High School

Who remembers high school? Okay...now who remembers it fondly?

High school for me was a mixed bag. Academically, the institution I attended was highly-ranked and well-regarded. It was our city's public high school. Very few people in the district sent their kids elsewhere because it was considered such a great school.

Ours was a school of tremendous diversity...in all areas: racial, religious, economic, cultural...you name it. Still there was a lot of 'fitting-in' angst. But I see now, after watching my 6 stepkids navigate this period, the angst is fairly universal even if it isn't always obvious.

Why am I talking about high school?

My big boy is about to embark on the adventure, that's why. And it isn't a simple procedure.

The local public high school is not a good fit for him. He would be miserable and afraid. He would for sure get jacked up and shoved into a locker sometime in the first or second week of school. I'm not a doom-sayer...I just know my kid. This school is my husband's alma mater, and way back when he was a student it was a great school for him, and he loved it. But my guys are different animals, one from the other. And so we've been doing the Private School Application Game with Big G. Lots of open houses, student shadow visits, interviews, and application essays. Fun stuff. And we're all starting to feel a wee bit stressed. Deadlines are looming...everything needs to be in by next Thursday.

He has chosen three schools to which he plans to apply. They are all great, and I do believe he would be happy in each one, but they are all as different as they are similar. I'm wondering how much influence I should exert over the decision-making process. I'm wondering if there will even need to be a decision. And I am a little overwhelmed at the parental pieces of the application! We have to write essays, too!

Long story short...I'm distracted from this blog right now. And top it off with not running for a myriad of reasons (actually, not exercising at all)... not much time and really very little to say :( So not like me!

So...

hold that thought!

because

as Schwarzenegger would say,

"I'll be back!"

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!  :)

September So Far...

Since I returned from my Nuun Hood to Coast Relay adventure (you can find the postings here), life has been very full. Not that it isn't usually rather full, but with a brief family vacation (to be blogged about at a not-too-distant future date) sandwiched directly in between the Nuun trip and my husband going out of town for a bit ...and then school starting for all four of my kids within days of his return... see what I mean? Oh, right...and my oldest child became a teenager!

Here is a bulleted summary of September so far...

• Big G became a teenager on Labor Day. The weekend was fraught with him pissing and moaning about not having his birthday party right then...he likes things the way he likes them and when he likes them. But his friends all had plans that weekend, so he had to wait. We celebrated as a family with an egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free cake that I nicknamed "Leadbelly" because the thing was so freakin' heavy...and flat. It did not rise one millimeter. It tasted good, though...sort of like solid vanilla pudding. We had to improvise with the candles... 8 plus (fire hydrant) 5 = 13. Thank goodness we had that fire hydrant or you might've thought the poor kid was turning 85.

• The following weekend I hosted a sleepover party for five 13-year old boys. They ate pizza and played Munchkin (yeah, better click that link because it's probably not what you're thinking). Then they ate "Son of Leadbelly" cake and watched Zoolander (they went to our local video rental place and selected this one...so interesting seeing the variations in tastes amongst 13-year old boys...one wanted to get Tomb Raider but another said, "No...they're not big enough," a comment that was lost on my innocent and somewhat immature son). I am kind of a bitch-mom when it comes to sleepovers...I enforce a bedtime. For these guys it was midnight. At 11:30, I told them it was time for lights out, cell phones away, and voices lowered. They didn't really follow that directive until I announced it was 11:50 and started singing "Kumbaya". For real, I did. This led to a chill moment in which a brain among them had the opportunity to come up with a brilliant idea...

Hey, guys!!! Let's go run around the block in our underwear...at midnight!!!!

Genius.

Did I let them? You betcha. Our neighborhood is very safe (remember: The Gate) and the block is very small (4 houses on a side). They were instructed to be quiet(ish) and to wear shoes. It took them all of 3 minutes. Big G did not participate. He gave the whole idea the stink-eye. And as the other boys ran out the door, G exclaimed...

Where's the camera?  

And yes, he got it all on video. Including a mooning. And no, the video will not ever be published. Unless one of the boys decides to run for office as an adult ;-)

The good news: they were exhausted by the excitement and rigorous exercise and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

• Working out...

