What a Doll!

All mothers of daughters or friends with mothers of daughters look no further for the Best. Holiday. Gift. Ever.

If you have not seen the new Go Go Sports Girls, let me introduce you (and a quick shout out to Jaime over at running diva mom for introducing the dolls to me).

I immediately bought three: Ella Runner Girl, Suzie Swimmer Girl, and Gracie Tennis Girl. The plan was to give them to my daughters at Christmas. That plan didn't work out. I just couldn't wait. Last night I interrupted them as they happily played with dolls they already have to give them their Go Go Sports Girls. Sure I'm feeling a little guilt about the excess, but these dolls are important. Here's why:

These dolls promote physical activity and athleticism in girls. I don't need to blather on to this choir about how important that is.

These dolls are age appropriate and send a positive message: They don't come with slutty clothes or have a name that you don't want bestowed on your children... like "Brat," not that I'm singling out any particular doll. Ahem...

When you buy these dolls a portion of the proceeds go to worthy causes that promote healthy living for children like Girls, Inc.

But wait, don't click over to the website just yet. You gotta hear more.

My girls loved them and they have magical powers (I'll get to that in a minute).

These dolls come dressed for their sport and each have a mini backpack to carry their gear (huge hit!) My daughters started playing immediately and as soon as their Go Go Sports Girls had played their own sport they started cross training, which is to say my daughters undressed their dolls and swapped outfits.

"Can my girl run, mama?" Asked my 4-year-old (you know the one who says she hates to run and yes that still bothers me).

"Of course she can!" I coaxed. "Tennis players need to run, too."

"My girl can go swimming?" Asked K.

"I like to run and swim," I tell her. "You like to run and swim, why not?"

The creative sports play continued into the night. There were Go Go Sports Girl dreams because the dolls slept with my daughters and in the morning, they were back at it: Swimming, running, playing tennis.

What's interesting to me is that they have many times used sports in their creative play--emulating mom and dad by exercising or having pretend races. However, they've never engaged their dolls in sports play until now. But none of their other dolls have come with running shoes, or swim goggles, or a tennis racquet. Come on! How CUTE is THAT?

Oh, and the magical powers? I took all four kids grocery shopping this morning. I allowed the Go Go Sports Girls to come along, although normally I make toys stay in the car. The shopping trip went smoothly. Everyone cooperated. No one had a melt down. I got in and out without incident. Normally I believe taking kids grocery shopping counts as a workout, but today I can't say that it did. There was no dragging of dead weight or chasing moving targets. Was it the magic of the Go Go Sports Girls?

The real magic is the positive message these dolls provide to little girls. Fitness is a family value in our house and when I can find toys that support that value I'm one happy parent.

Jodi Norgaard, the founder of Go Go Sports Girls said she would be happy to give a doll away to one of my readers. Tell me in the comments which doll you want and for whom by Saturday and I'll draw a lucky winner on Sunday.

Now, go ahead, time to click on over to Go Go Sports Girls!

Do Your Own Stunts

Last week at Women's Adventure Night 13 willing and enthusiastic souls gathered at a gym to learn the fundamentals of parkour. Perhaps we all looked a little like this:

I will say, the night was just as funny.

For those still unclear, Parkour is "the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment." Free running, a close sibling, is "the art of moving through your environment however you want," which typically involves more flips, spins, and other zaniness you might find fun.

If you think this is something we made up after having too many cocktails, check out the official American Parkour website, where you can learn more about this growing sport. But I'm sure you're already familiar with it because all kids engage in parkour. If a child is on her way and sees a fence, she doesn't turn around and go home. No. She climbs over the fence. Curbs are meant for running over. Tree limbs for swinging. Rocks for jumping. You get the picture. And to help with the visual here's a little video from our first stunt of the evening:

The stunts got progressively harder (and funnier) but I can't post anymore video without the express written consent of my fellow WANers (if I still want them as friends).

I know all of us taking that parkour lesson were reliving our childhood. But I got to thinking how great these skills are for motherhood.

You see your toddler running out to the middle of the street. You dash over a parked minivan, dive toward and grab the child as you roll to the other side of the street and away from the speeding car.

You are on the second level at the mall, pushing a stroller and holding tightly to your preschooler. You see the one store you need to get to on the first level but the elevator is clear on the other end of the mall. No problem. Tuck the preschooler under one arm, use the stroller as a parachute and jump to first floor, making sure to land in a squat to distribute the force of the landing throughout your body.

Your overzealous lion loving son tumbles into the lion exhibit at the zoo. You jump in yourself, fling the boy over your shoulder then scale the wall and climb back over to your other children who never knew you were gone.

As moms we do all sorts of stunts, so why not?

Even if those scenarios never come to pass at least I know the proper way to fall. I'm one of those runners who can become one with the asphalt for no apparent reason. It is as if the pavement reaches up, grabs my ankle, and slams me down. I can return home with so much road rash it appears I got tangled up in a group bike ride instead. So, learning how to dive into a fall without landing on my head, neck or spine and using the momentum to pop back up, rather than skid across the ground was incredibly helpful.

