEY are up to and not just what I have been doing running wise lately. Which is good because the running is almost zero but the girls are keeping me busy.

Surrounded by friends

Earlier last week the Peanut gathered all her favorite stuffed friends on the couch so that they could all enjoy Frosty Returns. Much to my delight, the Peanut is very into Frosty the Snowman and anything Rudolph lately. Love. The holidays are so much fun with her this year.

I was contacted by Tigger T via email asking me if I wanted to go running sometime. She's read my blog posts and my posts about not finding time to run and/or lack of motivation. She's great. She knows that if someone is out there waiting for you, you won't bail on a run. She also was anxious to show me some neat trails around the neighborhood. So after a few quick texts on Friday, we agreed to meet at the almost half way point between our homes and she'd show me some trails.

We met at 8 am on Saturday morning. It was chilly but it felt great to be out there with some fresh air. We jumped onto the NY Creek Trail and then up towards a fire-road that lead us towards Serrano. I had no idea this fire road trail was even there. It was great. We'd run, we'd walk, we'd talk. It was exactly what I needed to get my motivation back. I miss running so much.

When I arrived home, Vans informed me that the Peanut was being a bit fussy which is unlike her. Friday was her 6 month check up complete with three shots. She did great but I think was starting to feel the affects of those shots.

Doesn't she look like she's fussing? ha

The girl is still pretty darn cute even when she isn't feeling 100%. However, this little episode of fussiness would eventually come to blows on Sunday when Vans left for a 3 hour mountain bike ride.

Squeaker got her first real fever ... until now, she's never really had much more than a bad cold sans fever but come Sunday ... her temperature rose to 102.7. Poor girl. She still was okay and smiling some what but she would not let you put her down period. She napped on my lap.

Vans took the Peanut to visit the REI Family because she's been asking daily to see Little REI.

I think she just wanted to ride her bike.

This was good though because it allowed the Peanut some time away from a sick Squeaker and hopefully avoid passing the cold onto each other. Instead, I am now the lucky recipient of said cold. Ugh.

By evening time though, Squeaker was dosed up with some Tylenol and feeling a bit better. She allowed me to put her down but I had to stay close by ... so I had to get creative so that I could cook dinner for Vans and the Peanut.

My little helper

She was content playing with those measuring spoons and cup for a good 20 minutes allowing me time to chop, toss and bake whatever I needed to in order to get dinner started before the family came home.

Monday however, she and I were home. I officially have her cold and she officially no longer has a fever but remained quite clingy. It was a long day on Monday complete with more naps in my lap and lots of snuggles.

Before bed I gave her a bath and discovered that she is in fact part baby and part fish. The minute I put her into the water she flipped onto her belly and literally swam her way to the rubber ducky in the tub. She swallowed a big gulp of water in the process but was completely un-phased. This summer is going to be fun!

Steaming it out in the bathroom post bath.

Today we're all back to the normal routine ... daycare, work, commuting. Blah. The Peanut is anxiously counting the days until Santa comes .... and I am anxiously counting the days until cold and flu season is over!

Happy Holidays!

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

Saturday was the Rancho Cordova PAL Holiday Run 5k/10k. Vans's work is one of the major sponsors for this race and Vans himself was in charge of organizing and encouraging his work staff to participate. He actually made a wager with his staff that if anyone could beat him in the 5k, he would do their job for one hour. He works with a lot of 20 something college kids so this was a big gamble. He was potentially looking a 35 to 40 hours of extra work if they all beat him. He was nervous and battling a cold.

Vans also signed the Peanut up for the kids quarter mile chase Santa race and he signed me up for the 5k as well.

However, Squeaker is once again very sick with a terrible head and chest cold and was up all night long the night before the race. I was up with her from 11:30 pm to 1:00 am and then slept with her in my lap in a recliner from 1 am to 6 am when we had to get up and get ready to head to the race. Brutal.

The REI family was kind enough to let us borrow their double jogger so that I could run with both girls and participate as well. It was really chilly Saturday morning.

Squeaker was bundled up nice and warm!

Peanut getting ready for her race!

