Nashville Women's Half Marathon recap, Running for my Dad

So, after a week of wondering what my father's outlook was from day to day, by Friday he was doing a bit better and I knew that I could take my well-earned trip to Nashville with the girls.  It was a whirlwind of a week, with little sleep, lots of stress, a sick boy, and zero exercise.  I wasn't expecting to reach my original goal at the race (sub-2hr half), but I was hoping to beat my previous pr of 2:13.  So I left the kids with hubby, hopped on a plane, and set off for a weekend of fun with my team, the Steel Magnolias!

I think my Friday was doomed from the beginning, unfortunately.  I couldn't find a Starbucks in my airport, so I had to painfully wait until my layover.  There, I ordered a ginormous latte with soy milk (I'm lactose intolerant), and set on my way happily.  Got picked up at the airport by my friends, we were set to have a good time.....and it hit me.  They must have put regular milk in my drink.  And my body was NOT happy.  At all.  I laid down in the back seat the entire drive and hoped I wouldn't vomit in my friend's car. (Gee, thanks for driving me!  I think I'll puke in your back seat!)  So yeah, not a great start.  We got to the hotel and I suffered my way through the expo, which was a good bit smaller than last year's.  But I guess that was a good thing for someone trying to get out of it, huh?  We set off to dinner, and I had to turn around before we made it a block.  I ate a few bites of a sandwich, took a nap, and woke up in time to get ready for bed.  NOT how I wanted to spend the night before working towards a half PR.

I woke up on Saturday feeling good.  Weak, but good.  Put on my Team Sparkle skirt, ate a Clif bar, and chatted with the girls.  I didn't get my morning coffee because I was scared (still am) of going back to Starbucks!  But shit, I had already broken all of my pre-race rules, why not continue the trend, right?  So we headed down to the start line on what seemed to be a beautiful morning.  Just like last year, you could feel the excitement in the air!  Women were chattering, compliments were being thrown left and right, and the feeling of all those powerful women invigorated me.  I loooove being surrounded by healthy, self-confident, STRONG women.  My soul needed it. 

Pre-race silliness ensues

 We lined up for the race together being a very tall man in a very fluffy fairy outfit, and the excitement was high.  We started in the front of corral 2 instead of the middle of corral 3 like last year, and I was so glad.  We actually got to RUN in the first quarter mile, and that's always a plus in a large race!  I was off and dedicating my race to my father.  I felt okay, but I didn't see a PR at all in my future.  I just didn't get enough calories the past few days.

I immediately got in the groove with my favorite running pal T, and we pushed through the first part with good feelings.  In the pre-race emails, WHM had said that the two massive hills at the end had been taken out this year.  They didn't seem to mention that they replaced them with some big hills in the beginning.  So up we went!  Living in NY gave me some good hill training, but I've apparently lost it all in pancake-flat Charlotte.  But we kept trucking and were actually pushing towards a PR for both of us!  The water stops were often and very well-manned, and I grabbed two cups at each to make up for my previous dehydration.  It was working, and I was feeling better with every step.  We got pumped up by some fun musical acts, but there was one that was just plain depressing.  When we passed, he was singing a slow twangy "Everything is gone, my life is gone", and we actually laughed at how inappropriate it was.  But we pressed on.  Soon, T started feeling a bit tired and urged me to go ahead.  She's a fellow Tough Chik and a true badass, but she's an even better friend and I could tell she wanted me to take off.  It was the only reason that I left her, and from mile 9 I set off on my own.  I pushed my pace up a good bit and felt great.  I thought about my dad and sent him all of my energy and strength.  I pushed harder and harder, and in the last half mile I was sprinting like a boss.  I felt like I would puke, but I didn't want to give up.  I hit the finish line at 2:06:47 for a seven minute PR!!!!!  I felt SO incredible!  Six minutes later, T came across the line for another PR, and we watched all of our team cross the line, met up with friends, and celebrated.  I ate one of everything at the finish line and began feeling like a normal human being again, and we celebrated with huge hamburgers and beers.

Post-race team pic--I love my Steel Magnolias!

