Post 297

You know you are addicted to Blogging when...

You have nearly 300 posts in 9 months.


You know you are a Runner when...

Your Long run got postponed for a day and you are disappointed.


You know you are in Love when...

Your other half is sick and you fee like part of you is broken.


You know you are Tired when...

You can barely focus on reading and commenting in the Bloggy world.


***Yesterday I played Stay at Home Mom to the Little Studs and a VERY SICK Muscle Man...let me tell you it was DRAINING!! Respect and admiration to the Stay at Home Moms and Dads in the world... My coffee is not helping this morning and we have plans to go to a birthday party today.

I have a Second Running date with Amanda (5 Miles to Empty) for tomorrow...YIPPEE!! 11 miles of FUN.. This week I totally made up for last week of zero running. I ran every day expect for Friday... CRAZY!! And guess what?? I made it over the 900 mile mark. Yes folks less than 100 miles to get to my Goal!!!

Wishing you all an amazing weekend. I am off to see if the Richmond Marathon has online (stalking) tracking.. HUGS!!

High Five Friday and Diva Night

I woke up at 5AM to the sound my Muscle Man expelling his dinner. Poor guy is SICK! So I will be staying home to take care of him and the Little Studs. And Praying I can avoid the gunk..but since my throat already feels like it is closing ujp I am guessing I won't be able to avoid it. I am miles away from my Tall Mom Calendar....so the LONG list will be limited to the few I can think of... Sorry bad memory..

High FIVE Race/Events:
Mom of 3= (First) Richmond Marathon
TMB= Richmond Marathon
KAT= (First) Richmond Marathon
Jen=(First) Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio
Morgan= Founders Day 10K
Robin= Founders Day 10K
Zoe= Winter Pineapple Classic


High FIVE Happy Birthday:
X-Country2= Welcome to the Big 3-0 club
Shelly= Turned 26 for the 14th time
My Cousin Kathy



High FIVE Giveaways=
The Daily Cadence= Box of Stuff Ends Thanksgiving

Running off at the Mouth= Runner's cookbook Ends 11/15
Lil Runner= Clif Quench Ends ?
See Sami Eat= POM Ends Sunday morning

***If you would like to be added to one of the lists above, or start a new list, let me know and I will LINK you in (as soon as I can).. Also, if you have something coming up for a FUTURE High Five Friday, let me know and I will add it to the Tall Mom calendar….If you give me the info you WILL end up getting a HIGH FIVE or two, or three…

HIGH FIVE it's Friday!!!

DIVA NIGHT!!!
I am on the Monthly Email list for the Bonney Lake Fleet Feet. Last week I got an email about "Diva Night." Wine, snacks, product demos, 20% off, all for ladies, the store open to cater to us!! It was super fun..Thanks to Coleen and Paul, the owners, for hosting. I forwarded the email to local Bloggers and friends. Zoe was able to attend. Folks this little lady is just as Glam in person, can you say ADORABLE!!

Funny thing, I spotted Zoe across the room, easy to do at 6'0. There were maybe 30-40 people?? It is a tiny place and was pretty packed, which made it HOT and I kept elbowing people. They started the Door Prize Drawings and first Name Called "ZOE." So funny! She walked past and quickly noticed me. She won a little bag with lotions and fun things.

My BF Charity was my date for the night. We did Applebees, Shopping at Marshalls and ended with Diva night. Thanks to Muscle Man for watching the little studs. We should have asked someone to take our picture....Anyhow on with the drawing, next name after Zoe's Win. "Melanie," Wait what?? OK so what did I win? I was only half paying attention because I was excited to meet Zoe. The Moving Comfort rep was standing there with an ENTIRE OUTFIT!!!
Me with Teresa the Sales rep for Moving Comfort.. I still need to get one of the "Support Your Girls" T's, I LOVE LOVE them!! And what did LUCKY Tall Mom win??

A cute and soft green T-shirt with Flower detail, super awesome Capris with pockets.

