My first 5K! I finished, not last.

I was looking for a new challenge after completing my bat mitzvah when I saw a sign for the Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate. I signed up at the urging of an IRL friend, but I doubt I would've done if not for hearing my blog friends go on about their new-found running habits.

I didn't formally train using Couch to 5K guidelines, just added a bit of jogging (which I do not like) to my normal fitness walks. I knew I'd approach the 5K with a walk/jog combo. I knew I'd end up with a base time, a time to beat should I decide to tackle a future 5K with greater intention. This time, I just wanted to finish. Not last.

I don't know much about pacing, but I do try to adjust myself based on the crowd. For example, at one nearby indoor track where the typical walker is about 62 years old, my goal is simply to pass whoever is ahead of me. I walk at a fast, but steady, pace.

On the outdoor track at my children's school, I walk counterclockwise, while most of the crowd walks clockwise (yes, there's likely a large metaphor at play here). I try and keep track of where I do or should cross paths with certain people based on whether they are out for a pleasant morning walk or there for exercise.

For this race, there were three main folks who helped me pace myself. I'm not proud to admit this, but one of my pacers was a flat footed young girl with an awkward gate. Like me, she alternated between jogging and walking, only she was sandwiched between her parents, holding their hands. Her father weaved a charming yarn to entertain her that lasted the entire route. It was tempting to stay within listening distance, and yet, I was not going to let her finish before me.

So with the developmentally challenged child in my dust (I am pitiful), I had my eye on two old men. Old being later 50s or early 60s. We took turns outpacing each other, but over time, their jog:walk ratio was higher than mine and I fell behind.

There were a couple of others that I gleefully passed only to have them pass me up in the end.

But as I came into the final stretch, it was "Back Fat" who gave me a run for my money. Now, as an ample woman over the age of 40, I've got a little somethin-somethin bulging out of my bra (on the backside), but I keep it covered up. This gal had her shirt tucked up into her bra exposing, well, you get the nickname.

Back Fat was also a run/walker. We alternated a lead on each other for over a mile. She was ahead of me in the homestretch until I zoomed (ha) past her, but then in the last two blocks, she blasted ahead of me.

I did not finish last! Indeed, I was 1151 out of 1265 runners, and 84 out of 96 for women my age.
A new habit or a supposedly fun thing I'll never do again? Who knows? What exciting new challenges are you taking on these days?

Speechless after my speech on Capitol Hill

The tiny head sticking out to Speaker Pelosi's right belongs to me. It's an odd perspective as she's rather petite. I mean, so am I, but I'm not that short.

What a day! The Consumer's Union folks did a great job of prepping us for this big event. I'll be back later with a Whrrl story, including a shot from the Speaker's balcony at the capitol.

Lego then, Lego now

This is the kind of thing a very organized blogger would have posted, say, in November, before her readers squandered their hard-earned money on trendy toys that won't last into the new year. Behold the lasting power of Legos!

Over winter break we busted out some of DH's old Legos. Not only did my mother-in-law save them (to be clear, they were passed off to us as soon as we had a house of our own), but for the most part, the old kits were intact. God willing I have grandchildren, they may one day enjoy the giant bin of Legos bricks and bodies that my children enjoy. Let creativity reign, I say.

At any rate, take a look at a circa 1975 Lego helicopter and the one my son got for Chanukah 2009.



They've come a long way, baby.

What are your favorite timeless toys? Are you saving any of your children's toys for your theoretical grandchildren?

Ugh. I've got "yacht hair."

You know that feeling when you navigate your yacht back into the slip and now that you're no longer sailing in the breeze you realize your hair is a complete mess? Me neither. Until last week.

You see, Lands' End brought me, Dawn from Because I Said So and Lisa from Lisa's Thoughts and Ramblings out for a sail on a yacht on Lake Michigan to give us a taste of the Race to Mackinac. Lands' End is the title sponsor of this 260-boat race across the lake.

It was a lovely afternoon and I really meant to post on it before last weekend's big race, but as of this writing, there's still no winner from the race that began last weekend. Check here for up-to-the-minute details.

Amanda from Lands' End PR gave us a water bottle and a Land's End bag branded with the Race logo. I laughed when I took a good look at the bag and realized it's not just their standard bucket bag, but a zip top version. I had to laugh, because I carried one of these around for years!

When my boys where about 3 and 5 and I became serious about writing, I carried a large journal with me everywhere, and this was my sturdy go-to bag. I think this new version is going to be my "BlogHer and beyond bag."
Photo credit: Dawn Meehan. She's on the left, Lisa is in the center. I'm the one on the right looking like an old lady and our fearless Captain Randy is in the rear.

