We were totally ready to rock the Ragnar Relay in D.C. Probably take first place even! But unfortunately, as we were working on getting our ducks in a row, a number (a freakish number actually) of unforeseen challenges cropped up. So regretfully, EBR is not going to convene in 2011.

The good news: We are absolutely, most definitely planning on running in 2012. We’re already talking about race options even. It’s going to rock.

So stay tuned. Because 2012 isn’t that far away. And if you want to get on the sponsorship wagon with us for EBR 2012 we’re happy to discuss it now. Just drop a line to Marie or Christine.

2010 GMC Acadia SLT (click to enlarge)

I’m thrilled (and extremely grateful) to report that GM is providing us with Acadias to drive for the duration of The Relay (AKA Eat.Blog.Run.Drive). The Acadia is a “crossover” meaning it’s not quite a car or a truck or a van, but the best of all of the above.

While most of us will be enjoying that it seats 7 comfortably, Jane will benefit from hands-free bluetooth, turn-by-turn directions, and smooth handling. And we’ll all be grateful for heated and cooled seats!

View of the Acadia interior (click to enlarge)

In other vehicle-related musings, I’m also dying to find out if a vanfull of mostly-moms will keep the car neat and tidy by the end of a weekend like this.

Getting Creative with your Training

Every week I face the same challenge of trying to find time for my training runs.  There always seems to be a reason I can’t run. But lately I have come to grips with the fact that even though I may not be able to get a “perfect” training run into the day (kidless on a beautiful jogging path), a “creative” training run still counts and it’s definitely better than nothing.

These creative training runs include piling all three of my kids into a small jogging trailer, using them for 100lbs of strength training (forget about the speed training).  I’ve also done some running at the high school track while the kids run amuck on the field chasing the wild bunnies.

But the most brilliant training I’ve started doing (and I can’t take credit for it – seems my next door neighbor was having similar problems trying to get his IronMan training into the day) is laps around our cul de sac.  Turns out 8 laps = 1 mile.  The kids all play “out front”, something they want to do everyday and I get my run in.  It’s not my “perfect” training run, but it works, and my kids are happy.  That’s all I can ask for as a training mom.

Do you have any creative training strategies?

When I first told my parents that I had joined The Relay team, my dad said, “Run six miles? You’ve never run six miles in your life.”

“Dad, I’ve given birth twice. If I can endure pregnancy, labor and delivery, I can run six miles.”

And so a running mantra was born.

I want anyone reading this blog to know that if you don’t think you can run, you should think again.

Two months ago I could barely run five minutes. Running has always been hard for body, mostly because I never trained long enough to give it a chance. Also? I have asthma and I never worked with a doctor to get it under better control while running.

Today, I clocked in four miles in just 42 minutes. And the word “ecstatic” just doesn’t describe how I feel about my training.

How did I do it?

First, I checked in with my allergist and came up with a treatment plan to get my lungs in check for running.

Next up? The running. My plan was simple: Block by block.

Every third day that I ran (5 days a week), I would add a block to my distance. One single block.

Baby steps, people.

My lungs were supremely out of shape and holy cow, did my legs hurt/burn/ache/cry-for-me-to-stop-the-madness. But day by day, block by block, I got a little stronger. And one day at about the 8-week mark, instead of stopping after a certain number of blocks I just kept running because if felt right. I ran for 20 minutes straight and covered about two miles of ground. A week later, I ran 3 miles. My body surprised me. I didn’t collapse out of exhaustion. In fact, I almost cried out of sheer joy because I can run! I can run! (I felt like Junie B. Jones as that thought crossed my mind.)

And now? Four. Whole. Miles. Rain or shine.

I’m still terrified of running my first two legs (12 and 24) of The Relay because I have some pretty decent hill work to cover. (Hill training starts in March. I’ll be using a “minute by minute” method.)

But like I told my dad, I gave birth twice. And that means I can do just about anything.

How did you start running? What’s your running mantra?

“You’re home!” I imagine her saying, “Let’s go! Let’s go! LET’S GO!”

“She” is my dog, Luna. And Luna is my training partner. My running buddy. My daily reminder that as soon as the house is quiet and my mind is clear, it’s time to lace up and hit the road.

