Dingoes March into Spring...Come and run with us! - Page 7

[1jooj]

Geo, it is Kenya. Dh wanted Kuala Lumpur but it wasn't in the cards. Kenya was a Groupon special. The package costs about the same as an airline ticket would have, so it's an opportunity. We were looking at Indonesia on the map last week. Maybe someday. But part of me hopes dh loves this Africa trip and gets it in his head to climb Kili sometime in the near future. Dunno.

Real, that sinus infection would have surprised me too. But I'm happy you are on the mend.

RR: 5 miles this morning. And I ran about two of them, so that's good. I'm a little sore from yoga and also fighting a cold, but it felt so good to be out and alone, I just had to run. Going to need a lot more of that the next few months.

[loftmama]

I'd love to go back to Kili. Have you guys read about the dude who can run up and down Mt. Kilimanjaro in 7 hours and... 14 minutes, I think? CRAZY! He runs for half a year and skis up and down mountains the other 6 months. See if this link works: http://nyti.ms/WBZ2ck

NYTimes: Becoming the All-Terrain Human

For Kilian Jornet, running across the Pyrenees is like a jog in the park. What one elite endurance athlete can tell us about the human body’s potential.

Okay, how about some crazy hormone news? Jan & Feb I slept away. Today, I woke up with what felt like super-human energy and did yoga, lifted weights and then had an amazing, springy run! While running, I contemplated how joyful I felt and then came close to weeping. Get ready for the ride of your life! (I even wrote a poem - that I like - about it. ) (Do I post it on my blog or try to get it published? That's my new dilemma.)

So, yeah that was a Running Related post! Boo-yeah!

[MelW]

real, I highly recommend the nelimed sinus irrigation kit. I had a neti pot for years, but this cleared out my sinuses way more effectively and disgustingly. My husband's ENT recommends it with a mixture of manuka honey and the little saline packets they sell.

Lofty, welcome back!!! I hope the energy stays around for a long, long time.

RR- Bootcamp tonight.

NRR- unexpected early end to daycare because she had a family emergency. Both kids are now coming to the oldest's fiddle performance at the senior's home.

[mommajb]

I would like to rant about how unproductive my doctor's appointment was today and how messed up my dh is but suffice it to say nothing was accomplished but a referral and a scrip for fasting bloodwork that dh thinks I can do late one afternoon.

I adore gifts but am not good at giving them. I don't feel like I can find The Perfect Gift at the right time and stay on budget. It causes me stress.

As to the quote, I thought it was familiar but wasn't sure leaving me with my standard guess for when dd1 is quoting a movie - Princess Bride.

RM It sounds like your ds may be self motivated into some good progress.
MelW, lofty, & real, I am so glad you are feeling better today.
plady, I get the slow suffucation analogy. I hope there is a life giving breeze for you soon. Perhaps the girls can be encouraged to define some space as theirs apart from the adults in the family? Perhaps then regular time together alone can help issues of closeness? I am just thinking out loud but not feeling like an expert here.

I was daydreaming about a Dingo get away weekend and then I saw Paige post about the Dopey Challenge. A magical 48.6 mile indeed. A Hot Chocolate 15K might be more my speed!

[tjsmama]

real~Glad you're on the mend. Take some time and rest, you won't regret it. I also switched to the neilmed kit (available at costco!) from my netipot. I found that I'm lazy enough that I'm much more likely to actually use it if I can dump a little packet in instead of measuring out salt and stirring.

mommajb~Tell your DH that your friend the nurse says that fasting bloodwork should never be done any later in the day than 10 am. I can *almost* wrap my mind around doing the Goofy challenge, but the Dopey? I don't know about that...

