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No Boundaries: No Spending Limits

May 26th, 2011 by

It’s twelve days now since my first ever 5K (3.1 miles), and I’ve run an additional 22 miles and counting. I’ve switched now from the No Boundaries Tuesday and Thursday group that met at Fleet Feet to the regular Monday and Wednesday fun run group. This experience has proven to be simultaneously humbling, confidence building, and expensive.

The Humbling Part:

My first venture out I had my tush absolutely handed to me. These runs are advertised as “for all distances and abilities”, but the truth is that it’s for toned and half-naked twenty and thirty-somethings who run 5 full, hilly miles in 30-40 minutes. One look at the shirtless guy contingent and the blond-ponytail brigade nearly sent me (no pun intended) running for the hills. These are not my people! Then, no sooner had I left the store the first night with two brave No Boundaries alumnae than the core group shot off at twice our speed. It’s not that we got passed. It’s not even that we got passed by someone who had to stop, let her dog poop, and clean up the mess. It’s that we got passed by such a wide margin that we couldn’t see where the group was going to follow them. So we laughed and did the 3-mile route I knew. We reckoned that being lapped was less embarrassing than getting lost.

The next night out, only Sarah arrived. She had her baby daughter with her, and the two of us committed to run/walking the full five miles. Before we left the store, we had the forethought to ask for a map. We ran about 3.5 miles and walked the rest. Everyone who passed us on the way back—and the key word here is “everyone”, as in everyone passed us—was very supportive, especially all the women old enough to have pushed strollers themselves. They knew how hard it was to push that sucker up and over the park hills and made us feel good about finishing regardless of our time or how much we had to stop and walk. Regardless of how well intentioned the cheering was, it almost made the experience more humbling.

The Confidence Building Part:

The following Saturday, my long run day, I was scheduled to do 3.75 or 4 miles.  But that “fun run” course was haunting me, so I put on my summer gear, threw caution and the 10% rule* to the wind, and determined to finish the whole course. I did, but the last half mile or so was hard. Then Tuesday I ran the entire course again, and the last half mile wasn’t so hard. Yesterday I did the same and had my best run ever. For the first time, I had no calf or quad stiffness the first two miles and no sore knees the next day.

So what made the difference?

The Expensive Part:

I changed shoes. Yesterday’s run was sponsored by Saucony, and everyone was welcome to pick a shoe model, grab a pair in their size, and take them out for a trial run. I chose a minimalist shoe because it looked cool and ran narrow, and I joked that I’d come back crippled. Instead, I had the easiest run ever, even though I ran the full five miles and pushed myself to pick up the pace for the last half mile or so. The only explanation that makes sense is that I feel the ground beneath me better in this shoe, get better arch support, and am running with a better form as a result. I appreciate its lightness, too.

How superior was the Saucony Mirage? So much so that, despite putting a moratorium on shopping, I bought its cousin the Kinvara today. The Kinvara is even more minimalist, which makes me slightly nervous, but it runs quite narrow and has the most comfortable lacing system. I’ll learn tomorrow how slowly I need to ease into them. Assuming all goes well, tomorrow will also mark my first 20-mile week, up from 10 only two short weeks ago.

Sometime soon, I have to decide what my next goal is. Do I stop at 10K and work on speed? Or, and I feel crazy even typing this, train for a half marathon? Frankly, both options are so out of character for me that I might as well decide if I next want to be an astronaut or a paratrooper.

*The general rule is that you increase your distance no more than 10% per week. This rule is considered especially important for runners over 40.

Posted in Jessica, No Boundaries | 1 Comment »

Date Night

May 24th, 2011 by

It happened about eleven years earlier than I expected, but last night I found myself getting Simon ready for his first date night out. It was with a teacher, I’ll concede, and she brought her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, but I’m still counting it as a date. A double-date to be precise.

Ms. Tammy at KIP has a thing for sweet boys and has been Simon’s rock at school this year, which ends this Friday. Tammy was the one who just over a year ago told me how much she loved Simon and what a good person he was, leading me to request her as his teacher. She and Ms. Shana have not disappointed!

A month or so ago, Tammy and I found ourselves joking about the fact that she and Simon share a favorite lunch spot, Panera. I upped the ante and suggested Simon “take her out” one night, and was surprised when Tammy enthusiastically replied that she’d love a dinner and park or zoo trip with him. How could I possibly refuse an offer like that?