Just like last year, I loved the race.  The WHM is always uplifting, friendly, well-organized, and incredibly fun.  I love seeing the women cross the finish line empowered and loving life.  I also got to spend a lot of time with T and some other friends from home that I really miss like crazy.  I'm so grateful that I had this weekend, even with my nasty Friday night.  My soul got a much-needed cleaning out, I bonded with some of my best friends, and I got to run hard and strong for my dad.  I'm already planning for next year!

On my dad's note, I will be flying out to CA to be with him this week.  He needs family around, and the boy and I will take this chance to be with him.  Hubby and the kiddo will stay back for school and work, and hopefully it will be a nice, healing week for my father and everyone involved.  I'll be bringing the jogger and hoping for a few times to go out and breathe in some ocean air with the boy while running on a boardwalk or two.  Thank goodness for running, and especially thank goodness for family!  Please keep him and all of us in your thoughts and prayers.

Three Things Thursday, Debbie Downer edition

1.  My father was taken to the hospital on Tuesday for a severe seizure.  He was getting ready to see his doc to get the beginnings of his cultures done for an esophageal cancer screening, and before they could make it to the car they had to call 911.  He also went into kidney failure and his blood pressure wouldn't stabilize.  He's still in ICU now, but his kidneys are finally functioning again and his blood pressure is holding stable, plus they say that he physically LOOKS a bit better.  Everything is a win at this point.  I've had a rocky relationship with my father in the past, but we've reconciled and started to rebuild over the past few years, and I really want to spend more time getting to know him again.  He's a good man, and hopefully he'll keep fighting as hard as he has been and he'll come out of it.  But there's no way to know, we can just keep hoping and praying right now.  Please keep him in your thoughts.

2.  Before that (and still) I've had a sick toddler, so my life has been workout-less completely.  Whatever.  I'll get back on it when I get back on it, and hopefully this weekend I'll be attending a super awesome Women's Half Marathon with two of my best friends instead of flying in last-minute to California for bad news.  If I make it to that race, every step I run on Saturday will be sending my healing thoughts to my father.  I hope it helps.

3.  I have more suckiness than this in my life right now, but there's no point in talking about it all.  So, number three is for you to fill in with something that doesn't suck.  Leave me a comment with something awesome that is happening for you right now.  I love to hear successes and happinesses (is that a word?) from the people around me.  And that's not being fake or trite, I seriously just like seeing those I care about be happy.  Plus, maybe your positivity will rub off on me, so give it a try...tell me something great!


(This is where I'd put a picture of my dad that I had from our get-together last year, but some asshole hacked my computer a while back and I just found out that my photo folder is empty.  Because I need more crappiness right now, right??)

Five things a HipFit mom can't live without

I wanted to do a Fitness Friday, but it's been a crazy day and I'm stuck writing my post in the (parked) car as I wait in the pickup line at the girl's school. So as I ran out of the house with my hands full of the regular stuff, I figured I'd do a unique version of Five Things Friday and tell you what that stuff it is and why it's so dang important for a healthy, eco-conscious mama to have on hand.

1. My ginormous lidded cup. I obviously drink a ton of water, especially on long workout days, but a plain water bottle with plain water gets plain boring. So I got this big mamma jamma:

Bubbly deliciousness!

In it now is bubbly water from our Soda Club machine (loooove), but it also holds my morning protein shake, iced coffee, and iced fruit teas. It keeps me from buying drinks while out, so no wasting money OR plastic bottles!

2. A headband. No, this isn't a plug for myself, especially since I still don't have my Etsy shop open yet and the boy thinks he should use the sewing machine when I turn it on now. I just honestly don't leave home without one on hand. If I don't have time to fix my hair, it saves me. If its windy, I'm set. When I work out, it gives me the extra oomph of being cute and no sweat in the eyes. I lurve them foreva.

3. Mary Kay lip gloss. I don't have big pouty lips, and I'm a messy, quick-moving person, so lipstick is out. But I still like moisture and some sparkle, what girl doesn't?? This does the job. It isn't animal-tested, it doesn't suck the natural moisture out of your lips like some do, and the company supports hard-working, often times stay-at-home moms, yay!  I wear it on that super rare date with hubby and I wear it to the gym and everything in between. I'm wearing it now!

