Reviews on the Run

Day # 204 ~ 8 treadmill miles

Occasionally I do look cute.

During my run last evening I finished watching yet another movie.  It is a great way to pass the time and get a little mommy break from the kiddos.  I run with headphones on so that I can escape into the movie and simply put one foot in front of the other.  Easier said than done when watching some movies.

Last night the movie was:
The Final Storm

What Wikipedia says:

Final Storm (source) (working title, The Storm) is a biblical apocalypse thriller film directed by Uwe Boll^[1] and written by Canadian screenwriter Tim McGregor.
The plot concerns a mysterious character named Sylas Hendershot (Luke Perry), who takes refuge from a storm in a farm owned by two characters, Tom Grady (Steve Bacic) and Gillian Grady (Lauren Holly). He claims that he should stay and that they should watch after each other. Tom and Gillian, along with their son, soon find that there are more dangerous things than the storm.

I choose this movie because Netflix suggested it.  Also because it was available to view instantly on my computer.  I had high hopes even though the majority of the cast was less than stellar.  (sorry Luke Perry)
Within the first 20 minutes I had already seen the "best" parts of the movie after that it was a down hill slide seemingly into the somewhat lost plot of the movie.
Yeah, what was the plot again?
Since the movie was a complete thumbs way down, I will not bore you with negative criticism about the individual actors.  I felt the lack of story line was the biggest problem with the movie.
If you use Netflix I recommend you click ignore if this title shows up under your suggestions.

There is even a Facebook page for fans HERE. 
It has 26 as of this posting.  I won't be joining them.

Tonight's run will feature the movie:  Below.

Amanda at Run to the finish is hosting an OhNuts giveaway. 
What better snack to help you through those draining hours of shopping?
So click over and visit with Amanda and see what wonderful things she is up to.

The things you hear when you shut up and listen

We enjoyed the extra long Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanksgiving Day ~ Day # 200 ~ 10 miles

Our family spent the day playing Wii and being together before

we drove to Gramma's house for a big Thanksgiving day evening meal.

After a bit of overindulgence, we played more games and then went out to see the

crazies who lined up by the hundreds at the local stores.

All this for more "stuff."  No Thanks!

Hubbs and I toyed with the idea of selling coffee and hot chocolate but the rain and cold

encouraged us to come to our senses and get the kiddos and head home.

Day # 201 ~ 5 miles

We did find our way to a store.  Sams Club for groceries and then we roamed around

while Hubbs was distracted by the flashing electronics. 

Day # 202 ~ 10 miles

S'ghetti girl and I worked on headbands for our school districts Holiday Workshop.  S'ghetti girl was most excited about her fashion sparkle headbands.  I think she would cover herself in glitter if she could.

Day 203 ~ 1 extra mile with S'ghetti girl and her new mile PR

On the running front, my streak continues.  Day 200 happend to fall on Thanksgiving day. 

I thought that was an nice coincidence since I count the ability to run among my blessings.

S'ghetti girl has been working on being more active and broadening her diet. 

She went out with me on Sunday to work on her mile.  I was so proud of her effort.

As we ran she told me, "...it's not about how fast I go.  All that matters is that I finish."

Day # 203 ~ 6.5 miles solo

I may not have taught her to love running (yet) and I am fine with whatever she chooses

to love doing to be active but what makes me so happy for her is her attitude.

And over a lifetime, that is what will help her the most; having the right attitude.

Family days

I love days off work when we don't HAVE to do anything.  I love being able to sleep in and make a big family breakfast.
We enjoyed a leisurely morning and shopping in the afternoon. Great family time.  The only thing I don't like about days off is the lack of a schedule, the lack of structure to the day.
I love not having to get up to get my run in but then I dread it all day.  Worrying about not having run yet and knowing it is a distraction in my mind until I have gotten to run. 
I wish it was not this way but running simply is a part of the person I have grown to be.  A big part. So for better or worse running and I will soon ring in another year together and I don't think running is leaving the family anytime soon.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

I'll be brief

I wonder if this was my breakfast, how many miles do I need to run or how many hours do I need to shop to burn it off?
Oh holidays are murder on a diet!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A Thanks-filled Day

I am thankful for...

The ability, time and will power to run races that I only dreamed about doing.

A little boy who creates fun out of not listening.

A daughter who tells me everything she ever hears, thinks or believes.

A husband who gives up so much so that we can be safe.

A faith that is with me even when I doubt.

A son, now a man, who fills me with pride.

Miles and miles and miles - thanks to jogging stroller - with my favorite running buddy.

Races with my husband!

My mommy.

A good night's sleep.

A love of reading.

Little feet that might follow me.

The change of the seasons.

A big family full of love that keeps growing.

Do you know what today is?

Do you know what today is?

Well, okay it is Thanksgiving Eve but what else is it?

Day # 199

that means that I'll have another thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day,

200 Days of Running.


Some reminders to work on over the holiday:
Jen at setting u free just got a big ego boast.  She is looking fab!  No wonder with all the great things going on in her life lately.  She is sharing the love with a major giveaway.  Go check it out!

Leslie at racing it off is hosting an iFitness belt giveaway.  I would love to be able to stop pinning baggies to my shorts!  During the Ultra I must have used an old pin and all the salt and sweat left rust marks on my shorts.  No kidding!

Hot legs runner is hosting a Yurbuds giveaway.  I would love these since my current pair fall out when I sing...okay, maybe they just want me to stop singing?!

The wonderful barefoot AngieBee is hosting a ALO shorts giveaway.  Being a skirt girl she didn't want to let the shorts go to waste and is giving her followers a chance to put them to good use.  Click over and catch up on all things in Angie's barefoot world.

Track coach and his adorable wife are hosting a Bondi Band giveaway.  I love Bondi Bands when I run in the fall.  They are wide enough to add a little ear coverage in those first few minutes of morning running. 

This is the run I missed

This is the run I missed this morning.

It almost smelled like spring.

Missing my morning run means it will be running in the

darko'basement

tonight on the treadmill because of the wonderful rain that is in the forecast.

But I had good reason to not run this morning.

LBM slept through the night

in his own bed!

He deserved the morning to play instead.

Look for a window and not a wall

 It was a quiet weekend at home for the kids and I.

We had an unexpected loss in the family and due to the circumstances the kids and I were at home while Hubbs helped handled arrangements and attended services.

So it may seem odd that some of our running and playing took place in a graveyard but it really shouldn't.

Death is just another step in the journey we are on.  In many cases, a loved one's passing is the end of a painful struggle.  So for me this grave yard has always been a place a joy. 

A place of beauty for those who choose to allow that next step to be a window and not a wall.

Even LBM knows the happiness of that truth!

We even had our own bike-a-thon.  The winner got a cool fusebead medal!

Okay they both won their age groups.

 The kids raced and ran themselves exhausted! 

I thought about the events of the weekend while I was running this morning.

And I realized that that metaphor carries over to my running too.

I am always leaning on Him for support while I am looking for that window and praying I don't run into a wall.  Many times there have been windows that I have squeezed through and felt reengerized once I was on the other side.  Occassionally there has been a wall.  But I have always been provided with a way, a strength to overcome it. 

With Thanksgiving just days away, what is your best "you found a window" story?

Be thankful today.

Day # 197 3.5 ~ 28:20

This Place Was Made For ME

Day 194 ~ 3.5 / 26:41

You know how some places just seem like home. 

Something about the area just puts you at ease and you feel like you've been there before. 

You know the feeling.  Some running routes give you that feeling, that comfortable ease.

I know without a doubt that this place...

...was made for me. 

Ever have the feeling?

Leslie at Racing it off is hosting a fabulous giveaway!

CEP Compression socks.

I love them.  I live in them.

If you haven't tried them you must.

Click over and introduce yourself to Leslie

and tell her I sent you.

Don't forget to start counting those Holiday Booty Buster Challenge points.

All the fun starts tomorrow!

Thanks Amanda!

33 miles in one pair of socks

This morning, Day # 193, I got out for a solo run because Hubbs had unexpectedly come home late last night.  It was wonderful to have him home and so nice to get outside to enjoy the brisk morning without the jogging stroller.  My run was made more peaceful knowing my son and husband were warm and snuggled in bed and our daughter was safely on her way to school.

When I was done I had this little face waiting to greet me!

For my run I matched right down to my socks. 

yes, I am still in love with this shirt...or too lazy to put on something else.  you pick.

Okay you can't see them but they are Sof Sole Coolmax Trainer Socks.

They are white and blue just like my outfit and some of my pairs are a little yellow too from all the dirt they have had ground into them.

evidence of my lack of  wonderful laundry skills

In fact, I wore these sock during my Ultra on Halloween.  

I had even packed a pair in my drop bad incase I needed to change from the water crossings.

These socks were amazing! 

Coolmax® Trainer Socks

Although there was water and my shoes did get a little wet my feet stayed dry and blister free.

I didn't change my socks at the "half" way oasis (aka aid station) because my feet were feeling comfortable and dry.

That's one pair of Sof Sole Socks and 33 miles.

Now Sof Sole socks are my running socks and honestly, I keep several pair for casual wearing because they are so sofe and comfortable.  S'ghetti girl tries to steal them when her knee highs are all in the wash because of their softness.  If S'ghetti girl knew that they offer a high knee, she'd live in them!...humm maybe a stocking stuffer idea?!

But don't take my word for it, go visit their site or your local sportings goods store and see for yourself the variety of socks and insoles Sof Sole has to help your feet enjoy fitness goals!

Don't Dump your Kittens at My House

Around the beginning of October this sad little kitty was stupid smart enough to find himself dumped on my porch just in time for LBM to grab him while I was loading the car

. 

Catching a feral kitten is no small feat.  Then having caught one it's an even bigger stroke of luck accomplishment to not get bitten by the animal.

Luckily for LBM the kitten was neither inclined to run or bite both; a sign of it's obvious malnutrition. 

Being the brute of punishment animal lover that I am, the kitty came inside and took up residency in the basement while we feed him back to health.

Fast forward to this morning, I now have one nicely chubby, one-eyed, no named kitty who LBM is completely in love with while the kitty merely indulges LBM's over-the-top attempts to express that love.

This morning no name kitty may just have found his name.

Benjamin

Because those are what I dropped at just the first of several vet visits.

Okay, cat. 

Now, I OWN you!

Getting Back up to Speed

Can I just say that I love my new-ish Under Armour shirt?

As if I need to tell you that since I have been wearing it ALL the time.

I found an ancient gift card in a drawer I was cleaning out.

It had $75 on it!

So I had to help myself to a few new things.

This shirt is one of them.

I wore it during the Ultra.  You'd know this is they ever got the race photos posted!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I wore it Sunday evening on the treadmill and again Monday morning running in the fog.

I wore it Monday evening with my blue Princess Running shirt and knee high socks.

But you can't really see that because I s**k at taking outfit shots.

But I hadn't packed it from our weekend in VA.

I might not have looked as cute by my surroundings were amazing.

My legs were so heavy and tired I wanted to quit before I got started.

So to distract myself I ran across a few fields and pastures. 

The views were just what I needed to keep going.

After my Saturday run, S'ghetti girl and I made cupcakes together.

It was much more fun than a store bought cake.

The family sang me happy birthday and we enjoyed a wonderful weekend of just being together.

The amazing TMB at Racing with babes is Running Naked.
I know you are dying to see TMB run naked so head over there and check out her lastest giveaway.
I just wish they had something in YELLOW.

Amanda at Run to the Finish is hosting a $150 giveaway.
All you need to do is click over and get to know Amanda, let her know your best holiday health tip and your entered.  Plus she has many other way to get extra entries! 

You get what you get...

...and you don't get upset.

For my birthday today,

Yeah, it's my Birthday today.

Thanks for all the well wishes.

I share it with others, like Amanda's handsome hubby.

But back to me.

This morning LBM wanted to give me a present.

He thought rocks would suitable.

And he was insistent.

You get what you get and you don't get upset.

But you know, rocks are not such a bad gift.

I worked alongside my grandfather picking them out of the garden.

I've spent some wonderful races running over them.

I passed childhood afternoons searching for them in fields.

I eagerly waited to get a shiny one from just the right guy.

And this morning, the cutest little guy I know who has enjoyed more miles with his crazy running mommy than one little man should have to, give me a whole handfull of preciousness.

I think I'm gonna say Yes.

This is Day # 187 ~ 4.1 miles to celebrate.

 

 DC rainmaker is hosting a Forerunner 210 Giveaway!
Since it is my birthday I think I should win this but you should hop over and met the rainmaker yourself.  He is up to quite a lot and has loads of great posts and reviews to learn from.
So click over and enter but stay a while a read up on another great athlete.

So much to be Thankful for

To all those who serve; past or present, for all those who are left behind at home, THANK YOU for giving far more than should ever have been asked.

In the continuing drama of my life, you may remember I have yet to make the switch to running in the dark after work.  This is partly laziness and partly I can get more miles on the treadmill. 

yeah, I said.

I like a lot miles.  No that's not correct.  I like a certain number of miles a week.

The treadmill allows me to get more quality miles in each week once the weather turns.

And NO they are not JUNK miles.

Don't even get me start on that topic because it's a post or two all by it's self!

With all that said (and who was I trying to convince, anyway?)  I don't enjoy the treadmill running in the same way I enjoy being outside.  In fact being outside in nature is a BIG part of why I started running.

So this morning I started here. 

Yeah, Heaven.  I know!

And I ran through some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet.

It was so wonderful to be outside wrapped in an envelope of my own warmth as the steam lifted off the creek.

It is never lost on me how lucky I am to get to do this wonderful thing where I get to do it.

This morning I ran to here.

It's called "the Y."

It's just a short run. 3.5 miles partially along a creek where I have seen more fish crane, ducks, deer, muskrats, turtles, kingfishers, and newts than I can remember. 

This morning for many reasons I tried to remember.  I tried to remember how all the days and years have piled up and created so many wonderful memories.

I thought of th emany veterans in my life. 

I thought of my dad.  He served in the Army National Guard.

I learned to tie my shoes using his Army boots while sitting on the front porch.

I thought of my husband who has seen life in different places.

I thought of our neighbor who has fought along side some who didn't make it home.

I thought of my son.  I thought of the times he was with me on this stretch of road and I wondered where his roads will take him, what amazing things his eyes will see.

Sometimes being Thankful can make you both happy and sad at the same time.

Day # 186

This morning I enjoyed the freedom to be outside, to be carefree, to be safe.

and I don't take it for granted.