PSA

This is my public service announcement...and perhaps a bit of a nerd rant.


We still haven't taken CSI Miami off of our scheduling recordings on the DVR.  It's often nice because I then have something brainless for background noise.  Monday morning, after Avery's sleepless night, I watched it...and my head exploded.


I'm a science nerd, chemistry to be exact.  

Solutions of iodine in cyclohexane and varying amounts of pyridine from my chemistry days.

I have often overlooked this show's liberties with science....like when they said they put a solid sample into the GCMS.  (GCMS stands for GAS Chromotagraphy Mass Spectrometer).  I even overlooked when they got a totally absurd and impossible chemical product from a particular chemical reaction.  (Although - my husband says complaining to him about it doesn't count as overlooking it).


This past week though, their science mistake could get idiots people hurt.  They violated a major safety rule.  SPOILER ALERT.  The girl spilled acid on her arm.  She went to the sink to flush it with water (or so I thought - because that is the CORRECT method for dealing with an acid spill on your body)...and then asked the guy to pass her the base.  She then dumped the base onto the acid, and performed an acid-base neutralization reaction ON HER FREAKING ARM.  This is ultimately how they figured out how to catch the killer, by the yellow stain it left.  


First, acid base neutralization reactions typically generate HEAT.  In addition, bases are just as corrosive to your skin as an acid is.  So rather than having one hazardous substance on her arm, she added a second one and performed a reaction on her skin that generates heat.  And yet, there was no fire and no screaming.  I feel completely deprived.  At the very least, the yellow mark should have been accompanied by skin burns.


I looked and looked for a proper video of cool acid-base reactions, but alas, you'll have to settle for this awesome video of Avery.  I fully intend to save this for when she is a teenager and thinks she should be dating. 

She was obviously as unimpressed by their lab safety techniques as I was.  Hopefully, the amount of laughing you did at this video made up for having to read my nerd rant.  :)


My husband has now forbidden me from watching shows about "scientists." This is the same reason I'm not allowed to watch lawyer shows. 


Are there any television or movie liberties that make your head explode?

Rainier Training: Knees

Quick Look Week of Jan 23 -Jan 29:

# of Workouts: 8 

# of miles ran/stairs: 18

Weight: 190.2 (Down 2.4 lbs from previous week)

Chest: 41.5" (Back down 1.5")

Hips: 49"  (No Change)

Monday: 2.16 mile run, 1 hour ST
Tuesday: 3.0 mile run
Wednesday: 30 min ST - Legs rest day
Thursday: 4.0 mile run, 1.0 mile Stair Climber, 1.0 mile walk
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 7.0 mile run
Sunday:  Unscheduled rest day

I got on the stair climber this week!  (mostly because I'd promised in my blog that I would - Ha).  I did 1.0 miles on the stair climber.  I'd intended to do 1.5, but I was feeling a bit light-headed and decided to quit at 1.0.  For the record, one mile on the stair climber feels a lot harder than 4.0 miles running!!!  In other words, I have a lot to do before the mountain climb!

My new BFF.

My original secret goal was to be down to pre-pregnancy weight by the end of this month.  I didn't quit reach that goal.  It made me re-evaluate my time table for weight loss pre-climb and realize that my expectations were a little unrealistic.  I'm not on Biggest Loser and I'm not training 5 hours a day...and I don't require ice baths, yet.  LOL.  My new time table is a little frustrating, but more realistic.  It also doesn't give me as much EXTRA weeks pre-climb to allow for any time needed for plateaus.  It's a little daunting, to say the least.

I could do it no problem if Dolvett was yelling at me to work harder!

Ever since that rutted ice trail run on Sunday, my right knee has been a little tender for distances over 3 miles.  I was doing fine though until the last 0.5 mile of my 7 mile run on Saturday.  I hyper-extended my LEFT knee.  I finished 7.0 miles and then walked limped back to the cars.  I felt fine after that, but out of an abundance of caution, I took Sunday completely off.  

I have to admit, the potential of needing to take a few days off this week terrifies me.  Running is what is keeping me sane this month.  I got teary eyed just thinking about taking time off.  I even asked my mom's group to pray that my knees feel good quickly.  I know, I have issues.  I keep debating about whether or not I will cancel today's run.  Most likely, I will keep it, but force myself to go much slower than I've been going.  I will also tell my trainer no leg work tonight.  (or at least no leg work that requires too much knee involvement.) I will try to skip extra mileage on Tuesday and Thursday as well.  We shall see.  I hereby promise to listen to my knees and know my limits.

