So as many of you know, I am a full-time working mom. I have two little girls ages 5 and 2 and for most of my mom-years I have been dealing with daycare and not the public school system. When my 5 year old entered kindergarten for the first time this fall, I was excited. I was thrilled to have her in an educational environment where her brain would be challenged more so than a daycare ever could. I remember kindergarten. I loved it. I remember Mrs. Horvat, my teacher, she rocked. I soaked up everything that I was taught.
So it is natural for me to have the same expectations for my daughter even though I know we are two separate people. Starting kindergarten for my daughter was a very stressful time. She is a timid and anxiety ridden child, unsure about anything “new” in her life. Routine is her best friend, as it is for most kids.
When she entered school, met her teacher and began her first year, she did well. She did way better than Vans and I had expected. She was learning, making friends and becoming more independent. I had assumed our challenge would be her making friends, speaking up when she wanted or needed something and just overall acclimating to being with 25 other new kids she has never met. Never in my wildest dreams would I envision the struggles I’d face with food.
As I have said before, my daughter is a picky eater who loves sugar. I struggle at home to get her to make the right choices when it comes to consuming healthier food. Apparently I was naive to think that my daughter’s school would be on my side by encouraging these healthy choices.
A few weeks ago, my daughter came home on a Friday with her homework folder and in the folder was a flyer from the school reminding parents to collect and submit Box Tops. I read the flyer, was immediately annoyed and tweeted this photo:
I understand the point of box tops (from the school’s side): each Box Top collected is equal to 10 cents, you bring in 10 box tops and you’ll have a dollar, a dollar from each kid … you get the point. Money! It always comes back to money. While I admit you can collect Box Tops on items like Ziploc baggies (although we try and use reusable in our house), most of the Box Tops come from General Mills sugar laden chemical filled cereals.
While it may appear that the school is “winning” by earning money, the real winner is General Mills. Not only do they get parents to buy their products thinking that they are going to be supporting their child’s school, the company essentially develops life long customers because the sugar in their product is addicting.
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I could go on and on about the Box Tops. My problem however was rewarding kids who clearly ate sugar to “win” with more sugar! Why does the prize have to be a donut party? Why couldn’t they provide the winning classes with jump ropes? You can find a jump rope for a dollar at most dollar-stores … why not promote exercise instead of more sugar?
In my obvious displeasure I tweeted the above photo to a lot of the people I look up to nutritionally on Twitter. One of whom is Registered Dietician Andy Bellatti. Andy not only retweeted my photo, but he also commented on it. He also contacted me privately asking if he could use my photo (a slightly altered one) as well as my name and issue with the school, in his next article. He has been wanting to write an article about Box Tops for some time for the website www.civileats.com.
I said sure, no problem. I didn’t want the school mentioned by name but he could use my name, my photo and my town (we have many elementary schools here). I was prepared for Civil Eats, I was not prepared for The Huffington Post. Last week sometime I was surfing twitter (I surf more than I tweet) and I came across a post by Andy linking to his article in the Huffington Post – you can see that article here. You can see it on Civil Eats here.
Wow. I know I only have a small mention in a sentence or two but since that initial tweet my following on Twitter has significantly increased. The way in which he wrote his article was also great. He did his research. He looked at the numbers. He got other well known experts to comment.
I just wanted to raise awareness in my daughter’s school. Whether anything will change because of this article, is unsure but it will open some eyes. It has definitely started a fire within me to try and create some change in my daughter’s school. I am battling her eating habits at home, I don’t need the school fighting against my efforts when they should be on my side. They should be on the side of the children and their health, not General Mills.
This weekend was the Way Too Cool 50K training run. The distances offered were 8, 12, 20 and 23 miles. Unfortunately this was one of Pigeon’s working weekends so I was left to do the run myself. I wasn’t too worried as I knew that at least 500 people had signed up to do the event. My concern was however, that I had to do the miles and then get home in time to get to work at Gold Country Run & Sport for their grand opening and ribbon cutting event.
Luckily a group of runners that I know were starting the run before the organized run was scheduled to start which was a good thing because it meant avoiding 400 other runners starting at the same time.
I had to wake up early in order to get to Cool so that I could score a parking space in their very limited lot. When I got out of the car it was chilly enough that my teeth started chattering. I found some of my runners and promptly at 7:30 we set out following the orange ribbons along the trail.
