Flannel Sheets are the Devil!

I must confess that I skipped my scheduled run this morning. I am determined to fit it in this afternoon. It was so cold this morning in Columbia...low 30s...and my bed felt wonderful. I am usually a light sleeper, but everything changes when it gets cold outside and the flannel sheets are on the bed. We have gas heat, which costs a fortune, and in the winter we lower the thermostat and snuggle under warm covers. I slept like a rock last night. When the alarm went off at 5am, I used my trusty bedside Blackberry to check the current conditions: 33 degrees! Then I checked the high for the day: 65 degrees. No brainer to me. Run in the afternoon.

Morning Tears

Jackson and I did not have the best morning. He woke up in a great mood, but got very emotional when it was time to put on his coat. He did not want to wear his new coat. He wanted to wear Alex's hoodie. I explained to him that it is really cold outside this morning and he had to wear a heavier coat. Furthermore, Alex's coat does not have a hood and he needed to wear his hoodie under his coat so his head would stay warm. My calm explanation was returned with crocodile tears and stomping. I lost my temper.

Is it too much to ask that a 6-year-old NOT cry when things don't go his way? He cries when we tell him "No", he cries if a game isn't going his way, he cries if he loses a game, he cries if he picks a fight with Alex and Alex defends himself.

I am not a mushy mom. I don't have patience with stuff like this. I want my children to express themselves, but Jackson's latest emotional displays seem very self-serving and petty. I am probably going to read this in a few hours and feel guilty for posting.

Run for Fun

After months of racing, pace-monitoring, and mileage-building, I decided to take a break from Running for Time. For the next few weeks, or maybe even months, I am going to just Run for Fun. I have particpated in 6 races in the past 2 months, and my body needs a break from the stress. I am going to run without my watch and a mileage schedule. If I want to run 3 miles tomorrow, I will run 3 miles. If I want to run 4 miles each morning this week and my body feels up to it, I will run 4 miles each day. If I need to take more than 1 rest day this week, so what? I have been following this philosophy for the past week, and I realized that I have forgotten how much I just enjoy running for the pure joy of pounding pavement. I ran 5 miles this morning on a new route that goes around Lake Katherine, Kathwood Road, Kilbourne, Beltline and Trenholm Road. It was awesome! Lots of hills, beautiful homes way too nice for me to ever afford, the "lake", cemetaries, churches, and very little traffic. The weather wasn't bad either...at 8am it was 47 degrees. Beautiful!

Reading...

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran, by Hooman Majd

The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, by Amity Shlaes

Crowds and Lines

I hate crowds. I hate to wait in long lines. Unfortunately, I got both tonight at the Riverbanks Zoo Boo at the Zoo event. We took Ironman and the Power Ranger to Boo at the Zoo tonight. We did not buy advance or e tickets, but we did get to the zoo 10 minutes before opening. Ugh. Did not matter. We waited in line for an hour. Yes, an hour. It totally sucked. There were hundreds and hundreds of people at the zoo tonight. Lines and crowds make me really anxious and crabby. It was impossible to walk around the zoo without bumping into people or having them walk all over you! My boys are pretty stealthy and they cut in lots of trick-or-treat lines. Crowds and lines don't bother them a bit.

Note: I have two children. I have been a single stroller mom. I have been a super mega double stroller mom. Been there, done that...and now I HATE strollers. Those of you who are still in the Stroller Stage might think I am being evil, but one day you will understand. I could not walk 10 feet without a mom with a stroller mowing me down.

OK, I am a Debbie Downer, but the boys had a blast! They got lots of candy and Jackson got a thrill out of being recognized as Ironman.

I Surrender!

I give up. Athena wins. She ate my newest Vera Bradley Kensington Cargo Sling Purse. $90 down the drain. I bought that purse 2 weeks ago. Today I am going to Target to get a purse on clearance. My dog is cruelly teaching me a moral economic lesson--when there are people starving in the world, do NOT buy $90 handbags. It just took several hundred dollars, 4 Vera Bradleys and 3 Target purses for that lesson to sink into my thick skull.