Lack of sleep last night probably doesn't help that stress level much.  I think real teething has begun.  Based on Avery's screams last night, I thought someone was in the nursery trying to murder her.  After trying almost everything, we gave her some baby tylenol, which seemed to help a lot.  She flinched when we put anything near her front gums.  Poor thing!  

She's completely figured out the solids thing now though.

My husband's birthday - I didn't do breakfast, because joining my group for the long run was more important.  I'm a horrible wife.  I did buy a recordable birthday card and recorded Avery laughing and squealing in it. It took me forever to get the recording because she was so fascinated by the talking card, "Record your message after the beep."  Up until the morning of Mark's birthday, the message was the sound of thumps as Avery touched the card trying to figure out the sounds it made.  LOL.  She also got a new hat this week...

Mommy, the house is not that cold.

How was your training this past week?  Anyone else try some new equipment?

Any other Biggest Loser fans?

Things galore

Random Kiddo update - Avery ate an entire container of Baby Food Squash today - the first time she's ever eaten that much by A LOT.  She's now tried Rice Cereal, Green Beans, pears and squash...and apparently, her favorite is squash.  Go figure.


Terzah at BQby40 tagged me in the 11 Random Things post that's going around the blog world.  Am I strange that I'm wondering which individual decided on 11?  And why 11 this time around?  I'm also going to be a brat and only tag a few people, since a lot of those I would have tagged have already been tagged and have already posted their 11 things....even though I'm breaking them, I'll post the rules anyway.


1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in your tagger's post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blogs and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." You legitimately have to tag 11 people!


Here are the 11 Random Things About Me (hopefully not repeating random things I've put in other tag posts):


1.  I once played on three different soccer teams in one season...and continued playing in a game after breaking my toe when a girl stomped on it because I took the ball away from her.


2.  I'm a nerd...and not just in the good grades sense.  I once took part in a practical joke that require me to attend school in crutches for a week.  I'm much older and more mature now, honest.


3.  I will randomly go on organizing sprees.  When I get in the mood, no room or closet is safe.  But, I have to be in the mood.

YES!  Straighten that damn pencil!

4.  I play the trombone, but I haven't done so since Avery was born because it's loud.  I'd recently spent a small fortune for a nice trombone.  I used the fact that  I played a semester in the OSU band when I went back to school as an excuse to do so.

5.  I love butterflies.  I was once known as the "butterfly lady" when I did presentations and butterfly releases at the Franklin Park Conservatory.  I stopped volunteering there because of the way they treated a friend

That giant butterfly is called a Birdwing, it's from Australia.

6.  I puffy pink heart Costco.  Perhaps because, I hate shopping.  I mean HATE shopping.  So, shopping at Costco means fewer shopping trips in theory, right?


7.  I hate painting.  We painted our entire house when we first bought it, even the trim.  My right pinkie still doesn't work properly.  I. Will. Never. Paint. Another. Room. Luckily, hubby painted Avery's room.  HA!


8.  I have texture issues when it comes to food. For example, I LOVE hamburgers.  I uber-craved them when I was pregnant.  But, soggy buns make me gag.  So, no cheese on home grilled burgers, because I have to be able to "de-grease" the meat with a paper towel before putting it on my bun to avoid the soggy bun problem.


9.  I really want to learn how to scuba dive.  I've always been partially limited by the whole "I have asthma" thing, but I've seen some amazing scuba pictures.


10.  I enjoy musicals.  In fact, I'm still bummed that Mark didn't buy me season tickets again this year...something about having a baby now.  Boo Hubby.


11.  My husband and my first fight ever in our relationship was about football.  It was a knock-down blow-out too.




Questions from Terzah:

1. Which U.S. state do you most want to visit and what would you do there?
Maine.  I don't know why. When I was a kid I always said I wanted to go to Maine.  LOL.  I would probably visit some Lighthouses, run a race and eat lobster.

