So, clearly I suck at the blog thing. No new insight there.
However, here we are at the end of another long, crazy year, and it seems only natural to look back a bit, reflect, and see what lessons can be taken from the events of the last 12 months.
So, in no particular order, here's what I've come up with so far:
* I love my Pacific Northwest family and friends, and I miss them all very much. Spending time with them (here and there) has been rejuvenating.
* It is okay to ask for help, in whatever form that may take.
* Slow and steady may not win the race, but it will finish it, by god!
* Never underestimate the power of cats. They are independent, loving, protective creatures, and they have a wisdom I will never understand. And that is okay.
* Home really is where your heart is.
* There is more to life than work. There HAS to be, in order to stay sane and healthy.
* My husband completes me. He is my rock, my biggest cheerleader, my warmest hugs, my sweetest shoulder to rest on.
What are some of the lessons *you've* learned in 2012?
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
SIDELINED!
Man, this sucks!
I usually run three days a week, with 2 or three other days of the week for cross-training. Tuesdays I run 3 miles, and have been trying to do some work with intervals to increase the intensity of the run, and improve my speed and strength. Thursdays I run 4 miles, on a different route, and Saturdays (or sometimes Sundays) I do my long run. My last long run was 11.5 miles, increasing .5 miles each week to build up to my Half-Marathon. Was. As in, previous. As in, had been running, but not now.
*SIGH*
Last Thursday, March 8th, is a day that will live in infamy. But it goes a lot farther back than that, and has to do with a lot of things that have been stressing me out. So, let me go back a little more...
Work has been stressful. I have a very difficult job to do, and though I love it, it weighs heavily on me at times. I've been struggling for weeks with feeling hopeless and unmotivated, feeling unsupported yet not sure what would help me. Needless to say, my morale was shot, and mood was crap. I kept thinking about work, even at night when I tried to sleep, wanting to be better, but not sure how. I often couldn't sleep, and it was taking its toll on me. I was cranky and short-tempered most of the time, and my professionalism was on the verge of disappearing. I tried taking Ambien and it helped, but I didn't want to end up relying on pills to get to sleep each night, so I didn't always take it, convinced that I will just get to sleep on my own. It wasn't a good cycle to be in, needless to say.
I had a meeting with my supervisor last week, and it was eye-opening in many ways, and gave me a lot of things to think about, and I believe things will be changing. They have been changing internally, for me, and I tried putting an intentional focus on the positive into my work. I felt great. I even wrote the word "JOY" on my inside wrist to be a constant reminder. :)
But sleep was still a struggle.
Which brings me to Thursday morning. I didn't sleep well (surprise!) Wednesday night, but still felt like I needed to run. It's so therapeutic for me, an excellent stress reliever. So I headed out to do my four miles. I left my driveway, started jogging, and went through my usual path along the side of the road (we don't have sidewalks). I ran up by the local elementary school, and around the corner, where they have recently re-paved parts of the road, and re-painted the lines. I run on the left, facing traffic of course, and when there are no cars coming I hop up on the line, since the side of the road is bumpy and not paved. Well, at about 1.4 miles by my Garmin's measurement I put my foot on the line, but the line was half off the pavement. So my left foot went half off the pavement too, and rolled. I caught myself before I fell, but not before I heard/felt a "pop". Strangely enough, though, I didn't really feel a lot of pain.
The smart part of my brain kicked in and said "You really shouldn't keep going. You don't want to be farther from home and have it start hurting more, do you?" And luckily I listened to the genius in my head, and turned around, heading for home. Since it didn't really hurt much, I did more of a jog than a walk, trying to get home quickly. I had forgotten to turn the Garmin off, but when I did, it turns out, even though I tripped, I managed a 12 min/mile pace! :) go me!
