Push Push

I know you've all been wondering about my 100 Push Up Challenge (PUC) progress. Well, wait no more, people. I am still rocking the push ups.

I finished Week 2, Day 3 earlier this week:

Set 1: 12 push ups
Set 2: 13 push ups
Set 3: 10 push ups
Set 4: 10 push ups
Set 5: max (I did 15)

Yes, that's a total of 60 push ups!! I am pretty proud of myself considering I couldn't do 1 push up not too long ago.

After Week 2, you're supposed to do a progress test to see if your baseline has moved up. Well, I had to delay mine because I hurt my arm. Not from doing push ups, no, from carrying around a 32+ pound 3-year old boy.

I picked Keller up from school on Tuesday and we headed to Trader Joe's. He started dozing in the cart. He then started fussing because he couldn't get comfortable and really wanted to sleep. So, I carried him around in one hand and push the cart around and dud my shopping with the other. I had to get food! Don't judge me. He slept for almost an hour like that.

Needless to say, my arm was dead for about 2 days. I couldn't do my progress test. Well, I did it this morning and I surprised myself with my push-up prowess. My initial exhaustion test, done before all the push ups started, was 9. I could do 9 push ups before I pooped out. My exhaustion test this morning was....22 push ups! That's quite some progress, don't you think?

Anyway, it's Halloween and we're looking forward to it. Keller's costume is 100% original since I made it. I will definitely post a picture after all is said and done. He has his parade at school this morning and then trick-or-treating tonight. It should be a fun day.

And I want to say to my dad: Happy Birthday!!! You and mom rock and I hope you have a great day. Talk to you in a little bit. Love you!

The Winner Takes It All

I have been having a downright shitty week. Nothing happened in particular. I am just contemplating life and things and all that crap, which is always depressing. There's more to it than that, but I won't get into it now.

So, after the whirl wind that is the usual morning routine, I get to work and go about my day. On a small mini-break, I log into my Twitter account for my alter ego, Coach Jenn (check it out here). Anyway, another Twitterer, Blaine also known as Run to Win, has been having this contest all week to give away 5 copies of the new movie that's coming out about Fred Lebow, a crusader in the New York City running community and responsible for bringing to the city one of the most highly regarded and sought after marathons in the world. Anyway, I've entered the contest each day and....I won yesterday. Yahoo!

If you go to Blaine's website and look at the post for the winner of Day 3 of the contest, you'll see a video that has him picking the winner and clicking on my website! It was kind of cool. It's nice to know someone looks at my website every now and then. ;)

I'm very excited about getting my DVD. I've been wanting to see this movie since I first heard about it months ago. I ran NYC last year and while it certainly wasn't my best race (I didn't really train well for it), it was amazing. Growing up in NY, you hear about this race and the magnitude it has. It brings 5 boroughs and countless neighborhoods together for one day. And when you're running, you feel like a rock star. I was wearing my Livestrong gear and people were calling me Lance, cheering me on. It was great. So, I can't wait for my DVD to arrive.

See, I guess the day isn't all bad.

Falling Down

Anyone that knows me knows that I am prone to accidents of all kinds, falling off chairs, you name it. This is the main reason why I run because I don't have to touch anything or anyone (though I did kick ass at relays in high school). The last few days have been especially clumsy, in various ways.

On Friday, I nearly had a nervous breakdown. You know that tiny space in between the front seat of a car and the center console (this is ususally found in SUVs)? You know how when you drop things in there, they're usually lost forever? Well, as I get into the car to go home on Friday, I dropped my entire key ring into that tiny space. How did they fit, was my first question. But they did. Every thought is going through my head: how will I get home, how will I pick Keller up, I'm stuck in this garage forever, etc. I was able to get them out, though I had to crawl under the front seat from the back seat. Imagine walking through the parking garage and see some weird lady's legs hanging out of the back seat of a Honda Pilot. That would be me. But, after scraping my arms up and cursing a little, I got my keys out. I didn't cry either!

On Saturday I ruined a perfectly good cup of coffee by accidentally adding orange juice to it. And I already had a cup, so I can't blame it on that. For a split second I thought about just drinking it anyway, but since I'm not that big of an OJ fan to begin with, this wouldn't be a good idea.

