musing on MLK day

My kids are biracial, I am white, Rob is black, and our kids are beautiful latte.

I never really think about it.

Kids don't see any difference, they may notice we look different but they don't think about it,  we are all just people.

We should be more like kids.  We should celebrate what makes us who we are and our histories but we should live and love for the people we are.

It devastates me that someone may decide they don't like my kids or tease them because I am white or because Rob is black.

I hope that they were born into a generation and place that people will just see them as people.

"Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Elena

15 Down

I ran 15 miles today. 

It was a beautiful morning.  Once the sun came up it was sunny and cool, perfect running weather. My friend Amy ran the fist half with me and I did the second half alone.

Sometimes when I run alone, two miles can feel like forever, but today was good.  I put my ear buds in and I was good to go.  

If you have seen me out and about you know I like to make friends, in the grocery store, at the coffee shop, the air port and while I am running.  I like to chat and I am happy to chat up a stranger.

Today most people were training for Shamrockin half marathon.  There were a lot of people out today, most of them were running 6 miles, I felt impressed with myself and my 15. Then I met a group of older men, the youngest one seemed around 65 and the oldest was 74, they were running 20 miles, and then I felt a little less impressed with myself.

As I came up on mile 12 I began to hear a jingle-jingle sound.  "Strange", I thought.  "The key I run with is just one key, what is  that sound in my bag?" (And by bag I mean the ultra attractive fanny pack belt thing that holds all my stuff while I run).

I stopped and pulled out what I thought was my car key.  But no. 

It was house keys, on a key-chain that looked a lot like the key-chain I take running.  It was totally dark when we started running and I just grabbed the key and we were off. 

I was unhappy, to say the least, when I discovered that the jingle-jingle was not a key.

Silver lining: Rob was home, I had my phone, and I was running 15 miles not 20. 

Rob loaded up the kids and drove about 30 minutes out to meet me with the spare key (thank you).

Not ideal, but better then it could have been.

I finally made it home and one ice bath later and I was ready for a day out with my family. 

In the ice bath looking for motivation

Next weekend 17 miles....

Happy Running,
Elena

You may not know this about me

I am a bit of a control freak.  I am not sure when it happened, I am think I used to be laid back (in a high strung kind of way).  It must have happened post having children.  

I am tightly wound.  I thought I faked it well, but I have been informed that I don't.

My friends are afraid to help me cook in my kitchen.

I am can be easy going as long as I like things are going the way I want them to. I like to be in charge.

What brought on the tangent?  I always put Taylor to bed.   She is 4 1/2 and I have probably been the one to put her to bed all but maybe 10 times (and by 10 I really mean 7 but 10 sounds better).

This does not mean that I don't go out, I am not one of those moms, but my kids go to bed early.  It is easy for me to put my kids to bed at 6:30 and be out before 7:00. 

Last night I went out, and we had to be there at 6:00.  I explained to Taylor that dad would put her to bed unless she wanted to go to bed really early, she opted to have Rob put her to bed.  She seemed okay with it until I started getting ready to go out, then she got a little stressed. 

She said, "Mom I will die if you don't put me to bed."

I responded "okay, go get in bed and I will read to you now" (is was 5:10). 

Taylor said, "Oh, I will try not to die, I am going to go play."

I realize that I have created her craziness but it makes me laugh just the same.

I went out, Rob put her to bed, she was just fine, I did just fine letting go.

Elena

I have a problem or at least a habit

I really don't enjoy running marathons,  26.2 miles is not fun,  it is hard.

But somehow I can't stop signing up for them.  I ran my 1st marathon in March 2009, my 2nd four months later (then I went home and got pregnant).  Seven months after Jaxson was born I ran my 3rd marathon, and now three months after the CIM I am running my 4th. It's official I am going to run the Napa Valley Marathon on March 6th. 

I wanted to cry for a good portion of my last marathon, or at least a few miles of it, but I can't stop thinking about running another one.  And, as I mentioned before, I will feel like a total bad ass running two marathons before Jax is one.

Napa will be a new challenge for me because I am essentially training on my own.   I have three friends running it but I will not be running with them, their pace is  faster then can I do.  We are already running 15 miles I don't have time to work on my speed enough that I can sustain their pace.  That being said, I am totally okay with it, but 18-22 miles will be hard on my own.

I had planned work on my pace before I ran another marathon, but I did not want to wait. There will be time for that before the next one (maybe New York).  Clearly I have a problem.

I ran 12 miles last weekend and it was good, it did not suck at all.  I am doing 15 this weekend, I will keep you posted on how it goes.


Happy Running,
Elena