I've been a busy lady since last I updated here. I completed my pair of pants for my sewing class (photos to come), and I had two lovely weeks of vacation. Nowhere exotic, just Minnesota and Iowa. Yay for the Midwest! Good times with friends in Minneapolis as my oldest, dearest friend graduated with her B.A., relaxing times outside of Cedar Rapids with my dad. Both were great trips in their own ways. Of course, I hit the ground running first thing Tuesday morning when I returned. Back to class and finishing my third and final project: a well-fitting vest. Back to preparation for J's friends' wedding this past Saturday. Back to training for Bay to Breakers in SF. Back to plans for my cousin's bridal shower.
Today is Sunday. I ran 7.46 miles this morning. It's the farthest I've ever run. It's the largest crowd I've been in outside of a concert. I finished in under 2 hours. The official clock said 1 hour, 54 minutes 50 seconds as I passed. I should be getting an updated time soon, as I didn't cross the start line for 13 minutes as the thousands of people ahead of me got their start. I saw lots of naked butts (and a few front parts, too!), lots of hilarious costumes, and lots of people just out for a good time. I had to stop and walk only once as I made the trek up Hayes Street. Overall, I think I walked about a block and a half. Otherwise, it was me, the road, and my Ipod. J and my brother were running, too, but they run much faster than me. I planned to run solo, and it felt good! Making the turn into the final leg of the race was awesome. The ocean came into view, the salt air entered my lungs, and I caught sight of the finish line. I turned on my jets and sprinted for the finish line. Now, my "jets" are nothing compared to most other runners, but I went as fast as my short legs could carry me. What an experience!!! I definitely plan on doing this next year!!
As for my latest work, I am finishing up my vest. I'm still searching for buttons and a buckle, but I'm sure I'll find something good this week. It's turning out really well. I'm also working on a design for a denim quilt for my aunt and uncle using 5 bags of old jeans. I think it's going to turn out very well. In addition to all of that, I'm cutting out quilt squares for a job for my other aunt. I've also got some baby gifts to get together . . . I love making baby things now :) I definitely have some pictures to take next week!
The bridal shower is somewhat under control :) I work best under pressure. 'Nuff said.
For now, my tired little body just wants to rest. I'm hanging out at my mom's. K is running around playing with her uncle and grandma. I've taken a nap. J is at the ball game tonight (crazy man!), so I'll need to pick him up from the train station later. All in all, May has turned out to be a busy, but delightful month:)
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
5.17.2009
2.17.2009
Run Mama Run!
Running is my new drug. Since I quit smoking, quit drinking excessively, and quit certain other activities that shall remain vague and generally vice-like, I needed a new drug. Running works. Monday, during a break in the icky wet weather, I laced up my shoes as quickly as I could and bolted out the door. Yes, J was home with K, so no, I didn't abandon my child. The air was cold on my face, the music was moderately loud in one ear (gotta listen for cars and creepy people!), and I ran. No dramatic time or distance accomoplished this day. Just a good run, part of my training. The best thing about running is the way it clears my head. I work out all kinds of stuff while running (and laughing to myself that I listen to Guns'n'Roses sometimes!). So, here are some bullet points to get stuff out of my head and onto paper, so to speak.
Why I Run
Why I Run
- to lose weight (still working on the post-high school partying/medication weight)
- to be prepared for Bay to Breakers this May (long-time goal of mine)
- to live actively (now, this is a good one, because somewhere along the way, in high school I thought it was cool to not sweat, but now I realize that if I don't sweat at least 4-5 days a week, I'll earn a lovely early grave and lots of other crappy things along the way to that grave. Not to mention, I need to be a healthy role model for K, so I better keep up that active lifestyle, right?!)
- to honor those in my life who frickin' deserve to be honored
Why I wear pink when I run (it's not always a conscious choice, but I almost always don a pink article of clothing)
- My grandmother kicked breast cancer's butt in the late '80s and lived to be almost 80 without a single scary recurrance of the bastard mutant cells.
- J's Aunt Jamie, who is currently kicking breast cancer's butt and looking like the incredibly stylish woman she's always been while doing it.
- I am inspired by the last two winners of the Biggest Loser (both members of the Pink Team, both woman!)
I really do think about that kind of stuff while running. I often ask myself why the hell I am out in the cold, running to no where in particular when I could be home, warm and cozy. But then I think about people who can't walk, let alone run and decide that if I have the ability to do this, I will do it. I am damn lucky to be healthy and in a place where I can run outside in relative safety. I say relative because there are some creepy people who tend to walk on the trail I run, but I know that it's a peaceful place to be, so I can't really say they're creepy. . . just better to be safe than sorry.
