Well, I have lupus

My appointment this morning confirmed it. I'm not shocked at this point, but still trying to figure out my next steps.

The doctor was positive overall. It doesn't look like my kidneys or liver are involved, which is great. Now it's about managing my stress and health to reduce flare ups, and prevent organ damage.

So, no more distance running (ever) & likely no more running for the next few months until my joints are feeling better. I may need to move to low impact activities permanently. Things I wish I had done: run a marathon, run more half marathons, gone on every.dang.run that I could have. Things that I will miss. . . all of it. Sprinting towards the finish line, the stress management of running, and the amazing feeling after a long run. . . when the sweat is dry and your body is tingling, and you are so proud of the effort you put forth. Let's hope I can find a similar "high" through some lower impact activity. :-)

My job is really stressful and demanding, so next up is thinking through how I want to handle that. Lots of lifestyle changes on the way.


Running, I miss you already. :-(

Ten things Friday

Because, really, who can settle for five? :-) Especially when you're a sporadic blogger - fun things pile up!

I received the full results of my lab work last night, & the test results confirm what I've been thinking for the past few weeks. I have my appointment on Wednesday, but I've mentally prepared for the expected outcome & diagnosis. Michael & I had a long conversation last night about my need to think through how I will adjust my life, so I know and understand that I CAN handle this, and that I will make any and all changes necessary to have a healthy life, regardless of the diagnosis. He handles stress in a very different way, so it was nice to have that talk and share my thoughts. I haven't put anything into action yet, but I am prepared for next week in the best way that I can, and that makes me feel stronger and more confident, and more in control.

Enough of that - today is FRIDAY! Here's what's happening today:

1. The weather forecast in Seattle (through the weekend) looks amazing. Seattle is a total clutch weather player - when it delivers, it delivers big. Cannot wait to be outside!
2. Michael is going to Vancouver for his cousin's 50th birthday, so I'm on my own with my peeps. Weekend activities include: snuggle parties (on the floor on blankets, watching movies, with snacks, and of course, snuggling :-), laser tag, & bike rides to the park. In addition to the regular karate & swimming.
3. I've discovered homemade popcorn. Why was I such a fool with that microwaved crap for so long? Homemade popcorn is amazing & easy, & the boys love it. Perfect for snuggle parties!
4. Michael is making hamburgers tonight, & he is amazing on the barbecue. Can't wait. I also believe there are going to be margaritas involved. Sweet mercy!
5. I'm going to try a couple of new recipes this weekend - one is for mango & greek yogurt sorbet, and the other is for a savory oatmeal with sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, & chicken sausage. Woo!
6. I've mastered the art of bread making. And, everyone loves flaxseed bread in the family. Who would have thought?!
7. I've decided that I'm out for my half marathon next weekend. Regardless of everything else involved, I haven't been able to train, and I'm not interested in injuring myself. Feels good to have a decision made, and this means I have more free time to indulge on Mother's Day. ;-)
8. Related to number 7, Mother's Day plans involve - a massage, pedicure, a solid low-impact workout, Michael making me my favorite Persian dinner, cupcakes from my favorite place, and . . . wine.

       9. I've found a local babysitter!!!!!!!! I can't describe my happiness that I now have someone to call when Michael & I want an evening out. We've had bad luck with sitters in the past, & have not had a sitter more than a handful of times in seven years. So, so excited about this, which means - Date night!  Michael & I are going to dinner next Saturday to celebrate Mother's Day. Hmmmm, where should we go? The possibilities are endless.
      10.  love the innocence and confidence in kids. There is a boy in my son's class that he has befriended. The teacher mentioned that she moved Nick to specifically sit next to this little guy because he was struggling so much and Nick was a great influence. I check in with Nick on the ride home from school, and he is always so positive when I ask. (name of other child changed.) "How was school today, Nick." "Great, Bobby is really learning math, mommy. He's not as far along as I am, but he's working hard. Sometimes he gets distracted, but he's a really good boy and he's getting better every day." He is a fierce protector of his friend, says such motivating and positive things, and quite frankly, reminds me when I need to do better about this kind of stuff myself.

That's all I've got. What are you up to this weekend? What are you happy about today?