DS is off to Ohio for Spring Break. He's only been gone about two hours, and I work tonight, so it really hasn't set in yet. I'm sure by the middle of next week, I'll be ready to have him back. Maybe. Something about working the next three nights makes me think that it might get pushed back a bit. I am definitely looking forward to being able to sleep as long as I want the next three days without having to worry about a kiddo or paying the nanny!

rr~Doubled my hamster wheel hill workout this morning to at least partly make up for the pancake flight I had for breakfast. It was delicious, but it was not low calorie. And then I went to spin class, where I found I had zero motivation, for some reason. Ha. It didn't help that the instructor was doing her good friday class, because she's not going to be there next week, and I'm not really religious, and the music was not anything that I'm familiar with or that was interesting or exciting. By the time the spin part of class wrapped up, I had no desire to go to the pilates portion of class, so I bagged it and headed home so I could at least get a short nap in before picking DS up from school.

[Realrellim]

tjsmama--hope you get lots of restful sleep and down time!

mommajb--a Dingo getaway weekend would be fun, wouldn't it? I find the idea of the various Disneyworld/land races interesting, but the reality seems to be more of a headache. Hmmm.

MelW--hope the fiddle performance was fun.

lofty--glad to hear about a good hormone switch. And a poem!

Yes to the Neilmed thing--that's what I have been using every morning (and at night if I'm stuffy). I switched after discovering it was about a billion times faster than a neti pot. Costco has been selling them in a package of two so I'm getting hooked on the packets. It was another reason I was so surprised to have a sinus infection.

NRR: day 1 of the conference, which basically consisted of 4 hours of sitting, with one 15 minute break. And there was no coffee at the break. And I hadn't grabbed coffee on the way out the door this morning because I figured they'd have coffee. By 4 I decided to cut out early, both because the snowstorm was coming in and I was done sitting. I'll have to be up and out plenty early tomorrow to slog through the snow to get down there, so I don't feel too guilty. Not many people are attending, which isn't helping. I have one of two reactions to conferences: either I find them inspiring and invigorating, or else they make me feel inadequate and like my discipline is pretty much pointless. This is the latter, not helped by the fact that everyone's bio is two or three paragraphs long and I'd submitted a very concise and short paragraph. I need a mentor. In comforting news, my colleague (and frenemy) who's a stylish dresser and seems to get all the positions that I want, was wearing something that made her look rather like a horse jockey.

[kerc]

Skied 15km today. 15 km yesterday.
Legs feel like jello.

[1jooj]

Leisurely bike ride with dh this morning, afternoon to be spent with friends on the beach. 

[loftmama]

yoga and weights this morning. legs sore from yesterday's weights and then today. getting a little bit stronger...

weirdly, ds1 - like overnight, passed me up by 1/2 an inch in height. Seriously at my mom's a month ago, he was 1/2 an inch shorter. So I'm shocked! Shocked! I thought I had till summer. Grrr. True to form, last year, he grew 2 inches in about 2 months and had that weird ankle pain when he limped all the time. Turned out to be he grew so fast the ligaments/tendons couldn't keep up (Sever's Disease) and he limped until they did. Well, this time it's the knee (Osgood Schlatter's Disease). He's limping again - which means he likes to ride the mule when I run and sing obnoxiously at the top of his lungs to encourage me. Love that kid. And now time for a whole new round of shoes!

[Geofizz]

Two cushions done, now to removing 10000 staples that make up the bottom cover, skirt, and cording.  It's not child labor if we don't pay them, right?

Found in the couch:  $0.25, an old-style little person, a comb, a doll brush, Mardi Gras beads, a Rush Hour car, cracker pieces, Cheerios, a crayon, and a dried lima bean.  And DH's sneezing reminds me:  lots and lots of dust.

RR:  YES!  IT'S A RR REPORT!!!  I ran 1 minute on, 1 off for 30 minutes.  I could do all 15 cycles if my pain stayed under a '2'.  I twinged up to 1 for a moment, but was otherwise ok.  That means tomorrow I get to do 2/1!  Woohoo.  I'm also breaking in a new RP, but I suspect she'll have reliability problems.

Enjoy the conference, Real.  The whole clothing-in-academia thing is so difficult to me, though I do think I could consistently manage to avoid the jockey look.

