Monday MMM's

Another Monday~I hope everyone had a great weekend! Here is a summary of last week in Miles Muscles and Mommyhood style!

MILES:
Finally, some miles! I got in a long(ish)/long(er) run on Saturday--just 10.3 miles but it's better than the shorter runs that I have been logging since the 1/2 marathon. Now it is time to rebuild that base and work up to 16/18 mile long runs again.
The 10-miler on Saturday felt good-really good-I went out easy and just enjoyed the beautiful (cold) morning along one of my favorite beach routes, so serene, quiet and peaceful. I was even greeted by a bushy tailed red fox! Anyway, negative splits and the last mile I felt so good I was able to just GO! I switched from music on the iPod to listening to a podcast. I think that this change really helped me to keep the pace slow to start. Some days I am just so dang happy to be out running, I'll have some high energy tunes blaring and I am go out too fast.
I felt fabulous on Sunday. No discomfort. Nothing!
So running 5 days, getting in a "long run" and some speed work this week is making me happy!
I got in 5 days of running-3/6/6/3/10 miles
two days on the bike (short rides) 9.5/5 miles

Yesterday was WORLD RUN DAY** I had the pleasure of watching the ING NYC Marathon yesterday with Lola on my lap and it was awesome! I was super psyched to cheer on American runner Shalane Flanagan to her second place finish-2:28:40-and her marathon debut!! 

Lola did her share of cheering yelling RUN RUN!!

I am just in awe at the pace that these runners can hold for 26.2, especially the men. I cannot sprint at a 4:26 so to see them pulling out this pace at mile 18/20/24 etc is just unbelievable. I never had an appreciation for this until I started running myself. My favorite men's runner, Meb, finished 6th.
Retired NFL'er Amani Toomer ran the ING NYC Marathon starting dead-last and earning $1.00 for each runner he passed. Timex would donate those dollars to New York Road Runners Youth Programs. Toomer finished with a respectable 4:13 finish and estimates he passed about 20,000 runners.
Photo By Lisa Coniglio/Photo Run

**I did not get in my run on Sunday which was World Run Day but more on that in the Mommyhood!!

MUSCLES:
I had limited time in the gym this week so I had to make the workouts effective. As I mentioned in a previous post, I got my Tabata groove on and it did it's magic on my legs. I love me some DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and I like knowing I worked hard enough.

I am still having a bit of discomfort with my left shoulder so I took it easy once again with my weights this week, keeping it light.

I dropped about 4lbs this past week and I can definitely feel/see a difference. My veins are popping in my arms a bit more (yes, I am totally into vascularity!!) and my arm appear leaner to me. I can also tell in the tummy area too. So I am going to continue cleaning up the nutrition, getting in some intervals and long runs and hitting the IRON.

MOMMYHOOD:
I love my daughter with all my heart. She is my joy and makes me laugh every single day.
Sunday, not so much laughing going on.
I had been planning on attending a Total Immersion swim clinic for 2 weeks and this was something I was really looking forward to doing. I need to learn SO much about swimming. Well...come Sunday morning I am literally up at 3:30 am because of the time change. I opt to get laundry done and clean out Lola's closets of outgrown clothes vs. running or working out since I am going to be in the pool for 1 1/2 hours later that morning.
Lola gets up and she is the velcro-kid and won't give me a moment to myself. Anytime I go down to the laundry room it triggers a full blown crying fit! Then we head out as a family to do yard work and she turns into a wild animal. Really...all over the place and very defiant. Before long she is soaking wet from rolling in damp leaves so we head inside. More defiance. Before I know it, I should be leaving for the swim clinic and family life if just not letting me get away.  So I continued on with the project in Lola's room and harboring some resentment that I am missing this clinic but looking forward to my run later. After all it is WORLD RUN DAY and I have to run right?? WRONG> let's just say things don't ever go as planned and the highlight of my day was watching the marathon.
Of course my friend, Dawn just had to call me later in the day and tell me how AMAZING the clinic was and how USEFUL this would have been for my horrible swimming skills (ok, so she did not say THAT but...) So yeah, I was feeling a upset yesterday about missing the swim. And then I felt even more upset for feeling upset--I thought it was really selfish of me to feel that way when obviously Lola was having a day. I got over it though. Oh yeah, did I mention Dawn is totally going to help clue me in as to what I missed? Also, she told me that Joel Friel is coming to Maine and doing a lecture in December so I am TOTALLY going to that!
NO MATTER WHAT.

