We celebrated Mother’s Day a week later this past Sunday with a trip to Chatham. It was BEAUTIFUL! Chatham always reminds me a lot of Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. There are so many gorgeous old homes, and it’s very “quaint” as we sometimes say of New England towns!

We went out to a great brunch and then headed to the beach and the wildlife center that overlooks Monomoy Island. From the beach that is close by, you could see the seals “hauled out” and sunning themselves. The great whites aren’t up here yet, so no sightings!

We also saw something I have never seen before (or never noticed): sun dogs. These are rainbows that circle the sun. While at the beach, we looked up and saw two rainbows circling the sun. It was so cool!

I started the day off right with a run along the beach. I stopped and snapped a pic of one of the two osprey nests I see on my regular running route (see picture to the left). I think it’s so cool that both the males and females take turns sitting on the eggs!

I love being back on my old running route and getting to see the ocean everyday. It feels so good to be home again, and I cannot wait for summer. I plan on taking the kids down the street to the beach almost every day!

This morning sort of felt like fall here on the Cape! It was cool, and even though it didn’t frost last night, there was a chill in the air. Craziness in mid-May!

It is absolutely perfect running weather though! I actually felt overdressed the other day in my running pants. I still can’t get over how beautiful it is to be able to run here most days of the week.

To me, nothing is better than running along looking out at the ocean and Martha’s Vineyard in the distance. The ocean has its own moods—yesterday it was a little angry in the afternoon with a lot of little whitecaps.

Some days it’s crystal clear and you can see things on Martha’s Vineyard quite well. Other days, you can’t see anything due to the fog! Speaking of being on the water…

We are going on a summer sailing excursion on the Classic Harbor Line, and here is a discount if you would like go too:

Receive $10 off each ticket purchased at http://www.boston-sailing.com/ using ONLINE promo code FAMILY10

Here is a description (from Classic Harbor Line) of the cruises:

Dedicated to providing the most impeccably luxurious and hospitable sailing experience in Boston, we here at Classic Harbor Line are looking forward to the privilege of escorting you on a breathtaking excursion aboard the most elegant sailing vessel in Boston Harbor: Schooner Adirondack III. Boston’s rich maritime history is best viewed from the water, so why not do it in style? While out on the water on Boston’s best boat tour, you will be treated to skyline view and Boston Harbor that cannot be captured any other way. This is the best way to go sightseeing in Boston!  So come on out, kick up your feet, and let the Classic Harbor Line crew do all the heavy lifting (and drink pouring) for you. Sailing on the Adirondack III with us will provide a new perspective on the city of Boston for the first time visitor and the seasoned local alike!

Whether buying tickets for one of our Boston Day Sails, Sunset Sails, City Lights Sails, or privately chartering the schooner for a special family or corporate event, you will be amazed by the comfort and beauty of Adirondack III. Like all of Classic Harbor Line’s fleet, the unmatched Adirondack III was built and is maintained by the Scarano Boat Building Company in Albany, NY.

What other fun do you have planned for the summer??

30 Something Mother Runner will receive complimentary tickets on the Classic Harbor Line cruise in exchange for sharing this promotional offer with our readers.

It´s been a while since I have been at a race expo, and this time I am on the other side of the table! It’s been fun chatting with all of the Cox Rhode Races runners.

I have seen a lot of Boston Marathon gear and Boston Strong t-shirts—so cool! I got to catch up with a Boston runner who was stopped at mile 25 and went back to finish the race two weeks later!

She was very emotional telling the story, but it was so nice to hear the support she got when she went back to finish. She said that random people all along the way were clapping for her as she kept repeating “I’m going to finish what I started.” AMAZING!

Last night I went to dinner to catch up with an old friend and then hit the sack early. I have to say it was complete heaven to have a king size bed all to myself!

After today at the expo, I will be heading back to the Cape to finish out the weekend with some more home improvement projects and Mother’s Day fun. My husband has made some plans, and I hope the weather cooperates!

Have a great Mother’s Day to all my mother runner readers! Enjoy the day and rest and relax (or do whatever makes you happy!)

I am excited to head back to Providence, even if it’s just for a night away. I will be working the ZOOMA booth at the Cox Rhode Races Expo, so stop by if you are running! There will be extra goodies if you register for a ZOOMA race at the expo!

I am actually REALLY looking forward to a night away by myself, with a king size bed to myself no less! I am going to head to dinner with Sam, who I haven’t seen in months—so excited!

I am also happy to report that we got our new washer/dryer on Tuesday. This may not sound like a big deal, but we haven’t had our own washer/dryer in months. The sound of my new HE washer starting up was beautiful.

