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.

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!

They Say It's Your Birthday

We have a tradition in my house: we play The Beatles' "Birthday" for everyone's birthday. We play it for me, John, Keller, Lola, and Percy. Even if you have to work or go to school on your birthday, at least you have a few minutes all about you. As it should be.

And this morning was no different. It took me a while to get moving this morning though. I'm kind of feeling a little old. I was stiff and achy, so I needed to do a little yoga to get loosened up. Then we let it loose and danced. We danced to the song twice and I think, if Keller had his way, we'd be dancing all day. But we old folks needed to rest.

I was telling John this morning that this will be the first birthday I have to work in 4 years. I've been home with Keller every year, plus the year I was pregnant with him. So, I haven't worked on my birthday since 2004! That's kind of nuts. But I'm only working a half day so it shouldn't be too bad.

So, it's my birthday, and life is good. I hope everyone has a great day!

What do people 'blog' about?

I started this blog for some reason, though now I'm wondering why. What do people generally write in their blogs? Is it like a diary? Should I begin each post with "Dear Diary..."? I guess I'll just do what I do best...blab.

I made the stupid decision to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon. I'm hiring a good friend, and fellow RRCA Running Coach, Mike Broderick (check him out here), to train me over the summer so I can run the Chicago Marathon and qualify for Boston. I'm taking the summer off from coaching running groups through Fleet Feet Sports (of Gaithersburg!) and will focus on my training.

Am I nuts? Why did I think this was a good idea? I haven't even started yet and I'm already nervous about it. I have a race this weekend (a 10K) that Mike wants me to "race" so we can determine what my training paces should be. I haven't raced since high school. That was a long time ago. I feel nauseous just thinking about it. I feel like if I'm too slow, Mike won't want to coach me.

Before I can start training for Chicago, I am finishing up my current training group. I'm coaching a group to run the Frederick Marathon and Half Marathon on May 4th. That's in 9 days. I'm excited for them. For most, this is their first marathon or half, depending on who you're asking. They're so nervous, it's cute. I remember being so nervous for my first marathon. I'm really glad to be a part of everyone's goal. It's nice to know I helped them.

In addition to all this craziness of running Frederick and then trying to qualify for Boston, I'm also trying to become a certified yoga instructor. My original training program was postponed, so now I'm going to take it in bits and pieces throughout the summer and fall, and into next year. But I'm hoping to hold a class sometime over the summer. I think it will be so much fun!

In true stream-of-consciousness fashion, I'm now changing the subject completely to Keller. He's two and a half going on teenager. This morning he was playing on the floor and I got down there with him. He told me to leave him alone and "go do something." Can you believe this? What is he going to do when he's 16? He'll probably have burnt the house down by then, so it won't matter.