Don't forget to check THIS out for a chance to win a pair of YURBUDS. Contest ends 11/11

It's GIVEAWAY TIME!!

Last week I "ran" into a bit of luck and won a pair of YURBUDS from Holly's blog, Rust Belt Runner. I was pretty excited about this since I just got a new iPod nano and I don't like the earbuds that come with it. They are too big for my ears and they fall out constantly. I usually purchase Skull Candy or Sony earbuds that fit inside of the ear canal but these too have their drawbacks (specifically, the cords tend to wear out easily and then you have only one earpod that works or NO music at all). Needless to say, I was ready to try something new!

If you have not heard of YURBUDS yet, let me introduce you:

• Yurbuds - Ergonomically Brilliant Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers provide an unparalleled level of comfort and fidelity with a fit that ensures the earbuds stay in your ears, even during the most strenuous physical activity.
• Ultra-Soft Comfort Extreme Fit Guarantee Light and Intense style Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers guarantee a perfect fit. Made from ultra-soft medical grade silicone for extreme comfort during extended listening periods.
• Richer Acoustics Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers are clinically proven to improve sound quality and deliver deeper, richer acoustics. Enjoy music and the world around you like never before.
• Bluetooth® Devices Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers are compatible with Jawbone® ICON & Jawbone® Prime headsets and are clinically proven to enhance the sound during your calls.
• Universal Compatibility Yurbuds Ironman Series headphones work with mp3 devices including Apple® iPod®, iPhone® supporting an industry standard 3.5mm (1/8") gold plated stereo mini-plug for wide-ranging compatibility.
• Designed by a Triathlete Avid triathlete Seth Burgett, CEO of Yurbuds came up with the award-winning idea for custom fit earbud enhancers while participating in an Ironman competition. Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers were created for the human ear by athletes, audiologists, and engineers to stay in place, avoid pressure points, and provide a pain-free listening experience.
• Sweat Proof Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers protect headphones from perspiration, even during the most intense workout sessions. The protective silicone of the earbuds ensures that rain or extreme humidity will stay out of the headphones.

I placed my order online and I had order confirmation the same day. Next thing I knew they were at my doorstep. Talk about quick turnaround time-I was very pleased with how simple and quick it was to order from Yurbuds online. You can also purchase Yurbuds from the retail stores Best Buy, select New Balance stores and Fleet Feet Sports.

Of course I ordered the HOT PINK ones! Not only are they my absolute favorite color but $10.00 from each purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen fund

The Yurbuds came in a small, zippered blue nylon case with directions. The website said the Pink buds came with a WHITE case but...whatever. They fit just right and they were easy to figure out. Even a 2 year old could do it (which she did). The buds are made from medical-grade silicone and Yurbuds offers a fit guarantee as well as a 90-day parts and labor warranty.

Test #1 was some crazy dancing around with my daughter. When I say CRAZY, I mean crazy headbanging, rump-shaking moves! And they did not fall out. The sound quality was good too. They did feel quite a bit different than what I am used to wearing (the round buds that fit INSIDE your ear canal) as these fit in the exterior of your ear but they were comfortable and stayed put. The Yurbuds came attached to a typical pair of earbuds

Test #2 was some circuit training in the gym-now when I circuit train, I add in a lot of plyo based exercises like burpees, box jumps etc. Again, the Yurbuds stayed put and I did not have to adjust them ONCE. (this is usually a problem with my current earbuds).

Test #3 was a very sweaty hill interval ride on the stat bike. No issues here either and I was able to enjoy the entire ride listening to The Age Grouper podcast without interruption.

Test #4 was a 5 mile run in the wind. Now, the Yurbuds are NOT noise cancelling or sound isolating so I could hear all that was going on around me (ie approaching cars) which I liked. However, this also allowed some wind into the mix. The Yubuds stayed put but I could hear the wind ripping right through them. Not a deal breaker for me but definitely a drawback vs. my other earbuds.

My overall impression is very good--I am happy with them and I will continue to wear them even running outdoors on windy days. I want to give a big THANK YOU to Holly at Rust Belt Runner for this awesome giveaway!!

I was so pleased with them that I am going to offer YOU the opportunity to win your very own pair!!

Here's how to enter. Please leave a separate comment for each entry!!

