04.07.13 Bizzie Lizzie 5k
Yesterday Lucas and I ran the Bizzie Lizzie 5k in Parsippany, NJ. The Bizzie Lizzie 5k is run in honor of Elizabeth “Bizzie” Stein who lost her fight against a brain tumor at the age of 3. The run raises money to continue the fight against pediatric brain tumors.
I was excited to bring Lucas to the race because it was very children focused. According to the website, the race would have dancers, crafts for the kids, a DJ and even a Bizzie beauty salon. We got to the race site about an hour before the start and enjoyed some fun in the sunshine.
Lucas danced to the DJ, had a penguin balloon made and had fun with bubbles.
Around 9:50am Lucas and I headed to the start line. The race took place entirely inside a huge office park and I was actually really happy about that. No fast cars passing us and wide open roads. Perfect atmosphere for a stroller run.
With a quick ready, set, go…we were off! I started in the back with the rest of the strollers, dogs and walkers. There were probably 30 strollers in this race, LOVED IT!
The 1st mile of the race is all downhill and the wind was at our back. I passed the 1 mile mark in 9:00. Too fast for me with a stroller and I knew it would come back to haunt me during mile 3. At mile 1.5, L and I stopped for a water break. We shared a glass of water and started back up again. We finished mile 2 in 9:39. Then the head wind started and so did the hill. Ughh, it got really hard at the end and I finished mile 3 in 10:23. L and I crossed the finish line in 30:23 for pace of 9:48 per mile. This was our 2nd fastest stroller 5k, we ran the Spooky Sprint in 30:04.
This entire winter I was afraid that Lucas wouldn’t like the BOB anymore. He’s a walker and hated being in his stroller at the mall. I’m happy to say that the boy will sit in his stroller for a very long time as long as he is outside. Yay! Little man happily babbled through the whole race and entertained other runners along the way.
I would definitely run the Bizzie Lizzie 5k again next year. It was the perfect race for a stroller and Lucas had a blast. Normally I leave the race immediately after I finish but I hung around this time. I let L play some more and we watched the awards ceremony. A first for me at a local race.
Anyone else race this weekend? Do you stick around for the awards ceremony?
04.02.13 AM or PM Runner
Lucas is still battling a nasty cold so we skipped Gymboree yesterday. The weather was just too nice to be stuck inside so we headed to Turtleback Zoo. Lucas and I are members so we make the trip often.
The zoo is gearing up to celebrate its 50th Anniversary and a new sea-lion exhibit is going to open. I can’t wait and I’m sure little man is going to love it. They are even going to have touch tanks! So exciting.
Lucas took his 1st ride on the carousel. He was nervous the whole time then started smiling as soon as we got off the ride. The train, on the other hand, is a huge hit. He could ride that thing all day long.
On the train ride!
Most visits the big cats are Lucas’s favorite animal but this trip was different. He became enamored with the Komodo Dragon and we spent 15 minutes in the reptile house.
AM or PM Runner?
Lucas and I were all dressed up to head out for a run after his afternoon nap and as soon as we stepped outside, it started raining. Ughh, just my luck. I headed back upstairs, took off our coats and told myself that I would hit the treadmill after Lucas went to bed.
I left for the gym, parked and looked in the car next to me to see a man sleeping. Well, my first thought was sleeping then I thought he could be dead. I continued having the dead or sleeping debate in my head and almost knocked on his window. Good thing I didn’t because he was just sleeping. 
4 miles was on my schedule for the day and it was hard. I ran the 4 miles in 36:21 and it was a struggle the whole time. My body has gotten so used to running in the morning and my legs didn’t want to move. When I was working in Manhattan I was PM runner and could never get my body to work in the morning. Now I am just the opposite and I think I like being an AM runner better. It definitely makes waking up my body on race morning a lot easier.
Are you an AM or PM runner? Which do you prefer? Do your legs not work when you don’t normally run?
04.01.13 Do You Race Every Race?
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! The hubs and I hosted Easter at our house for both of our families. We are blessed that everyone lives relatively close and we don’t mind all getting together. Lucas participated in his 1st Easter egg hunt but didn’t know quite what to do with the eggs.
He had much more fun walking around the backyard and watching his cousins hunt for eggs.
Lots of running in the sun this week. Spring is finally here!
My niece and I made a crazy Easter cake and baked a jellybean into it. Each person put a $1 into the pot and whoever got the piece with the jellybean won the whole pot. I’m happy to say that I declared it my lucky day and I got the jellybean.
$10 whole dollars for this girl!
Do You Race Every Race?
