Virtual "Half & Half" RUN!

"Half & Half Virtual Half Race!"

Welcome to the kick off of the inaugural Half & Half Summer Event!  Thanks for all the entries.  I'm excited to have been able to "meet" some new bloggers!  Race packet pick up... just kidding.  So seriously though, a few words before we run.

Keep in mind that I'm a neurotic mother, I need to do a little mothering here:

1)  if you're going out before the sun goes up, wear something reflective. And if you're going out after the sun goes up, consider some sun screen!  

2)  Be safe in the heat.  Drink Drink Drink!!!  H2O, some kind of "Ade", Nuun, or something!

3)  Have FUN!  Remember, this is a race.  We're out here to win at all costs.... oops, channeled someone else's mother there for a minute.  But seriously, find a buddy and make this fun & safe!  


4)  You have from Thursday July 15 - Sunday July 18 to complete your race, and then until Monday July 19 to submit your results or e-mail me a link to your race report.

The PACK!

5K  (or, Half a 10K, if you will):

S Club Mama (Randi) from http://thesclub.blogspot.com

Mr. S Club Mama

Anne of Asthma & The Gift of Running (training for a Marathon!  Yeah!)

Mrs D from http://healthyhappyness.blogspot.com   

Katie Mc. from PA

Mel at Tallmomontherun

Anita at flemfab5.blogspot.com

Sarah at http://toddlerrunning.blogspot.com/
Land O'Sunshine: http://twinsunplus1.wordpress.com

Darlene at http://myfirst5k.wordpress.com/

Pam from Thirty Schmirty.  (http://29goingon29again.blogspot.com/)  

Half Marathon: 

DeNiece

Melis

T of RacingwithBabes

Longlegsontheloose

Cheryl S. from http://catholicdomesticengineer.blogspot.com/

Julie Del at www.marathonmoments.blogspot.com

Alanna at running42km.blogspot.com (training for a marathon!  You go GIRL!)

Running Diva Mom 

Other "HALF" Distances:

Running a Half of a 20K... Kathleen L

IF you're missing from the list, just let me know.  I think I got everyone, but just incase I missed a comment or e-mail, or connected the wrong alias to the wrong blog - again, just LET ME KNOW!  First time race director over here, still learning the ropes!  Also, if you want in at the last minute, go ahead and e-mail me at nmomof3(at)gmail(dot)com.  Will accept registration through Wednesday at midnight EST!

The PRIZES

The Prizes are...NOT all running related.  I finally decided that  Half & Half race deserved a coffee tribute.  While I prefer Dunkin Donuts, I recognize that D&D is not a national epidemic, where Starbucks is bordering on religion.  Also, I realize that Starbucks has coffee, and tea, and even one of my favorite beverages, H2O, so I determined that it was universally acceptable.  If you win, and you don't have a Starbucks near you, let me know and we'll sub in an alternate prize.

1st Place for the 5K:  $5 Starbucks Card.  

1st Place for the Half Marathon:  $13.10 Starbucks Card.

The Prize for the PERSON WHO OVERCAME THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE:   Gu.  Yes, Gu.  I love the flavor of Gu, yet cannot consume due to icky stomach issues.  I figure that if I was racing to win, my "biggest obstacle" would be eating a Gu at mile 7 and still finishing the race without, uh, "icky stomach issues".  So, in honor of MY biggest obstacle, I will send you Gu!

Happy Running to ALL!  Good luck!

Sick Kids

Of course, what would summer vacation be without a sick kid?
Yesterday:

• I went for a run, felt like vomiting half the run, but finished without incident - all 10 miles.  Wow.

• I got a panicked phone call from my Dad that my son is sick and "when can I get here?"  So I called my pediatrician to let her know he was sick, and that I was going to miss office hours because of the tiny detail where I had to drive all the way to P'town (2 hours away) to pick him up.  "oh.  huh.  Well, because it's your son, why don't I just make a house call".  crickets chirping."  wow.  "thanks."

• I arrived to pick up my sickie, G, and discovered him running around like a mad man.  "motrin"  OoooK.  Wow.  Oh and, there's the little detail that his ear was draining.  Nothing quite like it.  Thank God for those Tubes, because it's a sure sign he would have had another rupture, and frankly, I can't handle a deaf kid or another rupture.

• We drive home and I called the state hotline for the road I was planning to use (Incase the Garmin traffic thingy wasn't behaving... yea, it was... I just didn't believe it).  "5 incidents along (that road)."  So we took route 10, up through Smithfield and Surry VA.  Wow.  I wished for a camera and a pair of running shoes.  I could have taken a photo essay that made everyone who reads my blog very thankful for their lifestyles and amazed you all with the quaintness of the country side... AND shown off the hilarious signs.  But I'll save that for another day.

