Since today is “national running day” I thought I would post a vlog on how the NYC marathon training is going…

A post about the charity that I am raising money for can be found here. If you would like to skip that and just donate, please feel free!

I promised that I would take you all along for the ride in my quest to train for the NYC Marathon.  So here is my official update:

THE GOOD: For the past three weeks we (Katie AKA “Fab Running Partner”) have been slowly ramping back up our mileage.  We’re doing a combination of flat long runs and hilly runs.  At this point our pace is pretty yucky but we are feeling strong.  Last weekend was five miles of hills.  AND I MEAN HILLS.  Surprisingly, our pace was the same as our long flat runs which means WE CAN DO BETTER.  This weekend we are due for a seven miler.  Ideally we would like to be able to hammer out 10 mile runs at a 9:30-10:00 minute mile pace before we begin our “official” training program at the end of June.  I think we are on track.

THE BAD: I am still having a hard time getting up to do those darn weight sessions.  I know that it is crucial to my strength as a runner, not to mention to my overall health and hopes to loose all that darn weight I gained over the Winter. Blech!

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Yesterday I bought these… Yep, AviMotion Toning Shoes. I’ll let you know what I think of them.  They pink (of course) and super cute.  My girlfriend swears by them but since I just started I am not sure yet.  I paid a lot for them so I am hoping I don’t regret it.  I am following @AviMotion which is great in case I need some answers.

Don’t forget! I am running for charity so if you would like to make a donation to support “Run For Something Better” you can do so here! (I just got some fun “thank yous” in the mail that I will be sending everybody that donates!)

If you know me in real life you know three things about me – I adore sweets, I love running AND I am a sucker for a good cause.  And HOLY HANNA PEOPLE someone has combined these three things together to create… THE CUPCAKE RUN.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Cakes for Cause will be holding its first ever 5K, dubbed “The Cupcake Run” to benefit youth who  have aged out of the foster care system.  The run/walk (Because they expect walkers and kids too!) will take place on Sunday, April 11^th at 8:30am in Frederick, MD.

The Cupcake Run course will begin in the back lot of the YMCA and will travel through the north end of downtown Frederick.  (Flat course!) Of course there will be awards, t-shirts and all that good stuff but the real fun is the fact that all participants will given a cupcake for their efforts!  Hello?  Sign me up!

Registration  is $15.00 prior to March 31^st and $20 after.  You can register here on Active.com. I really, really want to  to come out and support this race.  Don’t make me beg folks.

And let me fill you in on Cakes for Cause: Elin Ross runs it. She is a fabulous woman, a social visionary and a friend. Cakes for Cause operates the social enterprise, Moxie Bakery & Cafe in downtown Frederick.  Moxie serves as a teaching classroom for youth who have aged out of the foster care system,  are living in public housing, or who are involved with juvenile services.  Open to the public, the Cakes for Cause program serves as an important link for youth as they enter adulthood by enabling them to develop real skills and support within the community.

DON’T FORGET: I’m hosting a Blogher2010 cash sponsorship giveaway from SEED!  Find out more here!

Today I reconnected with a friend that I hadn’t spoken with in awhile.  It was so nice to laugh with her and reminisce and talk.  Truly, she is an amazing lady.

Talking with my pal made me realize that I was desperately missing something in my life. Something essential. Something that has left a void in me.

I desperately miss my running.

You see, this pal was with me when I ran my first marathon.  We trained for months together and became very, very close friends.

Our conversation made me realize what I was missing at this point in my life.  I am missing the breeze in my hair. The steady sound of feet on the pavement. I am missing the daydreams.  The goal setting. I even miss the speed work. (Which is weird because nobody misses speed work.)

When I run I feel like a warrior.  I feel strong.  Running makes me feel like I am more than just a mother. More than just a suburban housewife. More than just a business woman.  When I run I feel like, well, like nothing short of  a badass.

It is a passion that most can’t understand or relate to.  I know.  But it makes me feel ALIVE. And I had forgotten that passion.  At least, I thought I did.

Chatting on the phone today with my pal brought it all back to me and put a fire in my belly.  So I laced up my shoes, threw in my headphones and rocked out on the treadmill.  The experience was exhilarating and totally reminded me of a quote I once saw:

“The longer I run, the smaller my problems become…”

Everyone has passions.  Though not the same in size or scope, our passions are what make us come alive.  They are gifts given to us that make us unique and special.  Have you reconnected with your passions lately?

I can’t believe it is Thanksgiving already.  I’ve barely had enough time to breathe in the past few months let alone prepare for the upcoming holiday onslaught.

Wait a minute.  Who am I kidding?

