Pre-Ejacupublishing, Treadmill, Winner and Other Stuff!

Some of you might have noticed that there was a post from me this morning or late last night but NO new post.  Well, that would be because I didn't mean to publish my post last night.  It was an accident and I'm so thankful that I had a few comments come through from the late nighters or morning folks if you live in Australia (Char).  These comments were quite funny and they also alerted me that my tired brain had had a fart and published my blog in its skeleton form.  When I don't have time or the desire to write a blog but I have a list of things I'd like to write about for when I do find the time, I start a new post but just list some of the things on my mind. The Bones of a post. Usually I remember to "SAVE AS DRAFT" but last night I hit "PUBLISH" and the following post was up for about 20 minutes (you'll notice the first two or three comments in this post are referring to my mistake):

*  got treadmill
*  delivery guy said it was heaviest...asked me why ?  Kara Goucher
*  10 miles in a.m 3 at night.  13 mile day
*  Treadmill has way too many bells and whistles than necessary but it is a fun new toy and I won't complain
*  Got tickets to Boston.


winner
Amanda

So yes, Char, it was a great Monday!  And Raina, I included this "skeleton post" just for your amusement.  Thanks for the laugh ladies.  

• Yes, we got out treadmill delivered yesterday!  Wahoo!  And yes, it does have WAY more bells and whistles than necessary but my husband convinces me that if we are going to have something for many many years and use it all the time then we might as well enjoy it and have some perks.  Perks it has!  I'm not entirely sure all that it can do but I'll keep you posted.  All I know is that last night I ran some where in Hawaii with some sexy man talking to me every mile or so.  It was beautiful and if it wasn't for the cold, dingy, cluttered garage, I MIGHT have actually believed that I was running in Hawaii.  Let's just hope that it lasts a looooong time!  

• Yesterday I ran 10 miles at the gym in the morning and then I couldn't resist getting in an easy 3 miles on my new treadmill last night.  It made for a 13 mile day but my legs didn't feel right last night.  So, today I'm taking it EASY.  

• We are in the process of creating our running zone.  As many of you might expect, I'll be creating some vision boards and really making the space around my treadmill be filled with images that inspire and motivate me!  Most likely I'll put up my goals and pictures that make me feel strong and focused.  If I'm going to be staring at my garage wall for mile after mile, I might as well be focusing on some good stuff!  Yes? Yes!  

Space in progress! 

• When the delivery guy was unloading this baby, he seemed rather surprised that it was for me.  He said that usually people ordering treadmills are trying to lose weight.  When I told him that I was training for a marathon and like to run but it is hard to fit it all in with small children at home, he told me that he had just delivered some goods to Kara Goucher.  Sweet!  Kara and I share a delivery man!  Too bad we don't share the same speed. When I called Kara up to tell her that we share a delivery guy, here was her reaction: 

Kara is excited that we share a delivery guy!  

• I bought my tickets to Boston two nights ago.  Stupid me though.  I wasn't really thinking clearly when I bought them and I didn't see that there were nonstop flights that get us there much earlier.  And as so many of us know, once you buy your flights (especially from Travelocity), it costs an arm and a leg to change them.  Even with travel protection.  Apparently, according to the fine print, you'd have to be deathly ill, have someone die or you yourself die in order to change or cancel your flight.  So really, next time, the travel protection plan?  Not worth it.  We won't get into Boston until 11:30 p.m on Saturday.  At least the time zone difference will still allow us to get a good nights sleep since we can sleep in on Sunday and just take it easy.

• Motherhood.  We are all stocked up on library books for the month.  Our count is 30 books.  Yes, I have to keep count and make sure that the library books stay together after we read them but it is worth it.  It is always so fun to stock up on library books.  So fun for all of us!  And especially nice for me to read something different for a change.  We ended up getting more than usual this time because I included the books that I will use for the story hour I'll be doing next month.  I LOVE Libraries!  

• Winner Winner Jewelry Dinner!  And the winner of the jewelry giveaway is......

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:26Powered by RANDOM.OR

And #26 is  Jerilee E from Mom's Gone Running!  

Congrats Jerilee!  Please contact me and I'll get you connected with Keeping the Faith Creations!  

Oh, and I'm convinced that a rolling pin is way better for me to roll my legs (IT Band, calves, quads, hammies) out rather than using my roller.  Seriously...no joke.  I went to have coffee with my mom this morning and this baby did the trick!  

Off to get a light run in IF my son ends up falling asleep.  No such luck yet.  PLEASE do the nap dance for me.  I'm quickly running out of time here. 

1.  Do you own a treadmill?  How do you feel about running on a treadmill?  

2.  Moms, do you "stock up" on library books or just get a few?

3.  Bloggers, anyone ever accidentally publish a post that wasn't meant to be published?  How long was it up before you noticed?  

Eugene, Elliptigo, Running With Raina and Fighting Over Elevator Buttons!

Eugene, Oregon.  Track Town USA.  Yep, pretty much a running mecca around there.  The whole family traveled down to Eugene from Portland to be with my husband on a work trip. What a great place to be if you're a runner.  We happened to get lucky with the weather so I was able to explore the city a bit, meet up with dear friend Raina from Small Town Runner (and her kids), run several times and visit some cool places in Eugene.  I saw many hard core looking runners EVERYWHERE I went.  Seriously, on our trail run this morning while pushing my double jogger and following my daughter on her Pinkalicious bike (I know you want one), I saw so many fast looking runners. The runners that looked like they probably get paid big bucks to run. I definitely felt like I was on some sort of fitness/running planet.  I even saw this one lady run by us with her friend who was on an Elliptigo...google this and you'll know what I mean.  It was the first time I've ever seen such a thing.  These people are serious about their fitness!  

