Recommencing...

A lot has transpired since my last post way back in mid July...enough to overwhelm me to the point of saying let's leave it at that and start from here.

It was a super busy summer. Yes, we went to the zoo. Come on...it was vacation. Of course we went to the zoo! No elephant penis this time, but.... the alpha male baboon was extremely happy to be alive. The kids giggled but it wasn't particularly noteworthy. The baby baboon, on the other hand, was adorable.

Family-friendly photo.

My kids are still super amazing and beautiful. Yes, they FINALLY all started school this week. I now have a kid in high school, one in middle school, one in elementary school and one in preschool.

Lest you think I now have tons of time to live a life of leisurely manicures and pedicures (which I've never been inclined to get anyway) or fun shopping excursions to places other than the grocery store or daily yoga/pilates/whatever classes now that everyone is out of the house for the better part of the day, think again. We are in the midst of a moving fiasco. Most of you know that moving in and of itself is a pain in the ass, right? Okay, now throw the word "fiasco" in there. It super sucks. I'll explain more later. Maybe. If I remember.

Bottom line on family life: All's well. Yay.

Today I met with awesome singing injection doctor for the seventh time since February. There have been some ups and downs regarding my overall health and my hip, but things seem to return to a level place eventually. I've done precious little in the way of exercise, and that's still been okay with me. But...

After conferring with my physical therapist, my chiropractor, my massage therapist, my awesome singing injection doctor and MYSELF, it has been determined that it is not unrealistic to start a little running again at the end of the month and additionally not unrealistic to possibly run 5K on Thanksgiving (yay, Sonoma Turkey Trot...of course it won't be to defend my title...lol).

I'm hoping to post more frequently now that the kids are back in school, but that most likely won't really happen until the moving situation is sorted out.

Nonetheless, here I am :)

Hi!  *smiles and waves*

Hope you all are doing well and hope we can get reacquainted.




If you want to see some photos from our summer adventures, I've been posting on Instagram...xlmic.

The Ellimpics Update: A One-Woman Wrecking Crew

The upside of no one participating in your virtual event is that you win everything!!!!!

Of course when there is nothing tangible to win, there is less incentive to participate.

Me?

I don't need no stinkin' prizes. I compete with myself. Really. Otherwise, why on earth would I *race* on an elliptical with no one around (except for gawkers wondering what in f*ck I am doing)? There is no glory. There is no fame. There is just the satisfaction of knowing that I did something to the best of my ability...something that made my body feel good and strong. And that, my friends, is #winning.

As the lone XL-Landian competing in this year's Ellimpics, the governing body of sports for the country of XL-Land decreed I compete in a minimum of 3 events to justify the costs and bother of sending me to the Games. I asked to be entered in 4. Thus far, three have been completed...the half-marathon on Saturday, the 5K Tuesday, and... as poor event planning would have it... the 10K on Wednesday.

Having events on consecutive days was quite a challenge. I actually wasn't going to structure it that way...and being the race director, I had the option. But looking at the rest of the week, cranking out the 10K on Wednesday evening seemed to make the most sense. (I wanted to do it before I run Moeser Thursday which I want to do before a massage late in the morning which will be happening before I get my hip yanked later in the day...and by doing it Wednesday, I get to take Friday OFF in preparation for my possible elliptical marathon and 7-mile run this weekend).

I'm not going to lie...ellipticalling like a madwoman after a long day of momming is not easy. And yes, we did happen to go to the zoo today. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow...this post is about The Ellimpics.

I got to the gym around 6 p.m. and warmed up. After 10 minutes on the Stairmaster and a mile and a half on the elliptical, I was ready to let 'er rip. But only doo-doo machines were available. I was working with a time crunch...needing to be home in time to put the kids to bed. I stretched a little bit and extended my warm up for a couple more minutes, and thankfully someone got off one of the better machines.

I was so ready.

Mile 1 ... 6:21
Mile 2 ...12:35  (6:14)
Mile 3 ...18:35  (6:00)
5k  19:14
Mile 4 ...24:33  (5:58)
Mile 5 ...30:25  (5:52)
Mile 6 ...36:08  (5:43)

Mission accomplished:  6.2 miles ...37:11  (5:59 avg pace)

I felt really sluggish though was able to keep turning it over decently. I never hit that "O, please, o, please, o, please...just let me stop" place, so I guess I could have gone harder. Whatever. I didn't think I'd break 38:00 so I was pleased.

Another after-the-fact picture for you...

I really wish there were some other people doing this. Remember...The Ellimpics go through this Sunday and any kind of rehabby exercise is eligible for entry...even walking backwards on the treadmill! It's so much more fun to play with others that it is to play with myself. Wait. That didn't come out right...

It's time to stop lamenting that we cannot run very much for now and embrace the gifts we have, enjoy the outlets we can utilize, and celebrate what we can do.

The Wild West, Whistling Footballs, and ... a WINNER :)

What day is it? I forget. They all blur together when my kids are on school break, which they are as I mentioned on Monday.

