Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wacky Wednesdays

Jennifer, Caroline, Patty and I staged another fun Wednesday, although sadly we had to cut the festivities a little short yesterday. We did indoor cycling with Ed (a tortorous hour of one leg drills) followed by Starbucks, and yes sportsfans, Zumba! Our new favorite. We tried to hit yoga too but it was too crowded to get our zen on.

To quote Jennifer, "We're Zumbaletes now, consisting of three consecutive sporst -- cycling, Zumba and yoga. You will now be stronger, sexier and at peace. Now isn't that better than wet, tired and miserable?"

Next week, game on!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

2007 in Review

Since it is almost February, I thought it might be about time to ruminate on the year that was 2007.

Workout summary
Running - I ran 547 miles in 2007 compared with 698 in 2006. It was a conscious decision to cut back on running as I added volume in other activities. And it was better for my body as I sustained fewer injuries.

Swimming - swam 58,050 meters versus 15,050 in 2006. A pathetic effort both years, but still an improvement.

Cycling: 1642 miles versus 280 in 2006. The year of the bike, baby!

Weights: 62 versus 73. I didn't mean for this number to decrease. But dropping Friday weight workouts in favor of strong Saturday rides took a toll.

Yoga: 23 versus 28. Whoops. I love yoga and need to fit it in more regularly.

I have to recognize that breaking my finger impacted all of these numbers somewhat, since I couldn't swim, lift weights, or do yoga without pain for six to eight weeks. Overall, I'm okay with these numbers and they are a reasonable benchmark for future training.

Races and Events
I participated in a lot more races/events in 2007 than in years past, including:
  • Monument 10k run
  • Capital to Capital (half-century bike)
  • Power Sprint triathlon
  • Luray Olympic triathlon
  • Heart of Virginia two day cycling event
  • Giant Acorn sprint triathlon
  • Smithfield duathlon

My best events were the Heart of Virginia, where I felt strong, and Giant Acorn where I loved the bike and felt good in each event. I have a bone to pick with Luray and/or the Olympic distance after freaking out on the swim, flatting on the bike and losing a bunch of time.

Goals

My stated 2007 goals were:

  • Maintain an appropriate balance of training/exercise and family time.
  • Continue with TriGirls. Get to know the team better and have fun!
  • Improve strength, form, and speed on the bike. Goal: 18 mph average speed over 20 mile distance.
  • Improve run form and increase speed to 8:15 minute miles over 10k distance.
  • Be more consistent with swim and bike workouts - 1x/week minimum swim; 2x/week minimum bike.
  • Strength train 2x/week for one hour each.
  • Yoga or pilates 1x/week for 45 minutes.

Hmmm, not so sure about that balance of training and family time. I always feel guilty about leaving my kids and I did it pretty much every Saturday morning for the whole year. I'd also like to get to know more TriGirls which was seriously hampered by the fact that I rarely go to the team workouts. The few that I did get to hang with and get to know better - including the Lane girls, Annnnn, Deanna, Megan, Susie Q, Lesley, Margo and others - totally rock the house.

I definitely improved on the bike. Frankly, there was no other direction to go. I didn't get any faster on the run and I didn't gain consistency on the swim. Strength training and yoga were hit or miss.

So all in all, not great but not horrible. I'm really happy with my time and improvement on the bike and satisfied that I was reasonably consistent in other areas. If I ever get serious about triathlon, I'll have a lot of work to do learning to love the swim... or at least forcing myself to do it! Weights and yoga I love but tend to sacrifice for other things.