My training schedule tells me that I should be doing roughly 20 miles and since my highest mileage to date has been only 16, doing 20 would probably have been a smarter choice. The group I was with however, was doing 23. In my head I figured “what’s 3 extra miles?! I could walk that if have to.” Well later on in the day, those 3 miles would prove to be the most challenging moments of my day.
The group I was with is a very strong group and super nice. I just fell in pace with some of the runners and chatted up and down the hills with them. Eventually we all sort of spaced out especially when we finally got to Quarry Road. While running someone told me that the run we were currently doing would be in effect, the last 23 miles of Way Too Cool. We missed the first 8 miles of the course which is different from when I did the course in 2010. The way they described those first 8 miles has me a little bit nervous. They sound super tough.
Quarry Road is just a large gravel fire road that has some rolling hills but is mostly flat. It runs alongside the river and for the most part is the most boring, tedious part of the course. Luckily during this stretch I was running side by side with some girls and we talked the whole way about family, kids and trying to find time to run.
A few of the girls stopped to walk but I was feeling good. I was using my new hydration pack, the Ultimate Direction Jenny Vesta. This was my second time using the vest and I think running with something for 20+ miles gives you a good idea of how the product holds up.
Prior to the Jenny Vesta I ran with Nathan Intensity Hydration Pack which is probably the most popular vest you will see out on the trails. The Nathan vest is a great vest for storage but I consider it bulky. It is a great inexpensive starting vest for those just getting into trail running. I still have my Nathan and will use it from time to time I am sure.
The Jenny Vesta however contains two small 10 ounce bottles that sit on your front side. There is one small zipper pocket on the front and another velcro one on the other side. In terms of storage, my least favorite part of the Jenny Vesta is that most of the storage is in the back. For anything major, you’d have to take the vest off to access it. However, so far I have been able to stuff those front pockets with lots of fuel and have not had a problem. I really like using bottles because in races refilling a hydration pack is really a pain in the butt. I also like that it has two separate bottles so if necessary, I could put my coconut water in one bottle and water in another while also having a bladder on my back.
For the training run I filled both front bottles (20 ounces total) and then I used my old Nathan bladder (Ultimate Direction does not provide a bladder with the vest) on the back but only filled it with about a liter of water so that I wouldn’t have something too heavy on my back. The vest fits snug and is really comfortable. I have to say I love the way it fits, I almost forget it is on me most of the time. However, my bladder and tube is super old and it leaks and lately gives me difficulty when I try to suck the water out. Basically I have to use a lot of energy just to get a few drops of water to come out. I need to look into a replacement bladder.
Back to the run. It was a glorious day. I started out in my Athleta Swagger Skort with a tank top underneath a jacket. I knew that I would get hot eventually but I also knew that it would get really cold at various spots on the course, mostly by the river.
At mile 10 a group of us came down this hill where in years past it would have been a stream crossing but the bed was dry. The rocks and roots however were a little slick. I either tripped or slipped (not sure which) and in an effort to right myself I “twerked” my body and in doing that, I felt something go ‘pop’ in my back on the lower right hand side. Everyone asked me if I was okay because it was pretty clear I was about to go down hard if I had not tried to regain my balance. In the moment, I felt okay. The back felt a little weird but okay to keep running. I knew in my head that this would hurt later, I just assumed it would be the next day.
I just kept running. I was feeling really good. My pre run fueling has really been great lately. I don’t feel that I need to change that in any way so far. I did stay out too late the night before so I was feeling perhaps a little tired but I felt that I was keeping up a decent pace and running with some of the stronger runners.
The sun started shining!
Soon the sun started poking through the trees on what is a beautiful single track that meanders through the woods. The trail is a significant mix of down hill and flats. So much so that at certain points I was craving an uphill for the opportunity to walk!