She’s a Lab, a water dog, so running in wet weather does not bother her. Nor does it bother me. You run, you get wet, you come home feeling warm with runner’s high and drenched from raindrops, and then you take a nice hot shower. Luna? She splashes around in the endless curb-side streams that cover our hood then after she’s dried off, curls up on our bed for a snooze.

There’s another reason running in the rain doesn’t bother me: I’m terrified to throw my training off because of this thing called “Leg 12 and Leg 24 of The Relay.”

Yesterday was a downpour day. Three hard storms, back to back. I walked into the kitchen after dropping my littlest one off at preschool. There sat Luna, tail wagging and eyes shining: “Come on, lady, where ya’ been? It’s prime puddle time!”

Out loud I said “Seriously? You really want me to take you out in this weather? Because I’m not ready to run.  It’s messy out there. But okay. You want to do it? Let’s roll.”

Hat? Check. Jacket? Check. Long running pants? Check. Music? Check. Dog? Please. She was halfway out the door.

We hit the pavement and the seriousness of the storm hit me. It was far too cold, far too wet, for me to really run. I was drenched within minutes. My shoes were lakes.

The dog loved it.

I decided we’d just walk. A short 20-minute walk. About 10 minutes into it, I heard a loud noise through my ear pods. The flight path for San Francisco International airport is above our neighborhood and during bad weather, the planes fly just a little lower.

A few seconds later, another loud noise. I noticed the dog’s eyes were searching the sky, her tail still but in the air.

Thunder.

Which could only mean…lightening.

And here I was, drenched and walking in the middle of a tree-lined street with my iPhone attached to me.

I sprinted home (all of five long blocks). Within minutes of drying off the dog and myself, a full-blown thunder and lightening storm hit (storm two of three).

A bit later, the sun shined and the black clouds cleared the way for blue sky. If only for an hour. I wanted to go back out again get a “real” run in. But my running shoes were sopping wet.

It’s raining again today. The dog was waiting for me when I walked in the door. As I sat down at the laptop to write, she nudged my hands, wanting to know what’s different about this morning.

I know I can’t wait for picture-perfect weather to run. But the forecast calls for thunder and lightening. I won’t be caught in it. That little break in the pattern will come today. I’ll wait for the sun and blue sky to peek through.

I’ll be patient. And my shoes will be dry. At least at the beginning.

I went for my second run of the year today, and it was hard and great all at the same time.  I had two dogs chase me for the better part of a mile, ran through ice packed snow and mud, dodged cars, and deeply inhaled the inversion air, but it felt so good.

I was expecting today to hurt more than my first run because my muscles were nice and sore, but apparently they like it that way.  It felt good, I felt smooth, and I didn’t have to stop and catch my breath once!

I have to keep up a minimum of three runs per week before I start amping up the progress, sneaking in my runs while my son is in preschool.  But I love that I have to be held accountable by a group of other women who are also braving the cold and snow;  we’re keeping each other honest.

Go team!

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 But I did sorta put all my running stuff away until today and as I got ready to head out the door, Thanks Marie for watching my little one, a few humorous things happened:

It literally took me about 5 minutes to find a sports bra. Geesh! I couldn’t find a ponytail holder either, so I just opted to wear a hat. (Us Utahans are running in arctic conditions.) Then, I spent 3 minutes decided which pair of running shoes had the least amount of tread missing. Note to self: buy some new running shoes. I couldn’t find my knit gloves and  finally wore my son’s one size fits all gloves. Didn’t fit, mind you. But I did wear my favorite sweatshirt: Foot Locker West Regional X-Country Championships sweatshirt from my senior year in high school. It is basically threadbare, but I love it and it reminds me of me at 17.

On my run I had one panic attack because of the brown inversion haze on the horizon and wondered if I was doing more harm then good.  But, I did enjoy seeing all the Christmas trees sitting by the curb, some of them still had the lights attached. I did see one other runner on the road and I hope as the weather gets warmer I will see more.  For me, the first day is always easy, it is the days after that are the real test, but I am in this for the long haul and I know tomorrow is calling and I want to run more tomorrow than I walked today.