Running 3 days a week... short/short/long...2.25 mi/2.25 mi/6 mi the first week and 4.2 Moeser miles/2.25 mi/8.64 hilly trail miles (with the lovely Roserunner) the second week. I have done nothing this week. Nada.

Elliptical happened 4 times in those two weeks and not at all this week. Between 30 and 50 minutes at HR z2 for the longer sessions and z3-4 for the short ones. 

Climbing was extra special :)  I had the opportunity to go into the climbing gym before hours with my instructor/friend and we were the only ones there. It was so fun to just take our time and climb without ever waiting for a route to free up. All was quiet except for our personal conversation...without wondering if anyone was eavesdropping ;-) I had taken a break from climbing leading up to Hood to Coast because sometimes it tweaks my alignment and I didn't want to risk anything before the relay. Starting back up has been challenging due to the busyness of life the past two to three weeks, but finding the school-starting-again groove will definitely get it happening again...and I can't wait.

A killer two-and-a-half-day migraine has put a little damper on exercise things this week. It's almost over so hopefully tomorrow will see some sweaty action. 

• I posted a giveaway. I love my Endorphin Warrior bracelet and am fortunate enough to be able to offer one to a lucky winner of a random drawing. Enter here to win your very own with a keyword or phrase that speaks to you.

And that concludes the initial September So Far summation.

Stay tuned for more random bullets in addition to a post on what I found to be a successful nutrition/fueling plan for the relay, a compilation and review of the products I received and used during the relay, and a post giving more details on my elliptical training. Who knows when I'll get around to any of it...but it is coming. 

The Big Boy Hike

For years I have wanted to go hiking with my kids. I wandered the Berkeley hills in Tilden Regional Park when I was young, and I loved it. I wanted to share this place with my own children.

Spending eight years hobbling around in my slippers, using shopping carts like walkers pretty much meant hiking was not an option. Now that I am healthy enough to take on the great outdoors, I have a few pretty resistant customers, most likely because it is completely foreign to them. Hiking can be hard work...and you might get dirty. My big boy is especially known for shying away from activities that involve those two things...working hard and getting dirty. 

Imagine my surprise when he excitedly agreed to join me in climbing a mountain this past weekend. I'm pretty sure it was a combo of getting time away from his humungous history project on which he has been majorly procrastinating and spending a little one-on-one time with me :)

I packed some lunch and some water, put on some real hiking boots, and off we set. I'd done this hike several times decades ago; I knew it was something he could handle. I have no idea how many miles it is, and I'm too lazy to do the math using the park's trail map. Start to finish, it took us 2 hours...and we were really leisurely. 

Me and my big boy getting ready to head out.

We opted for the road less traveled...

the one to the right, in case you couldn't tell.

Some images lend themselves to hugeness...

...and here's a close-up of the branch obstructing the trail...

...because the blistery, black fungus we had to climb over reminded me

vividly of that poor prairie dog we saw on our trip to the SF Zoo.

We were careful to not touch it in the event it is interphylum contagious.

This one also needs to be seen really, really big...

Yes, my son is a tree-hugger. 

But he does have discriminating taste...

this is quite possibly the biggest California Bay Laurel

in the world!

Well...it's the biggest one I've ever seen, anyway.

We skipped through dried-up meadows...

...climbed down steep ravines...

...crossed cute little creeks with fluffy ferns growing next to them...

...spotted hot babes...

...texted dad to let him know we'd had no Sasquatch sightings and were safe...

Dude...

This was hard work.

We were climbing a freaking mountain!

See? 

That's the trail sign...

That hump thing is the mountain...and we went to the top.

This is about 3/4 of the way up.

Ever upward...up, up, UP!

The final stretch toward the summit...

at a whopping 1250 feet above sea level.

I started to get worried because we had neglected to pack our oxygen tanks.

The glorious day from atop Wildcat Peak.

Once we finished our lunch, we started down...

Through trees...

...short and droopy...

...tall and straight...

And we skipped through more meadows...

...not sure why this meadow is so much greener than that first meadow...

...and we followed the road more traveled back to the car.

As we followed this road around the corner past where you can see, 

we saw something very special. Right before we reached the car, 

a hawk swooped and snatched up some prey about 10 feet from us.

