the little things that I missed...
St. Patricks Day was fun. We had a traditional dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house with corned beef and all the tasty fixings. The girls had mini-parties at school and my brilliant intentions to do themed snack and crafts kind of got lost in the chaos of a typical day. The next morning, L woke up eager to find the gold a leprechaun must have left us. To her great disappointment, there was no gold, no footprints, no trap. I really had no idea that she had such expectations built up (I'm blaming school). Had I known, it would have been a lot of fun. But instead, I brilliantly remembered that I did have a gold $1 coin int he car. I dashed out to find it and hid it in her Lucky Charms. Crisis averted and notes made for next year.
Fantastic Date night with my smokin hot husband. We went to dinner and to the theater to see Les Miserable. It's my husband's favorite and one we have seen a few times now. It's always an amazing experience and I love spending the whole drive home analyzing the plot and performances.
I taught Pilates for the first time and loved it. It's really not a big deal but seems like another step for me. I regularly attended Pilates for over a year and now still go when I can fit it in. But it was fun to teach it and was a good challenge to mix up my work out. Hopefully I'll be able to sub for that class more often and maybe eventually even have my own regular class. I'll need to get more experience and expertise before I can do that but it's something to look forward to and work up to.
A and E have been regularly attending storytime and it's slowly getting better. A usually loves it, E tends to bounce off the walls. They loved to collect a pile of books and find a place in the wall (it's full of little cubbies, perfect for snuggling into) where they can read until I drag them over to the gathering area when it starts. E doesn't last long before she's trying to wander off but slowly getting better.
E LOVES her music class so we have now started a second semester. This has been so much fun to have the one-on-one with her and watch her respond to the music. I've thought each of my kids were so cute in this class, with such great rhythm and excitement. But right now I'm especially enjoying how E loves to experiment with instruments and is pitching matching and doing interval repeats at such a young age. I love listening to her sing and and amazed by her quick memory.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
milestones: 6, 4.5, 2.5
L
Newest Achievements:
-She can read. It's amazing to me how well she can read already. She still needs help, mostly just encouragement to sound it out but getting better and better every day. Her latest report card says her literary understanding is far above level, as well as her ability to sound words out and her writing. She's great at addition and subtraction but still occasionally struggles with forming her numbers correctly. (but not her letters, seems strange to me but just trying to encourage). She constantly brings home a new art project to show me and her favorite part of school is "stations", especially when she gets to work on the computer.
-Up next? Doc says time to get her eyes checked, there may be glasses in her near future.
Favorites:
-activities: dance, reading, go to the movies, swimming, playing with sisters
-foods: pizza, ice cream, pancakes, cookies/all sweets, strawberries with fruit fluff, nutella/banana sandwiches
-toys: my little ponies, dress up clothes, legos, her Barbie house, books
-movies/shows: Frozen, Matilda, Barbie movies
My favorite moments:
-the way she wants to take care of her little sisters
-the way she's so sincere and sweet, she wears her heart on her sleeve. she's eager to please and so genuinely caring about everyone else.
-when she comes racing off the bus, so excited to tell me about her day
A
Newest Achievements: her teacher says she's doing great at school. She's brilliant but especially in the last few weeks has gotten better at taking turns, listening, following directions, etc. (instead of struggling to contain her endless energy)
-Up next? she can't wait to go to the drive in theater again. and maybe a soccer league.
Favorites:
-activities: go to the park, play with chalk, play with friends, tea parties, picnics, coloring pictures, building forts
-foods: ramen, rice, scrambled eggs, chicken pot pie, tomato soup/grilled cheese
-toys: art easel, play kitchen, stuffed animals, board games, look n find books
-movies/shows: Frozen, Tiana, Rapunzel, How to Train Your Dragon, "Raining Gumballs" (Bedtime Stories)
My favorite moments:
-"mom, what's my job? Can I do a job?" she loves to help me!
-her imagination. she tells stories and play pretend games with such vivid, incredible detail
-she's leaders of the pack. She's charming and can convince anyone to come play with her. she's also a huge flirt, generally preferring 15-17 year old boys.
E
Newest Achievements: potty trained! easiest child to potty train of the three. probably a lot to do with having big sisters.
-Up next? hopefully sleeping through the night and staying in her own bed again.
Favorites:
-activities: following her sisters around, cuddling mom, making a mess. Also, taking care of her babies, reading books, playing at the park
-foods: fruit snacks, goldfish, fruit leather, chicken nuggets, pancakes
-toys: Minnie Mouse (with clip on dresses), sit n spin, daddy tools, her little people castle, her army of stuffed animals (especially a nightlight turtle that sings her to sleep)
-movies/shows: Olaf (how she asks for "Frozen"), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Monsters University ("my kowski"=Mike Wasowski, one of the characters)
My favorite moments:
-she's incredibly polite and thoughtful and considerate. Her sweet "no thank you"s and "mommy you ok?"s and "thank you for my dinner"s are so sincere that they make me melt!
