Saturday Highlights

-Slept until 8am.
-The boys slept until 10am.
-Solo shopping at Hobby Lobby and Barnes & Noble. Thanks Mom!
-My nephew Christopher.
-My sister Madeline.
-Briz's home cooking.
-No deadlines.
-A new 5K possibility in October.
-Solo shopping at Target. Thanks again, Mom!

Sports Bra

What kind of sports bra do you wear? I get that questions A LOT. Could it be that before I lost 30 pounds I was a G-Cup? Back-to-back pregnancies were not good for my figure. I was a very big girl for several years. When I started doing aerobics a year ago, I did a lot of research and discovered this fantastically ugly and supportive sports bra called Enell. Check out the website. Enell is a vest-type compression-style sports bra with 10 hooks in the front. If you buy the correct size, you should have a really hard time putting it on for the first few weeks. Think those jeans you used to have to lay on your bed to zip! It can also be a bit hard to breathe the first few wears because the bra is so tight around your ribs. Stick it out--I promise you will love it! I am now a D-DD, and I still love my Enell. I just ordered 2 more in a smaller size. Enell changed my running. "Bouncing" slows you down more than you realize, and Enell picked up my pace.

Back to Work

After two special days home with Alex, I am back to work today, and Michael gets to enjoy a 4 day weekend, 2 of those days without the family. I have a really busy day today (my favorite kind!) with 2 meetings and a lot of catch-up. I end my day at Pia & Steve's so Lindsey can make my eyebrows less scary and Beth can make my hair pretty. I am heading to 96 after my salon appointment to meet Michael and the boys at my brother-in-law's football game tonight. 96 vs. Abbeville. Should be one of the best games of the season!
After the game, the boys and I are heading to Simpsonville to spend the weekend with my parents. We are super excited because my parents are also keeping my 8-month-old nephew, Christopher. My sister is coming home from Clemson for the day tomorrow. I haven't seen her since May, and I can't wait to spend some time with Madeline. What's Michael doing all weekend? He is playing golf both days...and hopefully cutting grass and sealing the faux finish in our dining room.
Monday is the Labor Day Fitness Challenge! The boys and I are pumped!

Racing Fun

I am running in the Labor Day Fitness Challenge on Monday. There is a 5K, 15k, 15K relay, and a Kids Fun Run. Michael is not running because he has kid duty. I am not ready to run 9.3 miles yet, so I signed up for the 5K. Jackson and Alex are going to do the Fun Run. For $5, the kids participate in age-appropriate running events, they get a t-shirt and the breakfast buffet. Pretty sweet deal! The 5K never leaves the Columbia International University campus. Should be a great time!

I just signed up for the Dam Run 10K in late September. The race starts on the Lexington side of Lake Murray and ends at Saluda Shoals Park in Irmo. The course is advertised as slightly downhill (yeah!) and the scenary should be awesome! Finishers get a medallion (cool!) and the first 300 people to sign up get a free hat (as well as the race t-shirt). I am excited and a little bit nervous. I have done the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K several times over the years, but I never really cared how I did. I wasn't a serious runner, and I was always just happy if I could "slog" those 6.2 miles. Finishing was an accomplishment! I really want to do well in this 10K. I have to get my mileage up over the next few weeks. I run 4.2 now, and I need to be prepared to run 6.2...with some speed. I could run 6.2 now, but I am pretty sure my pace would suck. Goals are great! They get me up in the morning! If you live near Columbia, you can sign up for the race on the Strictly Running website. See ya there!

Motivation

Day 2 of working from home...I will be happy to see my office tomorrow morning. I have enjoyed spending time with Alex, but I already miss the social interaction of my office. Alex is moody and crabby--by choice. I think he enjoys it! I got a lot done yesterday, and I set a lofty goal to finish a big project today.

I am motivated to work, motivated to run and be healthy, but I have no motivation to clean my house. Anybody else have that problem? I enjoy a clean home, I work better in a clean home, I just don't want to actually clean my home. I am home for two days, and I should be able to get this done in a relatively short time between work projects. If I start my work week on Tuesday with a messy house, I am going to be really angry at myself.

Early Morning Thoughts

I am home with Alex today. His daycare/preschool is closed today, Thursday and Friday to prepare for the school year. As much as I love his school, I will not miss the excessive closings. It always seems like I am trying to find a sitter or bribe a friend or grandparent to cover a Kathwood closing. Jackson is at school, so I only have one child and I should be able to get some work done today. I have tons of research and policy drafting to do.