Things I'm not very good at and my top five happy things

The list is probably long, but at the very top is patience, dealing with the unknown, and controlling my own "worst case scenario" from playing out at every opportunity. So, it's pretty frustrating not to be able to get in to see a rheumatologist until May 8th. In fact, the doctor I was referred to by my primary physician wasn't taking appointments until the end of June. I called around & found another specialist covered by my insurance plan who was available earlier, thank God.

So, to recap, I got the call on Saturday night that I tested positive for an autoimmune "disease" (that was the word she used). The results were concerning, & I needed to make an appointment right away to see a specialist. Testing positive means there are a limited set of things that I could have - it's not a definitive "you're pregnant" test result. Some of the diseases are a big deal (lupus & rheumatoid arthritis, being two of them). The lupus one freaks me out, because the symptoms that I originally went to see my doctor about were: fatigue, extreme hair loss, muscle & joint pain, an increase in my anemia symptoms, and an ongoing low-grade fever. Which matches up with the lupus symptoms. Yes, I know, self-diagnosing is not a good idea. But, I also feel the need to "prepare" myself, for any of the possibilities that loom ahead. Does that make sense?

To me, get in to see a specialist "right away" means . . . this week? Not the end of June. Anyway, depending on what could be wrong, there are certain lifestyle changes I should be making or considering - how much running I'm doing (creating additional joint pain seems like a bad idea), drinking might be problematic, etc. So, how much should I change my life while I wait around to hear what's going on? The honest truth is that I'm.scared.shitless. Seriously, I'm scared that the person I am right now is going to change, and I'm going to have to adjust my entire lifestyle. The reason I went into the doctor for the initial appointment is that I just don't feel like myself - I'm EXHAUSTED. I want to crawl up under my desk and take a nap. I feel like a lazy slug who is not a good employee, mom, runner, and I just can't stand the feeling of not being myself.

I don't know if I should continue to train for my half marathon in a couple of weeks, but what I'm going to *try* to do (which, goes completely against the grain for my Type A, training plan & schedule driven self) is train as much as I comfortably can. If that means I'm not fully trained, I'll deal with that. If I'm able to train as my plan calls for, I can make a game time decision about being ready for my half. My goal is to not push my body past what it can comfortably do right now - which is kind of the opposite of the normal running philosophy, I think. :-)

So, on that fun & awesome note, here are the top 5 things making me happy right this very second!!!

1. My amazing husband booked a trip to Las Vegas, for the week my parents are taking the kiddos to Disneyland. I really, really need to look forward to: cabana time, sunshine, massages, adult-only dinners, time with my love, & people watching!!

      2. My grandmother's 80th birthday. My mom, sister & I are taking her to the beach in a few weeks to celebrate. She has dementia, & so there are times when it's hard to see her change and forget things, but when she's in the moment, it's fabulous. She was hugely important in my life when I was growing up. Our last beach trip with the ladies! Why yes, we're in the local watering hole. ;-)

3. My boys have become obsessed with reading! Love.it! Here's my little guy, at the bus stop. Just reading away.

4. This lady, who saved me from myself & took me to lunch (and cupcakes!) yesterday. College roommate way back in the time machine, still best friends (on the right). In the middle is my amazing sister, who is turning 40, even though you would never know it! Jealous of the baby face.

5. Oh, & I may have bought myself a new bikini for getting into trouble this summer! The dark purple looks surprisingly good on my super pale skin. ;-)

Fill me in! What are the top five things making you happy right this very second?!!

10K PR

It was my first 10K, so of course it was a PR! :-) Garmin time - 1:04, 6.4 miles.

Ran it, rocked it, put all thoughts of autoimmune disease & test results away, & focused on the fact that my body was strong enough to run today. That's enough for the moment.

I crushed my 5K PR, which was likely not the best strategy, since it was a 10K, but I did have a nice smile on my face as I looked at my watch & thought of how far I've come as a runner in the past two years. This race was where it all started, & I remember looking at the 10K runners & not knowing how it would even be possible to run for 6 miles.

I can already tell that, regardless of what the rheumatologist/specialists tell me, I am going to need a physical outlet to deal with all of the stress & unknowns that lay ahead. No matter what changes in my life, or my physical capabilities, I AM A RUNNER.

Any fun races this weekend? Fill me in!

