Rebirth?

My very first race as a runner was the Reindeer Romp in November 2005. It was a 4K - 2.8 miles, and I was terrified to run it. What if I didn't know the secret race procedures? What if I was last? What if I couldn't make it the whole way? Well, I survived it and did reasonably well.

The Reindeer Romp is part one of a three part series, the Polar Bear Grand Prix. The purpose of the set of races is to keep people running and racing through the winter months.

Pete says I need a goal in order to get off my ass and onto the street. I know he is right. Tonight, I am going to write out a check for $50 for all three races. Spending the money hits my tightwad self where it hurts, so it is great motivation to keep up with it.

It just seems fitting that I would restart at the same point I originally began.

Cookies

Nom nom nom

Babies are gross.

Ethan has been sick twice in two months. Derek and I, as a result, have gotten sick twice in two months. Before Ethan, being sick was a pretty rare thing in our house. We have had the pleasure, these last two months, of dealing with copious amounts of mucous, barf and pudding poop in addition to all of the regular gross baby things like blowing raspberries with a mouthful of green beans and attempting to poke the cats in their winker holes.

Indeed, babies are gross.

At lunchtime today, I am going to attempt to find a running stroller to take my little grody man out with me to hit the streets. I don't know how well he'll handle it, as he tends to get pretty wiggly in the regular stroller, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Finally, Derek found this really sweet picture from mid-May. I don't remember him being this tiny and helpless-looking, but apparently he was. Please note the milk reservoir underneath his ample bosom...

Hmmm...

Disney Marathon 2009???

Lots of time between now and then to heal and train. Kid will be old enough to enjoy it by that time.

The seed has been planted...

I don't know if it is because he has watching me do my PT exercises, or just because he has figured out how to do it (and that it gets a response from us), but Ethan will now shake his head back and forth on command. Now if we can only teach him the meaning of "no", we'll be in great shape!

Speaking of shaking the head, as mentioned this morning on the LTR thread, I do a lot of head-shaking while running because it is a great opportunity to work on retraining the ol' brain to understand movement and to quit shifting my field of vision like a Viewmaster. If it weren't 5:00 in the morning and I was actually visible, I'd probably be a whole lot more self-conscious about it.

Naked Pictures!!

We usually end up with more water on me than on Ethan at the end of bathtime. That kid can splash.

Oh yeah...that running thing

My last run of over a mile was in September. My last 1 mile failure (or feedback, per Renee) run was in early October. After a month off while faithfully sticking to my physical therapy schedule, I am happy to report that I had a wildly successful 3 mile run this morning. I won't go so far as to say I was fast, but I was somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes per mile faster than I was before the break and the rigorous PT. I still have a long way to go, but without a doubt this is the most encouraging run I have had in a good long time.

Undoubtedly, as hard as it is for me to admit, something really and truly was/is wrong with me. I am just glad I know how to fix it, albeit painfully slowly.

The hips are tight so I am considering alternating running days with yoga days (or somehow combining them).

Still up for the Triple Crown, Alecia?

Happy Halloween!!

Bzzzzzzzzzzz

All of the kids:

Back row: Miss Devil Scary (Emma), Cap'n Pirate a.k.a. Cap'n Sword (Isaiah)
Front Row: Beeethan (Ethan), sitting on Cap'n Scary (Andrew) and Cap'n Goofball (Jonah) sitting on Brian, who is too old for a costume or alias.