On to thoughts of 2008!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Jodi's Race Report

Here's my Canadian friend Jodi's race report from the Goofy - a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full on Sunday. She's amazing!
~~~~~~~

Disney daze... days...


I tried to sum up my Disney 2008 Race and a Half Challenge with one word....anticipation.

Anticipation, not really nervousness, was the feeling or emotion that was most present for me in Disney. The other feeling was calmness but that doesn't make a good story so I'll stick with Anticipation.

The Anticipation started the week before we left for Orlando. The phone calls & emails started to come in with well wishes & excited enthusiasm. That's right around the same time I got my first and only set of nervousness. I wasn't nervous because I knew I was healthy. I had trained properly and felt strong.

This marathon experience was almost perfect. Everything went according to or better than we had planned. Here's a snippet of my story. The pictures should tell the rest. I hope you enjoy!

Anticipation: Day 1

- always before the plane takes off but nothing serious
- waiting for baggage - no problems - I had all my gear in the carry-on just in case
- waiting for the others to arrive & touch-base (we are a group of 8 runners & many Sherpa's)
- the night before race 1 (21km) - will we sleep? will we poop? will the alarm go off at 3am?
- waiting for bus to arrive to take us to the starting area at Epcot - race start 6am
- at the starting line - will our group find each other? stay together?
- we knew we looked good (we wore orange & red sleeveless shirts) (NOTE from Tri-Di: Jodi is the cutie on the far left)


- exhilaration started when we ran into the Magic Kingdom (my favourite part of both races!)
- exhilaration continued until the anticipation set in wondering if the 42km race on Day 2 will go as smoothly
- Race 1 was over & we were 100% happy. Back to the hotel, eat, relax & do the whole thing over again in less than 24 hours.

Anticipation: Day 2
- the night before race 2 (42km) - will we sleep? will we poop? will the alarm go off at 3am?
- will I hurt as much after I did in Chicago? I assumed I would be hobbling around Orlando for 2 to 3 days if I was lucky
- at mile 1 - my knees hurt - never happened to me before - will it continue? Not good- at first large water stop, we separated. Will we re-group? How will we prevent it from happening again? (we had another minor separation for 5km but re-grouped for finish)
- my legs felt great....will it come back worse? Will my achilles or hips ache later?
- it was getting hot. Will the heat zap our energy? Are they re-using the sponges on the course? It's Disney..they better not.



- at 25km I felt I was the weakest of all our 6 so I inserted my ipod into my ears & turned up volume
- I had never run with ipod & the group before...I had run with music while by myself but wondered if it would change the dynamics? Does someone else need the chatter of our group to keep them going? All I could do was monitor the others while being serenaded by my sweet, soulful music!
- at 32km - I knew I was OK - only an hour left and plenty of good music left. I played Rockstar by Nickelback and thought of my friend, Dee Dee. (NOTE from Tri-Di: THAT'S ME!!!) I cranked up Rappers Delight and thought of all the friends who have enjoyed that song with me on holidays. Michael Buble's 'Everything' was a surprise favourite. Kung Fu Fighting reminded me of Mare. Barry White transported my back to a wedding in Mexico. The Black Crowes ran right along with me, as did the Hip.
- inspiration ran right by me: a women in a grey sports bra with one large breast and a hollow where her other breast was prior to surgery. She was not afraid to share her story, even just by what she chose to wear or not wear...
- what is that feeling in my toes? I was not looking forward to taking my socks off....
- at 38km I had an emotional burst that cranked up the pace for awhile. I reined myself in to give my infamous 'One More F__KING' Mile' rant at 40km.
- We all tried not to look at the man being taken away on a stretcher with an IV but all were rattled by the impression it left on us...
- I had saved 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem for the last mile. Would it change my mind-set? Would it give me that boost to run strong into the finish? Yup. It always delivers. I saw Vicky needed a little motivation so I put the music in her ears & then tried to keep up to her!
- Would I feel nauseous like I had after other long runs?
