I am sure many of you have heard of the cabbage soup diet. Or that cayenne pepper in lemonade diet. Raw egg shakes, negative-calories of celery, or eat only bacon, there are certainly lots of "single food" or fad diets out there.

When the Parent Bloggers Network offered me the opportunity to review The Ultimate TEA Diet, by Mark "Dr. Tea" Ukra, I thought it was going to be a "drink only tea, all the time" diet. Still, I was intrigued, so visited the website and discovered it is not a single-ingredient starvation diet.

So did I like the book? Did I lose any weight?

Go check out my review on Reviews from the Couch to find out!

Just avoid the dip - unless it is in a swimming pool after I've shredded away enough to wear a bikini, that is...

At the beginning of March, I started seeing Shredhead buttons all over the blogosphere. I looked at the Shredhead pictures with respect for those showing off their tummies.

And then I went back to bed.

I was in the midst of horrid-flu along with the rest of my family. I could barely stay awake, so was definitely not in the mood to join some sort of exercise force.

But now that I've recovered, and seen how far those early adapters have come with their weight-sculpting, I'm on board. Better late than never, even if I am WAY late joining the party. Still it is in plenty of time to look hot by BlogHer, so maybe you'll see me in a swimsuit in Chicago.

Well, I told you I was joining the Shredheads, and indeed, I've completed Level One.

And so, it is time for a Graduation Report!

I didn't want to post "before" pictures 10 days ago because I was nervous. I wanted to show at least a little improvement. Unfortunately, my Day 10 pictures aren't exactly flattering either, but they do show improvement. I swear that I look and feel better on Day 10 than these pictures may show!

Truth be told, when I looked at the pics, I was surprised at just how thick I look. True, those workout shorts aren't the most flattering, but I definitely look "solid." In that way, I'm a little depressed. Sure, I knew I wasn't going to turn into a long lithe figure in 10 days (especially given that I'm only 5'2" so can never be "long" and have breasts so cannot be "lithe.") but I guess I feel thinner now than I actually look.

One of the other Shredheads had talked about "feeling like a warrior." Indeed, I feel much stronger than I did on Day One. By the time I've recovered from the morning workout, I feel ready to take on more. I don't, because I have work to do and don't want to compromise the next day's workout, but that warm sore feeling in the muscles and clear lungs feel fantastic the rest of the day.

Read on to see photographs and read details that - unless you're really into other people's workout habits - will probably bore you. I like to stay accountable, so here goes:

Okay, so Level One of the 30 Day Shred was definitely a success for me. But what about Level Two?

My last day of Level Two was on Easter. Yes, some folks may have pushed the grad-date to Monday, but I did not. Instead I worked out, and then enjoyed mimosas and pancakes.

The bad news: I gained weight.

The good news: I lost one percentage point of fat

The weight I gained was not enough to mathematically alter the fat percentage, and even if it was, I would have had to gain something other than fat for that to have happened. So, I did lose fat in those 10 days of Level Two!

Yes, you guessed correctly: Level Two Graduation corresponded exactly with that oh-so-bloat-able "time of the month." Sure, I can hear Jillian yelling, "That whole gaining muscle thing where you gain weight, that's BULL!" and yet I know I've gained muscle in addition to that whole water-retention thing.

(Sneak peak towards my Level Three results: I've already lost a couple pounds in the two days I've been on Level Three, just as my period ended. So yes, part of the weight gain can be attributed to those pesky hormones and water weight during Aunt Flo's visit.)

As always, read on only if you want boring details... and to see embarrassing photographs:

Last Wednesday, I graduated from the 30 Day Shred. Or perhaps more accurately, I completed the thirty days, but have decided to retain myself rather than "graduating" because I want to continue with this program - along with others - to tone, get fit, and lose weight.

It has taken me awhile to report on the results because I've been asleep.

I completed the tenth day of Level 3 on Wednesday, and then (gasp!) took Thursday off. I didn't work out Thursday, I just tried to catch up on work and cleaning. (Cleaning my house might be considered working out, though.) On Friday I resumed my workouts - but this time with Bob. Saturday and Sunday I still worked out, but also slept in heavily. This morning I awakened to get the Cat's lunch in his backpack and to see him off to school, but then I went back to sleep until 10am.

I now feel great - but also sheepish for sleeping so much.

So... did I lose weight? Am I the next Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model?

Well, not exactly on the second, and "sort of" on the first. I am a work in progress.

Read on to see what I accomplished in thirty days:

So, you know how I had never gotten a medal?

Well, I just got my Disney 5K medal, but it is actually a soft plastic. Does this mean I have to wait until the Disneyworld Half-Marathon to get an actual "medal?" Hmmm, we'll see.