-when we are grocery shopping she sits in the seat and jabbers away. sometimes if I'm not paying enough attention to her, she will wrap her legs around my waist and pull me in closer to hug me while I study prices or whatever.
-the way she dances (she's got some crazy wiggle in her hips!)
-she loves to help me unload the dishwasher. and sort socks.
Our usual day:
I wake L up at 7:15 to get ready for school. The bus picks her up at 8:10 and A/E/me get ready for the day. We drop A off at school and head for the gym/errands. L gets home at 11:30 and we pick A up at noon. Once a week we have friends over for lunch and playdate. Now that it's warm, we go to the park 2-3 times a week. We play, do our chores and have a quiet time movie where E falls asleep on the couch, L watches the whole movie, resting and cuddling quietly and A struggles to sit still for that long. I try to get work done. Some evenings we go back to the gym or have something fun and social to do. We eagerly wait for Daddy to come home and usually eat later than we should (6:30-7). We start getting ready for bed (baths, jammies, teeth, potty) and settle in for stories, scriptures, happy&sads and prayers. Daddy usually does that part and if he's on the road we try to call him and include him over the phone. Lights out by 8:30 (instead of the 8:00 that I wish we could do) and then I sit in L's room to keep her in bed until she falls asleep. I then consider doing something productive and usually just putter, getting minimal work accomplished until I crash too.
except for weekends. those are chaos.
Newest Achievements:
-She can read. It's amazing to me how well she can read already. She still needs help, mostly just encouragement to sound it out but getting better and better every day. Her latest report card says her literary understanding is far above level, as well as her ability to sound words out and her writing. She's great at addition and subtraction but still occasionally struggles with forming her numbers correctly. (but not her letters, seems strange to me but just trying to encourage). She constantly brings home a new art project to show me and her favorite part of school is "stations", especially when she gets to work on the computer.
-Up next? Doc says time to get her eyes checked, there may be glasses in her near future.
Favorites:
-activities: dance, reading, go to the movies, swimming, playing with sisters
-foods: pizza, ice cream, pancakes, cookies/all sweets, strawberries with fruit fluff, nutella/banana sandwiches
-toys: my little ponies, dress up clothes, legos, her Barbie house, books
-movies/shows: Frozen, Matilda, Barbie movies
My favorite moments:
-the way she wants to take care of her little sisters
-the way she's so sincere and sweet, she wears her heart on her sleeve. she's eager to please and so genuinely caring about everyone else.
-when she comes racing off the bus, so excited to tell me about her day
A
Newest Achievements: her teacher says she's doing great at school. She's brilliant but especially in the last few weeks has gotten better at taking turns, listening, following directions, etc. (instead of struggling to contain her endless energy)
-Up next? she can't wait to go to the drive in theater again. and maybe a soccer league.
Favorites:
-activities: go to the park, play with chalk, play with friends, tea parties, picnics, coloring pictures, building forts
-foods: ramen, rice, scrambled eggs, chicken pot pie, tomato soup/grilled cheese
-toys: art easel, play kitchen, stuffed animals, board games, look n find books
-movies/shows: Frozen, Tiana, Rapunzel, How to Train Your Dragon, "Raining Gumballs" (Bedtime Stories)
My favorite moments:
-"mom, what's my job? Can I do a job?" she loves to help me!
-her imagination. she tells stories and play pretend games with such vivid, incredible detail
-she's leaders of the pack. She's charming and can convince anyone to come play with her. she's also a huge flirt, generally preferring 15-17 year old boys.
E
Newest Achievements: potty trained! easiest child to potty train of the three. probably a lot to do with having big sisters.
-Up next? hopefully sleeping through the night and staying in her own bed again.
Favorites:
-activities: following her sisters around, cuddling mom, making a mess. Also, taking care of her babies, reading books, playing at the park
-foods: fruit snacks, goldfish, fruit leather, chicken nuggets, pancakes
-toys: Minnie Mouse (with clip on dresses), sit n spin, daddy tools, her little people castle, her army of stuffed animals (especially a nightlight turtle that sings her to sleep)
-movies/shows: Olaf (how she asks for "Frozen"), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Monsters University ("my kowski"=Mike Wasowski, one of the characters)
My favorite moments:
-she's incredibly polite and thoughtful and considerate. Her sweet "no thank you"s and "mommy you ok?"s and "thank you for my dinner"s are so sincere that they make me melt!
-when we are grocery shopping she sits in the seat and jabbers away. sometimes if I'm not paying enough attention to her, she will wrap her legs around my waist and pull me in closer to hug me while I study prices or whatever.
-the way she dances (she's got some crazy wiggle in her hips!)