I got my run in this morning, but I discovered a problem. My body tends to wake me up well in advance of my alarm clock. I suspect this stems from a deep-seeded paranoia of oversleeping and missing school, work, etc. When I used to wake up at 5am, I usually woke up around 4am, and then dosed for an hour. Now that I am accustomed to getting up at 4:15-4:30, I wake up at 3:15am. Aye. That is really really way too early, and I don't know how to stop it!

Better Day

The boys and I had a great morning. I got up at 4:15 (yep) and got my run in...in the rain. Don't be too impressed. It was just a drizzle. For all those moms out there who feel rushed in the morning, bite the bullet and get up earlier. Your life will be so much easier! Both of my boys are box lunchers, so we pack lunches the night before. Everything else is done in the morning. Michael hates little boy bed-head, so we bathe the boys in the morning so they have clean, freshly-styled hair. Even if they pick out their clothes the night before, Alex will inevitably throw a fit because he has changed his mind about his wardrobe and feels that I am smothering his creative impulses.

This morning, I got the boys up around 6:15 after I was already dressed, primped, and ready for my day. They had almost an hour to get a bath, get dressed, eat breakfast...and I did not have to yell at them to hurry up and put on their shoes or brush their teeth. I love peaceful mornings that run like a well-oiled machine!

Listen to Your Body

I started running in college. Before I started dating Michael, I ran 4-5 miles a day. I never had an injury, and I did not worry about the kind of shoes I wore, proper stretching, proper nutrition, etc. I started running again after I had Alex. Unfortunately, my body had drastically changed. I soon learned about the dangers of overpronation, poor stretching habits, and the effect of excessive body weight on your knees. I got tendonitis and bursitis in my right knee. After several months of physical therapy, new shoes, and orthotics to correct leg length discrepancy, I got stressed out at work and stopped running. When I left the Public Defender's Office and until October of my first year at my new job, I weighed in between 165-170 pounds on a 5'6" frame. I started running again this past April after I had lost 20 pounds.
Things have been going really well. I have awesome shoes--Nike Air Span 5 with cuts in the sole from Run In in Greenville. I overpronate, so I have to wear stability shoes. Those tend to be stiff and cause foot pain. Run In makes cuts in the soles of the shoes to relieve the stiffness and give you good foot motion. My orthotics are still keeping my leg length discrepancy from torquing my knees, and I am up to 4+ mile runs. I think the most important factor that has contributed to my injury-free running is that I have learned to listen to my body and know when to take a break. I had knee pain earlier this summer. No idea why, except I was doing a lot of lunges, dips, and tall box climb exercises. I used lots of Icy Hot, stretched, bribed my husband to massage my knee, let Michael's dad and aunt work some holistic voodoo on my knee, and I took a break from weight training and running for a few days. I was pounding pavement again in a matter of days, but I stopped doing dips. They really seem to aggravate my knees.
I also know when I need a rest day. Some people can run every single day. I cannot, and I have learned to tell a difference between laziness vs. when I really need a break. This weekend wore me out, but I set my alarm for 4:15am and planned to run this morning. Wasn't going to happen. I woke up a few times last night with night sweats and I felt awful when the alarm went off. My back and legs were sore, and I knew something wasn't "right". I am running another 5K on Labor Day, and I want to be healthy and strong. Today I plan to eat really healthy, drink a lot of water, and try to get a good night's sleep tonight. I really need a good run tomorrow morning!

Weekend Wrap Up

*No kids
*1 rainy football game
*5 Kilometers
*Beer and Brats
*Shopping
*Naps
*Za's
*Saki Tumi
*18 holes of golf
*My mom's cooking
*Too much driving
*Really tired.

Childless Weekend

Michael and I are having an awesome weekend! We met my parents in Clinton Friday afternoon to trade off the boys. Michael and I headed to 96 to see my brother-in-law's first football game of the season. He is a math teacher in 96 and the defensive line coach of the 96 Wildcats. It poured, we got soaked, they won. We had a sense of humor about it all and had a great time.
Michael and I ran the Flying Saucer 5K this morning (see my earlier post), and then spent the day shopping and running errands. We went to Outspokin' to check out road bikes, Earth Fare to get Sigg water bottles for the boys, ate lunch at Za's, bought golf shoes for me at Dick's, a new ipod for Michael at Best Buy, and then crashed for a midafternoon nap. We had dinner tonight at Saki Tumi, and now we are hanging out watching The Sopranos.
Tomorrow we are playing golf. Hmmm. I haven't played golf in 10 years. More on that later.

Flying Saucer 5K

This morning Michael and I ran in the Flying Saucer 5K. I felt really rough, and the course was very hilly and very tough. As I was finishing the run (on an uphill!!), all I could think was there is no way I broke 10 minute miles.

