eight miles of stroller pushing (and a winner) ...

Usually, I am fortunate enough to get my long run in on the weekend. Although J travels a ton and is often away for part of the weekend, he ALWAYS gets up with the kids when I need to get my run in. He's great like that. OK, enough with the husband flattery.

Anyway, I am not going to be able to get my long run in this weekend. I FINALLY have my Distance Running Coach Certification this weekend. (I.AM.SO.EXCITED). It's a two day course that runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., an hour and a half away from here. And I am not staying over. So, that really means that I am going to be gone from 6 a.m. until about 7 p.m. both days this weekend. This equals NO RUNNING.

But, you know how I hate to miss hitting my mileage for the week, so I shifted some things around and headed out with G on an eight mile long run yesterday. Unfortunately, since we were running during the week, I had no choice but to bring Dilly along for the ride. And in case you hadn't figured it out yet, eight miles pushing a stroller is HARD. I mean, seriously, three miles pushing a stroller is hard.

Lucky for me, G was nice enough to alternate pushing the stroller with me each mile. It made the run better, but it's really not something I would want to have to do on a regular basis. It definitely made me appreciate my kid-free long runs. This is not to say that Dilly wasn't fantastic. Because she was. She barely made a peep for the entire hour and 20 minutes. And she was smiles the whole way. This is her when we finished. (She thought the squirrel across the street was way more interesting than me)

And G and me afterwards (we're not as cute).

But enough about my run, I know the real reason you are here. You want to know who won my Clif Bar and iTunes Giveaway. Well, there were 191 entries and thanks to Random.org the lucky winner is number 32 ...

Laurie @ The (Mis)Adventures of a Jogging Stroller Mom (appropriate considering the content of my post)

Congrats Laurie! Email me with your contact info and I will get your prizes out to you right away.

perfection ...

My children reminded me about a valuable lesson yesterday. All I wanted was the perfect picture of them. But, perfection is not attained without hard work, dedication, flexibility and patience. This is true in every aspect of life. You have to work for what you want. You have to fight for your own little slice of perfection. And their stubbornness showed me that. Because ...

I tried to get them to look at me - FAIL

I tried to get them to not hurt each other - FAIL

I tried to get them all to smile - FAIL

I tried to get them all in the shot - FAIL

I tried to get them to all say "CHEESE" - FAIL

But, then I tried to let them be exactly who they are - PERFECTION

I could use a nap ...

I woke up this morning and really didn't want to get out of bed. Without stepping onto the floor, I already knew how sore I was. I knew that my abs were tight enough to make sitting up a struggle. I knew that my quads were burning. I knew that today would be one of those days that I was going to move VERY slowly. Because, yesterday, I ran 21.53 miles (a new training run distance PR) AND rocked P90X Legs and Back plus Ab Ripper X. Yup, I'm that hardcore.

Or, just crazy.

I bet you're kind of wondering how this all happened. So, here it goes. As you may recall, J, who is training for his first half, and I don't get to run together often. We don't have any family nearby and I can't bear to pay for a sitter, so that we can run. This means when we do have someone visiting (my mom is in town), we try to take advantage of it. So, on Saturday afternoon, J asked I would do his long run with him in the morning. I immediately said, "Sure!"

But, there was a hitch. I had already planned an 11 miler with G and Denise. And I wasn't about to bail. I just figured I would get a quality workout with them and follow it up (immediately) with a recovery run with J, since his pace is a bit slower than mine. PERFECT.

So, bright and early on Sunday, I woke up and met G and Denise for the first half of my run. Here we are before heading out. And yes, G and I are once again wearing matching clothing. We have ESP or something.

Anyway, we ran part of one of my favorite loops from our last cycle of marathon training. The pace was good. The conversation was hilarious. Basically, it was fantastic. We finished the 11 miles in 1:46:01 (9:36 pace). Then I jumped in the car, drove home and picked up J for his run, which was supposed to be 9 miles.

