9/25/11

Family 10k "relay" in all-too-familiar territory

Two thirds of my children and I participated in a 10k relay on Saturday. (Teams of two, 5k legs.) 7 friends joined us for the Boardwalk Relay Against Hunger which was also deemed a Pajama Race! Don't my boys look lovely in their muu-muus and shower caps? And the guys with afro wigs and curlers in their short nighties stole the show. Do I even need to mention that we had the "Best PJs" award in the bag? (note: dressing men/boys as women/girls always seems to win a costume category...)




The remaining third along with my husband volunteered at the race with our friends. Don't they all look great in Jersey Shore Running Club's signature prison jumpsuit orange colored t-shirts?


In the midst of marathon training I was in for a treat today (or so I thought) as I was running with my youngest son. Even though we two were on a relay team, I had agreed to run his leg along side him. The last couple of times we ran a 5k together, I had a great and memorable glowing proud momma experience. Who knew that on this day, with my boy running in a tailored house dress (clearance at K-mart for $6.98!) it would border on near torture for both of us? As it turns out, not too hot but very humid weather makes for a whiny nine year old. Add the unusual attire that he kept shifting and shrugging in to the fact that we were running and out-and-back in way too familiar territory (so he knew exactly how far everything was and my "we're almost there" claims were never ever taken seriously) to the fact that I did not take him out for training runs (aka confidence boosters) at all, and we have something as close to catastrophic as an entitled American child can suffer. The boy actually started whining about 1.2 miles into the race. I struggle with finding a balance between being whining-intolerant while attempting to allow for emotional and verbal release. My child should be allowed to express himself. He should also man up (yeah in his house dress) and embrace the suffering that running requires. He agreed to this run and understands that he must keep a commitment once it is made. We ran with very short walk breaks and lots and lots of whining for a good half of the race, possibly more. Finally with only .3 miles to go, I was DONE with the whining.

I'm sure I startled the runners that surrounded us when I barked at him something to the effect of "We will finish this walking, jogging, running, or crawling. Whatever you want. If you are in actual pain, you need to stop running and walk. You have to keep your commitment and finish the race. Whining is not going to make any of this feel easier or go faster so suck it up and finish. We ARE almost there. ENOUGH with the whining and complaining." And just like that, my boy sucked it up, and finished his struggle in silence. He finished in just over 34 minutes, which is less than 2 minutes slower than his PR. If we didn't stop to tie his shoelace 3 TIMES he would've undoubtedly finished even faster. As a mom who wants her kids to know that life ain't all about stopping to smell the roses, I'm glad that my son experienced such doubt, struggle, strain, accomplishment and triumph. Welcome to the real world, kid. This is a piece of cake compared to what life may throw at you in the future.

I looped around without him to begin my leg of the relay. I took this as a short training/recovery run and neither pushed myself too hard nor made it too easy. I think I did somewhere around 28 minutes. (This does not include the time it took to stop and have a freakin' discussion with the race director as to why I was running a 2nd loop and whether or not my child was finishing the 5k as an individual or if he was part of a team.) The course is lovely to those who don't run it several times a week, but on this particular day for me, it was boring, draining, and uneventful. Knowing every tenth of a mile of a race did not help it go any faster on this day.

My middle child stole the show in this event with his classic sprint-to-the-finish style. He finished with a slower than usual time (he is de-conditioned as he is not on the cross country team this year) but in the last stretch of the race, he found himself competing against a woman who seemed determined to pass him. We all found this peculiar, as most of the time, people seem to give children courtesy and not strain too hard to pull ahead of them:


And while I don't know what this woman's motivation was, I am remarkably grateful that she gave my child an enormous challenge that his twelve year old ego felt compelled to conquer. Who on earth wants to be beaten by a woman in a pink night gown? I suspect he did not take the race too seriously for most of the course. After all, he was running in his own back yard and he and his teammate (who is fourteen and not a fan of running at all) were both indifferent about their time. But what a way to finish a race, kid.

