Me and The Boys

Little Man

We finally went ahead and got Carmine a good old-fashioned buzz cut last week, and as a stranger in the grocery store pointed out to me, he looks like "a real bruiser." I'd have to agree. But somehow he also looks even cuter, too.

He's a champion jumper and particularly loves to jump in puddles, while yelling "Carmine SPLASH!"

All of his words are coming out a little bit more clearly now, and I can understand nearly everything he says. I think people who don't know him are still only able to understand about 50% of what he says, but that's a step up from the 15% it was a few months ago.

And whether you understand him or not, he does. not. stop. talking. And he gets so excited sometimes, he can barely get the words out fast enough. And when he does finally proclaim, with great enthusiasm, whatever it is he wanted to tell me, he follows it up with a "Right, Mommy?" Of course I answer "Right, Carmine," even when I'm not entirely sure what it is he's said.

The other day, Scott was sitting at the table eating a granola bar, and Carmine walked up, leaned over, took a bite out of it, and then went on his way into the living room to play.

We've been taking advantage of Scott's iPad lately - it provides very valuable entertainment if I have to bring Carmine along to a doctor's appointment - and the other day, Carmine was playing a game, and Gabe came over to try to 'help' him, and Carmine pushed Gabe away, yelling "No, no, no, no - MINE!!" He is NOT going to be pushed around by his older brothers - he's making that abundantly clear already.

He is a force to be reckoned with when he makes his mind up about something, and we wage daily battles over many, many things. But I'm doing everything in my power to remain calm and not give in on the things that matter (holding my hand in parking lots, getting buckled into shopping carts), and letting go and not fighting over the things that don't (stopping to jump in the puddle 5 times, even though we're running late and really should get in the car and get going).

The truck obsession is still going strong, and I love when we're driving along and he shouts out from the backseat "Whoa!!!!  Carmine look BIG truck!!!" We have a whole library of truck-themed books that we read just about every single night at bedtime, too. And tonight, he was reciting part of one of those books as he sat at the dinner table.

He'll also open his books, flip through to random pages, and read what's on those pages. Clearly he's just remembering what the page says, and not actually reading, but it still impresses me that he can do that.

His new trick this week is singing the ABCs. His version goes something like "A, C, M, O, P, now sing me!"  followed by lots of clapping and yelling "YAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!"  He also likes to sing a song called "Apple Tree," which is him hopping around the room yelling "Apple tree, apple tree, apple tree, apple tree."

Gabe and Dante had a patriotic concert at school yesterday, and Carmine was the most enthusiastic audience member there. He sat in his stroller and clapped and yelled "hooray!" after every song. It was fun to see him truly enjoying watching all the kids sing. And he got especially excited when he saw Dante get up to read an introduction to one of the songs (a privilege Dante was pretty excited about, too!).

Another morning this week, I was sitting at the table reading the paper, and he climbed up into my chair and put his arms around me and said "Mommy, hug." Sweetest. Thing. Ever.

He's a funny, ferocious, loud, crazy little man, and I cannot believe how lucky we are to have him : )

More Yoga, and Less Music

I had to miss last week's yoga class, so I was really looking forward to this week. I'll be honest, though - the last thing I want to do at 7:30 at night is leave the house and go workout. I'm so much more of a morning person, and I will generally do anything I can to avoid evening workouts. So even though I was looking forward to class last night, it was still a bit of an effort to convince myself it would be worth it.

But once I got there, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be worth it. Just walking into the room gave me a sense of calm and peacefulness. When we began the class, I was painfully aware of how tight and stiff all my muscles were after the morning's track workout, and couldn't wait to give them the TLC they so desperately needed.

As the class went on, I felt better and better. I was working, but also relaxing - this class is such a good combination of both the mental and physical aspects of yoga, it's amazing. All my muscles were loosening and stretching and lengthening, and the steady stream of chatter that resides in my brain was, if not completely gone, at least pushed to the background.

It was another wonderful class, and I walked out feeling loose and limber and refreshed. For me, yoga is one of those things that I don't know how much I need until I've actually done it and reaped the rewards.

There are three more classes in this series, and I fully intend to sign up again. I know this is making me a better runner, and I suspect it's improving my mood as well. It sounds all hokey and new-agey, but I really do leave class with a lighter heart and a happier frame of mind - two more great reasons to stick with it.

In the interest of being more mindful, I've also been trying to run without music more often lately, and I'm really finding some huge benefits to being more in tune with my body while I'm running. This is probably not news to a lot of people, but since I've been running with music for so long, it's kind of a revelation to me.