To race, or not to race

What a wild ride the last few weeks have been. I got a flu that just wouldn't quit, I've been having such terrible fatigue, swollen joints, sore muscles, you name it. My doctor thought it was a flare up of my anemia, so I moved on & have been pushing myself to get back to normal over the last week - getting back to slow (but regular) workouts, eating better (less carbtastic than I was during the flu & post-flu comfort food phase), & getting religious with my iron supplements.

My doctor called tonight & I tested positive for an autoimmune disease. Leaning towards lupus, given my drastic hair loss & some other symptoms, but nothing is for sure at this point, just the positive test result for the ANA test. I got a referral to a rheumatologist & hopefully can get in next week.

I've been feeling like the laziest loser every day for the past month. No energy, no desire to run, so much trouble focusing at work. .. . I've known something was up.

This is all emotional, & I'm still trying to process everything the doctor said. I finally had to stop googling all of the symptoms, because nothing will stress you out more than a self-diagnosis.

Title aside, I am planning on running my 10K tomorrow. Slow & steady. This is the first race I ever did (a 5K, way back in the time machine in 2011).

This race makes me remember how far I've come as a runner, & I'm going to rock it. And, by rocking it, I mean slowly & easily. ;-)

Doctors get this stuff wrong all the time, right?

Makeover Monday and the return of the 20 mile week?

Happy Monday, all. My title from the post I was going to publish last Monday was "Return of the 20 mile week", because I had a great training week & was pleased that I was finally back on track with my training plan. . .

And, then I got the flu around midnight last Monday. I ran 4 miles (in total) last week, & I'm back to freaking out about my half marathon that is coming up in just under three weeks! I really have not been able to consistently train for this. I think my goal will be to finish, not focus on time, and find another half this summer that I can really rock & PR.

For those of you who are long-time readers, you may remember the "growing out my blonde hair color" saga. Refresher, here. :-)



I did, in fact grow out all of the blonde, in a true test of my patience. About three months after the grow out was complete, I started to go gray. Like, full on, ashy blonde/gray. I've been struggling with the dilemma of what to do with my hair for a few months (okay, six months), but I've been too afraid to do anything. Last night (after cancelling three previous appointments because I was too nervous), I added honey blonde highlights to hide the gray.

The before picture, at the salon. And, this was right after my workout - my salon is at my gym - hence the awesome post-pony tail curls. ;-)

And, after. I think it's pretty subtle, but Michael, who didn't want me to color it at all, kind of freaked out. ;-)

This morning's picture shows the highlights a bit better.

In huge news, it's sunny this morning, after a full weekend of rain! Do you know what happens to two kids when they are trapped inside on a rainy weekend & can't get all of their wigglies out in the great outdoors? I'll give you a hint . . . it involves lots of wrestling, general naughtiness, & time outs. ;-)

Sandal-wearing day. FINALLY!

In my first ever blog prize win, the fabulous Cori at Read.Write.Run.Mom sent me my Clif bar prize pack. Not shown in the picture is the chocolate/coconut flavor that I inhaled as soon as the package arrived. YUM! :-) Thank you, thank you, thank you, Cori! The boys are loving the Clif granola bars. I haven't seen those in stores, but will have to check them out.

What's the running plan for the week, you ask? Ahhhhhh, yes, that! :-) Well, my Hood to Coast team has a Facebook page, and we all report our weekly mileage numbers. I love it, and it keeps me motivated. Typically we average around 20 miles/per person. Yesterday, I had the honor of posting my "4 mile week". And, one of our other runners posted 47! Just the motivation I need to kick things up a notch, know that when I work hard, I can get the mileage in, and a reminder to refocus after being sick. So, thanks to Elliot for that kick in the pants. ;-)

Here's the plan! My core has been bothering me when I run, so time to amp up the yoga & pilates.

• Monday - 4 miles + arms, & pilates in the evening.
• Tuesday -  Cross train + legs & yoga
• Wednesday - Hill repeats (4 miles).
• Thursday - 4 miles speed workouts + arms + pilates
• Friday - Rest + yoga.
• Saturday - 12 miler.
• Sunday - running a 10K. Was supposed to be with Michael, but he hasn't been training at all, so I'll probably be solo, and may see if there's a kids run for the boys.