1) MANDATORY: Visit YURBUDS and tell me something you like or something you learned from their website.

2) MANDATORY: Be a current follower of my blog or become one.

Additional Entries (optional):

3) Like YURBUDS on Facebook.

4) Follow YURBUDS on Twitter.

5) Share the love & spread the word about this giveaway on your blog, on FB, Twitter, email etc. One entry for each way you are sharing the love! *again, please separate comment for each way you are spreading the word!

6) Add Miles Muscles & Mommyhood to your blogroll.

7) Tell me what songs are rocking your playlist right now.

8) Tell me what podcast you LOVE and why.

Entries accepted until Thursday, November 11th at 6am. Then I will pick a winner via Random.org and announce the winner very soon after that!!

I'm getting lucky-IM NOT so lucky

The Getting Lucky part!
It appears that I have been blessed with a bit of good luck this week!

First, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I won a pair of Yurbuds from Holly's blog Rust Belt Runner! You might want to head on over and see her by the way-she has two awesome giveaways going on right now: Drymax Socks and RoadID. Even if you have BOTH of these products, the holidays are right around the corner and I am sure there is a runner/athlete in your life that could benefit from either :) Just click on the product to bring you right to that post!

THEN! just a couple hours later I read that I had won a GoHeadband from Denise's blog, Happiness...One Mile at a Time. It's was HER birthday and I was getting a "gift"!! I have yet to find a headband that will stay put so let's see if GoHeadband will do the trick! Keep your eyes open for a full review soon!

I was lucky enough to sneak in a quick bike ride before dinner this week~only a hair over 9 miles but ahhhhh-the weather was perrrfect and it was nice to be out. I was also able to jump into the pool this week and get a couple quality workouts in the gym (meaning Lola was not getting kicked out of the kid's club at the Y for hitting the boys).

I was a lucky gal when I stumbled upon this delish recipe for Pear Bread by Aimee at I Tri to be Me. This bread looked and sounded so good, I had to make it right away! I am so glad I did too. This bread is moist, yummy, vegan and easy to make. The recipe makes 2 generous sized loaves so you will have plenty to enjoy!


More luck-hubby only had meetings today so 1)he's local and 2) he gets home at a reasonable hour! This means that I get to run in this warm fall weather when he gets home. NO JOGGER! Yay me!


Maybe I should consider picking up a lottery ticket this week??


I am pretty excited to be heading to the Trader Joe's grand opening celebration tomorrow morning and then running the Back Bay with Jana and the kids. Maybe this lucky streak will last until tomorrow and I will win some cool stuff at TJ's.


In reality, I think I am pretty lucky all the time. I have an amazing family, a few really great friends and my life is good. No, not good. GREAT.

Now, for the IM not so lucky...


IM as in Ironman, not I AM. All the triathlon world is buzzing about the Access Ironman program that was announced by the WTC yesterday.

If you have not heard about this yet-here is a quick summary.
Pay $1,000.00 per year to join. Get a membership card (is it laminated??), Lava magazine and a couple other paltry perks. Oh and you get to attempt to register for the IM events before the general public (but you still get to pay the full fee of the race).

For those of us that struggle to find an extra $1k per year for tri gear and race fees alone, this certainly is a bit frustration. It just makes the dream of completing an Ironman just a little bit further out of grasp.

This announcement has a lot of people talking about Revolution3, Great Floridian*, and other smaller events.

*Speaking of Great Floridian Big congrats to KC (140 point 6 miles) for totally rockin' 140.6 and finishing 5th OVERALL FEMALE~ Check out her race report!

IronDiva and Mauricio kept the humor alive with funny videos.
Heather at Run Faster Mommy fires off this "letter" to the WTC.
Big Daddy Diesel puts it all into perspective and points out a BIG 13.1 mile flaw in the IM Boulder-Bling!

While this does not effect my immediate future in triathlon, I will do 70.3 and 140.6 SOMEDAY. When that day is I cannot tell right now but it is something I will be striving for at some point in my life. I really don't care if it is Ironman. I want to push myself physically and mentally to challenge those numbers-not the brand. As far as I am concerned ANYONE who tackles 70.3 and/or 140.6 is a rockstar.
Who knows what the future holds--Maybe WTC/Ironman pissed off so many people with this Access Ironman program it will be easy to get into an IM event by the time I am ready.