This coming weekend Lucas and I are going to be running the Bizzie Lizzie 5k in Parsippany, NJ. I have run over 100 races but that doesn’t mean I race all of them. I find racing to be fun and a lot of times my inner-competitive Liz just doesn’t show up to the race. I’m ok with that because I love to race for many reasons.
1. For training – Marathon training is hard on me mentally and I’ve never been able to get through a 20 miler solo. Instead of facing 20 miles alone, I sign up for a race and add on my miles before or after a half marathon. This makes the miles fly by much faster.
2. To run with others – There is nothing I enjoy more than spreading my love of running to others. I also love sharing the race atmosphere and totally push others into signing up for races. If I push a friend or sister to race, then I offer to run with them for motivation or pacing.
3. For fun and motivation – I always feel better about running after I run a local race. It helps my motivation while not requiring too much time out of my day or away from my family. A double win!
4. To explore – Back in 2009, I spent my free time traveling to different parts of this country to run. In my opinion, there isn’t a better way to see a city than to run it.
Do you race every race? What do you like to participate in races?
03.27.13 3 Things Wednesday
Remember to enter my What To Expect When You’re Expecting Giveaway here!
This post was originally supposed to be a 3 Things Tuesday but typing on the computer while the little man is in the room is impossible. He is obsessed with my phone and the computer and that makes doing anything on them very challenging. Lots of screaming and crying happens so I just avoid it until nap time. Ughh 
1. Lucas and I go to Gymboree on Mondays and this past Monday I totally forgot to wear deodorant. Ick! I was hoping to meet some other moms to hang out with but I doubt anyone wants to hang out with the stinky girl. Must remember deodorant next time.
2. I continue to be glued to the Jodi Arias trial but HLN is getting a little too intense with their coverage. Tomorrow the news channel is airing a show highlighting the best moments of Jodi Arias on the stand. They’ve recreated the crime scene and even have a live jury on the show each night…so crazy! I’m sure HLN is conspiring with Lifetime and you know a made for TV movie is already in production.
3. Little man will only eat mini-muffins and not regular sized muffins. Same taste but different size. I find it a bit weird but the husband agrees with him. He tells me that the crunchy outside to moist inside ratio is better in the mini-muffin than the regular-sized muffin.
Don’t worry, our oven doesn’t get hot on the outside
Needless to say, my mini-muffin pan gets lots of action as my two guys spend may a morning eating mini treats.
Like me, do you waste the day watching the Jodi Arias trial? What’s your stand on the mini-muffin vs. regular sized muffin debate?
03.25.13 What To Expect Book Giveaway
Even before I found out that I was pregnant with Little Man, I knew that I would buy What To Expect When You’re Expecting. My sister said it was her pregnancy bible and a coworker of mine raved about the book. When I saw those two pink lines, I immediately clicked the buy button on Amazon and just 2 short days later my own copy arrived at my doorstep. For the rest of my pregnancy the book made its home on my nightstand. I would read about each upcoming week in my pregnancy and when I realized that giving birth was actually going to have to happen, I worked up the courage to read that chapter. What To Expect When You’re Expecting even answered my immediate postpartum questions about my own body. The book was really helpful and I would actually call it my pregnancy bible.
Before Little Man made his debut, I had already purchased What To Expect The First Year. Like it’s sister book, What To Expect The First Year became my go to resource on everything baby. Should baby poop really be that watery? How many times a day do babies go? What happens when the umbilical cord stump falls off? All kinda gross questions that parents ask and need answers for. Other parents always tell you that babies don’t come with a how to manual but if they did, it would be What To Expect The First Year.
WhatToExpect.com reached out to me to review their books and I jumped at the chance. I was sent What To Expect When You’re Expecting, What To Expect The First Year and What To Expect Before You’re Expecting. The last book I hadn’t heard about but was really excited to read. As the husband and I start to think about expanding our family, What To Expect Before You’re Expecting is coming in very handy.
Now onto a giveaway!!! One lucky reader will win a copy of all 3 books. To enter leave a comment on this post and tell me what your go-to book is.
For additional entries you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Leave a comment saying you did so for the additional entries.
The giveaway will run till Sunday, March 31st at 12am and I will announce the winner on Monday, April 1st. Giveaway is open to US residents only. WhatToExpect.com sent me the books free of charge to review but all opinions are my own.
03.23.13 Wanted: A New Gym Bag
For the past couple of months I’ve been using Lucas’s diaper bag as my gym bag. Annoying? Yes, but very needed if a diaper explosion happens. Now that Mr. L is getting older he is becoming more predictable and I no longer carry his diaper bag into the gym. This leaves me with no gym bag. I’m now on the hunt for a new gym bag but I’m having trouble pulling the trigger. For some reason, buying a gym bag seems like a big commitment to me. Totally stupid, right?