[loftmama]

Geo... that couch.... you're a beast! Good luck with the running partner and awesome to get in a run!

[MelW]

So, I totally googled "jockey fashion -underwear" to make sure we weren't missing *the look* of the season. We're not, thankfully.

Way to run and upholster, Geo!

lofty, the image of you running with a taller than you so chasing along on a mule is making my post-bootcamp abs hurt.

Today was my first prenatal class on my own. It's fun and easy and kind of amazing that I get paid to teach this stuff (especially to a group of people who are interested and want to be there- my students are rarely so excited).

No RR today. Climbing on the agenda for tomorrow. We have two weeks of spring break starting and I need to negotiate some running time to not lose the progress I've made.

[Nickarolaberry]

Hi mamas!

I seem to specialize in drive by postings these days.  Sorry.

Dingo getaway weekend? Sign me up. Actually Paige and I have been talking about doing Goofy together next January. Insane, yes. Compelling though. Although the actual racecourse, despite being at Disney, is not that special, it *is* a really fun place to spend a marathon weekend. Everything is right where you need it to be, there's transportation, etc. No worries.

I have worries at the moment. It seems I have tendonitis in my left foot. Pain on the outside of the ankle going down the foot. Ouch. Figures that it's at the peak of my marathon training. I guess that's why, though. In any case I am icing, taking vitamin I, and staying off it for now. Don't know if this kaiboshes the May 26 marathon or not, but I am attempting to take the long view. I did an hour this morning on dh's spinner bike (he has a good one, since he does triathlons and likes to train all winter). Can I just say...I am not a huge bike fan mostly because it really really really hurt my girly bits. Ouch. Also, I didn't like leaning over so much and I didn't know how to hold my upper body. I think with practice and some guidance it could be a very good non-running aerobic activity for me but it is also BORING. Sigh. Anyway, got some exercise in and that's good. I'm petrified of losing fitness.

Passover starts tomorrow night and today I change over my kitchen to "passover ready" which means scrubbing and cleaning all the counters, covering them with heavy duty foil (alien invasion, beware!) and pulling out the Passover dishes and utensils. Tomorrow I do lots of cooking. I am trying to go easier on myself this year in many ways and take the 'this works' way instead of the 'this needs to be perfect' way.

Yesterday I was thinking about my life wish-list/dream-list and how I'm not living that very much right now. I think I'm going to write it down and start talking about how I can make certain things a reality either now or work toward them in the future. Hmmm. Could use a Dingo coffeehouse for that. :)

Miss you, mamas. 

[kerc]

Originally Posted by Nickarolaberry 

I have worries at the moment. It seems I have tendonitis in my left foot. Pain on the outside of the ankle going down the foot. Ouch. Figures that it's at the peak of my marathon training. I guess that's why, though. In any case I am icing, taking vitamin I, and staying off it for now. Don't know if this kaiboshes the May 26 marathon or not, but I am attempting to take the long view. I did an hour this morning on dh's spinner bike (he has a good one, since he does triathlons and likes to train all winter). Can I just say...I am not a huge bike fan mostly because it really really really hurt my girly bits. Ouch. Also, I didn't like leaning over so much and I didn't know how to hold my upper body. I think with practice and some guidance it could be a very good non-running aerobic activity for me but it is also BORING. Sigh. Anyway, got some exercise in and that's good. I'm petrified of losing fitness.

On biking. And sharing bikes with my dh.

We are the same height. We have about the same inseam (not quite). But holy cats. His preferences for bike shape are so.very.different than mine. I kept saying that I was *so* uncomfortable on two of the bikes he's owned in the last 15 years. He didn't believe me. They were "good" bikes. And then my rockstar friend who regularly does century rides got on one and said something like this bike is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever ridden. Suddenly it's clear: my dh's pelvis and mine are different shapes. That's why he prefers a different shaped car seat than me (whatever I say I think is comfy he HATES). Also a problem with purchasing living room chairs. After years of self-sacrifice and worrying we didn't have enough money to do so, I got my very own bike 2 years ago. A quality bike, not a bike that I picked up at a yard sale. Purchased for riding with my kids and occasionally for exercise. I loved it. dh hated it.  This winter I finally got my very own cyclocross bike. I took it out yesterday and . Anyhow here's my 2 cents worth:

a. bike shorts for women with a pad

b. get your own saddle for the trainer

c. ease into it. 5 miles one day. 7 miles the next, etc. or in the instance of a trainer: 10 minutes one day, 12 the next and on up.

d. bike trainer = netflix for us.