4. Stainless steel water bottle and small snack pack for the kids. Because seriously, the kids are ALWAYS hungry. I generally have pretzels, healthy crackers,twist top applesauce, fruit leather (new addiction), all stuff that isn't bothered by weather.  It keeps me from having to buy them junk food when we're out running errands.  The kids also always backwash, so there's no way they're sharing my drink!  The nice stainless steel bottles (think SIGG, Crocodile Creek, etc) are cute, eco-friendly, and keep the water clean and yummy. My snack pack varies from a handmade baggie to a bpa-free sandwich box to just a bunch of packaged crap floating in my purse.  Not always pretty, but prettier than a hungry child!

This is my kitchen, I get to finish the post at home!

5.  My mini first aid kit.  These two kids are wild ones--they love to get dirty and raise hell.  It's awesome and fun for sure, and I could care less if they're filthy (filthy = happy, right?) but sometimes it just doesn't end well.  If I don't have cute band aids and a little alcohol cleaning wipe at all times, I'm probably screwed.  Often, I'm giving them away to another mom, which means I can save the day.  And saving the day is fun!  I don't keep much more than that in there, so I can put the case in even my smallest bag.  Good ideas for a small case that you already have at home--plastic baggie, snack container, tiny hotel sewing kit.  Mine was a cheap case given by hubby's company, smaller than my hand.  Perfect!

There you go, a few things I never leave home without.  And except for my big drink, they all fit in my not-very-big shoulder bag with all of my other random junk.  You don't need tons of space to always be prepared!

What are your go-to's?  I'd love to find more crap to need!  Have a happy weekend, and enjoy the beginnings of Fall!!!

Three Things Thursday

1.  I'm getting seriously nervous about my Spartan Beast.  Like, nervous enough to not want to do it.  I think my biggest reason is because I'm going it ALONE, which I've never done in an obstacle race before.  Plus I got the entry for free (volunteering at a Spartan is worth it!), so I keep telling myself I'm not "losing" money, hehe.  But then again, we've already made camping reservations down there and I really need to put myself to work like I said I would and follow through.  I think I'd rather get my arse handed to me in the race than to chicken out and feel like a complete turd for the rest of the year.  So yeah, I guess I need to step it up this next month!

2.  I've been overeating again since hubby has been gone the past two weeks.  It's totally unhealthy and I know it, but unfortunately I'm just an emotional eater, always have been.  I'm working hard at making sure my late night snacks (my biggest problem area!) are at least healthy ones.  Last night I wanted Doritos.  Like, seriously neeeeded them.  Instead I had organic while grain chips with homemade salsa.  The chips were mostly just crunchy spoons for mass amounts of veggies, so it was a bit better and calmed my craving.  Look at the image below and see if you're an emotional eater like me.  If so, it's a hard habit to break but you can start by making changes in WHAT you eat.  Tonight I've reserved myself to red pepper slices and Korean black bean dip.  Because I know I'll do it, I might as well plan what I'm allowed to eat and go to bed feeling like less of a glutton.

3.  I just heard about another woman getting harassed while running alone.  At least she didn't get hurt, but it was still sexual harassment and quite scary, and I happen to know her personally.  Every time I hear another story like this (or way worse), I get more scared.  I know that many women runners try to stay "empowered" through it all and take back their strength, blah, blah, blah....but honestly, it just scares the bujeezus out of me.  I've got my running pepper spray for trail running, but I've mostly just cut out trail running completely if alone.  I now choose to stick with one of the two places that I know is always populated and safe, no matter how boring the scenery gets over time.  I'd rather be bored than possibly unsafe any day!  I never ever run in the dark, unless it's through a well-lit neighborhood and still during normal waking hours.  It will get harder as it gets dark earlier, but I don't really care.  I'll miss the miles if need be or cram them in on a dreadmill.  I know some of you don't have the latter option, but I really think that it's getting scarier out there for female runners, and we all need to know how to stay safe.  For me, it's being overly cautious to the point of paranoid.  But like I said, I'd rather be bored than hurt.  So as the darkness comes and the trails get less populated, start thinking of ways RIGHT NOW that you can keep yourself safe this fall/winter.  You'll be glad you did when the time comes!

Let me know how you stay safe while running.  It's always good to hear new ideas!

Whiny Wednesday

Well, hubby is gone yet again.  Another business trip, like last week.  The kids are super duper bummed, but at least the older one understands.  And when we pick him up from the airport, we'll head straight to TN to visit family, so they're looking forward to that!