Both of us were awe-struck as we watched its strong, powerful flight between the trees, 

rodent dangling from its talons...

triumphant.

Not once had he complained. Not once had he whined. Big G spent the remainder of the afternoon and on into the evening thanking me for taking him on this hike. He'd walk up to me and stand there, and when I'd turn to him, he'd throw himself into my arms and bury his head into my shoulder and say how cool it was and how much fun he had and how he wanted to do it again sometime...and thank you. It really did move me to tears.

Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence... and the G update :)

Time to cram more inane tidbits down your throat entertain you with more XL trivia, this time at the behest of Alexandra, she of Fun and Fit fame.

I did this 'random 11 thing' rather recently and you can go here to see how that went. Y'all probably know the rules...and I'm not following all of them. Sorry! This time, let's go with numbers that hold some significance for me... here we go...numerical facts...

1, 2, and 3 are the most important set of numbers today and are as follows... 9:25 (G's mile time in December), 9:15 ( his time in January), and now his time from Wednesday....*drumroll, please*... 8:16!

He thanks you all for your well-wishes and was blown away by your support :)

4, 5, 6, and 7 are numbers no longer of any consequence...old personal bests of an athletic nature...rites of passage, if you will... 

21:20 (5K PR set in 1997...about a week before this picture was taken),

3:49 and change...I'm too lazy to look it up (marathon PR set in 1996...in this race pictured below),

15 (pull-ups I could do in 45 seconds...from the late 90's as well. Sadly, I can no longer do a single one),

and 

7:22 (my best 2K erg time set in 1991 six months after this picture was taken...

You knew I was in People magazine, right?

...and four months after this picture was taken...

...you already knew I met Fidel Castro...

but did you know I ran in Hood to Coast?  ;-)

which was the last time I tested...the day before my big car accident...since this number probably doesn't mean anything to anyone who reads this, you can see other scores from present day here. Things aren't all that different from back in my day).

8 and 9.  My body likes to weigh right around 170 lbs. when I am enormously pregnant...which is about 40 lbs up on my not-pregnant weight.

February 2009

10 and 11.  I really am going to be 49 in less than 3 months. I am probably the only person in history to be excited about turning 50. But maybe when I get closer I won't be so excited :P

And here are the 11 things Alexandra wanted to know about me:

1. What was your favorite subject in high school? Human Anatomy and Physiology.

2. What makes you laugh?

Things like this and this...

3. If you had to describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be? Dependable, smart, hard-working.
4. What is one thing you wish you had never done in your life? Stopped playing the clarinet.
5. What is one thing you’ve done that you’re 100% sure was the right choice? Had my kids.
6. What’s one place you’ve never been that you want to visit? Australia...I want to hold a koala bear.
7. Steam or sauna? Sauna.

8. Have you ever been on a blind date? If so, how did it go? O God. It was horrible.
9. Push-ups or planks? Planks.
10. What is your worst cooking disaster?

You might think it was this pan of steamed broccoli...

But this one was worse...

...as neither pan nor steamer could be salvaged, and the stench of burned and melted silicone 

clung to the house for about a week.

And then there was the time I started a kitchen fire while making toast...

11. If you had to give a one-sentence toast to your beloved, what would it be? "To believing in love at first sight..."

And now I need a break from this meme...I think we all need a break from this meme! 

What was the last meme you participated in? Can we see it (give link in comment!)?

The Things I Learn While Brushing My Teeth

Conversation in the bathroom this morning between Big G and me while we were brushing our teeth:

Me:  If you could have any mythical creature for your very own, what would you pick?

G:  You mean what would be my personal preference...or what would be the conventional choice?

Me:  You...your preference.

G:  Okay...well, you know the conventional choice would be a unicorn. Everyone just loves the idea of them being magical and thinks they're all sweet and docile.

Me:  Right...I figure most people would say "unicorn" without thinking twice.

G:  Well, mom... unicorns were dangerous creatures. They were NOT nice...unless you were a young maiden. They really were only interested in 13-year old maidens. Or red-haired ladies of any age. They were drawn to purity...and they thought 13-year old maidens and red-haired ladies were pure...or something like that. If you were a male, they would run and hide because the only reason males generally approached them was to capture them or kill them, so those guys usually lured unicorns out using 13-year old maidens as bait.  