- Would my socks be full of blood from lost toenails?
- How do the medals look? We got one medal for completing the half, one for completing the full and one medal for completing both

- Would we see our friends at the finish?
- The finish line...what a sweet sight!! All that anticipation was gone in an instant. We picked up our medals (which are awesome), had some pictures taken & gingerly walked over to the food tent in our silver blankets. I saw a Coke which I never drink but know that the Tour de France guys drink it while riding so I give it a slurp. Yummy. It may have been just the ticket. No post-race nausea. Other than those darn toe nails which I was sure were unattached, I felt great. The anticipation crept back. I wasn't expecting my legs to feel so good. When would these legs cry 'uncle' and seize? We had a 15 minute massage in our recovery tent and ate soup, sandwiches, etc. Still waiting for the seize. We took the buses back to our resort and still waited for the seize; both of our legs and of our bodies. I gently removed my socks....just blisters!!! Blisters on both sides of my nail & underneath but no blood & they were still attached! Yippee.


My friend, Dr Mike, is also my chiropractor. He suggested that vitamin C was good for post-race recovery. Well, guess what's in a mimosa? That's right. Vitamin C. It was dreamy. We drank 2 bottles of champagne with fresh-squeezed Florida OJ after our showers and never had a post-race nap. We met up with the other 'superstars' (thanks, Jamie!) have another bottle of champagne that Magic Judy sent down for us (thank you) and went out to Downtown Disney for our celebation. Surely we would need to rent a wheelchair to get us home. Nope. All good. Some of the girls actually danced as was discussed in our pre-planning goal session. Vicky wins the dancing award...that girl will do anything for music!

That darn anticipation didn't leave my legs for 2 days. I kept waiting for the pain but it surprisingly never came. Those 2 magic Tylenol pills we took on the course must have worked miracles. Hey, this wasn't so bad....maybe I'll even run another one of these things!


Thank you to everyone for all your warm thoughts and motivational 'kick Mickey's ass' emails. I loved them!

Love Jodi
TIMES: it wasn't our priority...BUT FOR THE NUMBERS people out there - 2:29 for the 1/2 marathon, 5:28 for the full.
MY PARTNERS IN CRIME WERE: Terri, Jo Anne, Paula, Cheryl, Vicky, Dianne & Jamie.
SHERPA'S & FULL-SERVICE CONCEIRGE WERE: Mitch & Bruce - Thank you!!!

Tons 'O Fun

Jennifer S. and I have been planning to spend our Wednesdays and Fridays together since I stopped working in mid-December, but for one reason or another it hadn't worked out. Until last Wednesday that is. And once we finally did it, we regretted all the time we've lost!

The plan was for us to meet at Maramarc for 7 a.m. cycling. And that would have been a great plan had I been more prepared. As it was, I fought with getting my bike rack on my car for a half hour. It was far more difficult than I anticipated in the dark with a thin sheet of ice covering my entire car. I was about 15 minutes late to cycling, but Ed kindly let me join his shenanigans anyway. There was a stellar group of TriGirls represented: Megan, Patty, Caroline, Lynn, Jennifer, and Molly. I hope I'm not forgetting anyone and apologize if I am! We did lactate threshold training which I have to say sucked. I was kind of happy that I missed the first 15 minutes and therefore the first set of intervals. It was a great workout though and such fun to catch up with Megan... during the times when I could breathe and speak normally that is...

Caroline, Patty, Jennifer and I headed to Starbucks after cycling and indulged in their new skinny lattes. Very tasty! As usual we were the rowdiest (and funnest) group at Starbucks. From there, we went to the Y for Zumba. I tried it last week and piqued Jennifer's interest with my tales of Latin dance moves. The class was so much more fun with friends! Those of you who know Patty especially can imagine how entertaining the class was with the four of us. Beanie peered in from the studio next door where she was doing body shape, but I couldn't convince her to join us. She got a good laugh at my expense though. I still didn't have any rhythm but got a great workout this time.

Since we're used to doing things in threes apparently, we went to yoga after Zumba. The switch between the two was quite abrupt. Once we adjusted, we were fine. This particular yoga class was low intensity and focused mainly on relaxation. I really needed to stretch and it was fabulous.

