back at it

I think I should do some research to figure out how many times I've started a blog or email with "it's been crazy around here."  I think I should accept that crazy is our version of normal.  

We are moving at warp speed around here.  Bryan is chatting up a storm.  A few real words (uh-oh, car, mom, dad, dog, ball) and a ton of pretend words.  Everything he doesn't have a word for has become a car.  At least he points up in the sky when he hears an airplane and says, "car car!"  Oh, and we get car car when the word he wants to say has two syllables.  I think that's pretty darn smart.

My job is keeping me on my toes in a lot of great ways. I still hate the travel part, but it's a small price to pay to be able to go for a run and/or hit the gym at lunch time and know that I can be home with Nuggs if he gets sick.  And speaking of sick (knock on wood...lots of it!), Bryan hasn't been really sick since we put the tubes in his ears!  BEST. DECISION. EVER!!  

He's getting a little dairy in his diet now.  We are giving him Pediasure in that real milk doesn't have the caloric density that he needs to fatten up a little.  By the end of July, the GI doc wanted Bry to weigh in at 21 lbs.  We showed up and he weighed in at 20 lbs, 14.5 oz.  Really.  We missed it by an ounce and a half.  If he would have just finished the banana before we left, we would have hit the goal.  I know he's growing like crazy.  He's out of his 18-month PJ's...they were too short and his feet too big.  So now he's swimming in 24-month PJs.  He hasn't outgrown anything else in that I had no summer clothes that fit him anyway.  He's finally growing into what we have, but most of the shorts are still too big.  That kid is perfectly proportionately skinny! With big feet.  Thankfully, they still seem to be "normal" rather than his dad's inherited 4-E width!  Keeping my fingers crossed that his feet stay longer than they are wide.

We have his 15-month check up tomorrow, on his 16-month birthday.  We waited an extra month so that we could see the GI doc before we did this follow up, then an extra week because I traveled last week and he needs more immunizations.  Chris was a little apprehensive to do that while I was out of town.  

And I am back in full swing in my training.  I have a 15k on October 6 (that's 9.3 miles) that fits perfectly in my training schedule for the half-marathon on October 20. There may be a few 5k races here and there, too, as fall weather takes over.  Over the summer, thanks to Lisa K., I realized that I have the potential to run a lot faster than I actually run.  I just don't push myself and I seem to get hung up on my darn Garmin watch. While I love the knowledge it gives me, I perform better if I don't have the instant feedback. So just go, and listen to my body, not the beeps.  Not rocket science but man, it sure is refreshing to know that I will not die if I run faster than a 12-minute mile.  How about a 10:45 minute mile.  Yep. I did that.  With a few more after that.  So, from now on, I'll turn my Garmin on and either wear it around my ankle so I can't see it, or stuff it in my run-belt.  I like the ankle idea...if it fits around my ankle, that is!

Ok, that's it.  I am excited for Bry's weigh-in tomorrow at the regular well-baby visit.  It's exactly two weeks after the GI weigh-in so we'll know if his growth trajectory is starting to correct itself or if we need to reevaluate.  My money is on trajectory correction!!    

Fear.

For the past two weeks, my alarm has been going off at 5:00 every morning for me to get up and run.  And it's been nothing short of impossible for me to actually lace up and go.  I've been excited, ready, awake enough, motivated and prepared to make a four- to five-mile loop every morning. But there's been something stopping me... FEAR.

Two years ago, during my summer of run, I was out the door every morning by 6:15.  But now with a kiddo on a schedule, daycare drop off and starting my work day, I have to get out the door an hour earlier to get the run in.  The problem with that:  The sun isn't on the same page.  By 6 am, there's enough daylight to make it happen.  But not enough time left before the routine begins.  At 5:15 there's just not enough daylight to be crossing 5-lane roads with speed limits of 45 where drivers regularly exceed 50-55 MPH.  And then there's the ongoing "investigative reporting" of mysterious white vans trying to mug women running alone, and the reports of aggressive coyotes approaching runners, walkers and pets across the Denver metro area.  One runner in Boulder County was bitten by an aggressive coyote.  The damn things are taking over our city!

And now that I am a mom, I take this stuff a lot more seriously.  I can deal with the coyotes, but the muggings and traffic are the real deal. On Saturday morning, a cyclist was riding in the bike lane along the road I want to cross when a car hit and killed him less than a block from where I'd cross.  I really don't think I need to be crossing that street on foot the dark.

So, I am faced with with two choices:  running on a treadmill; or in the heat of the day.  And to be honest, a pack of aggressive coyotes sounds like more fun than either of those two options.

But alas, I have two race registrations paid for and a knee that won't tolerate me not training properly.  So, with a little extra cross training, a few treadmill runs and (temperatures permitting) outdoor jaunts, I will keep my shoulders back, breathe deep and lace up.  Fear may change my method and time of day, but I won't let it change my goals.

Two pictures from five days

I will not be winning the mom of the year award for my picture taking during our trip to MI last week.  I managed two lousy iPhone photos during the entire visit.

A better trip update will follow. I am on the road again in sunny California and have a three hour drive ahead of me today. Right to the western edge of Death Valley.  SWEET!  It's supposed to be cooler there today. High around 109.  Good grief!

Bryan picked out a ball during our Target outing. He loved his new ball so much, he pitched a fit when I tried to put it in the seat next to him.  This is how he sat all the way from town back to the river.  What a kid!

Oh how my travels have changed.  This pocket used to have a bottle of water, an iPad and an iPhone.  Now it has water, a sippy cup, a zebra rattle, a Sohpie giraffe teething toy, a Dr. Seuss book and some graham crackers.

He was a great little traveler.  Slept all the way home and had no issues with time zones in either direction!!