So yesterday at four, I combed Simon’s hair, washed his face and hands, and reminded him to use his good manners. I considered sending him with some cash in his Lightening McQueen wallet, but didn’t think he’d remember when the time came or understand what “picking up the check” meant. He did, however, remember his directions. When Tammy and her daughter left Panera and suggested an ice cream spot, Simon asked for Ce Fiore.

“Se what? I don’t know that place, Simon” Tammy replied.

“It’s on Eastern Parkway,” Simon offered, “I can get you there.”

And he probably could have! Tammy tells me the whole car roared at this moment, and that her daughter won’t let her live down that one of her students has a better sense of direction than she does. I’ll probably post a summary of this year in the Ms. Shana and Ms. Tammy’s Threes, but if I don’t, I think this little story sums the year up quite nicely. How lucky are we all to have had such a wonderful year that one of Simon’s teachers wanted to spend more time with him in the very last week. I’m optimistic that summer camp and the Fours will go well, but this year—and Ms. Tammy–are going to be tough acts to follow.

Posted in Jessica, KIP (Preschool), Little Boy, Simon says... | No Comments »

Skinny Boy: Update

May 21st, 2011 by

It’s both better and worse than I thought. Simon’s weight, that is.

This morning he got on the scale again after a few days of more normal eating and drinking and came in at 35.5 pounds. That’s better.

Then Matt measured him at 44 inches. I got the same improbable result.

If he gains a pound and a half, he’ll hit the first percentile for body mass! Oh boy. So it’s not just our imagination that he’s the skinniest kid at KIP. Statistically, he’s all but assured to be the skinniest at school, the park, or pretty much any other public spot on the US. According to the CDC website, I should call a doctor. Or perhaps an ambulance.

I’m assuming at this point that there was no chance a slim boy like Simon could keep up with a growth spurt of 3 1/2 inches in just over four months. I mean, that’s insane, right? If he were to keep this up, he’d hit 50 inches by next January and be on his way to Manute Bol proportions. More to the point, his current height puts him in the 90th percentile and makes him a full inch taller than the average 5-year-old. So I’m guessing a plateau is here or just around the corner, after which Simon will focus on adding bulk and return to his slender—but not alarmingly skinny—norm.

But if I’m not seeing some more bulk by the end of June, he’s off to the pediatrician. And between now and then, we’re trading in our Ce Fiore habit for some good old fashioned ice cream.

Posted in Jessica, Little Boy | 1 Comment »

The Skinny on Simon

May 20th, 2011 by

My guy has always been a long, tall drink of water. Until recently, it wasn’t something I thought much about unless I was staring at a size chart and wishing I could read it on the diagonal. That’s all changed now; I’ve lately found myself reading tips on weight gain and monitoring Simon’s eating with no small measure of anxiety. And no, I’m not just channeling my inner Yenta.

About a month ago, Simon stepped on the scale when he wasn’t wearing jeans and a sweater and I realized that he didn’t weigh the 37 pounds we recorded at the doctor’s office; he weighed about 35.5 or 36. I didn’t think much about it. Then he shot up over an inch in five weeks and didn’t gain any weight to go with it. I didn’t  think much about that, either. Then he got more active with the end of winter and appeared to have lost a half pound. I wasn’t thrilled, but the alarms had not yet gone off.

Now he’s had a mild bug for two days, allergies for two months, hasn’t eaten well for ages, and came in at 34 pounds on our scale yesterday morning. That puts him in the 3rd percentile for boys his height and makes him officially, medically underweight. Even if I round to 34.5, it’s not enough to budge him into the healthy range. My best hope is that my scale is off a full pound (It’s never been off before), putting Simon right on the line for being the proper weight.

Matt tells me that watching this brings his entire childhood into focus. His earliest memories include adults discussing how skinny he was. And to be fair, when I first met him at 16 he was, no doubt about it, the skinniest person I knew. Meanwhile, I was a slim child myself. Still, I was no slimmer than many of my peers, whereas Simon is all edges and hard lines while his peers seem softer and more supple.  There’s nowhere I can rub him and not feel bones. He has an articulated rib cage, a cavern between pelvic bones, a foot that already measures as a slim size, and stick-like arms and legs.