Caroline suggested the weight room afterwards or perhaps a quick run but we opted for Carytown and Nacho Mama's instead where Patty was wild, Jennifer was loco, and Caroline and I were bangin'. After margaritas, lots of chips and salsa, and a great meal, we went to Clementine's in hopes of seeing Lesley but alas she must have been warned that we were heading her way and made a quick escape. What a great shop though! I have to go back when I'm in a condition to try on clothes because she had tons of cute things at great prices.

We had so much fun that we're planning a complete repeat this Wednesday.

Come join us!

Workout Week in Review

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted anything... that's so unlike me. Sorry to leave you hanging. It was a busy week! Workout-wise, here's what I did:

Sunday: It was quite cold and the Bean refused to run outside, so we headed to the Y for a lovely treadmill run. It was quite boring but we were warm. I ran eight miles (yawn) at ~ 9:50 minutes/mile average. Thank goodness the Y has TV screens now so I was able to pass the time watching What Not to Wear.

Monday: Weights class. Good stuff. I love that class.

Tuesday: Ran solo, five miles at 9:27 minutes/mile average. I'm faster without the Bean, but I wouldn't go as often without her. So it seems like a better alternative to run with her when she wants to run.

Wednesday: Had a phenominal day with Jennifer, Caroline, and Patty - more on that subject in another post. Here, I'll summarize by saying we attended Maramarc cycling (45 minutes for me and 60 for them as I was terribly late), then we went to Zumba and yoga. It's a different kind of triathlon for winter training!

Thursday: Ran 4 1/2 miles with the Bean at an 11:01 min/mi average. See what I mean?

Friday: Weights class. Chris taught and she is fabulous. We did pushups where we were supposed to push our entire upper body and both hands off the floor between each rep. Chris looked great doing it; I looked much like a beached whale.

Saturday: I was supposed to cycle but gave into Taz's plea to go to his basketball game instead.

And that my friends is my workout week in review.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Workout Week in Review

Oh it wasn't pretty, not at all. But here it is. Hopefully I will shame myself into doing a better job next week.

Sunday: Nothing. Recovered from the Bean's birthday bash!

Monday: Went to my usual weights class. Felt guilty for skipping the previous day's run and ran five miles with Beanie at a snail-like 10:56 min/mile average.

Tuesday: Revisited Pilates. I really need to work Pilates and yoga into my schedule more regularly.

Wednesday: Since I messed my schedule up by skipping Sunday's run, I had to do weights and running on Wednesday too. This time, Beanie and I ran further (6 miles) but slower (11:20 min/mile). We're going for distance, no?

Thursday: Ah, Thursday. Thursday is when I lost my shit at the Y. Not really, but I was angry. They gave away my spot in spin class and what's worse, got all snippy and tried to blame me for not leaving a phone number or being on time when in fact I was never asked for a phone number and I was early. I had to be satisfied with 45 minutes on the exercise bike in the fitness center. I wasn't satisfied a bit though.

Friday: Ran with the Bean, five miles at a week-top speed of 10:48. My speed is going to crap. But I've got that distance going for me.

Saturday: I was supposed to bike with my usual suspects but we all bailed based on reports of immanent snow fall. We finally got some flakes late in the day and I kicked myself for not going. So that's a long way of saying... I did nothing!

Fortunately, the workout week starts anew tomorrow and I will have the opportunity for redemption.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Newsflash from Orlando!

Jodi finished the Goofy challenge in fine style and sent this preliminary report. She is amazing, isn't she?!?!?!

Mickey is safe!!

We did not run him over. We did try! Nah, just kidding. 3 awesome medals.

We're all finished. Did the half in 2.5 and the full in 5.5. Feeling pretty good. May lose a few tornails but feel great everywhere else.

Celebrating with mimosa's. Yummy! I'm much better than I was after Chicago.

P.S. Even went dancing on Sunday night after dinner!

P.S.S. Even went to MGM on Monday for some theme park action! And Tues. And Wed....

Eenie Meenie Miney Moe