[Plady]

Morning mamas,

Nic - I feel like I've been a drive-by dingo too these days.  Life gets busy right? Sorry about your foot.  I don't have any ideas you don't I'm sure but I hope it heals up with minimal downtime.

Kerc - It sounds so obvious once you say it, "my dh's pelvis and mine are different shapes".  But I could totally imagine being stumped myself.

MelW - Now I'm kind of curious about what you get if you google Jockey fashion. 

Real - I hope the conference is morphing into the better kind and that they've figured out that coffee is non-negotiable.

Geo - Yay for running!  And looking forward to the progress pics!

Lofty - Wow!  Poor G and the growing pains!  And that makes me feel all anxious and nostalgic and want to go give my kids coffee and cigarettes to stunt their growth. I keep saying that I'm expecting C to have a growth spurt anytime but if it really happens I'll be all, "Wait!  I thought I had more time!" too.

Mommajb - Hope the bloodwork brings easy answers to nagging questions. 

Gaye - Enjoy the kidless time.

Re: Dingo getaway.  I'm thinking we should either find a cheap centrally located place to all meet up or else aim for something like a cruise.  The cheap centrally located place could be almost anywhere because I'm guessing once there are two or more of us there we'll be too busy chatting to care about the scenery.  Of course, the cheapest place to go is probably Las Vegas.  Hmmmmm.
 

[kerc]

centrally located place:

omaha?
 

[Plady]

Yeah, seriously, Omaha could be just fine. 
 

[MelW]

Lofty, I finally read the article about the ultra runner. It's mind blowing!

I'm going climbing after our "rest time" as suggested by the Chinese doc. Rest time with my youngest makes me want to gouge my eyes out. She's feeling crummy and cannot lie still, or even still enough to not bruise/scratch/otherwise hurt me.

[1jooj]

Omaha, eh? 

I want to open the coffeehouse, Nic. Fortunately or not, it will be a few years, and it may end up in Morocco. I have been meaning to mention that I had a similar foot tendonitis during a mary training period back in the day. It did clear up, I did finish. I think you will be fine. In fact, the forced rest/cross-training could do you more good than you know. Also, I have some issues with bikes, and like kerc said, it is a body shape thing. And I plan to get myself padded pants one of these days.

Yesterday I started with a run/walk that was mostly walk because the humidity seems to be back and I didn't think ahead. No inhaler. I ran a few stretches but sucked a lot of wind and mostly walked. Then we had a long school day. I had candlelight yoga on the beach (! For a small donation!) after dark, and then came home to a (somewhat distressingly aggressive and sometimes painful) full body massage.

Today, dh may or may not take a day off. But before it all gets underway, I will head out for my miles. Kids have a long to-do list, afternoon is our park meetup, and this is kind of a hellweek for extracurriculars. Another field trip, lots of Arabic lessons, a parents' night out. Yoga in the park again Wednesday night, though. I am hoping to pick up a habit. Bought a super nice mat made of shorn fleece.

Gaye, jodhpurs and riding boots or something? Fashion is such a thing in Dubai. It's funny because what is "normal" there is kind of laughable here.

MelW, heh. Underwear.

Lofty, I remember the pain myself, and needless to say, I am pretty sure I never grew that fast. Poor guy. I hope the phase passes quickly.

Plady, are you feeling better?

[Realrellim]

Omaha's nice enough. Maybe tjsmama and I could carpool.

