Hood to Coast: Team Yazoo runs 24:05 hotrollers included

Hello Friends

I have been gone for four days whole days. I have not seen a television, though I have had minimal access to a computer. In my absence we have lost DJ AM, and had some lovely weather has come through Tennessee. I have run Hood to Coast and had a really lovely time.

If I may refresh you, Hood to Coast is a race where you run three legs of a 197 mile relay race, which you are trying to complete in more or less 24ish hours to be competitive. It involves 12 runners, each runner running three legs. The runners are divided into two 6 person vans. Runner one starts at the top of Mount Hood and runs until they meet the second runner at a relay exchange, and then to the third runner and so on until you meet the sixth runner. During all runs the van is following along picking up the runner who is finishing and dropping the runner who is starting. Now, when the 6th van runner (me!!!) finishes, she hands off the baton to the first runner in van two (leg 7) and they start their legs in the same manner as van one, while van one gets some rest time. When van 2 finishes their runs, they must be met at the right time by van 1 to start the whole process over and so on until the last runner on van two crosses the finish line on the beach 197 miles later.

I ran legs 6, 18, and 30. Leg 6 was an almost eight mile leg that involved a good bit of uphill. I began running it at approximately 9:30ish at night and ran-sub seven minute miles (thank you very much). At about 1:00ish AM, my turn came around again for leg 18 and I ran a little over four miles through a particularly smelly patch of the Portland area. The course was quite hilly and uneven. My time dropped to slightly less than eight minute miles and it was not my most favored athletic moment. Following this run, I slept in the van until I woke up (several blissful hours later) to take a shift at keeping our heroic driver awake as we drove. I ran my final downhill leg 30 of 5 miles at around 12:00ish PM in the afternoon. I maintained 7:15 miles and was pretty proud of this considering the degree of my soreness.

After this, we packed up the van and headed to the beach to check into our beach houses and shower up before we met van 2 on the beach for the dramatic finish of the last of our runners. Our final time was 24:05, which is quite fast. We had group pictures made, and then moved on to let everyone else get ready for an amazing dinner at our beach house.

OK, all that explaining behind, let me tell you some quirks (to state it kindly) about traveling in a cheap rental minivan with me for 24 hours:

1. OH, honey, I OVERPACK. It is like a disease. I swear I showed up for a three evening excursion looking like Mariah Cary about to head out on a world tour. Make up, hot rollers, 6 sports bras, two pairs of running shoes, three possible jacket options, I don't even want to know how many bathing suits, swim caps, goggles, cowboy pajamas. Athletic options, casual options, my peeper sleepers, my monogramed fleece blanket, a towel dress, a sleeping bag, two novels, the September issue of Vogue, a book of New York Times cross word puzzles, and the kitchen sink. You name it, I brought it, just in case. It is a sickness. I arrived to live in a minivan for 24 hours with 5 other people and that much luggage. I need an intervention and a lesson in basic human consideration. That's all there is to it. If you invite me on a trip, you sit me down and monitor my packing, lest you have to ride on the roof of our rented car like a teen wolf to accommodate my luggage.
2. I am a sleeper. I like myself a good eight to nine hours each night. At Hood to Coast the idea is that you man up and stay up. You cheer on your teammates while they run at off hours of the night and you offer everyone the back seat to stretch out and catch some zzzzzs in shifts. You take turns, unless you are like me and you crawl into the back seat with your peeper sleepers and your monogrammed fleece blanket and your sleeping bag with the intention of a one hour cat nap only to wake up approximately 6 hours later as fresh as a daisy. I got better sleep in the back seat of that mini van than I did before I had a baby and my husband was out of town, and I had the whole king-sized bed to myself. I met the red rimmed eyes of my fellow team mates with guilt, yes, but also the realization that for me, it was officially the best Hood to Coast ever.
3. Nerd Alert: I have a love affair with crossword puzzle books. I have a vision of myself winning the New York Times Crossword Puzzle contest. I can get sucked into a Will Shortz crossword puzzle and lose myself in a word like "curmudgeon" that has fallen out of vogue, or looking up obscure actors that are desperately placed when there is a need for low-frequency letters. Beware of me on a trip; I am the girl who will try to interest you in helping me with all the sports clues and try to entertain you with anecdotes from Wordplay, the brilliant documentary about New York Times crossword puzzling. I might hound you about finding out the monetary currency of Saudi Arabia (the Riyal!!!!). Back slowly away, when I begin speaking of my frustration with clues that do not specify one or two word answers, because at this point I have lost all social reference points.

These three things are pretty damning, friends. Do you want me to go on your next vacation? Think about it long and hard. I would encourage you to help me pack, think about the sleep situation, and hide the crossword puzzle books. I am out there and I am vain, selfish, and nerdy, oh so nerdy. Think about it now, once you have asked me, there is no turning back.

Hood to Coast: 6:40 AM Flight

So, this picture is not from Hood to Coast. It is from the Tom King Half Marathon in Nashville last March. It was a good race and am pleased with the race pic. I am staying at my ride to the airport's house. This would be my parents, who should be canonized by the way, as they are taking me to the airport by 5:30 AM to make a 6:40 AM flight, and they are taking care of Ivan for four whole days and picking me up from the airport.

Pop Quiz: What would I be without my parents?