That was the day they made the fort under the dining table. At that point, I had no idea what we would be doing to keep them from killing each other avoid ripping my hair out amuse ourselves. Luckily, the weather has been very cooperative this week. On Tuesday we went on our exciting zoo outing. We saw all sorts of interesting things like motionless alligators, motionless wallaroos (bigger than a wallaby, smaller than a kangaroo), monkeys involved in giggle-inducing grooming behaviors, fighting bats, and entertaining otters. And we went on rides. Looking at the picture below, you might wonder who it was all for...

"Smile, kid... we're having fun!"

How do you follow up an awesome 5-hour trip to the zoo? With 45 minutes at the funnest playground around, of course! Why only 45 minutes? you might ask. Because it is right near Big G's Wednesday piano lesson place, and that was all the time we had.

Welcome to 
The Wild West

This playground and all these cool Wild West things have been here since I was a little kid. It was my favorite playground... and that was a long time ago. They've given things a facelift and a paint job or two, and some things have been rearranged, but it's still an amazing place for kids.

"Break me outta here, sistah!"

"Yay! We're freeeeeeee!"

Ride 'em, cowgirls... the fastest pink getaway pony ever!

Sweet pic of my gals... Miss C is a might tuckered out.

A 45-minute Fun Blitz. The rest of the day was totally bogus. For me, anyway. The kids got to go out for burritos with dad while I went to my massage appointment that didn't happen due to transportation issues for the masseuse. Such a total bummer. Might be part of why my Thursday run sucked so badly :(

"Playground" was the order of the day on Thursday, too. It was just me and my boys. We rode bikes (against their silly will) to the very, very nearby park. What complainers. Where do they get this from? Neither my husband nor I are like this... really. They are getting good modeling for active, 'tough-it-out' lifestyles. Of course once we got there they had an excellent time. 

Throwing the whistling ball...

And playing some inexplicable 'king' game in which Big G was the king and Q-man was the peon...which clearly didn't sit well with him.

Fortunately, it evolved quickly into some bird-watching thing... 

we were right on the water and the diving pelicans were a huge hit :)

I'll have to share what awesomeness we did on Friday tomorrow... after I attempt a really hard run that is making me nervous already. Hills, hills, and more hills. Keeping my eye on the miles and not on the pace :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and that all the racers have great races!

Oh... and the big announcement!!!!

The winner of the Great Moving Comfort Giveaway is...

Marisa @ The Pace of My Life !!!! (email me for specifics regarding your prize!)

Her "i tweeted" comment corresponded to the random number generated by random.org.

Many thanks to all of you who entered...your enthusiasm was just awesome! I hope you new followers do stick around... it is wonderful to see your comments and visit your blogs :)

Nobody Puts Emu in the Corner

Now I've had the time of my life...

and I owe it all to you...

I really appreciate the tremendous response on my Garmin bitch-session, I got some great advice about an elusive 'average pace' setting (thanks, Jeff, Tricia, RoadWarrior and Lauren). And was shamed into reading my manual (thanks, Patrick). And was reminded about traveltime to and from outer space (thanks, Jill). I used my Ivy League degrees and your pointers and figured it out. Go, me.

This newly-discovered setting made my speedwork Tuesday so much more enjoyable! (skip ahead if that's all you're interested in) Especially since I did it after walking around the zoo all day long. I spent a split-second getting twisted about the prospect of tired legs, but a quick slap reminded me that these guys are my priority right now...

So I shelved my stress, and we had a blast.

Our closest zoo has rides. I never force my kids to see the animals as a condition of getting to go on the rides...I hear a lot of other parents loudly stating this requirement upon arriving at the gates. For me, whatever the kids want at the zoo is what we do. So it was rides first...most importantly the Outback Express train. Miss C had been seriously screeching for hours about seeing these guys..

Wallaroos...bigger than a wallaby, smaller than a kangaroo.

None of them were moving. 

It is debatable whether or not they were lawn ornaments or living creatures.

Big G and I appreciated how the zoo tried to authenticate the Australian Outback experience...

And I never knew how awesomely an emu's camouflage is suited to the California chaparral landscape...

That hairy-ish, haystack-y grey-brown thing is the emu.

I know... you can't hardly see him even when you click to biggify...

see? camouflage in action :)

Big G insisted I take this exciting picture of a motionless alligator...

But I was more interested in cute things like this...

I swear this is the first-ever zoo visit where one of my kids did not fall in on the Lily Pad Crossing.

For real. A miracle.

And action shots like these fighting bats...

One on the left was just a bully. 

Dude on the right was just hangin' out... and other dude just started going nuts on him... 

all males at this zoo (it's right there in front of you, in case you hadn't noticed)...

And these grooming apes...

I started giggling so hard.

This one ape totally looked like he was sunning his balls. And he was. 

Then the other one started grooming him... picking crap out of his groin area...

that is what you see here :)...clicking will enlarge.