My gym bag needs:
1. A compartment for my swim gear that’s waterproof
2. Room for shoes
3. Room for L essentials like snacks and zippy cup
4. Across body strap (I hate carry a bag and L at the same time. I just can’t juggle)
I’ve been looking at a couple of bags but just can’t make a decision.
Choice #1 Lululemon’s Yoga on the Run Duffel
This bag is really cute and has a waterproof bottom and bag. Love the over the shoulder padded straps.
Choice #2 Under Armour Perfect Bag
It has my required over the shoulder straps but doesn’t have the waterproof pouch.
Choice #3 Athleta’s Warm Up Gym Bag
Another choice with all my requirements but lacks the cuteness.
Which one would you chose? What gym bag do you use?
03.22.13 Baby Update – 11 Months
Just 28 short days till my little man turns 1!
As soon as I hit the publish button on the 10 month post, Mr. L decided that crawling isn’t fun anymore. He is now a full-time walker and as of a week ago, he’s running. There is no sitting or relaxing at our house anymore, if Mr. L is awake we are busy walking. I follow him around the whole house the entire day preventing him from getting into EVERYTHING. I think we entered toddlerhood at 10 months.
He doesn’t stop moving!!!
Lucas has had a tough winter in the sickness department. We started February dealing with the norovirus and he caught a monster cold at the beginning of March. Between stuffy noses and exploding diapers, Lucas has only slept through the night a handful of times. I keep telling myself that we are getting closer and closer to more sleep! I’ve also been telling myself this each night since about 8 weeks old.
Eating is going really well in our house even though L isn’t a big eater. His favorite meals are pot roast, mac & cheese and spaghetti and will only feed himself now. He doesn’t even like to have his chicken nuggets cut up anymore and will hold it while taking tiny bits. Such a big boy.
Lucas is still Mr. Happy and smiles all day long. He is quite the charmer and loves flashing smiles at women when we are out at the mall or shopping. Needless to say this gets him lots of free cookies at the bakery and stickers at stores. Such a flirt!
Little man is quite the talker and babbles all day long. Dadda, daddy, da is the favorite but I think we had our official 1st word last week. L and I were out exploring a town and stopped at a bakery for a coffee and snack. L went up to the cookie display cases and yelled “coo-key” then “key key key”. So I’m pretty sure his 1st word is cookie and we spend too much time in bakeries.
A rainy day at Barnes & Noble
11 Month Rundown
- Loves books, cars, trucks, garbage trucks and being outside
- Dislikes diaper changes, sitting still, being told no and slides.
- Size 3 diapers but Size 4 at night
- 19 lbs and 30.5 inches tall
- Stopped taking a morning nap
- Haircut #4
- He waves, he points, he high-fives
12 months here we come….
03.19.13 NYC Half ’13 Race Review
Remember to enter my What To Expect When You’re Expecting Book Giveaway here!
On Sunday morning I woke up at the crazy hour of 4:30am to get ready to run the NYC Half Marathon. Fearful that I would wake up the little man and the hubs if I made coffee and toasted my toast (we have a small house ), I decided to hit up Dunkin Donuts for my pre-race coffee and roll. I drove into NYC, parked the car and walked to the starting area in Central Park. It was FREEZING out on Sunday morning and I really didn’t want to check a bag so I wore my old, stinky maternity winter coat as a throw away. It worked out perfectly and kept me toasty warm till 7:30am.
Pre-dawn start line!
Right at 7:30am the race started and I crossed the start about 12:20 later. I wavered back and forth before the race on having goals, Garmin or no Garmin and how I should treat this race. In the end I decided that I would go no Garmin, sometimes no music and run the race for fun. The NYC Half ’13 was my last NYC race. I have lots of reasons for not wanting to run in NYC anymore but it pretty much boils down to time, too crowded, frustration with NYRR and crazy price increases. I started my adult NYC running career with the NYC Half ’08 and I would end with the NYC Half ’13. Full circle!
Corral 10
Since I was running with no Garmin, I decided to go with the pace of the crowd around me in Central Park. The first 10k of the race is entirely in the park and the park can be crowded and it does have lots of hills. I knew it would be crowded and I didn’t want to waste any energy on weaving. As each mile passed in Central Park, I fondly remembered the races I have run there. Central Park is still home to my 4 mile PR, my 1st ever sub-2:00 half marathon and my marathon PR. So many good memories.
I passed the 5k mark in 29:24 and the 10k mark in 1:01:09. After exiting the park, the course takes you south on 7th avenue into Times Square. This part of the course is the best and is also a gradual downhill. The energy in Times Square is awesome and I was so happy I ran this part of the race with no music. I was able to soak in the atmosphere and excitement of the day. The crowds weren’t quite as big as I remembered from 2009 but it was the day after the St. Patrick’s Day parade in the city .