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Note: cloven hooves, goat beard and lion tail...the real deal.

And you know, unicorns were NOT just like horses with a long horn sticking out of their foreheads. They had the body and head of a horse, the legs of a deer, the tail of a lion, and a goat's beard...oh, and the big, long horn...duh. They tended to be aggressive toward lions...I don't know why. And griffins... because griffins were very leonine. 

For myself, I would pick an Ammit.

Me:  What the heck is an Ammit?

G:  An Ammit is an Egyptian mythological creature around the size of a small dog...has the head of a crocodile, the front body of a lion, the back half of a hippo. It devours the souls of the damned...I figure that might be good to have around. We probably wouldn't have any trouble with burglars again.

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Or I might want a Kirin, which is a chinese-slash-japanese version of a unicorn...it appears in both cultures but with different spellings. Body of a deer or an ox, covered in carp scales and with a deer's antlers...the chinese version has a dragon's head. It's a symbol of good fortune and good times...if you cross paths with a Kirin, it means things will be going your way...and people looked to the Kirin to help with fertility, both people and crops. They're very gentle...unless you're bad...and then, well, look out. 

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At which point he spit, rinsed, spit again, dried off his mouth and left. His teeth might not have been super clean, but ...holy crap...was I schooled or what?

Oh, and he ran by himself yesterday! I couldn't accompany him because my husband was out and we couldn't leave the younger three home alone, so he said, "I should just go do it without you." And off he went, in his new real running shoes and wearing my Garmin. Our lack of mythological discussion while running is probably what prompted this morning's seminar :)

How much do you know about all the various mythologies? 

I thought I was fairly well-informed. My kid puts me to shame.

To run with my son...and other stuff...

One of the best things to come out of needing to step back with running is this...

Big G and his mama, post-run :)

Big G runs a timed mile for PE once a month. He's been a little discouraged that his times are not getting faster...in fact, they've gotten slower. His best was 7:57 or something like that just under an 8-minute mile. His last two have been around 9:15. He keeps wishing he were faster...but somehow that whole notion of doing the work to make that happen seemed to be escaping him. Then, about 10 days ago, he told me he really wanted to be able to get a better time, and when I suggested he come out and run with me a few times per week, he said "Okay." 

The first two times were agony. He was miserable and whiny. Huffing and puffing and slapping his feet and then shuffling his feet, he kept asking if we could stop...like, every 30 seconds. We were doing minilaps around the block (<0.2 mi) because he "didn't want to run too far"...failing to understand that a mile is a mile is a mile and running a whole mess of tiny loops might be way more boring than running a bigger loop fewer times. Whatever. Toward the end of the second run we did together, about when the pissing and moaning was at its zenith, I asked him, "So...does a manticore have wings?" And without hesitating or gasping for air, he rattled off several different descriptions of this mythological beast. And then he launched into a compare/contrast monologue between the manticore and a chimera which lasted for the rest of the run.

Since then, at the beginning of each subsequent outing, he starts right off asking me, "So what should we talk about this time?" And he's all chipper and jaunty as he rattles of myths and legends and tales of strange beasts from literature. There is usually a segment of the run where he starts groaning and gasping, but it seems to be happening later and later in the run and lasting for a shorter period of time. Go, Big G!

For the first time in his life, he is enjoying stepping out of his comfort zone. He even asked for real running shoes...so we got some yesterday. We've just gone regular, ol' running...no speedwork, no tempo crap...just running to run to have it be fun. I'm guessing that it can't help but improve his fitness level and mile time more than sitting on his butt doing homework would or playing alien-invaders-meet-the-knights-of-the-jedi-round-table-in-sherwood-forest...or whatever the heck he and Q-man play every single night when they are supposed to be doing homework.

We'll see this Wednesday when he runs in PE. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I know that an improvement will go a long way toward motivating him to keep it up. Unfortunately, I'm thinking the flip side of that also applies. But we're going for OPTIMISM here at Taking It On...so think good thoughts for my boy :)

After he and I ran 1.25 miles on Friday, I did an additional 3...that felt spectacular. They weren't particularly speedy, but they felt solid and comfortable and loose and happy, even though it was pouring rain for part of the run. It was so unbelievably encouraging. 