So is this simple genetics or a nutrition issue? I don’t know. I mentioned my concern to a friend yesterday, and his measured response was “Someone has to be in the bottom 5% percent, and they don’t all have to be malnourished.”He has a good point.

Still, I’m going to throw away the low-fat dairy products the books tell you to switch to at age two, load up on full fat milk, yogurt, and cheese, ply Simon with some protein enriched smoothies, and see if I can put just a little meat on his slender bones.

Posted in Jessica, Little Boy | 2 Comments »

Welcome Anyieth

May 18th, 2011 by

Yesterday morning, my friends Gabriel (AKA Kwai or Akech) and Alek (AKA Mama Agotich) welcomed their second child, a daughter named Anyieth. I’d be happy for them no matter what, but the fact that this baby arrived on my 14th wedding anniversary made it especially sweet. Of course, the more significant circumstance is that this baby was born here, in the US, and will go home with her mother and father. Gabriel missed all of this with Agotich, who was born in Sudan and arrived here at 19 months.

But let’s not dwell on the negative. Here’s the sweet photo I’ve been anticipating:

Gorgeous family, eh? This picture hardly does little Anyieth justice. She has large almond eyes, a rosebud mouth, and a clear and bright complexion. She’s just lovely, and at one day old she was already taking in everything with her eyes. I was lucky to arrive this morning at a quiet active phase and get to hold her for some time. There’s nothing quite like cradling a newborn.

Welcome to the world, Anyieth. Mama Simon can’t wait to see you grown up.

Posted in Friends, Jessica | 1 Comment »

Throo The Zoo

May 15th, 2011 by

Don’t blame me for the spelling of “Throo”; I’m just the messenger.

Saturday was graduation day for my Spring 2011 No Boundaries Couch to 5K training program, a 5K through Louisville’s zoo and the neighborhood immediately surrounding it. We lucked out weather wise, getting neither the hot and humid weather of the day preceding nor the cold and rainy weather of the day after the race. For that, I am quite thankful.

It was an odd feeling to affix the red 546 race number to my shirt on Saturday morning. I had to look up the right way to do it: pins or tape–who knew? I couldn’t help but wonder who this person was lacing her running shoes, filling her water bottle, and putting her keys, driver’s license, and health insurance card inside a storage pouch. The insurance card is a relic of earlier days when I though it important to demonstrate my insured status in case I keeled over or suffered a spectacular fall* on a training run. It would be bad enough to do the actual keeling or tripping; I surely didn’t want to compound it by ending up in a hospital for indigents.

Never having done this before, there were many uncertainties, like how much breakfast to eat and how early to eat it? Or where to put myself in the line? It seemed silly to be so pumped up and nervous about a family friendly fun run, but I’ve rarely been so out of normal comfort zone. As a life-long non-athlete of the first order, even a fun run was like visiting a new country.

So I settled on oatmeal with blueberries at 6:30, arrived at the zoo at 7:20, got rained on, and took a group photo before the race. Here’s part of the No Boundaries Crew:

At the far left is Caitlin, the grad student who always ran ahead of me. Next to her is Katie, the nurse I could just about keep up with. To my immediate right in red is Lindsey, the coach of the running group. Behind her is Samuel, another fast runner. To the right and behind Katie is Caitlin’s baby sister.

I was totally unprepared for the congestion of a big(ish) race. There were about 2,000 of us, and we were left to our devices to line up. I put myself in the back of the front third, possibly a bit further back, figuring that would yield room for the real runners but still put me ahead of the walk-runners or plain walkers.

I was wrong. At 8:00 a massive body of people took off and I realized that my immediate throng included lots of walkers. I wasn’t too worried about this at first, thinking I had time and space to maneuver into a better spot. I spent years darting into the street, between people, and in front of cars in San Francisco’s crowded Chinatown, how hard could this be?

Then I learned that although I was still walking and trying to find space, I had crossed the start line and the clock was ticking. What’s more, I had crossed it a minute or two ago, thereby ruining my chances at coming in at or under 30 minutes. Or even 31 minutes. So that was a bit demoralizing. The first mile was full of jockeying, but things opened up considerably at the beginning of the second mile. I ran pretty steady, was pleased that the zoo hills were more than manageable after training on the very hilly Scenic Loop in Cherokee Park, and was able to finish by speeding up for the last eighth of a mile or so. My time was a disappointing 33:15. Probably around 31:30 if adjusted for congestion. What can you do?

