Hawaii video and photos

If you're into home movies, this may be just your cup of tea. Tim took some video clips and some still photos, and created this really cool iMovie project that I wanted to share...

Sidebar changes

To increase my accountability, I've added a Workouts list to the sidebar. Here I hope to stay consistent with both activity AND rest.

I've also changed my Run list. I used to track vertical miles. Why? Because I wanted to! And I got to more than 20 miles straight up, which I think is cool. But now I'm working on speeding up. And trying to log more vertical miles while getting faster is just a recipe for injury and burnout. And hey -- it's MY goal, right?

Just got back from a 5 mile run in 90 degree heat. After running in Hawaii's heat AND humidity, today's run was not a problem -- hooray!

Just do it!

Nope, not the Nike slogan here -- my new book "Just Do It -- How One Couple Turned off the TV and Turned on their Sex Lives for 101 Days (no excuses!)" Today is Tim's birthday. He's 44. And, feeling inspired by my wonderful new book, his present is 44 days of ... well, 44 days of feeling very very loved! :) Happy birthday, baby!

Great Success!

Vacation was wonderful! I'll post pictures and videos this week, but in a nutshell, it was a wonderful unifying and de-stressing experience for everyone!

Here are a few random thoughts before I hit the shower:

• I don't sleep on red-eye flights. Next time I'm not even going to try. And next time I'll have a better strategy than my "eat everything" method of coping last night!

• Blossoming Lotus is the best restaurant on the planet, and all of us loved it!

• My last island workout was Crossfit-ish and fun. Here are the details:

7 rounds of
10 thrusters (10 lb dumbbells)
20 alt lunges (10 lb dumbbells, 10 reps each leg)
14 clean and press (20 pound dumbbell, 7 reps each side)
10 lat pulldowns (no idea how much weight)

My glutes are feeling the love in a BIG way!

• I still want to post the links to weblogs I read (there are many -- thank goodness for Bloglines!). One of my new favorites is called Eat, Live, Run, subtitled "Training to be a pastry chef while still fitting into my jeans". Isn't that cute? Well, Jenna posted a link to Yoga Downloads, and they have some Yoga for Runners workouts. Cool! I downloaded the 30 minute workout today and will report on it as soon as I try it.

• I'll be starting the 100 Pushup Challenge tomorrow. Tried starting on vacation, but it just wasn't what I wanted to be doing. My plan is to follow their middle plan (even though my initial test puts me into the extreme plan). And because I don't want to overwork my pushing muscles, I'll be doing a corresponding pulling workout to help balance things out. I think the balance will come from pullups or body-weight rows -- maybe half as many pullups (using the giant rubber band for assistance) or the same number of rows. I'll let you know as I work this out. But I'm excited for a new challenge!
  

Make today fabulous, friends!

P.S.

The "mixed marriage" comment was flippant and funny, but it doesn't really paint a picture of the harmony that exists in my views and Tim's views on health. In the same way that I'm vegan-ish, I think that Tim is moving towards vegetarian-ish in his choices. And we both value staying active, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate having a partner in health and wellness. This morning we did Rodney Yee's AM Yoga, and then did our separate workouts. Today Tim ran. And I headed to the beach for lunge walks and skipping, and step ups on a picnic bench.

Interesting interchange

We hit Bubba's for lunch yesterday. Well, Tim and the kids hit Bubba's, but I picked up takeout from Lotus Root Cafe, which is just a few blocks down the street. When I got back, I brought my spring rolls and green juice into the anti-veg establishment (they say something about lettuce and tomato being just WRONG on real burgers on the menu!) and sat down with my family as they waited for their burgers and chili.

A woman looked at me, and said in a very loud voice, "What's that?" and pointed at my spring roll. I told her it was a spring roll. She asked if I got it here, and I said, "No, I got it at a cafe down the street." Then she said (screamed) "Is that ALL you're eating for lunch?" I pointed at my green juice and said "I'm having this too." She said, "Well, your family is having a lot. I was in line behind them and I saw their total!" Tim explained that he'd bought a hat, and that made it all cost more. (Not that this is any of her business really!)

What was interesting about this exchange was that the woman chatting with us was young and big and seemed highly uncomfortable that someone was NOT eating burgers, chili, fries, and onion rings. Then again, I WAS in her territory, and I have a feeling that if Tim and the kids brought Bubba's into Lotus Root, they'd meet with some degree of opposition as well.

My plan? To continue to move forward. Despite what the world may think, I continue to believe that this mixed marriage CAN work! :)

Alooooo-ha!

Greetings from Hawaii!!! I'm sitting on a balcony overlooking the ocean, taking a moment to jot down some vacation thoughts. Hawaii is truly one of the most beautiful places on the earth and we are loving it! We've spend the last two days in Lihue and rarely left the hotel -- with a protected harbor, ocean waves, and lots of sun, what more could we need?

