Community Supported Agriculture

In an effort to shop local and be healthy, Team Runnermom has joined the localvore movement and invested in a CSA (community supported agriculture). We paid for a full share in Wiggin Farm in Stratham, NH, which we found through Seacoast Eat Local, an organization which provides the NH/ME Seacoast communities with Farmers' Markets throughout the year.

Before heading to the gym for a run (toooooo hot today to run outside! Yowza!), I stopped at our local Chamber of Commerce to pick up our share. YUM. We received a beautiful bunch of Swiss Chard along with 2 bulbs of spring garlic - I promptly turned that into dinner - along with spring turnips, baby bok choi (YUM, redux), kale, a beautiful head of lettuce, tat soi (gotta look that one up), and popcorn(??). All was bunched and ready to go. Wiggin also provides the CSA folks with discounts on eggs and flowers, from which I held back today.

Bravo to Wiggin for delivering to our Farmers' Market. Convenient and fresh. Supporting a local farm. Trying new things.....what is a tat soi anyway?

Fabulous NE weather we're having

May ended with a heat blast; June started with a blow.

The last 2 days have not been wonderful for outdoor training. The mere mention of a tornado in NH simply sent me inside. With my luck, as soon as I was halfway down my selected route, a wind and/or thunderstorm would wreak havoc on the landscape. Therefore, I chose to exercise inside.

I knew I had to get a good run accomplished, as SwimGirl will participate in a 3-day swim meet starting today. SwimDad is stepping up his officiating responsibilities and will be working doubles, hence no kid coverage at home, equaling limited opportunities for me to get exercise Sat/Sun. Yesterday, I worked hills and a little sprint attempt.

Running inside, while it may be safer, is also BORING. I didn't get the machine I like, but instead got a treadmill (I have an acquaintance who calls them "shredders" - LOL) pushed over to the wall. Grumble - I couldn't see Dr. Oz - if I have to be inside, at least I want to be entertained by medical quackery. So instead, I put on a Meatloaf and Melissa Etheridge running mix and counted how many seconds I needed to run for each burned calorie. Woo-hoo! Ain't I a hot date?! However, run accomplished, and I was able to enjoy La Festa pizza guilt free!

Shameless plug:

Uphill battles

The weather has changed. A week ago, all in Northern New England (I capitalize our sweet NH/VT/ME area since we are quite different from the south) bundled up against the cold rainy outside. Now, not so much - the tide has turned and I find myself looking at our thermometer which states 93 on our porch. Yoiks!

I bring up the change in weather as the topic directly relates to today's post, which is a 2-in-1 blast. I meant to write about the Red Hook 5k yesterday, but was distracted by a Fisher Cats game in Manchavegas (Manchester.......hee, hee!). Hothothothot. How hot? A new runner just missed the finish line because she fell down, seizing. Big, strong men, as well as newbie runners, fell prey to the heat and the Portsmouth Fire Department was on hand for help - GO PFD! We also had a friend help out; he happens to be a racing RunnerDad and a firefighter for a different town!

SwimGirl did well, placing 3rd in her age group. She was pretty pleased, as the amount of running she has been doing is much less than last year, as she is spending MUCH more time swimming. I did well, too, considering the heat, bettering my not-so-fab finish at the Children's Museum 5k by about 30 seconds. However, neither of us had done much (me=no) training in the heat. At one point, I literally thought my head would explode I was SO HOT. Blech.

Therefore, today I did 7+ miles at 8am. Now, the temperature had not yet reached its zenith, but still had some power, being 75+. I also trained running down from lovely Dovah into southern Maine. (Yes, I live close enough to the border to run into Maine....yeesh.) I mention this only because those familiar to the area have a strong awareness of the HILLINESS. I figured I might as well get the best use of my time as possible and ran hills in the heat. I then went home and discovered a pair of my "little" shorts fit without tightness - SCORE!

The pain, she pays off! Woot!

Running Buddies

Went on a run yesterday with a group of teacher-mom-runners. What happens when we run together? So much more fun!

Ordinarily, I exercise alone. I don't want to intrude on anyone or slow anyone down. SwimGirl will occasionally run with me, which is nice, but she's 11. She, by mood or inclination, will either grumble she's "about to die" from a cramp or alternatively, kick my butt on every hill/straightaway and laugh as she waits for me to catch up. I love her dearly, but she's not a peer.