Woohoo! How do you approach events where you don't feel fully trained? Any tips? I need the mental inspiration as much as the physical this week. Also, looking for healthy homemade snacks, for myself & the kiddos. We do a lot of homemade muffins, granola bars, trail mix, etc, but if you have any quick & easy favorite recipes, please share!

My current favorite granola bar recipe is this one.  

Just sadness

Nothing really seems worth blogging about, but my thoughts and prayers go out to all of those impacted. I'm nowhere, nowhere near fast enough to even dream about running Boston, but I've crossed other finish lines, & had my kids there, & even crossed the finish line at my first half holding hands with my son. The news that an 8 year old was killed hits way too close to home.

It just feels so personal.

Do you ever have those days

when you feel not so good about yourself?

I've had a hard time balancing work (it's crazy - I took over for a coworker who left, & my workload has doubled) & working out. We ate out a lot when my parents watched the boys (a few days of bliss, followed by me missing them terribly). :-) I haven't been getting any sleep due to the construction happening outside my house (picture an overpass being built about 35 feet from your bedroom window - the work happens 24x7). I'm exhausted, & the sleep deprivation has been foiling my morning workout plans.

Today I was in a crazy funk where I felt very chubby & out of shape. And, quite frankly, freaked out about my half marathon that's in four weeks - that I haven't been consistently training for.

I managed to squeeze in one mile of sprints on the treadmill by bribing my children with chicken nuggets (yes, I have no shame), before they broke into a wrestling match. I ate a healthy salad for dinner, & was contemplating finishing the rest of my run after the kiddos go to bed.

And then I got this from my sister, from our vacation three years ago. . . just when you feel like you haven't made any progress in your fitness journey.

Oh.My.Goodness. And, no, I'm not pregnant, contrary to what the photo reveals.

Now I run half marathons, & weigh 35 pounds less. Even on a day like today, when I'm not feeling my best, I'm trying to remind myself that I've changed my life. I may not be perfect, or as thin as I want to be, or run as much as I want, but I am a different person - I take care of myself, I work out, & I eat well (within reason - I won't quit you, wine!).

I needed that today! And, as soon as Curious George is over, I'm going to go finish my sprint intervals on the treadmill. Half marathon in 4 weeks - I can DO THIS!

Giving up sugar

After my big Easter candy blowout, and the way my jeans are feeling, I think it's time to cut out sugar for a week. I'm not going to get too hung up on food that has added sugar (my cereal that I snack on does), but I am going to focus on not eating the following:

• Candy
• Baked goods
• Frozen yogurt (because I like to top it with junk)
• Ice cream

I'm going to shoot for a week, and see if that helps reduce my cravings and just generally make me feel better. It's nuts, because I do not feel good after eating food that's not terribly healthy *cough - chicken strips & tater tots for lunch, bags of Easter candy, chips*, but I still occasionally succumb. I tend to really struggle when Michael is out of town & I'm home alone with the kids (which is happening this week & next), so now feels like the right time to work on this.

I was supposed to get up at 5:00 am to run on the treadmill, but I got about three hours of sleep last night. They were working on a massive, multi-year construction project right outside our house, and the trucks were particularly loud last night, & kept waking up the kids. No fun. I am currently having green tea & feeling like a zombie. I *will* run today, so I'll need to be creative about when I fit that in.

You know who else enjoyed candy this weekend? These little cuties. I kept trying to take pictures, and mouths were always full! :-) Note the chocolate on Sam's face, and Nick's chewing.

How about you? Have you ever given up sugar? How long did it take before you stopped craving it?

Must stop eating Easter candy

First of all, we had a fabulous, fabulous weekend at the beach. Typically in March, you're in for cold & wet weather at the coast, with (if you're lucky) some sun breaks. Instead, we got this:

The kids did this:

They were also pretty tuckered out after all that fun, so there was a little resting on the couch and napping in the car, as well. Easter egg glasses-optional.

I did manage to get out for one lonely run, and it was stunning. I even brought my phone so I could stop & take pictures. A gorgeous, gorgeous day for a run.

I had big plans to run 7 miles on Saturday, but instead I spent the day at the beach with my cute husband, watching the kids frolic in the sand. All was not lost, I did manage to bike to town with the kiddos in search of ice cream. ;-)

And, it's only fair to say that shortly after that picture was taken, I got a wicked, wicked sunburn on my chest.  I didn't even think to bring the sunblock - in March!