But the highlight of the day had nothing to do with male mammal genitalia. The highlight was feeding time at the otter enclosure!

Check out this movie for all the action and squeals of delight!

I love otters!

At the end of the day, when everyone else was finally in bed, it was time to get my speed on. And I did. Total distance was about 5 miles. After a mile and a half warm-up, it went like this...

2 x 0.25 mi with 0.25 mi rest between.... 1st one @ 7:36 pace, 2nd one @ 7:27 pace

2 x 0.6   mi with 0.25 mi rest between.... 1st one @ 7:39 pace, 2nd one @ 7:33 pace

And I followed that with a mile and a quarter cool-down. The workout didn't destroy me. Don't get me wrong...it was hard! The idea was to hit 5K pace... and this was faster than that for sure.

I must say this increased the level of my awe for some of my Nuun teammates. I already knew them to be fast, stellar athletes, but Dorothy (incredible mom of 3 who pushes a triple stroller while running a 6:05 mile), Emily (super sweaty Ironman), Susan (nurse on the run) and the aforementioned Lauren (relay-running goddess) hold this pace for 26.2 miles! While elite/world-class athletes are waayyyyyy faster, I find myself more impressed, more 'wowed' by what I'll call "ordinary" people who are capable of extraordinary things. And running a seven and a half minute mile for an entire marathon is definitely extraordinary in my book! 

Here's wishing those ladies the very best in the upcoming weeks! A few of them are running the  Marine Corps Marathon or the  NYC Marathon ... and Emily is still being a sweaty animal while rehabbing a freshly-broken foot :( sad face for the broken foot part. Go, ladies! You are amazing and inspiring :)

My Moving Comfort Giveaway ends tomorrow (Friday 10/28) at midnight. Be sure to enter here!

And I've noticed that I am startlingly close to 500 followers. There will definitely be some kind of super weird cool giveaway once that happens! Encourage your irreverent friends to check out Taking It On and follow if they know what's good for them ;-)

My husband left me...

For real.

see him?

 waving 'good-bye' to the wife and minivan full of children all screaming at and pinching and squishing and annoying each other and basically not paying attention to the fact that daddy is leaving... 

and do you see how he is smiling? 

Well, it is only temporary. In theory, anyway.

He went to France. I know... again, right? Yep... again. This time without us.

It is the trade-off for me getting to go run in the Hood to Coast Relay at the end of the month as a part of the awesome Nuun Platuun.

Sounds fair, right?

Eleven days on the west coast of France for him... on the beach with no phone or internet access... taking photographs with a fabulous artist and teacher... relaxation and creativity will abound... in exchange for four days in Oregon for me...40 hours in a van with 6 other people... sleeping sitting up or on the ground or not at all... eating out of a cooler or a paper bag... running a lot... winding up on the beach...

Hey!

We both get to go to the beach! Well, that makes it Even Steven!

Go ahead... you can say it....

I am the best wife ever.

Ehhhhh-VERRRRRRR.

Keeping the kids from driving me crazy... oh, wait... let me take responsibility for my feelings...

My Sanity Protection Program includes:

• older three kids in camp from 9-4 every weekday. YES! *fist-pull from the sky*
• two-year old in preschool three days from 9:30-3. Heck YEAH! *both arms thrust upward like I scored a fricken touchdown*
• physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture on those three two-year-old-less days
• working out while kids are out of the house and/or in bed at night
• going to bed early (this is the one that will be tricky for me :P)
• bribery

I think this plan may work. Nonetheless, it looks like I picked a tough week to kick crack.

Heading to the zoo this morning seemed like a good alternative to hard drugs and booze.

They didn't bicker the whole time...

But the joyful picture at the frog area was marred by this guy getting in the way...
yo, dude... I may just be shooting with a craptastic phone camera, but these are still my family's moments to record and cherish... look before you step in front of someone looking like they might be taking a picture.


Some moments were downright sweet...

Baby X and Miss C always seem to get along.

Big G is becoming a more engaged and kind big brother.

In some ways, his maturity blows me away.

Here he has just made the following painful observation,

"Gosh, there are so many ignorant people here!"

which was based primarily on the fact that the people clustering around the gibbon enclosure kept referring to the ape as a monkey...

and not so much on their general behaviors and conversation...

but still...

We went with a dear friend and her little girl who adores Baby X and is roughly the same age as Miss C.

She thoroughly enjoyed some surrogate big sibling time!

For awhile, our little friend had a blast playing this funny leg-kicking game with Big G and Baby X...

This prompted another very mature observation from Big G:

"Boy, she sure is a handful! I don't know how on earth her mom copes!"

I eagerly look forward to the day when these new, mature observations lead to a new, mature way of treating his younger siblings and helping out around the house :P

I just may survive this brief stint as a single mom.

Now if I could only figure out how to get Q-Man to stop screaming at me about his dessert... without resorting to duct tape.