Look at me! Look at me!

I've been saving this one up for the right time. And because today is my birthday (whoop!) I feel less conscientious about shameless self-promotion and more open to receiving attention. OK, sure, I love all that any day of the week, but I'm officially an adult now (or so says my age) so I think that means I'm supposed to temper my enthusiasm for said attention and thus have been waiting to share the accolades bestowed on me by my friend Kate who blogs at Mother Words. She sent this my way:

Now I need to pay it forward to seven more blogs. My Lovely Blog picks:

Go Tribal Now: Technically this isn't a blog, it's more of a community, but there are blogs on the site you can read. The site was created to "Empower Women Through the Journey of Sport." Usually I check into things like this and don't necessarily check back. I keep finding myself checking back here. I like what they're doing.

Small Wonders: This blog comes from my friend Patty who is a naturalist and environmental educator (and runner and mama). If you ever loved to play outdoors as a child, if you encourage your children to play outdoors, if you appreciate nature and want your children to, too, you'll love this blog. Plus, Patty has a lovely way with words, and so it is literally, one lovely blog. I'm always amused and also motivated to get outdoors, no easy feat with negative wind chills around these parts.

Sister Sharing: I am lucky enough to have a mother-in-law who is a writer, too. If it's true that men do marry their mothers then I'm flattered. Libbie is working on her second novel, about two sisters, and started this blog to keep her motivated, to get inspiration from readers' own stories of their sisters and to share her progress on the book.

The Great Fitness Experiment: What can I say? Charlotte is one of the best bloggers out there and I'm proud to call her my blog mentor. Charlotte is a riot. And where does she find all those pictures? The crazy small world thing is she lives about 10 minutes away from me so I've been lucky enough to see her in the flesh! All those crazy experiments happen so close and I am so tempted to join her in a Turbo Kick Boxing class one of these days.

Tales from the Pod: This is my blog splurge of late. Janine, a friend from my childhood, is pregnant with monochorionic/monamniotic twins (dumbed down her identical twins share an amniotic sac and placenta, and this is very rare, so rare her first doctor referred to it as a "birth defect," and I say "first doctor" because she had the good sense to find a new one). While I can attest that even an uneventful twin pregnancy is a challenge, Janine is handling her pregnancy with aplomb. (Doesn't it seem that "aplomb" should have double meaning and describe the physical appearance of her belly, too?) You should start from her first hilarious post, but if you read her latest post, "Survivor Mom," I promise you'll laugh out loud, too. Oh, but don't miss the post where she names her placenta "Fat Shari." Oh man, it feels like a lost opportunity not having named my placentas... BTW, Janine is a former professional ballet dancer, but I predict a blog-to-book deal in her future.

Running Diva Mom: Another fit mama balancing the joys of motherhood with her desire to sweat. This mama is fast approaching her goal to run 1200 miles this year--she has less than 50 miles to go. Impressive goal, and then to know she is accomplishing most of that these days on the dreadmill. She will inspire me next time I have to face the prospect of playing hamster. Will she make it with 10 days to go? Check in and find out!

Fast at Forty: Here we go. As I move steadily (and a little tentatively today) into my forties, I give you Joanna Zeiger's new blog. Joanna is a pro triathlete (one more plug--c'mon it's my birthday!--her first ironman story is in my book: Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event) who is blogging about her comeback since breaking her collarbone defending her title at the 70.3 World Championships. Joanna knows a thing or two about coming back after injuries and I give her a lot of credit for my comeback after childbirth. Oddly enough our back pain was nearly identical--hers after so many back-to-back Ironman races, mine after back-to-back births. She shared with me her winning physical therapy formula and, four years later, it still keeps me out of harms way. I'll keep my eye on her blog, but she says a website by the same name is forthcoming: "I also plan on creating a website also called fastatforty, which will be geared toward women in their 40's looking to become active or to hone their athletic skills." Bring it Joanna!

For the second part of this award (yes, these awards are a HUGE responsibility, or the blogosphere's version of chain letters) I am supposed to share seven things about myself, but after last week's post, what more could you possibly need to know? So, I give you seven things I know about balancing motherhood and fitness:

1) Whenever I can workout early in the morning I know it's a guaranteed workout. Those early morning workouts are the anchor for my fitness plan. If I need to workout a minimum of two days a week, I need a minimum of two early morning workouts.

