I do? Or...

Wordless Wednesday

The rewards of structure

I've had three runs in a row now, where I hit the wall almost as soon as I rounded the corner of our street. I've never been so tired! What has happened to me? Did someone spike my coffee with Kryptonite?!

When my first run went terrible I thought: 'Oh well, these things happen. It will only mean my next run will be better because it can't gét any worse.' But my second run that week was just as hard, and so was my third run.

So I put on my thinking cap, and started to do some serious thinking. And after much pondering I have decided Summer Vacation is to blame! I need a vacation from Summer Vacation, and luckily it has arrived in the form of the new school year.

I love the structure and order the new school year brings along. I've always been a big fan of structure: it's one of the things that helped me to become a runner, in the form of a training programme.

But I also thrive on structure as a mom: when the days seemed endless, and I felt I would scream if I had to read The Little Engine That Could one more time, it was structure that got me through. Knowing that in ten minutes it would time for a small snack or cup of coffee. Or even better: naptime!

Structure doesn't get rid of the dreaded walls, but it does help get me from wall to wall!

How do you feel about structure?

Cross- training? Are you crazy?

I don't do cross-training.

When I first heard about the need for crosstraining as a runner, I was not amused! Here I was, finally being 'sporty' and everything, and now people were telling me that wasn't enough!

For a while I did some Pilates, but I soon realized exchanging my Pilates lesson for a run, was not only easier, but also much cheaper. So that was the end of my crosstraining.

Motherhood provides its own crosstraining!

But I had not reckoned with my work as a mom and housewife, which offers its own special blend of crosstraining, like

1. lifting weights (kids, and heavy laundry baskets)
2. strenghtening the arm muscles (vacuuming, changing the beds, mopping the floor)
3. and gardening (all of the above)

I'm bow-legged and not fancy free

After a very strenuous gardening session last Wednesday I'm walking around bowlegged, like I've been shot or had too much sex. Obviously all that kneeling down, and pulling up weeds, made me use muscles that had long been forgotten. I'm certain a personal trainer could not have made my muscles feel worse.

So thanks to motherhood, I'm doing crosstraining after all! On the one hand, motherhood makes me want to do a runner, on the other hand it kindly offers me some much needed cross-training exercises. It's one of the many paradoxes of motherhood in a nutshell!

Are you ever airborne during your runs?!

… or is one foot always stuck to Mother Earth?

Wordless Wednesday

iRun Athletic Wear Shirt: Product Review

When it comes to running clothes, I'm like Goldilocks: they have to be júst right! My running clothes should be nicely fitted, but not too tight. They should nót ride up to the North during runs, and they have to make me look nice.

So I was delighted to try out a t-shirt, hoodie and skights set of iRun Athletic Wear. Unfortunately the temperatures have been too high for the hoodie and skights, but today I took the shirt for a test run!

The fit of the iRun Athletic Wear shirt: loose but not baggy

The t-shirt is less fitted than the running shirts I normally wear, but I loved the feel of cool, fresh air against my skin. I may have to change my opinion about shirts with a looser fit!

Another advantage of a slightly looser fit, is that your shirt won't ride up. And the people of iRun Athletic Wear got it just right with this shirt: not so fitted it will ride up, but not so loose it looks baggy.

So when it comes to comfort during a run, I give this shirt an A!
On looks, I give it a B: the sleeves are quite loose, which feels lovely, but also made me feel a bit 'mannish'.

Nice little logo: I run

I'm not a fan of logos on my shirts, but the iRun Athletic Wear logo is cute, girly and inspirational. That was actually a pleasant surprise to me! I was having a hard time, and I started to walk a little bit, but then I looked down at my shirt and saw the little logo saying: 'I run!'
'Can't let my shirt down!' I thought, and trot off again!

No sweat!

It's not very sexy to say this, but I'm a real Sweaty Betty during my runs. Almost all my shirts show big wet patches beneath my armpits when I run. But, the black iRun Athletic Wear shirt didn't! As far as my shirt went, I could have been taking a leisurely Sunday stroll. This, to me, is a great selling point!

To sum up

You can't go wrong with the black iRun Athletic Wear shirt: it's a great and comfortable fit, it's neutral, it wicks away your sweat and it's got an inspirational logo.

The only downside to me, is that it's not very feminine. I look like a bloke!

Practical Info

The best news is that this shirt only costs $9.99, which is a real bargain considering the prizes I usually have to pay for a running shirt.

I wear a size M in my everyday clothes, and this shirt was a size M too, and fit just fine.

You can admire and buy it at iRun Athletic Wear!

How do you like to wear your running shirts: tight, loose or even baggy?!

Stay tuned for my reviews of the iRun Athletic Wear hoodie and skights!

Mile markers

Running is a great way to to get to know your neighbourhood intimately. Or to make a connection with a new town, or area you may find yourself. As a runner I have discovered streets and paths, I didn't know anything about as a regular pedestrian! It made me feel like I really got to know my neighbourhood.

Around Christmas we plan to move to the countryside, to a house that's five miles from our current home. Every time we go there for a look to see how things are progressing, I run back. It makes for a great new run, and also helps me get familiar with my future surroundings.

And today I took a giant leap forward, because I discovered my first mile marker! Because if you run the same path often enough, you'll find yourself at a certain point at a certain time, and you come to count on it. If you've passed it sooner, you'll know you ran faster. If you passed it later, you'll know you're a bit slow.

And today I reached a certain tree after ten minutes! My first milestone made me feel like I'm beginning to get familiar with my future home, and I love that.

Do you have milestones along your runs?

Sometimes life is so simple!

Reporter: Why are you doing this?
Forrest Gump: 'I just felt like running.'

(Forrest Gump)

Uh-oh: my iPod is kaputt!

'Now, whére did I put my iPod after my run yesterday?' I wondered, but then the kids got home and I decided I would find it later.

But when the kids were taken care off, and safely behind their Wii, Nintendos DS and Playstation2, I started a serious search. Unfortunately I couldn't find my iPod anywhere, and an unpleasant suspicion entered my mind: 'I didn't... did I?'

So I ran upstairs at warp speed, opened the door of the washing machine, and stood face to face with my very dead iPod. In the rubber ring I found the, also deceased, nike-chip. It was one of those moment's in my runner's life where words could not describe how I felt. So I sighed deeply. I tried CPR, and then a resurrection by plugging it into the computer, but alas. It had obviously gone into the light.

And now I have this philosophical question weighing heavily on my mind: if I run a five miler, but I can't register my run with my iPod, have I really run?

Barefoot running in action!

Wordless Wednesday

Giveaway winner: who won the Asics Ayami Tunic?!

The winner of the cute Asics Ayami Tunic is Mandala from Adventures in Winterland!

Mandala put a link to Mom's Home Run on her blog, which was the only requirement to participate in this giveaway.

The Asics Ayami tunic is different from your average running clothes. It's just that little bit longer, it has a feminine touch and it's made from great wicking material.

Mandala, I hope you'll a post a picture of yourself wearing this great tunic on your blog! I would love to see how it looks on you!

There's an email on its way to you, with the great news!

Prizes need to be claimed by augustus the 5th 2011