Fa la la la argh

Woke up this morning to no clean clothes and no clean silverware. Also a basement full of unwrapped gifts and a list of things left to pick up in the next week. There are weeks where I balance teaching, housework, kids and running. This wasn't one of them.

Spent the day running around the house, trying to catch up on things around here.

We had a family Christmas party in the evening (where I managed to choose the most unhealthy food options possible) and now Bill and I are up really, really late watching a really, really, really bad movie.

This should make for an interesting long run tomorrow. Planning on seven miles. Hoping that my foot is healed enough.

Blood, Sweat,...

So the good news is that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.

The bad news is that I threw a piece of my foot skin into the garbage tonight.

Bill got sick this morning and left work early. Then Will got sick at school and was sent home after lunch. I spent the afternoon getting Will settled and driving Liam to my mom's to put him into quarantine.

I spent most of the evening finishing a project two days post deadline. I was planning on skipping my run, but decided last minute to head to the gym. I did a quick three-miles on the treadmill and decided not to remove the inserts.

As usual, my feet and calves were sore with the new sneakers. However, I didn't fully realize the damage until I got home and pulled off my shoes.

I am done with 'breaking in' these shoes and heading back to the store this weekend for some help. Hard to believe that I didn't have a single pain or problem running in shoes that were nearly three years old. But now, in a pair of new ones, I'm hobbling around like a newbie.

Good Intentions

No running today.

Jeans starting to feel seasonably tight, so I did spend some time thinking about getting on a better eating kick in January. Thinking about finding a good nutrition book to read over the break. Would also like to find a good multivitamin.

Blisters, Take Two

Desperate to avoid a new set of blisters, I stopped at a sporting goods store on the way home from work. I sprang for the most dry-fit-high-performance-arch-supporting-left-right-specific-whatever-else-you-can-think-of socks that I could find.

Too lazy to bundle up for the cold, I opted for the treadmill tonight and ran a little over 5 miles. Since I was running on the early side, there wasn't much on television. I ended up watching Food Network where the Nealy's were getting their groove on and then Paula Dean made butter with a side of butter for dinner.

The socks were a FAIL as I got new blisters on top of my old ones as well as unusually sore calves.

I called Road Runner Sports when I got home and explained the problem with the new kicks. The woman on the phone politely suggested that perhaps two 5-mile runs were not the most gentle way of breaking them in and that I should just probably walk around in them for a few days. Brilliant... why didn't I think of that? She also told me that if the problem persisted, I could come in after a week or so and exchange the inserts for new ones.

I might pull the inserts for Friday's run and try wearing them around the house for a week or so.

Cards & Letters

No run tonight.

Camped out in front of television watching Biggest Loser Finale and stuffing Christmas cards with fundraising letters.

New Kicks

Ran 4.7 miles tonight on the boardwalk. Gorgeous beach houses lit up for for the holidays made for nice scenery.

It was cold, but by the end of the first mile, I was warm enough to strip off my gloves and open my jacket a little. I traded my usual knit hat for a headband, and this worked better. The wind was so strong that I had to brace myself a few times.

I was also breaking in a brand new pair of sneakers.

I had been using my past pair for almost three years and people were telling me it was time to make a switch. Last week a fellow runner, a complete stranger, paused to tell me that the most important thing in training is "good footwear". Um, point taken.

I went to Road Runner Sports for a "Shoe Dog" running analysis over the weekend. It was determined that I had very high arches and that the size I was currently wearing was too small. I was told that supporting my arches with inserts would be important to preventing injury over long distance training. So I set out on tonight's run with new sneakers and new inserts made especially for runners with high arches. (Note also the funky asymmetric laces that go up the side of the shoe.)

Overall, this was a pretty uncomfortable run. I'm used to feeling my feet flex when I run and the new shoes kept my feet incredibly rigid and stiff. By mile three, I had developed blisters on each foot where the inserts rubbed against the arches. When I finished the run, my calves were unusually sore-- probably due to overcompensating for the stiffness in my feet.

I'm tempted to remove the inserts, but I'm going to try and stick it out for a few more runs. Before my next run on Wednesday, I'm going to spring for some real running socks. I'm thinking that this might fix the blister problem. And hopefully, after some more mileage, the shoes will break themselves in a little.

Decisions, Decisions

I am not a great decision maker.  

For even the smallest decisions, I tend to pour over 'pros' and 'cons'.  I solicit advice and consider every possible detail.  I finally make a decision and then the second-guessing begins and the process begins all over again.  

Being a mom, however, has forced me to speed the process up quite a bit.  After all, many of the decisions required in the course of my day are split-second choices-- leaving no time for extensive deliberation.

