Run Like a Mother winner...

From the random drawing... pulled from the hat by my daughter... Amanda!  I've emailed you Amanda!  Congrats and happy reading!

Hope you all are running someplace great this weekend!

Summer running adventure!

Well, maybe adventure isn't quite the right word for this, but, I did run someplace new.  There is a hill here in town where the tv/radio stations have their transmitters, the local university has research stations, and there is even a large telescope.  Wildlife is all around.  There is a paved path up to the top.  It's not long, only 3.1 miles roundtrip - but - it's a great hill workout!  It has an elevation gain of 730 ft... which means you get that gain in about a mile and a half as you zig zag your way to the top.  Yes, my lungs were burning.  Yes, I walked a few feet when I got near the top.  But, the view when you get to the top is beautiful, especially at sunrise, and going down is a breeze!  I made the trip in 33 minutes total, and better yet, I lived to tell about it!  I don't get to do hill workouts that often.  My neighborhood is about as flat as it gets.  Surprisingly, I am not really sore this morning!  I can tell that I did something different than normal, but I don't have that horrid "I don't want to stand up much less move" pain that you get when you've truly overdone it.

I knew about this hill for years but never made the effort to go check it out.  Maybe because from a distance it's ugly?  Or maybe because it reached out of my comfort zone?  I shouldn't have put it off because now I've found a great place to do hills.  Lesson learned!

*Photo - not the acutal hill but the view of the path from the bottom.  I'm kicking myself now for not getting a picture of the actual (ugly) hill or the view from the top!

Run Like a Mother Review and Book Giveaway!

Have you ever seen a book and just knew that it was a book you HAD to read just from the title? That’s what I thought when I was reading Runner’s World and noticed that Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea were coming out with a new book called Run Like a Mother. It sounded like a book that was meant for me! I have followed Dimity and Sarah for a few years, back when they ran a blog called Marathon Mom’s through the Runner’s World website. Though they decided to move on to bigger and better projects, I still miss their commentary so I was thrilled to hear about their new book!


Their publisher, Andrews McMeel, was kind enough to send me a copy of the book to review. I have had this book for over two months now. I have been trying to read it. But, like any book I seem to pick up lately, I get through about five minutes of it before I am waking up two hours, and one stiff neck later! If I was reading this book in my young and single years, I would have probably blazed through it in an evening because it was so fun to read, but, then, if I was young and single, I probably wouldn’t have been reading this book!

Dimity and Sarah tell it like it is. You can tell they have walked these Running Mom trenches for a few years and know exactly what they are writing about.  They know and share how challenging it is to be a runner and a mom.  I found myself nodding my head in agreement throughout the book because what they said was so familiar.  They talk about everything from running while pregnant to sports bras and everything in between. They take turns writing different chapters and have also included quotes from running moms around the world on topics ranging from “What’s your ideal racing distance?” to “How do you cope with time away from running?” Even if you are a seasoned mom runner, just knowing there are hundreds (if not thousands!) of other moms out there trying to balance running and motherhood is a great reason to read this book!

You can follow Dimity and Sarah through the RLAM website, Run Like a Mother

Want to win my copy? While I love this book, since it was a gift from the publisher, I have decided to give it away to one lucky reader. The corner’s aren’t even that bent from me falling asleep on it so often!

How to enter – leave a comment below and tell me why you would like this book. Earn an additional entry by becoming a Running Around on Empty follower and leaving another comment to let me know (or if you already are a follower, let me know that too!).  Contest closes Thursday, June 24, 2010 at midnight MST. Winner will be randomly drawn from the posted comments at that time.

Why I love running in summer!

Yes, you heard me right - sometimes I really love running in the summer... even though I live in a climate that June, July, August, and even September can melt the rubber right off of your shoes midstride. As I was running along this morning, I was thinking of all the reasons I really like summer running...

* The sun comes up early. OK - maybe I have to get up and run early as well, but this gives me a couple of uninterrupted, kid free hours to myself that I wouldn't have if I slept in. You know I love the darlings, but quiet is nice too!

* I get to run something other than my little neighborhood. I get to go places and see other people run, walk, and bike. While I am not a huge social runner (perhaps because of my crazy times to run and having to work around family schedules), it is nice to see other people out and know that I'm not the only person out there.

* My everyday runs are now as long as my winter "long" runs. I don't have to be at work by a specific time. I don't have to make sure that the kids have gotten out of bed. I have time to actually spend running, instead of dashing through a run to speed home and make breakfast and haul kids out of bed.

* Sweat. Well, maybe it's not my favorite part of summer, but it sure makes me feel like I've actually done something... and really deserve a shower. Truthfully, I don't just deserve a shower, I need one - I can't even stand myself! Today was one of those days!

* Weight loss. Ha! It's not true weight loss, but have you ever weighed yourself before a run and then gone on the just talked about sweaty summer run? You've never lost weight as fast as you do this way. So, may it's not so permanent... but a girl can dream - right?

Yes, there are probably a lot more reasons out there than this as to why I hate running in the summer, but why worry about it? Summer's here and I have to opportunity to get out there and go! If I could only figure out how to embrace why sunscreen running in your eyes is good as well!

Still running...

Yes, I'm still around. The end of the school year with all the kid activities kind of put a limit on my posting, but now that's all done with and I'm back! The best part is that I can run everyday on a local river trail here... well, mostly trail because it is just a big ditch 99% of the time. This makes me happy because it gets old running 9 months out of the year around and around and around my neighborhood. Good to know that Shirtless Man with Weights is still walking the trail and so are Lady with Knee Braces and Dog. And how could I forget Man Who Sounds Like He's Having an Asthma Attack? I wonder if they've missed me?