Monthly Archives: January 2010

Goodbye, Gasparilla Marathon

Posted on by Run DMT
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At last my OB appointment, I asked my doctor for her approval to run the very last ever Gasparilla marathon.  After all, I’ve already ran two marathons and four half marathons and felt my body could handle it.  If I took the full 7 hours to alternate between running and walking, I should be fine.  Right?

Wrong. As a runner herself, my OB did not approve.  She felt the strenuous activity would not only deplete my body of the necessary nutrients but deplete the baby’s nutrients as well.  She also told me that such a strenuous physical activity could impact my bladder which would lead to surgery in the near future.

She recommended I slow down and shorten my distances and I picked her brain to find out just how short.

“Could I do a half marathon or a 15 K?”

“You’ll want to really cut back on the miles.”

“Like 6?”

“Like no more than 3 and even that is pushing it given your history of vaginal births and prolapse surgery in your family history.”

Ironically, in the past few weeks, my body seemed to agree with my doctor.  These days, it’s becoming increasing difficult to run 3 miles.  And as much as I really wanted to run in the last Gasparilla marathon, it seems I will have to set my sights on another marathon goal after I deliver this baby.

But having a running goal keeps me focused and now I am trying to decide if I should run in the Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K.  I have several  friends registered in the 5K and races are so much more fun with friends, but I worry about the crowds and my adrenaline.  Will my adrenaline kick in and I’ll want to run faster than I should?

To avoid late fees, today is the last day to pre-register for Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K, but  I can’t decide if I want to run/walk the 5K with my friends or stay in bed with my bladder.

My Girls at Gasparilla

Posted on by Run DMT
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Since the early 1900’s, Tampa residents have been invaded by the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar and his krewe.  The invasion, now known as Gasparilla, has grown since its beginning days into a variety of parades, numerous festivals and several races.

 

Growing up in the Tampa Bay area, it is understood that residents should participate in the Gasparilla festivities at least once in their lifetime.   I’ve attended my share of parades during my college days, but the memories are a little fuzzy.

 

This year, my family and I attended the Gasparilla Children’s Parade for our first time.  The girls are I dressed in our best pirate outfits, although we were undressed compared to the many Captain Jacks, buccaneers, wenches and other pirates swashbuckling through the streets. I was just happy that my booty could still fit into my Nilla Shields Gasparilla shorts.

 

 

Other than watching the Macy’s Day parade every Thanksgiving on TV, my girls have never seen a parade up-close prior to last weekend.  Seeing the pirate ships and all the fantastic floats was quite a thrill for my girls.

 

We never told Allana and Emmalynn what to expect or about the bountiful of beads that would be thrown into the crowds.  Soon enough, Allana and Emmalynn were blown away by the pirate ships’ cannons firing beads and the people on the floats who pitched beads at all the bystanders.  It was a child’s paradise and my pretty little pirates quickly learned the best ways to catch their treasure.

 

Emmalynn had the best spot to score a lot of beads sitting on Daddy’s shoulders.

 

 

 

Allana preferred a spot pressed up against the parade barricade.

 

 

At the end of the evening, both my pretty pirates had quite the booty.

 

 

 

 

And despite not feeling well and the absence of rum, even Allan really enjoyed himself too.

 

 

PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and ???

Mamaste Yoga

Posted on by Run DMT
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Since my running days are few and far between, I thought I would bring back “Five Minutes for Fitness” as a Thursday feature.

 

Running has become very laboring (no pun intended) and increasing difficult, so I have to find alternative ways to stay fit.  Since most aerobic activities causes difficulty breathing for this pregnant mama, yoga is a great way to keep my muscles in shape and ready to run again once the baby arrives.  Plus, it’s a great way to help prepare my body for the delivery.

 

Have I mentioned how much I love yoga? I love the way it conditions and tones my body using my own weight as resistance.  I love feeling my muscles lengthen with each stretch.  And even though my range of flexibility might be slightly restricted these days, yoga help keeps my body just a little more limber, as odd as that might sound for big belly mama-to-be.

 

While searching YouTube for prenatal yoga videos, I found this tutorial which introduces the basics found in the full length video found at www.beYOU.tv.

 

 

If you’re yearning for more mamaste yoga, you can watch the 30 minute Prenatal Yoga Vibe video here.

Musical Monday: I Gotta Feeling

Posted on by Run DMT
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Our Musical Monday host, Diane of Good Mourning Glory, is celebrating one year of toe-tapping, disco dancing, hip-hopping, rapping, old-schooling, flashbacking, guitar strumming, headbanging, moshpitting, country twanging, standards swaying, slamdancing fun. 

 

For this big bloggie occasion, Diane is hosting an iTunes/Amazon music giveaway to commemorate a year with this musical meme.