On Saturday, after our family went out in Sherry's honor (click here to see a slideshow tribute created by Sherry's cousin, Beth Risdon), I went for the nicest bike ride I've had in 3 months. It was a gorgeous day. I didn't cry. Irritating people and their leash-less dogs only bothered me a little bit. And I saw this...

Guy on a really tall bike...

...that he made himself...I asked.

When I showed these pictures to my husband, he wanted to know Why? What is the attraction to this? Would it make you ride faster? Is it refining balance or strength? What is the purpose of the Tall Bike? (he's a guy who always asks these kinds of questions...on a casual run together once early in our courtship, he asked me...just as casual conversation, mind you... "what is the basis of your spiritual foundation?" Yeah, inquiring minds want to know).

I told him that I didn't think there was a point to the Tall Bike...that I really thought is was just a creative thing and for attention. And he countered with, "Well...how do you know?" To which I replied, "I can tell by the boots." The guy's wearing image boots.

Sadly, my awesome Friday run, powerfully emotive walk Saturday morning, and joyous bike ride later that afternoon took their toll on me somehow. My guts are messed up and my back is in pain. The pain goes down my leg. I actually think the guts are hurting something in my pelvis (psoas, maybe?) that is, in turn, bugging my back and leg. And I think this is likely related to that thing I did for the entire month of November that also screwed up my serotonin. The intricacies and interrelations of the human body are mind-blowing. 

I am looking forward to the day that I get this crap sorted out. Literally.

What Up Weds.

First, pursuant to the serotonin post, I had a great meeting with my clinician this morning. We've devised a plan that sounds like it will work. It will take a little time, but it leaves me hopeful :) Tomorrow I'll be asking my acupuncturist to throw her magic into the mix. Huge thanks to all of you pulling for me...your kind words and thoughts sent my way help more than you know. Or maybe you do know :)

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Second, I am running in a race this weekend. I am expecting big things since I've done a two-month taper and am quite well-rested ;-) It was intended to be my redemption half, and I was going to crush the two-hour barrier that has been eluding me. (It's a local race with a downhill/flat course, point-to-point...while feeling slightly like a cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater, I really wanted that number for some stupid reason....even though it wouldn't be a PR...I need to stop being competitive with anything other than my kid at Monopoly...at least for the moment). Since I haven't run anywhere near a "long" run in two months, I will be doing the race-day downgrade to a 5K. Let's place bets on how long it'll take me to run 5K...on a slightly long (3.2 miles), flat-and-downhill course. What do YOU think? Remember, I haven't run hardly at all in two months, and my time in November when I was kind of in shape was 24:01.

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Whoever is the closest to my actual, official finish time will win a prize...so give it your best guess :)

Finally, my 12-year old bookworm child told me yesterday that he wants to run with me. He wants to improve his timed mile for P.E. and would like to run a couple of times a week with me. I was happily stunned. So tonight I will run with Big G... the beginning of our Big Adventure in Running...or not. Maybe we should just keep it low-key and not blow a 1.5-mile run out of all proportion. Anyway...it'll be fun. I hope. And I'll bet he's hoping so, too.

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whoa...animation! i had no idea it did that when i swiped that image!

And that's what up this fine Weds.

Boys with Big Sticks... a situation that rarely ends well

Today I was reflecting on how Thanksgiving feels best to me when the focus of the day is on moving my body not stuffing it. Interestingly, I don't feel deprived at all when I refrain from gorging myself on The Feast. While I was on my own for the morning Turkey Trotting extravaganza, my family seemed to share my disinterest in shoveling turkey and gravy and potatoes into their faces until their bellies felt about to explode. We spent the afternoon and evening with extended family. We ate, sure. And we were thankful. But the real enjoyment of the get-together was not centered around pigging out... it came after mealtime.

As we were getting ready to head out for a familial post-Thanksgiving dinner hike, Q-man hollers out, "Hey, Uncle B! Can we use your walking sticks?" "Sure, Q!" he replied.

I silently groaned.

Sticks become swords. Swords are weapons. Weapons are used in combat. Combat always hurts somebody. Or everybody.