Then I came home, watched a friend of Simon’s for five hours while his mother took her girls out for a party, cleaned a bit, hit the mall to find Simon some sandals that fit and don’t cause blisters, shopped at Target for a birthday party, and went to another friend’s house after Simon went to bed to organize preschool auction baskets. By the time all that was over, I had gotten over being disappointed by my time and was focusing on the bright spots:

  • After ten weeks of running and 15 weeks of working out, my legs are significantly more muscular, and I lowered both my blood pressure and my resting heart rate compared to this January.
  • I have plans to meet up with several other No Boundaries alumnae for regular runs. Expanding my circle of friends was a top priority for 2011, so I’m very happy it worked out that way.
  • My finish time was a let-down, but it still placed me at 27 of 106 for my age group. Sometimes when Katie, Samuel, and Caitlin zoomed ahead of me I forgot that the oldest among them was 28.
  • Seven weeks ago I attempted to run the loop, only to have to walk up all the big hills and not be able to run for more than about five minutes at a time. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’ve come a long way, too.
  • It’s immensely satisfying to take on something scary and new and follow it through.

Tomorrow will be my first group run as a Couch to 5K graduate. I’m not fully settled on what my next goal is, but I think I’m going to prepare for a 10K in July. I can do about 4 miles now, so surely I can add another two in eight weeks. And if I pull it off, I’m totally buying myself a spiffy watch that tracks my time.

*I have had more than my share of spectacular falls, including an infamous face-plant in Ann Arbor—powered by a 50-pound backpack—that left me with cuts on my face and broken glasses. One friend suggested that my next goal be a 5K with that back-pack!

Posted in Jessica, No Boundaries | 1 Comment »

This Week in the NBA

May 11th, 2011 by

Simon announced he wanted to play basketball tonight, which was an inspired idea, as we play in the cool, cool basement, and today was the hottest, most humid day of the year so far.

After a few warm up shots, Simon ran towards the basket for his new lay-up move.  BOOM!  Simon was down on the floor.  “What happened?” I asked him.

“An L.A. Laker hit me,” he said, picking himself up.  And then after a short pause, “He just got thrown out of the game.”

Two or three plays later, Simon was down again.  “I bent my elbow backwards.  I need Kevin Garnett to help me.”  He went to the “locker room” (the couch), insisting that I play on without him.  We he returned a few minutes later, he told me that he could only play with one arm, and then proceeded to make a slam dunk on his little Fisher Price goal.  Impressive, but his one-armed passes were nowhere near as accurate as Rajon Rondo’s.

Posted in Little Boy, Matthew, Simon says... | 3 Comments »

The Secret Life of Bees

May 10th, 2011 by

Two weeks to the hour, the honey bees returned yesterday. In fewer numbers than last time, thankfully, but two or three still manged to get into my dining room and another 3 or 4 sneaked in my basement. That’s no 7 and 20+ like last time, but it’s still more than I’d like.

My Google-based hunch was that I was seeing a secondary swarm attracted by the pheromones of the previous Queen. My new exterminator/chemical engineer friend Shirish agreed.  I was told that these workers would investigate, pick up the scent of the pesticide I used the last time, and probably move on. Indeed, I saw a few on my rose bushes (good) but none in my house or going through my bricks (bad) today. Unfortunately, I did find one poisoned bee in a window-sill to remind me that toxins sprayed in ignorant haste can go on killing for weeks. I sure hope yesterday’s bees don’t move on to contaminate a nearby colony.

I also hope that this is the last of it! I’ve been green-lighted to patch cracks in my basement, but I can’t do any tuck-pointing until two more weeks without swarm behavior goes by.

Among the many reasons I hope the bees do not return is that they are contradicting my ethical lessons to Simon. Just last week, when he proudly announced that “Baron has killed an ant” and that both of them “stomped on ants”, I explained to him that while I was not angry with either boy, that I would rather he not do this. My reasoning to him was that ants live outside and that we should leave them alone to build their houses and search for food. They might be tiny, I suggested, but they have lives to live, too.

