Tall Tara

Seriously.

How was your Halloween?

Step one: Find a baby and a pumpkin.

Step two: Give up any hope of measuring or planning. Decide to wing it.

Step three: Take the top off.

Step four: Cut out an area the width of baby’s shoulders and continue that cut further down the back side of the pumpkin. Scoop out guts.

Step five: Take a break. Play with the guts.

Step six: Cut leg holes as wide as baby’s hips. Or attempt to.

Step seven: Time for the trial run. See how baby fits into the pumpkin and then make adjustments to leg holes and add decorative finishes.

Step eight: Convince baby that sitting inside a pumpkin is really fun.

Step nine: When step eight fails, let baby chew on his hat.

Step ten: Enjoy the Halloween spirit!

(A final note, though I hope it’s obvious: No babies were harmed in the making of this jack-o-lantern.)

(And one other more final note, though I hope it’s obvious as well: Bathing your baby is a really good step eleven.)

I simply love how the library always seems to provide just the perfect book that I would never have found otherwise.

In this case, the book is called ‘The Lost Art of Walking’ and it’s divine. (Please don’t judge this book based on the cheesy design on it’s cover.)

I’m an unabashed walker. We only have one car in our family and my husband takes it to work. Meaning that I walk. Everywhere. All the time. And I love it.

For the past three years, I’ve been fortunate enough to live no more than two miles from where I’ve worked, meaning that my daily commute involved lots of walking. Add to that my love of backpacking and my need to get fresh air with my baby…well, I’m basically the spokesperson for walking.

So, of course, I thought this book was amazing.

The author looks at walking from different angles. He writes about those who walk for religious reasons (from pilgrimages to labyrinths), those who walk for sport (apparently back in the day, challenges like walking a thousand miles in a thousand hours were pretty common and heavily rewarded) and those who walk for sanity (writers!).

Geography is also taken into account. Walking in cities is discussed, with London, Los Angeles and New York City each getting their own chapters. I loved this aspect of thinking about walking because I’ve lived in a big city (Houston) that wasn’t very walkable. The pedestrian aspects of a metropolis are the most intriguing to me because that’s where the real surprises and treasures are found. And as it turns out, there’s an entire field devoted to the pedestrian exploration of the urban landscape: psychogeography.

Additionally, the author dedicates a  few chapters to how walking is portrayed in movies and music, along with the art of street photography. Anyone who has ever seen The Usual Suspects can appreciate what an unusual gait can do for character development. Not to mention what a pair of boots made for walkin’ can do for personal integrity.

But I think one of my favorite parts of the whole book, the one that had me laughing out loud, was when the author described his recent fall while walking around his Los Angeles neighborhood…

“Even as I was falling I thought, Oh crap, I’m not really going to go all the way to the ground, am I? I’ll stop myself somehow. I’ll keep my footing. I’ll regain my balance. And I then I knew I was wrong about that. I was going all the way. I’d passed the tipping point. Oh crap, indeed.”

I had the exact same thing run through my head as I ate shit hard on some ice this past winter. (Yes, I was pregnant at the time. No, I didn’t hurt myself. Also? I didn’t spill a drop of my tea.) If you’ve lived in an cold climate and had to do the icy shuffle along frozen sidewalks, you may be able to relate.

Enough about walking a mile in my (extremely large) shoes…what about you? Am I the only one who can geek out hard about walking? Any other ardent amblers out there?

Needless to say…this kid has no idea what he’s in for.

(And by that, I mean the intense geekiness level of his parents.)

I also hope that Hurley is his first babysitter on the island.

So we all know what an Ignite junkie I am, right?

(And for those of you who don’t know about Ignite, educate & enlighten yourself.)

Basically, ever since Andrew Hyde and Jeremy Tanner peer pressured me into speaking at the very first Boulder Ignite, I’ve had a deep respect for the short-form visual presentation style. It reminds me a bit of stand-up…but with more Powerpoint. And way more geeks.

