Return of the Prodigal Runner-Blogger Mommy

If I still have any readers after four solid days with no post, welcome and thank you for not giving up on Mommy's Running List!

First, I must give a little shout out to Glen King, a running buddy who gave me a call Thursday afternoon to invite my husband and/or me to join the gang for the Rails to Trails group run. I already knew the where and when and Glen knew I knew. He was just trying, I think, to encourage me to get up and get out and run!
With the meeting time only 45 minutes away and Nash sitting in his booster chair finishing up a Popsicle and looking forward to heading out to the backyard to splash around in his kiddie pool, I, of course, was unable to accept Glen's invitation. It was wonderfully encouraging, though, to find that someone has actually been following my training attempts and frustrations here and was willing to offer a bit of encouragement. (Yes, I know I just used encouraging and encouragement in the same sentence but it's 5:45 a.m., I'm only halfway through my first cup of coffee and I still have to prepare Brian's lunch, iron our work clothes and get Nash and myself ready for his first day of Mother's Morning Out so you'll excuse me, please, for my lack of creative wording. My inner thesaurus just doesn't function properly under these conditions.)

You'll also have to forgive me for not having my DSLs available for the last few days. I haven't been keeping up with my intake. I did have an absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious fresh-from-the-inlaw's-garden tomato sandwich on wheat just before bedtime last night. Mmmmm...no Oreos, no Doritos, just wheat bread, tomato, mayonesa and one slice of cheese.

I'm going to try to make it to the group run this evening, since its at the track just a mile from home, where I usually run with Nash anyway. We'll see.
I'll keep you posted!

My New Favorite Blog to Watch

The Junkraft is making its way across the ocean to raise awareness about the plastic soup we humans are creating in Earth's waters. The above link takes you to the crew's blog which follows their journey. This link, takes you to a post describing why they're doing what they're doing.
If you are a reader of Space Pebble Mountain, another of my blogs, you may already be aware that environmental issues (primarily our human impact on the environemnt) are of particular importance for me.
Recently, when asked what I'd do if I were a billionaire, among my list of answers was:
Try desperately to help figure out some way to stop and clean up the Trash Vortex, also known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
That's apparently the goal of the wonderful folks aboard the Junkraft. I plan to follow their journey from here on out and I'm absolutely thrilled with the folks at Blogger for featuring the junkraft blog on their Blogs of Note page!!!!

Don't believe the plastic in our oceans is a problem? Check out this photo of the stuff found in the stomach of one dead albatross.
Or this photo of where stuff ends up when it's throw out the car window (as people around here do all the time and several high school seniors even admitted it to me earlier this year!)
Blah!
OK.
There's no list today.
I just really needed to share this. I'm so glad there are people out there, getting all yucky dirty trying to clean up our Earth. The least I can do is sit here in my nice comfy home and try to help a little by spreading the word via computer.

All Fired Up

As some of you know, I also maintain the North Alabama Runner blog. While updating the race calender just now, I happened across what, apparently, is my 5K PR.

24:32

That was my time in August, 2005 at the Cullman Midnight Run.
Considering that while running last night I hit the 5K mark at 28:46, I'm astounded that I ever ran a 24:32. Go, Me!
Astounded, and chagrined.
Of course, in the ensuing three years, I've gotten pregnant, given birth, and subsequently been mommying for two years and 10 days.
That's not an excuse, though. In fact, the fact that it's been two years & 10 days since I was pregnant, is the opposite of an excuse! That's enough time that I should've established a whole new PR instead of being four minutes off!
In all fairness to myself, though, I did run a 26:35 at Decatur's Frosty Freeze 5K in December 2007. I suppose two minutes off is better than four. Still, I should be doing better than this!
Aaaack!!!

OK. ok.
I'll calm down. All I have to is work my way back down. I know how to do this. I can do this. I will do this.
Whew.
OK.
I'm ok now.
Thanks for weathering my panic, there.

DSL for Saturday, July 19
* Breakfast - whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce & parmesan
* Snack - a banana
* Lunch - two whole grain English muffins with cajun turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, mayo & mustard (YUM!)
* Snack - mandarin oranges
* Dinner - a half-cup or so of stir-fried tofu, 6 or 7 black olives & two rice cakes with peanut butter

Ran 3.5 really hot, really sweaty miles.

Another skipped day

Skipped days seem to be a theme with me, huh?
I skip a day running.
I skip a day posting.
I skip a day doing laundry and then it takes three days to catch up!