I NEVER imagined I would get so excited about doing laundry. It’s Friday, and I am finally almost caught up with the laundry—about 12 loads later!!

I am going to miss most of the weekend of home improvement, but things are coming along well. We are having my older son’s birthday party at the house next weekend. I can’t believe he’s going to be 5! It’s so cliché, but I am going to say it: “Where did the time go????”

I still can’t believe he is going to kindergarten next fall. Since he will be in school, and my youngest will be in pre-school, I haven’t been giving a lot of thought to what I want to do in terms of work. I am seriously considering starting my own social media consulting business.

I have learned so much about social media utilization and promotion, and I think I could definitely help small businesses leverage social media to reach their goals. I am in the process of putting together a rudimentary business plan. I will keep you guys posted!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and that I get to see some of you at the Cox Expo!!

I just finished a great new running read: The Cool Impossible. Written by Eric Orton, running coach to Chris McDougall of Born to Run fame, is an easy and very practical running book on how to stay injury free while achieving new PRs.

I have read quite a few books on running, running technique, training plans, etc. and I have to say that Eric’s book is very easy to read and follow. His advice is solid and well-supported.

For those of you who are familiar with Born to Run, you will enjoy Chris McDougall’s foreword to The Cool Impossible. Facing a potentially treacherous run through the Copper Canyons of Mexico, McDougall was coached by Eric Orton and successfully completed the 50 mile race.

Orton writes as though he is coaching you personally, guiding you as he would one of his many clients looking to push themselves for better athletic performance,

I enjoyed how The Cool Impossible covers all aspects of running performance including strength, diet, performance training, etc. It’s a comprehensive guide for improving your training, complete with suggested plans at the end of the book.

Whether you are looking to run more efficiently or just PR at your next race, Eric Orton’s The Cool Impossible is definitely a worthwhile read!

30 Something Mother Runner received a copy of The Cool Impossible for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own!

Where is spring??? Waah!! It did get a little warmer in the afternoon yesterday, but definitely not as warm as inland! Part of yesterday’s running route went along the beach yesterday, and man– it was HARD!

I wound up hanging a right and altering the route to avoid expending all of my energy fighting the wind. Despite the wind, it was SO nice to get out for a 3-miler at the end of the day.

Yesterday was one of those “Calgon, take me away days.” My soon-to-be three-year old had a melt down that lasted about two hours in the morning, while the older one was in school.

I actually had to put him in the front room for a while to take a break because it just wouldn’t stop. I am sure all of the parents out there are very familiar with the moments when you have tried everything and nothing seems to work or make your child happy. I eventually took a mommy time out from sheer exasperation!

The good news is it eventually abated and we had a brief respite for lunch and swim lessons. After swim, it was the soon-to-be five-year old’s turn for a ‘tude. He was in rare form and kept hitting his brother for any minor infraction including approaching him while he was reading!

Thankfully sanity entered with a nice evening run and a glass of wine! I am hoping that today is a much happier day in the Morrison household! The playroom is almost finished, and hopefully the boys will be able to use it soon!

In other news, for those of you running the Cox Marathon or Half Marathon on May 12, come visit me during the expo. I will be working at the ZOOMA Cape Cod booth. Come over and say hi and get some ZOOMA goodies! I will be there both Friday and Saturday!

I didn´t write last week, because I really couldn’t find any words to express the myriad of things I (and the rest of us) were feeling. I kept trying to think of what to write and found no words.

I am constantly reminded of what a wonderful and resilient community we are as runners, and the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings was no exception.

Runners banded together to help each other and to honor the memories of bombing victims and first responders. In the aftermath of the bombing, we have seen the wonderful side of humanity in those that of helped others. This is what I will choose to remember about last week.

In other news, home improvement projects are progressing nicely. I am moving on to the boys’ playroom now. I am almost finished with the painting. I can’t wait to share pics!!

I have also been running. Yesterday, I took a VERY windy run up to Falmouth Heights. It was a beautiful sunny day, albeit very chilly due to the wind. To the right is a picture mid-run.

Yesterday also brought the arrival of my first Stitch Fix. A group of my running friends introduced me to Stitch Fix. I am often challenged to find time to shop for clothes, and I am always wishing I could step outside of my “clothing box.” Enter Stitch Fix.

You sign up and pay a $20 fee (which goes towards your purchase from the fix) and fill out a style profile with your sizes, styles you like, etc. Your fix is scheduled and you then receive 5 items hand-picked by a stylist. The clothing items come complete little cards that show you some looks with the items.

I liked the five items I got in my first fix, but decided to keep one—the cute sweater to the left. It’s not something I would have picked to try on, but I loved it when I wore it.