1. Homeless
2. Taking a cab to the airport
3. Paying a babysitter an astronomical sum of money to care for my child
4. Still paying off student loans

If your answer was "all of the above", then you are the lucky winner and should treat yourself to a Grab the Gold bar today.

Allan Horner, our Hood To Coast coordinator emailed us a list of things we needed to make sure we brought to Hood to Coast. It read as follows:

1. 3 large size ziplock bags
2. 3 sets of running clothes (shorts, shirt, socks, etc.)
3. Running shoes- some people bring two pair?
4. Sandals, etc for in between runs
5. Sweats, t-shirts or running warm ups- can be pretty cool at night and early am
6. Small or large towel for after running
7. Flashlight/headlamp
8. Reflective vest- these two items mandatory for running after 6pm
9. A smaller bag to keep all above running items in during the race.
10. Sleeping bag- van 2 (and plastic bag or sheet to lay sleeping bag on- put inside bag)
11. Stocking cap- for sleeping at night
12. Van 1 use towel to rest or sleep on during the day
13. Have toothbrush, paste, deodorant, etc handy and not in packed away bag
14. Camera
15. Sunscreen
16. Sunglasses
17. Casual clothes for Sat night/Sunday
18. Bungee cord (if you have one or two please bring just in case.)
19. About $20 cash per person for van food

I am at my parents house and I have forgotten my stocking cap, so I might have to borrow one from my dad. Miraculously, I remembered everything else on the list. I did forget Grab the Gold bars, which is a personal disappointment. It is the first time I will have traveled without them since discovering them four years ago.

Anyway, I am running leg six, as I traded leg three with Robbie. I am hoping it is manageable, though as is typical of me, I have not taken even a moment to glance at the topography. I am applying my motto, "I'm sure I can make it" to Hood to Coast this year as every year, as in every event in which I register to compete. Leg six, now that I am looking at the link I posted about leg 6, looks miserably hilly. How unfortunate. When Wood asked me to switch with Robbie, my reply was "whatever". Serves me right. Watch for future updates!!

Wednesday: Double Swim = Double Dessert

Ok, so I hit the ground running this morning with my power smoothie and a bit of green tea. Got out the door to swim. Got into the pool on time for the first time in weeks. Workout as follows:

• 400 swim/ 6x50 kick/ 300 swim
• 2 x 500 pull @ 8:00
• 4 x 200 swim @ 3:30
• 8 x 100 alternating swim/IM @ 1:50/2:00

Finished the WHOLE workout (which never happens), before having a piece of cheese cake with Dennis and the rest of the swim group for Dennis' birthday. Sprinted home where Elvin (THE GREAT) was still putting in our windows. Put Ivan down for a nap. Talked to my college roommate, both parents, my sister, and my brother. Got ready to meet my mother-in-law and tour a potential pre-school for Ivan. Toured the pre-school, which was amazing. Though have made the decision to not enroll him, as I feel he is too young. Came home from the pre-school tour, and got ready to go to work. Sprinted into work, where I stayed for a couple of hours discussing Robert Louis Stevenson's Thrawn Janet and Sir Walter Scott's Two Drovers.

I drove home with a head reeling from reading that dirty stinking Scottish brogue. Upon getting home, I was able to make four fundraising phone calls for my Learning Matters fundraiser, before Ivan woke up from his nap. I put him in the stroller and ran three miles while attempting to talk to my sister on my iphone. This went badly; best to talk at home and stick to running with the shuffle.

I then arrived home where I finished the baby's dinner, then the huge cookie that my husband brought me from the Harris Teeter. I packed it up, traded off the baby with my husband and headed to swim number 2. I got in 3000 meters, but didn't write down the workout, which involved a lot of diving, fast 200's and 300's with paddles.

Back home and my husband is watching Chuck Norris, and I am throwing down trail mix and thinking about bed. Tomorrow is for Hood To Coast prep!!!!! Oregon on Friday!!!

In honor of my crazy day, I am posting erratic pics: My sister and I and a friend at Three Blind Wines, My son in the family hunt suit, and my husband and I in Hawaii.

The Cold Relents, But My Spirit is Broken

So, my cold is mostly abated, though I do have the telltale signs of a NyQuil evening; the puffy eyes and the feeling that there is maybe a bit of Saran Wrap between myself and the rest of the world. Only one sneeze today, however, and one nasal passage is completely unblocked. I seem to by approaching a state that I would call "well".

I am remarkably pleased about the improving state of my health, as on Friday morning, I am flying out of Nashville to Portland, Oregon to participate in The Mother of All Relays. It is an endeavor that will require all of my faculties functioning at their peak. No time for illness. I tested out a three mile jog stroller run today and made it just fine. Tomorrow, I plan to hit the workout again as per my wednesday usual: double swim, possibly a run, and if I am really on my game, a bit of yoga and Gilad.

Today, I had a dentist appointment (one cavity). I returned home as per usual and set Ivan down in the kitchen. I went about putting things in the kitchen in order for a few minutes when I noticed that a ghostly quiet had settled over the house. I rounded the corner into the dining room to find that the cat had had an unfortunate reaction to its cat food, and Ivan was storing up the resulting vomit between his hands where he appeared to be shaping it into a snowball of sorts. A VOMIT SNOWBALL. A VOMIT SNOWBALL. When he saw me, he immediately dropped down with both hands into an approximation of downward dog, and proceeded to scoot his vomit slippery hands across the floor as he walked along.