Whatever stunts await me today, I'm ready.

Until Marathon Training Do Us Part

The first few months after our twins were born my husband and I had many visitors to lend us a helping hand, but once on our own, I remember feeling as if we were swimming up stream without any sleep. When my mom volunteered to come back to help, we eagerly anticipated her return, but as my husband said: "By then we might be dead."

Those are my twins at 5-months, asleep in the "neglect-a-saucer" and "neglect-a-jumper." My husband had just come home from work and we were in the kitchen eating and talking. And then we realized we were eating and talking--something we hadn't done together in months.

Finding time to talk to each other had became as scarce as sleep. This got us into trouble when it came time to squeeze our workouts in, something we both felt was still important after becoming parents. As if to prove our dedication, we signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon.

Before having children workouts and training plans required little coordination between us. Certainly nobody had to be home while the other was out. In fact, if one of us was gone, we could assume our spouse was either at work or working up a sweat.

After having babies we could no longer assume anything. Problem is we did. We assumed we could go work out whenever it fit into our personal schedule. You're going for a run right now? But I was going for a run right now!

We thought we solved that issue by breaking up our weekends in half days. Saturday one of us would get the morning, the other the afternoon. Then we'd switch it up on Sunday. This was a terrific solution for us. But like any relay, the race depends on how you pass the baton.

One Saturday I came back from "my" afternoon to find our then 10-month old twins unusually fussy. "What did you feed them for lunch?" I asked. "I didn't feed them lunch," he said. "I thought you fed them lunch."

It's true. Then somehow we were allowed to have two more children.

As fit moms (and dads) often our biggest hurdle to a good workout isn't our motivation, but our children's willingness to cooperate or good childcare. But our relationship with our partner plays a huge role, too. I don't think it matters if you are both fitness fans either. I know fit moms with sedentary husbands who think it would be easier if only her husband worked out, too. Those of us who do share a love for fitness with our spouse often wonder what it might be like to monopolize workout time. I've talked to enough women on either side of the fence to know it doesn't matter. Whether your partner likes going to the gym as much as you do or prefers to spend free time say, behind a poker table, respecting each other's time, supporting each other's interests and communicating intentions have got to be part of your fitness routine.

I'd like to think after 10 years of marriage and four children we have this process down. A good marriage is like the laundry: the work is never done.

Just a while back we had a near miss when I decided to head out early on my run morning. Since my husband was no longer in bed, I assumed he was in the basement riding his bike. That was my assumption until we met on our dark driveway as he returned from a run, presumably to get it in before I left. That proverbial relay baton was dropped again, but fortunately still asleep in their bed and none the wiser.

What else can you do but pick up the baton and keep running. The way to hold it together, of course, is to take time for victory laps. I'm lucky these celebrations keep coming at me like another load of laundry.

And what became of that marathon we embarked on after our twins were born? Well, six weeks before the start I found out I was pregnant. (Our marathon training surprise is in the green shirt). So, obviously we were communicating somehow.

Cycling in Wonderland (Prize Alert!)

Sunday morning found me down the rabbit hole, actually in Wonderland, as opposed to watching it on television, as I have done for years.

This Wonderland for me was a Spinervals video, the famed and fabled cycling workouts by Coach Troy Jacobson (Fun Fact: Coach Troy's story is told in my book, Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event). I am quite certain I have been using Spinervals as long as Coach Troy has been making them. It is thanks to his "classics" such as: "Suffer-O-rama," and "Mental Toughness," that I rode through the winter to train for Ironman New Zealand in 2002. The titles are always aptly named (remember this, there's a contest coming up with a freebie).

I don't want to turn off anyone who thinks Spinervals sound too hardcore. Even if you're a beginning cyclist or want to incorporate a little cycling into your workout, these tapes are ideal. Sure, Coach Troy may be yelling at you like a lunatic to go faster, but, shhhhhh, he's not really there. So, if you need the extra motivation to push yourself, you'll find it in these tapes, but you can always "fake it till you make it."

That said, since Coach Troy started the Spinervals empire in the mid 90s, there are a multitude of workouts to choose from and he's branched out considerably. If you shy away from workouts geared to competitive cycling, check out the Spinervals Fitness series, such as "Lean and Mean," or the "Sweating Buckets" workout. And hey, if cycling isn't your thing, Coach Troy also offers "Runervals," "Swimervals," several strength training options, even yoga and physical therapy.

And, as far as a mama-friendly workout goes, they rock. It's simple: pop your bike on a trainer and the disc in the dvd and presto you're in for the ride. If you hear loud crashing sounds from the next room or the baby monitor begins to wail, just hit pause, tend to the craziness and resume when you can (true, sometimes this is the next day but I always have good bike riding weather in my basement).

Back to Wonderland. So, for some 10 years I've been on the outside looking in and then Sunday afternoon, there I was, doing a Spinerval workout (34.0, to-be-named, details to come) with Coach Troy there in the flesh, not nearly as lunatic-like as he's been in other videos, but calling out the workout all the same, while cameras filmed.

