Today's Friday Five topic is "Five Good Things" which is honor of today being Good Friday. I'm linking up with the lovely ladies of the DC Trifecta: Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney. I'm going with five good things that happened this week: 1. The boys and I spent two days with my parents in Chicago this week. We managed to cram in four venues and see such awesome things as Sue the Dinosaur and a blue lobster. I love that my boys are old enough to do these kind of activities and really learn from them now. … [Read more...]
Five things my dad taught me about life
Today's Friday Five with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia is theme free, so I decided that in honor of Father's Day, I'd write about five things I learned from my dad. (And I'm guest posting over on Courtney's blog about five steps to avoid post-race/post wedding blues because Courtney is off getting married this weekend!) 1. You can always dig deeper. I've seen him do it in races. No matter how tired or how ready to give up you are, if you really want something, you've got something left. You just have to learn how to use your mental strength to tap into it. (This would be the main reason he beats me in every.single.race.) 2. A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet. I live in an urban area where people don't really talk to … [Read more...]
Happy Memorial Day + Altra winner
Thank you to all who have served and all who are currently serving! Especially thank you to my two favorite Vets... And Congratulations Kristen at Exploring Domesticity! You've won a pair of Altra shoes. Email me at mcmmamaruns at gmail.com and we'll coordinate your shoe order. … [Read more...]
In honor of Veterans Day
Thank you to all who have served! … [Read more...]
Love the Run You’re with 5k race report
AKA sometimes you have to leave it all on the course. It's been a long time since I've been in "racing form". I feel like I've been trying to come back from injury since Thanksgiving of 2010. I've had some good runs since then, but no really good races and most of my speed work has been on the treadmill. I've been dying to know where I am. And I chose Love the Run You're With to find out. I set out with two goals: 26:xx on the clock and leaving everything I had on the course, possibly even my breakfast... Short story: I missed my time goal by 16 seconds (27:15), but I could barely walk when I got done. The day dawned wicked cold and windy. The "feels like" temperature was 12. I wore two pairs of running tights, a … [Read more...]
Midwestern Beer and Beer Geek’s Birthday
First off, happy birthday to Beer Geek! Hope you're enjoying your special day.Since today is "Beer Tuesday" and Beer Geek's birthday, it seems appropriate to discuss all the yummy beer we've consumed during this trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota. On our way to St.Paul for my race, we stopped in Menomonie, WI at Das Bierhaus. As one might guess, this brewpub featured the German style of brewing, as well as yummy German food. It was a small mom and pop restaurant with really good German beers. Definitely worth the stop!Next up was a stop at Great Waters Brewing in St. Paul. They had a particularly extensive cask conditioned beer list. Cask beers are conditioned in the "cask", where they develop a lesser CO2 carbonation. They taste "flatter" … [Read more...]
TIART: Salute to Running Dads
Today's theme over at the Runners' Lounge is a salute to running dads. Since my dad is my favorite running partner, this should be an easy post to write. I'm incredibly lucky.* My dad is one of my closest friends. I'm sure there was a time when I didn't like him (high school?), but overall, he's been someone I can go to about pretty much anything. I may not always follow his advice, but I always listen. This has been a hard year amongst my friends as several have lost parents or dealt with parental health issues. It's really made me appreciate that not only do I have a healthy dad, but I have one who can still outrun me.For as long as I can remember, my dad has been a runner. I did not run much, but I do remember running with him … [Read more...]
Challenge answered
A few weeks ago, my father informed me that he was also going to race in 50 states and that he was already ahead of me by one state. He also reminded me that I had never finished a race ahead of him. I told him to bring it on. Today, dad and I went for an "easy" four mile run. We finished the run in 36:06 (9:17, 9:06, 9:06, 8:37). Yeah, he's been running on a regular schedule lately. If he keeps this up, he'll be kicking my behind at the Wisconsin Lighthouse Run.Tomorrow Beer Geek and I are heading south to do some beer tasting and stay at a B&B. This is a pretty big deal around here, as we don't leave the kids over night very often. I only feel comfortable leaving them with my parents and they don't live close by, so it's an … [Read more...]
