In Black and White

When I started running in 2011,  I was clueless.  As we all know now, there is a little bit more to it then just putting on the sneakers that have been sitting in your closet.  I started reading everything I could on the internet and then discovered people actually wrote books about the sport.

The first one I picked up was about a women who went from her couch to a full marathon. It was good but a little too much for me.  I was not even finished with the Couch to 5K plan yet. Plus, she was  a little too serious for me.

Then I found a pretty little yellow book called, Run Like a Mother.  The title alone got my attention but when I stared to read it, I was hooked. This book made me laugh and cry and realize everything I was experiencing was normal.

The authors, Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea made me feel like I was their friend and running buddy with every word.  I started every morning by first, looking at their FaceBook page.  I started to get friendly with some of the other mother runners that posted there. I found a community and a home all about running.

Book number two, Train Like a Mother, came out and it did not disappoint.  Training plans galore and advice with the same witty dialogue that hooked me in the first book.

Along the way, I continued to post on their page and talk with the other women.  After my first ten mile run, they made my comment their status update to start their Pile Of Miles for that weekend.  Some time after that, I was invited to fill out a quick questionnaire and became one of their, Follow This Mother posts.  Man, that just thrilled me.

When they announced their house party tour for 2013,  I immediately signed up to join them in Connecticut.  

This past summer, I joined Michelle and our friend Erica in Cape Cod to help man their booth at the Zooma Expo.

When they announced that a third book was in the works and posted an online survey to fill out, I jumped on it.  It took some time to really put my thoughts together, but I was proud of the finished product that I sent them.  Tales From Another Mother Runner was in the works and along with thousands of other mother runners, I patiently waited.

Well friends, Tales From Another Mother Runner is here and SBS and Dimity are currently on a book tour.  I was able to go to their party in Boston and what a good time it was.

BRF#1 and Connie joined me.  The party was at the Greater Boston Running Company, about two hours away.  Once inside, we found Michelle, Deb, Erica and Jessica.  There was wine and cookies.  The place was packed!  Dimity, SBS and Adrienne Martini all read from the book and in between readings they gave some pretty awesome stuff away.  I did not win anything.

After the readings, I purchased a book and a shirt and then got in line to talk and have them sign my book.  In line I perused the book looking to see if they used anything from the survey I filled out.  There were so many great stories in the book, but I didn't see my name.

I was chatting with Connie and BRF#1 was reading from the book when all of a sudden she says, "Nicole, this is you!  5:23. I know that number."  And there it was, in black and white, page 139 in the, "What's The Hardest You Pushed Yourself in a Race" section.  My words.

Shocked, I opened my book, read it and tears formed in my eyes.  I texted Mr. RWM who wrote back,  "Your 15 minutes."  Ha, whatever, I will take it!

Connie got to Dimity first and then it was my turn. I thanked her for putting me in the book and we talked about tackling Philly again this year. She signed my page!  Yes, my page.  We talked a little about bike training for tri's and she generally was interested in my questions and what I had to say.

When I got to SBS, we also chatted about Philly and how great a race it is. She signed my book and told me she loved my boots.  Then we snapped a few pictures.  My heart was full and my smile was wide.

We were all pretty excited getting in the car for our two hour trek home.  But it was worth it!

The girls checked out the swag bag which included socks, GU and NUUN among other things.

It was a great night!  Thank you SBS and Dimity for leading this tribe of BAMR's!

Have you picked up Tales From Another Mother Runner yet?  Are you getting to one of their party/book signings?  I highly recommend both!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Finally! A Plan!

I think, after much back and forth, I finally have my plan for the year.

The last two years, I tackled two big races and while doing that, I planned my training around races.  Nineteen races in 2013 and seventeen in 2014.  I still want to run, but run less races this year.  There are so many good ones, especially local, so organizing this calendar was not easy.  Keeping myself and my family sane was the number one goal.  Not sure how sane this is but it is better than the last two years.