Running down 7th Avenue into Times Square
Around mile 7.5, the course takes a right turn onto 42nd street and heads toward the West Side Highway. The air temperature was still below freezing and I knew that it would even be colder by the water. I was right, it was colder and windy. YIKES! Mile 8-12 take you south on the West Side Highway and this part of the course is hard. Even though it’s totally flat, it takes mental toughness to conquer this part of the course. Around mile 9 I turned on the tunes and tried to zone out. I hit the 15k mark in 1:33:09.
A little after Mile 12, the course swings by the new Freedom Tower and loops around the bottom of Manhattan. A quick run in a tunnel and runners are treated to an amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge and South Street Seaport. When I ran this course in 2008 and 2009 it ended right at the World Financial Center. I am loving the new location of the finish line.
After rounding a quick corner the finish line was in sight. I knew I had passed the start somewhere around the 12:20 mark and the race clock was at 2:23 mark so I booked it. I was hoping to sneak in under the 2:11 mark but I finished the race in exactly 2:11:00 for a minute mile pace of 10:00.
I grabbed my recovery bag, a medal and a heat sheet before quickly walking to the subway. I wanted out of the area as soon as possible because it was super crowded and I was cold.
Overall I was happy with my run. I beat my 2008 time of 2:12:20 and I wasn’t sore at all on Monday. It was the perfect end to my NYC running career.
03.13.13 A Needed Switch
It’s no secret that I’m having trouble with racing motivation lately. I’m pretty much complaining about it in every other blog post. How boring, right? Well, I’ve taken a quick look at my upcoming Spring race calendar and saw the NJ Marathon staring at me in the face.
Ughh, May 5th is so close (source)
It took me all of about 30 seconds of scouring the NJ Marathon website before I decided to switch to the half marathon.
Bye bye NJ Marathon…hello, Long Branch Half! (source)
While filling out the change of race form, I listed all the reasons (to myself and now to you) why I need to switch.
1. Increasing my long run distance past 13 miles makes me want to take a nap.
2. I can picture myself at mile 14 and wanting to quit.
3. My heart isn’t in it and I respect the distance too much to show up unprepared. The half on the other hand…ehh, I’ll show up unprepared anyway .
4. I really don’t feel like running a marathon right now.
So there you have it, I am not going to be running a Spring 2013 marathon and I’m very happy about it. I feel like a HUGE weight is off my shoulders and now I can have some fun with halves and shorter distances this Spring.
Ahhh relief!
Have you ever dropped out of a marathon? Or any race?
03.12.13 St. Paddy’s Day 5k
Last Saturday I ran the Morristown St. Paddy’s Day 5k. I was going to bring Mr. L and run it with the stroller but he came down with a nasty cold on Friday. Poor guy is sick again and this time he has a sore throat. A trip to the doctor calmed my fears that it wasn’t strep throat. Poor little man.
Instead of heading out Saturday with my favorite little guy, I drove the quick drive to Morristown alone. I was so confident that the race would be in the downtown area that I parked and tried to find packet pickup. Uh duh Liz, the race was more than a mile away in a park. Good thing I arrived over an hour early!
Wearing my NYCM 2012 jacket…how sad
Packet pickup was easy and I ran a warm-up mile before being called to the start line. The race was timed gun to chip and I didn’t hear the gun go off. I probably started my Garmin 30 seconds after the gun and passed the start about 1 minute later. This race was crowded.
The 1st mile was all about trying to weave through the crowds. At one point the race was so congested that we were slowed down to a walk. I crossed mile 1 in 9:53.
Mile 2 had a HUGE hill in it. Not a hill that’s kind a big but a REALLY BIG HILL. Walking up it was probably faster than running it. I finished mile 2 in 10:08.
Since this race was so crowded and I had two untied shoe lace incidents by mile 1, I decided to make it my goal to run up the hill and make the final mile fast and uncomfortable. After spotting the mile 2 marker, I dug deep and increased my speed. I finished mile 3 in 8:20 and crossed the finish in 29:31.
Love my new Garmin 110!
I grabbed an apple and a banana for my guys and headed home. I haven’t run a 5k since October and haven’t run without the stroller since July.
This race was super crowded and unless you were in the front, you weren’t going to be able to race it. I would definitely run the St. Paddy’s Day 5k again but only for fun and probably with the stroller. The run gave out a nice green long-sleeved tech t-shirt with a shamrock man on the front and an Irish quote on the back. My husband has already worn it to the gym!
Did you run a St. Paddy’s day run? Anyone else race last weekend?