In 2010 this section was covered in water
The event organizers even provided the runners with an aid-station and when I approached there was quite a group hanging out eating snacks. I really wanted to avoid the aid-station fare as I want to experiment with my own fuel. So I slowed to a bit of a walk and just walked right through the aid-station knowing full well that those fast people I saw would eventually fly by me on the trail. He consulted on sildenafil pfizer data warehouse with banks, distribution companies, utilities, governmental authorities, manufacturing companies, insurance, and the health care section. It is better to get awareness of fake and fraudulent websites that regencygrandenursing.com viagra no prescription sell these medicines. It is very vital for a person to know before sildenafil online canada having the medicine. Moreover, Mayo Clinic came forward with the study that Wisconsin ginseng, when taken viagra cialis on line Continue to pharmacy shop daily for a few hours.
Again the trail consisted of easy-going down hills sections and I was flying right with it. Eventually I did come to an uphill, around mile 18 and boy the wheels start falling off the bus at this point.
I was already going through some highs and lows being by myself on the trail. Not that I don’t mind running solo and sometimes I often prefer it, my low back was starting to speak up a little and it was just playing on my mind as to when it would really start to scream.
Mile 18 and the uphill it screamed. I could feel it as I was hiking up the hills. Low and tight and definitely hindering my range of motion in my hip. I just sort of ignored the sensation and tried to tell myself that I could make the remaining miles back without any issues.
Then, for the first time ever on a trail run, I felt nauseous. I was fueling with my new favorite fuel, Picky Bars (broken into pieces) and chewing on ginger chews in between. I had taken some salt even as the temps were warming and I had sweat a lot early on from wearing my jacket for a bit too long. I had used up both 10 ounces bottles on my vest and was now using my hydration pack. Which like I mentioned earlier, does not come out easily.
More uphill
At this point I kept focusing on the numbers on my Garmin. Every time it beeped I would mentally say “ok now I only have 5 miles left.” When your head is in that realm, it can make even the shortest run agonizing. Most of my runs have been with Pigeon and as her pacer-in-training, I am generally focused on reading her demeanor and cues out on the trail. I even do it subconsciously on some runs when we’re out just having a good time. This run it was all about me focusing on me. That is a rare thing when you are mother. When you have kids, a husband and job(s) you are always planning, predicting and worrying about some one or something else. I’ve never just stopped and had time to think about me for that long of a period in the middle of no where with no one else around me.
I pushed the nausea aside, popped a ginger chew (which helped) and just kept on trucking. When my Garmin beeped with mile 20 I did a little dance in my head. I had reached what SHOULD have been my training run distance and whatever else came after was purely bonus miles. 3 hellish bonus miles but still bonus.
Miles 20 to 21.5 were out right tough. I would alternate at this point from walking and running whether there were any hills or not. I came across Lily and her friends and that was a little bit of a boost. When I heard the cars on Highway 49 I about screamed for joy as that meant I would cross the highway and be on my way to the finish area … but I had to survive the grueling up hill section that leads back to the Cool fire-road.
Check out my Jenny Vesta!
By the time I reached the parking lot I was toast. Coach Nikon was the first to greet me and his booming voice and smiling face always makes any run better. I quickly changed, did a poor job of stretching, downed my recovery drink and hopped in the car just as everyone else was trickling in, drinking beers and taking advantage of the free massages (which I did not know about until later).
On the drive home I put my seat heater on even though the temps outside were rising. I thought the heat on my back and hamstrings might help loosen things up a bit. When I got home I immediately made a green smoothie that I could bring to work and hopped in the shower letting the warm water pound my lower back.
I threw on some compression socks and raced out the door to work. I had little time to think about how I was feeling or taking account of how my body was feeling. While at work they stationed me at the register which was kind of nice as I didn’t have to move too much. 🙂
Overall, I am proud of myself for finishing those 23 miles although I really didn’t have much of a choice as I had to get back to my car. It has been a while since I have struggled on a run like this and I think that you need to travel through these “lows” to get stronger. I won’t lie and say that I am not nervous now for what the race will bring in March. I do know that despite how I am feeling, just putting one foot in front of the other, even if it involves walking/hiking, will still get me to the finish.
With the whole Trailmomma house home today for Martin Luther King, I decided to make plans for Vans and myself. Something that I have always wanted to do … Â BREAKOUT FITNESS! I know I know, I go to Breakout Fitness every day at 5 am what is the big deal? Well, I took advantage of Vans being home by I signing us both up for the 9:00 am class and asked Diane if she would mind if I brought the Peanut and Squeaker along for the ride. She said we could give it a try and Vans agreed so I figured why not!?