I prepare for nothing. I buy some flowers and some wine and head on over to someone else’s house.  I’ve been getting away with it for years.  We usually take turns visiting my parents in Maryland and my husband’s family in New Jersey.  That, in a nutshell, is our tradition.

Dinner is usually prepared my mom (yay, stuffing!) or my sister-in-law (yay, cocktails!). I keep busy by messing around in the kitchen and pretending to be helpful while sipping on vino.  It works for me, okay?

I do nothing and yet somehow I am fed. 

The fact that I don’t possess the talent needed to cook ginormous holiday meals has occasionally backfired, though.

Like that time that I didn’t want to make my mother-in-law cook a huge dinner just to accommodate us and we ended up spending Thanksgiving in a DINER.  In New Jersey. With two children under the age of five. FOR OVER TWO AND A HALF HOURS.

Yeah, it was THAT bad.

I no longer leave big meals to chance.  Not that I have learned how to cook a bird, just that I bring enough alcohol to make the hostess very, very happy.

So who wants some company next year?

I’m participating in FLASHBACK FRIDAY put on by Texan Mama! Yeehaw! Hope you enjoy this golden blog oldie.  I’m sure SOMEONE out there can relate!

My husband is a good man. He puts up with A LOT.  He and I are opposite in so many ways.

He is a detail man.  An everything-has-a-place-man. An if-you-put-things-right-back-where-you-found-them-we-wouldn’t-have-this-problem-kind-of-man. I am NOT. I try. But I am more of a free spirit when it comes to organization, especially when it comes to housework. And, of course, my husband is essentially right. (Albeit in a housework-utopian-society-kind-of-way.) But, as for me, there is always SOMETHING that comes up to thwart my efforts.

Let’s go on a journey through 10 minutes of the mess and chaos of my life shall we? One example – a pair of my running shoes that has not yet made it back into the closet. So, theoretically, I should have been able to take them off my feet and toss them into the closet. Oh, I mean, lay them gently into the designated running shoe cubby. Yeah.

So here is what happened instead. I took them off…  At that precise moment, my son yelled dramatically from the other room. I sprint over to him and find that he and his brother are pounding each other over a Light Bright design. I settle the argument and notice hundreds of Light Bright pieces all over the floor. Oh dear. (Dad won’t be amused by that.) So we make a game of it and pick them up. In the middle of that the phone rings. It is my friend reminding me it is my turn to bring snack to soccer. I run down the stairs to see if I even have something that would qualify as a snack. Nope. Put it on the list of things to do. I then notice the laundry is finished. I put a new load in and take the other out and begin folding it. Kids come running downstairs and want a drink. I get them a drink. They spill juice everywhere and I clean it up. I begin emptying the dish washer because I can’t even put the juice cups away due to the overflowing sink with dirty dishes in it. I am halfway through this task when hubby comes home.

So this is what my husband sees: Kitchen a mess. Sticky floor. Laundry strewn everywhere. Light Bright pieces not picked up. (Because they decided to dump them out again while I wasn’t looking.) And then, of course, he tripped over my shoes. Yeah, those shoes. The ones that should have been put away as soon as I took them off my feet.

And then he says…. “Jen. Why don’t you just put these away right when you take them off?”

I’ve been called out.

Taken to task.

Challenged, even.

I have this terrific friend, well, we’ll just call her Lori.  Oh heck. Her name IS Lori. (I’m so not protecting her identity!) So anyway, this terrific friend is an inspiration.  She is in the process of successfully taking her life back.  She has lost a ton of weight. She recently rocked a major community challenge competition and every time I talk to her she seems to be either going TO or returning FROM some sort of horrifying sounding fitness class at the gym.

She has become my mentor… AND my nemesis.

Now she is my partner.

She totally challenged me (in a manner of speaking) to start taking back some control in my life, in regards to my health.  You see, my habits have been poor lately.  As my job gets more and more stressful, I have been taking less and less care of myself.  Junk food, late nights, self-destructive habits.  Too much sugar, too much caffeine, to much fast food. Every cliche in the book.  The perfect picture of a take care of everybody but yourself mother.  Anyone else been there?

So we’ve join forces and committed to beginning a weight loss program. (Weight Watchers) So serious am I that I even told Lori MY REAL WEIGHT.  I know, right?  Now THAT is trust.

So why am I telling you this?  Because, no doubt, it will affect my blog.  As I re-learn about nutrition and apply these principals to my hectic life, I will be sharing them with you.  And hopefully you will benefit from MY stupidity.  Hehe!

ONE LAST THING: In an effort to curb my most ridiculous cravings – sweets – I am giving them up COMPLETELY for the next couple of weeks.  Yeah, I know… Halloween.  But sometimes you just have to give it up cold turkey to make a difference.  Sugar is definitely my biggest addiction.