My cries of "No, No!!!!!" spurred him to a frenzy of vomit scooting, and he made it into the foyer and onto the rug before I caught him. As you can imagine, much "no"ing, hand scrubbing, soaping, floor scrubbing, both silent and verbal cursing, as well as a deep deep loss of faith in child rearing, motherhood, and all mankind followed. As I was cleaning the remnants of vomit from the floor, the cat (whom I shall forthwith refer to as "The Beast") leapt with great agility to the dining room table and vomited into the laundry basket.

My student Marshall later asked if that was the "low point of your day". To which I replied, "of my life, Marshall, MY LIFE".

Pics are my first pic home with Ivan and a shot from his Christening wearing my husband's christening gown

Improvements to Sloan Manor

When I married my husband in 2004, I ended the reign of a 15 year bachelor. I am brave, so brave; I know. Seriously, when my friend Melissa saw it, she said "You can't move in to this. It might be condemned."Anyway, the majority of the improvements have been to the interior of the house: hardwood floors, paint, new drapes, walls opened up, and new light fixtures. Also, a new heating and cooling system for the house and a renovated fireplace; all desperate necessities for several reasons.

The fireplace needed to be renovated, because in the first weeks of our marriage, I came home to find a blackbird sitting patiently on my ironing board when I got home from work. I donned my bike helmet and grabbed a pool cue and chased the bird out of the house. There was some minor bird poop damage, but overall, I was proud of my wildlife expulsion. I was proud until the following morning when blackbird number 2 greeted me as I got out of bed. Very similar to blackbird number one, and indeed, possibly the same bird, it was again sitting on my ironing board blinking patiently at me. When I shooed him, he hopped nimbly upon a pile of shirts. From there he flew three terrifying circle around the room, during which time I shrieked about covering my head and running in circles saying unintelligible things all the while. When I recovered my wits, I was able to again don my bike helmet and procure the pool cue and repeat my wildlife expulsion from the previous evening. It seemed that our flu was broken, and the bird or birds were flying down the chimney at night. I contacted a chimney sweep, and he proceeded to make short work of the bird problem.

When the mice began to brazenly sit on the furniture with me to watch television in the evenings, I adopted two cats who immediately became excellent mousers. I painted all of the rooms in the house over the course of two weeks (Lincoln Home Beige; a fabulous and slightly dramatic neutral) while I listened to Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True, a moving and well written epic that I encourage all of you to read.

I hired an amazing handyman, the expert Eric Roper, to reinstall all of our closet doors which had been taken off, because someone, who shall remain nameless, said that it was easier to get to things if you did not have to open the doors. Ok, so it was my husband, and I do not harbor any residual bitterness over his opinion (which he is completely entitled to) that closets do not need doors.

I replaced the pool table in our dining room with a new dining room suite and china hutch. I sent the pool table to live with a friend of my husband, and I am glad to say that I am completely unaware of the whereabouts of said pool table at the present time. The pool cues, however, reside handily in the umbrella holder in the foyer.

I had the broken picture frames repaired, and the painting that had been mysteriously pierced with a poker was also patched and repaired. Furniture was recovered, and end tables, that had been worn through the varnished wood by someone who shall remain nameless and was apparently unfamiliar with the existence of coasters, were refinished. As opposed to a mattress and box springs, we began sleeping in a real four poster bed purchased from a favorite shop in Alabama. Finally, all the drapes were remade so as to hide the frayed edges where mice had used them as ladders.

The interior of our home is a haven, but the exterior has needed work. Our home is approximately 175 years old, and the front windows have never been replaced, nor has the front porch. So, I have posted a before picture of Sloan Manor and look forward to posting picture with new windows, new porch, sidewalk and landscaping. My husband and Elvin Harris (THE GREAT) are doing wonderful work on rotten windows and dangerous front porches. I will post the finished product. Look for it!!!!

First Family Vacation: A Tale of Bitterness and Woe

I remember a time when I had first started dating my husband, and we visited some of his friends. They had baby and the baby was napping. As we were visiting, I was telling some inspired antidote (loudly, I'm sure) and the mother of said child, asked me to speak quietly lest I wake the baby.

Though I, of course, altered my tone, I was pretty sure that she was a real toad of a mother. A ridiculous creature who probably also washed off pacifiers that fell on the floor.

Fourish years later, as the parent of a napper myself, I am amazed that the mother of my memory requested so kindly that I keep it down. Speak loudly in my home when my child is napping, and you are likely to find yourself engaged in a Sharks/ Jets standoff, a' la West Side Story, where rival gang members are bound together at the foot wielding knives. Intruding on a nap (AKA: my free time) is a capital offense at Sloan manor. BE ADVISED.

Anyway, on to our first vacation, where my husband and I thought that it would be a wise endeavor to tote the Young Sloan along on luxurious trip to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina for a long weekend trip. The drive was reasonable. There was a bit of crying, but we were joyous in our over-confidence. We arrived in Asheville and got checked in and went to dinner, where we thought the baby would sit passivley in out laps. This turned into one of us walking our peevish child, while the other ate; and then trading off. We got back to our room, where we had not reserved a crib, because we thought that we would be a free love family for the evening and all sleep together. The reality of this was that no one slept.

