Big girl stuff, and drunks and skunks

Summer 2012 has a couple of recurring themes for Run like a mama and her wee cubs. Among them: drunks and skunks, as the blog post title suggests.

First, the skunks. Why did they just move to my neighborhood this summer? Possums, raccoons, squirrels and scrawny rabbits, we're all good, longtime neighborhoods. I have never seen skunks however, until this summer, even though I've been running in the early mornings for a few years now.

This morning took the cake. I was running easy in my first mile of five. The side street, a nice tree-lined version, was a bit on the dark side this morning at o'dark thirty hours. Whatever. I was thinking about my new job -- that's part of the "big girl stuff" section of this post -- when suddenly I noticed something on the sidewalk, less than 10 feet away. It was a FREAKING SKUNK. Naturally, I did what you are supposed to do when you run up to a skunk and surprise it. I screamed like a girl. Definitely embarrassed. Its rear-end was even facing me. I don't know what kept him from spraying me as I leapt into the street. I am seriously lucky. And freaked out. 

That is at least the fourth skunk sighting I've had in recent months. 

Then there's the drunks, also out carousing with the skunks at o'dark thirty hours. I don't know if it's the extra hot summer or what. I have seen guys peeing on main Chicago arterials. I've seen drunks stumbling out of 4 a.m. bars -- yeah, I know, I could just not run so damn early. But it's marathon training season. I've seen couples making out and groping so heavily on the street that I'm practically blushing. Groups of fortunately harmless drunks have approached me and running friends on the lakefront path, mid-run, to ask us where the lake is. Uh, east, over there. 

Anyway. No harm, at least not yet, whew.

It's also a big girl-themed summer! First, the best big girl of all, my Baby C. She's a year and a half now, walking, saying words here and there, and has recently graduated to the toddler room. And developed some toddler attitude and sass, God love her. Within a week of that, I started a new job. Which made it easier, I think, to identify with the nervousness that goes with transition. The first week she loved the toddler room, including when Mommy walked her in. OK, she walked alongside Mommy, all "don't you carry me, lady, I'm a big girl now!" But as soon as we'd get in the room, she could smell my looming departure and howled her little lungs out, every single day last week. And began howling at night at bedtime once laid in the crib -- and she's always been my easiest bedtime kid and an amazing little sleeper. 

This big girl started a new job this week -- it's great. But even at 44, with dozens of first days of school, new schools, college, and now my 11th "new" job under my belt, I still get nervous. It's an OK level, moderate and a little delicious -- everything is so fresh and new! So it's sweet to watch her transition and think, yeah, sister, I get it. Let's have another hug for you. And another one for mommy.

Marathon training update: I now have a 18-miler and a 19-miler under my belt! This weekend will be the first of three 20-mile training runs. Long runs left go like this: 20, 12, 20, 14, 20 and then taper! When I look at it that way, rather than say, eight more weeks of training, it's not so bad. I've also had to up my weekly yoga practice to twice a week. Which is very challenging to squeeze in with work and kids and my weekly training runs. Eye on the prize!