 

I joined for the first time last July, but since then, I keep coming back each week for more.  With that first Pussycat Dolls post, I connected with some really cool bloggers and was introduced to music outside of my typical tunes.

 

So alongside Diane today, I celebrate Musical Monday and all the bloggie buddies I’ve made over the past few months since I joined the fun.

 

I gotta feeling it’s gonna be another great year.

 


A Hidden Gem

Posted on by Run DMT
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After our visit at Black Bear Books, Allana begged us to take her to Doc’s Rocks Gem Mine the following day and we happily obliged.

 

However, before Ms Walker’s (owner of Black Bear Books) recommendation of Doc’s Rocks Gem Mine, we were a little apprehensive of the many mining establishments located in the Boone area.  Jaded from growing up in Florida and numerous tourist traps in our area, I assumed a North Carolina mining experience might also fit into that category.  My assumption couldn’t have been farther from the reality.

 

After Doc welcomed us, he offered brief instructions on how to mine.  Doc encouraged the girls to select the heaviest bucket as it would increase their chances of finding something worth keeping.  He also explained to the girls that since the buckets are full of soil, many guests often find roots and earthworms as well as great rocks.  He strongly instructed the girls not to discard any rocks, because “you never know what you are looking at” and to leave the inspecting to the experts.  “Sometimes a rock is just a rock, but sometimes a rock can also be a gem.” Doc continued by telling us about all the wonderful treasures they find at the end of the day when they clean the flumes because guests simply toss rough looking rocks and unpolished gems aside.

 

After carefully assessing the weights of the pails, I purchased each girl a $10 shovel (a small pail full of dirt).  Allana, my little geologist, dug right into the fun.  She carefully sifted through her dirt by rinsing each portion in the heated flumes.  After picking out all the best rocks, she brought her small scraps to one of Doc’s assistants for a final inspection.  The gentleman praised Allana on her excellent work because she didn’t leave much behind for him to find.

 

 

As Allana sifted and searched through her dirt, Allan and I helped Emmalynn.  My sensory needy, tactile child loved playing in the dirt and splashing in the water.  She scooped out huge piles of dirt faster than I could sift, but thankfully, we didn’t miss much either.  Emmalynn found tons of amethysts in her pail, which amazed us since purple is her favorite color.

 

 

Once we finished mining, Doc gave a quick geology lesson.  He shared the origins of the gems and which mines they are commonly found.  He explained how they are formed, the difference between ingenious, metaphoric and sedimentary and the hardness of each stone.  As he sorted our findings, he shared the value of each gem.  We could not believe the assortment of gems we found between the two buckets: emeralds, citrine, rose quartz, white quartz, a garnet, a sapphire, a ruby, amethysts, and a number special stones such as ametrine (a bend of amethyst and citrine)!  Doc pulled aside a few of the gems which would be stunning once cut: garnet, ruby, sapphire, ametrine, and amethyst.

 

 

Since the majority of the findings belonged Allana, we requested her permission to cut a few of the gems and she permitted us to cut an emerald, the garnet, and an amethyst for Emmalynn.   Allana also wanted to cut one of the citrine stones for herself, since citrine is her birthstone.  At the end, we explained to Allana that she could keep some of the fun rocks, but the remaining valuable stones (the sapphire and ruby) would be kept in a safe once we returned home.  After all, we’ll need those to pay for books for college someday!  ;-)

 

At the end of the day, my suspicions of a mining field trip were proven inaccurate.  Doc’s knowledge and expertise combined with his passion for rocks made for a gem of an experience.  We will definitely return for another mining excursion during our next visit to Boone.

 

A week later, stones arrive at our house and we were thrilled with the outcome.

 

TOOT for Two!

Posted on by Run DMT
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It had been two weeks since I last ran.  Although I packed running clothes for our North Carolina trip, the wintery conditions did not make for safe running conditions.  The roads were covered with sheets of ice and after already slipping and falling on my ass once, I was afraid I would slide off the side of a mountain.  Despite my lack of running in North Carolina, I still remained active with brisk walks while exploring the towns and snow tubing.

 

Miraculously, around week twelve, my nausea disappeared and I felt ready to get back on track, but I couldn’t find the track because it seemed I brought the mountains home with me with the amount of laundry we accumulated in one week, not to mention an avalanche of Christmas decorations that made my house look as if Christmas threw up in my house.

 

Then, over the weekend, I received an e-mail from my running partner, Tiffany.  It seemed she had fallen off the running track as well and she was looking to get back on path.  Her e-mail was just the push I needed and we met Monday morning for a quick run.

 

I hoped to do 3 miles, however, after a 10 minute walking warm-up, stretching and running at a much slower pace, I only had time for 2 miles as I had to be home in time for DH to leave for work.