Lately, I've been working on forgiving myself for mistakes I've made. And Oh Boy, have I made a lot of mistakes in my life. Now, I generally see mistakes as the opportunity to grow and learn something about myself. That's all fine and dandy. The problem is when my mistakes include other people who don't get to see the growth I experience in the aftermath. They remember me for my mistakes, while I look back and say "Oooh, that sucked, but I really learned something there." See, that's what mistakes are good for. I also have to remind myself that if the people around me are truly my friends, then they will see that I am growing and will allow me the space to do so and still appreciate my friendship. Or, they just like me enough to tolerate the crazy stuff I do and then I can explain myself later on so they get all the cool stuff I learned. So those that have split afterwards have missed out on the opportunity to get to the know the new and improved me thanks to the sometimes painful, sometimes awkward mistakes I've made. I guess it all boils down to this: I have grown A LOT in the last few years, and while I've made some mistakes, I am thankful for the opportunities I've been given to grow and I'm thankful for the friends that have stuck by me in the process. One day, I'll be as wise as Yoda, and seek my wisdom you shall. Heehee, I'm a dork and proud of it!
Moving on.
I think K has another ear infection. Boo. I'm hoping to take her to the doc in the morning to confirm and see what lovely antibiotic they'll prescribe now that she's allergic to amoxocilin. Poor thing is having such a tough time going to sleep. Between the cold and the teeth and now maybe an ear infection, she can't catch a break! Still, she's stinkin' cute and I love more than life itself. Today, she was having sooo much fun playing with her GrandAuntie T and GrandUncle M. Never have I seen my child laugh so much at a kitchen towel. They are two of the most creative people I know and am eternally grateful that they are in my life.
Update on my classwork: Yes, I'm taking beginning clothing construction. I am in the process of making a tee-shirt and it is so fun! So simple, but so enlightening! I did sleeves in class today and I can't wait to do it again! I'll be taking some pics tomorrow to share my first effort at my shirt. J is so supportive and is already talking about me taking more classes next semester . . . :) I love to sew!!!!!! I've also made a nifty quilted cover for my pattern tracing paper and am working on a tool roll based on my cousin's design for all my cool sewing supplies. Will post photos.
If you got this far, know that I appreciate your attention. Sometimes, I just have to purge some thoughts to make room for new ones!
1.18.2009
Too much excitement
I'm enjoying a little time out from my everyday life. Hubby and I took the small child and ran away to his parents' house yesterday. I slept in, stayed in my pjs till 1pm, went for a 3.2 mile run, and now I get to debrief the last few days. J, his sisters and their boyfriends, and the MIL are all watching the Eagles-Cardinals game and K is sleeping (almost 2.5 hours . . . ). I'm staring at a coffee table full of fun munchy foods and somehow I'm managing to keep my hands to myself.
Saturday was a really eventful day. We never intended to have such a big day, but such is life. The original plan was to visit the SF Zoo with the parent-in-laws and L, my younger SIL. We were trying to figure out what to do for breakfast and J was playing with K. Suddenly he brought her in the house and she was crying and very clingy. This behavior from her was really random and puzzling. J said he'd been playing with her when he picked her up by the hands and handed her off to his dad. That's when she started crying. We put K down for a short nap, and when she woke up, she wouldn't use her right arm. I called the advice nurse at our pediatrician's office for a little guidance. She said "Can you come in now? Right now?" Thankfully, I wasn't too worried to begin with, so I didn't panic. J and I took K into the doctor's office and our wonderful doctor very gently popped K's elbow back into place. Yes, that's right. She had a dislocated elbow. Just because J picked her up by the hands. It's something we've done before, and needless to say, we'll never do again! Our doc just laughed it off, reminding us how resilient kids are and that this happens to even the most cautious families. J was feeling pretty guilty, but I made sure he knew that I didn't blame him and wasn't upset in the slightest. K seemed just fine the rest of the day. After lunch, I insisted that J and my brother, S, tackle the front fence. See, we live in my mother's family home and the fence is probably 30+ years old. There's two parts to the front gate: the "people gate" and the "car gate". The larger gate is truly big enough to open up and drive a car into the front yard. We tried to open in when we first moved in last April and it didn't cooperate very well. Since then, I've been watching it slowly shift its weight and look unstable. Given the fact that it's the time of year for wind storms, I didn't want to wait for a wind storm to knock it down. So, being that yesterday was beautiful AND J and S were both home, I asked them to get to it. However, life being what it is, it wasn't a simple job of replacing the 2 2x4s that formed the hinge. The hinges were rusted open and the middle hinge was actually broken. There's some dry rot on the ends of the large support beams. Stuff that has to get handled. We bought all the supplies to put a rather large, but industrial strength band-aid in place. Sadly, S started feeling sick. So, the gate is down, the supplies are ready to go, and we'll be putting the gate back together this week. After all the excitement, we hit the road. So here we are.