Vans knows that I love Breakout Fitness. He has seen the change I have made over the course of a year but of course money is always at the forefront of his mind. He’s often made the comment that I could get a local gym membership for way less than I pay to attend Breakout Fitness. While I will agree that this is true, I’ve often told him that Breakout Fitness is “different” and I have tried to explain how but of course he didn’t get it. What better way to explain something than to show you right!?
Today Vans and I brought the girls to Breakout Fitness in Folsom. I set the girls up with the iPad on some nice yoga blankets in the back of the gym and left them to their CareBears movie while Vans began his warmup.
Foam Rolling
After foam rolling Vans had to participate in our newest challenge … jump roping!
Getting some air!
It looks like he is the only one in the gym but really we had about 6 of us total. He was however, the only guy. He was awesome. It didn’t phase him at all.
We’ve been working for weeks now doing various Spartacus style workouts and this week we’ve made it to 50 seconds “on” with 20 seconds of “rest” and the list of moves was long! Vans had the opportunity to do TRX low rows, TRX hip lifts, bosu ball spider man push ups, kettle bell swings, sand bell slams, tricep push ups and mountain climbers (not a complete list of what we did mind you). He was sweating and doing his best. It was fun having him in class. During my normal 5 am group, there is one married couple (there used to be two) and it is so neat to see them working out together. Maybe some day Vans and I could go but I highly doubt he’ll ever wake up and do the 5 am workout since the 9 am was hard enough for him. 🙂
When all was said and done, he agreed that if he came on a regular basis, he’d be much stronger. He saw the difference between going to Breakout Fitness and just having a gym membership. I am curious how he will feel tomorrow or the next day. 🙂
The girls were fantastic. No one heard a peep from them the entire time and many commented on how well behaved they were. In all honesty, they’ll do anything if promised a treat and a chance to squeeze in a movie.
After we treated the girls to some pastries from Coffee Republic, we made our way over to Browns Ravine. If you’ve seen anything on the news lately, Folsom Lake is practically empty and it isn’t pretty. It is however, causing massive amounts of people to visit the dried up lake in hopes of seeing some of the ruins of the old Mormon Island town.
She is standing IN the lake
The girls walked/hiked a long way from the road to the lake. At first they didn’t quite understand what it was we were doing but after some explanation and the fact that we found seashells and other artifacts while we hiked, the reality set in. It is necessary to see a generic levitra professional doctor right away. The more stimulated unica-web.com generic cialis the body is, the more likely it is that the man will experience an erection. It is completely your viagra australia no prescription responsibility to know the fact that you are facing erectile dysfunction. After the entry of a pill named cialis canada pharmacy , a number of years in some cases.
Looking for treasure
While I admit that seeing all this stuff was really cool and oddly surreal, it was actually quite sad to admit that we were standing IN Folsom Lake. Just 12 years ago I was water skiing on this lake for the first time and now it looks like a dried up piece of land.
It was also insanely hot considering that it is late January. The girls were troopers (for the most part) walking all over the place looking at random things left in the mud.
Artifacts?
Overall, I think it was a good family outing and was definitely something different to do as a family. Hopefully not something we will see very often though (bring on the rain please!!).
After our family hike it was time for lunch, naps and yard work. I was also able to squeeze in four miles which included a couple of hill repeats on the Ridge Hill. My legs felt pretty good despite the workout from this morning.
I love long weekends like this. I will try not to think about the fact that my  next long weekend isn’t until May. I hope you all were able to get outside and do something active as a family. Make memories!
Today felt like the first day of school all over again for me. Pigeon and I had planned a run together and at the last minute we decided to join a group that she has run off and on with out at ADO (Auburn Damn Overlook). I had a feeling that I would know a few people, but the majority of everyone I met for the first time.
Everyone was very nice and made me feel welcome, as trail runners typically do. It was just sort of funny being the “new kid” on the block. As I have mentioned before, when running with Pigeon or TiggerT, I feel like I am in the presence of a celebrity as everyone they pass says hello to them by name.