To kick the year off, I am volunteering at The Ocean's Run.  I have run this race the last three years but did not feel as ready this year, even with all the running I have been doing.  I have friends running it, so this gives me an opportunity to cheer them on and still be involved with this cool race.  It also gives me a free entry to any one of TriMom's races. I will most likely use it for one of her triathlons.

Road Races

The Middletown Half Marathon on April 12, will be my first race of the year.  This race is part of the HMF Triple Challenge.  I chose this series for a couple reasons. First, it mixes things up a bit. I have not run in Connecticut yet. That is a new state to cross off my list.  I have only heard good things about HMF and their races.  But secondly, and most important, this race is run in the home town of Sarah, aka, Professor Badass.  I will get to run with her, meet her friends and enjoy some time at her home after.  I am going into this race with a have fun attitude and just enjoy the day. (registered)

The Philadelphia Broad Street Run on May 3. This race just looks like a fantastic time!  I have signed up to run it with The American Cancer Society and Team DetermiNation.  I have worked hard to raise money to secure my spot.  My team is made up of fifty amazing people with all different skill levels.  Some I have met and some I will meet that weekend.  I go back and forth with a goal for this race. Not sure if I will shoot for a PR or not. Either way, it will be a hell of a good time! (registered)

Narrow River 5k, May 9.  I love this race and have had a course PR every year.  This year I am shooting not only for a course PR but an all time 5K PR.  (not registered)

The Mystic Half Marathon, May 31.  This is the second race in the HMF series. We love Mystic and I am hoping we can make this a family weekend so we can enjoy the seaport and the aquarium, as well as the race.  This is the first year for this race and I know nothing about the course.  Not sure what my plan will be for this one, but think I will be in good shape and can come close to my PR. (registered)

The Blessing, July 24.  This is a fantastic ten mile race in my hometown.  I get to run this with all my running buddies and our families are there to cheer us on.  This race tends to be hot and humid but lots of fun.  I will have a goal for this one but want to see how my summer running is going before I put it in writing. (not registered)

Hartford Half Marathon, October 10.  Last race in the HMF series.  I will be training for my "big" race of the year so not sure what my goals for this race will be. Might need to just use it as a training run and add a couple miles. Either way, I should be in pretty good shape leading up to this race and will enjoy it. (registered)

Citizens Bank Pell Bridge Run, October 25. I have run this race since it's first year and plan to be there this year for the fifth time.  This has always been a fun run for me and each year I have improved on that uphill.  Maybe I might even try for a PR this year.  We will see...  (not registered)

The Philadelphia Marathon, November 22. This is my big race of the year.  My finishing time never sat well with me in 2013 and I feel like I can do better.  Like, 24 minutes better.  Still working out the details on how to get that PR and I will share them with you when they are finalized.  (not registered)

Maybe Mr. RWM can help with my training?

Triatlons

This year I am looking at The Crabman and maybe one other triathlon.  Still working that out.  Not registerd for any yet.

Virtual Races

The Kiss My Shamrocks Virtual Race, anytime between March 14-17.  This is one of Andy's races and it will help with our fundraising for Broad Street. There is still time to sign up and you can do so here.  This race has a great medal and some fantastic prizes.  (not registered, but just reminded myself to do so)

Skirt Sports has three virtual races this year that coincide with their IRL races. All fun, all with great swag.  I will be doing all three.

261 Fearless, April 18.  (not registered)
The 13er, June 14. (registered)
The Boobie Run, September 12 (not registered)

You can find info for the Skirt Sport race series here.

As we all know, anything can change, but with smart training I think I can make this happen without any crazy race burnout.

One thing I didn't mention yet.  I may be able to work the Skirt Sport booth at the Boston Marathon. I really want to do this but have to wait and see what Mr. RWM's flight schedule brings for April.  I may have to bring mom in to stay with the kids if he can't be here. I missed it last year and really want to try and make it work for me this year.

So there you have it! Nine to ten real life races which is really all I count. The virutals will be fun or used as training.  I am pretty sure this is doable and look forward to many happy miles.