Here's an update on my running progress: Thursday I ran a total of 55 minutes!! I ran approximately 4.1 miles, which tells me I run slow and need to pick up the speed a bit, but that'll happen in time. Today, I ran 40 minutes, roughly 3.2 miles. So, I need to pick up my speed overall, but that's ok. It'll happen. I'll keep working on it.
Saturday was a really eventful day. We never intended to have such a big day, but such is life. The original plan was to visit the SF Zoo with the parent-in-laws and L, my younger SIL. We were trying to figure out what to do for breakfast and J was playing with K. Suddenly he brought her in the house and she was crying and very clingy. This behavior from her was really random and puzzling. J said he'd been playing with her when he picked her up by the hands and handed her off to his dad. That's when she started crying. We put K down for a short nap, and when she woke up, she wouldn't use her right arm. I called the advice nurse at our pediatrician's office for a little guidance. She said "Can you come in now? Right now?" Thankfully, I wasn't too worried to begin with, so I didn't panic. J and I took K into the doctor's office and our wonderful doctor very gently popped K's elbow back into place. Yes, that's right. She had a dislocated elbow. Just because J picked her up by the hands. It's something we've done before, and needless to say, we'll never do again! Our doc just laughed it off, reminding us how resilient kids are and that this happens to even the most cautious families. J was feeling pretty guilty, but I made sure he knew that I didn't blame him and wasn't upset in the slightest. K seemed just fine the rest of the day. After lunch, I insisted that J and my brother, S, tackle the front fence. See, we live in my mother's family home and the fence is probably 30+ years old. There's two parts to the front gate: the "people gate" and the "car gate". The larger gate is truly big enough to open up and drive a car into the front yard. We tried to open in when we first moved in last April and it didn't cooperate very well. Since then, I've been watching it slowly shift its weight and look unstable. Given the fact that it's the time of year for wind storms, I didn't want to wait for a wind storm to knock it down. So, being that yesterday was beautiful AND J and S were both home, I asked them to get to it. However, life being what it is, it wasn't a simple job of replacing the 2 2x4s that formed the hinge. The hinges were rusted open and the middle hinge was actually broken. There's some dry rot on the ends of the large support beams. Stuff that has to get handled. We bought all the supplies to put a rather large, but industrial strength band-aid in place. Sadly, S started feeling sick. So, the gate is down, the supplies are ready to go, and we'll be putting the gate back together this week. After all the excitement, we hit the road. So here we are.
Here's an update on my running progress: Thursday I ran a total of 55 minutes!! I ran approximately 4.1 miles, which tells me I run slow and need to pick up the speed a bit, but that'll happen in time. Today, I ran 40 minutes, roughly 3.2 miles. So, I need to pick up my speed overall, but that's ok. It'll happen. I'll keep working on it.
1.13.2009
New Year, New Me
It's so nice to be able to look back on my thoughts from last year to see how far I've come, how much I've grown, and how while so much changes, so much stays the same.
Here I am at the beginning of 2009, hoping to be better at journalling than the year before. Clearly, I didn't get very far in 2008. I'm sure I probably forgot all about the blog I started, lost the password, or some other half-assed excuse for not taking a few minutes to put my thoughts into words. I'm happy to try again, and to keep trying because I know I am a much more calm person when I take all my swirling thoughts and give them a place to go :)
As for big changes in 2008, my little girl started the year as a smiley, squirmy baby and finished the year a smiley hurricane! She's walking, running, climbing, dancing, falling, exploring, and all-around adventurer. It's really rather mind-boggling how much development occurs in one year - and I have a degree in that field!! No big changes in my marriage, and that's the way I like it. Nice and quiet, finding little ways to reconnect and remind each other why we got married in the first place. I'm adjusting to my new life as a wife AND a mother, he's adjusting to his life as a husband AND a father, and we're having fun, too.
As for me, HUGE changes have occurred. Not that most people would notice from the outside, but I know I feel so different! I was treated for post-partum depression in 2008. I feel no sense of shame, guilt or other such weirdness about my diagnosis and treatment plan. Yes, I took medication and thank God for it! Yes, I see a psychologist, and she is an amazing woman who has truly helped me embrace my new life role as a mother and integrate this new role with the rest of my life. And, yes, I'm off my medication now and I feel damn good :) I quietly (and quite accidentally) weaned myself off my meds at the end of December and made it through the holidays feeling like a good version of myself: confident, excited, driven, accepting. I stuck with Weight Watchers all year, through the ups and the downs. I started 2009 by reaching my 25 lb. achievement marker - a huge milestone for me! ALL the baby weight is gone! All of it! Bye bye baby booty!! I fit into my pre-pregnancy pants, and they fit better now than they did before I got pregnant! I attribute this to: running 2-3 days weekly, attending 2 mom/baby exercise classes weekly, strength training 2-4 days weekly and really tracking all my food intake. When you're on a roll, you can't lie to yourself and say "well, I only really ate 1.5 brownies 'cause that first one was small." Nope. I've learned to be painfully honest with myself in many regards because I know that's the only way I'll learn from my mistakes. "Feedback, not failure" is my new mantra for my weightloss achievements.