Then just this morning I dropped a paper clip down the front of my dress. Now this really wouldn't be a big deal, but I can't find it. I don't really know how I dropped it down there to begin with, but when I did, I felt it slide all the way through. I thought it fell out, but I didn't see it anywhere. So, I went to the restroom to see if I could find it. I looked everwhere, even in my boots and it's gone. So, I retraced my steps to see if it fell out as I was walking to the restroom. No paper clip. It's definitely perplexing.

My most famous idiotic moment has to be when I was in college. I was at the movies with a friend and we were doing that hip check thing where you hit each other with your hip. As I was about to hip check with all the force I could muster, my friend moved away. I had all this momentum built up, so I couldn't stop. Plus it all happened so fast. Well, needless to say, I went flying. And because I had all this momentum, I didn't just fall to the ground. I fell, and rolled. Seriously, I rolled across the floor of the movie theater. I don't remember what other people around me did because I was too busy laughing. I think I laughed for the entire movie. I'm laughing now just thinking about it.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Keep on Smiling

This weekend was heavenly. I just didn't want it to end.

We didn't have to travel. We didn't have to train for anything. We had plans with friends and that was it. And that was awesome.

We actually watched a movie Friday night. It was the first time we watched a movie together in literally months. We watched Smart People with Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker. It was good. Interesting with some funny moments.

Saturday morning was nice and lazy. After breakfast John, Keller, Lola the dog, and I went for a walk and took the soccer ball. We kicked the ball around for a while, until Lola got too annoying and wouldn't let anyone play. We then went to the playground until it started to rain. We ran back home, dried off and then had some lunch.

We then all took naps, which was awesome. We then got up and got ready for Noah's birthday party. That was fun and chaotic. It was at My Gym, which is a free-for-all. Keller just goes crazy there, so it was an hour and a half of chasing him around, making sure he didn't fall off some apparatus.

After Keller went to bed, we watch another movie. We watched No Country for Old Men. While I'm usually not one for extremely violent movies, this was pretty good. It had some very interesting dialogue. I liked it.

Sunday morning we went downtown to watch the Marine Corps Marathon. This was my first (and second) marathon, so it's pretty nostalgic for me. It was a gorgeous morning and it was cool watching all the front runners go by. I usually don't get to see them since I'm way behind them. It was awesome.

After the marathon, we met Eric and Isabel for brunch. We hadn't seen them in a while, and Saturday was Eric's birthday, so we needed to get together. We stuffed ourselves and had a great time.

We then went home, had naps, I went for a run, and then we all went over to Mary and Steve's for a great dinner. The usual suspects were there, and it was a great time.

So, this was my idea of a perfect weekend. Friends, food, and fun! Happy Monday!

Ray of Light

I knew it would take just a couple of nights of really good sleep to feel better. While I still have a lot going on, at least I feel a little more capable of handling it now.

Before I go any further, I want to share something I'm extremely proud of. I had the great opportunity to chat with a local running celebrity: Michael Wardian. This guys is just a year older than me and he's accomplished so much as a runner. He is great in every race he enters, often winning them. But he's also a dad, a husband, and a successful international ship broker. He is incredibly balanced and has a fantastic outlook on life. Even if you're not a runner, this interview will change the way you look at staying fit. Please take a look!

Speaking with Mike really made me think about how I run, how I put too much pressure on myself causing my races to tank, and how I should just have a good time. The rest should follow.

And I'm definitely making progess with my current challenge: the 100 push up challenge. I finished week 1, and have moved into week 2. Here's what I did yesterday:

Set 1: 9 push ups
Set 2: 11 push ups
Set 3: 8 push ups
Set 4: 8 push ups
Set 5: max (I did 12 push ups)

That's another 48 push ups under my belt!

Anyway, I hope have a great day!

Old Brown Shoe

I need to be very depressing at the moment. Cut me some slack, I haven't written anything depressing in a long time.

I have finally reached my limit. I am completely spent. I have been going a mile a minute for months now and I literally feel like I can't move a single step further.

It all just kind of hit me today. I've been feeling stressed and overwhelmed for a while, but I kind of just deflated today. Things have been hectic and hard for us all year, but by late August, things kind of evened out. Keller had settled into his new school, my mom's health was in check, my own health scare was worked out, and I was able to cut my hours at work. But since then, it has just been building in momentum.

Since the beginning of September, we've celebrated Keller's birthday and had his party, John did his race so we traveled there, I did my race so we traveled there, we went to Sesame Place, I've had two running groups start, I started writing for the D.C. Examiner (which I love), and I fit 40 hours of work into 25 hours every week. And those are just the big things. I'm not even counting the other 800 things we have been doing in between everything.