2. If you are a parent, what's the most important piece of advice you have for those of us who are also parents (and I want to know this even if your kids are still young)? 
Avery is 5 months old, but she's way cuter and more alert than some other 5 month old kiddos...so clearly I rock as a mom.  HA!  I   would say, don't stress the small stuff, like the idea of a schedule.  As long as the kid is healthy and happy, the rest doesn't matter.  Don't allow other mom's to judge you.  Laugh a lot.  I've found that if Avery is crying at 3am (or any time really) it helps to joke and laugh.  Also, challenge the kiddos.  I realized at one point that Avery could do more things if given more opportunities and that I shouldn't be so tied to the "ages" on items.

3. Name your favorite sport (running, tris, cycling etc.). If you couldn't do it, what would be your next choice and why?
Tough call.  Individual - running...but I haven't summitted Rainier yet, so that could change.  :)  Team - soccer.  Back up? Swimming.  I love to swim recreationally, I'm just not good at it as a sport...yet.

4. If you could pick a totem animal, what would it be and why?
My first thought was Dolphin - because I love dolphins.  Then I realized they really aren't on totems, so I'm going with Eagles.

5. What's the scariest thing you ever did?
I asked my husband - and he didn't say childbirth.  That cracked me up.  Instead, he said zipline.   Ok.  I was scared before actually doing that.  It was a different kind of fear than childbirth though.  To be clear though, I feared becoming a mom more than the birth.  Suddenly was responsible for the well-being of a tiny, tiny human.

The zipline photo is MIA - so childbirth it is

6. If you still live in your hometown, are you glad you stayed? If you don't still live in your hometown, would you like to go back and live there?
I don't still live in my hometown, and because I moved a lot, I'm not sure what I would consider to be my hometown.  If we could go back to Texas and live closer to family though, I'd be rather tempted.

7. Are you a fan of motivational posters?
Not really.  This one is funny though.

8. Do you do well on standardized tests?
Yes.  I was that annoying kid that did really well on the SAT and the LSAT.  I didn't miss any questions on the math portion of the SAT, but I did skip 2.
9. Which countries/regions did your ancestors come from? Do you strongly identify with any of those places?
My Dad's family came from England.  My mom was half Korean.  I don't really strongly identify with either.
10. Which do you like best: baseball or football?
At least an easy question!  FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!  Baseball is too boring to watch on TV for me without simultaneously doing 50 other things.
11. Name your favorite movie of all time.
I can never do these ones!  I'm dominated by my mood, thus, my favorite movie depends on my current mood.  I did watch Ever After about 1 million times in college though.  And, my secret love is Labyrinth.

My Questions for those who choose to do them:
1.  What is your favorite dessert?
2.  What is the silliest thing you've done AS AN ADULT?
3.  If money were not an issue, where would you go on vacation?
4.  What time do you wake up in the morning?
5.  When you run - music or no?
6.  What's the hardest thing physically that you've accomplished?
7.  What's your favorite book of all time?  (I know, I hate these questions and then I asked it).
8.  Other than running, what are your hobbies?
9.  Have you ever been to a country other than the one you live in?  Where?
10.  Would you ever put a child of yours in a beauty pageant? (whether or not you have kids)
11.  If you were packing for a trip, what would be the one thing that it would be a disaster if you forgot?


People I'm tagging (If you hate these things, disregard the tag!):
1. Laurie
2. Sarah
3. Sarah
4. Sara
5. Amy
6. Deb
7. Lisa
8. Jenn
9. Laura

Trail Confessions

I don't know about y'all, but oftentimes, group runs on the trails turn into trail confessionals.  It's rather enjoyable, and good for my soul I think.  So, instead of a Random Wednesday post - let's do a trail confessions post.


I love to run.  I am kind of a lot slow compared to most hard core runners.  I'm also VERY competitive.  This is not a good combination sometimes.  LOL.

Maybe if I blindfold the fast runners, I can beat them!

I may have forgotten to tell my husband that the Key Lime pie fell on the floor before he ate a piece last night.  In my defense, if he'd read my blog, he would have known!


My husband's birthday is on Saturday and he is impossible to do something for.  I need some suggestions!  His present is that I'm allowing him to purchase and install the sound system he's been wanting.  (That's actually his Christmas, birthday and anniversary present).  He's not a big sweets fan.  I thought about getting a sitter so we could go out to dinner - but since I don't have a regular sitter, I probably waited too late to do that.