Is your year planned? What is your "big" race for the year?  Will I see you at any of these races?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Winter, It's Not Me, It's You

It finally hit me.

Winter.

Really!

I have been fine. I have been bundling up, wearing my Yaktrak, smiling and taking pictures and averaging fourteen miles a week.

That is, until this week.

I don't know what happened.  Kids are on vacation from school this week and Mr. RWM is home. We have no real plans and I have no excuse for not running.  I did have a run planned on Monday with BRF#1 but Gracie got sick and wanted me.  That will always come first, but that was MONDAY!  And on Wednesday, it hit 30 degrees. A freaking heat wave here in Rhode Island and I still didn't run!

I have been rethinking my racing schedule for the year too. Mostly, because I just don't feel like I will ever be able to run over ten miles again.  Yeah, I know that isn't true, but that is where I am.  The only race that I am actually registered for is the Philadelphia Broad Street Run on May 3. Luckily, it only goes up to 10.

I have be eyeing a half marathon in April, but if I don't get some decent long runs in, it just won't happen.  Maybe I should just pull the plug and register?

I am sure this rut will be short lived and I know I will come out of it.  I think I am just over, -10 wind chill runs.  Maybe a few good ones on the treadmill will help. Oh wait, is that such a thing? You're right, I still would rather run outside.

What are you giving up?

Ok, lets do this! Lets finish out the winter strong. Who's with me?!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

Champagne Saturday

Mr. RWM and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. I think before kids, we went out to dinner if we weren't flying somewhere. No cards, no flowers, sometimes chocolate but not really as a gift.  It is just who we are.

We certainly love each other and when he is not on a trip, we are usually together.  We like to be with each other.  All. The. Time.

This brings me to New Year's Eve. We have a get together every year and people usually come with food, and champagne.  We get enough champagne that we have some left over after the New Year is rung in.

This year we decided to drink some on the first weekend after New Year's Eve.  Then we decided to do it again the weekend after that.

And then, a third weekend.

I had said that I loved that we did this the last several weeks and that we should keep it going.  Mr. RWM agreed.  We decided to call it Champagne Saturday.  Although, depending on the weekend, we have had it on a Friday and a Sunday and once on a Monday, thank you snow day.  Sometimes we have snacks, sometimes we don't.  Sometimes we watch a movie and sometimes we don't.  You get the picture.

On a run with BRF#1 I told her about Champagne Saturday. I told her how much I loved it but I guess it is silly since we aren't really celebrating anything.  BRF#1 was quick to say that we were celebrating.  We were celebrating the life that we have made together. The beautiful children we have. Our wonderful family and friends.  The love and support that we give each other.

Bam! Those words hit me hard. Yes, we have a lot to celebrate so why not do it every week.

So our plan, 52 weeks of Champagne Saturday.  And this year, Valentines Day happens to fall on a Saturday. So I guess we will celebrate Valentines Day after all.

Tell me, do you celebrate Valentine's Day?  Any traditions that you want to share with us?  

On the running front, man is it cold! I am still getting out there and have had some pretty decent runs.  The eight miles on Tuesday was tough.  BRF#1 was with me and I was very thankful for that.  My four miles yesterday made my face hurt.  And more snow is coming!  It's all good though, I do prefer running in the colder temps which is something I never imagined me saying.

After a cold, tough 8 miler. Maybe we are smiling.  Maybe.

Ice queen pants by Skirt Sports! My new favorite.  Warm and cozy! 

The Downhill in my neighborhood.  I thought I would die going up.  It was very slow but I will admit, this run made me really feel like a BAMR!

What are your favorite running conditions? Are you still getting snow and running outside?  Or have you been hitting the treadmill?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

My First Yaktrax Run

Last year, was the first year that I can truly say I ran outside all year round.  When it was hot, when it was cold, rain, wind, snow, you name it.  Now don't get me wrong, there were a few treadmill runs, but very few compared to years past.

A few of the runs last year, BRF#1 used Yaktrax.  A couple times I wished I had them. This year, I am prepared, and today was the first run using them.

