Rookie on the Run

Well, we made it to Huntington Beach.  My husband and I left our quiet, kid-free house later than we had planned.  After getting lost a couple times and dealing with Orange County rainy-day traffic, it seemed like we may have hit the Expo at its peak hours.  It was crowded.  Very, very crowded. Thankfully, the race seems to be well-organized and I was able to pick up my race bib, race bag, and long-sleeve shirt very quickly. The race bags didn't have any goodies in them... but that's OK because the race bag is a "goodie" in and of itself.  Very cool race bag!   I wish I had taken a picture of the race bag... but hopefully you get the idea from this picture.  That's me holding my race number.   We didn't spend much time at the Expo because of the crowds.  I can usually tolerate crowds pretty well, but this was too much, even for me!  My husband hates crowds of any size so I think he was very happy to get out of there.  I have t...

I know you have all been waiting anxiously for this day... the day the winner of "A Few of My Favorite Things" giveaway is announced. Before I announce the winner, let me just say thanks to all of you who took the time to read my blog and leave a comment.  I've "met" lots of fellow running/ fitness bloggers.  I'm looking forward to learning from each one of you! Now... back to the giveaway winner annoucement.  I made this giveaway as scientifically sound as possible.  Each person who commented had the potential to earn up to three entries.  I used Sticky-Notes to write down each name based on the number of entries earned.  Most of you had three Sticky-Notes. Mr. Big Stuff (my five year old) selected the instrument from which we would pull the lucky winner's name.  He decided a five-gallon Lowe's bucket would be best for the job. Here is Mr. Big Stuff, shaking up the names... just to make it fair. Here he is, pull...

Hi Blogger Friends! It's been a couple days... I've been living in a foggier state than usual because I have been fighting this darn cold.  I know I have lots of blogs to catch up on, and I'm looking forward to reading race reports from those of you who did races this past weekend. I am sorry if I haven't been by your blog to stalk catch up with you.  I know you all know how busy life gets sometimes. Anyway, here are some really quick thoughts from me: I'm thinking of pushing the giveaway ending date up to Wednesday.  I'm so excited about sharing some of my favorite things, that I don't want to wait until January 31.   I ran four miles with my running group on Saturday.  I was my usual slow self but it was a nice coastal run.   I'm thinking of getting a shirt made that says, "Don't talk to me.  I'm running!"   Seriously! I know people mean well when they try to strike up a conversation while running but I really, really prefer...

I don't do this very often, being the inconsistent person I am, but I noticed that today is: Three! Things! Thursday! ... Thursday! ... Thursday! ... Thursday! ... **In case you didn't catch that, that is my impersonation of one of those Monster Truck Rally commercials they show on TV** And I'm going to participate this week.  Here goes... Southern California has been pounded by storms!  I love it!  We have wind, rain, hail, lightning, thunder...  the works!  Sure, this weather has forced me to the elliptical machine at the gym, instead of running the streets.  But, I'm OK with that.  For now.  I'm still babying my heel so I figure the rain is a great excuse to give it more down-time.                                                                         ...

Happy birthday to Blog Happy birthday to Blog Happy birthday, dear Blo-ooog... Happy birthday to blog! One year ago today I posted my very first running blog post. If you feel so inclined, you can read it here .  The funny thing is, I thought I had come up with an original idea:  I would chronicle my marathon-training journey for all the world to see! It didn't take long to discover that there were lots of people out there with running blogs.  Did I mind?  Heck, no!  What I lacked in originality, I gained a hundred-fold in support, encouragement, and knowledge from this incredible community of runners. I believe there is a good chance that I would have given up on running and training if it weren't for my Running Blogger Friends.  Your stories, experiences, triumphs, trials, and heart-breaks have kept the running spark alive in me.   I consider each of my Running Blogger Friends a blessing. In order to thank you and to celebrate my b...

Hmmm... "Mommy Monday".  Has a nice ring to it.   Maybe I'll make every Monday a Mommy-related post.  Since today is my youngest son's birthday, I thought I'd take a break from writing anything running-related. Or heel-related.  Or Pigeon Pose-related. Instead, I'm going to share some pictures of the day my little "Mr. Big Stuff" was born. I can hardly believe it's been five years since I went in for my scheduled C-section... and got to see and hold my baby for the first time! A very pregnant me, just before heading out the door to go to hospital. It's amazing how much a stomach can stretch! I'll spare you from having to see the gore of the C-section (my husband took lots of pictures) and let you see Mr. Big Stuff cleaned up and fresh out of the womb. The first time "The Professor" (my oldest) saw his new baby brother. He wasn't all that impressed. All of my men together... a couple days later ...

It's been almost a week since my last post! Where did the days go? Mostly, my days were consumed with my preschool job, trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, planning my youngest son's fifth birthday party, and not running. Preschool I'm finding that I really like working with preschool-aged kids.  The problem is, I'm not educated enough to teach my own preschool class.  I am only qualified to be an assistant.  Never mind that I'm educated and certified to teach a class of 34+ students... as long as they are in kindergarten through eighth grade. Which leads me to... What Do I want to be When I grow Up? I have to be honest and admit it's difficult to take a back seat in the classroom and let someone else be the up-front person.  I love being the one who holds the kids' attention, who reads the stories, who teaches the letter sounds, who manages the the behavior, and so on. Let's all say this together:  "Control Freak...