2) Every little bit counts: 10 pushups here, 20 calf raises there, 15 minutes on my bike trainer or a 20 minute walk. I don't turn my nose up at anything anymore (and yes, before kids I wouldn't have believed a 20-minute walk was worth my time).

3) Before having kids my main motivation was one fitness goal after another. Now, it's stress relief. These two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, either. There is a difference between stress inducing workouts and stress reducing workouts. This varies from person to person. Some people might need one or the other at various stages in life or just on different days of the week.

4) The more options you have for workouts, the more likely you are to workout. That's why I have a gym membership, workout dvds, fitness websites bookmarked, a jogging stroller and babysitters who don't think I'm strange when I leave them with my children and literally run away.

5) Let's face it. We all need therapy. We all struggle with various challenges. However, you do not need a therapist if you have friends to workout with you. This was true before having kids, too. Life's annoyances seem to work its way out along with the sweat.

6) I don't have any guilt about leaving my children to workout because I want them to know that fitness is an integral part of my life.

7) As important as it is to make time for my own workouts it's also equally important for me workout in ways that either allow them to see me in the act or include them. I want them to grow up believing fitness is something you just do, not something you have to figure out how to start doing.

Anyone still reading? If you are, what can you share about balancing motherhood and fitness?

True Motivation

The truth?

I'm finding it extremely difficult to motivate these days. I will spare you the excuses. Still, I manage to get out there and move the minimum required amount. I could tell you it's to keep my heart healthy or to justify the holiday sweets. But that's what they all say. Everyone has their own deep dark reasons to exercise. Here are mine.

1) I need a good reason to wash my hair.

2) I run therefore I poop.

3) My anxiety is in indirect proportion to the amount of exercise I get and I can't swallow pills.

4) The dog needs a walk.

5) I write this blog. Nothing says hypocrite like a sedentary fitness blogger. This blog is as good as an exercise partner for holding me accountable.

My hair, my bowels, my mind and my dog thank you.

What's your REAL motivation to exercise?

Go Go Sports Girl Winner and Kindergarten Homework

And the winner of the Go Go Sports Girl goes to...

lovemysummer!!!!

Please email me at kara@karathom.com so I can get you set up to receive that doll. Now you have to decide between the swimmer girl or soccer girl. Hard choice!

Now I have a quick confession to make.

This morning I was helping K assemble her "All About Me" poster. Never mind that it was due yesterday. That is a post about how I can't even handle Kindergarten homework.

I had already been through this assignment with her twin and I remember being surprised by some of the things that define her at this young age.

For instance, I learned Mc hates bees. She has never been stung, but I have, twice, and in the same place: my groin. What are the odds? First time I sat on a bee getting into my car. Second sting was in the middle of a triathlon. Later that day it looked as if I had grown testicles. And then the itching started. So fun. The next day I took the three girls with me to the doctor to get it checked. Perhaps Mc has the image of me bending over so the doc could have a good look. Maybe it was because I was breaking my husband's all important rule: never let your head fall below your ass. Something about that experience impressed upon Mc that bees can cause bodily harm as well as damage to your ego.

The other picture Mc drew in her "I don't like" box was so abstract I had to ask what it was.

"Art projects," she said.

"Since when do you not like art projects?" I asked, hardly believing her.

"I don't like to do art projects at home."

Oh. Read into that what you will. I did.

And in her "What I want to be when I grow up box" she drew a picture of an ice skater. If you're laughing out loud, you probably remember this post last year when I said this about signing my girls up for ice skating lessons: "I left the ice arena secretly hoping they would not love ice skating..."

So now it was K's turn and as we picked out the cutest baby photo (oh, she was cute, my little runt, so spry, so gleeful) and located a family photo, I found myself anticipating what she would include in the boxes.

"I want to cut out pictures and glue them, mama," she requested.

So I went around the house gathering magazines I thought might hold the photos that would appeal to her: Runner's World, Triathlete, Experience Life.

Oh, right, I knew exactly what I was doing, and yet I couldn't stop myself. Would she be drawn to a photo of a runner or cyclist? I swear I will never pressure my kids to follow any particular sport, so what was with my passive persuasion? I was just curious, I told myself, and then to be fair I dug up a Parenting magazine.

She flipped through the Triathlete and started cutting. I got excited and peeked over her shoulder.

"I like Gatorade!" She said.

"But that's not Gatorade honey," I was rolling my eyes behind her. "That's Vitamin Water."

She pushed the magazine aside and picked up National Geographic Kids.