My friend Laurie signed up for her first full marathon - and I was ITCHING to register with her immediately after I saw that!  I keep telling myself to wait until I hear back about NY...but that seems like it'll be FOREVER!  I'm tempted to register now for Columbus, and just pay the $15 to switch to the Half if I get in to NY.


Every time I hear about some cool race that some other blogger has done I think - I want to do that!!!  I think I will need to be running with a walker by the time I finish all the races on my list.  LOL

Every day I say - I need to drink more water.  Every day - I don't.  This is not a good thing.  Somehow, saying it all the time is not a recipe for success.

I spent precious sleep time last night after putting Avery to bed...loading the Buffy Musical soundtrack and the Newsies soundtrack onto my ipod for something to entertain me during the boring time on the stair climber.

I admit - when I was younger - I always thought "Jack Kelly" was hot.

I laugh at my daughter...a lot.  Lately, she has discovered the cat, Ginger.  Ginger does not yet know to be afraid of tiny humans.  So, Avery petted her yesterday....with her feet.  Ginger purred the whole time.  A match made in Heaven?

Any one else find Christian Bale attractive?


How early do you register for races/events?  Do you have the same problem I do about wanting to do most races you hear about?? (with the exception of the Hot Chocolate race!)

Rainier Training: Fresh Start

Quick Look Week of Jan 16 -Jan 22:

# of Workouts: 6 

# of miles ran/swam: 9

Weight: 192.6 (Down 1.2 lbs from previous week)

Chest: 43" (Up 1.5" - never noticed this monthly change before!  HA!)

Hips: 49"  (No Change)

Monday: 1000m swim - no ST, trainer canceled
Tuesday: Mom's birthday
Wednesday: no ST, I backed out.
Thursday: 5:45 am Spin and TRX combo class; 4 mile group run
Friday: 800m swim
Saturday: 75 minutes ST, core was actually sore on Sunday!
Sunday: 4 mile TOUGH rutted trail run

I should get credit for more than 1.2 lbs, because we had book club last night and I indulged in scrumptious brownies and key lime pie and pizza and buffalo chicken dip.  This despite Sarah dropping the Key Lime pie UPSIDE down on the floor.  Like that would stop us.  Pfft.  The picture is blurry because my camera focused on the Kermie lunchbox instead and I was too focused on food to notice.  :)

It may not have been pretty any longer, but it was still very tasty.

My Saturday workout, on the other hand, was AWESOME.  I met Adam at the gym for the first time in a while - and there was this new piece of equipment, a vicore fitness bench.  I commented that it looked cool and Adam said - let's do your whole workout on it.  

It was awesome - and sort of seemed like a Bosu ball stretched out into a bench.  It made all the bench exercises that much harder.  My core was actually sore the next day - awesome.

My Dad recently shared on Facebook my first (and so far only) mountain summit success, Mt. St. Helens when I was 14.  You can see Rainier (or maybe Mt. Adams) in the background.  I had so much fun doing this!!!  I was obscenely proud about being the youngest one on the summit....pride goeth before the fall.  I did a little summersault on the decent when I tried to stop while going too fast on the volcanic ash.

Three generations: My Dad, me and my Grandpa

Dog didn't get her walks this week - shame on me.  

I titled this fresh start - because I need to start the true mountain training NOW.  I will be visiting the stair climber this week no matter what.  I will also return to always changing Avery on the upstairs changing table and stop wussing out and using the downstairs option.  In addition, I am adding back in an extra run day - when my cross training for Rainier gets longer in time, I may re-drop it, but for now, it's back in.

Avery started something new this past week as well - gurgling.  I think she's trying to tell me to get with the program already.  You'll want your volume up to watch it, because it's boring without it.

How do your training week go?  Anyone have any events coming up?

How do you typically come up with your training plans for events?  How comfortable are you with modifying them?

Not Okay

I apologize in advance - but the mood in this post is not going to be an upper.  Here's a really funny Avery picture to make up for it.

Let's get those clothes off of you.

A lot of my friends check in with me from time to time to see how I am doing since my mom died.  I usually just say "I'm okay." It's quick, easy and doesn't require any real response.  As long as I am busy and not left alone too long, I generally am OK.  I guess you could say that I've been dealing by NOT dealing.