J planned the route and I was just along for support. We started out chatting, but as the miles passed, we became silent partners on a quest to finish. About 3 miles in J stopped to use the bathroom, while I kept circling the parking lot at the baseball field we were running past.

At that moment, I realized that if I added a little extra mileage during this run, I could set a new single day training record (the most I had ever done before on a training run was 20) AND if I hit 21.53 miles, I would have run 40 miles this week, which is something I have always wanted to do and is something I would eventually like to do consistently.

So, that's what I did. Any time I pulled ahead, I would loop back and catch J. And when we were a mile from home (J actually planned a 10 mile route even though he only had 9 on his schedule), I decided to take the longer loop and met J at home. When I got back, my Garmin read 21.53!! Part of me wanted to go run 4.67 miles more just so I could have said I ran a marathon yesterday. But, I think J would have had me committed. I finished the 10.53 miles with J in 2:02:24 (11:36 pace). My total time for the run was 3:48:25 (10:36 pace). And can I just note that my marathon PR is 5:06 and that I was CRUSHING that pace yesterday?

Here I am all smiles afterward.

And I ended the day with P90X, well, because I wasn't about to skip it. Yup, I'm crazy like that.

So, what did you do this weekend?

open letter to my body ...

To my dearest body,

I know that we don't have the best history. I treated you poorly for so many years. Overeating. Refusing to do any serious cardio. I abused you. But you never failed me. You put up with anything I threw at you. Without uttering a single peep. And I thank you for sticking with me.

I've tried my best over the past six years to change my ways. To treat you like the idol that you are. I've cut my portion sizes. And learned about moderation. I've gained a love for exercise. And lost a ton of weight. I've run mile after mile. Pounding my joints with each step. I know at times I have been hard on you. But without fail, you have been there for me. Never complaining.

And in the past week, I've asked you to do even more. I've upped my running and added some serious cross training to our days. That cross training is named P90X and the two of you are not yet friends. After all these years of silence, you are finally speaking up. You are angry at P90X for disturbing what we had. You are working harder than you ever have and are undoubtedly feeling the pain. But I promise you, it will be worth it. Three months from now, when we look back on our time with P90X, our thoughts will be filled with admiration and respect and thanks. For you will be a stronger and more fit version of yourself. Nothing bad can come from this.

Oh, and one more thing. I know I it's a lot to ask with the all the cross training and everything, but if you could please just give me the mental and physical strength to make it through the 19-21 miles on our schedule today, I'd really appreciate it. Oh, and be sure to leave me enough juice for tonight's P90X session too!

xoxo,
Tonia

and the completely random ...

Back on my 300th post, I asked you to comment with any question you wanted me to answer. The response was huge. Way too much for one entry. So, I have decided to categorize the questions and reply in a series of posts over the next few weeks. Today, I answer all of those questions that didn't really fit anywhere, the completely random ones ...


Paige asked: "What is one new food you have tried that you cannot live without?"

OK, this one is kind of hard. My mom is a caterer, so growing up, we tried a lot of different foods and I have always been one to eat almost anything. As a kid, two of my favorite foods were escargot (snails, in case you didn't know) and frog legs. Seriously.

Although, for a long time, I did not like stinky cheese. Then the summer before college, that all changed. I was working as a waitress and the restaurant I worked at made this Buffalo Chicken Pizza with huge chunks of blue cheese. It was fantastic. I ate it almost every time I went to work. And ever since then I have been obsessed with stinky cheeses (the stronger the better). I can't get enough.

Kerrie T asked: "When are you just going to move to Seattle already?"

Yeah. I expected this question. I don't think we are moving any time soon. However, I have told J that if we EVER move, it's only going to be to the Pacific Northwest. I've never even visited, but there is something about that part of the country that intrigues me. OK, so I'm not moving there, but I am coming out there next year to race. All I need to do is find the race to run and book my flight. Any suggestions?

Stephanie asked: "What is your favorite running website ever?"

