my sweaty eyeballs

93 degrees. Heat index of 99 degrees.  And yes, I still went out to run in it. What's worse is that I dragged my class out with me.  But far worse than this evening's steamy run (which was actually quite pleasant for running through an oven), was the aftermath.
Sweat.  Sweat.  Sweat.  Out of every orifice of my body.  Sweat down the cleavage? CHECK.  Sweat behind the knees?  CHECK.  Sweat in the armpits?  Does a bear sh$t in the woods?  Sweat coming out of the eyeballs?  Wouldn't surprise me.
I glance in my rearview mirror before heading home.  My face is an interesting shade of reddish-purple. Mottled would be a great adjective to use here.  I am thinking that the sweat that continues to roll off every crevice of my body even 15 minutes following class is not the greatest for my skin.  Hence, the recent trip to the dermatologist and a handful of Retin-A samples.  C'mon, am I 13 again??
I am also thinking that the same sweat sliding down my butt crack and my legs is not doing the full grain leather seats in my vehicle any favors.  Nope, I think not.  Why do I always forget to bring a towel?  Hmph!
Now, let's discuss my hair.  During the run, it was smartly pulled back into a visor and a ponytail.  Chic. Think Anna Kournikova.  Okay, that's a stretch but I'm going for the tennis reference here. Post-run and post-visor it was like all hell broke loose on top of my head.  There are curls where I never knew I had curls, frizz where I never knew I had frizz, and a general chaos on my noggin.  Frankly, it was scary.
And don't get me started on the smell...

I've got a confession

I am a little addicted to eBay.
But, I am not buying things.  Nope.  I am cleaning house and selling stuff.  It started with a pair of sneakers I got from a wear test at Playmakers (yes, I am the luckiest girl in the world that I can test shoes for free).  I hated them, and so they sat in my closet.  Along with a Coach wallet circa 1999.  And some extra running jackets that I HAD to have from sidewalk sales past.  And 10 pairs of GAP jeans that the boys never wore because they live in Mejier wind pants and Nike shorts given to us by my neighbor.
So I busted out the camera and took some shots of said items carefully laid out on my office floor.  Laid out in a way that screams "Currently, I am this girl's junk, but could be your treasure".
Then I sat in front of my laptop trying to come up with clever ways to word said items so they would sound utterly irresistible to the millions of eBay-ers ready to buy my crap.
7 days to sell baby.
And I've been on eBay.com no less than 20 times each day to see if anything has bids, watchers, stalkers, etc.
It is the most fun I've had in a long time.
That is pretty sad.
If it's not nailed down, it may go on eBay.  Kids...watch out.

A Good Summer Read

So I am on my Summer reading kick.  For whatever reason, Spring and Fall I don't touch a book.  But Winter and Summer I read with a vengeance.  In the summertime, there is nothing like an awesome page turner, a frosty beverage of choice, and sitting on my deck with my nose stuck in a book, completely ignoring the hollers and screeching of my children.
I am not part of a book club (although I have tried countless times to join one...I am just too non-commital!) but my mom is so I just piggy back off of the books she reads.
Anyway, if you have to read only one book this summer, pick up this one (or for those of you more technically savvy then yours truly, download it to your kindle or nook):

Albeit a touch disturbing, ROOM really takes you into the story.  I found myself thinking of Jack, Rug, Wardrobe and the rest of the gang for days and days.  

What book has grabbed you this summer so far???

where have you been?

I've been thinking something in my life has been missing.  Kids? check-right here playing Pokemon.  Husband? check-dutifully at work making the dough. Job(s)? check-still got 'em. Friends? Yup-pretty sure I have most of them still.  Blog? Blog?  Omigod!
I have neglected the one thing that brings me peace in my hectic life. Rather than try to write down what's been going on for the past...er...3 months (ACK) how about i post a few pictures?  And I promise (whoever it may be is out there listening) that I will be back on here with somewhat regularity with pictures, running stories, recipes, and whatever is going on in this crazy mind of mine!

 happy birthday to my Sam!  6 years old...

 best mother's day ever-2 hour half marathon with my fav running buddy!

another birthday celebration!  happy 8th bday to Tyler...

Bayshore Marathon-Peg and I hammered our 2nd marathon out together.  A BQ for Peg!

 Strong to the finish and a PR for me:  sub 4! (3 hours, 59 minutes, 20 seconds!)

Dewitt Girls finish strong: PRs, BQs and Firsts for all!

My Sam graduates from Kindergarten! (*SOB*)

Family trip to Baltimore to visit Loyola girls

Camping with some mean S'MORES

Tubing like we mean it

Home Sweet Home for 3 nights. This shot was taking pre-thunderstorm/flood.

Hope to see you all back here real soon.  Promise.

start spreading the news...

T minus 14 hours until the big reveal.  Will it be 3 times a charm?  Or will Sara and I be running our 19 and 20 mile training runs while the leaves are turning next Fall, dreaming of our Big Apple get-away?

Originally I couldn't imagine training for yet another marathon in 2011.  Yet I signed up for NY, knowing that it was THE marathon I was supposed to run.  It doesn't matter if it was 2010 (for my birthday), 2011 (the day before my birthday), or in 2012 (somewhere near my birthday).  Now, I have the same butterflies that I did last year the night before the lottery was picked.  Oh. My. Gosh.