In the meantime, I'm definitely glad that I went to the Happiest Place on Earth to run amongst kids, adults, and various characters. It was pretty darn cool to have Dora, Diego, Jimmy Neutron, et al cheering us on. And of course, Mickey and Minnie were there to lend support at the START and congratulate us at the FINISH.

My time was a hair over 39 minutes. I was soaring (or, stumbling) over the checkerboard mat just as 38:59 went to 39:00. It took several minutes to actually reach the START after the official clock started, though, and the first mile was an exercise in passing the walkers while jogging in place, so miles 2 and 3 were faster than 13min/mile. (In this race we didn't have tags to record net time, but in the half-marathon they do.) But really, the time doesn't matter. Because I actually ran the whole darn thing. And that makes me very happy, indeed.

Stressful September has certainly earned its name. Although I'm glad the month is almost over symbolically, in reality I am panicking because it seems like just yesterday was August, and I have things due right now. I've definitely had an exciting month, with the Disney 5K and the trip to New York, but it has also involved a lot of adjustment. I've been feeling "blah" lately - perhaps "let down" because the exciting parts of the month are over, while the responsibility has piled up.

I've been nervous about Spliggle's separation anxiety, the piles of work that just keep coming, and the other responsibilities that overwhelm. (If I do laundry, I can't do the dishes. If I do dishes, I can't run. If I run, I can't do paid work. If I do paid work, I can't do laundry.) Last year I gained a lot of weight during this period - I felt I needed to put all my other responsibilities in front of my own health. I started to this year as well, but then I told myself I had to keep taking care of myself, even if I end up feeling "guilty" that I'm running instead of doing work.

My original plan was to run my first 10K in December. I figured that was plenty of time to train. I thought I might run a local 5K at the end of October. But admittedly, I got lazy after the Disney 5K. It was Goal! Accomplished! swiftly followed by lots of back-to-school flurries that took away lots of running opportunities. And yet I know it wasn't really, "goal accomplished" because to get to the 10K level, and then looking ahead to a half-marathon in March, I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I ran my second "official" 5K race on Sunday. Although my time - at 35.38 - was faster than with the Disney 5K, there were several major differences.

For Disney, there were so many of us that it took a long time to actually reach the start. I also had to run in place as I tried to pass folks walking, those with (forbidden!) strollers, and other people who probably should have queued up more towards the back. But once I got within a group maintaining my pace, I ran consistently. My time was just a hair under 39 minutes.

For Sunday, I was able to start with a literal bang. (Yes, there was a gun. It was fun.) My initial pace was much faster than I could maintain, plus my skirt fell off. Well, okay, it slid down rather than completely falling off. As I was tugging at my skirt repeatedly, I remembered I had the same problem at Disney, yet had somehow blocked it out. I've got to find a better solution for my sway-back.

Also, I wasn't dead last, although that would be OK too, provided that I had finished!

On Sunday I ran a 10K. I was nervous. Very nervous. After all, during both the Disney 5K and last week's "save the schools" 5K I felt imminent death coming on cruddy at times. How could I possibly run double that distance, and not die?

Answer: psychology.

Flashback to 2006: I competed with some girlfriends on a "Biggest Loser" type challenge within our mom's group. I lost over twenty pounds, but came in second. My exercise during that time was walking a local trail - around our reservoir - pushing Splig's stroller. The autumn of 2006 was very bad, and I gained back the weight. About a year later, I resumed my trail walk - the same course, but without the stroller, since Splig was at that point in preschool (and wouldn't sit in a stroller anyway.)

Off and on for years I've walked that course. I've walked it in a mom's group when the Cat was a baby. I walked it blindfolded as a fourth grader during a Girl Scout project. I walked it with my parents. I walked it with my friends. I walked it with Splig in a stroller. I walked it as the Cat ran ahead of me every so often to take photos.

Emphasis on walked.

When I was in elementary school, we had an annual fundraiser. For the first few years of my grammar school career, it was a "Walkathon" around our school grounds. For each lap we completed, we received a little stamp on a tag that we wore around our neck. Of course we had obtained monetary pledges ahead of time for each lap we'd complete, but the real motivation for us kids was to get our cards filled, and to possibly win prizes.

The event lasted all day so that we could take a break, eat, and then start walking on the course again. I loved it. The other kids seemed to enjoy it too. It was like a carnival, but also with a little exercise. It wasn't about speed, it was about how far you went.

I won the trophy for the most laps in my grade level one year.

But then the Walkathon was dubbed not educational enough. It was "too fun" to be of benefit to us.

The PTA instead decided to do a Spellathon. They figured they could raise money for the school (pledges on each word spelled correctly) while also boosting our educational content.

Booooooring.

Something funny happened today. I decided to run up Big Bertha.