Easy. McMillan Running. I am always on there plugging in my times. Finding my training zones. I love that site. DailyMile and Runner's World don't suck either.

Jameson asked: "If you were an animal, which one and why?"

Again, this is another easy one. I'd be a cheetah. And here's why. First of all, I look super hot in cheetah print. Second, cheetahs are beyond fast. And that is exactly how I want to be. And lastly, cheetahs are stunning and powerful animals. I like to think of myself as both of those things.

MCM Mama asked: "When are you coming up here to run a race with me? You know you want to. ;o) I'll even take you out for a beer afterwards."

Soon. My fall race schedule is on the light side and I'd be up for the trip. Did you have a race in mind?

Allie asked: "Is there some secret technique for taking awesome running photos? Because you always looks so cute and I always look like death."

I'm sure you do not look like death. My number one secret is SUNGLASSES. Not only do they keep the sun out of your eyes, but they hide the agony in your photos. It also helps if you perk up when you see a photographer. If you are light on your feet and stand tall as you run past, I promise your pictures will look better. Oh, and posing never hurts.

Judi asked: "I would love to have my own Garmin but I know very little about what is a good one to buy. They vary in prices . . ."

I have the 305 and love it. I purchased mine on Amazon, where I believe you can currently find them in the range of $150-200. Many of my friends have the 405, but have had issues with using their watches during the run (switching screens and the like) and also problems with their watches freezing. All I can say is that the 305 has been great to me. And I'm sure that no matter which model you choose, you will find that it is money well spent.

it hurts to laugh ...

I am two days into P90X (plus I busted out a super speedy six miles yesterday) and I have come to realize that apparently, I have never used any of the muscles in my entire body. EVER. I am beyond sore. Seriously, it hurts to laugh (maybe the first signs of a six-pack?). And not being able to laugh makes me really upset, because my kids say some funny things. Take for example, yesterday. Dizzle and I were looking at the pictures that I took during her school trip on Tuesday. Specifically, this picture:

I said to her, "I wonder what that green stuff on the water is. Do you think if I threw you into that water that it would eat you?" To which she replied, "Mom. You're so silly. That's just ALLERGY." And because I was teetering between laughing and crying, I just didn't have the heart to correct her.

what gets you moving?

Motivation is a weird thing. It's different for everybody. Some people are motivated by desire. Some by guilt. Some by other people. And just because you are motivated by one thing today, doesn't mean it will motivate you tomorrow. Personally, I am motivated by a lot of things. Myself, others holding me accountable, food, music, my skinny jeans ... and the list goes on.


You see, yesterday was day one of P90X. It kicked my butt. I thought I was hardcore and then this workout put me in my place. But I am going to stick with it. I just might need a little push, and that's where you all come in. In an attempt to keep me motivated, I am going to put myself out there. I am sharing my before pictures and measurements. And after each phase, I am going to check in here. (Does anyone else see how this could totally blow up in my face?) So, here it goes.


Day 1:
Weight: 152
Body Fat Percentage: 23%
Chest: 35 1/2"
Waist: 30 3/4"
Hips: 37"
Thighs: 22"
Biceps: 11 1/2"


Wow, that was totally liberating and kind of scary. Anyway, as a thank you for helping me attempt to stick to this program, I want to motivate you in return. And I thought, what better way to do that than a giveaway. So, one lucky reader will win two things that keep me moving: FOOD and MUSIC.




The winner will receive a box of 6 Clif Bars - Chocolate Brownie and a $15 iTunes Gift Card. Here's how to enter. (One Comment Per Entry Please)


1. Become a follower of this blog and leave me a comment to let me know you did.

2. Become a fan of the Racing With Babes Facebook Page HERE and leave me a comment to let me know you did.

3. Repost this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc and leave me a comment to let me know you did.

4. Leave me a comment to let me know what motivates you.


Entries will be accepted until Tuesday, April 20th. Winner will be selected at random and announced on Wednesday, April 21st.