So... this morning, I had a bagel with cream cheese, went to weights class at the Y, ran six miles with the Bean, then scarfed a roast beef and Havarti sandwich, half a bag of cool ranch Doritos, and three brownie bites.

I have to wonder... would I have been better off to stay in bed and have a salad for lunch?!?!?

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

New Workouts

Last week, I tried Zumba as a new and fun way to mix up my workout routine. I ended up embarrassing myself and anyone who happened to see me! But it was fun and I would definitely try it again. Preferably after a large number of cocktails...

This week, my "new" thing was a return to Pilates. I did Pilates for a few months two summers ago when it happened to fit into my schedule, and I've missed it since I haven't been able to do it. Ironically, the first few times I tried Pilates, I thought it was really easy. I was advised to stick with it at least three times and soon discovered that when I did the moves in some semblance of correct form, it was actually difficult.

I'm not sure whether the class has gotten harder or my core strength has gone to nil, but today's class was incredibly difficult. There were some crazy moves that I could not do at all, although I'm thinking laughter is a good core strengthener so I have that going for me! (And anyone around me who saw me in action...)

The other class I want to try is hot yoga. I'll have to chat with my friend Liz about that.

Perhaps I can complete a triumvirate of humility! (Or should that be humiliation?!?!?!)

Monday, January 14, 2008

Shameless Solicitation

Are you dying for Girl Scout cookies but don't know where to turn? Let me know! Rainbow is a Brownie and cookie sales are in full swing.

Seriously, she wants to sell 150 boxes to win some damn stuffed animal, so help a sista out. In her mind, I'm at $350 in purchases and anything you buy decreases that number (as well as the number that will appear on the scales afterwards...).

They are $3.50 per box and types are: Lemon Chalet Cremes (new), Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Samoas, All Abouts (new), Sugar Free Chocolate Chip (new), Tagalongs, and Thin Mints. For details on each cookie, go to http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/ and select “Meet the Cookies” from the information bar near the top.

No pressure, really... just a shameless solicitation.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Birthday Bean

My bestest buddy Beanie turned 40 on New Year's Eve. Poor baby was sick though so she missed our planned birthday festivities, opting instead to lounge in bed and watch porn (really she did, but it was an accident! Or so she claims...).

Her illness played nicely into her husband's plans for a surprise party last night. We scheduled a "make up birthday dinner" with Beanie & Bryan, Cate & Wood, Scouter & me to get Beanie to the party site without arousing her suspicions.

Bryan invited high school friends, college friends, family, neighborhood friends... there was a great crowd awaiting the Bean when she walked unsuspectingly into the party room. The band immediately struck up "Today is Your Birthday" by the Beatles. Let the festivities commence! We danced the night away and had an absolute blast. Beanie kept saying she didn't want it to ever end.

Cate, me, Birthday Bean, and Beth


Cate and me in dance form

Beanie cutting the cake


Bryan taking the stage with the band


Bryan did a great job planning the bash and a great time was had by all. For anyone out there who may be fearing 40, let me assure you that it is most definitely worth the party!

Workout Week in Review

Another week on the bench offered lots of opportunities to work out. I didn't take as much advantage as I should have, but here's what I did:

Sunday: Ran 5 miles, 9:30 min/mile average. I made up a new route around my neighborhood that included more hills and I thought it would never end. It was a gorgous day though.

Monday: Zumba (ha!) followed by weights class. The same instructor taught both classes and she was fabulous.

Tuesday: My goal Tuesday was to do my long run of nine miles according to my half marathon training. I ran two, feeling pretty blah, then altered my route to run two back to my house for a bathroom stop. My plan was to go back out for another five miles but it never happened. For four miles, I ended up with a too slow 10:46 min/mi average. Bummer.

Wednesday: Weights class. I had hoped to go to yoga immediately following but couldn't because I had a job interview. Which is a very good thing.

