Middle school isn't so bad after all

 I was initially worried about Bruce entering middle school this year, but he is thriving. He recently had some art put on display at the Children's Museum, so we went to the opening reception to get a look at it for ourselves. His is the flamingo print.

 It was perhaps the funnest art reception ever because we got to play in all the exhibits too.

We had a blast playing there on a Friday night. Thankfully I packed this kid's pajamas; he fell asleep on the bus ride home!

Bruce joined the cross country team. I didn't want to force him into it, but was more than happy when the gym teacher encouraged him to join the team. It wasn't really legit cross country: they ran 1-1.3 miles twice a week on a small flat grassy field behind the school. They had one meet at the end of their short season where they competed against the other three middle schools in the district. Bruce's school team was the largest and they won handily. Bruce ran the just-over-a-mile race in a bit over 10 minutes and finished in the back of the pack, but was happy that he improved his time throughout the season.

While other parents chatted and walked their dogs, we were the most experienced cheer section out there for sure. We had our cowbells, drum, a sign, and lots of high-fives to give.

This week at the Raymond Residence

1. The infamous thong shirt finally made its way to the garbage can. It just needed a last hurrah at the cross country reunion first (see above, with Coach Shane).

2. Halloween happened! Bruce was Darth Vader, Phoebe a firefighter, and Oliver a lion. We did trick-or-treating at the fire station (pictures to come soon) and a quick stint at a school party, and then took cover from the rain at home. Instead of rainy trick-or-treating, we watched a movie and ate popcorn at home. I'm a little sad that I don't have kids' candy to pilfer this year.

3. Phoebe had a firefighter-themed birthday party! We invited a few of her friends over, played a few firehouse games, broke the traditional pinata, and ate macaroni and cheese and cupcakes together. When Scott lit her birthday candles, she backed away, citing the fire hazard.

4. I got sick. On Sunday morning, I woke up to a sore throat, fever, and headache so nasty that it hurt to open my eyes. I stayed home from church and laid in bed all day. On Monday, the fever was gone but my head was still foggy and I was still exhausted. On Tuesday, I started hacking. On Wednesday, my voice vanished. Scott reminded me to go get my flu shot.

5. On a related note, our pediatrician recommended that Oliver get RSV vaccinations throughout the next few months because preemies are susceptible to the sickness and can get much sicker from it than "normal" kids. Unfortunately, our insurance company won't cover the shots because they only cover preemies to 31 weeks and 6 days (Oliver made it to 32 weeks by TWO HOURS). Our pediatrician appealed without success and when I looked up the cost of the injections ($8,000-16,000!!!), I think we are going to just hope we luck out and not get sick this year.

6. Bruce and Phoebe are enrolled in 100-mile Club at school and we have been spending most mornings walking or running laps at a local park. At first, Phoebe was determined to do just as many laps as Bruce. That fervor has faded back into her pokey ways. Yesterday while Bruce walked a mile, Phoebe walked one-fifth of a mile and managed to pet two dogs, fill her pockets with rocks and acorns, find a leaf to give to her teacher, poke at some trash on the ground, accept a rose from a homeless man, and walk backwards.

Oliver just woke up from his nap, so that concludes this update!

BYU Cross Country Reunion!

Once upon a time, I ran for a super amazing cross country team at BYU. We finished second at Division I Nationals during my freshman year, then won it my sophomore and junior years in 2001-2002, then finished second again my senior year. Before my time, we won Nationals in 1997 and 1999 as well. To say we were a dynasty during that time period is an understatement.

I was thrilled to be a part of the team: I was constantly pushed to be a better athlete, learned a few lessons along the way, and made some of my bestest lifelong friends. A decade later, my teammates are scattered across the country and we don't get to see each other often enough. Sometimes a few come to run the marathon in April or we cross paths on vacation, but we do not see each other nearly enough!

A few months ago, I received an email from BYU stating that they were going to induct the National Championship teams into the school’s Hall of Fame. I was invited to attend an induction banquet and reunion weekend with the rest of the team.Yay!

My mom flew in on Wednesday to take care of Bruce and Phoebe, and I flew out on Thursday with Oliver. Mooner picked me up from the airport and we had lunch with Tia and Anika; these girls were my roommates for two years, and I miss them so much! We have so many good memories together: sneaking into the fieldhouse with Anika, Tia setting me up on a date with Scott, and Mooner pinning me in her "double nelson" on a weekly basis. 

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony and banquet was on Thursday night. There was an hour-long reception before dinner, and I spent most of it sitting on a couch feeding Oliver and watching everyone trickle in. Thankfully, Oliver fell asleep after that and I got to enjoy the rest of the night. We had dinner together and then were officially inducted. The NCAA trophies were dusted off and displayed, we watched highlight videos from the season, listened to a few words from each year's captain, and got a photo together. From the four Championship teams, there were about 55 runners total. 

On Friday morning, many of us went for a run. Oliver took his maiden voyage in a jogging stroller; he liked it, so I might strap him in for a few miles more often. He shared a stroller with Nan's toddler, and we took turns pushing the kids for an hour-long run.We went out for breakfast afterward, then cleaned up for our more informal reunion that afternoon. Everyone brought their families and chatted, checked out the photo book we had made for Coach Shane, ate burritos, and caught up on the last decade of each other's lives. Sure, we keep up on Facebook and stalk each other's blogs, but it isn't the same. It was good to see that everyone was pretty much the same, but we talked about our kids instead of boys or schoolwork.