Nic--I'm not a huge fan of spinning bikes either. There are some at the gym and I rode on them once because the usual stationary bike wasn't exactly functioning and the only other ones with water bottle holders were in the spin room. It's the bent-over bit I don't like.

1jooj--she had on a cropped, buttoned jacket with some sort of insignia on it. It seriously looked like something one might wear as a student at a fancy boarding school, with crests and such. Then she had on fairly narrow pants tucked into fairly high boots. If the jacket had been longer or the pants weren't in the boots it would have looked normal (except maybe for the crests), but all together, it looked like something one would wear for riding a horse. (Which is, I realize, different from looking like a horse jockey, but not by much.) It's definitely off the mark for a gathering of music profs, at any rate.

Geo--yes, I'm with you on struggling with what to wear. If I could stand to wear a suit, I'd just wear a suit and wear the same suit every time, but I really can't, mostly because I have sensory issues (yes, pathetic).

Speaking of wardrobe choices at conference, one of our newest colleagues also seems to be fairly clueless when it comes to what to wear. He's the son of a longtime faculty member, graduated from Oxford fairly recently (I had thought potentially an August or Dec grad, but yesterday he said he finished his dissertation a year ago, so maybe May 2012? bringing to mind again the question: why doesn't someone from Oxford have a real faculty position secured for fall?). He was also presenting, and for it he wore khaki pants with stuff in the pockets that created distracting bulges (no, not *there* but not far from it, as if his thighs had serious growths), with a red and white checkered shirt and v-neck pullover, all of which made him look like he was still an English schoolboy rather than a PhD looking for a job. He's tall and still gangly, which doesn't help. Every other male at the conference had on a sport coat or suit. I'm assuming he's living with his mom, so I'm not sure why she didn't clue him in on appropriate apparel for job-seeking PhDs. His paper was a bit disappointing too (for someone who graduated from OXFORD), and I knew I wasn't the only one when another attendee said to him "oh, I really liked your paper. It was so organized and clear." Ouch. Strangely, he has a slight English accent (perhaps affected?) despite being a Denver native. OTOH, his pronunciation of Italian and French titles and composers and terms was brilliantly executed, so I'll credit him for that. (MIne still requires slowing down and often a margin notation about how to pronounce it or I'll stumble over it in that setting.)

Already long (sorry!), but day 2 of the conference was much better. My paper went very well and I had a number of discussions with others about it. Even better, I heard some other interesting papers that inspired me both for teaching and for some of the stuff that R is doing with violin too.

RR: was supposed to do 10 today. Did 7 before it was time to get ready for dinner. Fell asleep trying to get J to sleep. Am scrapping the remaining 3 and hoping I don't die next weekend when I'm supposed to cover 21. As it's a rest week and I'm probably still recovering from the infection, I'm thinking sleep is a better plan anyhow. ETA: the 7 was on the treadmill, because we got about a foot of snow between Friday and Saturday. Yuck.

The roads were really awful on the way down to the conference on Saturday too, which stunk. To top it off, there was an accident right in front of me just as I was getting on the highway. It's a 2-lane on-ramp, and lane lines were hidden by snow. I pulled up next to the other car waiting at the light because they looked too far to the left to trigger the light, but figured I'd let them go first because the on-ramp looked just as bad and I didn't want to skid sideways into them. The light turned green, the other car went through the intersection and I followed after they were a reasonable distance away. And then some moron comes flying around the corner from the other road at that intersection. Those right-turn people are supposed to yield, but they were going too fast and all I could think was that they were going to slide into the other car and they did and they hit and they were spinning around and then stopped and I thought "pleasedon'tletmehitthempleasedon'tletmehitthem." Once again, I give thanks for anti-lock brakes. Both cars ended up at a 90-degree angle to the road (having spun more than that). Everyone seemed to be ok--both couples got out and looked at their car. I really hate those kinds of real-life physics examples though, not to mention the realization that if I had stayed in my lane rather than following the other car, my car would have been the one spinning round. Yuck.
Edited by Realrellim - 3/24/13 at 10:03pm