Mommies on the Run

Race Report: Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon

2011-09-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

What a terrific weekend and an awesome race! This weekend we went to Oregon to hang out with my aunt, cousin and his son as well as our friend Scott, and to run the Oregon Wine Country half marathon. It was an exhausting weekend, and race, and just what I needed.

I have run the Healdsburg Half and the Napa to Sonoma Half - both beautiful. I think the Oregon may be my favorite, though. The race started at Stoller vineyard just as the sun was coming up (and oh my goodness - the sky was on fire, there is no better way to start a race). We ran through vineyards, past cow fields, through residential zones, up a rolling dirt trail, and finished in a small town called Carlton.

I came in with a time of 1:37:05 and was 67th overall (out of 1112) and second in my age group.

Matt and the boys met me at the finish line for some good dancing, running around the winery fields, and wine tasting (although just after a run, and so early in the morning, wine tasting is not my ideal downtime).

So fun! And, I'm happy to say, while it was far from a PR, I think I may just be getting out of my slower time slump.

Weekend roundup: go go go!

2011-08-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a SUPER busy one - I'm still recovering, hence the delayed post. Here it is in a nutshell:

Friday after work we went to my bosses house for a BBQ. We couldn't get a sitter, nor could one of my co-workers, so we brought all of the toddlers and let them run (kind of - my boss has a giant beautiful house with a grand piano, no kids, and many breakables). The boys found the stairs the most entertaining for a game of lay on the steps:

Saturday our friends from Boston came over for brunch, and then we walked up to the zoo.

Saturday afternoon our friends whom we met at the playground (how Fresh Prince of Bellaire) came over to talk about their impending move to San Francisco (sad) and pick blackberries before a mellow dinner.

Sunday we met Lisa, Frank, and Lila, Andrew at Mars Hill Church in the morning, and then Lisa, Lila, Andrew, the boys and I hung out at Farmer's in Ballard while Frank and Matt climbed.

After naptime, Sunday afternoon we made our way to Nicole and Salil's for a BBQ (and many games of ring around the rosy).

Sunday night Lisa and fam came over to watch a Baseball game. I honestly have no idea who was playing, but it was fun to hang out.

Last night, our neighbors came over for a mellow dinner and catch up - they just returned from Copenhagen (awesome!) and shared travel stories ... which made me want to hit the road :). The kids all decided to "go for a boat ride" in the living room before taking all the pillows off the couch and jumping all over the place.

Now it's all about catch-up - cleaning, working all the hours I should have worked this weekend, and prepping for another busy weekend as we're off to Portland this coming weekend. Thank goodness for all the great Seattle coffee!

To wear: a topper

2011-08-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer in wearing a helmet when biking. A few months ago I forgot my helmet when leaving the house and didn't realize it until I was at the bottom of our hill and the wind was blowing through my hair. What did I do? Trek back up the hill to get the helmet. I am SO thankful I was wearing a helmet on Friday - Matt and I were looking at it this morning and I managed to crack the foam all the way through to the shell with my fall. Whoa. So the first and most important thing to wear (when biking) is a good helmet:

As I now have a giant gash on my head that will no doubt turn into a big scar, I am becoming quite fond of hats. I've always liked them but now I'm starting to think of them like mascara or chap-stick - just another thing you throw on that ties everything together. My favorites? Goorin Bros. Hats - a company from San Francisco that luckily has a store here in Seattle. Yesterday I treated myself to this fedora (but mine has white pinstripes):

It all came to a head

2011-08-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Well, that hurt. That being my mega bike accident leading to a mega head injury. Last night biking home I clearly wasn't paying enough attention (read, checked out thinking of what was for dinner, work, how the boys' day was, how nice it was outside, and how an a$$hat car just went the wrong way on a closed street) and took the trolley track from the wrong angle when BOOM, down went me and my bike. At first I was embarrassed and wanted to get the heck out of there. Then I was confused - there was a LOT of blood coming from somewhere above, and a LOT of strangers were stopping to stare and offer hankies and clean wipes of all sorts. Some were just staring to see if I could talk, I think.

After pulling myself up and whipping out my tattered cell, I was whisked away in our Honda CRV chariot by my knight (Matt) to quickly pick the boys up at daycare (past closing time) and streamline to the nearest ER. When we got to the ER Matt dropped me off because the boys were freaking, so we decided they should go get food. I walked in and was amazed at how nice everyone was being to me. I checked in, called my mom, sat down, and within minutes was briskly walked into the back room for the standard blood pressure and temp checks and then into a private room in the ER. Later I found out this private room was one of few expedite rooms - head injuries mean check fast! After MUCH painful cleaning later, my hip, arm, ankle, and tattered forehead were bloody holes, but at least they weren't as much of a mess. I got 6 stitches on my forehead - turns out I had a 3cm giant cut that was making the dr's and nurses all a bit nervous.

