So....This happened

Ava riding her bike with no training wheels! I let her ride to the park with her friends and then I promptly stalked them in the car. :)

Some Things I Have Learned in 34 Years

You can't make everyone happy.

No matter how hard you try, or how good you are, somebody is going to be disappointed in the decision you make. I've reached a point in my life where I'm ok with that. Related:

You won't like everyone and everyone won't like you.

I've put myself out there a lot in the past few years. For a long time I was wrapped up in family and babies and didn't really have a social life. Now that I have friends and a social circle and places to be other than at my kids' school or playgroups, I'm still kind of surprised and confused sometimes by the way people interact. I've come a long way with my social awkwardness though and I think a lot of it has to do with realizing that not everyone has to like me. I'm kind of annoying if you're not into running or sci fi television or artsy fartsy dance. The flip side is that I don't have to include people that aren't worth my time into my own life. Win.

Being immature is fun. So is returning to maturity again.

Running 197 miles across state lines with 11 friends in a couple of crudely decorated vans, making countless "That's What She Said" jokes and dancing to 1990s music was a highlight of last year for me. But I also love that I got to come home and be plain old mom again the next day. People count on me and although sometimes it can be a drag, I like being a grown-up overall.


Be grateful for everything you have. All the time.

Didn't you read my post from the other day? ;)


Fighting over politics isn't worth it.

I will still believe what I believe just as strongly whether or not I let myself get drawn into a virtual shouting match over some political issue via Facebook. Odds are, the person on the other side of the issue will feel continue to feel just as strongly too- in the opposite direction. These days I save my breath for talking to people who's minds still have the possibility of being changed. And if there's nobody left out there like that, I simply put my money where my mouth is, support the causes and people I believe in, and vote, vote, vote.


All that crap about remembering to use sunscreen? It's totally true.


Do what makes you happy. Ignore people who tell you it is dumb, harmful or a waste of time.

"Running long distances is bad for you. You shouldn't eat meat, or carbs, or sugar, or caffeine, or anything that doesn't grow from the earth. Don't drink wine or beer or margaritas. (Insert activity here) is the only real way to be fit. Blogging/Twitter/Social Media is dumb. Why would anybody ever spend their time doing (fill in the blank)."

Don't care, don't care, don't care. I'm old enough to know how my body responds to things. I'm also in pretty gosh darn good shape. And even with things outside of fitness, I know what makes me feel good and I know how I want to spend my time. I do some things you probably do yourself, but I also do a lot of things you probably would never do. That's cool. I'm not asking you to do them.


The idea of camping is awesome. But so is a super comfy hotel bed.


I'll say it again: Be happy.

Life is too short to waste time doing stuff you don't care about. If we're stuck here we might as well find out what makes us tick. Stop to smell the roses, scratch the surface, survey the landscape. We're all going to wake up one day and it will be almost over.


And when all else fails: Fish Face.

On Being Grateful

We just booked a trip to England and France at the end of June. I have never left the country before and I've always always fantasized about doing something like running through the English countryside and visiting the Tower of London. (The place Anne Boleyn was imprisoned and finally beheaded. I have a thing for English monarchs and scandal. What can I say?) The fact that we are bringing the girls with on this trip and they will get to experience such places at 8 and 11 years old kind of blows my mind.

I guess what I'm feeling is that I'm grateful to be able to do such things in my life. This summer Jason and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and thinking back to 1997 it seems unfathomable that we would be in the place that we are now. Yes, we fully intended to still be together but back then I was used to a life in our Chicago apartment that we paid for with our student loan checks. I remember things like counting out all the money in my change jar so I could get on the bus to class, or sitting in the dark for hours because we blew a fuse and only the landlord was allowed the key to the basement to turn the lights back on. When Juliana was a few months old I have this memory of having to leave a full cart of groceries at the store because my credit card was declined. I picked her up out of the seat and bolted out the door, completely embarrassed.

We have been lucky in many ways to be in the position we are now. Things have been not-so-lucky too. We were able to buy our first home because my mom died and left me enough money that we could use for a down payment. If I could go back and live in that third floor walk up in Chicago with no lights and have her back would I do it? Without question. Does it mess with my mind a little bit sometimes? Indeed.

Jason has also been incredibly lucky in his career. But it's also more than just luck- he is pretty brilliant. Did I know this when I married a 19-year-old photography major? Of course I thought he was smart, creative and funny. I was also fully prepared to count out quarters from the change jar to buy Ramen noodles and take the bus wherever we needed to go indefinitely. I never thought about where we might be in 2012. (When we first got married, we didn't even think we'd ever have kids! Um.. oops.)

