Monthly Archives: June 2009

So Long Lori

Posted on by Run DMT
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IMG_9701“Do you need anything?” I asked Lori when I called to check on her.

 

“Nah, I’m all right.  Wait a minute.  I need paper towels.  I don’t have any left.”

 

The movers had packed away the entire contents of her house and now brimful boxes awaited the moving truck in the morning.

 

When I delivered the roll of towels, I noticed Lori’s children, Shelby and Jake, chasing their friends down the block.  That would be the last time I saw their little smiling faces.

 

Tiffany, our running partner, and her children were part of the herd of children playing in the street.   Tiffany and I chatted about our Saturday morning run and coordinated the details of where to meet.  Lori listened in as we spoke.  A small lump in my throat formed as I held back the tears and the thought of Lori not running with us anymore.

 

Being a military family, Lori has become accustomed to the quickly formed friendships and short residencies where her husband, Larry, is stationed.  With each three-year placement, she learned to adapt over the years and each new city becomes her Home Sweet Home For Now.  But for the friends she leaves behind, we can’t adjust to thought of her leaving nor can we bear to lose the sweetness she and her family have added to our lives.

 

Lori is the sole reason I started running.  For years, my DH tried to encourage me to run, but I only laughed at the idea.  But when Lori coaxed me into running, she taught me how to start small with short runs and distances.  Thanks to her constant support, I eventually ran many miles.

 

For our first race (Turkey Trot in 2007), I only intended to run 1 mile.  Lori pushed me and convinced me that I could take on 3 miles.  Lori believed I could do it and with her assistance, I soon believed I could do it too.  Thanks to Coach Lori, I eventually ran faster and further.  Then almost a year later, the tables turned and I convinced her into running a half marathon. 

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Turkey Trot 2007

 

Disney Half Marathon 2009

Disney Half Marathon 2009

 

Last night, several friends and I said our final good-byes to Lori at our local beer garden.  I heard this has been the hardest move for her so far.

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As I train and register for upcoming races, it’s hard to fathom Lori not being at my side.  I am really going to miss my coach, my running partner and my friend. 

 

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Art Alive

Posted on by Run DMT
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IMG_9633On Sunday, my family and I visited the Dunedin Fine Arts Center and its hands-on children’s museum.  In a colorful and inviting setting, young artists learn the basic elements of surrealism.  From Dali’s famous melted clocks to Magritte’s floating bowler hats, some of the most recognizable icons of surrealism are introduced to children. 

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Each station in the exhibit encourages children to imagine and create their own masterpieces.   Using tools such as paper and markers or toys and a camera, children can demonstrate their artistic style.  Even my biggest child enjoyed producing his very first short animation film.

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 Allana, my little artist, felt right at home in the museum. 

 artist allana

 

Emmalynn loved creating living surreal artwork.

 

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During our visit, we stumbled upon Second Sunday and the fabulous Tampa Bay Balloon Jammers.  To each child’s delight, a balloon artist built whimsical and unique creatures.  My girls happily wore their hats all day.

 

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Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Posted on by Run DMT
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Since the Striders participated in the River Rap Run on Saturday, no run was scheduled at the trail this week.  Given this news, Tiffany, Amanda and I fell back into our usual running routine and met for an early Sunday morning run once again.

 
Admittedly, when I woke up on Saturday morning, I was thankful not to be running.  With no signs of a hangover, I survived the after-party of the tap house run, but not the race.  My legs were killing me and I felt so dehydrated, which are all signs of overtraining.  Between trying to increase my speed and the Juneathon, my calves and hamstrings were rebelling and my body begged for a day of rest.

 

On Sunday, I wanted to run 8 miles but with my legs complaining, I decided to take it easy.  Since Amanda runs much slower than me, she helped me slow down my pace quite a bit and my legs were thankful.

 

However, by the time 8:30 a.m. rolled around, I had only gone 7 miles and I couldn’t bare the heat any longer.  We will definitely need to start earlier if we going to move at a snail’s pace while still attempting to add on the miles.

Time: 1:21:33

Pace: 11:38

 

When I left my house for this morning’s run, the air felt cooler.  With all the moisture in the air, small patches of fog materialized around me and a cool breeze seemed to follow the fog.   Some small gray clouds also hovered in the sky and it appeared that rain could be in today’s forecast.

 

But another type of storm approached, as I stretched before my run.  My stalker drove past me and different type of chill came over me.  I’ve managed avoiding him for some time now and the look on his face seemed very displeased with my absence.  Thankfully, he hurried on his way to work and I dodge another interaction with him.

