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Kicking off 2020 with some new goals

January 12, 2020 by MCM Mama 4 Comments

Kicking off 2020 with some new goals

Yes, I realize we are already more than a week into 2020. But mentally, with the way the holiday fell this year, it feels like 2020 started last Monday. So, I'm only a week behind in figuring life out. It's going to be an interesting year, with some things still very up in the air. Things like what schools my kids will be going to and what job my husband will be doing, but hey, my work is fairly stable and my injury is a minor soreness here and there, so I can plan MY life LOL. Running Add some races to my half marathon count. Last year I stalled out after managing 4 half marathons in the early part of the year. Between work and deciding to cheer as a unicorn, I had nothing in the fall. So far this year, I've signed up for 2 in May and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: 50 States, Altra Running, goals, half marathons

And that’s a wrap! Bring on fall running!

September 2, 2019 by MCM Mama 3 Comments

And that’s a wrap! Bring on fall running!

It's hard to believe that tomorrow the kids go back to school (never mind that most other schools are already back in session.) It feels like just yesterday that we were celebrating the end of another school year. But we had a good summer and this is a huge year here - Jones (who was 7 when I started this blog!) is a senior this year and Shoo is in his last year of middle school. Seriously, where did my babies go? We managed to pack a lot into this summer! Jones and I visited 7 colleges, 2 zoos, an aquarium, an ornithology lab, and an aviary. Shoo got to visit Beer Geek's family, got bitten by a salamander, built his own road bike, and has gone on a few double digit mileage bike rides. On the running front, I got to run a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: 50Ktraining, Marine Corps Marathon, ragnar, travel, Zooma

I think I need a coffee IV

August 2, 2019 by MCM Mama 6 Comments

I think I need a coffee IV

How on earth is it August? July FLEW by this year. I'd say I'm not even sure what I did, but really I spent it running, visiting colleges, and trying to keep up with my 3 jobs. Oy. I've drunk an unreasonable amount of coffee to make that happen. So today I'm joining Deb and Coco for a coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that my training for the 50K is going surprisingly well. (Ask me again tomorrow after my long run.) I've upped my overall mileage and I ran a half marathon at my goal pace last weekend and, except for an awful mile 12, it went well. I'm currently 24 days into a run streak and yesterday I ran twice. And my body seems to be holding up well. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I managed to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: 50k training, coffee date, ragnar, Skirt Sports

Farewell to the Fox: the end of an era

July 22, 2019 by MCM Mama 2 Comments

Farewell to the Fox: the end of an era

Many many years ago, we met a young brewer and I fell in love with his beers. OK, one beer in particular - his Wee Heavy. The brewer, Bill Madden, moved around a few times to other breweries and Beer Geek and I followed him wherever he went. I don't know if he knew he had a fan girl, but I was totally that girl. And then about 10 years ago, we had the chance to be involved when he opened his own brewpub. Over the last 9 years, I have spent many many hours at Mad Fox and with the amazing friends that we have made through there. I got to brew Wee Heavy once... I celebrated my 40th birthday there... We celebrated our 20th anniversary there... We spent more weekend days than I can count at festivals … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: brewpub, craft beer, Mad Fox, Ragnar DC

Let’s have coffee in Ithaca!

July 6, 2019 by MCM Mama 4 Comments

Let’s have coffee in Ithaca!

Welcome to crabby season over here at MCM Mama. Y'all know I hate the heat of Virginia summers, so I always go north as often as possible (or run off to Australia and New Zealand where it's winter.) This weekend we visited Ithaca, NY and I was greatly disappointed by how warm it was. But there's a lot going on over here, so I'm joining Deb and Coco for a coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that we are in Ithaca to visit Cornell University. When you have a kid who loves bugs and birds, it's kind of the place to go. (I've told you about our hissing cockroaches, right?) But man, it's crazy competitive and far from cheap. But who wouldn't love to go to a school with a waterfall in the middle of campus? If we were … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: 50k training, craft beer, New York, travel

Struggling with my body in my 40s

June 25, 2019 by MCM Mama 15 Comments

Struggling with my body in my 40s

Notice that I did not say body image. One of the beautiful things about getting older is that I'm generally quite comfortable with my appearance and don't really give a f$%^ what others think. What I'm struggling with are some of the changes that are going on in my body. Some I didn't expect this early, some I never expected at all.  Who turned the heat up??? I haven't started getting hot flashes during the day yet, but some nights I wake up way overheated. And it's not a "flash". It can take me quite a while to cool down. I don't mind it too much in the winter when any extra warmth is a good thing, but I'm pretty sure I'd freeze my family out if I put the thermostat where I'd like it this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: aging, mental health

Coffee and Runfessions for the Month of May

June 3, 2019 by MCM Mama 3 Comments

Coffee and Runfessions for the Month of May

This blog is coming to you from the Denver Airport at 4:30am. I just spent an amazing weekend with the best tribe a girl could ask for. The annual Skirt Sports retreat is an amazing and energizing event, made even better by the fact that I get to spend time with some of my closest friends who live in different parts of the country. I will recap the event later, but for now, just know that my cup is full. Speaking of full cups, I'm joining Deb and Coco for a virtual cup (in addition to the copious amount of coffee I need to survive today after my 2:30am wakeup.) I may also be including a few runfessions ala Marcia. If we were having coffee, I’d tell that I swear that May and June are the longest, most stressful months of the year and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: Colorado, retreat, Running friends, Skirt Sports, travel

