6 Miles for Sherry and Other News

Yesterday I took to my treadmill and ran 6 miles for Sherry Arnold.  I don't have a pic or my bib, but I spent the hour on the mill thinking about Sherry and her family.  I for a minute thought about the losers that hurt her, but that is not what I wanted to waste my time dwelling on.  The entire situation is rotten, but what an amazing group of runners that came together to run for someone.  Pretty amazing.

I have been working 2-3 days a week and even got my first paycheck this week.  I went to Target and got the kids some Valentines treats.  Very exciting to spend my OWN money;)

Finally, I have a half marathon on Sunday.  It is the Half at the Hamptons in Hampton, NH.  We did this race last year and I really love it.  It is a flat, well supported course.  There is about 7 of us going down and it is my friend Gail's birthday so we are going to eat something yummy after.  I can't wait.  I am hoping for a sub 2.  My training has been pretty good and I have been feeling pretty strong.  I did wake up with some hip pain the other day, but for right now I am going to ignore it.

I will leave you with a picture of Valentine's Day prep at our house....Let's just say the amount of glitter in my home could probably cover all of your homes....

                                                         Happy Valentine's Day

11 Random Things About Me

I was tagged by bloggy buddy Michelle to participate in the 11 things about me post.  I think that I am one of the last people to do it, but I will write 11 random things and and answer the questions Michelle posed.  


1.  My Dad was in the Navy while we were growing up.  By the time I was in 9th grade we had lived in Lousiana, Mississippi, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, California and Maine.  My Dad retired in Maine.
2.  I was an adolescent heath nurse at Children's Boston before I got married and became a Mom.
3.  I am an obsessive vacuumer.  I could vacuum three times a day and be thrilled.  I do not like dirt in my house.
4.  I love to read and my Kindle was one of my favorite gifts ever.
5.  I am not a great cook.  I can make basic kid friendly meals, but anything fancy and with a lot of steps I am out.  I don't really enjoy it and I hate cleaning up.
6.  I still secretly (not anymore) watch Young and the Restless everyday.  (Please no comments.)
7.  I could eat every vegetable known to man, but do not like fruit.  It is a struggle to get an apple down everyday.
8.  I have a TV in my bedroom and I leave it on all of the time.  If Trav is away I will even sleep with it on.
9.  I have a dog and 2 cats.  I do not particularly like cats, but I love mine and I always talk about how smart they are.
10.  I rarely drink alcohol.  One to many fun times in my 20's and early 30's and it turned me off.  Give me a cracker with cheese anyday.
11.  I had my half marathon PR in my first half marathon that I ever ran.  I have not made it back since.


and now Michelle's questions:

1. Favorite quote or saying (not from a movie)?  "If Mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy."
2. Favorite movie quote? Every day you wake up and you’re not in the ground, you have to make some decisions.  (from the Help.)
3. 3 dinner guests -who would they be? (Can be dead or alive)  Clara Barton (because of my nursing background.)  Kara Goucher and Bill Clinton
4. Favorite indulgence?  a good manicure and pedicure
5. Favorite Cocktail (or beer or wine)?  Amstel Light (when I drink)
6. Favorite book from childhood?  We Help Mommy....it was a Little Golden Book that we read a million times in my house.
7. Have you traveled abroad? Where?  I have been to Russia, Sweden, and Colombia
8. Beyond running, what's your favorite hobby?  Reading
9. What 3 things do you have to have in the morning?  1.  Feed the dog/cats.  2.  Get a cup of coffee.  3.  Empty the dishwasher.
10. What 3 things do you have to have when you head to bed?  1.  My kindle  2.  iPhone  3.  glass of water.
11. What's your biggest pet peeve?  Being late or people that are late.

Outside in January

I don't know where you call home or what your winter has been like, but for us in NH we have had ONE, I will say it again ONE, total, official, cold run and it was 8 degrees and windy.  It was that cold that when you get home and get in the shower it is as though someone is shooting a nail gun at you as the shower hits you.  Since then, it has been great.  Honestly, half zips and capri running skirts for me.  It has to be one of the weirdest winters in NH.  Right now I am listening to it pour outside.  It sounds like a June rain storm.
I keep feeling like we are going to get slammed at some point.  I don't know how long this can go on, but it is just weird out.  Don't get me wrong, I am not the biggest fan of snow and missing school etc... but a good 6 inches to go sledding would be nice or how about cold enough that we can take the kids to go ice skating.  Hmmmm....mother nature what is going on?
That being said I have a half marathon on February 17th.  How much do you want to bet that we are going to have a snow storm on that day?
I was tagged by Michelle at Running with Attitude for the 11 things meme.  That will be my homework for tomorrow.  I love reading the randomness of people.  It should be fun.

Just Like That....