We only kill animals when they come inside, pose a threat, and cannot be safely removed. And even then we do so with regret. (Except–I’ll admit it–for the roach.) I didn’t violate those rules yesterday, but I still wasn’t thrilled to explain to Simon that I squished/killed the bees that interrupted his dinner and terrified him.  Especially when Simon stopped sobbing and shrieking long enough to ask:

“Did you take him outside?”

while I was holding a shoe against the glass.

“Uh, no honey. He’s dead.”

Good times! Oh precious honey bees, I have a lawn of clover for you, wildflowers and roses by the dozen, and lots of stumps and bushes that would provide great homes for your colonies. Please choose one them soon and stay out of my brick!

Posted in Family, Jessica | No Comments »

Safety First

May 8th, 2011 by

Just finished a wonderful Mother’s Day: Brunch with my mom and Evie, a warm and sunny day at long last, the best sweet kugel I’ve ever had compliments of a new cookbook, being awakened by a sweet four-year-old bearing candy, and a good and sweaty run.

There were lots of funny moments, but one standout summarizes life with my little guy. At one point, the ladies were all outside on the (unswept–yikes!) deck while the guys were inside doing something. The detritus of our brunch was sitting on the kitchen island, including my Aunt Florence’s coffee cake (thanks Mom!) and the eight-inch utility knife we used to slice it. Simon wandered into the kitchen alone and helped himself to a piece. We only found out when he told us. Thinking of the knife, we gasped a bit at the potential danger we had exposed him to.

“Simon, did you use the knife?”

“No, I decided the big knife was dangerous. I just grabbed it with my hand.”

A rough edge and visible finger marks in the cake bore out his story. I’m sure this was a learning opportunity about asking for help (Simon) and not leaving knives accessible to small hands (me). And trust me, the lesson was discussed. But as much or more than that, it was a showcase for Simon’s healthy adversity to risk and budding problem solving and independence. For that, I had to smile and appreciate the moment this Mother’s Day.

Posted in Family, Jessica, Little Boy, Simon says... | 1 Comment »

Missed Photo Ops

May 5th, 2011 by

I’m catching up on photos this week. Easter pics just went up, next come some-mid April play dates, and then the annual KIP Derby Parade.  This last item is a sore spot. Simon’s class was supposed to create Derby hats. I discussed various horse themes—including Super Hero Jockeys—but Simon insisted on a solar system theme instead. And was quite particular about it.

“Where’s Jupiter’s storm?” he asked before I had a chance to let the first coat of red/pink/orange/purple Jupiter stripes dry.

Then, as I affixed a styrofoam ring to a slightly out-of-scale Saturn (I made it too small to keep the hat manageable), he looked over at Uranus and asked “How is Uranus going to have a ring?” I can’t get anything past this kid, but at least he didn’t tell me I had to leave Pluto out or add Eris in…

Anyway, after three trips to Hobby Lobby for Styrofoam balls (which are shockingly expensive!), floral wire, and paint; several painting sessions, including one that had me skip Tuesday’s group run; and a nerve wracking time carving out the guts of our “sun” with a melon baller (really)  to use as the basis of the hat, we couldn’t get the sucker to stay on Simon’s head.

So we stitched it to a hat.

And that hat tipped off his head.

So we added a chin strap to the hat.

And the hat fell over to one side.

So finally, in an act of desperation that Matt felt violated the class dictate to create “a hat”, I attached our foam solar system to my old bike helmet. Worked like a charm, and I think the hat looks great, if not particularly Derby related:

Please note the polar ice caps and continental land masses on Earth.

So where’s the picture of Simon wearing the hat? Well, when I got out my camera in the classroom, I realized that the memory card was still stuck in my computer. And my backup memory card was mysteriously missing. Argh! That leaves me relying on the kindness of iPhones of fellow KIP parents. I hope to get some decent pics in a day or so.

I’m sure it will be OK in the end. Just last week we left the camera at home for two birthday parties. At the first, a friend got this great pic of Simon and Ruby in a sack race:

At the second, I doubt Baron and Simon stopped running long enough to take a picture. Sometimes friends with iPhones are all you need.

Posted in Friends, Jessica, KIP (Preschool), Little Boy | No Comments »

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