3 Sisters 7 Days

You’d think we would have thought of this sooner – a separate screen door handle for our four-year-old, Olivia. At the tail end of four children, practically a dozen nieces and nephews, and countless friends and neighbors, we replaced the screen in our back door for the last time. In all but two cases (when anxious dogs were to blame), the screen has torn right where small hands routinely dig into the screen along the frame about 30″ or so from the ground. Yesterday, my brilliant spouse replaced the screen AND added a second handle. Problem solved.

It has been extremely hard these past few weeks walking out of REI (my newest place of employment) without a new item in hand. It’s just crazy being around all the cute things in that store! It doesn’t help that I work in the footwear and clothing sections of REI. I can find a use for just about anything. So far, I have convinced myself and Maz that I need a rain jacket to run in and a new pair of running shoes and now a new flip flops.

Okay, I admit, I am new to the whole Chaco phenomenom, but these shoes are great! They may look a little odd at first, second or even third glance, but the construction of the shoe is amazing.  These sandals have all the support you need; you can wear them all day and not feel pain. 

Chaco makes many different styles, I believe the most familiar is the sandal that isolates" the toe .  Since I come from a family with enormous toes, I believe my toe gets enough “isolation” as it is, so I opted for the cute flip flop approach. Finding a comfortable flip flop has been a goal of mine for at least six weeks now.  I have worn anything from the cheap $5 shower shoe to Reefs and Teva’s.  So far I have enjoyed the Reef the best, but there is no spunk in the Reef.

Anyway, I have been spending quite a lot of time in the shoe department at REI and I fell in love with the Hipthong Garden Chaco in Red. 

Now, what happens when I really like something is that I start visualizing myself wearing it onall different occasions. I can wear the Chaco flip flops to work; I can wear them to take Sammy walking; I can do a short hike in them I can wash the car and garden in them; AND I can wear them on the plane to CA this Friday. But best of all, I can wear them after my 26.2 mile Marathon this weekend. Man, I couldn’t come up with another shoe to do the “after marathon” job as well as this Chaco could.  With all reasons above and wanting them for a few weeks, I felt justified purchasing them, so I did .

I have yet to wear them because I’m sure Maz wouldn’t approve of this purchase (he keeps telling me everything I need is in the garage – the Honda Pilot) so they have been nestled under the bed for now.  Maz leaves for Las Vegas on Wednesday, so maybe then I can indulge in my great find.

It’s been more than 30 years since Lisa Lindahl and Polly Smith sewed two jockstraps together to create the first sports bra – the Jogbra – intended to immobolize women’s breasts while “jogging.” Since then, scientific research has confirmed what we women have long known: our breasts move when we do – five to eight inches up-and-down, side-to-side, and in-and-out in an overall pattern that resembles a Figure Eight. The speed of this movement varies with the type of exercise, so that how fast your boobs bounce while running is actually more likely to cause sagging and other damage than the amount they move. Add to this, many women experience breast pain while running.

Lucky for us female runners, scientists and athletic sportswear manufacturers have joined ranks to create a wide array of bras designed to minimize breast motion during every sport. But it took Victoria's Secret, the Limited Brands company known for sultry, slinky lingerie, to give sports bras sex appeal. At the risk of sacrificing my feminist credentials, I love the new VSX line of sports bra by Victoria’s Secret because they’re the closest thing to fun, sexy sports bra I’ve ever found.

The VSX line includes a number of encapsulation bras in which each cup is separately molded to provide the most support in terms of limiting up-and-down, side-to-side, and in-and-out movement as well as a variety of traditional, compression bras, which limit only the up-and-down motion, and minimum support crossover bras.

My favorite is the Triple System Tech Bra, which looks, adjusts, and closes like my everyday underwire bra and features three layers of coordinated support:

• Mesh “shell” for cooling ventilation and support;
• Molded cup spacer for subtle shaping, stability, and coverage;
• Cushioned underwire frame to reinforce support and motion control;

and Body-Wick technology to move moisture away from the body. It’s available in neutral tones as well as bright summer colors to suit your fancy or your work out wardrobe.

I also like the Seamless System Bra, which is a low-cut shapely version of the standard racer-back compression bra with an adjustable strap under the keyhole opening in back that makes it easier to get into and out of. Technical features include:

• Nylon microfiber fabric for comfort and support;
• Seamles technology to reduce chafing;
• Knit-in mesh for ventilation;

as well as Body-Wick technology. I was just surprised with this bra as I was with my first seamless Champion bra. It actually IS supportive, and so, so soft! It’s invisible under every racerback running tank I own and comes in bright hues that coordinate with tanks and shorts available at Adidas, Nike, etc. as well as at Victoria’s Secret.