See, she and I go way back. She appears a tad after the .75 mile mark into a 2.7 loop. Right after her, the coveted 1.0 is painted on the concrete. She is the first Big Hill after a bunch of tiny ones. On days when I want a really quick outing, I turn around at that mile marker, then sail down her quickly.

When I was a walker, Big Bertha was when I'd start to sweat. Pushing Splig's stroller up Big Bertha was horrendous. Even when I thought I was in shape, I'd feel winded after her. I remember one day when I walked up her twice - just to get a little extra "push" in there.

As I started interval training, I occasionally started to run up her partway if it was during my "run" interval, but I'd laugh a little and stop soon thereafter. No way, CRAZY.

(neither of the photos here show Big Bertha or Grumbly Volcano, unfortunately - after all, I was concentrating on running at those points. The top one pictured is a nice downhill curve that I thought looked pretty, and then the bottom one is Big Bertha's backside, which is a more gradual uphill than she is herself.)

During college I took a course called "behavioral medicine." It talked about the positive and negative ways that our choices impact our health. And no, it wasn't simply "exercise, eat well, don't smoke" type advice; rather, it was an examination of what goes on behind the scenes and surprising ways in which our behavior impacts our well-being and vice-versa. (So yeah, I get how some people can eat whatever they like and not gain an ounce, and how an otherwise perfectly fit person can drop dead of a heart attack one day - but I also understand how for some people they can change their destiny through their decisions. Some things you can change, others you cannot - and those limits are different for each person.)

It was during that course that I became very interested in surgery (since we learned various surgical techniques so we could observe changes in rats' brains) and neuroscience (ditto.) Yes, some of you are thinking wait, doesn't she faint when she even contemplates surgery? (Surgery on others is way different than surgery on you.)

Hoping that we were amongst those who could become skinny and fit by exercise (and knowing that we'd best not tempt fate if we weren't one of those people who could sit around and live forever) several of my friends and I decided to really ramp up our workout routines. (Or start working out, as the case may be.)

This morning I ran 4 miles, which isn't such a huge thing (can't believe I'm saying that!) except it was with two people who have gone through "team in training" and completed marathons. Overall, I finished faster than usual because we didn't take walk breaks the way I typically do. Although the course was mainly flat, it was an amazing workout for me because of the slightly faster pace with fewer points of slowing down. I even sprinted the last few seconds just to push myself.

Most of the "pushing myself" these days has been work-related, though. It has been horrifically chaotic, which means that clients who are used to having me essentially at their beck and call haven't gotten such immediate responses, which frustrates them. Meanwhile, the clients who only have requests seasonally think "Hey, I never ask her for anything, so she needs to jump when I do!" Add together a mix of the former and latter types of clients, many of whom want something that they believe will "just take five minutes" and I'm not pleasing anyone no matter how hard I work. Of course, making the paid work a priority means that the kitchen is dirty, the laundry isn't clean, and I'm not looking over my boys' shoulders as they do their homework. Plenty of people have made it clear that I'm simply not living up to their expectations.

I ran a 5K trail run this morning. I felt as though I was running faster than usual, but the clock said otherwise. Meanwhile, my sportband said I had gone a much further distance, but I know it is lying. Still, I like what my sportband says I did. I will be interested to see what my "official" time is once that is posted, and yet I know it really doesn't matter. Much.

What is terrific is that the family had fun. The kids did the "Little Turkeys" race and came away with medals. I got a medal for finishing my race, too. And this time it was a real "clinkable" medal, not a hard-plastic one -- Woooooooo!

For more pics of our race adventures, visit my Nitro Turkey Trail Run Flickr set.

I am still running, literally and figuratively, although I really need a nap.

For fun I created a little running gear shout-out to some of the brands I've used in the past six months. Also on Spectrum of Reviews, I have a preview of one of the two photo holiday cards I will be sending out. In the event that you are a family member or friend who will receive a holiday card, you may receive the one in the post, or you may receive a different one. I was lucky enough that two excellent stationery companies gave me discounts to try their cards. And so, this is the Year of Two Holiday Cards! (Now, actually addressing and sending the cards out is a different task.)

As for other news:

Splig is doing well. As Husband says, he's a little too well. He was disappointed when I said he couldn't go to gymnastics last night. So then he tried to create parallel bars in our home. I'm thinking perhaps I'll have him go to gymnastics Friday just because it might be safer than the way he's running around at home. Nonetheless, I still hold my breath when I see him doing anything than walking calmly. So, always holding my breath. The stitches are out and he's happy. The surgical tape covering the wound is starting to peel off but I'm trying not to think about it. I am still traumatized over the whole situation, but am really trying to move ahead. Time has jumped froward and my to-do list is large.