Until then it will be a lot of distractions for the boy during the day while sister is at school.  He doesn't seem to enjoy the Y lately, so I have to get my running in with the jogger and miss out on my classes.  Thank goodness for fabulous weather right now!  I missed out on my workout yesterday, and add in hubby leaving, it's put me in a poopy mood.  I believe that after the library today we'll hit the greenway for some much needed mileage.  Bring it on!

On to my next whiny thought--it's been a few days since my Facebook sabbatical, and so far I'm mostly just feeling lonely.  I don't really know why I actually expected to get email and text greetings flooding in, but a little something would be really awesome (hint, hint).  I kinda feel like most people just stay friends with me to see posts on my freakishly cute kids.  My poop mood probably boils down to no hubby here, major PMS, and too much time spent in online relationships instead of living in my own space.  I need to get me some real, local friends.  Like, now.  Unfortunately that would require me to be social, which I'm not good at and don't have much time for.  How do stay-at-home moms who parent so actively (and in a more holistic, non-mainstream sort of way) make friends?  Any suggestions for me?  I would love to run with the local groups, but that would mean less time for family and hubby in the evenings.  I found a local "natural moms" group, but most of the events are aimed at babies right now.  I guess I'll just set a time for the playground, announce it, and hope that some of them show up??  It could work. 

True story.

I've also tried to start a local Moms RUN This Town, but so far it's got very little interest.  Probably because I don't know anyone, huh?  Funny how that works.  Maybe I'll just put a big sticker on my back that says "running hippie mom needs friends, apply now!" and hope for some bites.

On a lighter note, not having to read ridiculously negative Facebook posts has been nice.  I can see only my fun, uplifting fitness pages and it's been refreshing.  Now to apply all those awesome tips in my workout routine, and I'll be all set!  After all, the Spartan Beast is only a MONTH away!!!!!  Plus, I'm giving the sweet boy a lot more much-needed attention now that sister is gone all day.  We're enjoying the snuggle time.

So fitness moms, let me know how you get your social and workout needs met without neglecting your family.  This anti-social goofball needs all the help she can get!

Weekend Roundup

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We certainly did.  It was our first weekend at home in quite a while, and we took full advantage of it.  It started off with building a small fire outside and watching the kids play.  I even had to put long pants on!  I looooove the feeling of Fall on it's way!

Saturday, we took Annalie to TaeKwonDo.  She recently got her yellow belt, which was a huge accomplishment!  Unfortunately, she was really intimidated by the yellow belt class.  She's no longer in the "Litter Tiger" group, so yellow belt means harder moves plus older kids. She sat out both classes last week and pouted, as we all tried to convince her that it looked awesome (it really does).  Her favorite junior leader, a sweet 10-year-old green belt, chatted with her and tried to up her confidence.  She promised to come to class with her on Saturday, how sweet!  Between her and a tiny bribe on our part (I never planned to bribe pre-kids, but damn it's helpful sometimes), we convinced her to just give it a try and go from there.  She tried a few minutes and was hooked.  By the end of class, she was her usual bouncy self and had learned an awesome new fly-through-the-air kick.  She was proud of herself (and so were we!) for overcoming her fears, even if it did take an extra little push of the "new toy" variety.  Hey man, it was her own money she spent.  Don't judge.

 Testing day.  My kid kicks butt!

Saturday evening was football, pizza, wings, and more outdoor play.  This time I even wore a sweater.  Absolute heaven.

Sunday, I woke up extra early, which is getting easier now that I have to wake up at 0'dark thirty for school days.  I got dressed and decided that I would run until it hurt.  I haven't run over 15 miles in a month or so, and I don't have a marathon on schedule right now because of other commitments, but I just wanted to see what I had in me.  I was aiming for 18 miles.  With a forecast of 68 degrees, I thought it could actually be accomplished.  I was right!  I had my neck working against me, as it stiffened up on Saturday morning after a 10-minute burpee fest.  But as long as I was looking forward, I was good to go.  The last two miles were fairly tough, but I pushed them out without walking any of it (did take two water/potty breaks though) and came home to clean up and nap.  The rest of the family hit up the pool and froze themselves, and then we all spent the evening playing in the back yard and grilling.  It was perfect!

So yeah, Fall is totally on it's way!  And we're taking full advantage of it here.  What about you?  Tell me how your weekend was and how you're adjusting to the fantabulous weather changes!