15 miles in my new Asics Nimbus with a Spenco cushioning insole and the balls of my feet felt great, plus I had no new blisters or black and blue toes – this thanks to my Injinji toe socks.

I know what you’re thinking…striped knee socks circa 1975. But no, these things are designed to isolate and hug each toe to reduce friction and prevent blisters and other such damage to toes. I was skeptical, but they really are comfortable – thin, soft, and they didn’t feel any different than ordinary socks once I had my shoes on. At the end of my run, my feet were cool, dry, and undamaged.

But the tips of my toes were sore. Very strange. After a bit of research, I learned that it’s best to leave a little space at the end of your (toe) socks, in addition to space in your shoe’s toe box, to prevent the pressure of socks and shoes against tender toes with each step in a long run or walk. I’ll try it on my final “long” run (11-12) miles before the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on the 31st.

This past Tuesday, Maz and I decided to become productive. We started to clean up the house a bit, organized the garage, initiated the spring gardening effort, and went out to get my Civic a long awaited oil change.

I have had my 2002 Civic for almost 7 years and I love it. I have always taken my Civic to the Honda dealership since the waiting room is always clean; it has free wifi and cookies; and it’s is air conditioned.  But the main reason I take my Civic there is because they wash your car at no charge! I love it, plus the cost is comparable to “other” oil change establishments.

This was the first time Maz joined me on the venture, which is usually not that exciting.  We started in the “customer lounge,” then we got the car bug…We may as well look to see what they have on the lot, and since we were (kind of) in the market, we should get a good idea of inventory and pricing…

It took a whopping five minutes before a sales guy arrived to help us.  The only reason we managed the the five minutes of pressure free looking, instead of the 1.3 seconds it usually takes to be greeted, is because our attire was only appropriate for the confines of our home.  I am telling you, we looked fantastic!

So back to the lot.  We have been eyeing Honda Pilots for at least two days now. It has been a huge effort for me to convince Maz that Hondas and Toyotas are well crafted machines that last forever, even though they may not be built by an American union member.  He was still hesitant to be looking at something so foreign. He does love his ‘92 Ford truck and  was looking forward to getting a Dodge or Chevrolet this time around.  Don’t get me wrong, his truck has been great, but I wanted a Honda or Toyota.

Next thing we knew we were test driving a 2006 Honda Pilot and we loved it! I don’t know if Maz felt that great right away, but the Pilot does have everything we were looking for. It’s an SUV that isn’t too big; it’s only a few years old; and it has a third row seat.  What more could you want?

Soon after the test drive, the 5-minute sales guy had met our budget, and the paperwork was being filled out.  I did keep my Civic since the gas mileage is just so unbelievable. So now we have a Ford Pick-Up, a Honda Civic and a Honda Pilot.

I love it!  Sam does too…

I admit it. I’m open to ANY justifaction for new shoes. But this time, I was ENCOURAGED to consider new running shoes.

My feet are a mess. Bruised toes. Calluses. Blisters – both the generic kind and big blood blisters. This is all in addition to my recovering (from a sprain) right ankle and really sore feet. I spent nearly an hour massaging the balls of my feet following an 18+ mile run on Saturday.

I honestly thought the problem was overpronation. In fact, a UCLA specialist on the biomechanics of running confirmed that I overpronate. So when I sprained my ankle, I figured I should invest in stability shoes (again, after an overlong reliance on clearance running shoes). I purchased two pairs: New Balance 767 and Nike Zoom Triax+. Although I can really feel that the Nikes have more cushion, I prefer the New Balance’s generous toe box and snug fit at the ankle. But BOTH pairs left my feet sore, blistered, and black and blue at the end of a long run.

My spouse, my sister, and my chiropractor ALL suggested I go somewhere that specializes in running to be fitted. I found TWO within easy driving distance of my home – Running Centers in Temecula and Redlands, CA – and finally made the trip today.

I swear I tried on more different styles of running shoes during the hour or so I was there than I have in the 30+ years I’ve been running. The verdict, I need a bigger shoe because I RUN ON MY TOES! Yes, I knew that; I just didn’t realize that there was any other way to run. And I’m wasting my money, not to mention sacrificing A LOT of cushioning on stability shoes, which stabilize the arch and heel – parts of MY feet that essentially don’t touch the ground.

I ended up with the Asics Nimbus with a Spenco cushioning insole under the footpad that came with the shoes. (This is new; I’ve always thrown those things away.) They’re as close to the “slipper” feeling of Nike's Lunar Trainer+, with the ankle hugging feel that I love in a New Balance running shoe. How did they perfom? Great. I had scheduled a five- or six-mile run today and could feel my plantar fascia stretching and adjusting during my first 1/2-3/4 miles, but that was it.