-she loves to help me unload the dishwasher. and sort socks.
Our usual day:
I wake L up at 7:15 to get ready for school. The bus picks her up at 8:10 and A/E/me get ready for the day. We drop A off at school and head for the gym/errands. L gets home at 11:30 and we pick A up at noon. Once a week we have friends over for lunch and playdate. Now that it's warm, we go to the park 2-3 times a week. We play, do our chores and have a quiet time movie where E falls asleep on the couch, L watches the whole movie, resting and cuddling quietly and A struggles to sit still for that long. I try to get work done. Some evenings we go back to the gym or have something fun and social to do. We eagerly wait for Daddy to come home and usually eat later than we should (6:30-7). We start getting ready for bed (baths, jammies, teeth, potty) and settle in for stories, scriptures, happy&sads and prayers. Daddy usually does that part and if he's on the road we try to call him and include him over the phone. Lights out by 8:30 (instead of the 8:00 that I wish we could do) and then I sit in L's room to keep her in bed until she falls asleep. I then consider doing something productive and usually just putter, getting minimal work accomplished until I crash too.
except for weekends. those are chaos.
L's 6th Birthday
Can you believe my baby is 6? Each day is so long but the weeks and months are flying.
Her birthday party was a few days before her actual birthday. It helps kick things off and drag it out (like we always do). :) So the girls and I spent that morning decorating her cake which turned out amazing! She had begged for a swimming birthday so we made the cake to fit the occasion. We smoothed the tall sides with blue frosting and decorated them with green seaweed and pink and purple coral. The blue icing on top was textured and swirled like the ocean's surface and in the middle, we plopped a big gray rock (made of extra cake and frosting). We found three small mermaid figurines, two of which we perched on the rock and one lounging in the water. Lastly, we added chocolate truffles in the shape of shells. It was perfect and she loved it. But I was especially proud of all the work she did to help.
Her party was held at a community pool with a private party room. So we swam for awhile first in the bathtub warm water and splashing around on the play equipment in the middle. Her cousins and a few friends were able to make it so she dashed around from friend to friend, swimming and having a great time. We gathered in the party room for pizza, cake and ice cream and presents. The poor birthday girl had rubbed chlorine into her eyes and was pretty upset and uncomfortable for awhile. But she perked up by the time we did cake and ice cream and she was thrilled with her gifts. Her little sister, A, was eager to help with gifts until she realized that she didn't have a gift to give and got really upset. I tried to tell her that the mom&dad gifts were from her too but she didn't agree. Her sincerity about it was really cute actually and she didn't settle down until I promised to take her shopping the next day and let her use her own money to buy her sister a birthday gift. (how amazing are my kids?!) L went crazy over all the cute clothes, earrings, books, the barbie jet ski and most especially, the legos her daddy had picked out. (like father, like daughter.) After presents, we swam some more and eventually headed home for baths and a movie time cuddle before bed.
On her "real" birthday, I had to wake her up early for school and then surprised her with birthday pancakes (pancakes with nutella, strawberry jam, whip cream and sprinkles). Once she was off to school, the little sisters and I ran to the store to buy a birthday treat to send to school (I found out last minute that it has to be prepackaged due to allergy restrictions.) The girls picked out the pink and white animal cookies (in bright 100th birthday celebration bags) and a birthday princess balloon. We dropped off the balloon and cookies so they could be delivered to her class and then hurried off to A's preschool and E's music class. When school was over, I picked up the girls plus L's best friend from school and we all went to lunch at her favorite place in town, the Train. They played with the lego table and train sets in between bites and we celebrated with milkshakes. Her friend and little sister A got to give her presents again and then we headed to the park to play for awhile. Thoroughly worn out, Daddy took the girls home to watch her new birthday movie and some Daddy/Daughters time while I had to leave for the scrapbook expo.
Happy birthday princess, I love you!
Her birthday party was a few days before her actual birthday. It helps kick things off and drag it out (like we always do). :) So the girls and I spent that morning decorating her cake which turned out amazing! She had begged for a swimming birthday so we made the cake to fit the occasion. We smoothed the tall sides with blue frosting and decorated them with green seaweed and pink and purple coral. The blue icing on top was textured and swirled like the ocean's surface and in the middle, we plopped a big gray rock (made of extra cake and frosting). We found three small mermaid figurines, two of which we perched on the rock and one lounging in the water. Lastly, we added chocolate truffles in the shape of shells. It was perfect and she loved it. But I was especially proud of all the work she did to help.