Our new pal, "Stripey Legs", seems to like the weather too.  Eek!

Fitness Friday: Yoga

September is National Yoga Month!  I'd love to tell you guys all sorts of awesome stuff about yoga and fill you in completely, I really would.  Unfortunately, I can't tell you everything because it would take way too long and I'd have to research more than I really want to.  Some call it lazy, I call it time-management.  So, on to the goods.  Yoga is an incredibly old mind-body-spirit practice that originated in India.  Some people believe that the spirituality of it makes it anti-Christian, but I don't believe that at all.  In fact, I think that it can be used to enhance ANY religion, and help you gain flexibility, strength, and balance while you're at it.

Yoga is basically a combination of poses (called asanas) that utilize your natural body strength (no weights involved), and balance, in a certain sequence and with particular breathing placement.  The asanas, which all have special crazy Sanskrit names, all focus on different aspects of body strengthening but also serve as a way to improve inner strength and peace.  These fall into eight "centers" which connect spiritual to physical, called chakras.  Through breathing, flow, holding asanas, and focusing on your chakras, one can meditate and come out feeling like a super hero of mellowness.

Chakra 101 (you won't be tested later)

 Now that all being said, you don't need to be super in the know about the chakras and your deep inner consciousness to enjoy yoga.  You don't even have to care about that stuff at all (though it is fairly interesting) to get the physical and mental benefits of yoga.  Shoot, I still get the spiritual benefits myself and I don't focus on chakras at all!  For me, the time to clear my mind and focus on perfect movements is enough to calm and ground me to a much better happy place.

So yoga sounds cool, right?  "But there are 701 different types, Trinity, how the eff do I know which one I want to try???"  Well, lemme give you a little bit of basic info on some of the most popular styles of practice in alphabetical order, so you can make an informed decision! (Geez, I'm nice.)

Ashtanga--Ashtanga is one of my favorites!  It is a faster-paced, more intense form of yoga.  The asanas are generally done with little time in between and therefore gets the heart rate up a bit and can feel more vigorous than most styles.  Less time is spent perfecting each position, but trust me when I say that the teacher will tell you if you're completely sucking it up (I sadly know from experience).  If you want to practice yoga but think you'll get bored, this is the class for you.  Also, it's often called Power Yoga in many situations, especially in gym settings.

Bikram (Hot Yoga)--Bikram yoga is the crazy idea that a classroom must be between 95 and 100 degrees.  The reason for this is to loosen muscles for deeper poses and to cleanse the body more.  Cleansing the body is a nice way of saying that you'll sweat your happy ass off.  Hot yoga is for those who love to be pushed to the edge, somewhat punished, and don't mind being in a class smelling like a toilet.  It's both awesome and insane at the same time, and I don't recommend starting with it.

This

Hatha--Most Hatha is slower-paced and excellent for beginners!  It focuses a lot on breathing and often times on meditation as well.  If you want to get a bit more in touch with the mind-body-spirit aspect and/or you would like to take it slowly and really work on breathing technique (great for mind clearing), you will probably like this.  Hatha is also a term used if it's a slower class that really doesn't have a particular style and they want to fancy up the name.

Iyengar--Iyengar yoga is all about proper form.  Alignment is important in all styles, but this one seems to focus on it a lot more and is therefore very slow-paced and detail-oriented.  It teaches that there is one correct way to do each pose and that eventually everyone can achieve yoga perfection.  And once you achieve yoga perfection, you become awesome.  Or something.  But yeah, it's basically the OCD of yoga. 

Kundalini--I honestly don't have a lot of experience with this style, so I'll tell you what I've learned via random websites and hope it helps us all.  Kundalini seems to focus primarily on the breath/movement relationship.  Particularly breathing the proper way while going through asanas.  It sounds like the poses are done a bit more rapidly and repetitively with little adjustments (sounds good) but lots of time to think about perfecting your breath (sounds vague).  So yeah, if you want to learn how to breathe like a yogi rockstar, this sounds like your class.