I’m looking forward to 15 miles this weekend, without a protracted foot massage afterward.

Yesterday, a friend asked me how MY Mothers’ Day was. I guess I paused just a little too long before responding, “It went really well.” He KNEW my hesitation held a story…

Indeed. In a flurry of text messages and cell phone conference calls reminiscent of Brothers and Sisters (did you see Sunday’s season finale?), the six of us who live in California agreed to dinner at our Mom’s house. Our Mom – yes, the guest of honor – immediately offered to make a pot of spaghetti sauce or buy a barbeque. Of course, we declined in favor of potluck, or maybe a catered meal.

At some point on Thursday, Jeanna was talking “Middle Eastern,” and suggested her husband Peter “take care of it.” Within 48 hours, we’d abandoned the Middle East for pseudo Italy. Danny volunteered to handle catering: pizza and pasta from Perry's (yeah, let’s BUY one of the least expensive family meals we could imagine, not to mention one our Mom had offered to cook). Jeanna and I vetoed that plan in favor of barbeque – tri tip for the adults, hot dogs for the kids – and assigned responsibility for buns and bread, salads and beans, fries, drinks, and chips and dip.

Late Saturday, Jeanna and I reminded our charges (brothers for Jeanna, sisters for me) of what they were to bring and when they were to arrive (5 PM for dinner about an hour later, when Francine was sure to be off work).

Following a late breakfast, family bike ride, shower, and nap, we left Riverside around 3 PM, intending to stop at the market for green salad makings on the way. We had just crossed the border into Orange County when the chaos began. Jeanna added burgers – for the kids who don’t like hot dogs AND for the adults (I assumed she meant SOME of us) – and asked me to call Kathy Jo (K.J.) and tell her to get hot dog AND hamburger buns.

I swear I did call K.J.; if I did, the “telephone” transmission broke down. Our Aunt Cindy walked into Vons right after we did; K.J. had asker her to get only HOT DOG buns.

We had just turned out of the Vons parking lot when Jeanna called. She assumed that we’d picked up tomatoes and onions for the burgers because, after all, we KNEW about the burgers and were in the produce section…No, but I assured her that our Mom probably had tomatos, onions, and even cheese. I promised to call her back to confirm when I got to Mom’s.

THEN Jeanna texted me. The lid to the barbeque had blown off on the freeway and, because we needed a lid to cook the tri tip (?), we were all having burgers. All this time, I’d thought that there had been some miscommunication between Jeanna and Peter, who’d been tasked with buying the meat. When my oh-so-understanding spouse heard this news, he volunteered to go back to the market – for the tomatoes, onions, cheese, and STEAK! There was simply no way he was enduring another family event with just “kid food” as payoff. (Note: Mothers’ Day followed fast on a string of April birthdays and six weeks of back-to-back family crises.)

While Ted was at the market, I opened a bottle of wine and settled myself at the patio table for what promised to be a long wait for dinner.

It was well after 6 PM before Danny even started the barbeque, and nearly 10 PM by the time we finished eating and were getting ready to leave our Mom’s. The food – hot dogs, hamburger patties, ribeyes and filets, beans, salads, brownies, pudding, and cookies – was great, and the company was even better . So, yeah, Mothers’ Day ultimately went “really well.”

Okay, I have been awaiting the 20-mile run for weeks or even months – now that I think of it, years.

I ran the 20-mile on Saturday, with 19 being the worse experience of my life. My legs were just about to fall off, I couldn’t think of a good reason to actually run the 26.2 mile marathon, and I was actually contemplating throwing in the towel on the whole running gig…But I got over it.  What I didn’t get over was my knee.

We ran through Garden of the Gods – lots and lots and lots of hills.  We did a variety of runs on the road as well as through the trails. I love running on the trails, even though you do run a bit slower since you are spending valuable energy dodging trees, rocks and such.  It’s the “such” that I blame for the frozen green beans on my knee.

I was feeling great. My muscles were perfect, not one single ache…I thought that, if I wanted to, I could run another 18 miles.  I believe I was on mile 6, 8 or 9, running through a shady trail minding my own business and just starting to get into my run while listening to Journey (thanks to good ole Maz).  Then out of nowhere this stump finds my foot and I tumble.  It definitely caught me by surprise. My water bottle flew a few feet, my Gu was no longer in my hand, and my head phones were ripped from my ears.  I seemed to be okay , except for my elbow and the blood running down my leg…

I picked myself up, put band-aids on my knee (I never run without band-aids) re-configured the “tunes,” and continued on my way.  Back to the hills back and the trails for another 10-12 miles.  I did stop by the aid station for a quick clean up but nothing was going to hold me back from completing the 20-miles.