The baby was delirious from lack of sleep, and my husband and I gave up and crawled out of bed at 4:00 in the morning. My husband left for a 12-hour bike race at 5:00 AM-ish, and I was left with a sleep deprived 6 month old all day.

It was, I felt, the worst and longest day of my life. I made the ill-thought decision to visit the Biltmore, America's largest private residence. I took Ivan in the Baby Bjorn, only to find the Biltmore to be more crowded than Calcutta. I had a dream in my head; that Ivan would alternate between sleeping peacefully in his Baby Bjorn and looking about at the Biltmore Christmas decorations in wonder. On this count I was grossly misguided.

Ivan was deeply frustrated with the Baby Bjorn, and made several attempts to escape. His method meant kicking his little legs in a fiendish attempt at freedom and delivering to me several Chuck Norris-esque roundhouse kicks to my gut. When I alternated his Baby Bjorn position to front facing, things went even more awry, as he was exposed to the public. In the cattle car crowded circumstances of the Biltmore near Christmas, my error was grave.

He made frantic grabs for the hoods of the elderly's windbreakers causing more than one stumble. He managed to wrest a directional map away from a passerby, and hurled it across the velvet ropes dangerously close to the Vanderbilt China in the dining room.

As we descended the steps to view the indoor swimming pool, Ivan's shrieks echoed about the closed quarters. When I asked a staff member about a room where I could breast-feed in an effort to calm Ivan, they immediately escorted me to one of the swimming pool locker rooms, where there was an archaic bathing suit hung in front of the sad motel couch stuffed incongruously in the tight space.

When I finished nursing Ivan, I left the room, only to have a staff member with a walkie-talkie inform me that she was going to go ahead and escort me out the back way so I could go home. When I stated that I wasn't finished with my tour, she said again firmly, "I am going to escort you out to the front door so you can take the baby home."

Oh, I understood. I was being asked to leave the Biltmore. They would tolerate no more of my baby shenanigans. So, I packed up and went back to the hotel, where, mercifully, we were able to reserve a crib for the second night and a babysitter for dinner. It was a good night. Good dinner, and Ivan was so miserably tired that he slept throughout the night, not waking until a very reasonable 7:00 AM. It was heaven.

We went down to breakfast early, where I was ready to tuck into a huge breakfast buffet. I had just loaded a plate when my husband looked down and asked if I had dripped gravy on the baby. A) I do not eat gravy, and B) no, I had not dripped. Then the smell hit us like a ton of bricks, as did the ugly realization that the baby had explosive poo that had leaked from his diaper. He was covered from the back of his neck to the hem of his baby dress. I ended up running with the baby from the hotel restaurant with fecal matter dripping through my fingers and stuck in my watchband.

Can it get any worse? Not on this trip. We Sloans gave up. We loaded up the car and drove home as fast as we could. You notice in the picture from our first vacation, I am smiling in the picture and wearing a jaunty scarf. Behind my smile, however, are gritted teeth and hours of sleep deprivation, embarrassment, and a desperation for someone besides myself to blame.

We made it home from our first vacation with the firm decision to take no more vacations until the baby was seven, and we were thoroughly sedated.

Monday: The Cold Won

So, the cold won and I am shuffling around the house in my pajamas drinking hot tea. I have used this morning to reminisce about our first family vacation and look at my eyes in the mirror so as to track the progress of their puffiness. In an apology to my body for the beating I put it through yesterday, I am pledged to sit around and put the finishing touches on a baby sweater I am knitting and make a few phone calls about a fundraiser that we are having at work. Also, I am going to get ready to send out donation letters for the Jack and Back.

I did go into work and ran a few errands before having chicken noodle soup for dinner. I am currently getting psyched for Nyquil and the season premier of The Rachel Zoe Project. Bananas!!!!!

Sunday: The Cold Will Not Win

Now, some people, when they have a sickness, give in to the sickness and allow their bodies to heal. I, foolishly, like to see if my body can run a little harder with a fever; swim a little faster when I have no open nasal passages. It is part of my overall exercise sickness; I acknowledge it. I have been acknowledging it since I was 16 and telling myself that it is the first step to recovery. So far, at the age of 33, I am still stuck in step one.

I woke up this morning for a full day:

• 7:00 AM lake swim,
• 9:30 AM birthday breakfast
• 12:00 PM run
• 3:00 PM baby shower

I also woke up with a serious head cold, but I could not part with my lake swim. It was such a nice cool morning, that I had to go. In turn, I rationalized that the water would clear my sinuses. This is actually both ridiculous in theory and proven incorrect by approximately 7:10 AM when my nasal passages were a swampland of misfortune. Anyway, I swam 2.5 miles like a champ and scrubbed off in the Hamilton Creek Marina shower. Got dressed and traveled off to FIDO in Hillsboro Village to have breakfast.

Haven't eaten there in a while, and it is great!! I had a hangover bomb with soysage and some oatmeal with fresh fruit along with a decaf soy late'. So delicious, got home and ran, before getting ready and making my favorite party dip for the shower.

Recipe for My Favorite Party Dip

• Two packages of store bought Guacamole
• two cans navy beans
• Bunch chopped fresh cilantro
• sea salt
• fresh cracked pepper

1. dump store bought Guac and drained navy beans into food processor
2. turn on food processor and put in dash sea salt and a good bit of pepper
3. spoon into serving dish
4. Top with chopped cilantro
5. Serve with chips and such

Crazy Delicious!!! I mean it is really amazing.

