Three Things Thursday ...

Nuun - As you've probably heard by now, I was once again selected by Nuun to run Hood to Coast as part of their team, AfterNUUN Delight.

Click the image to see who else made the team ...

To say I freaked the freak out when they posted the list would be an understatement. I was jumping around and screaming. Then I told the girls and they started jumping around and screaming. It was pretty loud there for a second.

Once we calmed down, the first thing the girls said was, "So, that means we're going to get a lot of Nuun, right?"

Right girls.

That's why we made that video. It had nothing to do with me wanting to once again run the Mother of All Relays. Or wanting to represent a company and product I truly believe in. Or even because, sometimes, Mommy needs a break from all this chaos that the three of you produce.

It was nothing like that. Not at all. It was so you could have more Nuun. I mean, it's not like we currently have a stockpile of 20 tubes in our home right now. Obviously, we need to replenish our supply.

Tough Chik - And since we're on the subject of companies and products that I am completely obsessed with, let's talk about what is coming up on the East Coast for Tough Chik.

On May 19-20, I'll be running the Tough Chik booth at the Ground Force IT Powersprint Triathlon here in Richmond, the first of several Richmond Multisport events on the Tough Chik calendar for 2012.

Then on June 1-2, it's onto ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon and 10K. The Tough Chik booth will be set up at both the expo and the Post Race Party. If you are attending this event, be sure to stop by and say hi.

And if you haven't registered yet, here's your chance. By using the code ANNCON6, you will receive $10 off the half or $5 off the 10K.

Finally, if you missed registration for Team Tough Chik in December and want to join this FANTASTIC group of ladies, you now can. Registration for the team will open again on May 1st. If you want to learn more, all you have to do is CLICK HERE.

Seriously? - Apparently, my blog has finally made it. After four years and zero efforts to ever make a paycheck off all of my ramblings, I got this in the mail on Monday.

That's right, my blog has been pre-approved for a credit card. Too bad it would never be able to pay the bill ...

Three Things Thursday ...

Twitter - When I created my Twitter handle, I didn't want to tie the name to my blog because I so often think about going "dark" (a.k.a private). Or what if I just stop writing all together? I think it would be kind of stupid to have a handle that once matched a blog, but now doesn't. I guess I just didn't want to be tied to this blog forever. Who knows?

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I noticed that someone I follow changed their Twitter handle. No interruption of service. One tweet had the old handle and the next one was updated. Easy peasy. It got me thinking that it probably made sense for me to unite my Twitter account and Racing With Babes.

So I did. You can now tweet me HERE (@RacingWithBabes). And if you aren't following me already, you probably should.

*UPDATED* Birthday Gift - For months, I have been hounding J with emails of potential 30th birthday gift ideas. 99.5% of these emails contained links to bikes. Yesterday, he must have finally had enough, because he told me that I could pick out a new bike as my birthday gift. I wasn't quite sure that I heard him correctly or if we had the same idea of what "pick out a new bike" means.

But, he was for real and his budget gave me more wiggle room than I expected. So, I looked around for the best deals and this morning I ordered this ...

2011 Fuji Aloha 2.0

Isn't it beautiful? Plus, it was on closeout for an awesome price. I'm kind of excited right now!

Tough Chik - If you still want to join Team Tough Chik and haven't done so yet, you are running out of time. Registration is open until Saturday. Even in just the first few weeks, the 100+ members have formed a great community that I am excited to be a part of. Plus, our uniforms are wicked cute. You know you want in, just click HERE to learn more.

love who you are ...

Yesterday afternoon, my mom called and told me how she had been bragging about me. This fact alone is not uncommon. She's a proud mama and is happy to let others know all about the things her children have accomplished.

The thing that struck me what the response she got from the women she was speaking to. She told them about my running, the amazing experiences this blog has afforded me, my coaching business and my 15 minutes of fame in Runner's World.

The women (who are also runners) said, "She sounds exactly like who I want to be."

Hmm? Really? You want to be a middle of the pack runner who squeezes in her workouts between carpool and her three daughters' potty breaks? Or if she's really lucky, at 5 a.m.? Or is it the year-round training without pay or sponsorship that sounds appealing? (Note: I'm totally open to sponsorship. Feel free to email me.)