Hello from Brandon, Florida

I am a travelin' mama. I caught a late afternoon flight to Tampa today. I have an 11am hearing tomorrow, and a late afternoon flight back to Charlotte tomorrow. I should be back in Columbia before the boys go to bed. I am actually in Brandon, which I think is a suburb of Tampa. Anyway, I miss my family and all Hampton Inns look exactly the same.

My Relationship with 4:15am

My alarms ring every morning at 4:15am. I have an alarm clock beside my bed, and I also set the alarm on my Blackberry. Ugh. I am in a routine and I get up, but ugh. Way. Too. Early. Its the darkest part of the night. It is super quiet--the birds aren't even chirping yet. The early morning runners and walkers aren't even out yet. Nobody has their lights on in their homes yet. Trucks aren't even making early deliveries to the breakfast-serving restaurants on Forest Drive yet. Crazy people get up at 4:15, and I am one of them. It's not getting any easier.
So why do I do it? I need to run. My brain sort of requires it now. I hate to be rushed and stressed in the morning. I take out my angst on JBO and Short Round, and fighting with them is not the way I want to spend our morning time together. If I am pounding pavement by 4:30, and I can run, stretch and eat breakfast before 5:30. The boys get up around 6:15, and I am usually dressed and ready to help them start their day. As a working mom, I have to take advantage of every minute of the day I get to spend with my boys. Although I can make an argument that my running benefits my family...running is really something I do for ME. My health, my sanity, my weight, my ambition, my competitiveness. Getting up at 4:15 is for my boys.

Little Things

I don't do "bummed out" very well, or for very long. Today is Friday, I am healthy, I have a great career, a healthy family, and there are many things to be happy about right now. In the spirit of Pollyana and the "glad game", just a few things to be happy about today:
*It is Friday.
*The state fair is in town.
*Tomorrow we are traveling to Charleston for Citadel Parents' Weekend and I get to see my baby bro and my parents, tailgate, and go to a football game.
*I have healthy knees, ankles, hips and feet and I am going to run 6 miles in the morning.
*Through Facebook, I have reconnected with so many special friends from my 31 years and I realize that I am not alone.
*I don't have a lot of money, I don't have any money in the stock market, and technically I am not losing anything in the global markets right now.
*Michael and I don't have to worry about having too much money in the bank to be insured by FDIC.
*I have decades to go before retirement, so chances are, the economy will rebound before I can't work anymore.

What are you "glad" about today?

Hope Found

OK, humor is hope. I love John Stewart. Sorry, Michael. I love love love him.

Quote of the Day

A member of our HR department sends out a Quote of the Day first thing every morning. This one is gonna help me get through the day:

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." --Author Unknown

My Boys Rock!

I am so proud of Jackson and Alex! This morning the boys and I participated in the Lauren's Hope Foundation 5K in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. I ran the 5K, Jackson and Alex participated in the Kids' Fun Run. Alex ran the 3-4 age group race, Jackson ran the 5-6 age group race. Both boys got 2nd place! I am super proud. They were awarded engraved medals at the awards ceremony in front of several hundred people. Of course, I did not have my camera. I am going to try to get pics of their medals and post later this afternoon.
Mama did ok, too. I got second place in my age group and got a cool trophy! I ran the 5K in 25:22 which comes out to average splits of 8:10 miles. I need to check my running journal when I get home, but I think that is a personal record for me! I attribute my speed to my brand new sneeks. My shoes finally crapped out after my 10K last weekend. I ran Monday morning, and my knees hurt. My knees never hurt. I added up my mileage, and my shoes lasted about 350 miles. I bought two pair yesterday so I can alternate shoes and allow the foam to bounce back between runs. My shoe of choice? Nike Air Span 5 with Run In's signature cuts in the sole. Don't know what I would have done yesterday if these shoes had not been in stock. Probably sat down and cried on the spot.