 

Once the magnificent orange sphere began to rise, the cool air and fog began to disappear.  At that point, I was nearly finished with my run and happy to have avoided the heat and my stalker.

3.02

Time: 30:11

Pace: 9:58

 

As for my 3 mile run, my legs were still a bit sore and complaining, but, I felt like I needed to torture myself do a bit more.  After my run, I broke my back did some Pilates with my BFF Sharon.

Run U Mother Giveaway

Posted on by Run DMT

When Run U Mother generously provided me with a shirt to wear at the tap house run, I couldn’t wait to sport it!  Although for races, I prefer running in sports bra or shirts with built-in bra shelves, this light-weight polyester white v-neck shirt is perfect for play dates around ‘hood.  So even though, I didn’t wear it during the actual race, it made a cute cover over my sports bra at the after-party.

Run U Mother also graciously gave me another size medium shirt for one lucky winner.  If you would like a chance to win a sassy Run U Mother shirt, simply add a comment to this post.  Contest ends Monday, June 22.

For additional entries:

  • Blog about this contest and add the bloggie button.  Remember to link back here.

<a href=”http://denisermt.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/run-u-mother-giveaway”><img src=”http://gi101.photobucket.com/groups/m49/CU1U6CYOCA/RunUMother-1.png” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket”></a>

  • Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.  Add a comment to this post each time you retweet this–>RT: Run DMT’s Run U Mother Giveaway- Enter 2 win shirt http://tinyurl.com/nkt8oa @denisermt #giveaway
  • Visit the Run U Mother Shop and let us know what other products you like.
  • Sign up for the Run U Mother mailing list on the homepage.
  • Visit the Run U Mother Blog and leave a comment on one of the posts.  Come back here and add a reply for each comment you leave at Run U Mother.

Will Run for Beer: Race Day

Posted on by Run DMT
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For the inaugural race of the Oldsmar Tap House 5K, the race organizers were not nearly prepared for the sheer volume of runners for this race.  Perhaps, it had something to do with the free beer offered at the finish line.  I heard a rumor that they anticipated around 200 people and in the end, 1200 people participated in Friday’s race.

A massive crowd means long lines at the port-o-potties.  While Lori and I admired das boots dangling from a canopy, we spotted a port-o-pot hiding in the corner.  No lines and no waiting at this slightly larger than a normal port-o-potty.  So, Lori nipped into the loo, while I joke about the VIP port-o-potty with a gentleman waiting in line behind me.

“Um, well it is for VIPs,” the gentleman replied.  “It belongs to the Tap House Running Club.  This is our route and we bought it specifically for our runs.”

“Nuh-uh! Are you serious!?” And the gentleman showed me the VIP band wrapped around his wrist.

“Well, that is taking training to the next level, really isn’t it?  I mean, you have to plan your port-o-potty breaks during races, don’t you?  I promise that your secret VIP port-o-potty is safe with me, but only if you let me use it.  PLEASE!”

It was that or I would pee in one of their fancy VIP boots.

Several friends and I decided to run in this fun run together.  We even made it a couple’s night out and the non-runners, like my Allan, Erika and John came out to join in the binge at the beer fest.

Before the race, I slipped away to study the race route map and lost my friends in the massive crowd.  I found myself all alone with no one to pace with.  That was my first mistake since I promised my friends Mike and Lori that I would start slow (~9 mm).

Unfortunately, my adrenaline kicked in (like it always does) at the start of the race and I found myself running a 7:30 pace for the first ½ mile.  I tried to slow myself down to conserve my energy, but the pack mentality only motivated me to keep moving.

Around mile 1, Mike caught up to me and helped me slow down, but then he lost his steam and I was on my own to pace myself.

Although I enjoyed the scenic race route along the bay through the city of Oldsmar, the heat and humidity was unbearable.

As I crossed the finish, I felt like puking and the thought of beer only made the feeling worse.  Once I gulped down Gatorade and water, I felt better, but it still took a while to cool down and nearly an hour before I could enjoy a beer.  But, no boot for me!

Time: 27:52

Pace: 8:56

One of the hubbies from my moms group managed to win a boot at 17:31!  This blur is Tommy passing me at his mile 2 marker.

His wife, Sarah, ran her first 5K with us and now has been bitten by the running bug.  She can’t wait to run another race with us and I am happy to gain another running partner!

Chrissy ran her second 5K her (36:29) with her husband, Mike, who actually finished with Sarah at 30:53.  Lori crossed the finish line at 33:23 and paced herself with her race top twin.