On another note, please someone remind me that just because I am in the guts of training for this marathon, it doesn't necessarily mean that i need to fill my guts with food all. day. long.

Because there is a scone calling my name.  And I just ate the ass-end of the bunny cake my mom made for Easter.  I'd better get into NY so I can continue my food gorge fest well into the summer and fall.

Cross your fingers and toes...

18

I can't believe a week has gone by already since my first big long run.  18 big miles.  I have to say, it is pretty different the second time around.  I don't go to bed the night before worried and sick to my stomach that I won't finish.

This go around the pace was a little faster.  I was a little more confident.  Hell, I even helped my fellow runners get through their inaugural 18 miler.

As always, the best part of the run has to be the camaraderie and the guacamole.  And the Oberon.

 The 18 mile girls:  Michelle M, Michelle R, Peg and mini Michelle (Sophie)

 Oberon, guac and chips.  The reason I run 18.

Michelle M and me enjoying an Oberon.  We sure look good for running 2 hours and 40 minutes, huh?

A week has gone by and we are headed out for 13 tomorrow with 19 big ones looming ahead next week.  Stay tuned...

A spaced out run

For me, I love the anticipation, preparation and celebration leading up to a big race and immediately following it.  Our first half marathon of the season proved no different.  We started it off with, of course, a shopping trip.  Everyone needs a little H&M before they run 13.1, right?  After shopping and a carb loaded lunch with pizza and Blue Moon (hey, I said carb loading here...) we took it to the D.  Dearborn, that is.
Being the "slight" A-types that we are, we decided it was best to find the start line.  Hey, at least we didn't drive the whole course (this time).  We knew we "landed" upon the start when we saw a line up of porta pots like none other.  And we spied a little bit of this:

 yours truly with the little green man we named henry

 that's a lot of martians!

that two timing alien!

So we whisked Henry (the green polygamist alien) in Lisa's car, stuck him up the sunroof prom-style and paraded around Dearborn like the mature 30 something moms we are.  Did I mention we get a liiiittle bit silly pre-race?

It was time to eat.  Of course.  So we gathered two more running buddies and had our typical spaghetti-with-too-much-bread-and-not-enough-red-wine dinner.  We then went back to our hotel where we could obsess about what to wear for the race, lay out said clothes (this my friends, is about an hour long process), and watch a 20/20 special. Lights out by 10 pm.  Excitement, I know.

It is 4 am.  I am awake.  I am thinking about what to wear for the race: jacket or no jacket?  I am thinking about my pace for the race: 8:20 or 8:45?  I am thinking about my ipod playlist. I am thinking that I hope there is no snow on the ground when we wake up, as is being predicted. I am thinking about what to make for dinner Sunday night.

I am thinking about that I need to stop thinking.

We wake up to a beautiful morning.  No snow.  No rain.  No "mixed precipitation".  Now I am thinking I officially hate the weatherchannel.com. We should have learned by now! After a few pre-race rituals including consuming some strong coffee to get things, a-hem, moving in the lower plumbing, we head to the start.  

Lisa told me that I was to finish under 1:50.  1:49:59.  Nothing under would be acceptable.  Just so happens that was the same little goal I had for myself that I kept tucked in my brain.  I figured after my first few miles, I'd know if I could do it.  I locked in and made sure my overall pace didn't slip much under 8:20 (8:23 being the pace to run 13.1 miles).  It was an out and back course and it kept me going to see my girls not too far behind me at the turnaround.  And they all looked awesome out there!  

Around mile 7 I noticed my Garmin was a bit off of the cute alien markers they had set out for us.  Little Henrys all around! That usually happens, since they measure the course at the shortest distance.  Around mile 10, I noticed I was way off that stupid green alien marker.  Then came the mind games:  Holy SHIT! You are running this too fast!  You can't run THIS long THIS fast! You'll have nothing left at the end.  Slow down!  No, keep going...you'll regret it at the end if you slow down NOW. 

My Garmin rang 12 miles.  The freakin-stupid-martian-mother-@#$%-miler-marker was nowhere to be found.  I was right on target to run the 1/2 marathon under my goal, but not according to the Martians.  When I finally came up to that sucker my Garmin read 12.52.  For me to hit my goal, I had to run at Kenyan speed.  Yeah.  Not even the 6 beautiful Oberon bottles chilling in our hotel bathroom sink could get me to do THAT.

I gave it my all, nearly stumbling over a woman at the finish (who was clearly in MY way), and stopped my Garmin at 1:50:48...and that would be 13.52 miles.  My girls came in shortly after me and complained about the same thing...the course was too long!

Indeed it was.  Officially the Martian Half Marathon was a 13.4 mile distance.  The good news is regardless of the longer course, we ALL PRed in our half marathon times!!  And I made my girl Lisa proud:  1:48:17 would be my final 13.1 time, given my pace for the race.  We all truly earned those post race Oberons.  

Dare I say 1:45 next go around?  Now that's just spacey :)

the martian girls: me, jen, michelle, lisa and sara