Since the run my knee has only gotten worse. I can’t really bend it, and it is super swollen with gashes all over. It’s been almost 48 hours since my tumble, enough with the lingering pain. So now I am sitting here at 6 AM, anticipating going to work with green beans on my knee.

Leave it to me to be held up in pain from a long run due to my own clumsiness.

A week ago, I was helping my two “biggest” kids prepare for weekend trips – my son was packing for a  Boy Scout backpacking trip in preparation for Philmont this summer, and my daughter was leaving for a Girl Scout camping trip – awaiting a dear friend and colleague’s arrival, and looking forward to a more or less quiet weekend with just the two “littler” kids. Today, I slept in, in part because it was already too HOT to run when I first woke up at 6:21 AM, which prompted me to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. I’m sitting here sunburned and STILL sleepy, with my head spinning.

Why? Well, the sunburn is easy. I’ve spent 10+ hours biking, running, and climbing since Sunday.

The sleepiness is a little more complicated. In addition to the high level of physical activity this week, and co-managing (with my spouse) the daily activities of four busy children – the most dramatic of whom has been hobbling around on crutches since spraining an ankle rock-climbing on Monday – I’ve been working again for the first time since our brother, Craig, died at the end of March. While the normalcy of the work day – for me, that consists of mentoring students, writing grants and managing research, and writing – IS distracting, even soothing, it’s also maddening.

It hit me Sunday, just as I was purchasing my new bike – a much longed-for Marin Terra Linda street bike that I’ll be able to use for commuting a couple of times a week. “We buried Craig a month ago today.” Nothing will ever be “normal” again. I think I’ve been “running” ever since.

In contrast to my last bout with this adrenaline enhanced exhaustion during the week just after Craig died, now I KNOW that he’s “here.” (In fact, I swear I felt him grinning when a friend admired HIS gear, which we used climbing yesterday at the Riverside Quarry.) Yet knowing that still makes me cry, rather than smile, and I can’t imagine EVER getting used to ache in the pit of my stomach.

I never knew that loss could be so physically, as opposed to emotionally, painful. No wonder I’m running.

Okay. I did it again. I stopped the car on the way home and ordered my sons to “get out and walk home.” My niece has never forgotten the last time I pulled this, one summer when she was visiting. (Note: I was at the end of our street and they walked the length of four lots.) This time, I dropped them at the park, not even 1/2 mile from home.

I can’t begin to understand what drives young males to trade insults, but this time, some part of the disagreement involved an eraser that Quentin seized from Parker and threw over the seat, followed by a series of reciprocated forearm punches. I was simply fed up with Parker’s whining (yes, about that eraser…must be pretty special, is all I can say) and Quentin’s threats to “kill” his brother. Yeah, right. Although Quentin’s older, his little brother nearly outweighs him and is stronger, to boot.

Anyway, they got out and I instructed them to walk home together. Whether or not that transpired, I don’t know. They did ARRIVE at the house together, though. Quentin wanted to watch the end of “24″ and Parker wanted to play, which was unfortunate. No fun until each boy came up with TEN things he liked about his brother.

Here are their lists:

Quentin LIKES Parker because: 1) he is smart; 2) he is funny; 3) he’s good at building Legos; 4) he’s good at “Medal of Honor”; 5) he’s GREAT at some other significant video game (sorry; I can’t read his writing and don’t remember what he said); 6) he shares his toys; 7) he’s good at dart guns; he likes good cars; 9) the likes the same t.v. shows I do; and 10) he has excellent taste in food.

And Parker LIKES Quentin because: 1) he’s fun; 2) he’s helpful; 3) he’s a challenging video game player; 4) he’s helpful (specifically to Parker); 5) he’s generous; 6) he’s good on the computer; 7) he likes cars too; he likes good food; 9) he has good taste in Hot Wheels; and 10) he likes Legos too.

(Uh, huh, they’re identical twins separated by about six years; then again, it could simply be that boys will ALWAYS be boys, and NEVER men.)

After an extremely short sharing exercise (that seemed to be painful for both boys), Quentin finished packaging books and toys he sold on Amazon.com and Parker raced Olivia – repeatedly – down the driveway. “24″ didn’t come up again and Quentin offered to cook dinner! (We’re talking Trader Joe’s orange chicken, steamed rice, and brown-sugar carrots, but still…)

Now? Reiley’s cleaning up (only because it’s her day for dishes) and the boys are playing – loudly but with a lot of laughter – out back, keeping an eye on Olivia for me while I finish up this post.

Or so I thought…Reiley’s screaming about Olivia, who she can see up on the balcony…Gotta go.