After figuring out how to put them on, we were on our way.  It was cold but no wind today.  The lot we parked in was full of snow and ice and we got out of there with no problems.  My first thought was that they felt a little weird but knew I would get used to them.

We ran along 1A, and I have to say, the town did a great job of plowing.  The shoulder was cleared for just about every step of the way.  The need for the Yaktrax wasn't really necessary, but I was thinking, "Better safe, than sorry."  The times when I did run on the snow/ice, I was thankful.  It felt good and I liked the crunch under my feet.  However, on the road, I felt weird and never really got used to the feeling of having them on my shoes.

As far as the run goes, I struggled a bit.  I was more quiet than usual and I was worried about getting to an 11 am appointment that I had today.  My first thought was just go from my run. But it was cold and I knew I would be miserably uncomfortable if I did not get a shower in first.  BRF#1 was running six, but I had to cut it short at 4.4.

I have to say, I was really happy to be finished running.  I didn't feel great and my steps felt like slow motion.  According to my splits on Strava, I ran at my normal pace.  10:20, 9:59, 10:18, 10:05 and for the final .4, 11:03.  I was really surprised to see that.

All in all, now that it is finished, I guess it wasn't as bad as it seemed at the time. BRF#1 said her last couple miles were good and I am hoping to meet up with her tomorrow for another four.

As far as the Yaktrax go, I liked them. I knew it would feel different and they will take a little time to get used to. I found them easy to use and liked the piece of mind that they gave me.  Not that I would purposely look for ice to run on.

And just FYI, Yaktrax did not ask me to write this review or give me anything. In fact, I am pretty sure that the people at Yaktrax don't even know I exist.  I just have a new toy and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.  

In other news, Monday is my birthday. I love my birthday. Monday is also my mother's birthday. Pretty cool right?  Her and my Dad will be coming for a few days so that we can celebrate together.  I can't wait to have cake and blow out 43 candles.  I am not big on gifts but just love being around my family and friends.  That is what makes me happiest.  I will run 4.3 miles on Monday.  Care to join me?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

A Penguin and a Blizzard

The aquarium called.

Here is the last post in case you missed it.

The woman I spoke to couldn't apologize enough.  She said it should of never happened but there have been some changes and shifting of people in the office.

First mistake, they never give out names. The fact that they wrote Blue-Pink on the adoption papers was never supposed to happen.

She said they do sometimes send penguins to other aquariums for breeding purposes and that is why they do not give out names.

Also, Blue-Pink had passed away before we even adopted him.  She had no real explanation for that. I know she was finding it hard to believe that it even happened in the first place.

I was nice about everything and the only thing I asked for was new adoption papers. I am still waiting for those.

She did tell me to call before we come the next time. Her words, "We will make George feel like a king."  I have to admit, I feel funny about calling but Mr. RWM has no issue with that.  We totally balance each other out.

The good thing is we know who Blue-Pink's parents are. Since they are partners and have been together for quite some time, they will most likely not be leaving Mystic Aquarium.  That makes George happy and we plan to seek them out every time we visit.

As sad as this all was, George is fine.  He hasn't really mentioned it, but did asked when will we go back. I am planning a visit for February vacation. Hoping it is not bitter cold that day!

On the running front.  I am just running. The one and only race I am registered for so far is the Philadelphia Broad Street Run on May 3.  I am still trying to reach my fundraising goal, but don't have any worries.

I am trying to work out some other races but still on the fence about which ones.  I have never had any trouble picking races before but now that I am being a little more picky, I want them all to be good ones. That's not to much to ask, is it?

BRF#1 and #2 were brave enough to join me for our Monday run knowing a blizzard was on it's way.  It was cold when we headed out and about a mile in, it started to flurry.  By the time we were in the fifth mile, the wind was killer and it was more than a flurry.  Conversations stopped and we just ran.  My neck and checks were killing me as I forgot my Balaclava.  BRF#2 stopped when we hit our cars, but BRF#1 and I wanted to make it six so we forged on.  The way back had less wind and I was very relieved when we were finished.