Last year, I gave my fourth Ignite talk in front of a sold-out crowd of 800+ people at the Boulder Theater. I made people laugh, taught them a thing or two and shared a little bit of my dorky past with everyone.

If you want to brag about knowing a game show champion, you best watch the video below.

You can thank me later.

Oh hello there.

I had a baby two weeks ago and am just now remembering what my blog dashboard looks like.

And what sleep feels like.

Elijah Cole is a perfect little being who entered our lives in a dramatic way. Here is part one of the birth story, in pictures. Consider it a  highlight reel of the entire experience. I thought it best to start with the positive stuff.

(Don’t worry…no pictures of my nether regions are included in this part of the story, although I most definitely classify them under positive stuff.)

My husband. He was by my side during the entire 33-hour ordeal, holding my hand, reminding me to breathe and cheering me on. He even cleaned up my puke. Turns out spicy Indian food does not make for the best last supper.

My saucy birthing gown. I bought this at Bundle, an eco-friendly and very Boulder-esque maternity store. Although a little doubtful at first about how it would perform during the event, this dress turned out to be worth every penny. First of all, I didn’t have to wear a hospital gown. Those things suck. Plus, this number was made out of super-soft cotton, had a cute sushi design on the front and was accessible from every angle. It also worked like a charm post-delivery, when I started breastfeeding. In fact, I didn’t take it off for five days in a row and was getting compliments on it from all the nurses in the recovery ward.

My friend Jess. We met in massage school and have been friends ever since. She moved back to the East coast this past summer and I’ve missed her. Before leaving, we had a conversation about having her involved in my labor and delivery. The universe complied and I was fortunate enough to hang out with Jess for a week before Eli arrived. She also was with me during my entire birthing experience, providing me with massage, support and much-needed laughter. I can never thank her enough. (If you’re in Rhode Island, be sure to give her a call.)

My favorite snack. I love Justin’s Nut Butter. This is well-documented on my blog. In hour eleven of labor, when I needed something to help power me through…you can see what I chose. The nurse was only recommending I eat ice chips and popsicles. Fortunately, my midwife was okay with bending the rules a bit in my favor. Thanks Justin’s!

My midwives. Speaking of…they rock.

My nurses. They were amazingly helpful and I can’t thank them enough for their breastfeeding help, parenting wisdom and good humor. I think it helped that word had already spread around the ward about my pregnant standup routine. I may have been semi-famous on the third floor for a few days.

My hospital room views. Not bad, Boulder Community Hospital, not bad.

My family. Amazing. Enough said.

My baby. Elijah Cole came into the world on March 27th, 2011. Obviously, the best part of what I will always call the longest endurance event of my life.

Until I do an Ironman, that is.

Which hopefully won’t end in surgery like this one.

(Part Two coming soon. Or whenever Elijah dictates.)

{Warning: the following video may not be safe for work. The content is completely inappropriate, I use the word ‘fuck’ a lot and it will probably be used to justify why my child needs therapy later on in life.}

I performed at one of my old haunts, a dive bar named The Squire located in downtown Denver, and am relieved to know that I can still be funny while totally sober. This open mic night is known for being dirty, raunchy and hipster-filled.

Adding to the challenge, I had to go on stage following Josh Blue. You know, the winner of Last Comic Standing in 2006?

Ummm….no pressure.

Enjoy. You’ve been warned.

Many thanks to my husband for being a great cameraman. He’s the laughter you hear right off-camera. And my inspiration.

I’m taking part in Reverb10, a time to reflect on the year that has past and manifest for the upcoming year. If you’re interested in participating, you can find out more about the project here.

December 3 Moment.

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year.

Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

Was it the moment that I lost myself in the zen of skiing fresh powder on a bluebird day, zooming through trees and feeling my body carve effortless turns?

Was it the moment that I found myself scuba-diving a few feet away from a manna ray and a sea tortoise, floating along 60 meters underwater and discovering how much life I’d been missing?

