Speed Bump

#TBT to a journal entry** (in its rough form!) when I was living overseas and traveling in England to give a few research talks. The world was a scary and unknown place in the initial weeks post 9/11, irrevocably changed in a way we didn't yet understand. I was giving a talk at Oxford University and they put me up for the night in the coziest dorm room in a building straight out of a Harry Potter movie. Having just come from the busy streets of London, I couldn't wait to get outside for a quiet morning run in this magical place. Along the River Thames I found beauty and peace in a time of uncertainty and sorrow.  S eptember 17, 2001  Oxford, England A new morning in a new place...it is so peaceful and beautiful here. I slept like a rock in my room in the castle and woke to hear the sounds of birds - foreign and exotic, outside my tiny windows. The sun shone through the tops of the trees in a clear blue sky - beckoning me out from under warm blankets and into the crisp mor...

Can the 4th of July really be here and gone already?  The July 4th holiday always feels like the mid-point of summer to me. Time is going too fast! Roxie is a 4th of July baby and we celebrated her birthday with a special pink dog treat and a trip to the dog park for a swim on a hot morning. Roxie is now 12 years old, an old dog by any measure. I told Charlie and Izzy the other day that Roxie was my first baby. They thought that was funny. My life with just Roxie 12 years ago was so very different from what it is now. When I brought Roxie home at 8 weeks old, I had just returned from living in Italy and was settling into a new job in a new city where I knew no one. We navigated St. Louis and then Kansas City together before we expanded our world and made room for our lovely little family. I think we've done pretty well for ourselves.  I've heard it said that parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. In marathon running, you have to be physically prepared, but true succ...

I've talked about Exercise is Medicine on Speedbump in the past  here  (and a series of exercise posts can be found here ). It is something I am increasingly passionate about, both personally and professionally. I've always been an exerciser - whether through sports, running or yoga. I like to exercise. Exercise makes me feel good about myself. My body feels 'right' when I'm exercising regularly. I don't relate well to those that don't like to exercise, that hate to exercise. I know those people exist and I try to remember that when sending out messages about exercise.  But I don't get it.  My problem is not that I don't want to exercise, it is that I find it harder and harder to find the time.  And I think that is the case for most people. Even those that hate to exercise know they should do it, and time is also a hindrance for them (a double whammy - to hate something and not have the time for it - no wonder so many people don't e...

The Olympics have begun! Do they inspire you to get up and move, hit the gym, maybe even run a marathon? I think this article hits on many of our Olympic fantasies - I know I love to relive my rowing days every four years when the Olympics roll around. I wish I could stay home all day and watch beach volleyball, water polo, swimming and diving. I can't get enough of the facts, stats, and personal stories that make the games so unique. You can test your Olympics IQ with this  quiz about the health of Olympic athletes. While watching the Olympics definitely inspires me, I am still desperately trying to keep up my running in this summer heat, through the chaos of our move, and with a very busy work schedule. I decided it might help if I wrote down some reasons why I like to run. Here they are. ____________________________________________ I run to feel most like myself. There was a time when I didn't like to run, and when I ran to stay in shape...

Exercise is Medicine month is coming to an end. This is the last official post in the series, but I'll be posting about exercise and health on Speed Bump in the future. It is a topic near and dear to my heart and always on my mind. I hope the series was helpful and informative. Thanks for reading! Merrell's Dash Glove, my new sneaks. I don't know that I've ever traveled without my running shoes. I certainly can't remember a time and place. Running has taken me beyond the tourist stops and into residential neighborhoods in Paris, and through all the famous parks of London. I got frustratingly lost running through a city park in Munich at the age of 22 and have worked on improving my sense of direction ever since. I ran at midnight in Egypt to avoid the heat, and ran from wild boars in a forest in Vienna. Running in Istanbul meant darting in and out of busy streets and markets, often with local children cheering and running behind me. I once ran a trail...

My cheering section for the Mother's Day 5K We had a busy and fun weekend of racing in the Maniger household. The weather was beautiful both Saturday and Sunday, even a little cool at times which was perfect for running. With early mornings both Saturday and Sunday and two showings on the house to prep for, we felt pretty exhuasted by Sunday evening. Race note: I finished 3rd in my age group out of 378 runners -  and I paid for it all day Sunday. I need to put in more miles if I am going to run that hard. I know better, but I hadn't raced in a long time and my enthusiasm got the better of me. Gram finished 9th in her age group - despite almost missing the start. Way to go Mom! Mother's Day 5K Race Team 2012 We cheered on Kara in her big race Saturday and it was so much fun. I was surprised at how many people 'ran with the cows' in this race, which is only in its second year. I heard about 2500 turned out to run on Saturday. As with any big ra...