My mother called, which was a welcome distraction. K was able to finish her project without my "help."

The results?

Things I don't like: Peanut Butter (Do you know how complicated life becomes when one of your children doesn't like peanut butter? Her twin pleaded with her to draw a bee, too.)

Things I do like: Cookies, candy, Bendaroos (We don't even own Bendaroos.)

What I want to be when I grow up: Artist (I'll admit, that is her calling.)

I put the magazines back (in the bathroom) and complimented her on such a nice poster.

I remember someone telling me once that our job as a parent is not to raise our children but to help them become the people they are supposed to be. We can't want for them what we want for ourselves. We have to help them discover their passions and support them in their self-expression and then stand back and marvel at their unique human beingness.

Of course I want them to follow their heart.

I just want one 5K OK? I just want one of my kids to run one stinking race with me before I die. That's all. I have four kids and a lot of time left. It's like I tell them at dinner almost daily: "You don't have to like it, just eat it." And then, after I've had my one race with who ever draws the short straw they can go on and call me crazy behind my back and become professional ice skaters.

What a Doll!

All mothers of daughters or friends with mothers of daughters look no further for the Best. Holiday. Gift. Ever.

If you have not seen the new Go Go Sports Girls, let me introduce you (and a quick shout out to Jaime over at running diva mom for introducing the dolls to me).

I immediately bought three: Ella Runner Girl, Suzie Swimmer Girl, and Gracie Tennis Girl. The plan was to give them to my daughters at Christmas. That plan didn't work out. I just couldn't wait. Last night I interrupted them as they happily played with dolls they already have to give them their Go Go Sports Girls. Sure I'm feeling a little guilt about the excess, but these dolls are important. Here's why:

These dolls promote physical activity and athleticism in girls. I don't need to blather on to this choir about how important that is.

These dolls are age appropriate and send a positive message: They don't come with slutty clothes or have a name that you don't want bestowed on your children... like "Brat," not that I'm singling out any particular doll. Ahem...

When you buy these dolls a portion of the proceeds go to worthy causes that promote healthy living for children like Girls, Inc.

But wait, don't click over to the website just yet. You gotta hear more.

My girls loved them and they have magical powers (I'll get to that in a minute).

These dolls come dressed for their sport and each have a mini backpack to carry their gear (huge hit!) My daughters started playing immediately and as soon as their Go Go Sports Girls had played their own sport they started cross training, which is to say my daughters undressed their dolls and swapped outfits.

"Can my girl run, mama?" Asked my 4-year-old (you know the one who says she hates to run and yes that still bothers me).

"Of course she can!" I coaxed. "Tennis players need to run, too."

"My girl can go swimming?" Asked K.

"I like to run and swim," I tell her. "You like to run and swim, why not?"

The creative sports play continued into the night. There were Go Go Sports Girl dreams because the dolls slept with my daughters and in the morning, they were back at it: Swimming, running, playing tennis.

What's interesting to me is that they have many times used sports in their creative play--emulating mom and dad by exercising or having pretend races. However, they've never engaged their dolls in sports play until now. But none of their other dolls have come with running shoes, or swim goggles, or a tennis racquet. Come on! How CUTE is THAT?

Oh, and the magical powers? I took all four kids grocery shopping this morning. I allowed the Go Go Sports Girls to come along, although normally I make toys stay in the car. The shopping trip went smoothly. Everyone cooperated. No one had a melt down. I got in and out without incident. Normally I believe taking kids grocery shopping counts as a workout, but today I can't say that it did. There was no dragging of dead weight or chasing moving targets. Was it the magic of the Go Go Sports Girls?

The real magic is the positive message these dolls provide to little girls. Fitness is a family value in our house and when I can find toys that support that value I'm one happy parent.

Jodi Norgaard, the founder of Go Go Sports Girls said she would be happy to give a doll away to one of my readers. Tell me in the comments which doll you want and for whom by Saturday and I'll draw a lucky winner on Sunday.

Now, go ahead, time to click on over to Go Go Sports Girls!

Do Your Own Stunts

Last week at Women's Adventure Night 13 willing and enthusiastic souls gathered at a gym to learn the fundamentals of parkour. Perhaps we all looked a little like this:

I will say, the night was just as funny.

For those still unclear, Parkour is "the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment." Free running, a close sibling, is "the art of moving through your environment however you want," which typically involves more flips, spins, and other zaniness you might find fun.