My goals for 2009 are as follows: Run Bay to Breakers in May, achieve Lifetime Membership status through Weight Watchers, and get pregnant. In that order. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Here's how I plan to get there: I'm following the 13-week training program in The Beginning Runner's Handbook by Ian MacNeill and The Sport Medicine Council of British Columbia. I started back in October because I knew that with weather, a small child, and Murphy's Law would all impact my ability to run. So glad I started early. I start my "ninth" week of training. I have a big run coming up this week. I have to pick a day to run it when hubby will be home because running with Kirsten is so trying these days. She just doesn't like being in the stroller so much anymore, so I need to save my stroller activities for my PowerStroll and Strollerobics classes. Anyway, running this training program has done amazing things for my health and confidence so far. I'm getting the runner's high and I swear it's better than caffeine! I'm on my way to achieving Lifetime . . . I'd like to lose another 25 pounds. . . That should put me just inside the healthy BMI range for my height. And, when all is said and done, we're going to try for a baby this fall. Kirsten will be turning 2 years old in August, and I really feel anytime after her birthday would be a great time to get pregnant again . . .
Here I am at the beginning of 2009, hoping to be better at journalling than the year before. Clearly, I didn't get very far in 2008. I'm sure I probably forgot all about the blog I started, lost the password, or some other half-assed excuse for not taking a few minutes to put my thoughts into words. I'm happy to try again, and to keep trying because I know I am a much more calm person when I take all my swirling thoughts and give them a place to go :)
As for big changes in 2008, my little girl started the year as a smiley, squirmy baby and finished the year a smiley hurricane! She's walking, running, climbing, dancing, falling, exploring, and all-around adventurer. It's really rather mind-boggling how much development occurs in one year - and I have a degree in that field!! No big changes in my marriage, and that's the way I like it. Nice and quiet, finding little ways to reconnect and remind each other why we got married in the first place. I'm adjusting to my new life as a wife AND a mother, he's adjusting to his life as a husband AND a father, and we're having fun, too.
As for me, HUGE changes have occurred. Not that most people would notice from the outside, but I know I feel so different! I was treated for post-partum depression in 2008. I feel no sense of shame, guilt or other such weirdness about my diagnosis and treatment plan. Yes, I took medication and thank God for it! Yes, I see a psychologist, and she is an amazing woman who has truly helped me embrace my new life role as a mother and integrate this new role with the rest of my life. And, yes, I'm off my medication now and I feel damn good :) I quietly (and quite accidentally) weaned myself off my meds at the end of December and made it through the holidays feeling like a good version of myself: confident, excited, driven, accepting. I stuck with Weight Watchers all year, through the ups and the downs. I started 2009 by reaching my 25 lb. achievement marker - a huge milestone for me! ALL the baby weight is gone! All of it! Bye bye baby booty!! I fit into my pre-pregnancy pants, and they fit better now than they did before I got pregnant! I attribute this to: running 2-3 days weekly, attending 2 mom/baby exercise classes weekly, strength training 2-4 days weekly and really tracking all my food intake. When you're on a roll, you can't lie to yourself and say "well, I only really ate 1.5 brownies 'cause that first one was small." Nope. I've learned to be painfully honest with myself in many regards because I know that's the only way I'll learn from my mistakes. "Feedback, not failure" is my new mantra for my weightloss achievements.
My goals for 2009 are as follows: Run Bay to Breakers in May, achieve Lifetime Membership status through Weight Watchers, and get pregnant. In that order. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Here's how I plan to get there: I'm following the 13-week training program in The Beginning Runner's Handbook by Ian MacNeill and The Sport Medicine Council of British Columbia. I started back in October because I knew that with weather, a small child, and Murphy's Law would all impact my ability to run. So glad I started early. I start my "ninth" week of training. I have a big run coming up this week. I have to pick a day to run it when hubby will be home because running with Kirsten is so trying these days. She just doesn't like being in the stroller so much anymore, so I need to save my stroller activities for my PowerStroll and Strollerobics classes. Anyway, running this training program has done amazing things for my health and confidence so far. I'm getting the runner's high and I swear it's better than caffeine! I'm on my way to achieving Lifetime . . . I'd like to lose another 25 pounds. . . That should put me just inside the healthy BMI range for my height. And, when all is said and done, we're going to try for a baby this fall. Kirsten will be turning 2 years old in August, and I really feel anytime after her birthday would be a great time to get pregnant again . . .
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