I'm not trying to sing a woe is me song. As all of this was going on, it was just life. I was just going through the motions. But it just all hit me today. I feel disconnected from everything and I had to just come home today and lay down. I had a mile long list of things to do but I just had to put it all on hold for a little while. It didn't really help.

I don't really have much of a point here. I guess I just needed to get it out, maybe rationalize why I feel the way I do. I know I'll feel better soon. I need a couple of nights of good sleep and things to just slow down. While I don't think I can get things to slow down, I can at least go to bed early.

Tomorrow is another day...

Walking on Sunshine

It seems as though our trip to Sesame Place was a success. Keller had a blast and that was the goal.

It kind of started as a comedy of errors. When we got to the hotel in PA, my parents were already there and had told me what room we were staying in. Apparently I didn't hear them, and while John was parking the car, Keller (who was sleeping and waking up) and I were trying to open someone else's room. This wouldn't be a big deal except it was about 10:30 at night. They were asleep and got out of bed! But I wasn't off by too much because we were staying in the room next door. Thankfully I didn't see the woman that answered the door again or I would have been mortified!

Then, as we were filling up the air mattress, the motor on the thing died. So, I ended up sleeping on the very hard hotel floor. See, we brought the air mattress for Keller to sleep on. Obviously, I wasn't going to let my child sleep on the floor, so John slept with him in the bed and I was on the floor. It was quite uncomfortable and my back has been messed up since then. Nothing like running a marathon one weekend, having a sick baby in addition to a nonstop busy week and then sleeping on the floor the next weekend. It will be a wonder if I ever feel recovered from this race.

By the time Saturday came around, we were ready to go to Sesame Place. When we got there, we had to go through the Fort Knox security at the front gate: they finger print you in addition to scanning your name and admission ticket. Ok. Because that's necessary. And my mom, who apparently could double as an assassin, didn't have a readble finger print.

When we got through the hoopla of the front gate, it was go time. They were having trick-or-treating throughout the park, so we promptly got our bag and started. We went through a corn/hay maze a few times. We then played in the game area for a while and won a stuffed penguin, an Ernie basketball and a little stuffed white seal that we named Wally. Keller actually won that one himself, and has taken quite a love to it.

At 12:30 we enjoyed an hour-long lunch with Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Zoe, and the Count. Keller was in heaven. Truly. He had a great time. When he met the Count, he promptly showed him how he could count by putting his fingers up into the Count's face. It was priceless.

After lunch, we walked around some more and then headed back to the hotel for naps. Then it was to Red Robin for dinner. That is always good.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast back at the park with Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, and Zoe. Again, Keller was in heaven.

After breakfast, we walked around some, played on some slides, found the trick or treating candy spots, and just enjoyed the chilly Fall day. We heard that Cookie Monster was going to make an appearance, so we stuck around. Then, finally, at 1:30, there he was! I was quite excited, though Keller had fallen asleep by then. Oh well. At least I got my picture with him. :) You can't beat Cookie Monster.

After hanging with CM, we headed out. We said goodbye to my parents and started back home. The trip home was uneventful and we got home at about 5:00. I am so glad to be home. While it was fun and Keller had a great time, I am pooped! As it turned out, I didn't sleep well again last night and still have not been able to get a good post-marathon night's sleep.

And now it's back to the real world. This week will be just as busy. Client meetings, deadlines, etc. Not looking forward to it. I am looking forward to my 8K Training Group starting tonight. That will be fun!!

Happy Monday.

Love Is In the Air

Could it be? Could Fall actually be here?

I love Fall. It is my absolute favorite season. I mean, Spring is pretty awesome, but for some reason, Fall is wonderful for me. I love the crisp, cool mornings and chilly night air. It's perfect for running, though I'm not running until next week.

This weekend marks the very first weekend both me and John are free from training. No one is training for anything. Yay! So, we decided to mark the occasion by going to Sesame Place for some sweet family fun. Keller is crazy for Sesame Street, it's all he wants to watch. He'll wake up in the morning saying, "Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter C and the number 4." Seriously.