On most days, when I look at myself, I want to be something better. Something more. I think this is a great way to approach life. It keeps me motivated and driven, moving forward in a sense. But the problem with this outlook is that it is easy to overlook how far I have come, how lucky I have been, and how amazing my life truly is. Getting caught up in what's next can make you miss out on what is.

I won't lie, I often forget to take into account is that today could be the best day I ever have. And honestly, today could be my last. It's important not to forget to to LOVE WHO YOU ARE right now, in this very instant.

And when that seems impossible, just remember that there is someone out there who wishes they were just like you.

LOVE YOUrself Valentine Challenge ...

Earlier this month, Zoe posted a challenge on her blog. Each of the 36 participants would receive a personalized valentine from Zoe, along with a skull tattoo to place on the body part you are most proud of because of running/fitness/life. I immediately knew I wanted in. I mean, I like flaunting my stuff as much as the next person. (OK, maybe I enjoy it a little more than the average person. Not the point.)

On my card, Zoe shared what she admired about me,

"Tonia, Your strength and endurance are very inspiring traits you possess (among a long list of others!) You are definitely a ROCK STAR. Happy V Day! Zoe"

Yeah, did I ever mention how much I love Zoe? She's awesome. And do you know what else is awesome? That's right. My quads ...

And they look super bada** with that skull tattoo.

our Disney Christmas ...

Like I mentioned before my little hiatus, J and I surprised our girls with a trip to Disney for Christmas. When we loaded up the car early on the morning of the 15th, they didn't really know what to expect and we didn't really know how they'd react, so we videotaped it. Personally, I think the reaction we got was pretty funny. Dizzle freaked. Doodle cried (not because she was so happy, but because Dizzle figured it out first). And Dilly barely even noticed. Typical.

So, do you want to see it? Thought so. (Note: When Dizzle's guesses that we were going to see Katye, she meant Katye from Long Legs on the Loose. And watch the video of the end. The last thing Dizzle says makes me laugh every time.)



Good stuff, right?

Once we arrived in Orlando (we were also joined by my mom and sister, Angie Pants), our "relaxing" vacation became anything but. We spent almost every waking minute at the parks getting our fill of rides, shows, attractions and unhealthy foods. It was magical.

Over the course of our nine day trip we ...

swam.

ate things like this (I did manage to run 37 miles to counteract these indulgences).

went on safari.

traveled by boat.

waited.

posed.

kept our kids up WAY past their bedtimes.

reconnected.

goofed around.

played.

played.

and played some more.

took the best family portrait ever.

Every second of our trip was amazing. Well, mostly. Those two days when Dizzle had a stomach bug and was puking here and there, kind of sucked (and yes, I am a horrible mother and filled her up on Pepto and Motrin and made her suck it up. And be honest. You'd probably would have done the same.)

Anyway, this trip reaffirmed a few things for us.
1. There is no question that Dizzle and Doodle are adrenaline junkies. They LOVED Tower of Terror, Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion and Expedition Everest.
2. Dilly proved that she is an endurance athlete in the making. Her 23 month old legs WALKED the vast majority of the time.
3. J and I are big kids. We had as much, if not more fun than the girls.
4. I am done with giving the girls "things." I would MUCH rather give them these experiences. To show them the world and create memories that they will cherish for so much longer than some gift they unwrap on Christmas morning. And I know that if they really thought about it, they'd feel the same. Trust me. I saw their faces when they saw Cinderella's castle light up ...

you wanted to know, questions 26-30

When I had my 1,000 mile giveaway, a requirement for entry was to ask me a question. Any question. And I promised to answer them in a series of posts. Here are questions 26-30 ...

Meggan asked, "Who inspires you the most?"

That's a hard one. I admire a lot of traits in a lot of different people. But, as a runner, I am probably most inspired by Amy Palmiero-Winters. She is a single-leg amputee, who has run a 3:04 marathon (the fastest time ever for a below-knee amputee - FEMALE or MALE). And earlier this year, she became the first amputee to finish the Western States 100. She is seriously hardcore and has proven that the only limitations we have are the ones we set for ourselves. How could you not be inspired by that?