I don't think I'll ever swear off my iPod altogether, because I do still love the affect my favorite running songs have on me when I'm toughing it out on a long run or a big race effort. But the quiet has been really nice, and I think I'm going to opt for it more than I used to.

And after reading this Runner's World article today, I'm even considering running the Jamestown half without music and - gasp! - without my Garmin!  I have run a few races without my iPod, but I don't know that I've ever run a race without my Garmin. I'm really curious to try it, though. I think it would be an incredibly liberating experience - to just get out there and run, without checking splits or paces.

After my big efforts for Hartford and Gansett, I kind of feel like my running is undergoing a big shift - actually, a lot of big shifts. I'm making much more of an effort to run with other people, instead of always going by myself, and really enjoying it. I'm also finding myself really drawn to helping other people start running, or improve their running.

I'm in no way certified to be an actual coach, but I'm certainly capable of helping and supporting a friend who's working through the Couch to 5K program (in awe of the fact that she's doing so while running with her two kids in a double jogging stroller!!!), helping another friend PR at a half-marathon, and setting up a running club for a group of elementary school kids. 

Those are all things that, a few years ago, I never would have imagined myself doing. But now that I'm doing them, I'm finding that it's bringing me just as much enjoyment and satisfaction as chasing down my own personal goals. And I'm finding myself thinking more and more about how I might someday be able to turn this little hobby of mine into a job of some sort.

That's much more of a long-term goal, but I do feel like all the things I'm doing now are a good way for me to figure out if that is something I really want to do, and if it is, I'm getting in some good practice - and having fun doing it!

Last year, I thought that qualifying for Gansett and Boston were the two ultimate running goals for me, and I also thought it would take me longer to achieve those goals, so I didn't really have much planned beyond that.

But now I've checked both of those items off my bucket list, and although I do have plenty of other goals I'm working on with my own running, I'm having just as much fun with all these other endeavors. I'm learning a lot, feeling very rewarded and inspired, and gaining a great sense of balance. It's all good : )

Goals, Goals, and More Goals

Over the course of the past three days, I ran 10 miles, biked 32 miles, and swam 2,400 meters. Nothing like an upcoming triathlon to get you motivated to do more cross-training!

I love the balance I'm feeling from getting in more biking and swimming - I'm falling in love with both sports all over again, and all of my workouts feel so much better, and I'm just enjoying them so much more. Adding in yoga again tomorrow night, too, and trying my first TRX class at the gym next week.

Variety is the spice of life, right?  Whatever it is, it's working for me, so I'm sticking with it! 

Next up on the agenda for cross-training is to make it to a group bike ride (something I've never, ever done), and start working on some swimming drills. I have no problem with endurance, but I want to get faster, and improving my form by doing drills is the only way to do that. I want this to be the year I get out of the water at the tri and feel happy with how my swim went.

I am starting to think a little more about my next big road race, too - the Jamestown Half that's part of the UHC Triple Crown. I'm definitely going to be racing this one, but the weather will be a huge factor, and if it's a typical warm, humid July day, I'm going to have to adjust my goals.

But I knew that when I signed up, and I'm really saving my all-out effort for the Amica half in October. Jamestown will be a stepping stone of sorts - a reminder to me of what it's like to race at that distance, and a chance to practice pacing myself and not going out too fast - something I still need to get better at.

My goal for Amica is to come as close to 1:40 as I can. 1:40 would be about a 7:37 pace. For 13.1 miles (my PR is 1:43, which was a 7:55 pace). Just writing that out makes me a little nervous. And I know I might not quite get to 1:40 this year. But I'm going to give it my best shot!

And the only way to get there is to put in the training, so I'll be back at the track tomorrow morning. I'm actually going to have some company this time, too, which will be nice. Always good to have someone to commiserate with when you're suffering through a tough workout.

Sub-21 5K and 1:40 half-marathon. Two pretty lofty goals, but I like aiming high. I like knowing that challenge is out there, and I like executing a plan to help me meet the challenge.

To that end, I'm taking suggestions on the following two items -

- Top three swim drills

- Best half-marathon workouts (track work and/or tempo runs)

One of Those Days

Yesterday was one of those days. Not the bad kind, though - just the opposite! 

A big factor was the unbelievably perfect weather - a cool, dry spring morning that gave way to warm sunshine and blue skies. These are the days I live for - the days I wait for all winter - and we took full advantage, spending the majority of the day outside.