Anyway, when I told my parents that we were going to the Happiest Place on Earth (for Keller) they thought it would be great to join us. So, we're meeting there (it's right outside of Philadelphia, which is about halfway to both of us). We'll be all piling into one room, which should be fun. We have breakfast with Elmo and friends one morning, and we will be on the hunt for all the characters. Because it's the last weekend of the season, I know the water park is closed (not that we would want to go in the water now that it's cool) so I'm a little concerned it will be boring. But, considering Keller's love for Sesame Street, I don't think it really matters. We think his little head will explode from the excitement of it all.

In other news, my yoga certification classes will begin in two weeks! Yippy! For three weekends in November, I will be working towards my Level 1 certification. So, for those of you in the Washington, D.C. area, be on the lookout for a Yoga for Runners class. People, you have no idea how important yoga is to my overall running and well-being. Not only does it help with my strength, endurance, and flexibility but it helps keep me centered. It's a great complimentary stress-reliever to my running. I've been practicing since 2001, when John and I were planning the wedding and I was stressed out. It made a great difference. While I can't practice everyday or as much as I'd like, when I do, it's just wonderful.

Ok, it's 7:30 in the morning and Keller is still sleeping. This is amazing. I think he's making up for traveling last weekend and being sick. Thankfully the trip to Sesame Place is short and he can sleep in the car. Oh! I hear his little voice. Need to go squeeze him.

Have a great weekend!

OH! I forgot. Today is Week 1, Day 2 in the 100 push-up challenge. Here's what I did:
Set 1: 6 push ups
Set 2: 8 push ups
Set 3: 6 push ups
Set 4: 6 push ups
Set 5: max (I did 10)

That's right, I did 36 push ups this morning! I am an animal.

Footloose

I went to the podiatrist yesterday. It was a good visit and I'm pretty optimistic that my foot problems will be gone before too long.

I have bunions. There, my shame has been revealed. Unfortunately, I've had them all my life as the biomechanics of your feet are inherited. You know, your feet will eventually look a lot like your parents'. Anyway, my right foot has been getting pretty bad and bothering me a lot on my longer runs. And it was my right foot that was killing me during Chicago.

The doctor said I have pretty significant damage on my right foot. Actually, I believe the word he used was "deformity." And my bunion is only mild! But, because I'm only 33, and it's so bad already, I should expect it to only get worse. He said that being a runner has actually helped the situation because the joints in my foot are good, I have really good range of motion and that will help me should I opt for surgery. So all you naysayers and anti-runners telling me it's because I'm a runner that i have these problems: :P

So, that brings me to my next decision. Should I have surgery? It's a 3-month no-running recovery. Three months! Can you believe it? He said I can swim after 2 weeks and bike after a month. I mean, I have to consider my job. I am a running coach! I run with people! But I would hope my clients would understand that, as I'm standing there in a cast, I just can't run with them right now. But it's my expert advice people need anyway ;)

In thinking about it, there is really no perfect time to do something like this. But now is probably the most optimal time. I don't have any races on my calendar for the next year, I'm in good shape right now, which will help with recovery, and it would be good to have this done and me be recovered before we have another baby. So, *gulp* I'm going to have it done. I'm going to call my doctor today to set up the surgical consult and we'll go over all the specifics. Then, next year, depending on the situation, we'll do my left foot.

I feel all right with this decision. I mean, I'm not going to do a cartwheel or anything, but this is something that is going to be needed at some point in my life anyway. There are ways to manage the pain now, but they won't prevent it. Surgery is really the only way to rid myself of the pain. And if I'm diligent in my recovery, my doctor feels I shouldn't have any recurrence for something like 30 years. We'll see.

Now I'm going to puke.

Push It

Today is Day 1 of Week 1 of my 100 push-up challenge. I just did my first workout and I think I may puke.

Here's what I did:

Set 1: 6 push ups
Set 2: 6 push ups
Set 3: 4 push ups
Set 4: 4 push ups
Set 5: max (I did 10 push ups)

That's a total of 30 push ups. I have never done that many in my life!

I don't really have a whole lot to say. Was working from home yesterday since Keller was sick. He's doing a lot better and no longer sounds like a sea lion.

I had my post-marathon massage yesterday. I'm a big fan of deep tissue massage and yesterday was the end all of deep tissue. I swear this woman was trying to break my bones. I thought she was going to break my arms for sure. Thankfully I survived without needing to go to the hospital. And I feel pretty good today.

Now it's back to the real world: work for me and school for Keller. Then I have a podiatrist appointment to see what I'm going to do about my feet. Then I'm going to try to see my friend Amy in the hospital. She just had her second baby on Monday. Then I have my Beginning 5K group. Busy day!!

