I Have Run

My (lack of big) boobs have been a lot happier recently. I have been searching for some new sports bras that are affordable and also do their job. I finally decided to order a few that looked promising. Two out of three were a complete fail. But the other one = happy, happy boobs. I actually just ordered it because it was on sale and was a max support bra, which I figured should be good for running. Turns out it is perfect in every way. And although I didn't get a picture of myself in the awesome new bra, I have to say I even like it more than this one . Here's a picture of my new Champion 360 Max Support Sports Bra floating in the air: I love it so much that I sent the two failures back and got two more of this one. In different colors, of course. Supporting my girls will come in handy as I tackle this: I signed up for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge in 2009 and 2010 as well but didn't really stick to it or accomplish much. This year will be different, which i

Source Today I busted out eight miles on the elliptical. Then I worked my legs until they were jello and my abs until I ran out of time. My at-home cardio options are limited to the stationary bike or the treadmill. And since my 5-minute attempt on the treadmill was a total fail yesterday and resulted in an hour on the bike, I headed to the gym for today's elliptical time. I listened to music but was dripping sweat too much to attempt to read. So besides the music, I kept myself entertained by watching the people running on the treadmills, which were right in front of me. Here are my most profound thoughts from the experience: If you are pregnant and have GIANT hooters as a result, STRAP THOSE THINGS DOWN. Sketchers Shape-Ups on the treadmill = cringe! Standing on the sides of the treadmill to rest while the belt is still moving doesn't mean you actually ran 2.5 miles or 30 minutes when you are finished. The rest of the runners were pretty mundane. And I wasn't cl

Some days, things just don't go according to plan. Last night, the plan was to spend an hour on the bike and then get some strength training done after my girls went to bed. This was a reasonable plan since my girls are usually settled for the night by about 7:30. But I was still snuggling my Bean when The Princess called me into her room with a sense of urgency in her voice. "Feel my loose tooth," she said. I wiggled the tooth that has slooooowly been getting looser over the past few months. It was just barely hanging on. I told her if she pushed it down really fast, it would probably fall out. She tried but just couldn't do it. When she tried, she pulled her finger away at the last minute. So she asked me to do it. And out it came. Then the tears came. She decided she didn't want to lose teeth. (The Princess is not a fan of change. At all.) So last night The Princess lost her first tooth. This is a BIG deal. After the tears stopped and she decided it was pre

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Terry Hitchcock, the subject of the movie My Run. I had my list of questions ready to go, but many of them remained blank when the interview was complete. The reason is because Hitchcock was so easy to talk to, and one subject would inevitably lead to another. Our 15 minute interview turned into closer to 45 minutes without even a glance at the clock. It was interesting to hear his story in his words and his own voice. Here is some of what I learned, straight from Hitchcock himself: Terry Hitchcock didn't plan to make his running journey into a film. "I did the run and then said to myself 'I'm going to go on and do other things.' I did the run with no real fanfare, he said. "Every day I was competing with the Olympics in the news. I did my run and then it was over. Then the idea of making it into a movie started snowballing over the years..." One of the reasons Terry's accomplishment is so notable

This makes me laugh every time I see it. And it is way too true. I have the race photos to prove it. Happy Tuesday!!

I know it's not the end of the month, but it is the start of a new week. And hopefully this week will bring some running. In the meantime, here's a recap of last week's work outs and an update on some of the things this runnerd is up to lately: Elliptical workouts planned/completed: 2/2 Bike workouts planned/completed: 2/4 Runs planned/taken: 1/0 (I took two steps, if that counts; unfortunately they were two painful steps.) Strength training workouts planned/completed : 6/5 Ab workouts planned/completed: 3/2 Current Reads: Just finished The Long Run yesterday (review to come). Decided it was time for a mindless beach read since I plan to spend a lot of time reading as a treat to myself tonight (aka my birthday) , so I am reading One Fifth Avenue (which I purchased for $2.40 when Borders was going out of business) . Current Shame Inducing Pleasure: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake from Baskin Robbins Current Obsession: Christmas music, including this

My last run was 26.2 miles. It was 13 days ago. With my hip still on the mend, I am biking and ellipitcalling like it's my business. And until I can spend some quality time with Millie again, I have been getting my running fix from other runners. Yep, you guys. Through your blogs and from two great running books (more on that later). And now I want to give you the chance for a little inspiration from Terry Hitchcock's story in My Run . After tragically losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise three young children on his own, real life super hero and modern day Forrest Gump, Terry Hitchcock seized on an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible: run 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult lives of single-parent families. He ran in spite of freezing rain and unbearable heat, in spite of chest pains and bone fractures that wracked his 57-year-old body. He just kept running – each day, every day – streng

First I have to say I agree with most of you and your comments about the expectant mom who ran the Chicago Marathon at 39 weeks pregnant. I think it is great that she ran through her pregnancy. And since she had the go-ahead from her doctor and her husband was with her during the race, I think it is amazing. Just my $.02. Now for what I really want to talk about. Tonight I am going to dinner with my friend Joyce. We have been friends for ten years. We have gone months at a time without talking to or seeing each other. Yet we can pick up the phone any time and talk like we just saw each other yesterday. She is the one friend I knew without a doubt I'd see at the hospital the nights my girls were born. And nothing could have stopped me from seeing her little guy the day he was born. Sometimes we celebrate each other's birthday months after they happen or exchange Christmas gifts in February, but life can get crazy and we both recognize that. I can tell Joyce anything and trust

I just read this article about a woman who ran (and walked) the Chicago Marathon yesterday and then gave birth last night. The comments at the end of the article are very interesting to me as a runner and as a mother. Before I weigh in, what do you think? Photo finish: Woman gives birth after running (and walking) marathon

Before the race, I met up with Julia , Frances and Rachelle . We rode the bus up together and then hung out until the start. Julia, Frances and I started together and ran together quite a bit in the first half of the race. It was great to have someone to talk to when I needed a distraction and we all had a sub-4:15 goal. My hip was sore but bearable and actually felt the best on the uphills. I carried my handheld with Powerade and finished it off about the mid-point. I refilled it with water, but it became obvious later that I should have sucked it up and downed some of the lemon-lime Gatorade along the course. The first 20 miles I maintained a pretty steady pace and felt pretty good, in spite of the rising temps and my hip. Then came the five stages of grief. Denial - This started about mile 20 of the race. I didn't want to believe I was getting dehydrated. I tried to find other things to blame, but the truth was my body was shutting down. My mind couldn't overcome my bo