I just keep running. And apparently, so does Splig.

Two weeks ago on Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet with an actual "stylist" who pulled clothing for me. Instead of watching celebrities on TV get dressed by people who actually know fashion, I was the one being pampered. "Do you want a water, Kari?" "Here are some candy bars, Kari." "Step over here so I can snap your photograph, Kari." Yes, the other shoppers in the store looked at me a little funny, "Why is she getting her photograph taken?"

It was all part of an amazing experience the BlogHer folks set me up on. Thanks to that Saturday, I had an excellent outfit to wear yesterday when I chaperoned during the third grade class' trip to see the insanely frightening version of "A Christmas Carol." (Head on over to A Spectrum of Reviews to find out more about my experience, and how you can win a $200 Gift Card to that store.)

Unlike the previous field trip, the Cat did fabulously. He acted like a third grader, not like someone who had come one "strike" away from triggering a functional behavioral analysis. After the last field trip, I held my breath because I didn't know what had caused such a regression, and worried about whether he'd improve. He then did improve, and hasn't slid down again yet (knock on wood.) So this field trip, I was holding my breath because the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come was very large and very scary.

But back to the Story of Saturdays.

Last Saturday, I was the opposite of pampered. I was the opposite of chic, or at least not stylish chic. No, last Saturday I was covered in mud.

The start of last week was tough. It was really tough. Lots of work to do, lots of "extracurricular" hassle, and in general just a tiring time. (Plus it was raining - great for our drought, not great for the rapidly growing weeds in our too-fertile soil or for very energetic boys who appreciate the outdoors.)

On Thursday the weather cleared a bit, so I went for a quick run. I joked to a friend that if I hadn't signed up for a 10K on Saturday, I wouldn't have allowed myself that break. After all, it seemed like an indulgence to actually take time for myself in the midst of a week where everyone else wanted a piece of me.

The next morning - Friday - I awakened to a couple surprises. First there was a good surprise: the previously disastrous kitchen was clean! Husband had made donuts the night before, and I feared the worst. But he had done the dishes!

I praised him ("good puppy, do that trick again!") but he gave me a little half smile, "I'm glad you like that I cleaned the kitchen, but I'm going to tell you something that is going to ruin your day."

Over a week ago, I ran a half-marathon. (Yeah, I really did. And I didn't die.) And this coming Saturday, I have a 10K trail race, put on my the same people who did the challenging mud-slinging OMG-a-creek race from a couple weeks ago.

I really shouldn't be having so much fun.

Instead, I should be cleaning my house. After all, the boys' toys and other belongings are still piled in the living room even though at least one room is dried out from The Great Mold Invasion. I should start the reassembly process. And yeah, the boxes of Christmas decorations on the porch should really go in the shed.

Instead, I need to work on Science Fair stuff. The Science Fair is tomorrow. Tomorrow. Splig and I did his project over the weekend. The Cat doesn't want to do a project. How ridiculous is it that the Co-Chair of the Science Fair's own kid isn't submitting a project? Oh well...

Instead, I should blog. (heh.)

A week from today, I'll be on an airplane bound for Florida. The last time I was in Florida, it was for the ARVO conference. ARVO stands for the "Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology" but "ARVO" sounds so much more hip, don't you think?

While in Florida that other time, I presented a poster on visual search, ate wings at Hooters and swam in the ocean while wearing a very strange weight-lifting uniform (because I thought I was too fat for a bikini. In reality, I was not fat in the least.) When I decided I wasn't cool enough to walk around and party, I instead holed up in my hotel room with a bunch of bridal magazines. Oh yes, I thought I was about to be engaged.

But I wasn't.

Ahem. So, um, this trip to Florida is going to be much different.

On Sunday I completed the "Tiarathon" - otherwise known as the Disney Princess Half-Marathon. I must admit I'm in shock a bit that it is over.

After all, it was about a year ago that I started the 30-Day-Shred with the Shredheads community, and about a month and a half later that I reluctantly decided to climb on board to the whole "let's run a 5K" madness. As I looked for a race that would be fun and magical, I came across Disneyland's September race, but also noticed Disney World's Princess Half-Marathon. "Hey, maybe we'll be ready for a half-marathon in March 2010!?" I somewhat joked to my fellow newbie runners. After all, March 2010 seemed soooooo far away.

And now it is over.

While the Tiarathon was a complete blast for me, and for the majority of the Shredheads, it was an unfortunate "bust" for our dear Shredhead Her Bad Mother, who passed out the evening before the race, so made the prudent decision to sit out the half-marathon.

While there will always be other races, and it is definitely best to take care of oneself rather than pushing hard into an endurance event when the body is spent, this particular race had great significance for Catherine, and for her nephew Tanner.