Last night was one of those night that makes you pay for not dealing.


I wish I could go back in time, back to the days when I still thought my mom walked on water, where we spoke on the phone almost every day.  Back before  the end of college, when my mom made it to my graduation because we flew her in.  Back before, I realized that my mom wasn't really good at calling me.  Back before my mom only made it to my wedding because Mark and I paid to fly her, my stepdad and my half brother in.  Back before my sister died and all the things I realized in that aftermath.


My mom was so much fun when you were with her in person, but if you lived part way across the country as I did these recent years, not so much.  One of the things my Dad has told me often in the last couple weeks was to remember the good times.  But, remembering the good times HURTS so much more.  When I remember the bad things, I can just be mad at her and not her so damn much.


The good times.  Back when I was little and we walked in the park near her apartment back in Houston.  We stopped at EVERY clover patch looking for that elusive 4-leaf clover.  Later, in NJ, the Dunkin Donuts trips after her paper route where we indulged in delicious Bavarian creme donuts.  The many times when we visited the Jersey shore and played every game and ate every bad-for-you food on the boardwalk.  The sand castle I bought on one of those trips to the Jersey shore still sits in my bath room, a reminder of the good times...and I can't stand to look at it.


My mom HATED having her picture taken.  I was trying to find pictures of her in digital form after she died, and I really don't have many.  It's horrifying and makes me think that I was a horrible daughter that I don't have enough pictures or good memories in recent years.


And then, to top off the daughter of the year award - one of my self-pitying thoughts last night was about how my first mother's day with Avery will be overshadowed by the fact that it will be my first mother's day without my Mom.  


My husband went out to the store last night when I said a giant piece of cake or a cupcake would help me feel better...and he brought home a GIANT cupcake.  It did help a bit.

It's so big, I could only eat half of it.

So, the fact is, I miss the mom I had when I was little and didn't know any better...and I miss the relationship I could have had with my mom.  I grieve that reconciliation is no longer possible.  I regret the lost time more than I can say...and that more than anything makes me cry EVERY time I think about it.


For anyone that made it through this complete sobfest, thank you for listening, I'm sorry to be such a downer.  I will make up for it with another cute Avery picture....

In my dreams, I'm a ninja.

Thank you so much to all my friends and family that are there to support me, whether I show how much I need it or not.

Random Wednesday

Another Wednesday, another post of randoms.


Avery is trying solids again.  First day of non-formula foods was Sunday.  Green Beans.  I know, I'm evil.  She ate a lot of them...but on Monday decided that Green Beans were not tasty and refused to eat more than a bite or two.  Tursday we decided to try Pears.  Whatever the item - here facial expressions for these first foods are PRICELESS and super hilarious.

You call this FOOD???

Tuesday was my Mother's birthday.  She would have been 56.  She still looked like she did when I first went to college though.  Everyone keeps saying how much we looked alike.  I remember when I used to visit in High School, and she LOVED it when people mistook me for her sister.

I hope I look as good or better in my 50's

A new race to consider was suggested to me by Sarah.  The North Country Run.  It has a half, a full and an Ultra.  It's a trail run and has the biggest medal I've ever seen.  The site says it's the largest half marathon/ultra and largest marathon medal in the country. It's only about a 5 hour drive from here.  I've already been chatting with Laurie about the potential of the Ultra in 2013....I wouldn't be crazy alone.

I want a medal for a face!

I had a dream Monday night about running a half marathon that consisted of running a lot of laps.  But not normal laps of trails or tracks...it was through a house and involved stairs and dodging laundry.  It actually made me ask my husband - is my subconscious wanting me to sign up for the Last Chance For Boston lap race?


Most of you know that because of a canceled flight, I DNS'd for the First on The First race.  My fellow NOBO peeps and the other mentor/training buddy Deb ran in it.  

The entire NOBO training group just before the race

After the race, Deb wanted to give me HER medal to recognize what I'd done to get to that point, and perhaps partly because she used my bib to run it.  It was absolutely a sweet and humbling gesture!  (I'm sure it's partly because this medal has a BLUE ribbon, but the Universe clearly only wants me to have red ones).  While I thanked Deb from the bottom of my heart, I am not keeping her medal.  I cannot keep a medal for a race that I did not complete, it would never feel right to me.  It's not the first time I've said this, nor the first time I've stuck to it despite an opportunity for an extra medal.