Was it the moment that I stepped up on stage at Ignite Boulder 8 and made 800+ people in the Boulder Theater laugh at me with a story (complete with pictures) from my awkward teenage years?

Was it the moment when I sat in front of a campfire at 11,000 feet, looking up at an impossibly starry sky and basking in the glow of love, whiskey and friendship?

Nope. All the above moments were quite magical, but there’s one that stands out above the rest.

In a typical-looking medical examining room, I experienced a moment I’ll never forget. I was laying on a typical-looking examining table, looking at my husband sitting next to me. The nurse rubbed a cold and slimy gel on my stomach and rolled a small machine over. She began tracing a wand over my belly and at first, all we heard was a monotone static-like sound.

Then…there it was.

The moment when my husband and I heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Knowing that there was something living inside me, something that we had created together, was the most alive I’ve felt this year.

*Although, to be honest, that skiing was really amazing.

**And no, not all of my Reverb10 posts will be about my pregnancy. At least, I hope not.

I never usually write race reports. But then again, my goal for the usual race is just to finish. This year, I had an actual goal with time involved. And I had posted about it on the internets. Twice.

Since I don’t run that many races anymore, I’ve decided that when I do, I’m going to take them a bit more seriously. Not that much more seriously, because let’s remember it is me, after all…

But enough about my serious running goals, let’s talk about the Bolder Boulder as it happened almost a week ago…

–It was the first race that no carb-loading took place the night before…maybe ever? The hubby made me spaghetti squash and fried eggplant, with plantains and a salad fresh out of garden. I wasn’t missing carbs one bit and didn’t have that heavy feeling the night before the race.

–Race morning: Got up early to stretch, drink coffee and eat a banana w/ almond butter. Felt like a champ.

–Ended up in same wave as a friend and had someone to chat with for the first mile. Before I dropped her. Although, in her defense, she was suffering through a sinus infection. (Hi  Robin!)

–After parting ways with Robin, I ran the race by myself. Well, me and my watch. It’s the first time in three years that I haven’t had my husband running the race with me. I think the solo effort helped me to keep an eye on my mile splits and to push myself harder than usual. Not that he slows me down or anything, but without my husband there, I was able to fully focus on my performance. And it showed in my time.

–No water until mile 5. It felt good to keep running through the early water stations and since I rarely train with much water, I was okay not getting any until later in the race.

–After I got home and checked my results online, I realized I pulled off a negative split. Meaning that I ran the second half of the race faster than the first. This has been a goal of mine for a long time and it’s the first time I’ve actually pulled it off.

–Shaved three minutes off last year’s time, which was the very public goal that I made sure to tell everyone about. Also? I was *this close* to coming in under an hour. Like 21 seconds close. Can you guess what my goal is going to be for next year?

–Felt strong the entire time. I was passing people in the last couple of miles and that’s something I really enjoy doing. Because in years past, it wasn’t something I was doing much of.

–I did the whole thing with a busted lip. It’s a long story but suffice it to say, I’ve had prettier years running this race. (You can see a little something on my chin in the first picture and yes, it’s a big gnarly scab.)

–I honestly think that CrossFit had a lot to do with my success in this run. I didn’t do that many training runs before the race but because my core is just generally stronger, I had more power overall, less soreness in my legs and the ability to push myself when necessary. Not to mention the fact that I’ve done way more sprinting with CrossFit than ever before by myself. Sometimes I just need someone yelling at me to insure that I run short distances.

This race just gets better by the year and is the perfect start to my summer racing season. I plan to continue running this one for as long as I live in Boulder.

And because it’s apparent that I stole borrowed the photos above from Brightroom event photography, let me just say thank you to Brightroom event photography for capturing this year’s race.

(Maybe next year I’ll actually buy one? But only if you get pics of me looking good. Deal?)

Ahhhh yes…the Dorothy Hamill bowl haircut that took YEARS to recover from…

(Courtesy of some salon in Orlando near DisneyWorld)

You’re welcome.