Runfessing over a cup of coffee

May 4, 2019 by MCM Mama 6 Comments

Runfessing over a cup of coffee

Since Marcia opened the Runfessional late and Deb and Coco are hosting the Ultimate Coffee Date, I've decided to combine the fun into one post.  If we were having coffee, I'd runfess that I meant to write this post days ago, but life kept getting in the way. In fact, it took me all day today to actually hit publish. I've been juggling two part time jobs for a while, but recently I started working a regular shift at the library as well as picking up a few other shifts as they need people. I like it and I'm still not working 40 hours a week, but it's taking a bit of adjustment to fit in my non-paid activities now. Speaking of non-paid, if we were having coffee, I'd runfess that I'm nervous about getting in all the miles for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: half marathon, Skirt Sports, Zooma

I’ll take wine instead of coffee…

April 7, 2019 by MCM Mama 6 Comments

I’ll take wine instead of coffee…

It's time for the monthly virtual coffee date with Deb and Coco, but this month I had the pleasure of getting to see both of them at a dinner party that Deb threw. So, today we are having wine. If we were having wine, I'd tell you that it was awesome to meet up with a bunch of local MRTT ladies and a few bloggers at Deb's house. I got to meet Kim and Linda and also see the other Deb again.  Not only was the food great, but the company was amazing. Kim and Linda were in town for the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, so hopefully they had a great run today. If we were having wine, I'd also tell you that I volunteered at the Altra booth at the Cherry Blossom expo. I got to try on the new Kayenta (OMG, can't wait to get a pair) and learn … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: Altra Running, ragnar, volunteering

Put your oxygen mask on first

February 11, 2019 by MCM Mama 3 Comments

Put your oxygen mask on first

Last week was a hard week. I was dealing with a couple of really stressful things, as well as just having a lot going on. And I responded poorly. I skipped a few workouts and I ate my feelings. (And then I went to Costco and bought ALL the carbs so I could continue eating my feelings. Lesson learned: don't go to Costco when you are stressed.) By Friday evening, I was just done. Unfortunately, despite going to bed early, I had a rough night (Jones had the ACT on Saturday morning. I've discovered that if I have anything that makes me get up earlier than usual, that I don't sleep well. I need to fix this.) Saturday, after I dropped Jones at his test, I decided I needed to just stop. I needed to find a way to get my head on straight - I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: brewpub, Faster Way to Fat Loss, Marine Corps Marathon, self care

5 favorites that will help me enjoy the winter

November 16, 2018 by MCM Mama 7 Comments

5 favorites that will help me enjoy the winter

Generally speaking, I prefer cooler weather over hot weather. I'd rather put on more layers than be wearing as little as I can in public and still being hot. And after a rather elusive fall, winter apparently arrived yesterday in the form of snow, sleet, and freezing rain, so I guess I need to get mentally ready for winter now. Berres Brothers coffee - Most of the year I drink Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts coffee - whichever is on sale in the grocery store. But once a year, Berres Brothers, a Wisconsin based coffee company, has a big sale and I stock up. I love that they have a ridiculous number of flavor options and that the coffee is smoother than Starbucks. I also love that I'm supporting a small local company (not my local, but … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: favorites, Skirt Sports, winter

Will run for food!

October 22, 2018 by MCM Mama 11 Comments

Will run for food!

Does the food available after a race come into play when you are choosing a race or are you happy with a boring snack like a granola bar or pretzels after a race? For me, it depends on exactly how far I've run. For shorter races, I don't need anything at all, but sometimes something salty is good on a hot day. Even for a half marathon, I often don't feel any urge to eat at the finish line. But sometimes the offerings are so good, I eat even if I don't "want to". Wondering what races have make me want to run them again just for the food? Here are my favorites. Mainly Marathon races - the "aid station" is a smorgasbord of all the good things: pretzels, m&ms, gummy bears, hard boiled eggs, pb&j, pickles... And then there's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: food, Tuesdays on the Run

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Who is MCM Mama?
A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath, and has a minor addiction to the Marine Corps Marathon.

Recent Posts

  • Half Marathon #85: Appalachian Series – South Carolina
  • Half Marathon #84: Appalachian Series – Georgia
  • Coffee with a side of rain
  • Half Marathon #83:Appalachian Series – Alabama
  • Hotel Coffee is better than no coffee…
  • Training for Back to Back to Back Half Marathons
  • Runfessions of a Really Cold Runner
  • Kicking off the year with coffee!

Archives

A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath. Read More…

Half Marathon #85: Appalachian Series – South Carolina

Half Marathon #85: Appalachian Series – South Carolina

Mainly Marathons Appalachian Series – South CarolinaMarch 27, 20222:47:45 What I wore: hat, tank top, long sleeve quarter zip, capris, and Altra Rivera Location: Seneca, SC (State #41!) Let’s just start out with the truth – this race was the hardest of the races and pretty much sucked. I chose to do the early start […]

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