BIG SURPRISE! All my 4:30am hill runs paid off. I won my age group of 31-34 year old women! I ran 3.1 miles in 25:17 minutes. I averaged 8:08 minute miles. My best race yet!

Happy Friday!

4:00am--I woke up really early today...without an alarm...on my own. I got to hit the imaginary snooze button for half an hour before I ran. 4.2, 8:56 mile pace. Not bad!

The boys and I went to Starbucks every morning this summer. We also ordered the same thing every time...
Sugar-Free Hazelnut Soy Misto
Regular Donut
Chocolate Donut
Izze
2 cups with lids and straws

School started Monday, so I axed the daily Starbucks trips. HOWEVER, Friday will be our Starbucks treat day. Its so funny to me--I grew up in the country in a 2 stoplight town and I had no concept of a coffee shop when I was a little kid. My kids are so urban! A Starbucks restaurant is a comfortable hangout spot for my boys!

Jackson is regressing. He made me walk him to class today. I don't know why. According to his teacher, he was fine earlier this week when Michael dropped him off in the carpool lane. I am really frustrated with him. He did carpool last year when he was in kindergarten, and I really want him to be a big boy so I can get to work by 8...so I can leave by 5. When I work later in the afternoon I miss out on so much time with them.

Today is going to be a busy day. I can't even see the top of my desk. Tonight we take the boys to meet my parents halfway in Clinton. My mom and dad are reeling from taking their 5th child, their baby, to the Citajail last weekend, so they are really excited to have the grandkids this weekend. Michael and I are really excited to have some time together. We have lots of plans. Tomorrow we are running in the Flying Saucer Beer Run 5K, and Sunday morning we have a 6:48 tee time. I am so excited!

Rest Day

I did not run this morning. I went to bed at 8:30 last night and decided to take a rest day this morning. Michael and I are running in the Flying Saucer Beer Run 5K Saturday morning, so I had to either rest today or tomorrow. Hooray for today!

Actually, I was too stressed to run, if you can imagine that. I had to deal with a yucky issue first thing this morning at work, and my stomach was in knots this morning. Something bad could have happened a few miles down the road...

Update on the carpool issue: I left a message for the principal of Jackson's school yesterday, and we played phone tag until the school office closed. I caught up with her this morning after another teacherless carpool line. The one teacher that was working carpool motioned at me when I pulled up in front of her to keep moving...I wanted my 6 year old helped by a teacher, so this did not make me happy. We parked and walked in and saw Ms. Alley. It's so nice when you can explain a concern to a school administrator and they make you feel good about bugging them with your parental concerns. She explained this week's shortage, explained the solution that will begin next Monday, gave me a hug, and I guess I now feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Sweet story: I did walk Jackson to class today. I had my keys in my had and I gave him my pinkie finger to hold. He then offered to hold my keys (in his other hand) so I could hold his hand on the way to class. Such a sweet boy! His little bro did not want to hold my hand at all. He thought it was more fun to run down the halls in his parrot mask and black knee socks. I wish I had a picture. Alex never wears matching socks, and if the socks actually match each other, they certainly don't match his outfit.

Hump Day

4:25--run. 4.2 miles. 9:16 minute miles. Not so bad considering I got 5 hours of sleep last night.

Jackson was a brave boy in the carpool line this morning, despite the unfortunate fact that the carpool line is understaffed. Last year there were 4 teachers manning carpool. This year, 1. Not cool. Alex made me drop him off in the carpool line of Kathwood this morning. Of course, there is no carpool line at Kathwood. I had to drop him off by the curb, wait until he was in the door, and then park my car and sign him in. Too funny! He just wants to be big.

Today will suck. Does suck. I am in a training meeting this morning, and then I have to deal with lots of probs this afternoon. The first day back after a trip, even a short trip, is always pretty rough. My weigh-in is at 1pm today, and despite the fact I ran 20 miles last week, including 12 since my last weigh-in, I think I have gained. Yuck.