I guess that’s the point of Stitch Fix! Whatever you don’t want, you send back in the pre-paid USPS mailer within 3 days. Easy, huh? For more info, you can click HERE.

How have you guys been dealing with the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings?

I know, here I am taking time off from blogging again! I think the next month or so will probably be only weekly posting instead of three days a week.

I have finally finished redoing the boys’ room, and I will do a post with pictures as soon as it’s complete! Since we are knee-deep in home improvement and other associated issues, I am cutting back on posting frequency.

Unfortunately, I have also cut back on running frequency! I am trying hard to squeeze everything in, and I know things will normalize again someday soon!

Now for some cool race discount information!! ZOOMA Cape Cod will be this September again, and I am super psyched to be a race ambassador again! I recently received a promo code to share with you guys:

Use code CCAMB5 to save 10% off the registration fee for the half marathon or the 10K. Grab your running partner or other girlfriends and sign up for a weekend race on the Cape. September is hands-down my favorite month here!

While you’re at it, you can also sign up for a cool sweepstakes ZOOMA is running for their inaugural Chicago race! Check out details HERE.

If anyone is interested in running the Falmouth Road Race this year, and you want to make sure you get an entry (it’s a lottery system for non-residents), the Melanoma Foundation of New England has some entries available for those interested in fundraising.

Raise $1,000 for the Melanoma Foundation of New England, and you get guaranteed entry into the race. It’s a great race AND a great cause! Win-win!

In other news, I am SO glad spring is finally here, and I can’t wait to hit the roads more often!

Easter weekend was a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed the beautiful weather for their egg hunt. After the hunt, we had a nice and very yummy Easter lunch.

Immediately after stuffing myself, I decided to run over to the long term care facility where my stepfather is recuperating from a knee surgery. Amazingly, I had no problems after consuming a big meal and two glasses of wine!

I had a nice visit with my stepfather and enjoyed the stunning view from the fourth floor there, and no I’m not joking. For those of you that have been to the fourth floor of Royal Megansett—you know what I mean.

If I ever have to go into long-term care, I would be much happier if the place had views like Royal Megansett. You can look out over the ocean for miles.

On a less fun note, yesterday I had to take my almost three-year old to a pediatric ophthalmology appointment at the Boston Children’s Hospital satellite facility in Weymouth, MA.

Collin has had pink eye about 7 or 8 times, and he’s only 3, so we knew something was up. After the last visit to the pediatrician for pink eye and a sinus infection, she suggested we head up to see the pediatric ophthalmologist.

After and eye exam and some drops to determine if his eyes were draining properly, she concluded that the nasolacrimal (tear) ducts on both eyes were blocked.

So, with a trip to the ER last week for my older son and this surgery, we are headed towards maxing out our $5,000 deductible for the year. Yes, the only health insurance offered by my husband’s company is high deductible.

My gripe with high deductible health insurance is that it’s fine for people without children (who are relatively healthy). When you have kids, it’s inevitable that they are going to have numerous sick visits, and most likely ER trips (especially with boys!).

I am concerned that there are people out there who have to make the decision about whether or not to take their children to the doctor because of the huge out of pocket costs.

For example, if I take my kids to the doctor for a sick visit, I pay the ENTIRE contracted rate for the visit which is usually about $125. I’m not going to lie, there are times I have questioned whether or not my child is really sick before bringing him in—because of the associated cost.

I wonder, what if it’s just a cold? Will it go away in a few days? What if he has an infection? How long should I wait? I just don’t think you should have to ask those questions in regard to pediatric patients. A healthcare decision shouldn’t have to be delayed due to apprehension about the expense. Vent over!

Being between two homes and not having the Y is majorly cramping my running style as of late. This is not a new issue (since we moved down in January), but since the work on my mom’s in-law apartment keeps dragging on, I am finding it harder and harder to deal with the lack of a regular running schedule.

I am so thankful that my mother-in-law pitches in to watch the boys occasionally for me to run, but I just haven’t been able to keep a regular routine.

It’s getting lighter earlier now, so I am going to try to get out early in the mornings on the days that it works with my husband’s schedule. Until then, I am going to try to suck it up and not go completely insane.

Although I did not get to run yesterday, I did manage to finish some more painting. We are almost done with the painting! I am so in love with how the room looks—I think I want to live in it!

It’s also getting me super pumped to redecorate the room that will be our master bedroom. I realize I really like interior design, and Pinterest is feeding my addiction.

This weekend will be more home improvement and some Easter egg hunting and DEFINITELY some running. Weekend warriors unite!