Scott was nice enough to offer to take both Dante and Carmine to Gabe's soccer game, so I was able to head out for an early-morning run.

I didn't have much of a plan in mind, but figured I'd aim for 10 or 11 miles at an easy pace. And on such a gorgeous morning, I couldn't resist driving down to the beach to run. 

I ended up running most of the Blessing course, and although I started at an 8:30 pace, after a few miles, I found myself comfortably settling in at somewhere between 8:12 and 8:15. I attempted to slow down a few times, but I was honestly feeling so great, I decided to just go with it and enjoy myself - and enjoy it I did.

It was one of those runs that just felt so easy, and so effortless, and so fun. I found myself wishing I had time to go further.

The best part of the run was that my left leg (the glute and hip area), which has been bothering me since late March, felt completely, 100% normal. No lingering stiffness, no discomfort, nothing whatsoever. It was so nice to finally not have that nagging ache.

I did pay a visit to the orthopedist last week to have it checked out, and the official diagnosis was very mild ischial tuberosity bursitis, and the remedy is, as I suspected, physical therapy.

So even though it's feeling fine, I'm still going ahead with the PT, because there are clearly imbalances and weaknesses that I have to work on to prevent it from happening again. I want to enjoy pain-free running this summer, and be healthy and ready to dive into Boston training in the winter. 

After the spectacular, didn't-ever-want-it-to-end run, I packed up some lunches and took the boys to the park for a few hours, came home and got Carmine in for a nap, and then spent some time in the backyard working on some craft kits with Gabe and Dante.

We didn't do anything incredibly exciting, but we just had such a nice time.

Our weekends are sometimes so busy and so jam-packed that we're just rushing through one activity after another, and I feel like I barely have time to really talk to or interact with the boys.

But yesterday we had so little planned, it was wonderful. We were able to talk and play, and on the ride home from the park, we were all singing along to the radio and joking and laughing.

I love taking them places and doing activities and seeing new things, but on the other hand, those small, unplanned moments like we had yesterday can be so much more memorable.

There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about the day, but it's one I'll remember, and hopefully the same is true for the boys.

Halvsies

After a brief moment of insanity, during which I contemplated signing up for a fall marathon (after I saw that a bunch of people from the running club were doing it), I have reminded myself that I do NOT want to spend my summer going through that kind of training again.

Nor do I want to complete a marathon this fall, have a few weeks of downtime, and then almost immediately begin training again, for Boston.

I don't want to do it, and I'm not going to do it. And I'm almost certainly going to need to be reminded of that a few more times this summer. The idea sounds exciting now, but I know full well that 6 weeks from now, as I was staring down yet another grueling week of training, I'd be thinking about what a stupid, rotten idea it was.

I am, however, seriously considering adding one more half to my schedule. Which is only half crazy, right?  

I was very happy to find out about the United Healthcare Triple Crown, since I knew I'd be working on taking some time off my half-marathon PR once I finished Gansett, and participating in the series would add a nice twist to that endeavor.

I quickly signed up, and am looking forward to the next race in July - speedwork is back in my vocabulary (and back on my weekly schedule), as are tempo runs, and I'm going to get back up to double-digit long runs this weekend, too.

I don't expect a PR in Jamestown, given that it's going to be July, which means heat and humidity, but I do plan to give it my all and hope to come as close to my PR as possible.

But at the same time, I'm also looking back, and looking at the bigger picture - tallying up what I've run so far, and figuring out how many more races I can fit into my schedule this year.

I ran New Bedford in March, United Healthcare in May, will run Jamestown in July, Zooma in September, and Amica in October. And I don't like odd numbers, so I think running the 2nd annual Surftown Half in September would round things out nicely.

I ran this race last year, and it was, hands-down, one of the most beautiful race courses I've ever run on. Scenic from start to finish - and mostly flat, too.

And it just had a really fun vibe to it, from the surfboard mile markers to the awesome race shirts (the only race shirt I've ever received compliments on), to the festival set up in the parking lot next to the race start.

And I'm certain the race is going to be bigger this year, but the size last year was perfect - not too big, not too small. So even though it will likely be bigger this year, I don't think it will be too big.

I'm not committing yet, but I am seriously contemplating it. I'm loving the reduced mileage and the easier training schedule, but I am eager to challenge myself and get in some good race efforts this summer and fall, and I'm realizing why so many people love the half-marathon distance so much. And there are just so many great races out there - it's hard to limit yourself!

Would I qualify as a half fanatic?  Probably not. But I'm definitely starting to see the appeal!