So this is me sitting here feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and frankly humbled by what I have in my life. Having a wonderful husband and two lovely daughters that are healthy and happy would be enough for me, but the fact that we get to share such incredible adventures together in this life has my head spinning.

Here's to 1997, two college kids getting hitched, and the great unknown.

John Dick 50K: Birthday Party in the Woods

I had to let last Saturday's race marinate in my brain for a while. I feel weird calling it a "race" because it was more like a "7 1/2 hour party in the woods." Oh, and there was running. But that kind of seems besides the point.

Bear with me.

I like how I'm now at the point with my running that I'm able to slip in and out of competitive mode with ease. Some races I train for with a specific time goal in mind. It's like I'm a woman on a mission and I can't see anything else but what I want to achieve. But then there are days like these when a good friend says, "Hey I want to run 30 miles for my 30th birthday. Want to join me?" And suddenly it's more about doing something awesome with awesome people rather than beating some previous best.

I have to admit when I first signed on to do this race I wasn't even sure if I would complete the whole distance. Not that 50K is too far for me anymore, but HOLY MOLY THIS RACE IS IN FEBRUARY. Last year it took place on the weekend of the biggest snowstorm of the year and lot of runners just got in as many miles as they could before it became too ridiculous. I kinda-sorta thought that the first weekend in February this year would be similar. Maybe not an epic snowstorm, but certainly at least SOME kind of unfavorable conditions. So when the week of the race the temperatures started climbing into the upper 30s and 4os I thought to myself. "Huh. I guess I'm running all 50K. How about that."

The group of us took every last minute of the allotted time to complete the course and we pretty much made it a party in every sense. We took our sweet time, we laughed, cheered and shouted for the other (faster) runners on the course, and we spent tons of time at the aid stations chatting up the volunteers and eating all the wonderful junk food. (One of the perks of burning over 3000 calories in a day.) At the finish line we all linked arms with Birthday Girl Krista in the middle and proceded to don party hats and drink beer. I know it sounds absurd to most people, but I really can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday in February in Wisconsin.

When I step back and think about it, the whole thing sounds absurd to me too. But I'm ok with that.

2012 Race Shenanigans

So these are the races I've pretty much committed to running for 2012 so far. You'll notice there is a huge gap in the summer and that's because it's pretty much in the air right now. We're contemplating taking a trip to Europe (!!!!!) so naturally I'm already plotting to find a European race to run- most likely a half marathon. We have no idea when or where we are going yet though so you can see why it's undecided right now. If we're not overseas on on July 14th then I'll definitely be back in Baraboo running Dances with Dirt again, although this time I'd like to try the 50K. Yes that makes a lot of 50K running this year, don't I know it!

2/4/12 John Dick Memorial 50K (a.k.a. Krista's Birthday Party in the Woods)

3/31/12 Chicago Lakefront 50K

5/5/12 Wisconsin Half Marathon

5/20/12 Rockford Marathon

6/8-9/12 Ragnar Madison to Chicago Relay

**********

9/?/12 North Face 50 Mile

10/7/12 Portland Marathon

I do realize that the first half of the year is very similar to 2011's races. However if we do end up traveling out of the country this summer that will blow everything wide open. Plus: PORTLAND IN THE FALL! Whee.

2011 Recap! File Under: Not Too Shabby

I’ve been procrastinating writing a 2011 wrap up post because there were so many things I loved about this year I don’t know how to start. Really, I should have started this post back in October. That would have been smart.

I know. Having too many awesome things to sort through is NOT A PROBLEM. Shut up.

So I thought about doing a top ten list but when I went back through my calendar, photographs and previous blog post I realized this business was looking more and more like a Top Twenty* list. So let’s dig in. I’ve decided to keep each description brief but it’s still a helluva list. We could be here a while.

HAWAII

Technically I included this on last year’s list because the vacation started in December but it did spill over into January of this year and honestly, it was too great of a trip not to talk about again. I can still close my eyes and feel myself sitting on a chair at that resort right by the ocean, Mai Tai in hand. I will go back. Oh yes, I will go back.

DECEMBERISTS SHOW

What? Just a concert? What’s so awesome about that? Especially a band I’ve seen a bunch of times? I see a lot of concerts every year but this particular show just really stands out to me because it was the night where about twenty of my Twitter friends seemed to spontaneously take over the balcony of the Riverside. It was so much fun to sing along with my friends to one of my absolute favorite bands. Good friends, good music, good times.