Thursday: The Bean was back for her first run following her recent illness! Yeah!!! We cruised for four miles at 10:56 min/mi average pace and had fun catching up.

Friday: I was sore and tired from a long week so I opted to skip my usual Friday weights class and did yoga instead, which was perfect.

Saturday: My bike posse got together to ride 23 miles on Osbourne Tournpike at 16.9 mph pace. That's fast for me lately. As usual, it was a highlight of my workout week to see TriGirl40, Richard, and Kermit.

Today I'm taking an unscheduled but much needed rest day. I'll have to make up my run tomorrow... or something...

Cheers!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Go Jo!

My crazy Canadian friend Jodi is competing in the Goofy Challenge this weekend.

Do you know about this event? Participants run a half marathon on Saturday then a full marathon on Sunday. And in Jodi's case, they go directly to the nearest spa for massages each day after the runs. Then to a bar once the whole thing is complete.

Jodi's family moved to Richmond from Toronto when we were in seventh grade. She sat beside me in French class, and soon a friendship was born. They moved back to Canada at the end of seventh grade, and I was devastated. She flew down to visit me that summer, and every time she was supposed to go home, we begged our parents for an extension.

We wrote sporadically over the years but didn't see each other again in person until 12 (or maybe more) years later. Jodi and her husband Bruce drove cross-country on their honeymoon, and on the way back to Toronto they dipped through the southern United States. When they were in Tennessee, she called me out of the blue and asked to stop by. Our friendship was soon right back where we left it, plus alcohol, and as a bonus, our husbands get along great. We've visited each other often over the years.

Neither one of us has ever been particularly athletic, so it was a surprise to me when Jodi ran the Chicago marathon a few years ago, and with a damn impressive time. Bruce even qualified for Boston and ran it two years ago! Now she's doing a half and a whole marathon in the same weekend. Clearly, she has become an athlete.

Good luck Jodi!!! I hope you have a blast!

And if you decide to swing through Virginia on your way home, you know where to find me...

Monday, January 7, 2008

It's Official: I've Got No Rhythm

I've heard about it - sounds fun. I've seen it - looks fun. My friend Cate has been telling me that it actually is fun for months. And so today I tried it...

Zumba.

Have you heard of it? Or better yet, tried it? It is essentially an aerobics class with Latin music and Latin dance inspired moves. Today, our super-fit instructor cha-cha'd, spun and shimmied all over the room. I stood in the back feeling - and looking - like a complete idiot. A fact which was comfirmed as two of my friends who were waiting for the next class looked through the windows and laughed hysterically at me.

I've seriously got no rhythm. Alcohol only makes me believe that I do.

Book Review

Richard recently posted a review of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I had been dying to read it and he kindly loaned it it to me.

I started reading it Friday and couldn't put it down all weekend, finishing last night. Richard's review provides a perfect summary, so I won't repeat it but will add my recommendation to his. The book is tremendous. I loved The Kite Runner by the same author but think I liked this one even better. It was fascinating to see the political turmoil and destruction in Afghanistan through the eyes of two women. Particularly frightening was the Taliban rule where women literally were not permitted out of their homes without a male escort. If they did and they were caught, they were beaten.

One of the main characters, Mariam, is only seven years older than me so her experiences in Afghanistan roughly parallel the period of time in which I've grown up. Yet no two lives could be more different. Both of Hosseini's books gave me a far deeper and more sympathetic understanding of life in the middle east.

It is my turn to select a book for book club, and this one is most definitely it.

Seven Weird Things

TriGirl40 tagged me to tell seven weird things about me... hmm, I have to echo her blog post and say, "Only seven?!?!?"

What the hell; here goes.
  1. I never know whether weird is spelled "weird" or "wierd" until I type "wierd" and realize how, well, weird it looks.
