'Summer' is here!

I went for an exhilarating run yesterday to Portobello Beach. I didn't want to do it — my running partner isn't here any more and I'd gotten less than four hours of sleep. But, when I couldn't come up with anything else to do (kids were out with William, I was fully caffeinated and there wasn't a new episode of any of my favorite shows available), I headed outside. 

The sun was shining, the park was hopping (where are all these people in the depths of winter? hibernating?) and I set off. At first, I was just going to do my usual 3-4 mile loop but it must have been the sudden burst of vitamin D that propelled me all the way to the beach and beyond. 

I've been hearing rumors of sunny, 60-degree weather (and higher!) in Seattle for weeks now but I've been ignoring them as I pulled on my boots, circled my scarf and popped on my hat every day. Until now. Thank goodness I'm wearing a tank top and shorts, I thought, as I sprinted down the sand. Should I have put on sunscreen? No, I'm sure I'll be OK, I reassured myself. 

And it wasn't just me smelling the sight of summer. There were kids with their tops off, putting their toes in the sea. 50-year old men skateboarding down the promenade. Teenagers wearing t-shirts and backwards hats (wait, that's back in?). Middle-aged couples waiting in line at the ice-cream truck. People playing beach volleyball! Beach volleyball!!

As I finished what ended up being a fantastic 8-mile run (maybe that half marathon won't be so bad after all!), I whipped out my phone to check the temperature. It must be nearly 65 I thought! 

Nope. 

It was 8° Celsius. That's 46°F. 46!!!!! What's going to happen when we move back and experience a Seattle Spring and Summer? Will we get heat stroke? Should we start carrying umbrellas for shade? 

One thing's for sure, I'm going to miss my fellow Edinburghians who truly know how to make the most of a sunny day. 

Vitamin D rush continued today. Had to get an ice cream bar
for the walk back from the store. It was 7°C.   

No, I'm not moving just to get out of this run

Now, I know how this will seem. I conveniently decided to move one month before the Edinburgh half marathon that I've trained and raised money for, just so I don't have to actually run it. I swear that's not what happened! And, to prove it, I am still going to run those 13.1 miles. Just not here. 

Moments ago, I signed up for the 2015 Mother's Day Half Marathon in Kirkland. It's on May 10th (US Mother's Day) at 7:30am (those Seattleites like to get started EARLY!), giving me a good week and a half to get over the horrendous jet lag that awaits me and two small children and three less weeks to train than if I was here to do the Edinburgh half on May 31st. Guess I better get cracking with some runs!

I have to admit, my training lately has been scattered at best. 'Long' runs have consisted of Margaret and I running 20 minutes out to Portobello Beach, getting a coffee and chocolate croissant at the cute cafe on the promenade (once even a full breakfast!), wolfing it down and then running home. Not sure if that's really the recommended runners diet.

And this afternoon, I was so tired from waking up at 4:30am (Freddie's having nightmares about dogs and hair salons — the subject of an upcoming blog post, I'm sure) that I only managed 25 minutes. That, and the fact that it is still absolutely freezing here. 

So, with this new, earlier deadline, I feel excited and energetic! For those of you who have donated already, a massive THANK YOU. I can't believe how much I've raised (over (£650!!). I have less than £100 left before I reach my goal so let's do this! You can donate here and I promise I won't plan another international move so I can get out of the Kirkland half. 

My last run - I think my face was frozen.

Learning to lie

Apparently, lying starts at a pretty young age. Now, you could call it 'seeing what you can get away with,' but the reality is — it's lying. Here are some of the lies Freddie has fed me lately:

1. Returns from the bathroom literally one second after he goes in to check for pee. I tell him to go back in and check for real and, looking me straight in the eye, he says 'I did Mama!' I tell him to go in again and I'm going to check on him if he can't tell me the truth and, once again, he returns one second later. 'I peed!' Lie. The next time, we go in together. With me watching at the door he turns, fully clothed, towards the toilet and says in a squeaky little voice 'pee!' I mean, come on. I look smarter than that, don't I Fred?

2. Half a page is ripped out of one of his books. When I asked what happened he said it just came out on its own after he was done reading it. Hmmmmm. Sounds suspicious. 

3. Me: 'What happened to Elsie's biscotti?' 'She gave it to me, Mama. She all full.' Hmmmmmm. Could be true, but I highly doubt it. 

Who, me?

The funny thing is, at other times he's brutally honest, even turning himself in when he's done something wrong. A couple examples:

1. Elsie is wailing and has a red mark on her forehead. Me: 'What happened????' Freddie: 'I just wanted to play with that recycle truck so I grabbed it and it hit Elsie in the head so she has an owie. It'll feel better real soon.'

2. Freddie is suddenly sans clothes the moment we are about to head out. 'Where'd your clothes go?' I ask, as he was completely dressed a minute ago. His response: 'I too hot so I threw my clothes up on top of the couch. I just wearing my birthday suit to the park.'

Let's hope he gets better at it or there's no way he'll be able to sneak out when he's older.