Karen asked, "Did your kids already have the nicknames you use for them on the blog, or did you create the nicknames for the blog? Do you use those nicknames in real life?"

What if I told you that they aren't nicknames? That my daughters are really named Dizzle, Doodle and Dilly? Right. You'd probably know I was lying. Their nicknames were established before the blog (except for Dilly, who came along after the blog).

Dizzle originated from a modified version of "Hey Diddle Diddle" that J used to sing to her. It went, "K Dizzle Dizzle ..." For a while, she was K Dizzle, but at some point we stopped saying the K.

Doodle started as Mac-a-doodle. Eventually, we dropped the beginning of it and the Doodle part stuck.

And Dilly, like her sisters got her nickname when we shortened the name that we used for her when I was pregnant - Piccadilly.

And yes, we do use those nicknames in real life, but not nearly as much as we did when they were younger.

Laurie asked, "Do you ever lose blogging motivation? It seems that you always have such great things to write about and never miss a day. How do you do it?"

Well, thank you. I'm glad to hear that you like what I am writing.

Honestly, I haven't really hit a point where I have lost my motivation for blogging. I truly enjoy documenting and sharing the experiences of our lives. As for topics and such, I think my writing ability is benefited by the content of my blog. This is not solely a running blog or a mommy blog or any one thing. It's a daily record of me and my family as seen through my eyes. And because of this, I have never felt limited in what I could or couldn't write about. Plus, I just really have a lot to say, which doesn't hurt either.

suzy@countdownto26.2 asked, "How important is strength training when training for a 1/2 or full marathon? I can never find time/energy to do it!"

It depends on who you ask. Strength training is going to be beneficial to any runner. But, not strength training isn't going to keep you from crossing that finish line.

When it comes down to it, a runner needs to run to be successful. So, if you had to make the choice between fitting in strength training or your run, I would say that you should choose the run. But, if you can fit in both activities, you will definitely see an improvement in your running.

Erin G asked, "What's your fav pre-race meal?"

Easy peasy - Mud Pie. OK, I am kidding about that. Before the vast majority of my races, I eat a chocolate chip Clif Bar and drink a little water.

Three Things Thursday ...

1. Remember back in May when I was complaining about how school was over and I was never going to be able to get my runs in? Well, guess what? School has STARTED and I can not get my runs in.

Currently, my midweek runs are 5, 10, 5, 10. During the summer, G, the rest of our posse and I would meet at 5:30 a.m. and get our mid-week long runs in. 10 miles by 7 a.m. Now, that school is back in session and we all need to be home to send our crews off every morning, 10 miles just isn't happening. Sure, we can get those 5 milers in, but if I have any intention on running 10 miles before school, it needs to be at like 5 a.m. from my front door.

Fortunately, G's youngest and Doodle start preschool next week. That means we can resume our "preschool stroller runs" with Dilly. On Wednesday mornings, we will alternate pushing my single BOB for 10 miles. And as torturous as it seems, I am looking forward to it. But, when do I do that other 10 miler?

2. A few weeks back, I won a personalized bibfolio from the lovely Lady Em. Yesterday, I went to pick it up. Just look how freaking sweet this thing is ...

Thanks Lady Em!

3. If you like my bibfolio, then you are going to love my next giveaway. Here's a few hints:

• It's hosted by one of my favorite bloggy peeps, Suzy HERE
• The prizes will be personalized to the winners. Yes, I said WINNERS.
• There might be some reference to my love of cupcakes included in the prizes.
• If I can get my act together, it will be posted tomorrow ...

because you don't get enough of me here ...

Remember how you are always telling me, "I wish I could know more about you. That I could just sit down and pick at your brain"?

Well, Sarah and Dimity, authors of Run Like A Mother , got to do just that. (probably more exciting for me, since they are total rock stars who I have been following since they first started their Marathon Moms blog back in 2007.)

Gushing aside, they chose me as this week's "Follow This Mother," which I think is about the coolest thing going. So, check it out by clicking HERE. You know you want to ...