I don't really think what we got here was "Blizzard" worthy, but we did get a foot of snow and two days off from school for the kids.  Too much panic if you ask me.

I did recently buy Yaktrax and tomorrow I will be taking them out on their first run.  Looking forward to trying out my new running toy.

How did you brave the Blizzard of 2015? Do you still run outside or did you hit the treadmill?  How do you pick your races?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole

George and the Penguin

My son, George, asked Santa for a penguin.

Yes, he wanted a penguin as his Christmas gift. A real live, black and white, flightless bird.  Not a puppy or kitten or even a new gaming system for that matter. A Penguin.

He has loved penguins since he was a baby. He has a whole library of books just on penguins and I am not sure how many stuffed penguins he has. He sleeps with all of them every night.

My first reaction was, "What, are you crazy!  People can't own penguins!"  Followed by all the reasons penguins cannot be a house pet.

George had a comeback for every reason and went straight to the big guy because if anyone can do it, Santa can.  Great, now what?

So my mom, who had been visiting, goes home and tells this to my sister Lucy and her boyfriend, Ricky.  "Well," Ricky says, "You know you can adopt a penguin at the Philadelphia Zoo."

Really?  Well, if you can do it in Philadelphia, I must be able to do that here too.

My search started and it turns out that you can, in fact, adopt a penguin at the Mystic Aquarium. You can adopt other animals too, which is a really cool gift for any animal lovers you may know.

I chose the level that I wanted, and sent in my paperwork and money.  The package I chose gave George a penguin, a couple free passes, a stuffed replica of his penguin, adoption paper, fact sheet about his African penguin, a picture, and the aquariums magazine with subscription.

While perusing the website, I discovered that you can have breakfast with the penguins on January 18. Well, of course I had to add that in too!

The final touch was to have Santa write a letter to George about why he had to adopt and keep it at the aquarium, how happy he was that he was good for most of the year and to please be nice to his sister.  That last fact did not sink in yet.  It was all put in a penguin Christmas gift bag to be put under the tree.

Christmas Eve was a really nice day. Both, George and Gracie were in the pageant at our church. We had my in-laws for dinner. Kids were excited to wear their new Christmas jammies and then we all read The Night Before Christmas.  All very normal until we tucked the kids into bed and George started to cry, saying he knew he would not get a penguin.  I can't even explain the heartbreak I felt. I laid with him a bit and he finally fell asleep.

Mr. RWM, had doubts that this was going to work. He said he wanted a real penguin that he can keep at the house and this is not what he was getting.  I was a mess when I finally went to bed. I could not sleep at all.

Christmas morning the kids ran in to wake us up yelling that Santa had come. Oh good. I think I just fell asleep. LOL

Mr. RWM, goes down first to turn on the lights, put on the Christmas music and start the coffee.  We keep the kids upstairs until he is ready for us.  What a great morning we had. Kids were just so excited. Clearly, there was not a penguin in a cage sitting in our living room, but George seemed ok.

Finally, he sees the penguin bag. Opens it and is not sure what to make of it.  I am pretty certain his first thought was that he just got another stuffed penguin.  When he sees the letter from Santa, he brings it over to me to read. Friends, I know I wrote it, but I got so teary and nervous, I had to hand it over to Mr. RWM to read.

George loved it! He was so excited to have his very own penguin, even if it didn't live in the house with us.  Honestly, I think with all the stuff he knows about penguins, deep down inside, he knew he could not care and keep a penguin on his own.

George's penguin was named Blue-Pink but we didn't know if it was a boy or girl.  He also wanted to know how old he was.

(The names of the penguins at Mystic are all by the colors of the bands they wear on their wings.)

January 18 was the day we would first meet his penguin and get all our questions answered.  We were all really exited about it.  Even Mr. RWM.

The weeks leading up to the breakfast we talked about Blue-Pink just like he was part of the family.  And the night before the breakfast, George had trouble sleeping.  He was just so excited!

We had to get up pretty early to be at the Mystic Aquarium by 8 am.  Even with the lack of sleep, both kids got up excited and ready to go.