Crazy

I think I'm crazy. It's been about 40 hours since my marathon ended and I'm already thinking about what crazy ass thing I can do next. Though, I'm not talking about a race this time. I'm taking the 100 push-up challenge!

This six-week program was developed by this cool dude that is kind of a machine. The guy runs, bikes, swims, does 100 push ups and will basically kick your behind if you need him to. I was "introduced" to him on Twitter and have been trying to keep up with his blog. He's an interesting fellow.

So, now that my lower half is broken from my marathon, it's time to refocus and do something that will keep me motivated. While I have my beloved yoga, I need something I can hoot and holler while doing. Yoga just isn't a hooting and hollering kind of practice. I have always been kind of lacking in the upper body strength department. Oh, I try. I do all sorts of crazy things to try and build up my strength. Crazy arm balances and plank position for days. But I think I need a more powerful intervention. We'll see if this does the trick. If not, well then, nothing will.

I did the initial test, which will determine my actual training plan. I did 9 push ups before I couldn't lift my body any more. That's not so bad, right? I will try to post my progress (or lack thereof) each of my training days. I'm a little nervous. But what the hay!

Rock this Town

Let's take it from the top.

I woke up feeling good and ready. We met Amanda, Damon, Lynne, and Betsy. We all headed over to the start and were very excited.

Then we were off. We were feeling good and all that. It was very exciting. We saw our family at miles 1 and 3 and that was great. Everyone, runners, spectators, and volunteers, were all great. Then the heat kicked in. By mile 8 Amanda and I decided to just let it ride. We didn't want to kill ourselves in the heat and we wanted to have fun. We danced to all the music playing. We gave hugs to the singer of a band with a sign offering free hugs. I bet he regretted that. But we had a great time.

We saw our family again at mile 12. Keller was looking ill so that wasn't good. But we still hugged and took pictures and all that. It was fun.

I started having foot pain at some point, I don't remember when. I have foot problems in both feet that will most likely require surgery. They really haven't been an issue until recently. They've been bothering me mainly on my very long runs in the past couple of months. Anyway, that's the reason my race started tanking. Amanda was feeling yucky too so we decided to continue dancing and signing and having a good time.

We saw interesting things. Here is a list of some: a group dressed as Batman, Robyn, Supergirl, Batwoman, and the Joker. We saw a guy in a blow-up Sumo wrestler costume. We saw a sign that said "Poop if you gotta". We saw Elvis and some weird dude in a Frenchman costume with a sign that said, "Make baguette not war!". Gotta love it!

Time-wise this was my worst marathon in history! But Amanda and I had so much fun, the crowd was awesome, the other runners were great and the course was really nice. The things that made this race bad, the weather and my injury, were totally out of our control. I would definitely do this race again.

I met the womens winner as we were heading out for dinner. That was cool. And we saw Deana Kastor (the American woman who won Chicago a few years ago and the bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in Athens). She is a tiny woman.

Unfortunately now, Keller is sick with croup and we'll be heading to the doctor as soon as we get off the plane today. He was up all night and we had to do a steam bath to get him to sleep. My poor baby. UPDATE: went to the doctor and yes, it's croup. Got some meds and he seems to be feeling better.

Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and well wishes. My 7th marathon may not have been my best performance but it was sure the most fun. And you all have a lot to with that.

I don't know when #8 will be. I'm taking a break! Probably having surgery on my feet. But I'll be back. Ready to kick some ass.

BTW, this is my 100th post. Yay!

Chicago is Large

We love Chicago. Seriously, this place rocks.

I'll start from the top. The flight here was nice. Keller did really well. He was a little unruly as we went through security, but other than that he was perfect the rest of the trip. He watched his little DVD the whole time and was content.

We got to the hotel and settled in. One set of friends were already here and we were waiting on another set of friends. In the meantime, we happened to meet Alan Webb who is the American record holder in the mile. This guy can run a mile in 3 minutes and 46 seconds. Seriously.

After Alan, we headed to the expo. That was an experience. It was kind of overwhelming. But we got some good stuff. We saw Olympians Sanya Richards and Leshawn Merrit. It has definitely been fun to see famous runners.

My parents got into town last night and we all got breakfast this morning and then went on a trolley tour of the city. I know it's touristy but we have never been here! Anyway, it was lots of fun and this city is awesome! It's so nice and has such character.

Then John and I went back to the expo. Ryan Hall who is the next great US marathoner, was going to be there signing autographs. We got there in enough time to see him but they closed the line for autographs. Needless to say, I was mad. But we saw him and that was cool. Then on the way out we met Bart Yasso who is a legendary runner. For the more serious runners out there, he developed the Yasso 800s. Anyway he's a cool dude.

Now we're going to get some dinner and then just hang out. I'm really excited about tomorrow. I don't even care about the weather anymore. It's just going to be so much fun!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I have about an hour to get ready and get out the door. And, of course, I'm putzing around on the computer. Now I think I know why I'm late for everything. It's called Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc. Too much social networking.

I'm feeling a bit less stressed. I'm done with work for the week. And while I can check my email and stuff, I'm off duty. I totally overloaded my editor before I left, so he'll have stuff to do while I'm away (as if he didn't already). So, that's good. Sometimes it feels really good when you're really productive. I knocked so much off my to-do list. There was only one item I wasn't able to finish and that can be done on Tuesday. Woo hoo!

Keller is so excited about going to Chicago. He told all his friends and teacher at school. John got him a little camera so he could take his own pictures. He'll have the window seat on the plane and he'll be in heaven. He has a number of obsessions (wonder where he gets that from) and the sun and clouds and moon and stars are all one of them. So, he'll be ecstatic being in the sky and so close to the sun. But we borrowed Mary's portable DVD player to be on the safe side.

As far as the race goes, it is what it is. I've trained. I've prepared. I've packed for every situation. You can't cram for a race. You either have the miles or you don't. I think I have them. I certainly have more than what I did for NYC Marathon last year, and Frederick earlier this year. So, here's hoping all goes well.

I'll try to post throughout the weekend. But I'll definitely be back on Monday afternoon (or Tuesday morning).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stressed Out

Yes, that's a song title.

And, yes, I'm stressed out. Not only do I have to deal with my nerves regarding Chicago marathon, but I have to deal with getting everyone ready to travel (including Lola!), finish things up at work since I'll be out, and find the time to fit in my final runs. Ack!

Though, I have had some moments of serenity. Last night was the second meeting of my Beginning 5K group at Fleet Feet. These people freaking rock. They are so excited and wonderful. It also looks as though everyone in the group (all 27 of them) really seem to mesh. There's lots of laughing and smiling, which makes me happy too.

And, right this very minute, I'm watching my just-over-3-year old child write letters on his little white board. He's writing! Legible letters! And spelling! It's crazy.

I so wish I could just wiggle my nose and be at the finish line of Chicago. I am really looking forward to it, but at the same time, I'm so nervous. I don't ever really get nervous before races. But I've been so looking forward to this one, and now the weather is going to be hot and it may not go as I'd hoped, which makes me anxious. Ugh.

Well, I'll try to blog while I'm in Chicago. If not, you'll most definitely hear all about the race, and Keller's first plane ride, when I get back.

Happy running!

Hot in Herre

I just checked the weather for Chicago on Sunday. It's going to be hot. It will be about 60 at the start, which is manageable, but there is a high of 79 predicted. Are you kidding me?

I have been waiting and hoping this race would be THE race of the year. I haven't had the best of luck in my races this year. I had an awesome Pike's Peek, which is at the end of April. But then Frederick Marathon was ugly (it was hot and my stomach didn't like it). The the NYC Half Marathon was ugly (too hot), and then Virginia Beach was ugly (too hot). Are you sensing a pattern here? I don't like to run in the heat.

So, I'm now feeling nervous. I was feeling excited and couldn't wait and blah blah blah. But now I'm starting to feel my nerves. It's going to be a mental race now. I just have to tell myself I've gotten through worse. If any of you know my Walt Disney World Marathon story, you'll know what I'm talking about.

It seems that I've gotten my stomach issues under control. And, on paper, I know how to run in the heat. Therefore, in theory, I should be all right. Here's hoping.

Send your good vibes, because I'll need them!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Bet you didn't know that was actually a song title. If you can name who sings it (without Google's help), I'll give you a kiss.

Anyhoo, there weren't any exciting events happening this morning. Although, for those of you waiting with baited breath for the news...I found my lost shoes. And they weren't on the side of the road either. They were in a bag, underneath some crap, on top of the dining room table. Just where they should have been.