Please visit Her Bad Mother to get a feel for how heartbroken she is to have not been able to do this event. You see, she's been training hard in her nephew's honor, and has pledged "100 Miles for Tanner." Disney is of course a magical place, and she would have wanted to run amidst the fairy dust.

In solidarity with Catherine and in honor of Tanner, Kristen has set up Tutus for Tanner. Instead of one race run in Tanner's honor, we're going to spread the effort such that anyone can run a race in Tanner's honor - just don your tutu and you're good to go!

I never thought I'd be running a trail race in a tutu, but I'll do just that, at least twice. Of course, there will be a few races for which a tutu will fit right in nicely, like the next time I do Disney (I'm contemplating doing the Disneyworld one in September - but the half-marathon this time instead of the 5k) and I'm doing San Francisco's Bay to Breakers, an event that always has excellent costumes (and nudity.)

Head on over to Tutus for Tanner and join the fluff, for a subject that is most definitely not chintzy.

I'm not feeling well at all. But, I signed up for a "fun run" so off I went this morning, tutu-clad for Tanner. Sure, some people initially snickered to see my get-up, but there were other people with beer steins on their heads, so really, what's a little sparkle? One lady said she kept me in her sight to help with her pacing; my tutu was a fun point of reference. Alas, I wasn't really keeping a steady pace, so I probably threw her off quite a bit.

While I had hoped to just go out and have a nice, easy, steady run, I really didn't feel "into it" today. My stomach is still flip-flopping and making me worry that maybe I shouldn't attempt to eat much today least I see it later on. Yeah, TMI, but you know that raunchy feeling you get pre-flu; I've got that. I have a lot of work to do this week, so crossing my fingers the stomach flu isn't headed my way.

It has been just a week and a couple days, but it feels so much longer. I "conquered" Mount Diablo (benefiting my legs and Save Mount Diablo) on March 20th. Or, perhaps the devil's mountain conquered me, for I'm still exhausted from my trek. Back in January, I did a difficult (and muddy!) trail race. The March one was more challenging in many ways, but I actually ended up being much faster. (The February 10k was flat and I successfully got a personal record for that distance.) During this particular race, I crossed several creeks. Since part of the course was a loop, I re-crossed the same creeks on the way back. There were fifteen crossings in all, if I counted correctly. There were several dramatically uphill portions, including a small path with a huge fallen tree blocking the way. I was quite the sight in my tutu (worn for Tutus for Tanner) climbing over that large log.

But I did it.

Thus far in 2010, I've done two 5ks, three 10ks, and two half-marathons. Interestingly, the half-marathons were exactly a month apart - February 7th and March 7th. My next scheduled race isn't until mid-April, and then I just got a great opportunity to kick off the month of May (during which I have three races scheduled.) I'm a quarter of the way into Project 2010k and pretty happy.

In other words, I'm tired. But it is definitely a "good" type of tired.

Photo: Yeah, standing on the bathtub using a cameraphone.

Saturday marked the fourth 10k of my Project 2010k. I did a trail race with "bonus mileage" which meant the run was 6.6 miles rather than the customary 6.2 miles for a 10k. The location was a rather large group of hills. Believe me, I went up and down pretty much all of them. The photo at right shows the tiny-stuff in the background, which of course was down below where I had begun.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and I appreciated the moments of shade (only a mile was straight and shady.) The downhills were exhilarating, although there were points that were super-steep so I nearly side-stepped down them rather than attempting to fly.

Some of the uphills made me question WHY DO I DO THIS? but of course the resulting views were an excellent reward.

May is "National Runners' Month." I didn't know this when I signed up as part of the Eat.Blog.Run team for The Relay, but my participation in this fabulous event meant that I started out Runners' Month with a huge bang: my team ran 200 miles (really 199 because the end-point changed) from Calistoga to Davenport. (The "200" was when The Relay went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.) We ran 199 miles in two days. No, we didn't really sleep. Yes, we're all alive. Of those 199 miles, my part was 18.4 miles.

As we made our trek, interested spectators, our friends, and our families were a bit confused as to how we could have possibly ran 199 miles. So - here is a breakdown of how this running relay worked:

There were 12 of us split up into two vans of six runners apiece. "Acadia #1" started the race at 7:00am on Saturday in Calistoga. I was a member of "Acadia #2," so got to sleep in Saturday morning. Each runner had three legs of the race to complete for a total of 36 legs. (Math is fun!) Our first runner Sherry took off on her first leg at 7:00am, and then handed off the baton (a green rubber bracelet, a la Livestrong) to Marie, who ran her leg before handing the bracelet off to Samantha, then Heather, then Christine.