ALINEA

Jason took my to Alinea in Chicago and I died. That’s the end of the year!

Ok no. But it was the most amazing meal I’ve ever had in my life. Twenty mini-courses (or bites) of art were served and I learned that the most exciting way to dine is to sit down and let the chef bring you whatever he or she thinks is best. When Grant Achatz came out and painted dessert of various chocolates, creams and sauces on our table my jaw dropped like a school girl.

CHICAGO LAKEFRONT 50K

This event could have been unbearable. The weather was freeeezing cold and the wind was relentless. But because I was there with my besties Rochelle, Krista and Marty, somehow we turned it into one of my favorite races of the year.


PORTLAND, OREGON

Jason and I spent the weekend in Portland (or really eating our way through) and I discovered what hipsters everywhere already know: Portland is rad. Whenever I travel to a new place I alway enjoy myself but can never imagine living there. However, I could totally see us living in Portland. It’s like Milwaukee... amplified. But just a bit. Not too much. I can’t wait to go back- for Portland Marathon next fall!

FLORIDA

I’ve been visiting the Naples, Florida area since the mid-eighties so that’s nothing new. This year however, Juli, Ava and I met up with my uncle and his kids who I hadn’t seen in about ten years. (The girls finally got to meet their mysterious cousins who they only knew through Christmas cards and photographs.) The kids all had a fabulous time and it was really fun to watch. The moral of the story? Don’t let ten years go in between seeing great people.

ST. LOUIS

The whole fam drove to St. Louis to see the national championships for the FIRST Robotics competition. I can’t say enough good things about this program. Awesome smart kids building awesome robots. And the crowds there cheered like we were at a major sports event. But for science! It was all very inspiring to watch. Spending the weekend in St. Louis was a bonus too. My favorite part was at the top of the Arch when the guide warned us, “Right now we’re experiencing a bit of a... sway.”

ROCKFORD MARATHON

I wrote about this race in great detail here so I won’t bore you again with it. I ran my current marathon PR on this day (3:56:02) and I rode that high for as long as I could. The second half of the course at this race is painfully boring and solitary but for some reason I’m able to run a great pace there so I’ll keep coming back for it again and again. I’m hoping to break 3:55 this spring.


GIRLS ON THE RUN

2011 was the year I became Coach Tracey. I went in thinking I knew what to expect but the girls always found a way to surprise me. And make me laugh. I had such a big proud for them at the 5K in June- especially because it was approximately eleventy hundred degrees.


RAAGNAAAAAR

12 friends. 2 vans. 30 hours. 197 miles. Fun right? Duh.

GREAT MILWAUKEE RACE

We pulled off an awesome race for the second year in a row! I’m so proud to be on this team of organizers and I can’t wait to watch our baby grow again this year.


You guys. It’s still only June. Halfway there!

NEW YORK CITY

We surprised my dad at Christmas last year by telling him we were taking him on a trip to New York City to see a Yankees game (his most favorite team ever.) Although it was sad to watch said Yankees CRUSH the Brewers, it was worth it to see the absolutely thrilled look on my Dad’s face.


DANCES WITH DIRT

I think this may have been the hardest race I’ve ever done. Somebody put a mountain in the middle of Wisconsin and we climbed iit that day. Whenever I’m feeling down I though I just look at those post-finish photos and I smile. Naturally, I’m going back to do it again.

MAKER FAIRE

Yup. We did Maker Faire in Detroit again at the end of the summer. Nerdstravaganza!


NEW MEXICO BENDER WEDDING

This weekend ruled. We spent three days living in a beautiful sprawling home in Santa Fe with some of our oldest, dearest friends. It culminated with a lovely wedding that I’m so happy I got to be a part of. This was also the weekend discovered I liked whiskey (along with my Whiskey Sister, HBT) and the lot of us fit a record amount of people in a tiny hot tub.



NORTH FACE ENDURANCE CHALLENGE 50 MILE/UNICORNS

Dude. Do I really need to talk about this some more? You can read about it here. I still think about this several times a day. Sometimes it seems like it was all a dream.

IMPACT MILWAUKEE TRAINING


This was the year I sucked it up and started working out with a trainer- in group sessions as well as a series of solo workouts in the fall. I realized that even though I’m capable of pushing myself very hard, having trainer will always give you that EXTRA push. I literally got my but kicked up and down the lakefront. And I discovered that I love football drills! There was one day when I think he almost broke me and because I’m a crazy person it was one of my favorite workouts of the year.