Her party was held at a community pool with a private party room. So we swam for awhile first in the bathtub warm water and splashing around on the play equipment in the middle. Her cousins and a few friends were able to make it so she dashed around from friend to friend, swimming and having a great time. We gathered in the party room for pizza, cake and ice cream and presents. The poor birthday girl had rubbed chlorine into her eyes and was pretty upset and uncomfortable for awhile. But she perked up by the time we did cake and ice cream and she was thrilled with her gifts. Her little sister, A, was eager to help with gifts until she realized that she didn't have a gift to give and got really upset. I tried to tell her that the mom&dad gifts were from her too but she didn't agree. Her sincerity about it was really cute actually and she didn't settle down until I promised to take her shopping the next day and let her use her own money to buy her sister a birthday gift. (how amazing are my kids?!) L went crazy over all the cute clothes, earrings, books, the barbie jet ski and most especially, the legos her daddy had picked out. (like father, like daughter.) After presents, we swam some more and eventually headed home for baths and a movie time cuddle before bed.
On her "real" birthday, I had to wake her up early for school and then surprised her with birthday pancakes (pancakes with nutella, strawberry jam, whip cream and sprinkles). Once she was off to school, the little sisters and I ran to the store to buy a birthday treat to send to school (I found out last minute that it has to be prepackaged due to allergy restrictions.) The girls picked out the pink and white animal cookies (in bright 100th birthday celebration bags) and a birthday princess balloon. We dropped off the balloon and cookies so they could be delivered to her class and then hurried off to A's preschool and E's music class. When school was over, I picked up the girls plus L's best friend from school and we all went to lunch at her favorite place in town, the Train. They played with the lego table and train sets in between bites and we celebrated with milkshakes. Her friend and little sister A got to give her presents again and then we headed to the park to play for awhile. Thoroughly worn out, Daddy took the girls home to watch her new birthday movie and some Daddy/Daughters time while I had to leave for the scrapbook expo.
Happy birthday princess, I love you!
SoCal Ragnar
In the past less-than-a-year-ish, I picked up this new favorite hobby: Ragnar. I do not consider myself a runner, although I wish I had the drive, discipline and physique of one. But I really love running Ragnar. I ran Wasatch Back in June and did Vegas in November. So a few months ago, I emailed a friend from college. I commented that I had seen his Ragnar pictures the year before and asked if there was any chance he was doing the SoCal Ragnar this year. Hurray! He was and I was quickly added to the team, along with my best friend and cousin. (However, my cousin had to drop due to family stuff. It was my first race without my him. I hated that he wasn't able to make it, especially since he's the one who got me started on Ragnar, and regularly gave him a hard time about it. But he scored
serious bonus points for running each of my legs with me, even at 800
miles away.)
So last Thursday morning found me leaving two of my kids in care of one of my amazing sisters and another kid with a different sister (divide and conquer for some one-on-one attention). My smokin' hot husband/official Ragnar driver, my best friend/running buddy, a random guy met through a friend of a friend and I piled into an enormous vehicle and drove south. In Vegas, we picked up two more runners. We met the rest of the team in LA to have dinner at the Olive Garden. At dinner, we acquainted ourselves with the new team, devoured mounds of salad and pasta and eventually crashed at a hotel for the night.
In lieu of story form, here's what I learned at the So Cal Ragnar this year:
1. It's basically the beginning of a good horror story. Random girl shows up in a parking lot, gets in a van with 11 other strangers and no one hears from her for 2 days. except it's awesome.
2. Ragnar Roulette is brilliant. Typically, each runner is assigned a position. Your 3 "legs" are preassigned to that position so you can study out your length, elevation, intensity, etc. and pace yourself. You know the order of people in which you will run every time and based on a pace calculator, you even know what time of day you will be running. You stay with the same van (each van having 6 people) throughout the race.
In Ragnar Roulette, all 12 runners approach the starting line ready to run. The announcer, seconds before yelling "Go!", draws a name and calls out the team's first runner. That person draws the second name and starts running. You keep drawing until all 12 runners of the first leg are assigned, you hop into vans and dive into the race. When runner 12 finishes their first leg, the name drawing begins all over again, possibly (and hopefully) mixing up the order, the van assignments and any expectations of what you might be hoping to run that day. It's awesome and was so fun. I got to to know more people on the team this way, there's plenty of teasing and guessing about what legs to run next and the surprise keeps it more challenging.
For the record, I ran 5.3, 4.8 and 3.5 miles for a total of 13.6 miles. Some teammates ran 12, some ran 20 and one guy ran 26. And he was the last minute, 2 day prior replacement runner we had to find. He's basically a legend now.
3. On your first leg, HOLD BACK. That super easy, down hill, so fast you can fly feeling of euphoria that racks up 7:30 minute miles (compared to my usual 9:30) will kick you in the face on your last leg. ...and the day after when your calves are replaced by rocks.