I thought I would mention the latest funny things to come out of my child's mouth. Here's some background: I love to pinch Keller's butt. He has the most adorable baby butt in all the land. It's irresistable. Anyway, the other day, I was going in for a routine pinch and he told me that his bottom was closed. Ha!!! His bottom was closed for pinching. Too funny.

Then, last night, John and I were on the couch talking. Keller wanted some milk and I told him to hang on a minute and I'd get it for him. Well, that minute was just too long for my child. He proceeded to go to the fridge, get the milk out, plop it onto the couch next to me and say, "It's milk time."

You know, this might be the first Tuesday I've enjoyed in a long time.

Clock Goes Round

There are some days where my biggest accomplishment is just getting out of the house in one piece.

I used to be such a punctual person. In fact, I was an on-time snob. I was never late for anything, and if I ever was, it was because of a catastrophic event. Well, that was before and this is now.

I am late for everything. Seriously, I just cannot be on time for anything anymore, no matter how hard I try. And I hate it. Hate, hate, hate.

This morning, we all got up a little late. I cannot get out of bed when Keller is still sleeping. It's unnatural. He has always been an early riser, and by this I'm talking about waking up at 5:00 in the morning, everyday. And he just doesn't "wake up," he is ready to take on the world, running around like his pants are on fire. So, when the chance to sleep in a little comes along, we're all over it. The past few mornings, Keller has slept until 7:00, which is pretty much our noon.

After we got up and had breakfast, it was crazy time. John and I getting ready, me trying to track down everything, and not finding anything. Seriously, I lost a pair of shoes. How do you lose shoes? I've always wondered that, when I see random shoes on the side of the road, how on Earth does that happen? Well, I'm sure my cute black heels are on the side of the road somewhere.

Anyway, we made it out of the house. Keller was a little late for school, but it was all right. They were doing their sign language session when we came in and he sat down and seemed to just get to it. As I was leaving, there was another little girl from his class coming in, so I didn't feel so bad.

I surprisingly made it to work on time. Traffic wasn't bad. As I was driving to my parking garage, I saw a fellow late person running down the street, waving her arms at something. Though, she was in worse shape than me because her underwear was hanging out of her pants and her hair was all wet. That instantly made me feel better. :)

Nothing like being late Monday morning.

I'm Gonna Flip Out Like a Ninja

There is some crazy shit out there. Seriously.

I was writing an article for my D.C. Running Examiner column on running at night (stay tuned, it should be posted later today). I did a Google search for LED lights you can wear, because I have one but I couldn't remember who made it. Anyway, I came across this website that has all this self defense stuff. In addition to slingshots and blowguns, you can buy really pretty pink and swirly colored Ninja throwing stars. And stun guns that are shaped like cell phones. You know, to throw off your attacker. There was a lot of crazy stuff.

So, then I got to thinking about Ninjas and I did a Google search on Ninjas. I came across this other website that has a whole line of apparel for Ninja Kittens. I'm serious. I don't know if it's outfits for a Ninja kitten, or an adult to showcase their love for Ninja kittens. You should really check it out. The whole theme of the website is good and evil kittens. It kind of weirded me out, but I figured I'd share it anyway.

I realize the Internet is a crazy place. But good and evil kittens? While I think Percy (our cat) has some good and evil moments, I wouldn't make up a whole website about him. I don't know, maybe I would. I do love him and have 13 years of Percy stories to share. Be on the lookout for Evil Ninja Percy: The Blog.

Happy Friday!

Do You Believe in Love

Now that I've linked my blog with my Facebook page, I thought I would give a refresher course to my faithful blog-readers and give instructions to my new readers. For those on Facebook, this is a blog I keep at jennifergill.blogspot.com. If you like my Facebook shenanigans, you'll love my blog craziness. Here's the deal:

1. Every blog post title is the title of a song, or lyrics to a song.
2. You have to guess the song/artist.

That's all! Well, besides loving every word that I type.

Today's song title is the result of a deep-hidden love that was uncovered while I was in the car today. I realized, possibly after years of supressing such emotion, I love Huey Lewis and the News. How can this be? Such pop music is not usually on my "Love!" list. But for some reason I not only found myself humming along to this tune, but screaming it very loudly. Thankfully, Keller was not in the car with me or he certainly would have told me to stop singing.

I have admitted quite the number of crazy obsessions, addictions, and crushes on this blog. But I'm thinking this one I should actually be a little embarrassed about. Huey Lewis?

Oh well. At least it's not Michael Bolton (sorry to all the MB lovers).