And a Green jacket to match. The outfit is a medium...yes folks I fit in a medium, when did that happen O have been an XL my whole life? The jacket is a little snug, but it will work! Thanks to Moving comfort and Fleet Feet!

Of course I have to support my local running store and had earned some retail therapy. We purchased a $100 gift card for $50 from a local radio promotion.. So I had some fun money to play with. I got this Helly Hanson base layer top and a handheld water bottle...will test it this weekend and let you know.

DIVA NIGHT.. Total Success!!

What Fills Your Pie

As a Working/Running/Blogging Mom my plate is nearly always FULL. Being busy is my life and I have accepted that. I TRY to keep a positive attitude and in general I am successful. How you ask?

My Best Friend Charity introduced me to the idea of my PIE. There are times in life when you feel depleted like something is missing...your PIE is not full. After having a Girls Night with me she would leave and say "Thank you my Pie is Full now."

It is the easiest thing in the world to just be sad. To let all the things that make you stressed and depressed take over. Granted there are times when life does not make sense and you must depart from the world to mourn, take that time. More often than not, the things we let get us down is all a matter of how we think about LIFE.

Mind, Body, and Soul= Your PIE

Things that Fill my PIE:

-Muscle Man and his doting and loving words.

-RUNNING...Good days and bad days, I love to be out in Nature by the power of my size 10's.

-Hugs and Kisses from my Little Studs.

-Girls Night and phone calls from my Friends.

-My Mom calling to ask what I need from Trader Joes.

-Hosting "High Five Friday" and reading all of the Race Reports after the weekend.

-Vendors who believe in me and are willing to let me TEST products...Fun Tall Mom Test Lab Reviews coming soon..

-Amazing and unexpected Bloggy love from friends I have never met

*Jillian HERE host of "Props Wednesday" I was floored to see that I was getting props. Her words brought tears to my eyes.. Total Pie Filler.

*TMB HERE dedicated mile 13 of her Marathon this weekend to ME. WHAT??? I was, and still am, amazed and totally honored.

*Believe HERE has "Feel Good Friday" last Friday she called me "Inspiring" ...again tears. If I was feeling tired and done with the week this Filled my PIE for sure.

-Fun events at local Running Stores... Diva night at Fleet Feet tonight!! Can't wait to meet Zoe and possibly Kerrie.

-Running Dates. No matter the pace running with someone is such a TREAT.

-Trees, yes Trees fill my pie. I am not a Tree Hugger, but being in the woods makes me feel complete.

-Knowing that I can type on Tall Mom and possibly connect with, or make one person smile.... That totally Fills my PIE!!!


What can you do today to make sure that your PIE is full? You have the choice to be happy, make it happen, fill your PIE.


PS. Does the picture in this post make anyone else excited for Thanksgiving??

First Marathon Stories

As Tall Mom Bloggy Pack Friends Momof3, Jen and Kat prepare for their First Marathons THIS WEEKEND!! (Good Luck Ladies!!) I can't help but think about my own First (and only so far) Marathon.



For those of you new to Tall Mom I ran the Seattle Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in June 2009. My Full Race report is HERE, (dorky post races video and lessons learned can also be found in the June 09 archives). My First Marathon day did not go as I expected, here is the quick version.

• The first Half of the race I was on Pace to qualify for Boston, which was my ambitious goal. My Body gave out around mile 11.5, most likely due to the stress I placed on myself in hopes of a BQ.


• My bladder gave out around mile 12.3 (TMI but true), probably because I over-hydrated. After the embarassing accident my mind shut off.


• I spent the last half of the race in survival mode with my mind and body total out of sync.


• It turned out to be a bad running day and I have been aching for Marathon Redemption ever sense.

My time was respectable, but I want to RUN the entire race and know that I made conquered the 26.2 in Tall Mom style. I took the first step by registering for the Fleet Feet Marathon training program starting on January 9th. Next step is to register for my Marathon Redemption. DETAILS SOON..