Running

• This week was one of those weeks that I needed to truly do as I said I would and listen to my body and pull back a bit.  Instead of the 55 miles I had wanted to hit, I will probably end up with about 43 or so.  In the beginning of the week, my feet were just not feeling right.  I spent a couple days really babying them...icing and rolling with the golf ball.  I ran a very light 3 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday and then started picking back up a bit.  Amazing what just a small break will do for your body!  Listen to your body folks...it will tell you what you need to know.   
• On my birthday morning I was lucky to find that the hotel fitness room was Empty.  The kids sat on some workout equipment and watched Sesame Street (kind of) while I celebrated 33 years of life by doing 3.3 miles on the treadmill, 1 set of 33 pushups, 33 sit ups, 33 lunges, 33 calf raises and I only got 33 grey hairs from yelling at my kids to stop fighting. 
• My birthday night brought with it a meet up with Raina and her family for pizza.  Raina and I even got to get away on a nice almost 6 mile run at a good conversational pace.  It was so nice to have the opportunity to run together and have so much to talk about.  I feel like I've known her forever!  Thanks Friend!
• We ended our trip in Eugene with a family run on some of the trails and then I took off and ran some miles on my own.  What a gorgeous place to run! 

On my run close to Pre's Trail

Motherhood

• What is it about kids, hotels and their knock down, elbow jabbing, hair pulling fights over who gets to push the darn elevator buttons first?!  Or be the one to use the key to the hotel room?  We had several melt-downs this week.  All of us.  We finally had to figure out a system where we decided who got to do what BEFORE we left the room or came into the hotel.  
• I'm pretty impressed with my oldest daughter (6 years old) and her ability to ride for many miles on her  bike so that I can get my runs in.  She kept up quite well this week!  The other kids did a good job hanging out in the jogger stroller.  
• This weekend we have a holiday photo session with her our favorite photographer.  So, of course, this was the week that all three of my kids got some pretty big blows to their face!  My oldest had an accident with a massive plastic swing and ended up slamming both her lips so hard that they were quite beat up.  They are still swollen and she has some red scabs on the top lip.  My son slammed my younger daughter into a table corner right as we were leaving to meet up with Raina at the Science Factory. This brought on quite the bump. JOY. 
• Is there such a thing as the Frightening Fours?  Forget the Terrible Twos or Threes.  My four year old daughter is having some huge TEMPER issues lately.  This too shall pass but WOWZERS...can we say temper tantrum?  This is new territory for me.  She can also be the sweetest kid I've ever seen. Let's just hope that this is normal for four and not a split personality issue.  
• One of the great things about spending so much time with Raina this week is that we each have three kids almost the exact same ages.  She has some pretty amazing kiddos and they all played together quite well!  We miss them.  

This picture is the best I could get at the end of the day.  One kid is missing, one is roaring like a lion, and who knows what everyone else is doing.

1.  What about you?  Have you ever seen an Elliptigo?  Would you ever want one? I actually think they look kind of silly.  I don't think I would ever want one nor would I have the desire to take one of those things around my neighborhood.  If I need an elliptical, I'll hit the gym.  

2.  Have you made some real life friendships through the blog world that you never expected?  

3.  Who is racing this weekend??  I know of a few and I can't wait to read race reports!  

Amanda

Dear Dad, I'm 33

Dear Dad,


You've been on my mind a lot lately.  I went to bed thinking of you last night.  It was my last night as a 32 year old and I thought of how you were only 33 when you died.  So young.  All my life, until just recently, I thought of you as the age you would be if you were still alive. Older, wiser and set in your ways. A father...my father... as I am now...not when I was four. I imagined you as the age of my friends' fathers.  Always growing as I grew.  But now here I am...33 years young today and I see things from a completely different perspective. 


You were so young when you died.  You were just starting to run again after your accident where you were told that you would probably never walk again.  


To be able to RUN again. What peace you must have felt before your death.  
Resolution.
JOY
Calm.
Victory.


As I begin my 33rd year of life, I think of you and how your life ended at 33.  I still wish that I would have known you.  How I would love to go on a run with you or have you join me in a race or two.  Maybe even Boston. But even though you are not here physically, I feel you from time to time when I am running. I know you're there.

This was definitely a moment I felt you on my run.   I

I will probably always feel that catch in my heart when I talk about you to others or when I think of how much I wish I would have been able to know you and grow up with you in my life.  For many years, I felt embarrassed to grieve over someone that I couldn't even remember.  I felt silly to be sad about a father that died when I was only 4.  I felt like I didn't have the right to feel loss.  Like I should suck it up and deal with it because others have it far worse.  It took me until I was almost 18 to really acknowledge the pain that came from losing my dad, a man I once adored and waited all day to wrap my arms around.  And now so much of this blog has been about processing my feelings, being vulnerable, telling my story, forgiving and sharing my reflections.  So much of my strength and resilience is a gift from you.  Thank you. 


Thank you for giving me life.  It has been an extraordinary one and only continues to get better!  I wish I would have known you but in a sense, I guess I do.  So much of you is in me.  Perhaps you really will be running with me in Boston.  I'll listen for you. 


Here's to 33!  Hope this is only the beginning of a long and happy life.  


I love you,
Mandy

Other related posts that relate to this story:
Passion Determination and The Will To Run
The Deepest Part of My Running Heart--Running For HIM
October 19, 1982--A New Perspective of Death, Motherhood and Children

The last paragraph of one of my last posts above would be fitting right now too:
"I'm not feeling sad today.  Just thoughtful.  And Thankful.  As I process this powerful moment in my life yet again, I realize just how different my almost 33 year old perspective is from my almost 4 year old perspective.  Wonder how I'll see things differently in the years to come. "