DSL for Thursday, July 17

* Breakfast: cheese biscuit from Hardee's, a few bites of Nash's strawberry biscuit, small order of hashrounds
* Lunch: NONE
* Snack: two handfuls of raisins
* Dinner: Morningstar rice-veggie-protein patty, salad: romayne, tomatoes, black olives, mozarella, peanuts & ranch dressing
* Snack: two chocolate chip cookies

OK. I'm going to load Nash & the stroller up now and go to the track while it's still only 73 degrees out.
See ya!

40 years, 10 days

OK, so I ran today. Couldn't get motivated early enough to take advantage of the mid-70 degree morning so by the time I hit the track at 11:30 (behind the 8-10 pound stroller with the 26 pound tot in it) the temp was soaring up into the 80s and the heat index was even higher, of course.
Oh well, after four solid days with no workout, I enjoyed being out there working up a good sweat and a good steady heart rate despite the heat.

DSL for Tuesday July 15
* Breakfast - None
* Lunch - spinach linguine with sauteed tofu chunks, zuchinni & yellow squash
* Snack - what else? Doritos!
* Dinner - salad: romayne lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, cheddar chunks, Boca Chik'n pieces & ranch dressing

Brian and I are planning to run a 5K in Huntsville this Saturday evening. My times have been so pitiful lately, I'll be satisfied if I can just manage to come in under 30 minutes!

What? Two days gone already?

Staggering!
How did I skip this for two whole days?
Well, remember, this blog is mostly about being Mommy, so that's your answer right there.
My fellow mommy, Rebekah, has three children, aged 3, 22 months, and 6 weeks. She probably would just roll her eyes and guffaw at the idea that I have my hands full.
I know, I know, I have just the one little boy...so I should be able to keep it all together with minimal effort, right?
Ha!
Not so much.
The day has 24 hours, and I spend about 18 of those engaged in the following:

* attempting to do housework with Nash wrapped around my leg saying "Mommy pick you up!"
* playing in the floor with Nash
* reading books with Nash
* playing outside with Nash
* watching PBS or Disney or Scholastic videos with Nash
...well, you get the idea.

I love every moment of watching him grow, learn and play. Still, I have no idea how Rebekah and other multiple-kid mommies manage.
I'm in awe.

In the interest of maintaining some level of brevity, I'll dispense with the DSL for Saturday and Sunday. I didn't do half bad (comparitively) yesterday, though.
DSL for July 14, 2008
* Breakfast - whole wheat English muffin with turkey & cheddar
* Snack - an apple
* Lunch - um...Doritos
* Dinner - baked carrots & wild rice
* Snack - two chocolate chip cookies

I have terrible eating habits, huh? Well,oh well.
Somehow, Nash is developing pretty decent tastes, despite my rotten example.
While he loves Doritos & chocolate, he's also quite fond of apple slices, whole wheat pasta, cheddar chunks, English peas & yogurt.
And he likes to run, too!
When I'm loading up the jogging stroller, he walks around saying
"Where going? Going wunnin? That be gwate fun."
And when I say "On your mark, get set, go!" He takes off giggling and wunnin for about 20 steps before he gets distracted and veers off task.
If only we could get race organizers to park a tractor at the finish line, I'm sure he could burn it up on a one-mile fun run!

OK. That's it for now, time to savor the last of my chocolate-caramel-nut coffee and get the little rascal out of bed and ready for his 2-year-old well-check.
I'll try to get his birthday party pics posted later today on my photo blog.

40 years, 6 days

Ugh.
Gotta cover two days now, since I never got around to posting yesterday.
First, let me just say, I have a 2-year-old. A very busy, very happy, very inquisitive, very brave 2-year-old.




I'm not a stress eater. When I'm really stressed out, I'd rather not eat.
I'm more of an "exasperation eater." Yup. That's me, an exasperation eater who loves Oreos & Doritos.
Toddlers make delightfully fun company as they explore the big, crazy world. But this exploration can also lead to exasperation for mommies, daddies, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, caregivers and random strangers in the general vicinity at any given moment.
Thursday I was treated to the task of cleaning up scattered and crushed Gerber "nacks" from the floor at Wal-Mart. Then later at home, the sequel: Tigger-Pooh Cereal all across the kitchen floor.
On Friday, an avalanche of Teddy Grahams hit the floor at Kmart, followed by the chips falling where they may as pictured above.
So, instead of blowing my top and emitting a series of primal screams while I ripped great chunks of hair straight from my head, I sat down in the floor with Nash and ate Doritos. And a salty snack always needs a sweet follow, right?
Oreos! Mmmm. (If you haven't tried the new Oreo Fudgees, DON'T!)