Airport Food and More Fun

I spent most of the day as a customer to the friendly skies. I taught my seminar this morning from 8:30-12:30, central time. I had a lively group, and as my boss often tells me, I seem to bring out the rowdy in people. Unfortunately, I did not get to stick around for lots of questions because I had a flight out of Dallas at 2:55. For those not familiar with the Dallas airport, it is really really big. My rental car had to be dropped off, and then I had to take a bus to my terminal, get my boarding pass, and then haul butt to my gate.. Basically, you have to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight to have time to do all of this. I got to the airport 1 1/2 hours before my flight because I got lost on Loop 12 in Dallas for 45 minutes.
I made my flight, which really sucked because I had the middle seat beside some sleeping chick who kept startling--you know, like a baby's startle reflex. Drove me nuts for 2 1/2 hours. I am in the Charlotte airport right now waiting for my connection. I was STARVING when I got off the plane because I haven't eaten since 7am. Long lines at restaurants set me up for the concession stand: Arizona Iced Tea, yogurt with granola, and veggies with dip for a whopping $13. My advice: always always always eat BEFORE you get to the airport.
I land in Columbia around 9pm. My boys will be asleep. I missed the 2nd day of school, the first day of carpool drop-off. I haven't talked to Michael all afternoon, so I don't know how their days went. I do know that Jackson had a great first day of school on Monday, and they both seemed really happy when I talked to them on the phone last night. Daddy is so much fun--last night they had Pancake House and tonight they are having Moe's. Alex did tell me he missed me, but I thought I heard Michael whispering to him in the background to tell me that. My trip was fun and a bit exhilirating (I love teaching), but I can't wait to get home tonight, kiss my boys, and get back into the school routine. I don't travel again for a few weeks.

The First Day of 1st Grade

4:25am: My alarm goes off. I moan, I groan, I tell Michael that I think I will sleep in today. He supports that decision. I lay there for a few more minutes and realize that 1. I need to run and 2. My husband is not reliable for early morning motivation.

4:35am: I drag my lazy butt out of bed, put on my running clothes, and head out the door. 4.2 miles.

5:30am: Stretch, pushups, situps, and shower.

Michael went into work late today, so I had help getting the boys ready for school. Easy morning for me!

Today was Jackson's first day of 1st Grade in Ms. Boozer's class at Satchel Ford Elementary School. Alex returned to Kathwood after a summer of fun at the Jewish Community Center. Check out there before-school pic:


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Jackson insisted on a wheelie pack this year. No idea why. Michael and I spent a lot of time trying to explain to him why they are dorky and uncool, but apparently our opinion doesn't count. Check out the pack:



We are so proud of him! Jackson attended a preschool from 6 weeks old to 5 years old and had the same group of kids in his class for 5 years. He thought real school would work the same way. He expected all the kids from K-5 to be in his 1st grade class this year. Not so much. He was really bummed after the Meet-Your-Teacher drop-in last week when he realized none of his buds are in his class this year. He seemed ok this morning and he makes friends very easily. I am sure it will be a great year with lots of new friends.



Once the boys were safely deposited at their respective educational institutions, I went home to pack for a one night trip to Dallas, Texas. I went into the office for a few hours, ran a few errands (including The Backpacker to get brown professional Dansko's), and hopped a flight to Dallas. I am teaching a seminar tomorrow morning, and I will be back in Columbia by 9pm. BTW--when I got off the plane I had over 30 emails, including a big emergency that I had to deal with as soon as I could find a quiet place to make phone calls. I spent 3 hours in the airport this afternoon dealing with work issues. My Blackberry is a blessing and a curse...and absolutely necessary. Tonight I am going to watch chick flicks in my hotel room, blog, tool around on Facebook, and try to calm my nerves. I love teaching...its almost as much fun as making arguments in front of a jury. I still get nervous, though. I have taught this seminar at least 4 times, but I still get so nervous the night before. I know I will have trouble sleeping tonight. I am teaching Safety Policies and Procedures to 18 newly-promoted managers. 17 men, 1 woman. Lots of pressure to be captivating, entertaining, and credible. Its going to be a long night!

My Blog's New Direction: Working Mommy Blog

I am taking this blog in a new direction. I read through several of my "mommy" posts, and I realized that I set a bad example for many of my friends who don't have kids...but want to someday...and want to be working mommies. If I am every inspired to post about being a working mom, it is usually on a bad day when I want to whine and complain. In reality, I sort of have it all together, give or take a crappy day. I think I can be a good example and a lot of encouragement for other working mommies or wannabe working mommies out there.

I had both of my children in law school. Jackson was planned to be born in early July after my 2nd year of law school. I was a clerk at a small firm during my 2L year, and I took work home with me when I was put on bedrest the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy. Alex sort of happened and I took the South Carolina Bar Exam while I was 6 months pregnant. My bar results were released the day I left the hospital after his birth. When Michael and I decided to have Jackson, it was a foregone conclusion that I would be a working mom. When Alex surprised us, finding a good job after law school became infinitely more important. We found a wonderful church preschool in Forest Acres, and my sons are socialized, outgoing, adventuresome, and incredibly secure. So here goes: lots of travel, lots of juggling family/work, lots of fun, lots of stress, and lots of honesty.

