Operation Candy Coma Successful

It was a gorgeous day here today. The snow has mostly melted even though we had over two feet two days ago. That is the wonderful thing about Colorado--massive snowfall is followed by massive sunshine and massive melting. I went for a ten mile run in shorts and a tank top and I was actually too warm. The majority of the path was clear but the further west I ventured, the more post-hole-ing I had to do--which was actually quite fun.

Liam awoke at a decent hour and for the second day in a row, emerged from his room dressed in his Astronaut costume. To say he loves that flight suit is an understatement. He has barely taken it off in the past two day and that was only at my urging that I needed to wash it. Remember Liam, "Clean costumes get more candy." Grandma and Grandpa are visiting from California and they surprised Liam with space helmet to complete the look. The child was over-the-moon happy. Sawyer went as an adorable tiger and was initially a little confused as to what was happening but by the end he was knocking on the door right there beside his big brother and grabbing candy with the best of them. When we asked Liam what his favorite part of the day was, he said "Right now. Eating candy."

Both boys had a great day. Pictures to come.

White Halloween

Well it is day two of the Fall snowstorm (22 inches here) and I am already more than over it. I am just NOT a winter person. It is really beautiful at first, and then I find myself getting sad because I miss seeing colors outside.I miss the ease of warmer temps. Winter snowstorms always sound good at first: hot cocoa, snuggling inside with your loved ones, playing in the snow...but in reality it is more like spending (literally) 20 minutes getting boys dressed in snow gear (why won't those damn boots ever go on easily?!) only to have them go outside, touch the snow and come back in less than a minute later then peeling the cocoa-induced, cagey boys off of one another once the sugar kicks in.

Hello Mother Nature? I know everyone is saying it is going to be a hard, long winter but could you do me a favor and divert all of our snow up to the ski areas? It will make my husband happy and myself happy. Everyone wins. Thank you.

In case you were wondering...

YES. We did get snow and it is still coming down hard. The drive into work this morning was rough-- they ended up closing down our office so we could "work from home" (which for any parent with young kids means, "work when the kids go to bed at night because you sure can't do it when they are awake"). The roads are actually not too bad right now--but once the temperature drops tonight things will get messy. The snow is supposed to go until tomorrow afternoon--then clear up for the weekend. But I think we will probably have a white Halloween this year.

Snow?!

We are under a winter storm warning for the metro area. We could possibly get up to 18" of snow if the storm tracks a certain way. If it (hopefully) tracks the other way we will get only 8" of snow. It is supposed to begin tonight and continue until Thursday night. I am not looking forward to this much snow this early in the year. :-(

He's My Brother

Lately I have been noticing a change in the boys. Liam is morphing into a true "big boy", complete with fart and poop humor, increased roughhousing and at times a sudden mouthiness that I could do without. Beanie is also changing--he is turning into a real boy--gone is the little baby-ness and in its place a rough and tumble kid who shows a propensity towards all things physical and a great sense of humor. I also see the boys suddenly doing more things together--whether that be enjoying (laughing hysterically) a tooting babies video on YouTube or fighting over the same toy. They are definitely more of a dynamic duo as of late.

Sawyer has started this thing where he will grab your hand and lead you, quite literally, all around the house and yard. He will do this ALL day if you let him. I now see him doing it with Liam--grabbing his big brother's hand and taking him to the window to show him the neighbor's Halloween lights or taking him upstairs to show him a toy. I also notice Liam helping him more--and Sawyer allowing him to do so. Last night it made me smile to see Liam taking off Sawyer's socks for him and then putting on a new pair of Liam's "pirate" socks. "Just sit here Beanie and I'll put these on for you..."

Of course the sweet scenes are more often then not replaced by them screaming at each other over some perceived infraction. Liam takes something out of Sawyer's hands or vice versa. But it is those sweet scenes where they are holding each other's hands or helping each other out that I will choose to remember. I know that as time goes on they will fight more, co-conspire more, and hopefully in the end...trust and love more.

Crossing fingers...

Yesterday was a really beautiful day here--near 85. Not exactly great marathon weather (too hot!) but definitely great hanging out on a Sunday afternoon weather. I ran my marathon in the morning and came home and relaxed for a bit before going out to dinner with Ken. (Oh--the marathon went fairly well considering I had just run one two weeks earlier! I did about how I expected and managed to only have to stop to use the restrooms twice!) Ken & I went out to a really nice dinner in Boulder and had some good food and wine. Unfortunately a few hours later Ken came down with some sort of bug--he is thinking food poisoning and I trust his educated judgement. It was probably NOT where we ate dinner--since I ate the same things. (I didn't know it but food poisoning is rarely from the thing you last ate--but can be from something even eaten 48 hrs earlier). He is feeling better tonight--just very tired. We are hoping it was food poisoning. Tonight Liam decided he wanted to go to bed early (uh oh) and is constantly thirsty. Ken said that is how his started--being really thirsty. I am hoping it is just coincidence.