I need to rework my training schedule after today.  The flaw in my plan of 3 runs a week instead of 4 became evident today when I had to miss a run.  That means I'll only have 2 runs for the week under the current plan.  I'm going to add back in Monday or Sunday runs.


Last, but not least, be sure to check out this awesome Sunglasses giveaway at The Studly Runner, as well as, this awesome safety giveaway at I Run Because...I can.


Would you run a race just to get that giant medal?


Have you ever run a race that consisted of running laps on a track?  Good, bad?


How many times do you run in a week?  How many is too few during training?

Rainier Training: JEANS

Quick Look Week of Jan 9 -Jan 15:

# of Workouts: 11 

# of miles ran/walked: 20

Weight: 193.8 (Down 0.4 lbs from previous week)

Chest: 41.5" (No change)

Hips: 49"  (Down 1" from previous measurement)

Monday: 2.2 mile walk with Cassie; 1 hour ST with Adam
Tuesday: 2.79 walk/run with Kiddo and Dog; 3.33 miles running
Wednesday: 1.3 mile walk with Cassie; 45 ST with Adam
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 5 mile run with MIT; 2 hour Yoga 101 Workshop
Sunday: 2.2 mile walk with Cassie

Irony.  The week before last, I ate out almost every meal while traveling and only did a few exercises on the weekend.  I lost over 2 lbs.  This week, I had over 8 hours of workouts and ate decently well (except at the hockey game)....and barely lost anything.  I blame Sarah and Mollie taking me to Hockey night and Funnel Fries.  Just saying.  :D

I did have one exciting milestone this week - on Saturday - I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans!!!  And, not in a "I forced-them-to-zip-when-I-really-shouldn't-have" way.  No.  I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans.  WOOHOO!

Me, Mollie and Sarah at Hockey and Heels

Tried out Avery in the jogger at the beginning of the week while the spring-in-January weather was still blessing us with it's presence.

This bed is comfy.

The first time out worked like a charm.  The second time out - when I was with another human being - didn't.  Coincidence?  I think not.  :)

Whatever Lady, shouldn't you be working out or something?

The Saturday morning run with MIT was absolutely FREEZING!  A couple people in my pace group even fell.  Luckily, I was not one of them.  I also tried out my Amphipod belt for the first time.  That's me in the pink jacket.

Nice view of my butt.

A new toy arrived today for me to try out this coming week.  A Garmin footpod.  NOW, I can prove that my treadmill reads slow.  :D

Hopefully, this week, all the workouts will pay off in more than just inches.  :)

How was your training week?  Did you have the same sudden change to DAMN COLD that we did?

What's your favorite stadium/arena food?

Product Review: Saucony Ulti Mitt II

These are by far the most expensive gloves I have ever owned.  I don't typically buy pricey things that I can take off on a run and lose.  (Just ask my husband about me and sunglasses!)  Before these, the most expensive running gloves I'd owned were $10.  (These gloves were $45 before my discount at Fleet Feet).  Right now, though, they are on sale direct from Saucony's website for $34.


Meeting a running group in a running store pre-run can be a bad thing.  You get tempted to buy all kinds of running items that you might not have bought otherwise.  These gloves were one such item.  They are pretty snazzy.  They are reflective and come in different colors.  I've been into pink running gear lately, so I got pink.


They come with a rechargeable light, which can shine or flash.  (It recharges by plugging into a USB port).  Very handy for looking at your watch or anything else on dark runs.

As you can see in the first picture, they are both gloves AND mittens.  There is an outer portion the slips over the fingers.  They are actually quite thin, which is a good thing, in my opinion, for a running glove.  Because of how thin they were, though, I didn't originally think they'd be super warm.  They have a little opening in the forefinger of each glove, so that you can operate you touch iPod or iPhone.  I actually used that feature with great success during my run last night to check messages on my phone to double-check who in my running group was coming.

These gloves are AWESOME.  They are warm, moisture wicking and very functional!  The mitten part protects well from wet conditions.  (I ran with them in freezing rain once, and they still worked perfect).  They even have a thicker softer portion of the hand that my old NOBO coach insisted was a snot-spot.  HA!