How perfect that Mother's Day falls in May - Exercise is Medicine month. A few thoughts on exercise and motherhood... Mother's Day makes me think about many things - my own Mom and how grateful I am to have her in my life (and not just for emergency babysitting!), and how grateful I am to be a mother to two beautiful, healthy children. Last year was my first Mother's Day with a daughter. And, although I always wanted a daughter, parenting a daughter scares me. I feel like there is a lot more room to make mistakes - for her to rebel and hate me, and for me as a role model to fail. I don't want my feminist ideals to come on too strong, or make her do a 180 against them and marry the first guy she loves at 18; and I also don't want her to think she has to achieve and impress me all her life - she will be my perfect girl no matter what. I worry about these things, maybe more than I should. But one thing I don't worry about in parenting my daughter is giving he...

 Running the Hospital Hill Half-Marathon with Ryan, circa 2007. Photo credit: K.Tuttle. 10 things - some new, some old - about exercise and me: 1. I ran my first 5K at the age of 10. Since then, I've run more road races than I can count. 2. In college, I was lucky enough to compete in the historic Head of the Charles , the world's largest two-day rowing event. 3. I had what I'm pretty sure amounts to a panic attack in the open water swim of my first triathlon. Thanks, but no thanks. 4. I've run 9 marathons, including the infamous Boston Marathon. My marathon PR is 3:24:40. 5. My favorite race distance is the half-marathon. 5 and 10Ks are too fast, a marathon requires too much time to train. 6. I am really excited that I get to help plan this upcoming meeting . 7. I'd like to run a marathon with my Dad someday. When I am 68, I hope I can still run a 10K under an hour and a half-marathon under 2 hours like he can. 8. I used to teach spin...

I remember the day I brought home my Bob jogging stroller like it was yesterday. Bright shiny and new, cheerful in orange, ready to hit the pavement. The Bob is the stroller of choice for runners and I felt like I had joined an exclusive club - sort of like how people that drive Minis all wave at each other on the road (they really do, there is even a set wave you exchange by just lifting your palm up while still holding the top of the steering wheel). We got the Bob towards the end of my maternity leave when I really needed to get out of the house. I was itching to get back in shape and the Bob was my ticket there. It was spring time and the parks and running trails were calling me.

These days everyone is running a marathon. From the unofficial kickoff of the fall marathon season in Chicago in early October, to the ING New York City Marathon this coming weekend, almost a quarter of a million people will complete the 26.2 mile distance. With so many people conquering this once formidable distance, why should the youngest runner to finish yet, a 39 week baby in utero – draw so much attention? If you haven’t already heard, Amber Miller, aka “The Marathon Mom”, ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon at 38 weeks 5 days pregnant and then delivered her baby girl just hours following the race. This mom and, by all accounts, her very healthy baby have generated a lot of attention, and not all positive. Despite abundant evidence that exercise during pregnancy is not harmful for mother or baby, Amber Miller was openly criticized and attacked for putting her unborn child at risk by running a marathon. A veteran of eight marathons, three of them while pregnant, Amber’s ...

My parents were runners. They took us to road races when we were kids. I distinctly remember standing along the side of the road, waiting excitedly to see my Mom or Dad run past. They took turns, as Ryan and I do now, with one running and the other being responsible for the kids and cheering at the finish. Ryan's Fan Club

We did the Mother's Day 5k this year. My Mom, sister, sister-in-law and niece. It was a beautiful morning and a fun way to celebrate the day. My first race since having Izzy, it felt pretty bad, but also good to be back out there.

When Charlie was really little, we put his car seat in the jogging stroller and he faced backwards, looking towards us while we ran. I always enjoyed seeing his smiles or watching him fall asleep. Now that he's bigger, Charlie faces forward in the stroller and this is all I see when we're running... I like watching him kick his legs and put his feet up like he's lounging. Plus, now he talks to me while we run. And if I sing a song he recognizes, I get applause!

Charlie participated in his first race a couple weeks ago. It was a Poker run through Brookside with an 80s dress theme (which Ryan neglected to tell me or I would have worn my leg warmers and head band!) As we waited for the race to start, I worried about the rain beginning to fall.

So excited about the Bob! Can't wait til Charlie is big enough to hit the trails. In the meantime we will have fun cruising the neighborhood with our new jogging stroller.

T-minus 11 days (give or take a couple days) and Paige is still putting the miles in. Paige ran the 5K Groundhog Run this morning.

How many 30 week pregnant women do you know that run 5K's? On Thanksgiving morning Paige and I ran the Parkville Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K. Even with the "extra cargo" she's carrying around in her, she still finished with the very respectable time of 35 minutes 07 seconds. Great job!