4. Do not mix foods from different countries within a single break.
Ragnar is basically spent running, sitting in a van talking to teammates while waiting to run or eating. Our first "break" (I was in van 2 so we had to kill time before we could start), we dropped off my husband at a meeting for work while we got some Starbucks and Subway breakfast and loitered his client's parking lot. During my second break there was more food including tacos which did not sit well during my run. During my third run, the glory of IHop. The other van did Carl's Jr., Denny's and Thai food. Post race: burgers at San Diego Brewery. And Slurpees. (of course.)
4b. If you have the best snack food ever, share with van 2. There were only two runners that I never got to "van up" with and therefore, never share my best-ever snack food. They heard about the awesomeness of my S'mores Snack Mix (thank you Costco) and are now holding a grudge until I redeem myself at our next race. We always end up with way more snack food than anyone could possibly eat but I'm never sure what I'll be wanting. but always bring pre-cut water melon. and goldfish crackers. And a cooler full of water and Gatorade.
5. Having a dedicated driver is always awesome. It absolves me of any driving/navigating/destination decision making. He is my 2 mile markers on each run, he brings me water, he cheers me on and he's my personal foot masseuse. Doesn't get much better than that.
6. A really good friend from college that you haven't seen or spoken to in 12 years (other than a little facebook stalking), is still a really good friend with a few hours of catching up conversation. :) Especially on a Ragnar. 1 hour of Ragnar time is pretty much the equivalent of 12 hours of civilian time when it comes to conversation depth/quality/bonding/etc.
6b. Don't run on a broken foot. But come along anyway. Cause after you limp in after that first "easy" leg, your team votes to ban you from running and you become driver #2 while your remaining legs are passed off to other runners. Fortunately, you still get to hang out with the team, renew friendships and at least you tried. And will forevermore be known for being just that hardcore.
7. The night run is always awesome.
8. During your night run, you may want to take a bodyguard along in case you run into a cheetah. Because your bodyguard can take care of that thing. But he can only kill it if he can do it without causing it any pain. Or on second thought, he can just run faster than you and the leopard will eat you instead.
8b. middle of the night conversations don't have to make sense.
8c. I was not part of that conversation.
8d. Having a bodyguard on you night run, still not a bad idea.
8e. Except that this particular bodyguard had such a wry sense of humor that I could never tell if he was kidding. I was fairly sure he didn't like me, then realized he was teasing me, acknowledged that he probably one of the best people I've ever met (genius, gentleman, sense of humor) and yet, still unsure if he was kidding or not. And he's this huge, military, could-snap-me-in-half kind of guy. good bodyguard material.
9. Loved the team I ran with. Seriously, we had a great time and I loved getting to know them. I thought my Wasatch or Vegas teams were fun and was willing to run with them again. But I LOVED this team. Already planning two more Ragnars with them. I loved the sense of humor, easy going attitude, race experience savvy, diverse backgrounds/personalities and team camaraderie.
10. Nothing beats a sunrise beach run. My last leg (which put me in van 1, running only 2 hours after my 2nd leg--loved that! not enough time to get stiff and sore but enough time to recover) was gorgeous. 1 mile in, I ditched my headphones and just ran listening to the crashing surf and waving hello to local joggers. It was beautiful, refreshing, reviving and definitely the most picturesque run I've ever done.
11. Sleep in for the weak.
just kidding. I love sleep. I got better-than-before sleep at the hotel during the night before the race (thursday) which helped a lot. My bf and I cuddled up and crashed in the back of our van for 2 hours ish during our night break (not good sleep though because we both woke up every 15-20 minutes). Night after finishing the race (saturday), we drove back as far as Vegas and slept 4 hours on a friend's floor. And then I tried to sleep on the drive home for a few hours (not much luck). After we got home, played with our kids for awhile, husband and I both fell asleep cuddling our kids, eventually stumbled to bed and end up sleeping almost 11 hours.
12. Do more hill training. After my previous 2 races, I was painfully sore for 3-4 days. This time, mostly just Sunday. By monday (day 2) I went to yoga, on tuesday I taught Pilates and was pretty much back on track. Until my bf suggested we run this evening. 3 miles and my calves were killing me. But I signed up for a half marathon in 2.5 weeks so time to keep training! I train mostly on a treadmill and research/experience is teaching me that hill training will keep my calves from locking up so bad. My other problem is that my hips tend to hurt by the time I'm done. Time for more yoga.
13. Parking at the finish line sucks. Being in van 1 for the 3rd leg meant I had been finished running for a few hours. Our van had breakfast, cleaned up a little, donned fresh clothes and hung around the finish line party for awhile. We checked out the booths, the gear tent and eventually sprawled out on the grass, yards away from a rocky, beautiful beach. Van 2 got stuck in traffic (just trying to park in the massive crowd) and didn't get in before our last runner crossed the finish line. Nevertheless, we collected our medals, waited for our team and took some team photos. We ranked 135th in our division with over 500 teams. Not too shabby, especially since we weren't at all competitive about the race.
Can't wait for next time!