We Dared to Stand Out

Dared to Stand Out on the Ledge- you know that glass enclosure sticking out of the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower? Oh yeah, Smartypants and I were there!

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invite to the Media Preview Day for the new Sears Tower (Willis Tower) ledge. I was able to bring along my oldest and might have tried to bring the youngest as well, but the boys have been fighting like cats and dogs lately.

And look: our shoes are famous! And my 11-year-old was quoted in the Washington Post.

Earlier this year he and his orthodontia were front and center in the New York Times. That kid is quite the media darling.

We give the Ledge a thumbs-up and dare you to Stand Out on your next trip to Chicago.

Marketing to Mom Bloggers: Influence, Power and Responsibility

I'm going to try something a little different this week: crowdsourcing a blog post. I've been mulling over a few thoughts on blogger influence, power and responsibility, but this week I'm pressed for time. Also, I'm continually impressed by the thoughtful comments you leave here, so I thought I'd throw out a few questions this week and use your answers (always giving credit and sharing links, natch) and mine to put together next week's post.

As mombloggers, we're offered treated like divas- showered with coupons, product samples, trips and other goodies. Have you ever gotten carried away a bit carried away and crossed the line from blogger to blogwhore*?

Do you think the diva treatment has swelled up some egos and perhaps created a bad name for mombloggers? Explain. (Answer in the sense of the community as a whole. I will not post comments that call out any specific bloggers.)

How has your relationship with swag changed over time?

Whether you have 10 readers or 10,000 followers, describe the responsibility (if any) you feel toward them

I hope this little experiment works.

I'll be spending my day sampling chocolate and other fine confections as well as enjoying lunch with an interesting new group of bloggers and writing about it on Scrambled CAKE. If I return to find a bunch of comments here, it will be the icing on my milk chocolate filled Lindt Truffles. And if there are no comments, well, I'll drown my disappointment in those same truffles. They don't really need icing, anyway.

Cleaning where the sun don't shine

I've spent the last two days in the fog of a relentless headache, but it's finally clearing. Speaking of clearing, I've been doing a lot of clearing out and wiping down at Chez Moldofsky.

For some people Spring Cleaning means wiping the windows and waxing the floors, but for me it means digging deep into the spaces nobody sees. Which is odd that I'd spend my time that way, especially considering the improbable blob of bird poop stuck to the picture window outside of the living room. (How did it get there? Its placement seems physically impossible. Like this guy in the suit doing a trust fall.)

I'm cleaning out closets and junk drawers. I'm stowing away the mittens and scarves and breaking out the beach towels even though summer, like the bird poop, seems a physical impossibility given our recent weather.

I've amassed piles of clutter, some of which I might try to sell via Craigslist. We sold my car that way last year. I'm going to do a guest ClutterCast soon, but likely I'll drag much of the stuff (some of it's good) over to the resale shop, the path of least resistance that pays in its own way because we get a tax deduction for our donation.

I'm also digging into my old work files. Oh, my precious files. I used to develop programs- training programs, not computer ones-and I have loads of files on listening, goal setting, communications, team building, you name it.

Sure I've culled them over the last decade, but this week I looked at them and knew they no longer serve a useful purpose. And if I do need any of the information contained within, chances are I can find it online.

That said, a few bits and pieces caught my eye, caused me to reflect on where I've been and where I'm headed. A few of the papers I came across made me think and might even provide good fodder for this blog.

Still, I must have recycled a tree's worth of paper today. And I think about what Oprah's clutter-guru says. When we clean out our clutter, we make room for something new in our lives. I can't help but wonder what's in store for my family with all this space I'm creating.

Along with all those papers, I have a good number of team building supplies, or props. I cleaned out a bunch last fall and gave them to the PE teachers at school. This week, I decided to whittle down my collection even more. However, I still felt compelled to keep two dozen squishy balls, half a dozen Koosh balls, five 20-foot pieces of webbing, and two parachutes. After all, if a bird can poop on a vertical surface and the Mother Nature can deliver summer, maybe I'll be facilitate another team building session some day. (It was fun work. These pictures are from my long-defunct corporate teambuilding website.)

Speaking of long defunct, after six months of unemployment, DH starts a new job tomorrow. Can I hear an "Amen?" Sadly, it's only a temporary gig, but it seems like a great fit and it will be nice for him to get a proper paycheck, if only for a few months.

And speaking of cleaning where the sun don't shine, I don't want to disappoint you if you came here with, you know, certain expectations, so check out this scary/funny post at Red Dirt Woman. Two clues: 1) Lysol, 2) douche.