Arrived home and made a date with a shot of Nyquil

Will the workout happen tomorrow? If is dubious, quite dubious.

Saturday Workout: Westside at 6:30

Why does getting out of bed at 6:00 AM seem exponentially better than getting up at 5:30 AM? Tell me I have to get up at any time before 6:00 AM, and I feel as if you may have asked me to go without sleep for a week. I am serious, 5:55 AM is soooo much earlier than 6:00 AM. Tell me to get up at 6:00 AM, and I feel as grateful as if you had told me I could sleep 'till noon. Why is that?

Not sure. Anyway, I am always thrilled when Wood Caldwell determines out running times, as he is a dedicated supporter of my after 6:00 AM philosophy. He suggested that we run the Westside route at 6:30 AM. I awoke fully rested and feeling fast. Westside is a run that involves heading out to Westside Athletic Club and then entering the park and running the back to entrance of the park where we started. I joined up with Tish and Tammy as we entered the park and added on a bit, for what was hopefully a 10 mile run.

Came home, and despite the unfortunate inklings of a coming cold, I did a Gilad workout and Namaste Yoga, before realizing that I definitely had a serious head cold. Finished up a bit of knitting before taking myself to bed.

Friday Workout: Run, Swim, Rest

Out the door to run this morning with the jog stroller and still having a love affair with Shewolf. I had my favorite smoothie and some green tea for breakfast:

Recipe for my Favorite Breakfast Smoothie:

• 1 banana
• two spoonfuls of greek yogurt
• two spoonfuls of ground flax seed
• cup of blueberries
• cup of soy milk
• 2 spoonfuls of chocolate soy powder
• 5 ice cubes

It is my favorite thing. So filling!!

Got to swim late and wasted time chatting about my Dazzle Toes before getting into the pool, so really only had about an hour to swim. I got in 3000 yards, but really should have swum harder and longer. Workout as follows:

• 400 swim/ 200 drill/ 400 pull
• 4 x 50 kick 1:00
• 6 x 50 swim 0:50
• 100 kick 2:10
• 4 x 100 swim descend @ 1:40
• 4 x 50 kick 1:00
• 6 x 50 swim 0:50
• 100 kick 2:10
• 2 x 100 swim descend @ 1:40

Got Ivan from the nursery and hit Endurance Sports on the way home. They were having a sale, and I got a couple of pairs of shorts and a shirt to take to Hood to Coast. Home and wimped out on Gilad and Yoga.

Picked up a salmon salad sandwich for dinner and a cup of chamomile tea and burrowed in to watch my all time favorite reality show, Jockey's. Tonight was the series premier and Mike Smith, my favorite of all the jockey's, is back!!!!

Morning run tomorrow at 6:30.

Book Report: One Fifth Avenue: Candace Bushnell Plays Checkers

OK, so I just finished reading One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell. I will be honest and tell you that it is one of the fastest reads EVER. It reads like a Tom Wolfe novel, IF, Tom Wolfe stopped playing chess and started playing checkers. The same type of characters whose lives intersect, and the characters that you think are simple have a razor's edge of sharpness to them. The difference is that the vocabulary, the metaphors, and the depth of each character are not there.

Candace Bushnell is of course a woman, and the men she writes are foolish or arrogant and cruel; two of them can only be described as whipped. The women, however, might be just as bad or worse. Lola Fabrikant, the desperate to be on a reality show and/or marry an older wealthy man, character is oh so hatable. She is 22 and presents one of the worst portrayals of American youth that I have seen in print. I spent the whole novel reading about her, feeling old yet both morally and mentally superior. Which is the same way I think Candace Bushnell felt writing about her. I feel like Lola probably looks like Audrina Partridge but with larger lips.

The book really centers around the lives of 5 women: Lola, a smart older columnist, a middle-aged middle-class and bitter about it woman, a new-money society climber, and a 40ish still single actress. There are 5 men who rotate about the heroines in a peripheral sort of way. Each woman lives in the elite building One Fifth Avenue.

I would not say that there are any memorable lines in the book. The story is great and consistent throughout. I got the feeling from some of the bitterness of the characters, however, that Candace Bushnell is suspicious of New York's youth and frustrated with their ignorance of the things that made New York great; the old families, the restaurants, the galas. Her youth is portrayed as demanding, always wanting something for nothing, and disdainful of the accomplishments of anyone over 30. I doubt that this is true of all New York youth.

While it was mentioned that the "new-money social climber" figure went to a great college and seems to have a good heart and natural beauty, business smarts and tennis acumen, it is only mentioned. After the mention, she is just the new money social climber. Her good attributes are not further developed.

The Columnist, the Actress, and the middle-class, middle-aged bitter woman are all well developed, and I read this within the span of 30 hours, which is not too shabby for 430 pages. (I did have a small bout with insomnia after drinking tea too late at night, which helped.)

Anyway, to sum up, this is the best beach read EVER. If you buy it, you will pass it around to all of your friends and they will all read it, because it is quite girl friendly for all.

Thursday; I Started Back to Work and Skipped Yoga

OH Yes, Ye Readers of My Blog, I have a job. I do some testing in the summer and then I tutor in the fall. I get excited about the tutoring, because I have a sitter (the fabulous Katelen) who comes and stays for three hours, three days a week, and I get to head out on my own. Sometimes, if I do not need to work for three hours, I run errands or run without the jog stroller, or go to the grocery alone. Once, I even went to get sushi, and I ate it while I read a magazine. It was one of the lovelier evenings I have ever had.