That's me in the blue, in the freakin' front row.

Did I mention I was in the front row? I was honored. And terrified. The last time I was on my bike was early August, and at that I've ridden only five times since The Boy was born. I know I've been touting the glory of mama-friendly Spinervals, but if you've been following this blog you know I haven't been riding. I've been running, or trying to run, or flailing about in my attempts to run. But when the opportunity comes along to (ahem) star in a Spinervals tape, do you say no? There was no way to "fake it till you make it" in an hour workout, with Coach Troy literally looking over your shoulder.

The Rabbit himself with pocket watch in hand.

When you're inside the rabbit hole, Coach Troy is really there, so "No Slackers Allowed" (also the name of a Spinerval dvd). It seemed as if the cameras were always zooming in on my gears, trying to catch me in the act of slacking. My only hope was the lung and muscle memory from all my previous Spinerval workouts.

I don't always pray while riding.

Aside from praying I'd physically get through the workout, I was also secretly worried my bike might fall off the trainer (I've seen this happen, it never causes much damage except to the ego) and that my milk might suddenly and unexpectedly let down. This caused me to work even harder so that my shirt would get so soaked with sweat no one would know the difference.

Milking it for the camera.

That was one heckuva workout. And I loved it. Soon, you can too. The Spinervals 34.0 dvd, a series of intervals with a blast of speed drills in the end, will be released in January. If you buy this video we can workout together! It's the first Mama Sweat group workout!

What's more, you can help name the video. Coach Troy says it usually takes a few beers before the right name comes to mind. So, pop open a cold one and submit your ideas (as many as you want) in the comments. If Coach Troy chooses your name, guess what? You will be the lucky winner of Spinervals merchandise! Woo Hoo!

I'll get started. My suggestions (remember, we're brainstorming, there are no bad ideas) are:

Speed Thrust

What the Watt?

Thigh Master

Spin for Speed

Adventures in Spinervaland

P.S. The names of Spinerval workouts are a little like fortune cookies--they are even more amusing when you add "in bed" after you read them. Wait... is that the beer talking?

Death of a Dream: The Family 5K

Last week as I herded my little cats into the car for their gymnastics lesson, my youngest daughter said:

"I don't want to go to gymnastics."

This was coming from the child who, last I checked, loved hopping, skipping, jumping, swinging and rolling at the stinky gymnastics place. This is also the same daughter who last week told me that our bike ride was "hateable."

"Why not?" I asked as I grabbed her jacket and yelled into the garage to her sisters: "Buckle up!"

Then she looked up to me and in her grumpiest voice said: "Because I don't like to run."

Did you hear that loud screeching sound, too?

I'll keep that dagger in my back for effect as I make this point:

If she had said, "Because I don't like gymnastics," I would have shrugged it off. "Oh well! She tried it, doesn't like it, let's move on to something else. Karate?"

But no. She said: "I don't like to run." And, ever so briefly--forgetting she was only four--I took it personally.

It goes back to what I said last week, about how part of parenting for me is being a fitness role model for my kids. As an avid runner I envision the whole family signing up for a 5K some day.

During that brief period--when I forgot she was four--while driving to gymnastics, I talked to her about running and the reasons I loved it and tried to find out what she doesn't love about running (as if a 4-year-old can articulate why she's being manipulative). Then I changed tactics and let them in on the fact that sometimes I don't want to run, because I think that's important for my kids to know, too. Like other things they may not want to do, such as eating certain vegetables or picking up toys, it's still good for them. More importantly, I told them, I'm always happy when I finish running because I accomplished something I didn't think I could do and I always feel better after I'm done.

Wah, wah, waaaaah, wah, wah, wah, waaaaah, waaaaah, wah.

I looked back at my children, glassy eyed, bored, giving each other sideways glances that said: "she's craaaaaaazy."

I was being a little crazy. She's four. I reminded myself that I didn't like running until I was in my 20s. Back in high school when I was made to run laps I complained the loudest, exclaiming my uterus would fall out. Eventually, though, I grew to love running. I still remember the exact run. I was probably 22-years-old and had just finished my longest run of 4 miles. Somewhere after 2 miles my first endorphin rush occurred. I was hooked. And my uterus was no worse for wear since it has gone on to carry four children. If I've learned anything (aside from running is not harmful to one's uterus) it's that you can't force anyone to like something.

My 4-year-old may never love to run, no matter how good of a role model I try to be. I'm still convinced she'll grow up active, just active on her own terms. Then again, she may become a runner in her own time. I know plenty of runners who didn't discover the appeal until well into their 40s, 50s, even 60s.

What about you? Have you always loved the wind in your face or do you remember the run that hooked you? Or, do you still find running hateable?

Postscript--11/9/09--K, one of my 6-year-olds has been asking all week if she could run with me. Apparently she was sensitive to the running rejection I received from her younger sister. If she was trying to make me feel better, it worked. K and I went for a 1ish mile run on Saturday and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I am happy that at least one of my four children will be my running partner (odds are better when you have kids in bulk). And, I now have a pretty good idea which child is most likely to care for me in my old age.