So last Thursday morning found me leaving two of my kids in care of one of my amazing sisters and another kid with a different sister (divide and conquer for some one-on-one attention). My smokin' hot husband/official Ragnar driver, my best friend/running buddy, a random guy met through a friend of a friend and I piled into an enormous vehicle and drove south. In Vegas, we picked up two more runners. We met the rest of the team in LA to have dinner at the Olive Garden. At dinner, we acquainted ourselves with the new team, devoured mounds of salad and pasta and eventually crashed at a hotel for the night.
In lieu of story form, here's what I learned at the So Cal Ragnar this year:
1. It's basically the beginning of a good horror story. Random girl shows up in a parking lot, gets in a van with 11 other strangers and no one hears from her for 2 days. except it's awesome.
2. Ragnar Roulette is brilliant. Typically, each runner is assigned a position. Your 3 "legs" are preassigned to that position so you can study out your length, elevation, intensity, etc. and pace yourself. You know the order of people in which you will run every time and based on a pace calculator, you even know what time of day you will be running. You stay with the same van (each van having 6 people) throughout the race.
In Ragnar Roulette, all 12 runners approach the starting line ready to run. The announcer, seconds before yelling "Go!", draws a name and calls out the team's first runner. That person draws the second name and starts running. You keep drawing until all 12 runners of the first leg are assigned, you hop into vans and dive into the race. When runner 12 finishes their first leg, the name drawing begins all over again, possibly (and hopefully) mixing up the order, the van assignments and any expectations of what you might be hoping to run that day. It's awesome and was so fun. I got to to know more people on the team this way, there's plenty of teasing and guessing about what legs to run next and the surprise keeps it more challenging.
For the record, I ran 5.3, 4.8 and 3.5 miles for a total of 13.6 miles. Some teammates ran 12, some ran 20 and one guy ran 26. And he was the last minute, 2 day prior replacement runner we had to find. He's basically a legend now.
3. On your first leg, HOLD BACK. That super easy, down hill, so fast you can fly feeling of euphoria that racks up 7:30 minute miles (compared to my usual 9:30) will kick you in the face on your last leg. ...and the day after when your calves are replaced by rocks.
4. Do not mix foods from different countries within a single break.
Ragnar is basically spent running, sitting in a van talking to teammates while waiting to run or eating. Our first "break" (I was in van 2 so we had to kill time before we could start), we dropped off my husband at a meeting for work while we got some Starbucks and Subway breakfast and loitered his client's parking lot. During my second break there was more food including tacos which did not sit well during my run. During my third run, the glory of IHop. The other van did Carl's Jr., Denny's and Thai food. Post race: burgers at San Diego Brewery. And Slurpees. (of course.)
4b. If you have the best snack food ever, share with van 2. There were only two runners that I never got to "van up" with and therefore, never share my best-ever snack food. They heard about the awesomeness of my S'mores Snack Mix (thank you Costco) and are now holding a grudge until I redeem myself at our next race. We always end up with way more snack food than anyone could possibly eat but I'm never sure what I'll be wanting. but always bring pre-cut water melon. and goldfish crackers. And a cooler full of water and Gatorade.
5. Having a dedicated driver is always awesome. It absolves me of any driving/navigating/destination decision making. He is my 2 mile markers on each run, he brings me water, he cheers me on and he's my personal foot masseuse. Doesn't get much better than that.
6. A really good friend from college that you haven't seen or spoken to in 12 years (other than a little facebook stalking), is still a really good friend with a few hours of catching up conversation. :) Especially on a Ragnar. 1 hour of Ragnar time is pretty much the equivalent of 12 hours of civilian time when it comes to conversation depth/quality/bonding/etc.
6b. Don't run on a broken foot. But come along anyway. Cause after you limp in after that first "easy" leg, your team votes to ban you from running and you become driver #2 while your remaining legs are passed off to other runners. Fortunately, you still get to hang out with the team, renew friendships and at least you tried. And will forevermore be known for being just that hardcore.
7. The night run is always awesome.
8. During your night run, you may want to take a bodyguard along in case you run into a cheetah. Because your bodyguard can take care of that thing. But he can only kill it if he can do it without causing it any pain. Or on second thought, he can just run faster than you and the leopard will eat you instead.
8b. middle of the night conversations don't have to make sense.
8c. I was not part of that conversation.
8d. Having a bodyguard on you night run, still not a bad idea.
8e. Except that this particular bodyguard had such a wry sense of humor that I could never tell if he was kidding. I was fairly sure he didn't like me, then realized he was teasing me, acknowledged that he probably one of the best people I've ever met (genius, gentleman, sense of humor) and yet, still unsure if he was kidding or not. And he's this huge, military, could-snap-me-in-half kind of guy. good bodyguard material.