Running Mates

Michael and I are each other's best and worst influence. We have been that way for 10 years. In college, if he wanted to skip class, I was along for the ride. If we were on a health kick and I wanted to blow it with chili cheese fries, I could always count on Michael to rally to the task. Once we were married, things did not change. If I wanted to buy a puppy (when I already had a 5 month old puppy) a few hours after my first semester Torts exam, Michael coughed up the cash. When I decided it was time to have kids (during my second year of law school), Michael stepped up to the plate. And the list goes on...we are a dangerous team.

We aren't in college anymore, we aren't newlyweds anymore, and we aren't in our 20s anymore. I have been on a lose weight--eat healthy--take control of my body--health kick for almost 10 months now. As expected, Michael has joined me in my quest. I really like my much thinner, very muscular, super healthy husband...and I want him to stay that way. His old-man hip seems to be on the mend, and he has been anxious to start running. I don't like for him to run in the middle of the day in Columbia, SC. I know he won't be able to run in the afternoons because the boys consume so much of our time. In the spirit of our marriage, I have a new wake-up time...4:25am. If I get up that early, I can go for my 40 minute run, and then Michael can head out when I finish for an equally challenging jaunt around Forest Acres. This morning, I ran 4.2 miles, stretched, did pushups and situps, cooked eggs and toast, and got ready for work with time to spare! 4:25am sucks, but so does 5am. Early is early. Although it is still daylight outside when I have to go to bed in order to get up at 4:25, our abs make it all worth it!

Thoughts of the Day

* I am really really really tired.
* 4:40am is really really really early.
* Running 4.2 miles makes me feel awesome.
* My house is a mess and I have no motivation to clean the damn thing.
* I really suck at keeping up with friends.
* I don't know if I am going to Firm or run tomorrow morning.
* Football season cannot start soon enough because I am sick of Scrubs reruns.
* Sometimes I want to be a housewife...other times I want to take over the world.
* Tonight I want to be a hippie in Black Mountain with lots of dogs and a yarn store.
* My husband is having fun with friends while I am dorking out on Facebook.
* I ate a bowl full of dark chocolate M&Ms, so I am thinking I will run tomorrow a.m.
* I really really really want to go to bed, but our sheets are in the wash.
* My lab loves me enough to pee on Michael's side of the bed.
* I can't wait to read Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer.
* I need to get a life.
* I miss my friend Gwen.
* I am jealous of my friend Renee b/c she is going to Israel Saturday.
* Bored now.

Mommy Envy

Mondays are so stressful at work...it has been that way with every job I have had out of law school. I am giving a presentation in Atlanta tomorrow, so my stress is mixed with a good case of the nerves.

I function well in a stressful environment. Stress, deadlines, problems, etc. keep me on my toes and keep me from getting bored. Most days, I crave the weight of the world on my shoulders so I can attack problems and issues and defeat them like Wonder Woman!

Other days, I get really jealous of stay-at-home moms. I read and enjoy lots of mommy blogs. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my children, my husband and my home were my only focus. What would life be like if I did not have to worry about meetings, fatal accidents, lawsuits, contract disputes, presentations, networking, schmoozing, career advancement plans, travel, gender discrimination...you get the point. Would my house be clean? Would my children have perfect manners, be reading a few grade levels ahead, would I actually prepare meals for my family? Or, would I be a raving lunatic with no outlet for the aggressive behaviors that power me through my day in corporate America?

Hot Summer Nights 5K

Last night I ran in the Hot Summer Nights 5K (3.1 miles) in Columbia, South Carolina. Although I have been running regularly again since April, this was my first road race. I am really proud of my results:

395 Total Runners...I placed 194th!

27 Total Women in the 30-34 Age Group...I placed 6th!

163 Total Women Runners...I placed 27th!

My time...27:01. That averages out to 8:42/mile.

I am really proud of myself. I started out really hard, so it made the middle mile a bit difficult before I got a second wind. I learned that although I do a lot of distance (I run about 4 miles/5 times a week), I need to do speed work for these shorter races. I also learned that early mornings are much more pleasant than 7pm in August! I am going to stick to my early morning training time.

No, I did not blow anybody away--but my times are respectable and I am encouraged to keep racing. I gotta tell you, there is nothing like blowing past people. I had enough gas to finish hard, and I was blowing past a lot of people on that final stretch. It was awesome! Strictly Running will post pictures in a few days, and I will link up. BTW--this was a well-run race. Strictly Running did a fantastic job.