We've stayed active so far. Both days Tim and the kids joined in on some beach volleyball games, and they convinced me to play too. So I've gotten some lessons in humility (nothing looks stupider than when you're going for a shot and the sand prevents you from getting there in a BIG way), and some lessons in self-talk. Because of my un-athletic background, I was really fearful about playing. So what ran through my mind with every play? "Don't eff up!" Not exactly positive or helpful, right? By the end of my volleyball time, the internal conversation was "Make a contribution!" -- a big change, don't you think?

I've gone running both days and it's interesting how you start sweating immediately when you're running in humidity. Between running and volleyball and swimming in the ocean, all of us got a bit too much sun yesterday, so I think we're keeping today a less-sun day (but not a sun-less day!). And I think I've started my own personal tradition of ending each day by savoring one perfect milk chocolate macadamia nut candy bar -- YUM!!!

And we're off...

...to Kauai! Our plans include lots of rest and reading (I've got quite a few books, cuz you never know what you might want to read, right?), some surfing and kayaking, great food and family time and lots and lots of beach time, including laying on the beach and swimming in the ocean.

I plan to stay active while in Hawaii. My GymBoss and jump rope are packed, and I'll probably use one or the other most days. I like doing a combination of lunge walks, and skipping, and jogging on the sand, interspersed with pushups and any other body weight things I can think of.

We'll have a computer with us, and I plan to investigate a website I just found: One Hundred Pushups. I think it would be fun to train to do 100 pushups and will let you know if it's something I decide to work towards. Anyone care to join me? Let me know...

Weekend Update

Some random musings from the weekend, in no particular order:

• Indoor go-cart racing is FUN! (picture will be posted here tomorrow)
  
• A sleeve of Fig Newtons is not the best fuel for a 9 mile run in 95 degree heat.
• My car gets 43 miles per gallon on the highway!!!
• I'm super proud of my husband, who is not only an amazing dad, but also shot 78 on the golf course while playing with his dad for Father's Day today!
• Tucker's in Southern California -- flew out on Thursday and comes home tomorrow. He's been playing with my mother and her husband, and my wild-child sister Shannon. He texted me today saying "Aunt Sammie (Shannon) is crazy!" I don't know what prompted the text, but I'm not surprised in the least -- Shannon is one of the funnest people I know!
• It's been great being able to focus on Austin while Tucker's away. Having just one child is certainly peaceful!
• I've run (ran?) 27 miles in the last 4 days. Tomorrow will be a day off, for sure, but it's felt fun to kind of push the envelope with mileage, you know?
  

Tagged by Irene!

Irene tagged me on a running meme -- thanks, Irene -- this was fun!

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago? At that time, my kids were 4 and 2, and running was what enabled me to stay sane. Tim could come in the door after work, take one look at my face, and say, "YOU need to go running" and he would be right. (My kids were wonderful, but I kept myself very isolated and made staying home harder than it needed to be, for the record.) Also, 10 years ago was the first time I ran 1000 miles in a year, something that I'm shooting for this year as well.

2. Best/worst running experience. Best -- every single race I've run, because I can't believe that me, the last picked for everything, is running in races! Probably my best BEST race was Wharf to Wharf (Santa Cruz to Capitola -- about 7 miles) in 1994, when I was 4 months pregnant. I had a shirt made that said, "Running for Two" because I didn't really look pregnant yet. :)

Worst -- in our first house, I was running at dusk through our neighborhood. I ran past two men and heard one say to the other "Do you want to rape her?" SCARY! We moved just a few months later.

3. Why do you run? Many reasons. Biggest one -- it helps me to stay on an even keel emotionally. Also I love that I can eat more than the average woman, and still be comfortable in my clothes and in my own skin. Also because my birth father is a runner, and running makes me feel connected to him.

4. Best running advice? Remember that the first mile is always hard, but it does get better. I NEVER like that first mile, but remembering that it doesn't stay hard like that the whole time makes it easier to push through it.

5. Something surprising about me that not many people know? I have all sorts of idiosyncrasies and oddities. But one that not many people know? Gosh, I feel like I share nearly everything here, so it's hard to come up with something. Irene -- it's going to seem like copying, but I promise it's true -- I can still do cartwheels! In fact, when I was pregnant I continued to do cartwheels into my 9th month, and I'm convinced there's a connection between that and the love both of my sons have for gymnastics!

Validation!

Don't you love it when you have an idea or an opinion, and then you see something in the media that backs up your way of thinking? Well, in the July/August issue of Running Times, the article titled "Not Just Half a Race -- Getting the most from the Half Marathon" (isn't that a great title?) reads:

It sometimes seems as though the half marathon is the forgotten stepchild of distance running. It's popular, but you're unlikely to hear it hailed as the queen of distances, perhaps because it's not got the glamour of the marathon and there isn't an equivalent race in the Olympics like the 5K and 10K. At best, it's promoted as a way station en route to a marathon.