I looked forward to Katelen getting here all day, so that I could drive away by myself. Ivan has learned to climb, and I am on constant suicide watch. I cannot help but feel that Ivan awakes each morning with a singular goal of inflicting a life threatening injury upon himself. Sprinting back and fourth across our house like a basketball player running suicides, I become bone-tired by the end of the day.

Immediately after my son was born, I thought I might not go back to work and apprised the parents of my students of the situation. Ivan was three months old at the time and his nap schedule (SORRY!!!, I can't even help but talk about it) was sometimes nonexistent. I had two days in a row, where he only took two 20 minute naps and then cried on and off for the rest of the day. At the end of that second day, I called the parents of all my students, begged for my job back, and began interviewing sitters. Katelen was a perfect match with lots of experience, and I eagerly anticipated her arrival every time she came.

So, after a summer of sparse employment and few baby-free outings, I have been looking forward to Katelen's arrival all day. Especially since it rained all day, and Ivan did not get to play outside.

I was out the door and had a great time at work, was almost sad to come home.

Workout!!!!

• I ran three miles with the jog stroller while listening to Shakira sing She-wolf
• I did my Gilad workout. Todays' workout consisted of lunges and standing ab work
• I skipped yoga. I'll be back on it tomorrow!!!

Book Report: The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

OK, I have been reading away like a woman possessed on this first novel (I believe) by Brunonia Barry. Totally interesting name, am I right? The author's name I mean. Throughout my reading of the book, I was completely distracted by wondering from whence the name Brunonia came. Is that a family name? Does it mean something? It is apparently the latin name for some sort of blue flower. Is it the feminized form of Bruno?

Anyway, my church has a book group that meets once a month on Tuesdays. So, I finished my Harry Potter reread and rushed out to buy The Lace Reader. Now, I don't know if it is clear, but I tried to photograph it. On the back of the book the top description says "ASTONISHING, BEWITCHING, UNFORGETTABLE....". Hmmmm, I feel that the ........ would be filled in with "if the only other thing you have ever read is the Webster's Dictionary and the instruction manual for your refrigerator".

Astonishing, no, I mean that doesn't describe the book at all. Bewitching, well there are some witches that aren't really witches, and it does take place in Salem. Unforgettable, well I am pretty sure that I will at least never forget the name Brunonia. Also, there is a dog in the book named Byzantium, which is the least of all the catchy pet names I have ever heard. It is just a large mouthful to yell out the door at a mangy wild golden retriever (as is the dog in the book), but that is a matter of opinion and in no way reflective upon the story.

The story takes place in Salem and opens with a niece getting word that her Great-Aunt Eva has disappeared. The niece, whose name is Sophya, but goes by Towner, is in her 30s and has been plagued by mental illness that seemed to stem from the suicide of her twin at age 13.

In the flashbacks, her twin Lyndley, is being raised away from her by a reticent Aunt and her abusive husband. When the Aunt goes missing, Towner must come home and deal with all the childhood mysteries and mental breakdowns that have plagued her life and her strange family. All the women in the family read futures in lace, and so that is tied up in the book as well. The ending is quite surprising, but a lot of the book does not seem explained well, and it all sort of jumbles only to be unbelievably untangled in the end.

It is a quick read, and it makes Salem sound like an interesting town to visit. It put me in a mind to visit on Halloween when they do re-enactions of the witch trials. It was an easy read, but the idea of the lace reading did not tie in well somehow, and I didn't really love any of the characters. There is a tough cop with a gentle caretaker spirit that comes across well. I do sort of like the name Towner. Anyway, while not my favorite, I enjoyed reading it. I learned a new word chinoiserie which is a type chinese-esque furniture popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Most Unfortunately, all that, I did not get to go to book club as I had two other meetings this week and just couldn't be out three nights in a row. Oh well, we'll see what they are reading next month.

Double Swim Wednesday!!

Oh yes, so today is double swim Wednesday, and I it is my favorite thing. Ivan slept late due to some clearly cosmic alignment, and I got to have my green tea and scrambled eggs alone. Such luxury. I swallowed all my vitamins without choking, because I was trying to say "no!!!" and swallow at the same time.

Anyway, Ivan woke up and I skipped morning run, we shared some cereal and I packed him into the car. I should say that swimming is the easiest place to tote a baby. There is childcare for two solid hours at the gym, meaning that if I get there on time, I can swim for a solid 1.5 hours, and then take a long shower and dry my hair.

In the early weeks of Ivan's life, I would often leave him in the nursery, dive into the pool, swim about 400 yards and then see the nursery workers coming to get me, because Ivan was crying inconsolably. It was a most unfortunate situation, because when the nursery workers come to get you, you have to leave then; right then. No drying off, showering, nothing; you have to grab your towel and flip flops and do the walk of shame past all the treadmills in your bikini dripping wet. Everyone in the whole gym knows that your child has melted it down and you are going to have to drive home listening to a scream-fest in the back seat while the chlorine from the pool dries your skin into the skin of an 92 year old woman.