9. Loved the team I ran with. Seriously, we had a great time and I loved getting to know them. I thought my Wasatch or Vegas teams were fun and was willing to run with them again. But I LOVED this team. Already planning two more Ragnars with them. I loved the sense of humor, easy going attitude, race experience savvy, diverse backgrounds/personalities and team camaraderie.
10. Nothing beats a sunrise beach run. My last leg (which put me in van 1, running only 2 hours after my 2nd leg--loved that! not enough time to get stiff and sore but enough time to recover) was gorgeous. 1 mile in, I ditched my headphones and just ran listening to the crashing surf and waving hello to local joggers. It was beautiful, refreshing, reviving and definitely the most picturesque run I've ever done.
11. Sleep in for the weak.
just kidding. I love sleep. I got better-than-before sleep at the hotel during the night before the race (thursday) which helped a lot. My bf and I cuddled up and crashed in the back of our van for 2 hours ish during our night break (not good sleep though because we both woke up every 15-20 minutes). Night after finishing the race (saturday), we drove back as far as Vegas and slept 4 hours on a friend's floor. And then I tried to sleep on the drive home for a few hours (not much luck). After we got home, played with our kids for awhile, husband and I both fell asleep cuddling our kids, eventually stumbled to bed and end up sleeping almost 11 hours.
12. Do more hill training. After my previous 2 races, I was painfully sore for 3-4 days. This time, mostly just Sunday. By monday (day 2) I went to yoga, on tuesday I taught Pilates and was pretty much back on track. Until my bf suggested we run this evening. 3 miles and my calves were killing me. But I signed up for a half marathon in 2.5 weeks so time to keep training! I train mostly on a treadmill and research/experience is teaching me that hill training will keep my calves from locking up so bad. My other problem is that my hips tend to hurt by the time I'm done. Time for more yoga.
13. Parking at the finish line sucks. Being in van 1 for the 3rd leg meant I had been finished running for a few hours. Our van had breakfast, cleaned up a little, donned fresh clothes and hung around the finish line party for awhile. We checked out the booths, the gear tent and eventually sprawled out on the grass, yards away from a rocky, beautiful beach. Van 2 got stuck in traffic (just trying to park in the massive crowd) and didn't get in before our last runner crossed the finish line. Nevertheless, we collected our medals, waited for our team and took some team photos. We ranked 135th in our division with over 500 teams. Not too shabby, especially since we weren't at all competitive about the race.
Can't wait for next time!
scrapbook expo girls weekend
We decided it was long overdue for a girls weekend away and the scrapbook expo was the perfect excuse. Mom and I arrived to meet my two fabulous sisters (my brothers' wives) and we dove into the chaos. The Scrapbook Expo is a huge event and packed with people, tables and booths accompanied with nonstop party music, games, contests and festivities.
We found ourselves a table, set up our equipment (we all brought laptops and external drives to work with, having mostly converted from paper scrapbooking). My sisters and I wandered the booths first, checking out all the fun merchandise for sale (both scrapbooking and botique-type). We entered the raffles drawings, samples some sweets and eventually joined mom back at the table (she was nursing a bad injury and kept her movement to a minimum). Mom has been digital scrapbooking for a few years and she's the pro teaching the rest of us. I started last year but with little time to work on it, I haven't made much progress. My sisters were still organizing photos, downloading software and getting settled into their new hobby. So while they may have not produced pages, it was still time well spent. We scrapped until late, laughing and snacking on all the sweets we brought. We eventually left to check into our hotel and get some sleep.
The next day, we woke up early-ish to enjoy the hotel's breakfast and headed right back to the expo for a full day of scrapbooking. We brought plenty of snacks, met some friends and got a lot done while we talked and played. Another scrapper introduced us to her brilliant toy, a small portable scanner that could scan a 12 in pages in sections without reducing it (as a full size copier does) and then digitally matched it back up perfectly. We loved her little tool and her fun personality and and immediately set to searching for one on amazon. We worked until 6 when the expo ended and then we packed up our gear and went out for a fantastic dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. We had brilliantly decided to spend a second night in order to get in some girl time. We spent the evening in our hotel room, scrapping, talking and watching whatever chick flick we could find on tv. It was wonderful to spend some time together, getting to scrap and enjoy each other's company without any responsibilities or kids.
Sunday we slept in, went to breakfast and eventually headed home. Looking forward to next year already!
We found ourselves a table, set up our equipment (we all brought laptops and external drives to work with, having mostly converted from paper scrapbooking). My sisters and I wandered the booths first, checking out all the fun merchandise for sale (both scrapbooking and botique-type). We entered the raffles drawings, samples some sweets and eventually joined mom back at the table (she was nursing a bad injury and kept her movement to a minimum). Mom has been digital scrapbooking for a few years and she's the pro teaching the rest of us. I started last year but with little time to work on it, I haven't made much progress. My sisters were still organizing photos, downloading software and getting settled into their new hobby. So while they may have not produced pages, it was still time well spent. We scrapped until late, laughing and snacking on all the sweets we brought. We eventually left to check into our hotel and get some sleep.