Then there's some stuff about recent half marathon records (a sub-1:00 half marathon???? Yes! Crazy, huh?). The article continues:

Perhaps all of these will bring more attention to what is actually an elegant racing distance. Long enough that you can't just race it on a whim, the half rewards serious training. But it doesn't beat you up as badly as a marathon, freeing you to run it a lot more frequently.

Amen to all of that!

My running has been going well -- I'm at 21 miles per week, on average, for the year, which took some doing to get to, as I didn't set my running goal until early April. (Note -- I was running and was tracking the miles, but with no clear idea of what I was shooting for. So I had several 30+ mile weeks in order to catch up.)

Ok, no time to wrap this up, as family is ready to head out the door, and I AM wearing makeup today. More thoughts soon...

The new normal that is summertime

Each year, the transition to summer gets easier for me. In the past I fell into a dark hole for several weeks as school let out. I LOVE my kids, but I don't do well with lack of structure, hence the difficulties of summer. This year will be different for several reasons:

1. I'm stronger than I've ever been, and I'm willing to make my needs known.
2. I have an actual schedule of clients who I train, which means I can't be doormat mom even if I wanted to be.
3. I'm committed to making it different.

More later... now I get to drive someone somewhere for the eleventy-hundredth time today! :)

Rocklin Farmer's Market starts today!

Mom: Fresh kale and beet top salad with belarusian tomatoes...
...Portabella mushroom burgers with avocado, turnip and melon chutney...
...and a piping-hot eggplant-artichoke-string bean-leek casserole!

Dad: Dig in! (softer) I thought I told you guys to distract your mother today!
Kid 1: We tried! You've seen her at the farmer's market!
Kid 2: We're lucky we got out of there before she spotted bok choy!

Recent workouts

Monday: day off
Tuesday: boxing camp, 6 mile run
Wednesday: kb swings and Crossfit-ish workout
Today: 9 mile run

Wednesday's workout was especially fun. My friend and I did kettlebell swings: 5 sets of 3:00 with 12 kg kbs (one each!). Then we did a Crossfit-ish workout: 2o minutes of

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats
20 situps

We finished 9 rounds in 20 minutes. My upper body definitely feels the pushups and pullups today! And just so I'm clear here, all pullups were done with assistance from an Iron Woody band -- don't know that I even WANT to see the day when I can do 45 pullups in a workout! :)

Baby you can drive my car!

Sunday was a very busy day. It started out slow, hanging out all together, eating a leisurely breakfast, puttering around the house. Around 2:00 I went out for a 10 mile run. And when I got back, Tim told me we needed to get in the car NOW to drive to Redwood City (2 hours) because he'd found my new car and we needed to go buy it. So 15 minutes later, we were driving towards San Francisco, and that night I drove home in my new ride!

Backing up here, for the last 4 years I've driven a small SUV and I've really loved it. It was comfy and sporty and even a little sexy, and it worked well for us with kids and dogs and snowboarding and camping. But I got 15 miles to the gallon, and with gas prices rising it's starting to make no sense to drive it. On Saturday we were going to a family gathering (2 hours away again!) and chatting about cars. Tim said, "I don't think I could give up my car for a hybrid." My response? "I could give mine up in a heartbeat, cuz I'm just not that into cars." And that's the truth. So my husband, being the action-oriented guy he is, researched hybrids and found what made sense for us, confirmed my color choice, and then found one with only 5,000 miles on it, negotiated a good price, and we were off to buy it, just 24 hours after first discussing the topic.

So now I have a hybrid and I love it. It's a really beautiful car. It's quiet and the turning radius is incredible. And the stuff inside makes me feel like it's a Batman car, or like something Maxwell Smart would drive. There's no key! The CD player opens up like a bookcase to a hidden room! And the gas mileage? Dreamy! Of course it has my "Whatever you are, be a good one!" license plate frame, and my fruit keychain hanging from the rear-view mirror. Now all it needs is a Hawaii flower sticker and a "Runner Girl" emblem, and I'll be set!

Worth considering

I found this on a torn-out magazine page:

If I could give you a pill that helped you lose wight, was full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, was known to provent cancer and most diseases, and made your skin, hair, and body look and feel fantastic, would you take it? Yes, you say? Then EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!!!

No time, no energy

Lots to talk about but no time or energy to write. I promise I'm still here -- just trying to keep my head above water during the last week of school. This weekend we have ZERO plans, and I intend to keep it that way. One of tonight's clients told me that she and her man spend one entire day of each weekend in pj's, just hanging out and reading and talking and watching movies. With how fast life's been going, that sounds absolutely fabulous!