Friday night was the BYU vs. Boise State football game, and our teams were slated to be honored at halftime. Suzanna and I spent the first half of the game feeding our babies (remember, they were due on the same day?!), then filed onto the field with everyone else and waved with our team. After halftime, I headed to the friend's house where I was staying and went straight to bed; Oliver was not kind the night before and it caught up to me.

We met together for the last time on Saturday morning; most of the group went for a run, but I opted to go for a stroller-friendly power-walk with Tiffany and Suzanna around Provo. We had breakfast together afterward, then snapped pictures and said goodbyes.

I'm running, but I'm not back...yet.

Last weekend I ran my first post-baby race: the Codfish Bowl, a 5K cross country race with a few dozen collegiate cross country teams and a handful of local club teams. I like this race because 1) it is out the back gate of Franklin Park Zoo so Scott and the kids can do fun stuff while I take my time warming up, cooling down, and cheering on the men, 2) it is on a Saturday rather than a Sunday, and 3) it is fun to run with college girls who now look like babies to me (even if they are much faster than babies and none of them have babies!).

The photo above is of my team, the Greater Boston Track Club, pumped up at the starting line. When the gun went off, everyone sprinted out except for me - I lumbered along, nearly in last place. After the excitement of the first quarter-mile, I passed a few girls. By the mile, I had passed a few more. I headed up Bear Cage Hill, which I've always thought was over-hyped but really felt this time around. The hill kept going up and up, and when the downhill came it didn't feel as good as it should (C-sections take the fun out of downhills for awhile...).

Despite the hill, no one passed me. But I was running with a slow crowd. On the third mile, I passed a girl who was breathing really hard and chanting "I can't do this!" Maybe her mom never read her "The Little Engine That Could." I chugged along and finished in 23:09, perhaps a personal worst? Getting in shape after having a baby is hard and it looks slow and ugly for awhile. I'm beginning to think that it is exponentially slower and uglier with each additional kid. I will be back, but it will take many more Tuesday night workouts chasing GBTC's masters' team (50-60+ year-old guys) and maybe even a few more personal worsts!

Fall is upon us!

I'm making up for not racing much over the summer. Scott's schedule didn't allow much time for racing: he worked most weekends, and when he wasn't working, we wanted family time. Last month Scott had a radiology elective rotation (nice hours) and for the next two months, he is doing research in the lab (really nice hours). So I am back to racing...

...just in time for cross country season! Last weekend I ran the Codfish Bowl cross country invitational. It was mostly local colleges, but there were a few old ladies like me in the race. All those young'uns sprinted at the start and slow-me had to play catch-up for the rest of the race. The 5k course was muddy from several days of rain, and race day was warm and really humid. I wound up in 8th place after coming into the mile around 60th, and the two-mile around 30th.My posse came with me this time. The cross country course was next to a cool playground (and also next to the zoo too!) and there were plenty of trails to wander.

In other Raymond family news, Bruce's school had "Back to School Night." Parents got to meet and chat with the teachers and see the classroom and such. All of the kids in Bruce's class drew a picture and wrote a one-line answer to the question, "What do you want to learn this year?" Most kids had normal responses like, "I want to learn to draw better" and "I want to learn how to read chapter books." Bruce's response was, "I want to learn how to make a suitcase spider droid." He drew an elaborate picture of a thing that looked like the multi-armed bad robot from The Incredibles. I asked him what a suitcase spider droid was and he referred me back to the picture. I told him he already knew how to make one since he had already drawn it, and he said he wanted to build it out of metal. I told him he may need a few more years.

On that note, he is taking a "pre-engineering class" once a week after school. He builds robotic Lego stuff and plays with it. While he is doing that, I take Phoebe and Baby J to a music class. Baby J sits on my lap and tries to eat woodblocks, Phoebe dances around with a tambourine most of the time, and I add my terrible singing voice to the choir of parents (who all sound like they're professionals, of course!).

Next up for the Raymonds: a half-marathon for me this weekend, and a few days of playtime with Scott's sister, Nancy, who is here for PA school interviews!

BYU XC Reunion

While at Club Nationals, I saw two ladies I ran with at BYU: Nan Kennard (pictured above, cruising to 3rd place overall!) and Rena Chesser. Both of them kicked my booty in the race in classic Cougar style. I love meeting up with former teammates. There aren't many moms that still run competitively, but Rena has 2-year-old twins and Nan has a flock of three kids. On our "BYU XC Reunion Cooldown," Nan explained her Zen-Family-Running Theory. She claims that her running has matured and that having a family gives her a more balanced perspective on life that fuels her running. I need to work on that mentality: instead of whining about my lack of sleep and inability to run out the door any time I want, perhaps I should look for some advantages of being a momathlete.


Photos by Tom the Great.

The Race Report

Yesterday was the Codfish Bowl, a cross country invitational for area colleges with a few has-beens like me in attendance. Scott, Bruce, and Phoebe ventured off for a hike and rock hunt while I warmed up and then ran the 5K. There were a lot of fresh collegiate athletes who went out way too fast and sandwiched Slow Me for about a mile. I eventually elbowed my way out of the pack and caught quite a few people. The third mile wasn't spectacular - I was starting to feel the 80-degree heat and my inconsistent training - but it was good enough for a 15th place finish, 5th place on my team. I wasn't thrilled with my time - 20:17 - probably because I ran an 18:44 on this course a few years ago. Someday when I'm not pushing a stroller for half of my mileage and missing half of my workouts because Scott has to go back in to work at night, I'll get my times down to where I want them.