Anyway, we have moved on to better days and I dropped Ivan in nursery today, and he never looked back. I swam Dennis' morning workout which was as follows:

• 200 swim/200 drill/ 200 pull/ 200 swim
• 6 x 50 drill
• 6 x 200 swim 4:00 (I did IM, because I like to work on my butterfly)
• 4 x 50 swim 1:00
• 500 pull

I only did 3000, as I was coming back for evening swim

Headed home and worked on a fundraiser that my office is throwing. Ivan broke two picture frames and bumped his head. He went down for a nap. I did my Gilad workout, and returned emails about said fundraiser.

Then traded off the baby with my husband and headed for evening swim. Which played out as follows:

• 6 x 200 swim 4:00
• 10 x 100 swim 1:45
• 14 x 50 swim 1:00
• 500 pull (no paddles, which I hate, b/c I LOVE paddles)

Great Workout!!

Came home and had a Grab the Gold bar and a cup of white tea. Great Night!!!

Grab the Gold: The Training Food of Champions

Oh Yes Sports Fans,

It was me, Betsy Sloan, who consumed seven Grab the Gold (or Cup of Gold as they were called then) bars on July 22nd 2007. The day of my first (and only) half iron man, the VineMan in Sonama, CA. I started early, at around 5:00 AMish. I enjoyed one bar before the swim, one before the bike in transition, and four while I was on the bike. Unfortunately, a gust of wind and some sloppy package opening on my part led to the potential eighth Grab the Gold hitting me square in the helmet, scaring me silly and causing me to careen like the rookie cyclist I was (OK, am). I ate a final Grab the Gold while I lounged away approximately 17 minutes in transition number two, before having a really nice run.

Overall, it was a lovely day doing my two favorite things working out and eating the greatest snack of all. And yes, maybe I did figure out later that I was pregnant and probably shouldn't really have been racing such a long distance in the heat or participating in the subsequent celebrating of my first half iron-man and my anniversary or the great sushi that you get on the coast, but it all turned out all right. Also, I feel that it clearly explains my impressive capacity to put away Grab the Gold bars.

I also took Grab the Gold bars to Reach the Beach as my primary race nutrition. After that, I

got a little, just a little burned out on Grab the Gold bars. My affinity for the world's greatest snack

returned, however, and I am back snacking on Grab the Golds.

Now, word on the street is that the owner of the small Grab the Gold business is a refugee from New Orleans

who perfected the snack that contains organic oatmeal and chocolate. They have 193 Calories -- Fat: 5 G -- Protein: 11 G --Potassium 345 milligrams--carbohydrates 25 grams--sodium 73 milligrams and 7 grams of fiber. They were voted #1 Snack Bar by the Louisiana Health & Fitness Magazine. Featured in February 2007 Nashville Lifestyles Magazine and October/November 2007 Southern Exposure Magazine.

Are you convinced? Do you need a box or even a barn full, as I have in my dream life.

The Monday Routine

So this morning, I got started with the Monday routine. Packed Ivan into the jog stroller, ran a quick three and headed to the pool with the Bugaboo Bee which made getting to the nursery such a pleasant experience. We just wheeled right through the doors.

Swim workout as follows

• 200 swim/200 kick/200 pull/ 200 swim
• 6 x 200 swim @ 4:00
• 500 pull
• 10 x 100 swim @ 2:00 (3500 yards in all)

Got home, did Gilad and Yoga. Worked around the house, and then began to frantically read "The Lace Readers". I am going to St. Paul's (my church) women's book club tomorrow night for the first time. I thought it was Thursday, but no, it is Tuesday, so I am reading like mad. It is a page turner at least.

Lake Swim: Sunday Morning 7AM

So Sunday mornings are for Lake Swims.  It takes me approximately 40 minutes to get to swim at the Percy Priest Marina from my home in Franklin.  I meant to wake up at 10 after 6, however, I woke up at 6:25 and was late getting out the door.  This is not completely atypical.  

I reached the lake at approximately 7:15, and missed out on the warm-up lap.  I got straight into the water and was buddied up with a veteran iron-man swimmer and set out.  We have to have buddies when we swim out, so that we can watch out for potential drowners.  

  We start at the shore and head straight out to the first buoy, which our coaches made and it is really just a bunch of plastic milk jugs that Dee (assistant coach) canoes out and puts near the tree line.  You can't see them in the long lake shot picture, but anyway we swim there, check in with our swim buddies then turn a sharp right and swim the first buoy at the no wake line, then follow then follow the rest of the buoys along the no wake line, then swim back to the first no wake buoy, before heading back to the milk carton cluster of buoys, and then heading back to the shore.  At least 4000 meters this morning.

Anyway, as a general rule, in the pool, I am faster than the people that I started out with this morning.  The lake is an entirely different animal.  The water was choppy today, and my sighting ability is definitely a part of my game that needs some work.  The more experienced open water swimmers outpaced me very quickly, and I really struggled to stay on course in the choppy water and what felt like some current.  My buddy had to wait on me at each buoy.

I was exhausted when I schlepped out of the water, but made it home in time for church.  Followed a great church service with a nap and dinner at Moe's!!!!