The next day, we woke up early-ish to enjoy the hotel's breakfast and headed right back to the expo for a full day of scrapbooking. We brought plenty of snacks, met some friends and got a lot done while we talked and played. Another scrapper introduced us to her brilliant toy, a small portable scanner that could scan a 12 in pages in sections without reducing it (as a full size copier does) and then digitally matched it back up perfectly. We loved her little tool and her fun personality and and immediately set to searching for one on amazon. We worked until 6 when the expo ended and then we packed up our gear and went out for a fantastic dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. We had brilliantly decided to spend a second night in order to get in some girl time. We spent the evening in our hotel room, scrapping, talking and watching whatever chick flick we could find on tv. It was wonderful to spend some time together, getting to scrap and enjoy each other's company without any responsibilities or kids.
Sunday we slept in, went to breakfast and eventually headed home. Looking forward to next year already!
field trip, new aquarium!
Today we took a field trip to the new aquarium. My three girls and I were joined by my bf and her two kids who are staying with me this week. We drove down to the valley and met Grandma plus my brother and his amazing family for lunch at Cafe Rio. The kids were so excited to see each other and were remarkably well behaved.
At the aquarium, each of the kids grabbed a map and looked quiet adorable as mini guide experts carrying maps nearly as tall as they themselves. The loved racing from one exhibit to another, peering into the tanks and trying to spot the creatures. We started in the South American hall and got ourselves into a groove. I brought the stroller for E who was rather possessive and belligerently reluctant to share with her friend who would slip into it every time she clamored out. E's favorite display (according to most enthused and fascinated response) was the toucans and the jellyfish. A went nuts over the sea lions and baby sea horses. L loved the touch tank and got to touch a starfish and a stingray who won the vote for her favorite. All of the kids were fascinated by the shark exhibit which included a glass hallway with a full view of a variety of animals. Another favorite moment was when were at the penguin exhibit. We sat for a while, watching and laughing as the penguins dashed around. One penguin was racing along through the water, when he turned abruptly coming straight towards us, nearly kissing one of the girls through the glass. She shrieked in surprise. The also loved the little mini-tunnels in the Utah exhibit and had a blast in the gift shop. A and E both latched onto an adorable pink sea horse and I also caved because they were being so sweet. Eventually we played outside for awhile, eager to run and play with cousins, dig around in the nearby sand piles and relish the sunshine.
At the aquarium, each of the kids grabbed a map and looked quiet adorable as mini guide experts carrying maps nearly as tall as they themselves. The loved racing from one exhibit to another, peering into the tanks and trying to spot the creatures. We started in the South American hall and got ourselves into a groove. I brought the stroller for E who was rather possessive and belligerently reluctant to share with her friend who would slip into it every time she clamored out. E's favorite display (according to most enthused and fascinated response) was the toucans and the jellyfish. A went nuts over the sea lions and baby sea horses. L loved the touch tank and got to touch a starfish and a stingray who won the vote for her favorite. All of the kids were fascinated by the shark exhibit which included a glass hallway with a full view of a variety of animals. Another favorite moment was when were at the penguin exhibit. We sat for a while, watching and laughing as the penguins dashed around. One penguin was racing along through the water, when he turned abruptly coming straight towards us, nearly kissing one of the girls through the glass. She shrieked in surprise. The also loved the little mini-tunnels in the Utah exhibit and had a blast in the gift shop. A and E both latched onto an adorable pink sea horse and I also caved because they were being so sweet. Eventually we played outside for awhile, eager to run and play with cousins, dig around in the nearby sand piles and relish the sunshine.
field trip: Muppets Most Wanted
Grandma and I took the girls on a family date to see the new movie Muppets Most Wanted. We brought along one of their friends that has been staying with us as well. The girls were ecstatic to go to a theater and were so excited to see their beloved Muppets. We had perfect seats, having arrived with no one else there yet. Once it started the girls complained (as always) about the volume, rather adorably covering their ears and shrinking away. But they eventually settled in. A's favorite part came early: the previews for How to Train Your Dragon 2 which she has talked about ever since. They devoured their popcorn, eagerly asking for refills and loving the movie as it started. But it quickly changed and the girls ended up rather upset, even asking to leave because they didn't like the scary parts. They were confused about the plot and couldn't get over "the bad Kermit". So watching their favorite character act like a bad guy just upset them. We made it to the end, mostly because I kept promising what would happen in the very predictable plot and trying to make light of the scary parts. Overall I don't think we will see it again but we had a good time. After the movie we went to Arby's for a quick dinner, delighting in milkshakes for dessert before calling it a night.
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