The Great Cooking Disaster of 2014

“Ten minutes,” I said.

“Just ten minutes, and I’ll have delicious pasta for work tonight.”

I had ten minutes to kill while the bed sheets finished drying. In fifteen minutes, the bed would be made, my lunch packed and I’d be out the door, on my way to the Mother-in-Love’s to spend some time with Baby Girl before heading to work.

“Just ten minutes,” I said.

So, I got everything cooking. The sauce was heating, the linguine boiling, the timer set.

I briefly left the kitchen to change my clothes. And I returned to this…

Mt Vesuvius has been capped!

The sauce had been transformed into Mount Vesuvius,  erupting violently,  shooting great fireworks into the sky.

Except there was no sky. Only the ceiling. And the cabinets. And the microwave. And the counters. The stove. The floor.

Sauce was EVERYWHERE.

EVERYWHERE.

And there went playtime with Baby Girl. Up in smoke. Or rather, up in sauce.

I wanted to cry. I cleaned instead.

Midnight Mommy Tip #11

When Itty bitty is fussy, squirmy and fighting sleep… play Amos Lee. Seriously.  Go download all of his songs, have it ready, hit shuffle and enjoy the magical effect!

Don’t believe me? Here’s the before:

…and here’s the after:

Yeh, it’s THAT good.

Taking the Plunge into Ultras…

Well, not so much of a plunge as it is a baby step. If you didn’t catch it on Instagram or Twitter, yesterday I signed up for my first Ultra! 

If you haven’t heard of the Bullet Creek50, I highly recommend checking it out. You can visit their website, sign up on Ultrasignup, or find the latest info on Facebook.

There are three distances – half marathon, 50k, and 50 miles. I signed up for the 50k! The swag at this race is unbelievable. .. at the packet pickup they’re giving ALL runners a Camelbak hydration pack, Petzl headlamp,  and Under Armour tech tee!

Bullet Creek50 swag

With such awesome “goody bags,” the hubster even decided to sign up for his first half marathon!

I signed up for the 50k thinking I just may not be ready for a 50 miler so soon from now (I have about 3.5 months to recover and train), BUT there is NO CUTOFF time, AND if a runner can’t finish the distance they signed up for, they WILL get a belt buckle if they finish one of the shorter distances! So, I’m seriously considering emailing the race director to see if I can pay the extra $20 to upgrade to the 50 miler. If it turns out I’m not fit to finish it, I’m confident I can finish the 50k.

Is giddiness normal after completing a marathon? I’ve been overwhelmingly giddy ALL WEEK LONG. My very soul is sparkling and bubbling, like overflowing champagne! Is it due to the completion of an enormous goal? Is it due to how well I felt during, and after, the run? Maybe getting an awesome deal on my first pair of trail running shoes? (Used my REI dividend to partially pay for them, AND my order qualified for a $20 gift card! That deal is going till April 29 – check it out!)

Or maybe it’s due to the fact that the completion of that goal was not an end unto itself, but rather one big step towards a series of goals. I’m on my way towards making my dreams a reality, and learning that I am so much stronger than I ever believed possible!

What are you learning about yourself as you work towards, and beyond, your goals?

I AM a Marathoner

Well, hello there! It’s been a long time, I know. How long? Oh, let’s see… about a month and a half, maybe a tad longer. You see, between sickness knocking the whole family out for a solid month, work consuming so much of my time, struggling to keep the marathon training going, struggling to maintain that whole “work, family, running” balance, and then, well, Spring singing her siren song, calling me outside, let’s just say I have been uninspired to do any writing lately.

However, there have been recent developments that are most wonderfully noteworthy, and worthy to be chronicled.

First of all….

I DID IT!! I finished a marathon!!!

Jumping for joy at mile 20!

This past Saturday I finished the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon in a chip time of 5:22:50!

Finishing strong!

And I did it in a tutu!

So proud to be a Marathoner!

I just LOVE the Kentucky Derby Festival marathon and miniMarathon. I did the “mini” two years ago. Both times to run in the KDF have been a joyous delight. Between the fun expo, the nice goody bags, the “scream teams” and music tents along the course, and the energetic crowds that line the course, how could you not love this great event? The crowd kept me going, kept me pumped up…. well, the crowd and the tutu. Yes, tutus ROCK! They DO give you super powers – because they just make the run twice as much fun. Don’t believe me? Wear one in your next race. I dare you! 😉