Anyway...Today I have to get everything ready for Nash's birthday party tomorrow (including baking the cake) so wish me willpower over the throes of exasperation! Maybe, surely, I'll get in at least a short jog since it's the weekend and Brian's home from work.

40 years, 4 days

OK, so I didn't do much better yesterday after all.
Here's the rundown.

Ran 4 miles (behind the jogging stroller), did a few yoga stretches and 20 crunches.

DSL for July 9
Breakfast: one-fourth of a pop-tart (picked up from where Nash dropped it on the floor)
Lunch: Whole wheat stuffing, beets, cucumber slices, Boca chicken, string cheese
Snack: gummy bears & Doritos
Dinner: two slices of thin crust cheese pizza

My goal still stands. Can't never could and won't never will. If I don't get 3:50 in Huntsville in December, I'll shoot for Nashville in April.

p.s. It's Nash's birthday today!

40 years, 3 days

NO WORKOUT Yesterday.
Also, did TERRIBLE with the DSL but here it is anyway:
DSL for 7.8.2008
* Breakfast: Two leftover pierogies smothered in leftover squash & onions
* Snack: handful of Skittles
* Lunch: Whole Wheat English Muffin & a cup of mandarin oranges
* Snack: buncha Doritos
* Dinner: Sliced beets, handful of whole wheat pasta, 5 or 6 green olives

Doing better with this today (sort of) but we'll wait until tomorrow for comparison, I s'pose.

Aha!

Some folks might think keeping a food diary (i.e., my Daily Sustenance List) is a little odd. Odd, maybe, but nutritionally helpful, according to the results of a study recently published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The study revealed that keeping a detailed (and presumably honest) food journal was "a powerful tool" in succeeding at weight-loss goals. While I'm certainly not trying to lose weight (I'm 5'5" and 120 pounds) I am trying to establish and maintain a nutritionally sound diet.
As the mother of a toddler, I need to eat right in order to set a good example and to ensure that I'll be able to keep up with this boy's maternal needs for the next 30-40-odd years.
As a runner I need to eat right in order to achieve my pace and mileage goals.
OK. That's it for now. Gotta get going on today's To Do List:

* Take Nash to Nanny & ManMan's house - CHECK
* Do laundry -CHECK
* Work at least 4 hours - CHECK (WELL, 3 HOURS ANYWAY)
subTDL - Deliver bin to JB, pick bins from LD, touch base with Duck & Run volunteers, return phone messages, check on Duck & Run course certification, touch base with JZ re: July 17, prepare report for Thursday Board mtg., call Mayor re: mtg re: recycling at Sportsplex
* Pick up Nash - CHECK
* Reserve pavillion for Nash's bday party - DECIDED TO HAVE PARTY IN BACKYARD
* Update Nash Chronicles - CHECK
* Update Mommy's List - CHECK
* Update North Alabama Runner - CHECK
* Run or go to gym

40 years, 1 day

OK. I didn't include this info in yesterday's inaugural post, but each day I'm gonna include miles ran and/or other workouts as well as a list of what I've munched on for the day. I hope this -- especially the food log -- will prompt me to get my fitness/wellness act together once and for all.

Yesterday: 4 miles at about a 9-minute pace.
Breakfast: one thin slice of homemade chocolate pie.
Lunch: An omelet and a couple of french fries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce.
Snack: a handful of Doritos & a green Popsicle
Dinner: baked zuchini & yellow squash with whole wheat pasta & parmesan
NOTES: This is actually pretty good, nutritionaly speaking, for me. At least the omelet provided a little bit of protein, which I'm usually lacking because I'm not much of a meat eater.

Today: No miles, no yoga, no nothing unless you count walking back and forth from the laundry room to the various closets in the house.
Sustenance: A frowny face for me: It's 5 p.m. and today I've had one apple slice, half a banana, a handful of Doritos, a couple of french fries and a handful of Kraft Mac & Cheese Crackers. But I'm about to eat cheddar pierogies with sauteed fresh yellow squash and vidalia onions.
NOTES: See, Where's the Protein?

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

BLASTOFF!

Hello, I'm Mommy. Welcome to the first entry in my multi-purpose blog,

Mommy's Running List.

It's a blog about being Mommy. It's a blog about running. It's a blog about tasking away at an ever-present to-do list (and it will also probably include other various and sundry lists whenever the urge strikes me.)

Here's a little bit about me...
I'm 40.
Today.
That's right, ihssmuhbuffday.
And my anniversary, too.
Forty years an Earthling, three years a wife, and in four more days, two years a mommy.
So, there you have it.
Welcome to Mommy's Running List.
I do hope you'll visit often.