As we started off down the trail, it was definitely a bit chilly out. My lucky arm warmers were still in the wash from last weekend’s run so I went with a long sleeve shirt. That was new for me. I also did a complete over haul of my pre run fueling. As I have documented for some time, the fueling for my runs has been hit or miss. What used to work in the past was not sitting well for longer runs. With my 20 mile run in Cool coming up next weekend, I needed to get this squared away. I am saving the specifics for a later post as I want to experiment a bit more but I will say, what I did this morning, for today’s run was awesome. I felt great the whole way and I also felt as if I had enough energy to carry me most of the miles without needing to fuel.
I also used a new hydration pack today for the first time. Again, I want to run in it a few more times before I share what I think but so far so good today despite my initial doubts.
Fueling break
We ran from ADO to No Hands Bridge (above photo) and then we ran over to the Cool Fire Station. We did not go up K2 this time (thankfully).
When we got to the fire station you would have thought that a party was happening! There were so many cars! Hikers, runners and mountain bikers were all out enjoying the amazing weather and temperatures we’ve been having lately.
Lots of cars!
Once everyone had a chance to use the porta potty and refuel we were on our way. The whole group was running 20 miles but Pigeon and I had decided early on that we were in line for about 16 today and would eventually have to stop running with the group and then turn and run on our own back to ADO.
I have to say it was really great running with a group today. There were bunches of mini conversations happening all around me and we even passed the Fleet Feet Training Group led by Coach Nikon. It felt like old times seeing Coach Nikon while also having the chance to run with Miss P!!
Miss P returns!
Pigeon and I really enjoy running together but we both agreed that sometimes it is nice to break up the routine a bit. When it was time to say goodbye to the group we ran back the way we came down the trail before turning left.
The run back was quieter. Well, it was quiet until a man and his dog came out of no where right behind me causing me to scream (like a total girl) and flap my hands (like a moron) while Pigeon apologized for my reaction and simultaneously trying to control her own laughter. Kamagra, Silagra, vardenafil levitra online, Caverta, Eriacta, aurogra and Super P Force drug offered by us is a safe and very effective way to get erection as this medicine has lowest ads and highest sale. Not only men over fifty are subject cialis 20mg tadalafil to trouble of potency, but also quite younger men. You only need to indicate the number of packets you sample cialis want. Where levitra sales online and Priligy together can be risky and may cause ill effects, especially when consuming higher doses, Super Kamagra is safe to consume as it is prescribed before the lovemaking session.
What can I say? It is always an adventure when you run with me. Shortly after the dog incident, we saw two otters/beavers (no idea what they were really) in the river swimming! They were huge and when I grabbed my camera to take their photo, they dove under the water and never resurfaced!?
The run back was beautiful. The views of the (dried) up river were pretty spectacular. We stopped a few times to take some photos.
So pretty!
When we made it back to ADO the mileage came to 16.5. Although my legs were feeling tired, they still had some spunk in them as I managed to run up a few of the hills leading to the parking lot. I like to test them near the ends of our runs, just to see what I really have left in the tank.
Overall, I am very happy with today’s run and I know Pigeon was too. We both felt that we fueled well and that our legs felt strong. It is kind of neat to see some of our hard work during the week pay off. I managed some tempo and speed work this week and even a few hill repeats on Thursday evening (which I think was why my legs felt so tired so early on). Our fitness levels are definitely increasing and that made our mind-set very peaceful too.
We ran just like my new visor (yes, another new item) said to today ….
Run Happy
In other Trailmomma news, I wanted to share with you a review that I was asked to do for one of my all time favorite podcast’s website: Ultrarunnerpodcast.com  Ultrarunnerpodcast.com is a podcast that I listen to on iTunes and it is hosted by Eric Schranz and Scotty Sandow. These two guys are local Sacramento guys who love trail running, drinking beer and interviewing all the top trail and road runners on the scene. Their podcasts are well done and highly entertaining. One day, podcaster Eric Schranz had posed the question on Facebook if  there was anyone who wears zero drop shoes and wanted to review Altra’s shoe the Lone Peak 1.5. When I reached out to him I was just beginning to run in the Altra Superiors. Eric gave me a pair of the Lone Peaks to wear, run and review. You can read my review over on their website at www.ultrarunnerpodcast.com  and if you can, listen to their podcasts on iTunes (especially if you are local, like beer and like to follow all the top runners).