The only downside of these gloves is the amount they cost.  They keep my hands warm enough that during last nights run (that occurred during a winter weather advisory) I took them off.  Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing my jacket with the convenient pockets.  I tried to shove them in a small rear pocket...and apparently failed.  When we'd finished and were standing around stretching and talking, my hands got cold again.  So, I pulled out my gloves glove.  I'd dropped one on the trail!  My group was nice enough to accompany me back on the trail to look for it.  Not only did I drop one, but I dropped the one that had the snazzy light on it!  Luckily, it was only 0.39 miles from the trailhead.


For someone who gets REALLY cold running, the thinness of the fabric might be a concern, but I had no problems at all.  I actually super heart these gloves.


Bottomline:  If you don't lose little things easily like I do - these gloves are worth every penny!  (And even if you DO lose them - they cost enough that you'll earn extra miles going back out for them!  HA!)

Random Wednesday

I thoroughly enjoyed the lack of focus for my last random Wednesday post, and may have to make these a thing.  


I changed the name of this blog to No Standing Still, as suggested by Lisa.  It's a play on my last name and the fact that I run AND climb mountains (hopefully).  I need to come up with a fun award package for Lisa for the great suggestion!  Any ideas?


I finally wrote a page about my Mt. Rainier climb for those that want to know more about that thing: Mt. Rainier.  I really need to start pushing hard for that training - because I want to see images like this in person!

This photo is from my stepbrother's successful climb last summer.  
Yes those are clouds behind them.

I am thrilled that my old NOBO crew has decided to continue our informal Tuesday night runs - I needed a good run last night!  Running has really become therapy for me.  It's not just the endorphin highs, but the company I keep while running.  We enjoyed above freezing temperatures in January again...but I think that's about to end soon...


WINNING!  I am so excited - I won my first thing in a LONG time!  I won a fitness assessment, nutrition plan and 5 class pass to PAI fitness in a giveaway on my friend Laurie's blog.  I'm so excited!  I'd already signed up for the Yoga 101 and 102 workshops (101 is this weekend).  I'm extremely excited for the assessment and plan though...because I'm a long way from where I want to be!  


Hopefully, my winning streak will continue and I'll win a spot in the New York Marathon Lottery!!!

Avery turned 5 months old yesterday - and decided that "It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to" should apply to her month birthday too.  She threw a complete fit on my failed walk.  But - she was still willing to pose for a few photos a bit later.

I'm lucky that I'm so cute.

Someone asked what a happy scream sounds like (from my Day of Firsts post), so to commemorate my 2012 goals, here's a happy scream!

After several delays, here are my goals for 2012:  (I use the word goals because I'm with a lot of people on the whole anti-resolution thing.  Many of these I've already started working towards.)

• Run my first half marathon post-baby in under 2.5 hours.  I'm slow, so for me this would be a PR.  :D   I would like to do this at my race in Knoxville in April, and then run a second better race at Cap City in May.
• Of course, just finishing at Cap City is a goal this year.  I have tried to complete the half marathon at this race twice and been foiled both times.  The first time, I cracked three ribs skiing.  The second time, terrible shin splints attacked and I was too focused on how pregnant I was and how I was in the VERY back of the field to power through.
• Run my first full marathon in the fall.  To that end - I applied for the New York Marathon.  If I am unsuccessful in that lottery, my intent is to run the Columbus Full Marathon in the Fall.
• Finish Relay Around Columbus!  My first race over 100 miles!  Of course, it's a relay, so I won't be running all 100 myself.

• Climb Mt. Rainier.  If I do not summit the mountain, I want it to be weather NOT physical conditioning that keeps me from the summit.
• Lose 40 more pounds before the climb, and maintain a weight of 150 or less by the end of the year.  I was caring extra weight before having Avery, and then gained more than I should have.  Carrying that much weight on the climb would make a hard thing even more difficult.  Not. Going. To. Do. It.
• Give the dog her time.  I intend to return to walking her every day instead of the tennis ball-throwing cop-out.  She's been a bit attention deprived since Avery came along...and threatened to move in with Laurie after her fun stay there.

That other house had other DOGS, not strollers.

Have you ever won anything?  Do you have any unusual plans for 2012?