But not wanting to be the family fun-sucker, I just took a deep breath, tied my shoes, and went out to the car to put on the baby carrier that I knew was going to make Miss C scream and writhe.


Really, how bad could it be? Just a half an hour...maybe they'll actually use them as walking sticks. I was trying to be optimistic.

But then they walked through the gate carrying 10-foot long poles! How can one remain optimistic when one's 6-year old and 12-year old boys are running rampant with freaking jousting poles?

Hey, everyone! Let's go for a contemplative, relaxing hike in the gorgeous Marin County woods... it'll be so peaceful. But first, let's give the boys gigantic lances!

How many times did your mom let you go on a hike 

carrying a pole twice as tall as you when you were six? 

Yeah, that's what I thought. 

That's 'cuz your mom was smart!...and maybe a little bit of a fun-sucker

See me? I'm looking the other way...

because I knew it was only a matter of time before this jedi match began. Or maybe it's kung fu?

The real question was: who would get wet or whacked first?

At some point, Big G found a lichen-encrusted tree branch.

He cast his bamboo pole aside and pretended had an Elf King Scepter...or something like that 

(actually, he just now told me it was Brom's staff from Eragon). 

Anyway, it was much better because it was a peaceful stick and not a weapon. And instead of battling his brother, he spent the rest of the hike serenely surveying the lovely surroundings.

Q-man, on the other hand, continued to spin, twirl and thrust with his pole as if he were a champion color-guard flag-waving dude...or iaido master...or something that flails around with a large stick. 

Surprisingly, no one got hurt and no fun needed to be sucked.

Miss C did scream and writhe in that carrier... but that's a story for another time.

Homework battles of a different sort...

I know, I know...

I'm super lucky to have a kid who will even do homework on the weekend (with a minimum of threats coaxing), but...

I just want to know how this makes sense as a homework-doing location?

It's the doorway between the kitchen/family room and the rest of the house. It is probably the most-traveled threshold in the place. And Big G decided it would be the most comfortable, most reasonable spot in which to do his Chinese homework. Yes... Chinese. And while he likes challenges of the intellectual kind and may be very smart, little dude has zero common sense about most other things in life.

Like where is a good place to do homework.

Hence his awesome spot... viewed now from the other side... I did have to mince around and step over him to get here.

He and I went back and forth for too long on this. I should have known better. In the end I just walked away, saying, "Okay... but if someone steps on you or pisses you off because you are in their way, I don't want to hear about it."

And mostly because I didn't get to run yesterday or last night and I am going nuts, I let this happen...

I swear to you... this was not staged.

You should have heard the screaming.

I cannot wait until my husband comes back from his camping trip. 

Can.

Not.

Wait.

magic moments...

Life is full of magic moments.

I was super excited to see this link-up over at Shell's Things I Can't Say.
She always has the best link-ups... she did the Rockin' the Bump and Rockin' the Baby ones.
I loved participating in those!

I enjoy looking through old photos when I am feeling scattered... it really grounds me.
I've been having a tough time lately getting back into the swing of momming...
school starting hasn't helped as I thought it would.

It was hard to narrow down my choices so I picked several... some you've seen before.

The process of going through these has helped me to see...

to know...

that my life as a mom has been full of magic moments.

I've chosen to share the magic of traveling with my children...

~*~

A window seat and a good book...

with Sicilian citrus orchards in the background... hard to get more magical :)

Baby X, Villa Praiola 2006

~*~

Sharing a sweet moment with a two-year old...

in a crowded line to go up the Eiffel Tower.

with Miss C, Paris 2011

~*~

On the way to an old castle...

Big G, Varenna 2002

~*~

The magic of gravel in a cemetery...

Big G, St.-Paul-de-Vence 2002

~*~

Freedom!

Big G, Florence 2003
~*~
Loving the feel of the wind in his hair :)

Big G, Lago di Como 2001
~*~
The magic of motherhood...

with my children, Villefranche-sur-mer 2002

~*~

Link up your magic moments :)

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My husband is an amazing photographer. He took all of these pictures except the first one (I got super lucky with my crappy point-n-shoot). If you would like to see more of his work, there is a link in the sidebar to his photoblog... Seeing In 4D. Check it out :)