Running in Dovah can be a huge challenge due to the sheer number of hills in the city. I have trouble making others believe, but I have found routes which actually are uphill BOTH ways. While our group attempted some good-natured avoidance tactics, we all threw down and conquered the hills. For some of us (me.......), the downhills are harder than the reverse. By the end of the 4 (+/-) miler, we had 6 women who felt accomplished and slightly fitter.

My favorite part of this group is the acceptance. A long-time friend, who is a new runner, generously brought me into the group. A run is planned......and then all are welcome to run at their own pace. I feel like Planet Fitness' "No Judgement Zone"! SO NICE not to hear all the competitive stuff from other runners I hear at races, ex: I've already done a 5k for warm-up, I threw down a 20-miler last week, I haven't trained & I hope to do OK, yada-yada-yada. We start together and meet up at the end to chat about what went well, which hills were totally brutal, and which nasty dog barked as we jogged past.

Run on RunnerMoms!

Groan....

Gray, grungy, and bleak. The aforementioned pretty much make up the sum total of the day. Seriously? Who needs this weather?

I loathe running in the rain/sleet/snow and won't do it unless I have a race. I read all the FB posts from the hardcore among us who state, "Put on my Yak Trax and went for a run in the blizzard - what a rush!" Groan........really? Perhaps I have a cat-like desire to avoid wet and cold? Also, I have no desire to trash the following:

• My knees
• My only decent pair of sneakers (at +/- $90 a pop, I'm not ruining my "good" sneaks!)
  
• My dignity after I wipe out in front of traffic
• Expensive running attire

I went to the gym, due to the drizzle, and put in 90 minutes on an ArcTrainer. I don't love the machine, but it gets the job done and allows me to still have an adult beverage in the evening. The running clothes still get used and the money spent on membership to the local high-brow club doesn't get wasted. Win-win!

A soft 50 degrees and gentle afternoon sunshine need to arrive sooooooooon. Outside is good - inside is bad.....

Fighting it for all I'm worth.....

I recently had a friend who posted on her blog here. She celebrates her own sense of self within her own skin. Me, not so much. I'm fighting the "Forties" for all I'm worth. In fact, Blackbird Adventures (her blog) posted a thought-provoking poem by Lucille Clifton. I copy from her blog......(oh, no - librarian admitting copying! Egad!):

Homage to My Hips

these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top

I'm not there yet. Not even close. I feel NO magic for my hips (or, in my case, the Butt-Thigh Brigade). The Brigade WILL be enslaved as long as I can move. I fight, push, and prod those beasties into Lycra and running shorts so I can take off and pretend I enjoy exercise. Which I don't. I sweat like a farm animal and turn bright red as soon as I begin running. Anyone who's seen my post-race self knows I'm not a pretty picture finishing a 5k, never mind something longer.

Why fight the inevitable? Why push myself? Aside from obvious health and wellness benefits, I wanna look good and turn my husband's head. I crave wearing skinny skirts and giggle about my now too big wedding dress. I seem to have missed my Southern Mother's hair-makeup gene, but I can keep trying to rock the tiny tops and cute capris.

Accomplishments for the week: 3 arc trainer days, a 8.5 mile run, 9.5 mile run, and a yoga class for my "day of rest". Bring it "Forties"! I'll keep on running.

The Season Begins!

Aaaaaand - Back in the saddle~Two weekends & two races dun.

4/10/11 - Red's Road Race (5 miler) through Dover to support the community. Beautiful weather, but I wish SwimGirl had had more fun. Starting the season on a 5 miler turned out to be a tough one. My Runnermom41 (egad.....who woulda thunk it!) self did well, running all winter at a decent trot paid off well.

4/23/11 - Whale of a 5k in the rain/sleet/snow. Yowza - "spring" in New England. The Whale of a 5k takes place at Ordiorne State Park as a fund-raiser for the Seacoast Science Center. The staff did a fabulous job dealing with all of the wet, hungry, smelly runner folk. SwimGirl had much more fun on the trail run, even in the nasty, slippery, mucky conditions; she finished in just over 26 minutes. I had a great run, finishing in 28:34 - HAPPY (!), especially since I gave my old bod permission to speed walk down the crazy slopes. I'm NOT going to wipe out and get a nutty injury this early in the season. Nopenopenope.

On a bright note, FirstGradeTeacher ran her first trail run in the "spring" weather. She did awesomely! Go FGT! You ROCK!