Crossing fingers we have a peaceful night...

Back to Backs

I officially registered to run the Denver Marathon on Sunday. Why? I am not sure exactly. I guess mostly because it is there and I hate to not be part of the action. Last year I did two back to back marathons and I lived to tell the tale. I went into Denver hoping for a good time but ended up with GI issues (should have known way back then something was up). This year's race is PURELY for fun (and yes, I actually do think running 26.2 miles is fun. Mostly.). I am using it as an experiment for Boston--I am going to really, REALLY focus on hydrating and not getting sick. Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a doctor's appointment this week and it turns out I have Ischaemic Collitis (don't look it up--really). It is not uncommon in endurance athletes and actually a good friend of mine has it. (After my incident at St. George I called him up and he said it sounded like what happened to him)--basically during extreme events the body shunts blood away from the colon. This condition is made worse by dehydration and having low blood pressure. SO long story short, my GI guy says it is ok to run on Sunday--I just have to hydrate like a fool and stop and walk at the first sign of gut trouble. Actually, I now have to drink 64 oz of water (at the least) every single day. He said he will be curious to see if the collitis rears its head again on sunday even if I hydrate--so consider Denver a testing platform. I'm also being tested for celiac--which would surprise me if I had it. I think they just test to rule it out. But it would be nice to know why I feel miserable nearly every time I eat!

Oh, Sunday is also our anniversary! Ken & I already have a dinner date planned so no matter how the marathon morning goes, I know a nice night is in store!

Old McDonald's

Today was a big day for Liam. It was "Limo to Lunch" day--a reward he won for selling at least 15 orders of frozen cookie dough for his school fundraiser. All of the kids who sold at least 15 units got to take a limo to McDonalds for lunch. THis was a HUGE deal for Liam--since he is in afternoon kidergarten he eats lunch at home everyday...so for him to get to go to school early and eat with friends was definitely the highlight of his day/week. Liam has also never been to McDonalds...(Ken & I are not big fast food fans) so when he found out he was going to "Old McDonald's" he was giddy. He woke up early and didn't want much breakfast--he wanted to make sure he "had enough room" for Old McDonalds...

It was also parent/teacher conference day with Mrs. Jessen. I have to admit I was a little nervous--after the preschool conference last Spring which left me in tears I was worried that we would get another less then glowing report. It turns out I had nothing to worry about. Mrs. Jessen had only great things to say about Liam--he is *VERY* enthusiastic and energetic, always happy, plays well with everyone, cares about other's feelings, listens and follows instruction (this is the one I worried about), and is very observant and creative. The only negatives were that he tends to talk A LOT. She said that while he talks a lot, he does listen. She said it is just that he is SO excited and enthusiastic about everything he can't wait to tell her more. She also surprised us by saying that he needs to stand his ground more--he is always willing to "be the nice guy" and let someone else play with the thing he wanted to play with or act out the character he wanted to act out. She said it is a nice quality, but that in the future it could be a problem (peer pressure, etc.). So overall-a good report. She said "he is a keeper!". I couldn't agree more. :-)

Alan Culpepper!!!

Today I had the luck/fortune to meet the one and only US Olympian and top US distance runner Alan Culpepper. As you can see by the picture I was just a little bit excited to meet him. He is actually a genuinely nice and humble guy and he does a lot for the local running community. He and his wife Shayne (also a kick butt runner) have three little boys. Very cool.

Why won't he sleep?????!!!

We are going on week two of Sawyer's sleep disturbances. Every night at approximately 10:30/11:00 he awakes and cannot get himself back to sleep and he is stubborn and strong-willed enough that he can outlast us all with his loud wailing. He will thrash and yell and cry "MAMA!!" at the top of his very loud lungs. He does this repeatedly (about every half hour) until 2:30 or so. I have done research and I know it is not night terrors (although he does thrash around--but he is very much lucid and calms down the minute I come in). He used to be such a great sleeper. After enduring Liam's initial first three months of colic and then later his horrendous sleep pattern (which I blame myself for) for two years, I promised myself that with Sawyer I would do everything by the book. By 6 weeks I was putting him down in his crib awake and he became a sleeping pro. We have no problem GOING to sleep--he is more often than not happy to be in his bed and goes to sleep a chipper fellow. However when he wakes...he is a loud and angry banshee baby. He says "Mama! Rock??? ROCK????" He wants me to rock with him--which I would do but only for a little bit. I would tell him-"we can rock, but only for a few minutes then you have to go back to sleep like a big boy". I do this and he yells and thrashes around the minute I lay him down. He settles himself down and then we repeat the drill a half hour to an hour later. Last night I decided there will be no more rocking. I just go in, tell him to GO TO SLEEP! and then shut the door and listen to him wail a bit and then repeat the drill a half hour to an hour later. It is EXHAUSTING for everyone. No one is getting a good night's sleep and the less collective sleep we get the crankier we all become. Today I found myself coloring a rather ominous looking T-Rex with Sawyer and I told him if he didn't start sleeping at night Mr. Sharp Toothed T-Rex would eat him. Actually based on my current rate of exhaustion, if he doesn't start sleeping at night *I* might eat him.