Then I was whisked to get a Cat Scan "just in case there was brain bleed." Try hearing that and acting normal. I wept then was calm, carried on, was scanned ... and all was well. Accept the gaping hole that still hurts as I type and when I turn my head.

The moral of this story? I think I may have been doing too much, thinking too much, and not paying enough attention to the moment. So, here goes ... Also, here goes my attempt at avoiding a giant scar on my forehead.

Lego maniac

2011-08-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

The boys' favorite aunt and uncle (Amanda and Gabe) gave them a lego set for their birthday and the boys are hooked! Apparently when I was at work, my "sick" boys (they've been sniffling all weekend) were literally trying to climb the walls.

Solution? Legos! Pure joy.

Weekend roundup: a few of my favorite things

2011-08-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend! We had a mellow-ish weekend at home. Friday was Matt's birthday so we made our way to Carta Oaxaca - best Mexican food in town. The staff now know us (or should I say, our boys) so well all the waiters and waitresses came by to say hola during the meal.

Saturday I had a race - the last in the Cougar Mt. series, a 13.7miler on trails. My bad running trend continued and I ran my worst trail half ever ... somethings gotta give, and I think that something is me working runs back into my daily schedule.

Sunday morning we went to the Amazon company picnic which was AWESOME! The boys had a blast and skipped their nap ... that part, not so awesome. Sunday evening Lloyd, Emily, and Louis came over to pick blackberries and then we all enjoyed an early dinner.

Running slanted up - and in good (bad) company

2011-08-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years I've noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people running just for fun and in races. Can running help turn our sinking economy around? I think yes ... but I'm a little biased.

Per Running USA, participation in races, and road race finishers is on the rise.

Sadly, the unemployment rates (from Business Insider) seem to have a similar increasing grade.

Does that mean that people looking for jobs are out hitting the trails? Not quite. Per Running USA, 70.3% of women who run, earn a household income of $75,000+ and 76.0% of men earn a household income of $75,000+.

So are all of these well-off runners investing back into the economy? Maybe. But the US debt isn't improving because of this. Unfortunately, the US debt chart has a similar climb to the unemployment chart and race finisher chart:

I do think running is giving back to the economy, though. Here's why:

Per Running About.com, a rule of thumb for replacing running shoes is every 300-400 miles; since the most common races run in the US are 5Ks and half marathons (based on finisher stats), and per Runnersworld.com runners training for a 10K should target 80-100mi per week, runners should be replacing their shoes every 5-weeks roughly (although I replace mine every 6mo or so)
The average cost of a race is $49
Races are driving companies like Active.com to go public - this means more investment opportunities (hmm...) and more jobs
Runners spend! We need GPS devices, shoes, socks, clothes, more (healthy) food. We travel for races so spend on flights and hotels. And if others are anything like me, we treat ourselves after races :)

Anyhow, deep thoughts from Amber Taylor - just in from a run.

Weekend roundup: Portland!

2011-08-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

Time is going way too fast and I feel like our short but loved summer is almost over. Last weekend we packed up the car and made our way down to Portland to visit my aunts and mom who were prepping for an amazing looking camping trip (my aunt Laura is a five star camp organizer and had meals planned out and lodging to fit royalty - no kidding). We couldn't go camping because I already used up my vacation time.

The car trip was ... long, but the boys did a good job. The vast number of "diggers" and "BOOOATS" kept them entertained for a bit. At one point on the ride home, the boys were silent for a while, then I heard Wilson cracking up laughing. When I turned around he had managed to get his froggy backpack onto his head and had been sitting there waiting for us to see. With Wilson's laughter came Cole's attempt to get the backpack on his head (I say attempt because it turns out Cole is a bit scared of the dark so the pack didn't stay for long). My boys are hilarious. I think they should do standup. No, I'm not that mom that thinks everything her kids do is perfect ... my boys are just perfect. Heh.

We're all in this thing together

2011-07-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm opening with an Old Crow Medicine Show line. It's funny, the older the boys get, the more I feel like toddler parents (we) are all in this together, and I'm sure as the boys grow we'll be "in it" with the same set of parents whose children are growing. It really does take a village ... even strangers.

