Sunday, October 26, 2008

Tricycle Tricks

I just got a glimpse of how it might feel to run while my girls bike. I was running, chasing Ava and her friend on bikes, but I had Julia on a tricycle. 

I've learned the trick of lifting up the front wheel of the tricycle by pushing down on the attached pole. This means that the tricycle "driver" can't steer. Of course, the rider can't pedal either, but in Julia's case, she's not pedaling much for the long haul anyway. So a little lift from me means that the two of us can cruise. I was running at a decent pace, sweating, in fact, and Julia enjoyed the fast ride. 

The preschool girls stayed to the right on the path, waited if they got ahead of the moms, and put the breaks on for the downhills and sharp turns. In "Fit Family" I discuss how bike paths can have some potential cons, if they are busy and you are trying to get a child acquainted with riding. Yup, I've had some close encounters with kids and potential collisions on the bike path, but not this time. 


Sunday, October 19, 2008

Hiking with Friends

The girls and I took advantage of an early release day from school (hence, no afternoon preschool) and got out hiking with some other two and four-year-old kids. 

The revelation on this outing was that an ice pack from a lunch bag can double as a first aid remedy for the notorious forehead bump that kids get when they take a good digger.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Stowe Reporter Features 'Fit Family'

The Stowe Reporter ran a feature on "Fit Family" in this week's business section. Hopefully, lots of folks will check it out while they're checking out the foliage this Columbus Day weekend. And the tourists will be happy. This year's colors are gorgeous. Read the story at: 
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=999&NewsID=929397&CategoryID=19133&show=localnews&om=1

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Shape Up America Reviews Fit Family

Got another good book review. This one is in the October issue of Shape Up America! The organization is headed by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Lots of good info for keeping little kiddos fit in this issue. Scroll down bottom for the review at: http://www.shapeup.org/about/arch_news/nl1008.html

Monday, October 6, 2008

Race Pace

Yesterday, on the morning of our local half marathon road race, my daughter, Ava, asked "Daddy, are you going to win the race?" He said that he didn't think so. She then asked if I had ever won a race. My "ummm" was so long that she changed the subject before I could rack my brain for something that I must have won. Then my husband got talking about his ideal sub-6 pace and beeped his watch incessantly.

It's funny living with someone who is so competitive and focused as an athlete while I am pretty relaxed with the notion of race pace. I did, however, get a good idea from a recent issue of Runner's World. It recommended having three goal times - one that you're really striving for, another that is attainable, and finally one that you would at least be content with.  So, I picked two: a goal pace of 7:45 min/mile, something that would be a bit of a push, and a fall back of an 8-minute mile, which I figured I could do.

I started out with my running partner, who is a little bit stronger than I am, but we figured we'd give it a try opting for some company for the long run. I hung on until the turnaround at mile 7 and then there were a few small hills and I felt a little tired. She went ahead. I slowed down. I was off pace at the 10-mile mark and thankfully saw a friend who yelled "5K." That was helpful because I pulled it back together. 

I finished with an 8-minute mile pace. Good enough for me this time. My husband finished 6th overall. He was a little off his pace, too, but was happy. We've since had a day to talk about the race -- where we were tired, the hill in disguise, who else we saw out there. We rarely race together because of kid duty, but I think this race will turn into an annual event for mommy and daddy. I'm already thinking about who I'll have as a sitter next year as our current one will be off to college.