It's just not a travel day without...

Fearing delays, bad weather and bumpy air.  Only this time I get to do with a toddler in my lap!  Here's hoping tomorrow is awesome and not in a sarcastic kind of way!

Nothing says "Jenna's traveling again" like large hail and strong winds!  BRING. IT. ON.  But after 2:30 eastern time, please!

The value of loyalty

It's no secret that I travel enough for work to reap the benefits of being brand loyal to hotel chains (Hilton), rental car companies (National) and airlines (United).

My United loyalty stemmed from the convenience of my home airport (Denver) being a hub for the airline and the fact that they offer direct flights to two airports in Michigan and every client I visit each year. This used to be a BIG selling point for me.  Bend, Oregon would take a day to get to on any other airline.

This week, I traveled to Detroit for the day.  No overnight bag, no luggage. Just me, my iPad, my purse, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a change of underwear (just in case!!).  I had to fly Delta because it was the only airline that could get me to Detroit by 1:00 pm and home the same night.  United didn't have the options to get me there or back.  Nor did Frontier, Southwest and American.

Begrudgingly, I booked my Delta ticket and prepared for the day. And it was a typical airport/airplane experience until the security video started.  Delta has gone out of their way to spice it up a little.  I actually giggled a couple times. I appreciated the surprise as I usually can recite those videos verbatim.

I had meetings, it rained a lot, blah blah blah for 2 hours.  And then it was time to come home.  When I checked in in Detroit for my flight home, I noticed I had a 20 minute delay in Minneapolis and my previously scheduled 42 minute layover had been cut in half.  In a panic, I went to a gate agent who said this to me, "Mrs. Rowland, I would really love to help you, but unless your delay overlaps your next departure, my system won't let me rebook you.  However, here's what I can tell you. Inside security, there's a Croc's shoe store near your gate. Stop in and get some comfier shoes.  In Minneapolis, you are scheduled to arrive at F2 and your flight home is scheduled to depart from G20.  I know that seems like a long walk, but if you keep moving and use the walkways, I am pretty sure you'll make it."

Wow.  I did not buy the shoes (although I wished I had!!), but I appreciated the suggestion. And I was thrilled to know exactly where I was scheduled to be going, even if F2 and G20 were subject to change. When I got on the plane in Detroit, I noticed how roomy it seemed for an MD-90.  I know my butt is getting smaller, but I really felt like I had plenty of butt AND leg room.  That's an airplane rarity these days. We departed on time for our 20 minute delay.

After landing in MSP, everyone was in a hurry.  The gentleman behind me was also connecting to Denver and offered to ask the gate agent to hold the plane for me.  He was wearing sneakers and was dressed as though he were a physically capable person.  Apparently I am a bit more physically capable in heels than he was in sneakers. I beat him to the gate.  They were just beginning the boarding process when I got there and then they announced the maintenance delay of 30 minutes.  Phew!  Me and  my new foot blister had time to grab a bite to eat, a bottle of water, use the restroom and see Kelsey Grammer!  No joke! I saw Frasier (and not the flat giraffe!!).

We boarded exactly 30 minutes late.  But then we sat. And sat. And sat. And sat.  For another 60 minutes we sat on that plane.  But hey, I was doing a there-and-back day trip...this is a small price to pay to sleep in my own bed and get Nuggs ready for school in the morning.

While on the plane, I felt comfortable and content.  I never feel comfortable and content on airplanes. Maybe it was the captain keeping us updated and referring to maintenance as "those knuckleheads" that had me at ease.  Maybe it was Delta paying for a drink for each passenger.  I did not partake, but I could have had a free glass of wine at 30,000 feet!   Maybe it was the comfort of the seat? Or the legroom? Or the cleanliness of the plane?  I guess I don't care.

And then today I received this email from Delta:

We are very sorry that your flight was delayed on July 1, 2013. Your feedback on this experience is important to us. We ask that you please provide feedback on your experience while at Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl Airport using the survey at the link below. The survey is between 4 and 12 questions, targeting your specific circumstances, and should only take a couple of minutes to complete. We thank you in advance for your feedback and again offer our deepest apologies for this inconvenience

Really?  United has stranded me in a dozen different airports and delayed MOST of my flights, and never...NOT ONCE...have they ever asked for feedback on my experience. I have held status on United for seven years. I don't even have a frequent flier number with Delta.  I have only one word...WOW!

This service, level of communication, commitment to traveler satisfaction, and recognition of loyalty has me questioning my own loyalties.  Is it time to switch?  Switching to Delta will get me direct to Detroit, but have me connecting in MSP or ATL for every other trip I make.  Is it worth it?  Thoughts?

Water Bug

Bryan loves water as much as I do.  Splash Day at school was a huge success.  Bryan's classmates hated the water so he got the table to himself.  As the story goes, Nuggs was very disappointed that he couldn't climb into/onto the water table.  According to his teacher, they just wanted to know if he'd like the water before they have him get in the kiddie pool.  While his classmates sat in the shade and cried, my kid laughed and splashed in the water.

Starting next week, he gets to "swim" with the bigger kids!

We really aren't surprised by Nuggs' reaction to water... do you remember this? Sometimes I forget how far we've come!

You know you are doing alright when...

The trainer leading the class at the gym pulls you aside and says, "Jenna, I am so proud of you.  Look at your heart rate!  You are recovering so quickly... athletes work long and hard to get to this point and you just had a baby 14 months ago!"

She called me an athlete.  I think I recovered quickly and had to work harder to get my heart rate up in the first place because I was on the spin bike. I HATE that thing.  But talk about awesome cross training.  And who cares.  I am an athlete that had a baby 14 months ago.  I'll take it all as a compliment :-)