If you think this is something we made up after having too many cocktails, check out the official American Parkour website, where you can learn more about this growing sport. But I'm sure you're already familiar with it because all kids engage in parkour. If a child is on her way and sees a fence, she doesn't turn around and go home. No. She climbs over the fence. Curbs are meant for running over. Tree limbs for swinging. Rocks for jumping. You get the picture. And to help with the visual here's a little video from our first stunt of the evening:

The stunts got progressively harder (and funnier) but I can't post anymore video without the express written consent of my fellow WANers (if I still want them as friends).

I know all of us taking that parkour lesson were reliving our childhood. But I got to thinking how great these skills are for motherhood.

You see your toddler running out to the middle of the street. You dash over a parked minivan, dive toward and grab the child as you roll to the other side of the street and away from the speeding car.

You are on the second level at the mall, pushing a stroller and holding tightly to your preschooler. You see the one store you need to get to on the first level but the elevator is clear on the other end of the mall. No problem. Tuck the preschooler under one arm, use the stroller as a parachute and jump to first floor, making sure to land in a squat to distribute the force of the landing throughout your body.

Your overzealous lion loving son tumbles into the lion exhibit at the zoo. You jump in yourself, fling the boy over your shoulder then scale the wall and climb back over to your other children who never knew you were gone.

As moms we do all sorts of stunts, so why not?

Even if those scenarios never come to pass at least I know the proper way to fall. I'm one of those runners who can become one with the asphalt for no apparent reason. It is as if the pavement reaches up, grabs my ankle, and slams me down. I can return home with so much road rash it appears I got tangled up in a group bike ride instead. So, learning how to dive into a fall without landing on my head, neck or spine and using the momentum to pop back up, rather than skid across the ground was incredibly helpful.

Whatever stunts await me today, I'm ready.

Until Marathon Training Do Us Part

The first few months after our twins were born my husband and I had many visitors to lend us a helping hand, but once on our own, I remember feeling as if we were swimming up stream without any sleep. When my mom volunteered to come back to help, we eagerly anticipated her return, but as my husband said: "By then we might be dead."

Those are my twins at 5-months, asleep in the "neglect-a-saucer" and "neglect-a-jumper." My husband had just come home from work and we were in the kitchen eating and talking. And then we realized we were eating and talking--something we hadn't done together in months.

Finding time to talk to each other had became as scarce as sleep. This got us into trouble when it came time to squeeze our workouts in, something we both felt was still important after becoming parents. As if to prove our dedication, we signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon.

Before having children workouts and training plans required little coordination between us. Certainly nobody had to be home while the other was out. In fact, if one of us was gone, we could assume our spouse was either at work or working up a sweat.

After having babies we could no longer assume anything. Problem is we did. We assumed we could go work out whenever it fit into our personal schedule. You're going for a run right now? But I was going for a run right now!

We thought we solved that issue by breaking up our weekends in half days. Saturday one of us would get the morning, the other the afternoon. Then we'd switch it up on Sunday. This was a terrific solution for us. But like any relay, the race depends on how you pass the baton.

One Saturday I came back from "my" afternoon to find our then 10-month old twins unusually fussy. "What did you feed them for lunch?" I asked. "I didn't feed them lunch," he said. "I thought you fed them lunch."

It's true. Then somehow we were allowed to have two more children.

As fit moms (and dads) often our biggest hurdle to a good workout isn't our motivation, but our children's willingness to cooperate or good childcare. But our relationship with our partner plays a huge role, too. I don't think it matters if you are both fitness fans either. I know fit moms with sedentary husbands who think it would be easier if only her husband worked out, too. Those of us who do share a love for fitness with our spouse often wonder what it might be like to monopolize workout time. I've talked to enough women on either side of the fence to know it doesn't matter. Whether your partner likes going to the gym as much as you do or prefers to spend free time say, behind a poker table, respecting each other's time, supporting each other's interests and communicating intentions have got to be part of your fitness routine.

I'd like to think after 10 years of marriage and four children we have this process down. A good marriage is like the laundry: the work is never done.

Just a while back we had a near miss when I decided to head out early on my run morning. Since my husband was no longer in bed, I assumed he was in the basement riding his bike. That was my assumption until we met on our dark driveway as he returned from a run, presumably to get it in before I left. That proverbial relay baton was dropped again, but fortunately still asleep in their bed and none the wiser.