CHICAGO LOVE

I spent a lot of time in Chicago this year (which isn’t that strange for me) but I feel like I really fell in love with the city again this year. From the 50K and Alinea in March, to summer weekends downtown with the fam, my first ever Bears game at Soldier Field (!!!!) and the Chicago Marathon with my besties in the fall. I kept finding myself there again and again and loving it. And of course we finished the year again with the Google holiday party! Milwaukee is my home now but I still have Chicago in my heart.

DANCE

After hemming and hawing for years and making excuses as to why I couldn’t fit dancing into my schedule, I finally dragged myself down to Danceworks and started taking a modern class again. It sounds cheesey but I really feel like it’s good for my soul and Im excited to expand this part of my life again in 2012.


BESTIES GET TOGETHERS

Dang, we really rocked out the besties events this year! From Besties ‘Stallis Cookout to Besties Book Club- and who could forget Besties Hanging Out and Making Fun of “Grey Gardens” Clips? Spending time with this very different, very incredible group of ladies was for sure a highlight of my year. We even got to cap off the year with Besties Night Out at Lake Park Bistro where we shut the pace down (with our awesome.)


Looking back and writing about all of these makes me feel so incredibly lucky to have the life that I have. I feel like any time I’m having a grump fest now I should look at this list and virtually slap myself upside the head. Because wow. If 2012 can be half as great as this year then I’ll the luckiest girl in the world. Happy New Year!

*Honorable mentions incude the personal marathon I ran on my 33rd birthday, our Mary Poppins sing-a-long, and that time I GOT TO SEE JON STEWART.

That Time I Ran 2000 Miles and Didn't Know It

Remember when I talked about that little goal I had of running at least 2000 miles in the year 2011? As it turns out, that part wasn't that hard at all. The hard part was doing the STUPID MATH so that I would actually be aware of it when I acheived the milestone. You see, I had been taking my yearly mileage number from Dailymile's "leaderboard" page- a section that shows how your miles measure up against all of your friends. I put my faith in that number. I lived by that number.

That number was WRONG.

Oh, Dailymile, your'e so cute sometimes with your little bumps and glitches. How did I come to this realization? Well, on Christmas Eve when I was logging my morning run, Jason looked over my shoulder on my laptop at this page on my training log. It looks like this:

(Yes, I'm aware that this particular display includes last December's mileage as well, but don't worry, I'm not counting that.)

Anyway he says to me "All those monthly numbers already add up to over 2000 don't they?"To which I PSHAWED and replied, "Of course not! I know my yearly total! Do you think I would have passed 2000 miles and NOT KNOWN IT?"

So I opened up my calculator and added up January, February, March, April, and so on.

And I got 2003.

So I added it again.

2003.

2003.

I passed 2000 that morning and I had no clue. In fact, I had finished 2000 exactly with my friend Sara merely an hour earlier and then bounded off for three more cooldown miles around the park, completely oblivious to my milestone.

Here is a screen cap of the leaderboard from the SAME DAY showing me at 1973 running miles:

Wrong, wrongwrongwrongwrong, Wrong, Wrongity-WRONG.

Maybe you think this is all a tad obsessive but for people like me it really is a big deal. My friends and I all use this site to track our workouts and believe me if any of us had gotten to January 1st and then found out Dailymile shorted us a few miles of our goal- it would not be pretty. At least in my case the discrepancy was in the other direction, but I still feel like the whole build up was a bit... anti-climactic now.

But still, yay? Now I get to spend the last week of the year running whatever miles I want, whenever I want, JUST BECAUSE I LIKE TO. And that's awesome.

One more thing: Did Jason really just "happen" to notice in passing that the two totals were off? Well, not really. You see, he was secretly working on a project for me and was actually more than just casually interested in how I was tracking my total. You see, he had been spending some time at the Milwaukee Makerspace building me an odometer that would download my miles from Dailymile. Yes. I said an ODOMETER. You know, like this:

I can plug this guy into my laptop and it will grab my miles from the interweb and display the running total accordingly. (His blog post about how he made it can be found here.) As it stands I'll probably wipe it out after the 31st and start over for 2012 and I'll keep it on display somewhere in the house. Really, the whole thing just tickles me. Robot Lady has an odometer now. It's too perfect.