Running the 11.2 at 6AM:

I used to have this poster on my wall in college that said something to the effect of "I used the think that people that got up early to run before work were crazy and now here I am getting out at 5 in the morning to train for a marathon and its snowing."  Now it is August, and it is obviously not snowing, but I thought about my old poster this morning as I dragged my self out of bed at 5:15 AM after getting in bed a bit later than intended to run the park.  The snooze button got hit more that once before I staggered out of bed.  Most of our Hood to Coast team showed up to run this morning.  Sean, Allan, Robbie, Wood, Chris, Edith, Rowanne, Riney, me and the other Betsy.  

We had a Hood to Coast crisis this week when Dru had to be replaced due to a stress fracture somewhere around her knee.  The other Betsy is her replacement, and she seems quite nice. 

Anyway, we started the 11.2 at 6ish, and I am running strong on flats and downs, but Robbie informed me that I am currently a disaster uphill.  He described it as a monkey jumping on my back as soon as I started uphill.  Anyway, it was a good hard 11.2, and I was home by  8:15 AMish to hand off the baby from Elliott.  I took a nap while the baby napped.  Elliott got home and we packed up and went to Martin's bar-b-q;  twas crazy delicious.  We shared a turkey bar-b-q redneck taco.  

Came home and did Gilad and Yoga.  Am currently watching All Fired Up, because I love a good cheerleading movie.

Pics are from an Xterra tri a couple of years ago.  Picture of Elliott up top.  Bottom pic is me running the Franklin Classic when I was about three months pregnant.

August 14th: The Workout!!

So this morning, I ran three miles with the jog stroller, made a quick smoothie and jumped into the car to go to swim.  I made it to swim on time, got Ivan into the nursery, and stood on deck with Jaimie and Lee while we waited for our coach to arrive.  Dennis never came, and we are not allowed to get into the lap lane end of the pool without our coach.  We were finally able to get three lanes and share.  Interesting info: Morning swim class pretty much refuses to share lanes.  Triathlon swim class sometimes has up to 7 or 8 people in a lane.  

So, we had to share today.  I shared with Lee, who is a great swimmer and thoroughly enjoyable person.  He is in the above picture in the center.  I am on the far right.  

We got in late, so did not get to get through the whole 4100 yard workout.  Here is what I got through: 

• warmup: 300 swim/ 200 drill/ 5 x 100 build @ 2:00
  
• 4 x 50 free drill @ 1:00
• 3 x 300 pull @ 5:00
• 4 x 50 kick @ 1:00
• 5 x 200 swim odd free @ 3:00 Even IM @ 3:30

3300 meters in all.

No Yoga. No Gilad.  I just didn't feel like it.  Work starts up next week for me, so the workout will become harder to maintain.  

Bugaboo Bee: Annals of the Luxury Stroller

So, my parents gave my sister and me both a Bugaboo Bee. A BUGABOO BEE. It is maybe the most exciting thing that has happened to me since receiving my jog stroller. While my jog stroller is amazing and has the capacity for strolling, it turned out to be an impossible ordeal to take to the mall, as it required some assembly once you arrived at your destination and was just WAY to large to wheel around the clothing racks at the local J. Crew, for example. Also, it is really nice to keep the jog stroller fully assembled on the front porch, so that you can grab and run. Ultimately, you just need to have some sort of stroller that is in onc piece that you can keep in the back of your car.

Now, when Ivan was first born, I ordered a Bugaboo Chameleon, which is the big product from the Bugaboo company. We had just gotten the jog stroller and my husband insisted that I send the Bugaboo Chameleon back, and he was right. We did not need the bassinet that comes with the Chameleon, and the Bugaboo Chameleon is always in two pieces, and has to be assembled to get into the car. We live in Nashville and Franklin, neither of which are walkabout towns as a general rule. You are always going to have to pack up your stroller.

In my dream life where I have a flat in London and walk to the grocery and pastry shops to bring home fresh rhubarb pies, a Bugaboo Chameleon is integral to my lifestyle. I keep it always fully assembled in the mud room that opens off my front entry foyer. I push the Bugaboo past the table in the foyer where I keep a vase of fresh cut flowers and a stack of recent novels that I read during the baby's 5 hour nap times. Ahhhh, my dream life.

Anyway, until my flat in London materializes, I need a stroller that I can keep in my trunk. Now, a friend had loaned me her Peg-Perego Aria stroller for mall and shopping excursions. To fully appreciate the Bugaboo Bee, everyone should be required to push the Peg-Perego Aria stroller for a few miles. It pulled to the right something fierce, the basket underneath the stroller seemed to leak shopping bags, the diaper bag. Nothing would actually stay in the basket. Plus the basket jutted out so that you stepped on it from time to time. Also, I had a permanent bruise on my left shin where it hit me every time I opened it. Finally, it was difficult to secure Ivan in the stroller. It was as if it was made for a much larger child.

Now, the Bugaboo Bee from my parents came today. It popped right out of the box ready to go. It has one step to pop it open (oh please, watch this choreographed Bugaboo Bee video)

and it is ridiculously easy to steer. Ivan is secured easily inside, and the storage basket opens to the front and is recessed on the back side, so you never step on it. The handlebar adjusts so that it is as the perfect height, so you don't have to hunch over the stroller like Quasimodo on a mall run. I whipped through J. Crew, Davis Kidd and Teavana with nary a thought to bumping people or displays or racks of clothes.

I've rarely had a better gift. I am so excited about my great gift. One day, I will wax philosophical about the lifestyle sacrifices made by my parents to which I attribute my rich childhood and functional adulthood, but now I can only luxuriate in my Bee!!!