What else can you do but pick up the baton and keep running. The way to hold it together, of course, is to take time for victory laps. I'm lucky these celebrations keep coming at me like another load of laundry.

And what became of that marathon we embarked on after our twins were born? Well, six weeks before the start I found out I was pregnant. (Our marathon training surprise is in the green shirt). So, obviously we were communicating somehow.

Cycling in Wonderland (Prize Alert!)

Sunday morning found me down the rabbit hole, actually in Wonderland, as opposed to watching it on television, as I have done for years.

This Wonderland for me was a Spinervals video, the famed and fabled cycling workouts by Coach Troy Jacobson (Fun Fact: Coach Troy's story is told in my book, Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event). I am quite certain I have been using Spinervals as long as Coach Troy has been making them. It is thanks to his "classics" such as: "Suffer-O-rama," and "Mental Toughness," that I rode through the winter to train for Ironman New Zealand in 2002. The titles are always aptly named (remember this, there's a contest coming up with a freebie).

I don't want to turn off anyone who thinks Spinervals sound too hardcore. Even if you're a beginning cyclist or want to incorporate a little cycling into your workout, these tapes are ideal. Sure, Coach Troy may be yelling at you like a lunatic to go faster, but, shhhhhh, he's not really there. So, if you need the extra motivation to push yourself, you'll find it in these tapes, but you can always "fake it till you make it."

That said, since Coach Troy started the Spinervals empire in the mid 90s, there are a multitude of workouts to choose from and he's branched out considerably. If you shy away from workouts geared to competitive cycling, check out the Spinervals Fitness series, such as "Lean and Mean," or the "Sweating Buckets" workout. And hey, if cycling isn't your thing, Coach Troy also offers "Runervals," "Swimervals," several strength training options, even yoga and physical therapy.

And, as far as a mama-friendly workout goes, they rock. It's simple: pop your bike on a trainer and the disc in the dvd and presto you're in for the ride. If you hear loud crashing sounds from the next room or the baby monitor begins to wail, just hit pause, tend to the craziness and resume when you can (true, sometimes this is the next day but I always have good bike riding weather in my basement).

Back to Wonderland. So, for some 10 years I've been on the outside looking in and then Sunday afternoon, there I was, doing a Spinerval workout (34.0, to-be-named, details to come) with Coach Troy there in the flesh, not nearly as lunatic-like as he's been in other videos, but calling out the workout all the same, while cameras filmed.

That's me in the blue, in the freakin' front row.

Did I mention I was in the front row? I was honored. And terrified. The last time I was on my bike was early August, and at that I've ridden only five times since The Boy was born. I know I've been touting the glory of mama-friendly Spinervals, but if you've been following this blog you know I haven't been riding. I've been running, or trying to run, or flailing about in my attempts to run. But when the opportunity comes along to (ahem) star in a Spinervals tape, do you say no? There was no way to "fake it till you make it" in an hour workout, with Coach Troy literally looking over your shoulder.

The Rabbit himself with pocket watch in hand.

When you're inside the rabbit hole, Coach Troy is really there, so "No Slackers Allowed" (also the name of a Spinerval dvd). It seemed as if the cameras were always zooming in on my gears, trying to catch me in the act of slacking. My only hope was the lung and muscle memory from all my previous Spinerval workouts.

I don't always pray while riding.

Aside from praying I'd physically get through the workout, I was also secretly worried my bike might fall off the trainer (I've seen this happen, it never causes much damage except to the ego) and that my milk might suddenly and unexpectedly let down. This caused me to work even harder so that my shirt would get so soaked with sweat no one would know the difference.

Milking it for the camera.

That was one heckuva workout. And I loved it. Soon, you can too. The Spinervals 34.0 dvd, a series of intervals with a blast of speed drills in the end, will be released in January. If you buy this video we can workout together! It's the first Mama Sweat group workout!

What's more, you can help name the video. Coach Troy says it usually takes a few beers before the right name comes to mind. So, pop open a cold one and submit your ideas (as many as you want) in the comments. If Coach Troy chooses your name, guess what? You will be the lucky winner of Spinervals merchandise! Woo Hoo!

I'll get started. My suggestions (remember, we're brainstorming, there are no bad ideas) are:

Speed Thrust

What the Watt?

Thigh Master

Spin for Speed

Adventures in Spinervaland

P.S. The names of Spinerval workouts are a little like fortune cookies--they are even more amusing when you add "in bed" after you read them. Wait... is that the beer talking?