Meanwhile, we "Acadia #2" members went to the end of Leg 6 to get ready. Linsey from "Acadia #1" handed off the bracelet to Carrie of "Acadia #2." At that point, "Acadia #1" became the "resting van" and was able to rest and eat. (Big shout out to Jane, who served as driver for "Acadia #1" so had to make sure to stay awake during her van's "active" parts.)

My van was up! Carrie handed off to Meg, who handed off to me (eeeeek!) I then handed off to Brenna, who handed off to Emmie, who handed off to Kelly.

At that point, we joined "Acadia #1" as Kelly handed the bracelet-baton back to Sherry for her second leg. We became the "resting van" and took a break until Leg 18. (Shout out to Emmie and Carrie who drove "Acadia #2" when they weren't running. Brenna drove too a bit, right? I was too tired to really notice - but thank you to the driver-runners!) We kept this rotation up throughout the night and the next day, finishing our final leg shortly after 7pm on Sunday night.

So here is a breakdown of the adventure itself:

A few years ago, I brought my boys to Stanford to watch the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. Splig, in particular, was really excited about seeing "real" gymnasts. He also enjoyed trying to perform his own gymnastics moves using the flip-up seats as parallel bars. My most "favorited" photograph on Flickr is one I snapped during that event of a Stanford student with a not-so-nice phrase about Cal written on his back. It is with irony, perhaps, that I wrote a letter today in defense of Cal's Men's Gymnastics program.

If you are so moved, please visit Cal Gymnastics Forever to help encourage the continuation of their rich gymnastics history. 2012 is not only an Olympic year, but will also be the 100th Anniversary of Cal Men's Gymnastics, should the program continue to exist.

Splig has gotten quite a lot out of gymnastics during his short tenure as a gymnast. While I cannot guarantee that he'll continue the sport thorough college, it is important to keep these opportunities available to young gymnasts like him.

Yesterday I ran the aptly-titled "Bear Creek 10k." I had done essentially the same race back at the end of January, the mudfest. Just as on that day, I started out horribly. My legs were heavy. My lungs were burning. But unlike in the wintertime, I also had heat to contend with (but fortunately the temperatures were nowhere near what they'd reach later in the day.)

Before the race began, I hung out in a shady area. Thankfully, I soon moved, for had I not, I would have been sprayed by reclaimed water sprinklers that came on shortly thereafter, causing runners to scatter and hold their noses. The stench was not pleasant. Fortunately, the race was only minutes away, so we were able to literally run away from the smell.

As the starting horn blared, someone next to me told her companion, "Just so you know, the first mile or so is a false-flat. It is definitely an incline, and it will tire you out fast."

So I had a reason for the first mile feeling cruddy, which was psychologically both good and bad news.

A week ago Saturday, I did an endurance run with Laura. Then this past Saturday, I hosted a birthday party for Splig. Both were equally exhausting.

It seems that being SIX is cause for the entire world to bow down to you. At least two of the birthday guests fully expected that I'd be at their beck and call the whole time. While I appreciate that a good hostess always caters well to her guests, I've got to admit a surprise at just how demanding these specific kids were.

(And no experience with ill-behaved kids would be complete without an appearance by an ill-behaved mother, but I'm going to be good and not gossip thusly.)

Overall, the party was fabulous. Most of the kids were well-mannered, and one mom whose child was a bit nervous for her to go stuck around and ended up helping me a great deal with the serving of pizza ("I want TWO cheese, NOW!") and cupcakes ("I better get one with vanilla frosting on top and chocolate cake underneath!") One child proclaimed that it was the best party EVER. And Splig concurred, telling his guests that they had picked out excellent presents for him. (Um, okay, almost polite.)

On Sunday I ran a half-marathon.

On Monday, I brought my kids to camp and saw this view:

As I looked out on the expanse, I thought of the whole "you can see for miles," cliche. Since it was an overcast day the view is limited to what it could have been.

Nonetheless, I was struck at how in this frame I could see a big portion of what I ran on Sunday. Everything seemed so small, and therefore, the space so large. And yet, I ran from the base of the Bay Bridge (which is behind Yerba Buena island to the left) to the Golden Gate Bridge (which of course is faintly visible at the right). I ran across the Golden Gate, turned around and came back. At that point, 9 miles were down. The rest of the race - through the Presidio ending in Golden Gate Park - is not visible in this picture.

1: Don't train all summer. But randomly do races like a half-marathon that gives you studly mylar blankets at the end, or a 10k that involves a mountain. But don't run otherwise, unless it is through Central Park in a tutu. Bonus points if you don't get on your stationary bike at all, and if you lift weights a single time, pretty much just to reposition them in the house.

2a: Forget you have a race until the night before. (This, despite picking up your bib and goodie bag mere hours beforehand.)