Do I push my crying three-year-old through his swim lesson?  Do I whack him on the tush when ten time-outs in a two hour period aren't doing the trick?  When I discover a stinky diaper 15 minutes from home, do I stop for a change or wait?  When it's 3 am and Liam hasn't slept for more than one hour at a time, do I bring him into our bed?

I was forced to make one such decision at the gym last week.

It was Liam's first time in the childcare room.  The woman in charge seemed nice enough and there were only a few children in the room.  I only planned on a 45-minute workout, so I wasn't too nervous about leaving him.  After dropping him off, I headed to the locker room to get changed.  Before hopping on a treadmill, I went to take a quick peek from a distance.

The childcare woman was in the corner on her cell phone.  A boy (he seemed about 3 years old) was kneeling in front of Liam and pushing him on his forehead.  Liam was smiling broadly, probably thinking this was some sort of game.   The boy, equally entertained, pushed harder and harder until Liam fell backwards and began crying.  This caught the woman's attention and she hung up the phone and picked Liam up.

I could have gone into the room at that moment, but I decided to take a lap around the gym and then take another look.  A minute or two later, Liam was playing in an Exersaucer and he seemed content.  So, I decided to workout as planned.

For the entire 3 miles, I was wondering if I had done the right thing.  How many decisions do you suppose a parent makes in their lifetime?  It's hard to believe that this is only the beginning.

Storybook Land 2009

The pre-nursery and nursery school classes at Will's school take a trip to Storybook Land every spring.  Will had a great time last year (first photo) and he's been looking forward to this trip (second photo, same kids) for the last twelve months.  

This year, some of his favorite moments included riding on the big yellow bus, running through the Alice in Wonderland Tunnel, peering into all of the Storybook houses and riding the train.  From the enormous selection of souvenirs in the gift shop, he selected a squishy octopus (which has absolutely nothing to do with the trip).  And some of my favorite moments included watching Will participate in all of the above activities. 

Will conquered some fears, mainly due to peer pressure, and he rode the Tilt-a-Whirl and Roller Coaster.  As the ride operator buckled us in, he listened intently as I assured him.  He clenched my arm and buried his head in the side of my chest.  As each ride came to a stop he smiled and he danced off the ride yelling, "I was brave... I was brave... I was braaaaave..."  This was a favorite moment.

.

As we were riding the balloons with Ryan, we had some interesting conversation...

Me:  Whoa.  What planet do you want to go to, guys?

Will:  Earth!

Ryan:  Atlantic City!

Me:  This ride makes my belly feel funny!

Will:  This ride makes my penis feel funny!

Ryan:  Me too!

Another favorite moment.

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But above all, I enjoyed the bus ride home.  It was sunny and quiet, as most of the kids were exhausted and parents were chatting quietly.  The bus windows were partially opened, letting in a warm breeze.  In a nostalgic, sort of comforting way, the bus bumped, rocked and swayed along the parkway.  Will played with his stretchy octopus and we talked about the day.  He leaned against me and I watched as he slowly drifted off to sleep, eventually falling into my lap.  I brushed his hair with my fingers and memorized the feel of his hand in mine.  All the while, I was thinking about how much he had changed in the last twelve months and how quickly he's growing up.  A little bittersweet, but above all, my most favorite moment.

(You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to get this photo.)

Mother's Day 2009

Solo Skater

Last week, Will had his first solo skating lesson-- no more "Parent & Me" classes!

Getting dressed in the lobby went as usual-- with Will jumping around and unable to sit still while Bill tried his best to get the equipment on without losing his mind.  (Thankfully, my job is to supervise Liam during this time.)

As we walked into the rink (about 2 minutes after the above pics were taken), Will began complaining that he was 'too tired' and that 'his belly hurt' (which is slightly hilarious considering the above photos).  Bill helped him onto the ice and about 5 seconds later he had his first wipe-out... taking down an innocent 6 year-old on the way.  As the instructors helped Will to his feet, I could see that anxiety was getting the better of him.

However, unlike the 'socially retarded ass wipe' we met earlier in the week, his skating instructor was kind, patient and encouraging.  Within 10 minutes time, he was skating faster and more skillfully than he had ever skated with Bill or me.  

There are only two students in the class.  

Fortunately, Will has always done well with older women.

At the end of the lesson, Bill and I were waiting to congratulate him on a great job.  Will, however, was more concerned with our usual Sunday morning post-skating ritual...

... french fries and hot chocolate.

Incidentally, the best french fries are almost always found in ice rinks and bowling alleys.  We're teaching this kid the important things in life, for sure.