Now that I've inhaled a ton of Easter candy, it's time to dust myself off and focus on my training plan once again. Michael's traveling a lot over the course of the next few weeks, so I need to be especially disciplined with my schedule - there's no opportunity to find another time to workout if I sleep through my alarm.

• Monday - Run around 6:30 or 7:00. 3-4 miles on the 'mill.
• Tuesday - Run 5 miles in the morning + power yoga
• Wednesday - Cross train in the morning + arms
• Thursday - Speed repeats in the morning + pilates
• Friday - Cross train + arms
• Saturday - 4 miler + legs
• Sunday - 9 miler + power yoga

Did you overindulge over Easter? Favorite Easter candy? Cadbury mini eggs!! How was the weather for you over the weekend?

On not being photogenic, and a new running plan!

First things first. This weekend was my baby's 6th birthday. The first few years were hard (especially since are kids are very close in age), but the last few years have gone too fast. The boys say & do hilarious things, & I love this stage.

Birthday party fun.

I love that Nick has three cousins, all close in age. These boys make every party fun.

 

A little brotherly love. . .

 

 

And then I saw a few lovely pictures of myself. Let's just say that I'm . . . not very photogenic. I'm cursed with a round face, my friends. When you have a round face, it's all about the angle.

Here's me with my sister, last year, at almost exactly the same weight I'm at now (I'm currently two pounds higher). . normal looking face:

And, then there's this glamour shot. . . Hello, there, triple chin! I'm photogenically challenged, I think:

And, this morning.

Pictures from the side are NOT GOOD. Must remember to pose more during photos. :-) This picture was great inspiration for dropping the last ten pounds!

Last week's workouts:

I had a pretty light week, with no running! My original plan was to take a few days off to recover from my half, but then I got a nasty cold, so I stuck to cross training & took it very easy. Here's what I actually did, along with my calorie intake for the day. I'm starting to notice a trend, where I am hungrier on days when I don't work out. . . Not what I was expecting, but it appears there may be some scientific support for this.

• Monday - Rest day (planned). 1429 calories
• Tuesday - Rest day (unplanned) + power yoga. 2000 calories.
• Wednesday - 30 minutes on the elliptical + legs. 1510 calories
• Thursday - 40 minutes of biking + arms + pilates. 1231 calories.
• Friday - Rest day (unplanned). 1454 calories.
• Saturday - 35 minutes of elliptical + 35 minutes on the bike + arms & legs. 1544 calories.
• Sunday - Rest day (unplanned). 1542 calories

This week's workouts:

Today officially kicks off a new training plan for the Mother's Day Half in May. I really, really want to stick to the workouts, focus on speed and getting more hill training in. Here's what I'm planning for the week ahead:

• Monday - 4 mile easy strides (with 4/30 second sprints) + arms. Power yoga this evening.
• Tuesday - 45 minutes of cross training + legs. Pilates in the evening.
• Wednesday - 2 speed repeats, for a total of 4 miles.
• Thursday - 60 minutes of cross training + arms. Power yoga in the evening.
• Friday - Burlesque or Zumba with a friend.
• Saturday - Run GPR, for a total of 5 miles.
• Sunday - 5 mile run + arms/legs & pilates.

How about you? What does your schedule look like? Did you have a fun St. Patrick's Day? And, are YOU photogenic? If so, please share tips! :-)

A few things about me

Thanks so much to Stephanie at Now I Run for the Liebster award!

Love the questions. :-)

 

1. What is your favorite breakfast food? - Hmmm, I don't make it very often, but Huevos Rancheros? I typically have an egg with spinach on bread + fruit & coffee in the morning. Boring!

2. Where would you travel on a dream vacation? Easy - French Polynesia. For more "regular/realistic" vacations, I love the Oregon coast & Las Vegas.

3. How many concerts have you been to? Which was your favorite? Not a huge concert person, but I saw both Dido & Jackson Brown in concert & they were amazing.

4. Where were you born? Washington state!

5. What is your all-time favorite movie, book, and/or song? - Ahhh, I'm bad at this. I easily forget. Hangover? I have low brow taste. ;-)  

6. Do you embarrass easily? Most embarrassing moment? - Yes! I think it was when I was wearing a long skirt in high school, & someone stepped on the back, & it came off. It was pretty traumatic at the time.