2b: Drink three bottles of sake for dinner, because you are gonna sleep in tomorrow!

2c: Remember you have a race and can't do anything about 2b, but maybe you should eat something? Set your alarm (you ain't sleeping in after all) while preparing a quick hummus-and-mozzarella-on-tortilla situation that will move through your body way too quickly to do any good for you. Sprinkle on some chia seeds for good measure.

3: Decide you really have to catch up on Real World episodes before you can go to bed. Curse the TiVo for not knowing that you really did want to record Master Chef instead of Big Brother, because the latter is already recorded in the front room.

When I was young, I loved going bike-riding with my dad. He, my younger brother, and I went to the local school or park to ride circles. My boys have enjoyed going out with their grandpa, but I missed having a bike.

And so, presenting... "Orange Crush", so named because I'm gonna CRUSH the competition when I start doing tris. Or, maybe, you know, if I ever do. Heh, never mind. It is neon orange even if this photo makes it look more red.

Check out the cool neon yellow water-bottle holder. AND, I got a helmet that has little orange stars on it so I can be all matchy.

Fun, huh?

OK, so exactly a year ago yesterday I ran my very first "real" 5k. Yes, I ran the BlogHer 5k fun run in Chicago a month prior, but Disneyland's 5k was my first organized race with bibs, a clock, and medals. Yup, I got my first "medal" that day - a piece of soft molded plastic that still has a place of honor in my bedroom.

But... so much can happen in a year. You see, yesterday I was back at the Mouse House. And yes, I ran my heart out again. But this time, I ran a half-marathon. And this time, I received a very heavy medal. (The "5" on the half-marathon medal is because this was the 5th anniversary of the race at Disneyland. Believe me, that enormous "5" caused plenty of confusion at each of the mile markers: what? we're at mile 5? and after the race people looking at the medals thought we had done a 5k or a 5-miler.)

Scratch that.

I received TWO very heavy medals: One for doing the Disneyland Half-Marathon, and one for completing the "Coast to Coast Challenge," because I had also done a Disneyworld Half-Marathon (the Princess Half in my case) in the same calendar year.

Now of course it isn't all about the medals. But it is still amazing - to me, a "non-runner" - that I have these trinkets of just how far I've come in a mere year.

I ran my fifth half-marathon on Sunday. On one hand, I was sort of blase about the whole thing before it began. I wasn't nervous like I had been in the past, and didn't go into full panic mode when I got lost on the way to the race. (I had left in plenty of time, so actually wasn't concerned I'd be late.) I didn't want to run the opposite direction of the START line. I was confident. On the other hand, I've done FIVE half-marathons?!? me?!?

For the last few weeks, I've been in a good zone. I've been running steadily and have had sections where I've been going faster than ever before. I had a good feeling about this race.

Indeed, I started out pretty strong, but resisted the urge to push too hard. The first couple miles were pretty smooth and the bands and other entertainment were fun. At the 5k mark, though, we hit some "dead air" for a race that is supposed to be all about the rocking and the rolling. The fourth mile was really long.

Around mile 5, though, the course wrapped around itself such that those of us on the way "out" could see those super-speedy runners on their way back "in." Watching the elites approach the finish was awe-inspiring. Fortunately, we had a good mile or so of this sort of view, so I got to see a bunch of fast runners. Buoyed by their strength, I felt fast, too. Imagine my surprise that the sixth mile seemed to go on forever. Thankfully, though, I noticed that I was making pretty good time.

For the last weekend of October, I did a silly thing: I ran two races. And of course, the second was on Halloween, so I got to hobble around the neighborhood while overseeing my boys' trick-or-treating. (But that also meant a couple pieces of candy wasn't a horrific assault to my waistline.) I didn't necessarily plan that two races and Halloween should come together: it just naturally worked out that way.

Nearly a year ago, I learned about the Warrior Dash and was immediately stoked. I registered in December 2009, both excited and impatient that the event wouldn't occur until October 30, 2010.

Meanwhile, I ran my very first 10k a year ago. I knew I'd want to return to the same race for a rematch ten 10ks later. I was a bit nervous when I saw the date would be October 31, 2010.

Could I really do two races in the same weekend?

Okay, so most of the time I purchase my race photos just as evidence I was there. It isn't like they are super-flattering or anything. Sometimes there is a single good shot. Other times there are a couple half-way decent shots and I figure I can crop them myself to create something sort-of-cool. Most of the time I look really awkward. But at least I was there... running.

When I saw how many cameras were out for the Warrior Dash, I was definitely optimistic that I might get something special.

In particular, I remember seeing a very large lens as I quickly crawled through the "Warrior Web." I thought for certain I'd get a grunting, half-spitting spot of my determined face, my body all hunched over. But perhaps the dude didn't record my race number when I stood up, because that particular photo wasn't in the mix I received when the email of proofs arrived. (Perhaps I'll search the "lost photos.")

