Bella's First 5K

So it's official Bella completed her first 5k (that's 3.1 miles) on April 16, 2011.  I am one proud momma!  It's not about when or how fast either, but about the fact that she did it period.  I cried as she crossed the finish line.  I made sure she was in front of me because I wanted to see every moment of it!  It was amazing for me to watch as a mom.  I just completed my first 5K in March of 2009.  So I am amazed.  She did wonderful too.  I won't broadcast her time, but it was very good.  She didn't even struggle.  She ran with her friend Julia.  They were adorable together.  The weather was perfect and the rain held out.  It was overcast, but thats much better for running.

So where does she go from here.  She is still running.  Amazingly she can run better than a 9:54 average pace.  Not bad for a ten year old.  She is trying to run three times a week still and last week we even ran the whole way to our local coffee shop which is one mile away.  She ran the whole mile.  She is looking forward to signing up for her next race. 

As for Girls on the Run, I cannot say enough about the program.  It is amazing.  Not to mention the wonderful coaches that volunteer for this.  The lessons they go over, for example, bullying and self-esteem to name only two are priceless.  We discuss all of these things with our three girls, but it is so great when they hear it from others and in such a great teachable format.  We are huge fans now!!  To top it off they put on a great race as well.  It truly shows the girls that they have accomplished something huge.

So if you are ever able to support, GOTR or a similar program please do so.  And no it doesn't need to be Team for Kids(although that would be great).  There are so many programs like this that help kids be active and feel great about themselves.   It's amazing that running can do all that.

Laundry is dangerous for your health...and your running schedule

Yes, laundry is dangerous for your health.  I am writing Congress...not that they'd do anything.  Anyway, two weeks ago Sunday, I managed to bash my pinkie toe on my wrought iron bed.  Oh, the pain was horrible.  I hoped it wasn't broken, but it was so painful and every toe turned black and blue.  Not good.  

The Monday after it happened I decided to know for sure and be proactive.  I did not want to do any long-term damage by working out on it.  I went to my doctor, who then sent me for x-rays.  She was pretty sure it was broken, but since I was planning on continuing to run she wanted to put a stop to that by giving me proof.  So the x-rays showed a "partial fracture".  That means not all the way through, but if I didn't want to be out even longer than the three-6 weeks by breaking it all the way, I was immediately on a "no running plan".  Argh!  

I do have to say that it hasn't been that bad.  The mental part of not running has been difficult, but I have certainly not slacked off.  Since, I insanely signed up for the triathlon, I have had plenty of cycling and swimming to work on.  I can actually now swim 1200 meters straight.  I am very proud of that accomplishment.  This past Saturday, Joe and I did 1200 m straight with 300m warm-up and a 300m cool-down.  I can't tell you how huge that is for us!

I am not back to doing squats and lunges after two weeks.  (I know exciting.)  The swelling is completely gone and almost all the black and blue.  I am hoping to give slow running a shot this Friday, as I am supposed to be Bellas running buddy for her first 5k this upcoming Saturday.  I have had to work two days this week and ran in my class with my toddlers and preschoolers, so that's a good sign.  Even if I do run the 5 k this weekend, I will probably take off another 1-2 more weeks to make sure it is completely healed.  New York is only 209 days away so I am hoping this is all the injury bad luck I'll have.  I do also wish there was a good running injury story associated with my pinkie toe.  Like....I was struggling to beat a 5 minute mile half-marathon and tripped over the foot of the Olympian chasing me;).  Funny I know!