  2. Even though I can't spell, I have a much better written vocabulary than spoken vocabulary (not that you could prove it here!) mainly because I have mispronounced words and embarrassed myself way too many times.
  3. When I was in college, I used to dump clean laundry in a big messy pile on my bed, then sleep under it until I wore it all. Then it became a big pile on my floor and the pattern repeated. I'd still do it today if Scouter would let me get away with it.
  4. I never think anyone remembers me, and even if I've met someone multiple times, I will usually either say nothing or re-introduce myself.
  5. I could eat chips and dip for dinner every night. And I used to do it frequently until my eating habits became an example for little people.
  6. When I was 18 or 19, an older co-worker told me that I had child bearing hips. I still hate him for it. Bastard.
  7. Apparently an oddity among TriGirl bloggers, I don't require my M&Ms to be paired or color coordinated when I snarf them down. I do prefer them to have almonds in the middle but I'm not particularly selective on that point.
And the seven lucky people I'm tagging to admit their weirdness are:

Richard
Kermit
Jon
Siren
Annnnn
Jennifer S (yes, I know you don't have a blog but you can comment right here!)
Jodi (ditto)

I'm feeling a little wacky right about now... come join me...

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Workout Week in Review

Given that this past week contained New Year's Eve, Tech's (dismal) bowl game, and a party at a friend's house, I'll do what I can to remember my workouts...

Sunday: It rained. I lounged about in running clothes all day but never actually did any running. Oh well.

Monday: Weight class at the Y. I have no definitive recollection of going, but I'm pretty sure I did. Afterwards, the kids and I ran around picking up dinner materials for New Year's Eve festivities at our house. When we got home, I had a message from poor little Beanie saying she was sick... and on her 40th birthday. Poor baby. We somehow managed to have a good time, but it was definitely not nearly as much fun without her.

Tuesday: Tried to sleep in but the dog kept barking and waking me up. Scouter seemed to find that amusing. Finally went out for the long run I was supposed to do on Sunday - eight miles, 9:43 minutes/mile average. If I was going to feel like crap, I may as well run.

Wednesday: The kids went back to school, thank goodness. I went to weight class at the Y followed by yoga. What a good day! This not working thing really frees up my schedule.

Thursday: It was a frigid 17 degrees when I put the kids on the bus. I usually run from the bus stop but since I have leisure time now, I goofed off until it warmed to a comparatively balmy 29 degrees then ran five miles, 9:33 minutes/mile average speed.

Friday: Weights class at the Y. There was some sort of cardio class immediately following but I didn't even consider taking it. Whoops.

Saturday: Biked 30 miles with TriGirl40 and Annnn. They both dropped me like a bad habit. The only advantage I had was that I knew the route, but that is an advantage with diminishing returns since TriGirl40 is going to learn it soon. I'll have to start mixing things up... Bah ha ha!

Whew! I'm tired. And sore.

And thirsty...

Friday, January 4, 2008

Hypothetical Question

What kind of an asshole pelts his wife in the head with a baby doll, then acts like nothing happened? Or worse, acts like the wife is in the wrong for having her head in the path of the flying baby doll when said head was clearly there first?

Just wondering.

Purely hypothetical.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Happy Shiny Christmas Post

So here's my long overdue post about our holiday. It was crazy and busy and fun! And also stressful at points. That's when I engaged in margarito or wine therapy if possible! I found another fun cocktail in Southern Living called Jingle Juice that helped also... the non-alcoholic version for Rainbow, Taz, and my mother; the alcoholic version for Dad, Scouter and me. Beautiful!

Ah, yes, it was a very merry Christmas indeed...