This has been a pretty awesome start to what will be a three day weekend in the Trailmomma house. The week started off a bit rough with a sick Squeaker who spent two days home from daycare with a fever and bad cough. I didn’t mind the quality time and I know Vans didn’t either. The girls love being home with him because he will take them to the duck park … they know that wouldn’t happen on my watch.
Way too close in my opinion!This is more my style.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I may have a special post coming out Monday evening as well so be on the look out!
Things are almost back to normal around here. Pigeon is back from her trip to Missouri and we were able to resume our training this weekend. It was one of her working weekends so our run was set to happen when she got off around noon.
Let’s back up a little to Monday. With the new year upon us and the first full work week, I was determined to maintain my training. Monday started out with Breakout Fitness and a killer Spartacus workout that left me so sore come Tuesday that getting in and out of the car was a struggle.
Tuesday I did a core workout at Breakout Fitness and during my lunch hour managed a tempo run. I have an allotted time at work and only so far that I can run. In reality, I shouldn’t be running at work at all based on my schedule, but I am determined to fit it in each week. I would rather run at lunch then try and motivate myself when I get home from work at night, in the dark.
Wednesday was another Spartacus at Breakout Fitness. They are tough but they are definitely effective. Thursday I woke up and drove to the track. I did a little speed workout (nothing to rave about) and then drove home. I realized when I got home that I had not timed out my run just right and I had 15 minutes to spare. So I did hill repeats right outside my house. With the garage open and the lights on, it provided just enough for me to see. I really enjoyed the hill repeats …. I can’t help it, I like hills.
Friday I decided it was best to skip Breakout Fitness’s Spartacus workout and save my legs for Saturday. I think this may be my plan of attack from now on. It will add a little extra sleep to my week and I can wake up early enough to do  20 to 30 minutes of foam rolling and stretching, something I do not do much of at all and really should.
All of that leads me to Saturday’s run. They called for rain. We got a little drizzle.
Originally we planned on running the Salmon Falls trails but I quickly changed my mind that morning when I saw the skies all grey and threatening. Not that I don’t like running in the rain, I just felt like staying closer to home would be a little better for us.
I decided that Pigeon needed to see the run that I did a few weeks ago. We set out down my hill towards the New York Creek trail. We stopped in our tracks in awe of what was in front of us!
The year’s first stream crossing!
We have had no rain all season and this was quite a sight for sore eyes. Granted we could jump over it, and we did, it was still quite amusing to see the water and pretend it was something more than it was.
The Ridge Loop of Death was its old self: steep hills, loose gravel and a few other runners out for a jog. Pigeon hasn’t been out on this trail in a while so it was fun showing her some of the new homes being built.
Welcome back to the ridge Pigeon!
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It was nice because we talked about her time in Missouri and what has been going on in my life. Being separated for a while allowed for us to have more to talk about and the miles sort of just ticked away.
We descended down the Ridge back to the road making our way to the New York Creek Trail when something made a huge noise and jumped out of the bushes and scared the living day lights out of me. I took a photo of the vicious thing that scared me.
Scary sprinklers!
Pigeon jumped a mile high because I yelped from the sound of the sprinkler. She then proceeded to yell at me for freaking her out. I pretty much just stopped and laughed on the spot.
Once we resumed our composure we continued on running towards Browns Ravine only to stop and laugh again when Pigeon saw the “attack” turkeys.
Yea, they are fake.
Soon we made it to Brown’s Marina which was super crowded because people from all over are coming to see the ruins of Mormon Island that lies beneath Folsom Lake.
We meandered through Browns Ravine chatting the whole way. We had a minor incident with someone hiking through the trails but overall that portion of the trail was uneventful.
When we made it back to the road we ran to Beatty Drive and cut up through the trail back near my neighborhood.
Pigeon loves Beatty
However, there was a special little gift just waiting for her at the top of the hill. I told her I had planted it there for her so she wouldn’t have to run home.
Overall it was a great run for me. I felt really well. No tummy issues on this run. Not sure whether or not this was due to it being in the afternoon and my tummy had time to adjust to the day or what, but I will take it.
And to leave you with a thought about conquering fear and starting of the new year with determination. The Peanut joined a swimming clinic this past week. She was very nervous as she would be in a pool with kids she did not know and a coach that wouldn’t be able to reach out and grab her at moments notice. She did awesome. She swam the length of that pool about 13 times and loved it.