Post Marathon

I am finally back amongst the living (mostly). I got back early Sunday evening after a very fun (mostly), very exhausting (definitely) weekend with some wonderful friends. I always forget how much I love and miss these people until I spend a weekend with them. I have always said that runners are some of the best people I know and it is still true. On friday I met up with my friends (some of whom I have not seen in over 6 years) and we made the 4 hour drive to St. George. We were all remembering good times and not so good times. We have all, in one way or another, been through some really life-altering events since we last saw each other. It just reaffirms that we have a lot more then just running cementing our friendships.

The marathon itself went fairly well. We awoke at 4:00 am on Saturday morning. Almost all of us were not up to our sparkly best: My friend Victor had been very sick the day before (fever, chills) and was questionable whether or not he would even start. Neal had injured his back two weeks before and decided not to race (smart move--that course would have ruined him), Kil had broke his foot earlier in the summer and had not had a long run past 14 miles, Becky had fallen ill with some respiratory gunk earlier in the week and me, well, I was operating on about 12 hours total sleep for the week. Not exactly prime racing material.

Neal drove us to the start line at 4:45 and dropped us off to catch the bus which shuttled runners to the start. The bus quite literally drives you 26.2 miles over rolling hills and drops you off in the middle of nowhere. It was about 38 degrees at the start and near 78 by the time most people finished. The course was very scenic, albeit very isolated, and very well organized. The course proved to be very fast--but you paid for it. The downhill portions really take their toll on your body. I have never run a race where I saw so many people holding their lower backs. Surprisingly, with all my back problems and injury history I suffered very little damage. During the race I most definitely felt my back making its presence known but afterwards--not too much. Unfortunately the only thing that really went poorly was my stomach/GI tract. Ever since I had Sawyer I have had trouble going more then a few miles without having to stop and pee--so to combat that I tend to drink less than I should (and I never drank a lot to begin with). Combine the lack of drinking/eating on the course with the heat and exertion and you have the perfect recipe for some nasty dehydration and GI drama. About 5 miles out I started to suffer and had to stop at a porta potty. Then 2 miles out the nausea hit and hit hard.

I had purposefully went into this race not expecting anything--so as the race went on I realized I was running at a faster pace then expected. I told myself that I would reevaluate at mile 20--if I had a shot at a BQ (Boston Qualifying time a.k.a. the Holy Grail for runners) then I would really focus and give it a go. By mile 20 I indeed had a good time but still did not feel ready to commit to racing the last 6.2. I told myself that I would wait until mile 22 to decide. Then I decided to wait until mile 24 to decide. Then with the nausea and GI kicking in full force I decided to wait until mile 25. By this point I felt REALLy nauseated--but I knew that based on my pace I not only was going to get the BQ for my age division (a 3:45) but I had a shot at getting the BQ qualifying time for the youngest women's age division (3:40). I dug in the last mile and fought off vomiting. I could not have moved any faster--I was done. i crossed the finish line at 3:41.58. I felt very pleased with the time considering all the times I had to stop.

I still felt pretty bad after we got back from the race. Luckily my friend Joi is smart and prepared. She gave me a potassium/sodium tablet and that helped alleviate a lot of the nausea and cramping. I was finally able to eat a few hours later and all was well with the world once again. And my friends? Well, Victor dug deep (sick and all) and finished a minute ahead of me. Kil pulled out at mile 16--he felt it would do more damage to continue then to play it smart. His girlfriend Joi went on to have a 10 minute PR and finally broke the 4 hour barrier. Becky pulled out at mile 16 feeling miserable. It turns out that she has bronchitis AND a sinus infection--her doctor was surprised she even started the race to begin with.

All in all a good weekend.

Off to do 26.2

I am typing this rather late--trying to get ready for St. George. My flight leaves early in the morning and I know that I won't be able to think straight then. I *hopefully* have everything that I need packed. I am flying into Salt Lake City where it is suddenly cold (40's) and then driving 5 hours to where it has been near 100 (currently in the 80's). It's hard to try to "pack light" when the temps/weather span all 4 seasons.

Last night Beanie had a miserable night--I was literally up with him every 1 to 2 hours. I think I slept a 3 to 4 hours cumulatively. I am pooped. I hope and pray that he sleeps tonight but that is already looking doubtful--he woke up an hour and a half after I put him to bed and he was miserable. Horrible cough and congestion. I hooked up the humidifyer and am hoping that it helps. If I don't get rest tonight I can pretty much guarantee a miserable race day on Saturday. It is actually not the night before a marathon you need the most rest--it is two nights. So that being said...I need to try and rest ASAP.

Be back on Sunday afternoon...Wish us all luck.