In the mean time it is stories like that ones below that keep my dimples shining. The First Time is different for everyone and below are a few Race Reports you don't want to miss. (Britt, your Blog was not working...I wanted to link you in??)



Lacey- HERE
I have adopted this Blogger as my little sister, I stalked her on Facebook to get her cell number because I could not wait to hear the results. She is a speedy former basketball player with a mean negative split. Her First Marathon she qualified for Boston. Talk about a DREAM performance.



Morgan- HERE
Caution Redhead Running is right! I felt like a Mama bear worried about her little cub as this fun-sized Florida Runner toughed out the cold in Chicago. In her recap under the bullet "Miles 21-25" she wrote "The next few miles seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye," her experience proves that you can have a blast and avoid the WALL.



Candice- HERE
A Blondie Mom with Barbie doll looks strutted her stuff in a Pink running skirt at the Top of Utah Marathon. She admits that she never asked myself "Why am I doing this?" during the race and soon after was ready for ANOTHER. Her training for the 26.2 included a DREADMILL run of 20 miles, the poor machine was smoking by the end.



Nicole- HERE

This Mommy runner is new to the Marathon Club as of mid October. She changed her Blog name to "26.2 and a Mommy Too" after her first Marathon Finish Line. In true Matchy Matchy style she painted her nails Orange to match her shirt, shoes and ribbon...Love it. Her husband biked around the course as she debated on whether she could toss away her Goodwill "throw away" running pants.



Faith Ann- HERE and HERE
Race reports in KM's throw me off...I totally connected with a lady who put a clone Trooper sticker on her race bib for GOOD LUCK!! "I kept thinking about my little guy waiting for me at the finish line and how I loved seeing him run his the day before in the kids' spud run. There was no way I wanted to be driven to the finish line." We all find inspiration in different ways, but I am sure all Moms think about their kids many many times during the 26.2



Jesse- HERE
Kansas City plays home to a Canadian man who is not afraid to wear spandex (well sorta). His inner Fat kid cheered as he won a 10K in race prep for the Big day. With a first M-Day time of 3:34:32 he plans on running the Calgary Marathon in May, 2010, with the goal of shaving 25 minutes off to qualify for Boston.

• There you have it.. FYI feel free to jump around read, learn and comment...it is NEVER too late to comment on a Marathon Race Report... If you have a First Marathon Race Report you would like me to add to the list please comment or email me with the link.

EXIT NOTES:

• Katie thank you for all your comments do you have a Blog or email so I can respond and say "Hi"?
• Linda, thanks for reading and glad to see you joined the Blog world! Your story is inspiring..
• WELCOME to all the new Bloggy Pack members!!!

Red Skies in Morning

Stats for 11/9:
41:07- Time
Miles- 5
Overall Pace- 8:13
Fastest Mile- 7:57 Less Fast Mile- 8:32
Rainy day run on my lunch hour with sore tummy muscles.

Yesterday morning at 6AMish on my way to work the sky was AMAZING. Dark, with the clouds open to reveal bright grey and red. I remember when we were at the Ocean growing up my Mom would always say "Red Skies at night, Sailors delight. Red Skies in morning, Sailors take warning." Or something along those lines. So I knew that I was in for a treat on my lunch hour run.

My goal for this run was to channel my inner peace. Cheesy right? Basically I wanted to run for the love and fun of being out there. My co-workers seemed mystified when I grabbed my running bag as the puddles quickly filled to capacity.

With rain gear on I headed out. It was going to be a WET one!! The skies were dark. I took my favorite path which winds around the river, over a bridge and along a soccer field. I do my best thinking while running, and today was a rare IDEA type of day, details soon.


Crossing the bridge I thought about how anyone sitting inside to avoid the rain was truly missing out. The drizzle made patterns on the river, leaves cascaded slowly to meet the water and were slowly pushed downstream. Leaves of Green, Yellow, Red and Orange, some as big as my soggy size 10's covered my path. The simplicity and beauty you see in nature by the power of your 2 feet is one of my favorite things about being a runner.