We had a great time at this event and I look forward to a lifetime of family centered running with my boys. May they always remember the struggle and victory on their day of running in old lady muu-muus.

After this race I registered for The Jersey Shore Half Marathon with hopes to gain a new PR in this distance. With such a low price and such a scenic (yet slightly unfamiliar) flat local course, how could I not?

9/12/11

Instant Kudos.

I accidentally found a way to get more acknowledgement, encouragement, and more respect from passers-by and fellow runners.

I never knew that all of the cheering and encouraging words that I hear during a long race were so essential and important to me... until I barely heard any during my second marathon. That race was inside a park and spectators mainly stayed at the start/finish area.

As I stated sometime last week, I fell into a rut with running. Although I'm back on my schedule, I procrastinated getting out the door for this weekend's long run until Sunday afternoon... I couldn't easily find a shirt to wear so I put my Marathon Maniacs singlet on. I needed an ego boost anyway...

Paired with knee high red and white socks, this singlet got a lot of attention. Even though I ran my usual route on the boardwalk, quite a few fellow runners gave me a "right on" or "go maniac" or "nice shirt!" or something like that. A few non runners acknowledged it too. I need to remember this the next time I really need some motivation.

9/10/11

I'm like an animal...

This entry won't be as interesting as it's title. Sorry. I'm referring to my eating habits. Animals don't go around looking for all kinds variety and are not highly selective as to what they want to eat or what will satisfy their cravings.

I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. It's the only way I can keep my protein intake high enough and keep hunger from being a nuisance or distraction. Once upon a time, humans ate for survival and maintenance purposes only. They weren't sad about it or bored with it. They didn't have much of a choice. They didn't need to satisfy their cravings or have variety. Eating was an essential part of life, not an indulgent part. Now all we have to do is take a look around us and we can see that it's completely opposite.

I have worked hard to change my perspective on food. (I also implement this change for my sons.) If I don't constantly look to please myself with it, then it will be so much easier to control what I eat. In spite of the title of this post, I am human and I do indulge occasionally. But the requirement of having to "enjoy" a meal is no longer. During my work week, I eat only to keep hunger away and only to build and fuel my body. I don't need variety and I do not gain pleasure from the food that I eat for breakfast and lunch every day. I look forward to eating mainly to satisfy the nuisance of hunger. But other than that, it's kind of all business.

My breakfast and lunch are pretty simple to prepare. These are the main ingredients:



I combine 1 scoop of protein powder (equal to 1/4 cup) with 1/4 cup of oats and 1/4 cup of lowfat (usually 2%) milk. Then I add a teaspoon of natural peanut butter. Sometimes, if I'm low on milk, I'll use water. (Milk for coffee is more important if that gallon is almost empty.) Sometimes I'll add a teaspoon of flax seed meal. Sometimes I add a few semi-sweet chocolate chips.

This goes in the microwave for 1 minute 15 seconds. It can also be baked in the oven or cooked in a frying pan like a pancake. The consistency is something like a dry oatmeal cookie or a scone. This breakfast is around 300 calories and it has over 30 grams of protein. No, it is not the most delicious breakfast I have ever eaten in my whole life. It does not taste better than Belgian waffles or french toast or an omelet that is saturated with cheese. It (severely) pales in comparison to the Nutella stuffed crepes at IHOP. But it proves that higher protein intake builds a better body. I'm convinced that my leanness and any muscle definition I have has a lot to do with this recipe. Mainly because I can't stay on a strength training regimen right now. (No good reason for that.)

I eat the same thing for lunch. I microwave this in a tupperware container to bring to work and I add 4 sliced strawberries or most of a banana and about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of Dannon fat free vanilla yogurt. I guess I'm satisfying any cravings for something sweet without tipping the scale of gluttony.

My dinner choices do vary, and I usually have some sort of snack right after work. I'm not *that* boring.

I have tried this recipe with other types of protein powders and it seems to work best with Dymatize Elite Fusion. Anything else can cook up too dry or taste very artificial.

If you try this, let me know what you think.