I am employed.  The job from Runner's Alley came through and I am starting training tomorrow.  I honestly can not believe it.  I took a chance.  I sent an e-mail to a store that I love and everything has fallen into place.  When I called the owner back after he e-mailed me the other day he said he thought, "we were going to make a great team."  I am excited to begin the learning process.  Shoe fittings, clothes, helping customers.  It is definitely going to take time.  As much as I think that I know, I am realizing that I don't know much.
The kids are being funny.  Siri is worried about who is going to drive her to riding.  Ben is worried about dinner.  (funny for a kid who doesn't eat) Andy is worried about how late he has to stay at after school and Izzie...she doesn't really care.  This part will be hard.  There will be one or two afternoons when they have to come home and wait for Trav for a half of an hour.
Am I worried?  I am not worried, but I am definitely nervous.  I have not held a job since before Siri was born 12 years ago.  I definitely have a few insecurities, but I just am going to go in with a positive attitude and an open mind.
On another note I belted out 10 miles on the treadmill today while watching the NFL network with Ben.  I am a sucker for football and even more of a sucker for my New England Patriots.  Go Pats!

It's the January Crazies

Well I have fallen off of my blog bandwagon.  I could probably write a VERY long blog entry this am, but I don't even have time as I am off to the grocery store before my kiddos get up.  We have had a busy couple of weeks.

• Lacrosse and basketball have started.  I am already sick of being in my car and trying to figure out how to feed four kids without becoming a short order cook.
• Ben's basketball team has not won one game yet.  He got in the car the other night and was quick to talk about how bad they are.  I didn't quite know what to say because....he is right they are really bad.  My reply, "Well Ben...you can only go up from here!"
• I had a job interview at Runner's Alley this week and fingers crossed I think that it went really well.  I would work in the store, run some running groups etc....everything that I want to do back in the work force.  Don't get me wrong I am looking to work, but I am also looking to have fun while I am doing it.
• My training for Half at the Hamptons is going great.  We are enjoying our runs and totally gearing up.  It helps that the weather in the New Hampshire has been good enough for us to run outside most days.
• I ran the Cabin Fever 5K on Saturday in Milford, NH.  It was a fun race with a big turnout.  The only bummer was that we had snow/ice on Thursday and Friday and the road it was on was really icy.  I ran tense the entire time because I was so scared to fall.  I had an entire conversation with myself while running....do I fall on my bad hip or my good hip?  am i going to wipe someone out if I fall?  Why did I say I would do this, I don't love 5K's?

So, there you have it everything going on in our wacky NH world.  The kids' are off today, but there will be nothing fun going on.  I have a lot to catch up on.

It's a Run Streak

I have run every day since December 30th.  It didn't start out in my mind as a streak, in fact I am not always a fan of streaking.  I do believe that your body needs rest days.  I was supposed to take a rest on Friday and didn't because I met up with two of my friends.  Yesterday I could have taken a rest, but it was 50 degrees here in NH and how often do we have those days.  Today as I am sitting on the couch and looking out of the window there is a surge of runners running by.  (I live on a hill that people use for hill training.)  It makes me want to put my running clothes on.  I only have 3 miles to go until 30 miles for the week.  Should I or shouldn't I?  Maybe I could rest tomorrow, who knows?  All I know is that I am on a streak and at the rate that I am going I will probably keep the streak alive.

A New Year's 10K and a Food Diary

This morning was the 1st Run in Lowell, MA.  I went in with no expectations  (I mean no!)  and I came out with a 52:48.  I was psyched.  I felt strong throughout the race.  The course had good support.  It was a double loop, but that was okay because I got to run with 4 of my friends one with whom I had not spoken to in a while.  It was nice to catch up with her for the new year.  The weather was incredible.  Can you say 50 degrees on January 1?  Honestly we could have been in t-shirts and our skirts.  I ended up in a capri skirt and long sleeve top.  I started to get that sick feeling at about mile 5, but we kept on going.  I just worked on my breathing at that point.  There was plenty of water at the end as well as beer and snacks.

This race was the first race in the Will Run for Beer series sponsored by Loco Running.  This series is 7 races through the beginning of June.  If you do 5 out of 7 you get a jacket.  I am already signed up for 4 of the races and looking forward to all of them.  2 of them are half marathons which are always a good time.

I also started my food diary today.  Let's just say it is not pretty and I am taking in way to many calories.  I have a couple of ideas on breakfast foods that I want to incorporate.  I also need to do a better job of portion sizes.  Note to self you don't have to eat everything on your plate and go back for seconds.  I think this food journal is going to be a great idea for me and hoping that it can help me put things in perspective.

I wish that I could write some crazy New Years Eve story, but I was in bed with my 5 year old at 8 pm watching House Hunters.  Yep we're crazy over here!