I tried to avoid the puddles, hard to do with the leaves clever camouflage. I was running at a good clip and my stomach started to feel SORE. This is a familiar feeling the day after Volleyball (we went 6-0 again). Yesterday, on his 4th Birthday, I couldn't help but thinking back to the PAIN that came with giving birth to Blaine. I smiled to myself, and focused on my breathing and arm swing...the pain went away.

Next up my daily does of sexual harassment. Near the Industrial Crate Packing building the men sit in their cars just along the path fence line and eat lunch. On SEVERAL occasions I, and my adorable running partners, have been Cheered on (LOL), by the fellas. Yesterday one guy actually rolled down his window, while it is raining mind you, and yelled "Looking goooood!" Wow..OK I will take it as a compliment and SPEED UP!

Turned the corner toward work. GOAL ACHIEVED. I did not let the rain, pain, or insane dude take me out of my ZONE. It was a GREAT running day.

• Wishing you all a great day and a workout in the ZONE!!

**I am planning on doing a post about First Marathon stories. If you have a great one please email me your link. The recent First M-Day posts I will be linking in Lacey, Britt, Jesse, Nicole, Candice, Morgan and ??

Time Flies

"And in the end, it's not the years

in your life that count.

It's the life in your years."

Abraham Lincoln

Welcome to all the new Bloggy Pack Members...once I can find 3 minutes to rub together I will be around to say Hello.. Today is a BUSY day leaving me little time to breathe let along Blog. Little Stud #1 is 4 years old today. Yes folks after nearly 20 hours of Labor we had a beautiful 9 lbs 10oz baby boy!! Time has flown by, hard to believe I have been a Mom for 4 years. When I have little time I do things in List format. ENJOY!!

5 Things I have learned as a Mom:
1. Love is unconditional and instant.
2. It does not take long to memorize a children's book.
3. Taking care of a sick child is both sad and utterly rewarding.
4. The words "I want to run a Marathon like Mommy." can make you feel like a Superhero.
5. Boys are loud, messy, and stinky...but the connection between a boy and his Mom is unmatched.

5 Things I learned on my Rain Storm Run:
1. A hat is 333% necessary.
2. People who walk in the rain are WEIRD.
3. Cars parked on the sidewalk will force you to tromp in a puddle.
4. Taking a week off will make you feel out of shape.
5. The cars passing by either think you are insane or wish they had the willpower to be like you... I wonder what the percentage is for each?

HAVE A SUPER MONDAY!!!

CAKE and Running it off

I don't often show pictures of food on my Blog, mainly because I don't cook, or bake. I have posted a couple photos of scrumptious cupcakes from the table at work. Today I would like to unveal the Masterpiece that is The Star Wars 4th Birthday cake.
Dun Dun... Dun Dun...Dun.. Dun Dun....
Muscle Man and I built a lego fortress wall around the entire LARGE cake. Note: it is much easier to write on a cake in cursive. The cake has grass, water, dirt, a Tie Fighter and several Start Wars Characters.. And yes we have nearly half of it left. UGH!!! Pretty darn proud of how it looked and tasted.

Above was last year's CARS themed cake, I think we have really outdone ourselves this year. Man what will we do next year???

We watch the Cake Boss and other bakery themed shows. Watching others create amazing masterpieces makes you feel as if it is doable. Props to the pros because it is not easy.

• What have you watched on TV that made you feel you could try something you had never done before? How did it turn out?

Back to my regular Running schedule tomorrow, thank goodness I ate my weight in snakcs, pizza and cake. It is very weird not having a race on my calender, hoping to remedy that and get registered for my next MARATHON (AKA Marathon redemption or M-Day #2). I think I have it narrowed down to one of the following:

Whidbey Island

Tacoma

Eugene

Vancouver B.C.

***My Criteria. Late April, or Early May. Within non-flight proximity to Puyallup, WA. If you have any other options I should consider please let me know.