Vinyasa--Love me some Vinyasa!  Vinyasa is kind of a combination with the faster movements of Ashtanga yoga and the breath focus of Kundalini yoga.  Add in a bit of form work and a ton of Sun Salutations (a special series of asanas), and you have Vinyasa.  It sounds like the mutt of yoga, but remember that mutts often make the best pets.  Pets being yoga classes, if I lost you on that terrible metaphor.  So if you want a slightly faster class with a bit of all aspects of yoga involved, this one is for you.

Poor T-rex!  I, however, love chaturanga!

Then there are also the specialty classes that so many gyms/yoga studios have--Prenatal Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Kid Yoga, Dog Yoga, Yoga for Athletes, Magic Crazy Hippie Yoga, you get the idea.  Most gyms will just offer "Yoga", which is often a generic version of Hatha.  You can find it in every scene from private instruction to yoga studios to family gyms.

Another way to try out a class without getting a membership of any sort is to look it up online.  There are some awesome websites out there, my favorite being Ekhart Yoga (formerly Yogatic.com).  She's like the Bodyrock of yoga, with tons of free videos and classes on different styles.  If you want more, you can subscribe and get an awesome amount of info!  And considering that yoga studios can cost half a paycheck, the ability to do it at home for much cheaper can be worth the money.  Another similar page is My Yoga Online.  You can register and immediately get bits of awesome videos, along with everything from tips on asana forms to health/food information, pilates, and even music.  And I believe that they both have special rates right now for September!

 ****For the entire month of September, you can also get a voucher for ONE WEEK FREE CLASSES from over 2,000 different studios nationwide!  Simply go to the Yoga Health Foundation website, find a participating studio nearby, and print your voucher!!

So there you go, a basic yoga info session.  Yes, there are tons of classes out there and more being invented on a momentary basis it seems.  But no matter what type of yoga you choose, you will gain flexibility, strength, and focus.  And don't we ALL need more of those things?!?

Three Things Thursday--Forward Motion

1.  I am going to be making my blog a bit more about my personal life from now on, probably.  I usually tend to stick with the fitness stuff and throw in some family, but I'm going to talk more about my totally kick-ass family now!  One reason is because we're all super cool, but the biggest reason is because I'm trying to distance myself personally from Facebook but I still want my close friends/family to hear about the kids.  I'll keep up my HipFitFam page, but not my personal one for a while.  Reasons why:

     -I have a lot going on right now.  A LOT.  And I want to spend time doing it all, not staring at mindless
       drivel.
     -The boy is having a hard time dealing with his sister being at school, and he needs extra attention right
       now.
     -Political hatefulness is annoying.  Period.

About that final statement, apparently some have taken it to mean that I think people should suppress their beliefs.  Not at all!!  I don't care if you shout it from the rooftops. wear signs, tattoo it on your ass, whatever.  I just feel that so much has turned from "I believe this because...(thoughtful, researched points presented)" into the present "I think this person is a complete dickwad because...(put in a bunch of emotionally driven mean shit)".  I simply don't think it accomplishes anything but a headache for the writer and the readers.  If you still want to be like that, cool with me.  I just don't feel like reading it, and it harshes my mellow, dude.  I walk away, win for us all!

2.  On to happy stuff--I have some really exciting stuff in the works with Endure to Cure!  I spoke to the founder/president on the phone yesterday, and it looks like I'll be able to take a much larger role in the organization.  I'm beyond stoked!!!!  I already have a few ideas brewing, and I think that I can help E2C make even more of a difference for so many sweet kiddos.  Next step--start recruiting new members and planning some possible team events!

3.  Running--My run today kicked some butt.  It didn't have a fighting chance at first, but I made it great.  It was 95% humidity when I left the house, and I decided to go to the gym.  The boy was cool with that, until he fell asleep after approximately 12 seconds in the car.  Doh!  So on we went to the greenway in hopes that it wouldn't rain and that he'd stay asleep for car-to-jogger transfer.  Both worked!  It was soooooooo humid and I somehow managed to eat a mosquito (which is just so gross I don't want to think about it), but the run itself was excellent.  I felt STRONG.  It could be from my recent excitement and big decisions, or from my growing leg muscles, but either way I'll take it.  I did a 5k in less time than I did last year without a jogger, and finished my five miles with a smile.  I can't wait for it to cool off and be less disgustingly wet, and I'll be tearing it up out there!!!

Have a happy Thursday, and never stop trying to grow and learn and create love and joy for all around you!

Silliness at the greenway :)