The parts that I remember include a frenzy of shopping and wrapping prior to the big day. We went to Christmas Eve mass which is one of my favorites with the birth story and lots of great Christmas songs, then my Mom and Dad came over for dinner. Rainbow and Taz have a tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve. She gave him a Nerf blaster of some sort (just what he needed) and he gave her tickets to see the Hannah Montana concert movie. (Have you heard about this marketing genius? Her concert is such a big draw that getting tickets is impossible, so someone at Disney came up with the smart idea of filming it and showing it at movie theaters around the country.) Rainbow was so excited that she pretend-fainted then jumped around with a huge smile for the rest of the night. We tracked Santa via the Internet, leaving cookies for him and carrots for the reindeer. They were excited but exhausted and actually fell asleep pretty quickly, much to my surprise and delight. I had some more jingle juice and finished wrapping presents and actually made it to bed before midnight.

Taz awoke at 6:44 a.m. on Christmas morning, which sadly is pretty typical for him. Well, unless it is a school day anyway. Somehow I managed to restrain him until almost 7:30 when we finally woke Rainbow. She popped right up once Taz mentioned Santa, and they flew down the stairs with screams of delight. Taz ripped through all his presents like the wild man he is, while Rainbow took a little time with each gift. She is just like I was at that age and has to model each new outfit as she opens it. This year, Santa brought an American girl doll with matching purple silk pajamas for the two of them, so she had to change the doll's clothes in addition to her own.

We've gotten some questions about Santa for the first time this year and our response was that we felt sorry for the kids who don't believe. I asked the kids on Christmas morning if they heard Duchess barking during the night (which pain in the ass that she is, she does every night at some point for any arbitrary or imagined reason). On Christmas Eve, she must have heard Santa! And look! The reindeer food in the front yard is gone! So are the cookies, and you can see reindeer teeth marks on the carrots! And look!!!! Mommy and Daddy would have never bought me this gift!!!

I think the magic remains for another year.

My parents came back over for our gift exchange and breakfast, which was a delicious make-ahead cinnamon apple french toast casserole. We had a lovely leisurely morning among all the flying wrapping paper and ribbons.

Oh and cool stuff - Scouter surprised me with an iPhone!!!! It is the absolute most amazing thing. We were not supposed to get each other big gifts this year and I actually complied (for once) so the poor guy got very little in return. I joked that the Playstation 3 he purchased for himself recently was his big gift. God I'm lame.

Our holiday tradition is to head up to Scouter's parent's house on Christmas Day to celebrate with his four siblings, their significant others and children. This year, we had two new babies to add to the festivities, one seven months and one two months. Add a 2 1/2 year old to the mix and it was more chaotic than ever! And so much more fun now that my kids aren't the ones knocking over all the knick knacks and dirtying diapers. Hee hee.

The day after Christmas, our tradition is to go into DC with Scouter's Dad. This year, we went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum which is one of my favorites. We'd been two years ago but the kids didn't really remember. Their favorite part was the mammals while our favorite part was the nature photographs. I think Scouter's Dad enjoys it as much as we do.

After a three and a half hour drive (normally less than two hours), we finally returned home happy and exhausted.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy 2008!

Happy New Year!!!!

(This picture is actually a table at my house minutes before midnight. You can tell because it's not clip art because it is so blurry. Or is that just me?!?)

New Year's Eve is also the Bean's birthday. This was her 40th! Happy Birthday, Beanie!!!

We had planned festivities at my house including dinner and cocktails, mainly because we couldn't get a sitter. Unfortunately, Beanie came down with a flu-like illness so she stayed home watching porn while the rest of us tried to enjoy the evening without her. (Just kidding about the porn... sort of...)

Cate and me

Our evening began with frozen cranberry margaritos, followed by dinner from Cavanna Pasta which was delicious - gnochhi, spaghetti, and spinach ravioli with an assortment of sauces, along with Italian chopped salad, crusty bread, and red wine. Dessert was bourbon balls. And of course, we had the obligatory champagne at midnight (with sparkling white grape juice for the kids).

Bryan, Scouter and Wood in between turns on Guitar Hero

A good time was had by all, although it wasn't the same without the Bean's antics. We get a re-do as soon as she feels better!