The race was fairly small. Not a lot of people heading out to Rancho Cordova but it makes for an easy race logistically especially for families.

Racing Family

The Peanut's race was cute. Santa and Mrs. Claus were in a golf cart and all the kids had to chase after them. They had a quarter mile and half mile option. Since the Peanut has not been "training" we had her run the quarter mile distance.

Lining up to chase Santa!

Running with Dad!

On her way to the finish!

All done. Loving her medal.

After the Peanut's race it was time to head to line for the 5k/10k start. Vans made his way to the front so he did not have to fight the crowd. I took the double jogger and just found a spot that was not too far back but was not going to bump into people.

The race course is pretty boring but definitely flat. I was able to jump to the side with my beast of a jogger so that I didn't have to run into too many runners. I just kept pushing and running and realized I was passing a lot of people. They were not too happy to be passed by a girl pushing a double stroller.

Vans ended up PR'ing and only one employee beat him! His time was 21:17 which is a 6:52 minute mile. Go Vans!

Considering this was my first ever double jogger race, I guess you can say I PR'd too!

Heading to the finish.

My time was 26:07 which is an 8:25 minute mile ... pushing a 35 lb three year old and a 17 lb six month old, PLUS the weight of the stroller ... yup, that thing is heavy!

Vans was happy. He had a good race and a nice work turnout and he doesn't have to do 40 hours of someone else's job.

Sunday was a lot lower key than Saturday. It was also my birthday. We basically did what we do every other Sunday ... head to Costco and drive down to Sacramento to visit with my inlaws. Whatever. Just add that on to the craptastic year I have had thus far. No real surprise it was over looked.

However, being a year old I am now entering a new age bracket when it comes to races. I am now the young old person in my age group. If I can ever get back into running and racing I might stand a chance to actually do well in a few races.

CIM

Yesterday was the California International Marathon (CIM). As I said on Friday, I was headed downtown to packet pick-up and was going to turn in my chip....and I did.

I could not ignore the signs that were being thrown at me. I started coughing like crazy and when I arrived home on Friday evening I lost my voice completely. Saturday I was worse. Bronchitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis ... you name it and I probably have it.

Oddly enough, I was okay with the decision. At the expo I ran into some of my Fleet Feet Running friends who were rather shocked and sad I was turning in my chip. I never really teared up but I was glad I was feeling as crappy as I was because the energy at the expo would have surely convinced me otherwise had I not been so sick.

I went home Friday evening and after the kid were asleep, I had a large glass of wine. I don't recommend doing that when your throat is raw and on fire but ... it helped in other ways.

Saturday we spent the day with some friends who were in town. They had arrived to do the marathon but unfortunately one of them fell injured and she too had to turn in her chip at the expo. Misery loves company right?

The two DNS runners

Ironically enough, after having dinner with this couple the Peanut fell asleep on the 5 minute ride home. At 6:45 pm!!! She did not wake up until 7:30 the next morning! In all of her 3.5 years of life, that has never ever happened!

Sunday we all woke up and got dressed in our Rock On Dylan shirts and headed downtown to cheer on all the marathoners. I saw Garmin out running and sporting his Dylan shirt! It actually made me tear up when I saw him. Not because I was jealous of him being able to run the marathon but because he was running for Dylan and he looked awesome. I also saw Miss P out there who I had also run into at the expo and who was very sympathetic to my having to turn in my chip. Miss P you looked great!!

I saw a bunch of my Buffalo Chip buddies just killing it out there. The weather conditions were fantastic! I probably stood out on the street near 15th and L for hours. The Peanut and Vans and company were inside a local bar having breakfast but not me. Squeaker and I just stood out there yelling and clapping (well, I clapped, she drooled on my shirt).

Go runners go!

I saw a large amount of runners wearing Nike Frees and other light weight minimalist shoes. My knees ached just watching them but they were flying.

Everyone looked great but also ready to be done. That stretch down L street can be painful both physically and mentally. You start to count down the blocks because they are numbered but you forget how long each block is downtown.

We saw friends doing the relay too including The Pinkhouse Gym Relay Team whose fourth runner was our dear friend Sally Edwards.