Waiting in line to go in.

We got there with plenty of time to spare.  Seemed to be about hundred people attending the breakfast.  We walked into the main part of the aquarium and tables were set up all around the different tanks.  It was pretty cool.

The kids and Petey the Penguin.

Breakfast was good. Pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee and juice. It was buffet style.  We got some food and soon they wheeled in a couple penguins.  They talked about the Africa penguin and some of it's behaviors and how they train them.  People swarmed them so we waited a little and finished eating before we went up.

Blue-Pink was not one of the penguins that were brought in. That was ok, because we knew we could still go see him at the penguin exhibit.  Since we had the trainers attention though, we thought we would asked our questions about our penguin before we went to see him.

I started to tell the one trainer that for Christmas, Santa was able to adopt Blue-Pink for our son.  His face dropped and he said, Blue-Pink is no longer with us.

How can that be, we just adopted him five weeks ago!  He calls over the other trainer who is the assistant supervisor.  She pulls me aside.  Mr. RWM has to now distract the kids because we don't really know what, "no longer with us" means.

She tells me, Blue-Pink was born with a heart condition. He did not make it to his first birthday. And to make it worse he had already passed away before we adopted him.  I started to cry. I had a hard time speaking to ask my questions.

I cried because I felt so bad for this little penguin who we had already considered part of our family. But I mostly cried because I just did not know what we were going to say to George.  I was not ready to share this news with him and I knew I could not physically do it.

It was clear to Sarah, the assistant supervisor, how important this was to us. She said she was going to take care of it and ran to the office for paper and pen so that she could take all our information.  I wanted to be able to still get a penguin for George.

While she was doing that, I filled in Mr. RWM. Shocked. He was shocked. Someone really dropped the ball here and now we had to tell our nine year old son.  We decided to tell him that another aquarium needed a penguin and they sent him there.  Neither one of us had the heart to tell him that he died and we don't plan too until he is in college. Maybe later.

I pulled it together enough to talk to the trainer.  She said he was born with a heart condition and that it was very uncommon to see this.  When they did the autopsy, they were surprised he lived as long as he did.  He had a brother and a mother and father who were still at the exhibit. I wrote their names down so we could try to find them later.

George seemed to handle it well. He was disappointed but no tears.  We told him he would still get a penguin and they would call me this week.  He wanted to know where Blue-Pink went, but we said we did not know.

We still had until 9:30 to enjoy the penguins they brought in, not to mention the rest of the aquarium before they opened to the general public at ten.  We enjoyed being able to do this without a huge crowd.

Can you find the fish?

Close up look at eels,

and barracudas.

We chatted up the trainer and learned so much about African Penguins. The kids ran around looking at all the tanks and just had a great time.

At 9:30 we had to leave so they could clean up and get ready for the opening at 10. We had a pass to stay the day but had to leave and come back in.  Right before we did that, Sarah came back over to us and told us to meet her at the penguin exhibit once we were back in.

We didn't know why but were excited to meet her there.

Friends, we got a private, "backstage" look at the penguin exhibit and how they are cared for.  It was amazing!  Sarah went above and beyond what she needed to do and we appreciated and loved every minute of it.

My family, Sarah and Purple-Red.

So happy to watch the penguins swim.

We stayed at the aquarium way longer than we expected. Nothing was missed. From there, we had dinner at Mystic Pizza and to finish off out day, we took the kids to see The Illusionists.  Very exciting show!

Waiting for the show to start.

Kids fell asleep in the car.  I went to bed happy and sad. We had a pretty good day, but I know George was disappointed. He handled it well and I am proud of him.  So much time went into getting a penguin and we still don't have one.  Soon though, very soon.  I hope...

Yes, a non running post but one that I really wanted to share.  Running wise, all is good. Think I may skip the March half marathon, but still on the fence.  Either way, I will volunteer there which will get me a free entry into one of the sprints I want to do this year.

I will keep you posted on the penguin and let you know when and if we get another.

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole