where i've been...and where i am headed...and everything in between.

*crickets*

good morning!

for my 3 readers out there in bloggerville, i have returned.
maybe temporarily...maybe just for the day...let's just go with it for now, mmm'kay?

anywho, i wish i could say i've been running some fantastic races, and setting amazing pr's.
actually its been more like lots of tv, an out of control sweet tooth, and the desire to do anything but run/sweat/workout. yay me!

since my last post in september...here is what i've been up to.


cheered on the hubs and his insane friends during the tough mudder.

this was a 10 mile race through mud, fire, electric wires and ice cold water...all for the ellusive orange headband.
CRAZY BASTARDS!

veered off the calorie friendly eating bandwagon...

and really, if you are gonna break a diet, you totally should do it with sushi, apple pie a la mode, nutella crepes and more sushi.
just sayin'.

ran a 5k as a family...

the boy rocked his first 5k...beating me by almost 5 minutes.
yes i'm serious.
he finished in 40:24, and was the youngest participant!

went to the casino...

this is bonnie.
bonnie won 30 bucks.
i did not win 30 bucks.
bitch.  

went on a fantastical beach vacation...

doesn't everyone lay on the beach with cigarettes and coronas???

schlepped the fam to the happiest place on earth...

see? we are really happy!

with the help of a few friends, i taught myself how to crochet.

i have mad hat making skillz.

and i threw a rocking 5th birthday for the boy!

for all you movie junkies, it was harry potter themed.
and the boy's outfit was not a battle i wanted to have...doesn't every kid wear a tshirt, tie and hp glasses??

i decided to return to bloggerville because in a few weeks i am running this...again.

i fully realize that running a race with minimal training is not a fab idea...but no one ever said i liked to follow the rules.

this blog is kinda like a diary of sorts.
it chronicles my training (or lack of), lets me have a place to talk about myself (because who doesn't love talking about themselves!), and allows me to get advice from people who are way faster/cooler/smarter than me with the whole running thing.

so if you are out there reading, thank you.
i promise to bore you with my randomness as often as possible.

for once, it's NOT all about me...

since i have been doing a whole lot of nothing lately...and by nothing i mean expanding my waistline by eating everything in sight and finding every excuse i have to not run...i need to talk about how fantastic the hubs is.

yesterday, in honor of 9/11, he ran the fort 2 base run. it was 10 nautical miles, which equals 11.5 miles.

the hubs is a very fit guy...
he did a 6 year stint in the marines and was in the best shape of his life.
he runs at least twice a week, has completed p90x, and has run numerous races with me. he is MUCH faster.

this race appealed to him because it started and finished on military bases - fort sheridan in highland park and great lakes naval base in north chicago.

he said he started off with the 8:30 pace group and the first 5 miles were easy peasy.
he then said, he contemplated dying during the next 6 miles. (coming from a man who has not run more than 5 miles in YEARS, so i don't recommend his training plan...)

after stopping to walk only for a few seconds, he plowed towards the boy and i, who were waiting in front of the finish line. he looked completely and utterly spent.

he finished in 1:54 and i couldn't have been more proud of him.

every runner got a super snazzy dog tag medal with a round navy medallion. and their race bibs were camouflage and had every runners name on it. 

 

 

for those that are wondering, the hubs only runs in vibram five finger shoes.
i am incredibly creeped out by the fact that he can wiggle all 5 toes at once in them, but he cannot say enough good things about them. they have completely changed the way he runs and he has little to no soreness after his usual 5 mile runs...


i am so happy that he completed his longest race to date...even if it means he has been like this all day...

he is hobbling around the house like a 150 year old man...but the craziest thing? the one part of his body that doesn't hurt...his calves. which i think is due to him wearing his cep sleeves during the race. gosh i love compression gear!

even though this was his first long distance run, he was a bit bummed he had to stop to walk a couple times.
DUDE, if i was out there??? i would still be on the damn course, sprawled out and crying in pain. 


great job hubby!!
and if you complain one more time about how achy you are, i will kick you in the kneecap. 
i kid, i kid...

anyone run with their kids?

i haven't posted in a while because...well...i haven't had much to say.

unless you count the my recent addiction to nutella...

so at the urging of my fellow gotr bff's,  coach amy & coach lauren, the boy and i joined them for a few easy laps around a local, park district track. and by easy, i mean mostly walking...kinda fast...

a couple of laps turned into a smidge under 3.5 miles.

and i spent those 3.5 miles chasing the boy.

i was in awe at how fast he ran. and how he just kept running. and running. and running.
i turned into the crazy, yeller mom...telling him to slow down and drink some water in fear of him overheating. he did as he was told, and seemed unaffected by the late afternoon heat.

at one point, i attempted to pace him (and failed miserably) and my nike+ said i was going about 8:49 min/mi....not too shabby for my 4.5 year old.

the next day he said that his thighs were sore...but after we went over the proper names for various parts of our legs, i determined it was his calves...so i taught him a few stretches and being the awesome mommy that i am, i massaged his calves.

he ran his first 'race' last november...which was really a mini turkey trot. he loved it and keeps asking when he can run a  REAL race.

so...

after discussing it with the hubs, we decided to register as a family for matt's mile and 5k.

the boy and the hubs will be running the 5k together...because they are much faster than i could ever be...
and i will be running with my work bff....because we are much slower than most people. which we are both okay with and are spending more time coordinating our accessories than actually running....


so my questions...

it's okay to run with a child this young, right?
i mean, as long as they aren't too hot, staying hydrated, and are not over-exerting themselves...it's a-okay, right? (this particular race is in the evening in october, so i'm hoping for cooler weather)

any tips for you and your child during a race?

anyone ever run a race with their young child?

happy wednesday everyone!

is it really monday already???

man, weekends go by way too fast....

BUT

since it's monday, and i haven't done this is eons....how's about a little triple m?

for those who are new to my blog, triple m is short for mel's monday musings...which basically means i talk about all the randomness going on in my melon. trust me, it's a lot.

1 - i'm not sure how the weather is in other parts of this fine country...but in the chicagoland area? IT'S HOT AS HELL.
this about covers it...

source

1a - this weather is only good for 2 things...sitting in a wonderfully air-conditioned house or being fully submerged in a pool.

1b - ya know what this weather is NOT good for? RUNNING.
running itself sucks. but doing it when it's 135 degrees out? with hot air blowing on you? and sweating from every orafice? nothankyouverymuch.


2 - i have a serious sweet tooth.
as soon as i think of eating chocolate, this overwhelming urge comes over me and does not go away till i eat something. well  maybe it would if i learned a bit of self control, but enough about my issues...

today, i hit the sweet jackpot.
in chicago, there is this fantastical mobile cupcake van called flirty cupcakes.

 yes my friends...it's a truck that drives all around the city and suburbs selling CUPCAKES! 

they post updates via twitter and facebook with their locations...so when i saw they were mere minutes from where i lived, i packed up the boy and drove over!

the  boy was especially excited to try the mini pack!

does anyone have these cupcakes on wheels trucks in their city/town?
i urge you to try them IMMEDIATELY!

i hope everyone out there in blog world had a wonderful weekend!

they like me...they REALLY like me!!

i was reading courtney's blog this morning...and saw this...

before i get all big-headed and go on about how fantastical i am...i want to thank courtney for thinking of little ole me!

now rush on over to her blog third time's a charm and tell her how fantastical she is (and wish her good luck in her half marathon training!) and make sure to take a peek at her gorgeous wedding photo's! 


since someone other than my mom thinks i'm so lovely...i need to tell you 7 random factoids about myself.

1 - when i was pregnant, i gained almost 60 pounds.
you know how some people say that pregnant women have a 'glow' about them?
yea, not me.
i was fat. and uncomfortable. and fat.

no, there isn't twins in there. just a lot of mcdonald's chicken nuggets and chocolate chip cookies....

2 - the hubs grew up on a farm in michigan and moved to illinois after ending a 4 year stint in the us marine corps. he didn't know a sole...aside from his sister who already lived here.
i think it's pretty darn cool that he moved to a new city/state and not knowing anyone.

3 - when i was little (say 7-ish years old) i was in the hospital for almost a week for herpangina.
no, it isn't a venereal disease...pervs.
in short, it's canker sores that travel down your bronchial tubes. super painful.

4 - i haven't talked to my dad in almost 3 years and have no intentions to talk/see him anytime soon.

5 - i have a 16 year old brother. my mom remarried when i was 13 and had my brother the day after my 14th birthday. 
he is already almost a foot taller than me and weighs about 50lbs less than i do.
skinny teenager bastard.

6 - i like french fries, baked potatoes, and hashbrowns....but HATE mashed potatoes. H.A.T.E.

7 - i haven't been on a vacation since my honeymoon in march of 2006.
at least twice a week, i plan a fake vacation. like pricing out hotels, flights, etc.
i'm really just a loser who is desperate for a vacation without the boy. and maybe even without the hubs...that would be heaven. 


and that is all you need to know about me...for now at least....

i guess with these blogger awards, you have to pass the torch to other fantabulous ladies.

lauren @ forward is a pace

amy @ juiceboxesandcrayolas

SingleMom @ soontobesinglemom

happy wednesday and i hope everyone in the midwest is staying nice and cool during this insane heat wave!!

taking running to a whole new level...

the hubs just signed up for this....the tough mudder.

Tough Mudder is not your average lame-ass mud run or spirit-crushing ‘endurance’ road race. Our 10-12 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Forget finish times. Simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honor. Tough Mudder has raised over one million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project.

WARNING: Tough Mudder is 3-4 times longer and MUCH TOUGHER than a typical mud run such as Warrior Dash. On average, only 78% of participants finish the event. Only those in reasonably strong physical condition should enter. See our Training Page.

the obstacle course is INSANE.
jumping off a 10-20 foot tower into a mud puddle filled with ice.
running through things that are ON FIRE.
passing through a maze of live wires that will electrocute you.

did i mention that you actually have to run too???
this obstacle course is spread out over 10-ish miles.

NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

i admire the hub's insane sense of thrill seeking...but you better believe that i will be watching from the sidelines (while warm and dry) cheering like a madwoman and praying that he doesn't die. yes all participants have to sign a waver that doesn't hold the race people responsible if you kick the can mid-race. awesome. just what i would want to do....

anyone out there do any 'extreme' races like this?
any mud runs? warrior dashes?
or better yet, anyone do a tough mudder and live to talk about it?

run from the cops 5k - race report

this morning, on pretty much the hottest day of the year, i decided to lay in the a/c run a 5k.

not winning.

like i said before, this was a police department organized race...and since i happen to work for a local pd, the hubs and a few co-workers also signed up.

i cannot say enough wonderful things about how this race was organized  and how wonderful everyone at the race was.

• when the hubs picked up our race packets, the 'cops' who were running the race were given a snazzilicious blue tech tee. someone messed up and i was given a plain white cotton shirt. i was okay with the mistake (race tee's = jammie shirts for me!) but the sergeant in charge called me immediately to apologize, and my technical t-shirt was waiting at the registration desk on race morning. AND i got to keep the white shirt. SCORE
• since it was 965 degrees at 8am, i was sweating like a sumo wrestler as i was walking to the starting line. there were ginormous tubs of ice and water right by the start/finish line. i've been in races before where you are strongly discouraged from taking water BEFORE the race. but no one batted an eye when we all took one and when i tried to dunk my head in the water bucket. thank 
• the volunteers at the water station were fantastic. since we had our pd shirts on, they were shouting GO XYZ POLICE (i really don't work for xyz police. duh.) and since it was an out and back course, we hit the water station twice! 
• wanna guess the after race snackies? corner bakery!! mmmm...bagels, donuts, water, more donuts...mmmm....

my time was a personal worst...44:03.
and i'm okay with that. it was hotter than blazes. i haven't done any physical activity in 6 weeks. and i walked way more than i ran.

disclaimer to my new-ish readers...i'm not fast. i'm actually quite slow. i will never win a race or place in my age group...however, i will also never be the last person to cross. always remember, forward is a pace.


i ran with a co-worker and great friend...this was my first race where i ran without music and i didn't miss it one bit! since we work opposite shifts, we rarely work together...so we got to catch up on some much needed gossiping. yes, we are 16 when we are together. no shame in that...

like i said before, it was an out and back course.
i HATE these.
nothing reminds you of how slow you are than seeing the leaders on their way back after only 13 minutes.
fast jerks.

after seeing all the pictures that were taken of me?
geeze, i really need to learn how to look better when i'm a sweaty mess.
blech.

this is team awesome!!

police department names have been covered to protect the guilty...but we ALL rocked the pink sweatbands. see? we ARE totally awesome...

and once again, a HUGE shout out to the hubs.
like always, he was waiting for us right before the end and was yelling you don't want this old cop to beat you...do you??
instead of slugging him in the stomach, i ran faster.

the hubs also pulled out an impressive 24:something PR!
riddle me this...how does he get faster, and i get slower???

yes, he wore his barefoot shoes. and yes, they are creeping me out less and less...maybe that is what turns him into a kenyan? 

after the race, we hightailed it home to get in the shower and cool off.
and to put on these....

i just got these bad boys...and they are so much tighter (in a good way) than my zensah sleeves....never mind that i had to get a ginormous size for my man calves...

i hope everyone had good races this weekend, despite the humidity here in the midwest.
blech.
any PR's?
any PW's like me?