Last night after (an awesome) dinner with Lisa, Frank, Lila, Andrew and the boys we were hovering outside saying goodbyes when all of the sudden the boys and Lila started holding hands chanting "wing awound the wosie..." At the moment they started holding hands, another toddler we've never met before toddles up and gets into the circle with them. I smiled at her mom, she smiled back, and all of a sudden we were all doing Ring Around the Rosie in the middle of downtown Ballard. Strangers watched and smiled, strangers played, and we were all in it together - having a great time.

Love

2011-07-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Cole has turned into a little lovey. He has taken to kissing the animals in books while we're reading them. He is also very concerned if anyone ever is hurt or sad going so far as to say "'s OK" to complete strangers.

Last week I went to a conference for work and came home with the best swag - a flying cow toy where you pull it's legs and it slingshots across the room MOOing loudly at the same time. Cole seems to think this hurts the cow and anytime we try to sling him Cole cries and runs to hold his beloved cow.

Matt and I both think it's hilarious ... I guess we should learn from Cole's compassion.

Myself

2011-07-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

The boys are trying very hard to do everything on their own now which is awesome and challenging at the same time. Getting into the car now takes at least 5min longer than normal. Getting shoes on - add another 5. But the rewards are so great. When Cole flings himself into his carseat on his own the look of pride on his face is staggering. Wilson is now trying to get his pants and t-shirts on by himeself in addition to his shoes and sweatshirts. Pants turned into a mini game of twister and pouty lip yesterday as he got one leg, then proceeded to put the other leg in the wrong side of his pant leg, then get completely tangled up. The lower lip popped out quivering and all I could do was laugh because he was so friggin cute.

In addition to wanting to do everything themselves, the boys want to pick things on their own. Both Cole and Wilson were a little overzealous at daycare when the sprinklers were out so had to pick clothes from the "backup" closet. Cole came home touting a bright orange tank top and Wilson was wearing the shortest red shorts I've ever seen (diaper hanging out the bottom). Too cute!

Weekend roundup: rainy in the summer

2011-07-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! The weather was horrible, but one of our good friends, and Wilson's godmother, Ryan was in town and we had a lot of fun. Ry got in on Friday and we enjoyed a mellow night with takeout.

Saturday we were surprised by rain but made the best of it by heading to the zoo during a dry spell. Saturday night Ryan, Lisa and I made our way to a wine bar for a girl night - it's been forever since we had a girl night! We were all roommates in college so it's funny (and great) going out now vs. how we did then.

Sunday I decided to do the See Jane Run half marathon last minute (and did notsogood) and Ryan went to Church with Lisa and fam. Mid-morning we met up at Farmer's Market and tried to dodge the rain. Sunday evening was another grown up night, but this time with the husbands.

All in all, a ton of fun! I think we exhausted Ryan with all the toddler time - and the boys are now going into the guest room asking for her... oh boy.

Five things I love today

2011-07-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

This past week has been nuts. The boy realized they're two and are acting like it. After a bad race, I got sick and was exhausted all week. And every day at work has been back-to-back meetings leaving me having to do my day job at night. All this said, it wasn't a bad week - alternating with the boys' two-drums were hugs and kisses and more words than I've ever heard. The bad race made me re-embrace the need to actually train. And work ... well, it's work.

On this evening's run I was thinking about some of the things that have gotten me through the week; so here are five things I love:

Friends and family - duh!

     2. The Be Good Tanyas

On this evening's run I enjoyed the mellow voices of The Be Good Tanyas. It's funny, usually when I race I like fast and loud mixed with quiet (and the sounds of trees, rocks flying, and breathing). After this week, though, mellow got me into the grove of running - so much so I almost didn't want to stop.

    3. Free weights
I used to love my arms. Now, though, after tiring everything out with lifting the boys and playing "pickup the dropped toy" over and over, I get too tired to really work my arms. That's all changing - I'm re-kindling my love of free weights. No more pancake arms (where I wave and my arm waves a few seconds later)!

    4. Stair repeats - when I don't have the stroller or two little hands I find great joy in running up and down stairs, mainly just because I can.

    5. Books on running

My new favorite is Women Who Run. I've torn through Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving--and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Vintage), and Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner and have MANY more on my to-read list. Losing myself and getting motivated by these books has also given me a new goal in life ... get published. I would love to write two books: one on running, and one with nothing to do with running but with "diggers" and history - a book for kids. I'll regail you with more stories soon :o).

Race Report: Cougar Mt. 10mi

2011-07-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was another race weekend - the Cougar Mountain 10mi, the third in the Cougar Mountain series. This was definitely a "boogy man race" as after about mile 5 I was checked out. This was also a good reminder that the mind does tire before the body. The race started OK - 168 of us lined up in the tall weeds at the starting line ready for the countdown. I went out fast, probably too fast (that's my downfall) and was leading the pack for the first few miles. Then it hit me - I was tired. My mind started spinning with my to do list and the desire to be done and stretching - enjoying watermelon and diet coke. Skipping to the finish line mentally during a race is rarely a good thing.

I wound up getting 3rd woman and 31st overall. Not great, not horrible.

All in all, a good learning experience.

Happy Birthday Cole and Wilson

2011-07-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my loves - Cole and Wilson are officially TWO!

It's been quite a year - we moved to Seattle, the boys started walking, the boys started pre-school, Cole chipped his front teeth, Wilson got breathing probs - and both of them are moving past it - the boys colored their first pictures, the boys learned more than 20 words and can now count no 5 ... yes, lots of great milestones. And we can't wait for more!

Things I love: Running apps!

2011-07-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I have a love / hate relationship with my phone. Having email all the time day and night can be rough - if I see something come up at work, I have a very hard time holding myself back from working on it. That said, I love having pictures and videos of my boys anywhere I go. I love having my music loaded in Cloud Player right on my phone so I can take that running instead of my iPod (when I'm on a long run and decide to go longer I can let Matty know). I am now loving all the great running apps there are for phones.

Recently I Beta tested Sports Tracker for Android - what a cool app! This is an app that helps track runs by distance and time, but also doubles as a great social networking app as you can automatically upload your workout, and even images, to the Sports Tracker site. By default you're "introduced" to athletes around the world and can stay on top of runs and workouts and see some cool routes in the process (if people upload pictures). The app is now out of Beta and is available on Android, iOS, and Ovi - if you feel like geeking out on the run, check it out!

Tasty Tuesday: Juice!

2011-07-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

I used to be very anti-juice - I wanted to eat my nutrition vs. drink it. Lately, though, I've been doing a lot of research on raw/vegan diets (OK, I'll admit, much of this research was post steak dinner, but I'm researching!) and I'm turned on to juice ... the right kind that is. So, recently we bought a super cheap juicer and have been enjoying noisy messy Saturday mornings where, you guessed it, we juice! Here's my favorite right now:
1 Apple
1 Beet
2 Carrots
Ginger

And that's it! Delish. Super sweet, though - this juice could be a dessert... almost.

Money Saver Monday: Deal Emails!

2011-07-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I'm a little on the fence with all the deal sites and emails now. For fashion there are:

For mom and kid stuff there's:

For local activities there's:

And now for athletics and activities in general there's:

I can't keep up with all of these! But, when I'm looking for a deal on local eats or for an inexpensive Clif Bar kit or heart rate monitor, I check these sites first. I am a sucker for a sale, and that's what all of these sites and email lists are bringing. I can't subscribe to all of them because the inbox management becomes a mess, but it's good to know they're there.

Happy shopping!

Ode to Poison Oak

2011-07-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's itchy
It's bumpy
It's red and it's lumpy
It's the poison oak that has taken over my legs
Boo ...

After the Double Dipsea last week I was left with sore legs and poison oak. The sore is gone, but the poison oak has taken over my legs in full vengeance - and it hurts! Weak at heart? Hide your eyes - here's a look at a narnar athlete's leg (mine):

(p.s., that's not purple nailpolish on my toe - double gross)

So what's the cure? Unfortunately the only real cure is time. Poison Oak Cure.net says the best poison oak treatment and cure is as follows:

Clean your skin right away (when you're an hour + away from home doing a trail race, and all you really want at the end of the race is a Diet Coke and eggs Benedict, that's not always an option)
Identify the symptoms (redness - check! itchiness - check! Rash - check!)
Avoid scratching - this is the hardest step
Sanitize all your stuff that may have been exposed
Cold baths or showers - painful, but this really does help
Let the area dry
Use antihistamines

Here are my favorite cures:

Oatmeal - sounds weird, but this really helps to dry up the poison oak and it takes away some of the itch
Benadryl Spray - LOVE this! Being able to spray it on really helps
Calamine lotion - I use this at night only because it's pepto pink and my legs already look beat up enough
Benadryl Allergy - the pharmacy recommended this for night only (I haven't slept in 2 days because of the itch) but this cannot be used in conjunction with the spray; hence the pink stuff

As to how long poison oak lasts, according to the Poison Ivy, Oak, & Sumac Information Center, it can last from 5-12 days. For severe cases, it can be upwards of 30 days or even longer! I'm hoping my home treatments will help stick on the short side ... I'm at 7 days and counting.

Race Report: Double Dipsea

2011-06-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

It has come and gone so quickly! The Double Dipsea that is. This past weekend we went down to Marin for the race of all races - the Double Dipsea. The course was brutal with over 4,000 feet of elevation, 670+ stairs, trees/bushes/roots/ditches, and so much more. Not to mention the poison oak that is now plaguing both of my legs - OUCH! Or should I say ... itch.

This race was hard. Really hard. Going in I just wanted to finish. During the race I had moments where my internal voice was literally going back and forth between "you can do it," "this is a F'ing race - no walking," and "have fun, take it easy." With the brambly course I honestly didn't have too much time to think, though - most of my time was spent thinking "right foot, left foot, oh! ditch, look out."

One of the things I was totally in awe of was the other runners. I have never seen such a group of elite athletes mixed with the lifers. There were more iron man shirts than I've ever seen in one place. The real awe, though, came at the start of the race. It was a tiered start by age with the 80+ group starting about an hour before my group. Among the first runners were two women who were 75-79 (according to their tier) and they were roaring to go.

The stairs of course were one of the many toughys in the race. Here's a look:

Runners take to Cougar Mountain for 8.2-mile run

2011-06-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Runners take to Cougar Mountain for 8.2-mile run

I've been written up! Just found this little post from Issaquah Press ... still doesn't appease any nerves for the race this weekend considering I haven't run since this race. Big mistake!

Double Dipsea

2011-06-23T21:06:00.001-07:00

I'm doing this race this weekend...

And I'm starting to get SCARED!

Weekend roundup (a very late one)

2011-06-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

With the sickness and breathing scare earlier this week, I neglected to post a mini weekend roundup. Before I do - the boys are both MUCH healthier now, which makes us happier.

Back to the weekend - it was Father's Day weekend so Matt was the king. Both mornings Matt slept in (to the late hour of 7am). Saturday was the Fremont Festival here in Seattle which seems to be most well-known for it's naked bike riders and amazing solstice floats - the music, food, and stalls are all quite a site, too.

In the afternoon we walked over the hill to see the haps (and we were pleased to have missed the nudies). On the way to the fest, we stopped by the troll for a quick photo op.

Sunday we had a loungey morning in the house, then packed up to head to Ballard. Matt went climbing and the boys and I enjoyed Farmer's. Then we all met up at the Locks to watch the ships coming and going.

Sunday night we enjoyed a mellow dinner at home and called it a weekend. All in all a good time!

Air - often under-rated

2011-06-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last night was another tough one as a mom (and dad for Matt). The boys started getting sick late Monday afternoon, and yesterday sick turned into major troubles breathing for Wilson. At 7pm I rushed him back into the ER and they barely asked a question before hooking him back up to a nebulizer to help breathe. Wilson knew it would make him feel better and was even holding the mask on by himself (my smart boy).

Matt stayed home with Cole who kept waking up crying for "Wishun" which was heartbreaking.

Today both boys were feeling sick so Matt gave them a treat ... TV. I'm afraid they were too tired/icky feeling to truly enjoy it, though...

While the hospital and our pediatrician won't say if it's "asthma" (there really isn't a way to say definitively it's that), we're going to start looking into common allergens to see if something is triggering this.

Here are the most common allergens: pollen and dust mites
Here are the most common food allergens: milk, wheat, soy, eggs, nuts, seafood, and legumes, which include peas, beans, and peanuts

Weekend roundup

2011-06-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend and an awesome one! Saturday was the second race in the Cougar Mt. trail series - an 8.2 mile HILLY course. I placed first female and 39th overall (out of 239) with a time of 1:07:25.

One cool thing is I got interviewed by a local paper and apparently am going to be in Wednesday's issue. Now if I could only work on my posture.

Matt brought the boys which was great. They had a fuss when the race started (with Wilson yelling "mommy mommy mommy") but when I finished both boys were clapping full force. Apparently they explored the area quite a bit, too ...

Saturday afternoon Matt's parents got here which was terrific. They took off with the boys to Ballard for the afternoon and took in some boat sighting.

Sunday we rose early (as usual) and made our way to Tiger Mt. for a hike around the lake. Sunday afternoon brought a visit from Matt's aunt and uncle from SD. The boys were super shy at first but quickly opened up ... a trip to the park helped.

All in all, a terrific weekend! I'm ready for another :)