But I did get several shots of me jumping over the fire. What an impressive feat that was (heh.) Of course they are absolutely not flattering, but the level of awkwardness provides exactly the right memento for a truly unique experience. And yes, you can see up my skirt, although I have both running tights and the skirt-shorts underneath, so really there is nothing to see here... aside from FIRE!

Behold... crazy person jumping fire:

I very much enjoyed tracking my friend Tracy as she ran the New York City Marathon yesterday (after already doing the Chicago Marathon just a few weeks ago.) But, she tweeted afterward that she's pretty sure I had more fun watching than she did running. She's contemplating retiring from the marathon.

Now I'm on the whole other side of the fence. I'm watching with envy as fellow Shredheads prepare for a marathon that I'm unfortunately too slow to qualify for just yet. Plus, I know in my heart that although I really want to run a marathon in my lifetime, the time is not now. My body is not ready. My schedule is not ready. I cannot put in the effort necessary to properly train.

While I can pretty much jump into a 5k, 10k, or even a Half, there is no way that I can just do a marathon on a whim.

In 2009 I shredded, in 2010 I ran. Alas, my Project 2010k ended two months earlier than I had intended thanks to a back injury; however, once my dad made it out of heart surgery safely and started recovering very quickly, the stress that I must have kept in my back melted away. That, and I had a couple weeks of "vacation" that still involved work, but the whole pace of life switched dramatically. The holidays were relaxing and I came into the New Year with renewed energy.

My primary-care physician advised me to not run for about 6 weeks - two weeks of which have already passed. But also, I had pretty much abandoned the strength and flexibility training of Shred while running, so had slid backwards in that area. I knew that I needed to either get back on Shred or try something new.

And so, my latest fitness challenge is a yoga-pilates-strength-ballet hybrid that pretty much kicked my booty this morning.

I'm jumping on the Shredheads bandwagon and tackling Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30 DVD during the month of April. Fear not, I continue to enjoy and benefit from my Dailey Method workouts, but I missed the "online challenge" aspect of the Shredheads, so wanted to participate in this April activity.

Plus, the Shredheads scored an interview with Jillian Michaels, and she's tweeting support to us, so of course I want to get a piece of that!

I've taken "before" photos, and have got some measurements, and am definitely eager to find out what 30 days will do. April includes both Spring Break and a trip, so it isn't the "ideal" month to do this sort of challenge, but if I waited for an ideal time, I'd be waiting forever.

It is only the second day the kids are home from school, and I'm already insane. Typically I'd take us all out for hamburgers so the house wouldn't continue to get messier, or I'd keep tackling my responsibilities but with a Long Island Iced Tea by my side to take the "edge" off.

But I don't want to undo the work that I'm accomplishing doing the Ripped in 30 challenge. Eating greasy fast-food burgers or continuing to drink alcohol on a daily basis isn't the pathway to being "ripped."

And so I chew gum, or bite ginger, or eat pistachios (just a handful!) when I'm tempted to grab a cookie or an ice-cold beer. (Unfortunately, I also bite my nails, which is a horrifically nasty habit.) I "save" my calories and alcohol. Like Saturday night, I went on a "date" with my husband and I happily had a few drinks. But the tacos that I thought would be delicious turned my stomach instead. The bagel-half I made myself this morning tasted too dry and doughy - not worth it! (And so I had an apple and a hard-boiled egg.)

Meanwhile, I'm crabby. Every little thing seems like A Big Deal even though it isn't. I'm a grouch, and I don't like it. I'm eating enough calories, and they come from "whole food" sources, but I'm still always hungry. But then I feel too guilty to eat more food, especially the "heavier" stuff like the plain grilled chicken breasts sitting in my fridge. Agrghaghghgh!

But I will press on, because after all it has been less than a week of this "detox," and sometimes things that are good for you can bite.

A year ago I was in the middle of eat.blog.run. It was an amazing experience, and it is simply shocking that an entire year has passed since then.

It is also shocking to me that I haven't run in six months.

I probably wouldn't have believed it had been that long had I not gone to the dentist.

You think, "WHAT? Dentist? She's going insane!"

My dental hygienist is a runner. She's a fast runner. She does gnarly trail runs and full marathons. At the end of October, we both ran the Warrior Dash. I knew she was there, too, because I had been in her chair just a few days prior, and she asked me what was on my race calendar.

Well, I go to the dentist every six months. And so when I went last week, I had to answer "nothing," to the same question she had posed last autumn. And it was then that I realized that since the Warrior Dash was the day before my last race, it had been six months since I had run.