The average age for this relay team was 71. Just.plain.awesome.

A lot of friends called or texted me to make sure I was doing okay on Sunday. They know how much this race means to me. CIM 2012 unfortunately will not happen because I'll be at my brother's wedding in New Jersey. As I said on Friday, I have my sights on a June marathon and hope to do well. Fingers crossed.

The rest of the weekend was spent resting. Vans unfortunately now has the same horrid cold that I have ... which is still hanging on. I do have my voice back but the coughing is terrible and I wish I could just cut out my throat entirely.

This weekend we have 5K/10K race that Van's is helping put on with his work. He has a big bet on his performance with his work staff .... not so sure how that will work out with his cold. The Peanut, Squeaker and I are hoping to borrow a double jogger from the REI family so that we can also compete. The Peanut might also participate in a kids fun run .... we may be down but we're not out.

The family that runs together...

Tis the holiday season for running no? Oh and for also torturing your baby sister .... I left the room for a few minutes on Saturday and returned to find this ....

Ho Ho Ho Mom

Despite being dressed with funny reindeer bobbly heads,

Squeaker still idolizes her sister.

Who has a very devilish smile ...

FIRST EVER DNS?

Today is CIM packet pick up. At 3:00 pm today I will have to finally decide whether or not I am running CIM on Sunday. Will I turn my chip in and have my first official Did Not Start?

So many of you have emailed me with your thoughts, opinions and concerns. This girl really laid it out for me. "Would you give up running completely for one race?" Heck no. Yet this girl commented and emailed me telling me how much faith she has in me and my ability.

I know that I could run CIM with lack of quality training (pathetic at best). I have endurance. I can handle pain and I could probably make it the whole 26.2 miles whether it took four or five hours. The question is: Do I WANT to do that? Do I want to potentially injure myself preventing me from running future races/marathons? In 2005 I ran CIM thinking I was perfectly trained only to bonk hard at mile 20 and be injured for many months afterwards. Trailmomma not running at all does not make a happy Trailmomma house hold.

I have been battling a cold. Squeaker has been sick since November 11th and as a mom, I have become her human tissue at times (it comes with the job). It was inevitable that I also got sick. It has taken its time though. A runny nose here. A sore throat there. Yesterday however I was hit with a fever and a progressing cough. I can pretty much bet that I now officially have bronchitis and probably a sinus infection to boot.

Running CIM with half of my lung capacity is not something I want to try. Not to mention I would be that horrible coughing runner you see out there and pass thinking "What are they doing!? Go home and rest already!?"

This is a hard thing for me to do. I have never not started a race but I do believe that is what I need to do. Does this make me a chicken? Maybe. Does this make me a more mature runner? Perhaps. One will never know I guess and the only person beating me up about this decision is ME. Vans is supportive either way but he wants me to be smart AND healthy. Is it worth risking pneumonia?  Yes I am wasting money but luckily I signed up for the race the day it opened and paid the lowest fee possible. I will not be running CIM in 2012 because I will be attending my dear brother's wedding in New Jersey that weekend. I did not run last year because I was pregnant. This will be the longest break from CIM I have ever taken.

I have my sights set on a marathon in late June. I am not committing to it yet (lesson learned) but I am excited to kick this cold and put away my Garmin and just run for ME. Ideally I would like to run the marathon in June well ... I would love to find someone who could help me train .... keep me accountable and push me so that I can perhaps PR and (gasp) maybe even qualify for Boston. Any takers out there?

First I need to get past today's CIM Expo. I love race Expos and I need the strength and support to not get sucked up into the race day excitement and not turn my chip into the officials. There is a possibility that I could arrive at the expo, see some running buddies who will convince me that I can do the race. Please give me the strength to say "no" ... maybe the coughing fit I am bound to have will be proof enough? They might not even let me inside to pick up my bib if I am coughing. There is nothing marathoners hate more than to be around someone who is sick.

Children aside of course. I could never not be around my two beautiful girls. Who, by the way, just had their Fall photos taken at school .... (again sorry for the crappy quality).

Peanut (3.5 yrs old)

Squeaker (now 5 months old)