• Arriving home to discover the Cable TV was out, was just the icing on the cake.  I mean, I have a sick kid who needs to lay still for 20 minutes with drops in his ears, so, no TV is perfect.

Well - it's 5:52am and I'm off to my MTT long run!  I'm running PINK FOR A DAY!  Because, well, Jackie P says he's struggling & needs "help", and if I can do something to help another runner, then I'm going to do it.  Selfishly, it's because Jackie P is HILARIOUS, even when he's not trying.  See you all on Monday!

Three Things Thursday

Three things.

1)  If you'd told me as a kid that I would be spending my summer vacation getting up at 5:45am to run, I would have told you to stop smoking crack.  I'm just sayin'.  (of course, today I slept in).  And, probably TMI, but I'm having some GI issues running this week.  I don't know if it's just getting home from our trip, or knowing the kids are in another state, or what.  But it's interfering with my milage.  I might just go ahead and take a rest day tomorrow, do some biking, or light swimming, to see if it helps.  I don't know what else to do.

2)  My kids are at the beach, and I am here.  This is like a 4 day date.  Every thing we do feels like a date.  "Want to eat lunch?"  OK, it's a date!  "Want to watch Deadliest Catch?"  OK, it's a date!  Fun stuff.


3)  I'm the kind of person who can comfortably wear a bikini to the beach, even though I know it doesn't cover any more or any less skin than a bra & skirt running outfit, but cannot wear said bra & skirt running without feeling "nekkid".  It's 85 degrees.  It's 50% humidity.  It's 10:27 AM.  For today's run, I am standing in my kitchen half dressed and FORCING myself out the door.  My training plan says 3 miles or hills.  I suppose I should decide before I start the run which I'm going to do, huh?  

OK.  Hills and 3 miles it is.

the proof.

Wordless Wednesday

3 kids on the beach, all doing their own thing.

Outer Banks Wanderings

Went to the beach this past weekend to regroup and recharge my batteries.  While I was packing I discovered that my camera fit into the arm band that was SWAG at a race from June.  So, instead of blogging a huge paragraph - here's the details.

Time of Day:  not too long after sunrise, around 5:30ish
Distance: 6.77 miles  (distance planned?  7miles, there was a GI issue that lead to an early turn)
Weather:  Ideal
Location:  The National Parks around Buxton NC


I started my run by leaving this house...

and running down this road....

before long, the road looked like this...

and I ran past this tree ...

and this house...

and into the Cape Hatteras National Park...

and took this trail ....

and ultimately, ended up here, before turning around.... and doing it in reverse!

An A.D.D. ODE

An A.D.D. Ode To my Brooks Adrenaline & Skirts & GF's

Oh sweet Brooks A, how I love how you feel,
(Except when blisters are new on my heel)
Healing our souls one stride at a time,
I love that time is easy to ryhme.
And thyme is one word, and soles is another,
Which brings me to Katye, my GirlFriend, the other
Lover of shoes, and skirts too of course,
Because when you are out running the course,
You must toe the line with taste.
Though impossible to race,
We'll try to keep pace,
With TMB, our resident speeder,
Running together, dripping sweat by the liter.

Three Things Thursday

1.  It was another dissection last night in class.  We started on the Cardiovascular System.  Wow.  I know a lot less than I think I know.  BUT let's not talk about ME.  Let's just mention that Huh & Wha actually behaved... well, alright, no they didn't...  They were in usual form, loud and obnoxious - until Huh's phone went off playing some kind of gangsta rap ring tone.  Guess what?  Dr. Tanner's sense of humor does NOT extend to phone's interrupting her lecture.  After that, they calmed WAY down.

2.  I just found out that my cousin-in-law just finished her first Half Marathon!  Yeah for another crazy runner in the family!  Oh, well, I guess we don't know if she's crazy yet, do we?  I'm sure time will tell!

Congratulations to Kimmie!  (no that's not really her name, but we know I have to give everyone a bloggy name here at nofsahm.)

3.  In yet another example of randomness... you'd think after 13 years of marriage I'd know my spouse better.  Last night I learned something shocking.  My H would rather wash the dinner dishes by hand... than unload the clean dishes from dishwasher.


Don't forget to sign up for my Virtual Half & Half race!  Details are here.  And the race runs from Thursday - Sunday, giving those people who are traveling on the weekends an EXTRA DAY to get their run in!  OF course, right now the field is really small... and I'm sure some people hope it stays that way!