7. Did you go to college? Where? What did you study? - Yes. Claremont McKenna (California) & University of Puget Sound (Washington) for undergrad, & University of Washington for grad school. Professional writing, business, & an MBA.

8. Do you have pets? What kind(s)? - We have one lonely fish.

9. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? - Tillamook Udderly Chocolate. From the factory! The Tillamook Factory has all of the flavors, & it's amazing!

10. If you could only go to one store for the rest of your life which one would you choose? - For clothing shopping? Nordstrom?

11. How often during the day do you check your email? - For work, I'm online ALL DAY LONG. In the evenings, 3-4 times/night. Part of my job involves international, so I have to make sure things are going well during different parts of the day.

 

 

What is a Liebster Award?
The Liebster Award is for any up and coming blogs that you enjoy reading and a great way to promote them!
1. This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
2. The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.
3. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
4. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
5. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.

 

Not entirely sure about the stats on followers for some of the blogs, but I'm giving the Liebster award to:

 

Happy Healthy Runner

Marathon Lar

Ricole Runs

Mom vs Marathon

Learning Patience

Running Starfish

A Runners Fuel

Read Write Run Mom

Joanna Runs

Run Eat Play

Steph Runs On

 

In running news, I haven't run at all since my half on Saturday. I'm kicking off a new training plan next week in preparation for my return to the hilly Kirkland Half Marathon, so I thought it was a good week to take it easy & focus on cross training, yoga, & pilates. I'm also attending a burlesque dance class with a friend next week. WHO AM I? Totally outside my comfort zone. :-)

 

And, my leprechaun is turning six on Sunday. Can't believe it!

 

 

 

 

 

Me, today. I used to take daily ugly bathroom pictures, but then my office took out the full-length mirror, so today you just get a self-portrait. Taking my own picture gives me unnaturally large arms. Hot stuff! :-) Still tired & adjusting to daylight savings time. Can you tell? 

 





 

 

 

 

 

What are you up to this weekend? Fun plans? Training runs? Races? Fill me in! And, if you are celebrating TGIF, what are you indulging in this evening? I'm planning on a glass (or two! ) of wine. :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ugly race pictures

Well, first of all, I can't believe there are free race pictures available! What an unexpected treat. :-)

And they are truly classics. I take ugly race photos to an entirely new level. These are at the halfway mark, I think?

This one requires a little explanation. I was briefly confused when I crossed the finish line. I was shooting for 2:20, which my Garmin said I could do, so when I saw 2:24 or whatever on the finish line, I was both pissed & confused, as well as being in the normal end of race pain. Of course, in my delirium, I forgot that I started near the end of the pack, so of course the 2:24 wasn't my actual finish time. But, this picture nicely expresses how I felt in that moment. I like to call this "bitter runner". Also, running apparently makes my sports bra cease to work & my chest slides to my belly button. Or else, I look like that all the time & just never noticed. Hot stuff! :-)

Also, after owning my Garmin for two years, I finally figured out how to upload the information to my computer. I'm a slow learner. I've uploaded my race, but can't figure out how to view the details by mile. Is that possible? Doesn't it allow you to view your average mile pace? I just see it on a graph?

How was your weekend? Any fun race stories? Most bizarre thing I saw on my run. . . a woman in full running gear (but no bib) on the trail, carrying a large handbag. Like, a full sized Coach purse. It was. . . strange.

I'm running a local 10K (it's about a mile from my house, so I can't resist!) in April, but my next training goal is for the Kirkland Mother's Day Half. I want to beat my current PR on that course (2:23) & would love to beat my PR from Saturday (2:20). It's a super hilly course, so I need to really focus on both speed work & hill training.

How about you? What is your next training goal?

A Perfect Day for a PR!

I had high hopes for the Lake Sammamish Half because the course is flat, flat, flat! And, unlike my first half last May, I wasn't fighting bronchitis. Based on my 12 miler time, I was hoping to come in between 2:10 and 2:20.