The race was fun, but the after party rocked and it had nothing to do with the free beer, free food or live music.  I loved having everyone (and a random photobomber) together to celebrate our small victories.

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A Big Head in the Blogosphere

Posted on by Run DMT
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Lots of exciting things have been happening around in the great big blogosphere for Run DMT.  First, my Noggin Workout was featured on Riding with No Hands-Weekend Roundup.

Then, Run DMT was featured in the Week in Review-Round Up at

Five Minutes for Special Needs.

All this love is a great ego boost, but I am surely going to get a big head and everyone knows a big head will slow down my pace!  Plus, I don’t think my running hat will fit anymore.  Note to self: Invest in a clip on visor for swelled head.

But wait!  There’s more!  While twittering the other day, I stumbled upon an interesting little twit bit.  Run DMT is listed as #66 on the Top 100 Healthy Mom Blogs!  Check it out!  This just validates what I’ve thought all along: Reading Run DMT is good for your health. So, keep reading, my friends.

And finally, Vicki from Secret Mom Thoughts gave me an Extraordinary and Awesome Award, which is another validation affirming my already highly overrated opinion of myself.  ;-)

Now with this award, I am instructed to pass it along to five other extraordinary and awesome bloggers.  So, here they are in no particular order:

Momisodes

A Daily Dose of Toni

Living the Dream

Running with a Bottle of Wine

More than an Electrician

Thanks for all the blogger love and giving me a big head! :-)

xoxoxox

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Yahweh Yoga

Posted on by Run DMT
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When I mentioned the other day about attempting yoga on Sundays before church, I playfully called it “Yahweh Yoga”.  I thought I had made up the phrase until I searched the Internet for images for my post.  I soon discovered Yahweh Yoga and Holy Yoga were as real as Downward-Facing Dog.  However, in Holy Yoga or Christoga, the names of your favorite yoga poses have been replaced with religious references.  

 

So, for this week’s Five Minutes for Fitness, let’s get centered with Christ.  

 

I know this video is not meant to be humorous, but I found it pretty comical.  It reminded me of an SNL sketch and I am probably going to hell for thinking it.

 

 

 

A less comical Christian yoga, Holy Yoga offers a more familiar yoga and soothing instruction style.

 

 

Did you know there’s Yiddish Yoga, too?  Oi vey!

Tampa Blogher Meetup

Posted on by Run DMT
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Hoping to attend Blogher, the passes sold out before I could even save enough pennies for a trip to Chicago.  So, when I heard about a Tampa Blogher Meetup, I jumped on the chance to attend the event Saturday evening at Channelside.

 

Despite the numerous times I’ve arranged to meet cyber strangers through my moms group, this particular meeting made me a nervous wreck.  Perhaps I thought I would appear too new to this whole blogging thing or maybe I would come across too desperate or chatty.  Would they like the real life Run DMT or would they prefer the blogger better?  I decided to swallow my insecurities and set out to search for them in a sea of people at Channelside.

 

When I first arrived, I had difficulty finding the group.  Hooters was the selected meeting place and I anxiously scoured the restaurant looking for a group of bloggers.  But, without their laptops, how do you find a group of bloggers?  In my attempt to find the meetup, I randomly walked up to strangers asking them if they were with Blogher.  Of course, they had no idea what I was taking about.  I even confused the Hooter’s hostess.

 

Starting to feel sorry for myself and like a butt of a cruel joke, I stumbled upon a group sitting on a bench just outside Hooters.  Texting like fiends on their cell phones, I knew I had found the right group of people.

 

Thankfully, the evening offered exactly what I had hoped for: an opportunity to connect and network with other bloggers.  Over dinner and drinks at Stumps, we talked about Twitter and other happenings in the blogosphere.  Noreen of Don’t Put Lizards in Your Ear (@DontPutLizards) shared some great tips to help me on my road to become published. 

 

Christina of The Green Mom Review (@TheCaffeinatrix) mentioned how she has been searching for genuine and witty product reviews for her site.  Upon hearing this news, my ears perked up for I knew I could deliver such a piece!  I was all over it like green on Kermit!  

 

I enjoyed putting a face to the tweeps I have been following on Twitter, such as @missbritt and @MommyMelee.  I also met some great new tweets: @AnissaMayhew, @CheekySweetie and @karlerikson.

 

Mostly importantly, I learned that I was the only person at the table not attending Blogher in Chicago next month.  After meeting such knowledgeable and interesting people, it only made me long to be at Blogher even more.

 

Tampa Blogher