Saturday: Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels

With my husband busy biking today, I had to take Ivan with me on my run. My friend Genie, who I now qualify as a saint, met me at the park to run the 5.8 mile loop with Ivan in the jog stroller. She even pushed the stroller up some of the hills. We had a great run, though Ivan melted it down for the first couple of miles. We finished in good time, and I let Ivan run about afterwards, though as per usual, he wanted to play in the street oblivious to oncoming traffic, so his running about did not last long.

After we ran, I wanted to hang around and talk to the running group, but I quickly realized as I have realized many times before: it is difficult to fraternize when you must be actively involved in suicide watch. Ivan wanted nothing more that to hurl himself off the brick steps at the front of the park directly into oncoming traffic. I felt like my conversations went something like this:

"So, how far did you run - Saints preserve us, Ivan don't jump, DON'T JUMP OR MAMA WILL SPANK - what were you saying?"

"Ten miles, that is great for starting at - IVAN!!! IVAN!!! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!! IVAN!!! - I'm so sorry, what were you saying?"

Honestly, that's about how it goes. I screech at Ivan, I run to stop him from hurting himself in some way, get back to the conversation and forget what in the world I was talking about. It is a bummer, no doubt about it. The thing is, I don't care if he gets dirty or muddy or puts his hands or feet in a puddle. I don't care about those things at all. All I need to do is avoid a time consuming trip to the ER and preserve Ivan's life. It doesn't sound so hard, right?

Next week, I should finally get to run with the running group unimpeded. Also, I am very pleased that Lynn, my swim friend, is going to be joining our running group. She is also running Boston this year, and I am hoping that I can casually force a few people into a training group that will keep me motivated until April. That is my covert plan.

At home, I got in a Gilad workout, which was just great, lots of good ab work and lunges. I finished watching Valentino: The Last Emperor. Such a great film about one of the last classically trained couture designers left. Just amazing craftsmanship and extreme personalities. Now watching Lagerfeld Confidential, as I am on a couture film jag.

In closing, my sister sent me a great quote from Kate Moss (probably her only one, for the love of Mike): Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

So true, right? It is my holiday mantra. I am ready for the three of you: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. Skinny feels better than egg nog, or dressing or pumpkin pie. Honestly, friends, if I am forced to stimulate the economy by buying new jeans after the New Year, my budget might explode.