Despite the worst side ache I've ever gotten running between miles 7 & 8, I manged to squeak in at 2:20:08. I'll take it! :-)

The first 7 miles were all rainbows & unicorns, but I made a huge mistake at the first water station & gulped three cups while I was running. Cue the side ache that would not go away. I debated bringing my own fuel belt & water/Nuun & actually had it in the car, but didn't want to carry it unless I needed it. I do need it, because I'm a sipper of water, & need it consistently throughout the race. When I chug it down, bad things happen.

I was finally able to run consistently again around the 8.5 mile mark. The sun came out (it was really foggy before that) & I was feeling better. I know I gave it my all, because I had big plans to finish hard the last two miles, but I was barely able to keep my pace. Even when I saw the finish line, I didn't have much energy to close with.

I'm a little sore, and know I'll be feeling this tomorrow. And, I had the mostly heavenly lunch ever. It's one of my favorites, but a calorie bomb, so I usually resist. . . Turkey & swiss on a cheddar bagel with Russian dressing from a local bakery. So, so, so good.

I'm off to take Nick to get party stuff for his birthday next weekend and enjoy the sunshine. Life is good!

Ten Things I'm Happy About Right Now

I'm in a great mood today, for no particular reason, so here goes!

Here are 10 things that I'm happy about today.

1. I'm working too much. . . because I actually enjoy my job. It's been years since I could say that.
2. I'm getting into the routine of waking up at 5:00 am & working out. It's AMAZING. Not the waking up early part, but the knowing you're done & nothing will come up & foil your plans.
3. My kids are at the best ages ever. Sam's seven & Nick's turning six next week. Sam has "girlfriends", they tell jokes, they keep each other company now when the other one takes a bath. They read each other books, it's awesome.

Brotherly bathroom love

More love:

4. Never been more in love with this guy. We've hit our stride, helped greatly by overall reduced stress, kids who sleep through the night, & just figuring out how to parent two young kids.

         5. I've finally lost 5 pounds since January. It's taken a long time, but I'm making progress & can definitely notice a difference in the way my clothes fit. Boom!

         6. I posted last year that Sam was really struggling in school & every day was full of so much stress & drama with his teacher. This year? He's doing amazing, & (insert small mom brag) just got tested for the gifted program. His teacher is so fabulous & I feel so grateful that he goes to school every day & feels confident again.

At Yogurtland, following an eight hour IQ test on a Saturday. Poor guy survived like a champ. Last year he couldn't focus for an hour. This year? He rocked out an eight hour test. He's an amazing kid & has come SO far. Love this boy.

                7. This guy is turning 6 in a week or so. And, he's pretty damn hysterical. And, moody & emotional, & loving, & sensitive, & as always. . . the surprise of my life.

              8. Michael & I are having a "date" on Saturday. Our first date since our anniversary in October. I'm so dang excited, I don't even know what to do with myself.

              9. Yoga is making me feel GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. Why did you all keep it such a secret? I had no idea I would feel so good?!

            10. Oh, and there's that minor thing I'm doing on Saturday. Before my date night, of course. My third half marathon. So, so, so excited!!!


What are you happy about today? Share the joy! :-)

Recommend your running tights and reflectors

Yesterday was my rest day, so I'm chomping at the bit to get out there & run again, after my great 12 miler on Sunday.

Here's my workout plan for the week - I'm two weeks out from my half marathon, so this week's mileage is a little lower than last week.

• Monday - Rest day
• Tuesday - 4 mile run + arms + pilates (evening)
• Wednesday - Speed repeats - 6 miles
• Thursday - Cross training + yoga
• Friday - 6 miles + arms
• Saturday - 8 miles
• Sunday - cross training (skiing)

I have a pair of great Lululemon running tights, but I need a second pair. Can you recommend your favorite running tights? Under $100, and hopefully under $75. Am I too optimistic? :-) I want full length (cutting off just before the ankle).

Also, do you wear reflectors when you run early am/evening? So far I've been running with a headlamp, but on part of the run, I'm running with traffic, and a car wouldn't be able to see me from behind. Recommendations on a reflector? A vest? A shirt with built in reflectors?

Would love any recommendations you have on the tights or reflectors. I'm working on my wish list for Mother's Day. :-)

Have you purchased any new running gear lately? If so, please share! :-)

In completely non-running related news, Michael bought me a bread maker for my birthday, & I've been making bread way too often. It's fabulous. MMMMMMMMMMM, bread! Do you bake?