 

2 miles

Pace 12:23

Time 12:46

 

Two miles, shoe miles!  The shorter distance and slower pace did not bother me a bit, because after a long hiatus, I was running again and that felt so good.

Music for Martin Luther King Day

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Although some Americans shout disparaging remarks of President Obama, I can’t help still feeling hopeful that he will deliver his campaign promises.  The Tea Party’s angrily demonstrates with defaced images of Obama to resemble Hitler, but I don’t understand the connection and it turns my stomach.  All this hate weighs heavy on my heart.

 

The world sees Obama as an ambassador of peace, yet a small group of Americans see him as another socialistic dictator.  Although no one will admit it, I believe it all boils down to racism.  Some people simply cannot deal with the fact that there’s black man in White House.  They allow their fear and prejudice shadow their judgments instead of seeing a great leader.

 

Today, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, a great man who preached that we put aside our hate.  However, forty-seven years later after his famous “I Have a Dream” Speech, some Americans still refuse to see past the color of a person’s skin and it saddens me.

 

Despite all the signs of hate in our country, I still hold onto hope and “a dream that my (four) children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ­– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

As I continue to cling to hope, images of the devastation in Haiti bombard my television. The previous images of hate became horrific images of despair. Surprisingly, these images quickly turned to love as people from all over the world held out their hands to help the poor people of Haiti. Racism aside, signs of support flooded the small island of Haiti.

 

So maybe there is still hope for America.

 

“We shall overcome.” –Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

 

Black Bear, Black Bear, What Do You Read?

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Stumbling upon quaint mom and pop shops makes visiting small towns a real treat and Black Bear Books in Boone, North Carolina is no exception.

 

After freezing our snowballs off snow tubing, Allan and I decided to warm up in a bookstore that touted “FIREPLACE” on its marquis.  Sipping hot chocolate next to a fierce fire while reading a local newspaper seemed like a delightful way to defrost.

 

Upon entering the bookstore, we were surprised by its large stature.  At the back of the store, the girls quickly located the children’s section complete with stacks of award winning literature, a train table and wooden puzzles.

 

In such a cozy atmosphere, we found it all too easy to settle into this homey bookstore.  Once we found the regional children’s literature section and a collection of the owner’s son’s favorite books, the girls and I swayed in wooden rocking chairs as we read books from each collection.

 

The owner, Karen Walker, welcomed us into her second home with free hot chocolate for the girls and coffee for Allan.  Her hospitality warmed us better than the fireplace.

 

Ms Walker shared some of her favorite children’s books with the girls and her own life’s story with Allan and me.  We enjoyed a brief history lesson of her family and the remarkable journey that brought her to settle in Boone.

 

Allana curled up in the corner of the children’s stacks reading book after book while Emmalynn played with the puzzles and I snuck away for a few minutes to explore the adult fictional regional section since I prefer bringing books home as souvenirs rather than t-shirts or trinkets.

 

 

While exploring the store, I discovered the employee’s favorite picks, which included some of my favorite reads, such as Pillars of the Earth and Wicked.  Meghan, a young sale associate, offered a brief description of some of the other books spotlighted on the shelves and explained that Ms. Walker holds a contesteach month to see which employee’s picks sell the most books. By choosing Tom Robbins Jitterburg Perfume, we helped one associate get a little closer to winning the prize.

 

 

I returned to the regional fictional literature to continue my hunt for a book set in the Appalachians.  After reading the titles and their summaries over several times, I found one that offered just the scenery I craved: Cataloochee.

 

 

For the girls, I grabbed the Appalachian ABCs and coincidentally, Emmalynn and Allana both selected regional books as well.  Allana chose Jack and the Dragon, which tells the adventure of an Appalachian folk hero.  Emmalynn picked Blue Bowl Down.  Its lovely sing-song pattern deserves a banjo accompaniment.

 

 

Ms. Walker continued to pour the hospitality along with the coffee and our visit at Black Bear Books lasted nearly two hours.  So taken with Allana’s love for reading, Ms. Walker offered her a free copy of one of her many Magic Tree House Books and Allana chose Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic.

 

 

As we wrapped up our visit at the register, Allana noticed Ms. Walker’s collection of gems.  Allana expressed her love for rocks and Ms. Walker insisted that we pay her friend, Doc, a visit at his gem mine before we left Boone as most of the gems proudly displayed in her case came from Doc’s Rocks Gem Mine.  Excited about the prospects she would find there, we promised to take Allana the next day upon Ms. Walker’s recommendation.  To hold them over until then, Ms. Walker gave each girl a gem, however, Ms. Walker and our experience at Black Bear Books was the most precious gem we uncovered that day.

 

 

***Photo of Karen and Chris Walker and their son, Caleb, was borrowed from The Mountain Times.***