Long story short, it's sprained. I went to Urgent Care, and they x-rayed me, sent me home with my ankle wrap and a note telling me I couldn't go to work, and that if it still hurt or got worse, to go to an orthopedist. So I did. Monday it wasn't better, and so I went and talked to an orthopedist, who told me that it was a sprain, but because it has been damaged before (more than once! I'll save that story for another post), the ligaments were weak and it was taking longer to recover. Ugh. No work for a week, and an order for Physical Therapy. Oh, and worst of all: NO RUNNING FOR 3 TO 4 WEEKS!!
AAAAaaaaahhhhhhh! I have a half-marathon THIS WEEKEND, and I can't go. It cost me $80! I'm sidelined from training for my MAIN half-marathon in about 6 weeks! *sigh* SIDELINED. Ugh.
But I've been cleared for cardio on the elliptical and stationary bike to keep my endurance up, and have two pages of exercises to stretch and strengthen my ankle and calf from the PT. It's killing me to miss out this weekend, but I know it's for the best. (I may still go to the expo and pick up my packet (shirt and race bib!), but we'll see 'bout that) So I'm making the best of it, I guess. Trying to take it easy to make sure I'm ready for work on Monday.
In every sense of the word.
I usually run three days a week, with 2 or three other days of the week for cross-training. Tuesdays I run 3 miles, and have been trying to do some work with intervals to increase the intensity of the run, and improve my speed and strength. Thursdays I run 4 miles, on a different route, and Saturdays (or sometimes Sundays) I do my long run. My last long run was 11.5 miles, increasing .5 miles each week to build up to my Half-Marathon. Was. As in, previous. As in, had been running, but not now.
*SIGH*
Last Thursday, March 8th, is a day that will live in infamy. But it goes a lot farther back than that, and has to do with a lot of things that have been stressing me out. So, let me go back a little more...
Work has been stressful. I have a very difficult job to do, and though I love it, it weighs heavily on me at times. I've been struggling for weeks with feeling hopeless and unmotivated, feeling unsupported yet not sure what would help me. Needless to say, my morale was shot, and mood was crap. I kept thinking about work, even at night when I tried to sleep, wanting to be better, but not sure how. I often couldn't sleep, and it was taking its toll on me. I was cranky and short-tempered most of the time, and my professionalism was on the verge of disappearing. I tried taking Ambien and it helped, but I didn't want to end up relying on pills to get to sleep each night, so I didn't always take it, convinced that I will just get to sleep on my own. It wasn't a good cycle to be in, needless to say.
I had a meeting with my supervisor last week, and it was eye-opening in many ways, and gave me a lot of things to think about, and I believe things will be changing. They have been changing internally, for me, and I tried putting an intentional focus on the positive into my work. I felt great. I even wrote the word "JOY" on my inside wrist to be a constant reminder. :)
But sleep was still a struggle.
Which brings me to Thursday morning. I didn't sleep well (surprise!) Wednesday night, but still felt like I needed to run. It's so therapeutic for me, an excellent stress reliever. So I headed out to do my four miles. I left my driveway, started jogging, and went through my usual path along the side of the road (we don't have sidewalks). I ran up by the local elementary school, and around the corner, where they have recently re-paved parts of the road, and re-painted the lines. I run on the left, facing traffic of course, and when there are no cars coming I hop up on the line, since the side of the road is bumpy and not paved. Well, at about 1.4 miles by my Garmin's measurement I put my foot on the line, but the line was half off the pavement. So my left foot went half off the pavement too, and rolled. I caught myself before I fell, but not before I heard/felt a "pop". Strangely enough, though, I didn't really feel a lot of pain.
The smart part of my brain kicked in and said "You really shouldn't keep going. You don't want to be farther from home and have it start hurting more, do you?" And luckily I listened to the genius in my head, and turned around, heading for home. Since it didn't really hurt much, I did more of a jog than a walk, trying to get home quickly. I had forgotten to turn the Garmin off, but when I did, it turns out, even though I tripped, I managed a 12 min/mile pace! :) go me!
Long story short, it's sprained. I went to Urgent Care, and they x-rayed me, sent me home with my ankle wrap and a note telling me I couldn't go to work, and that if it still hurt or got worse, to go to an orthopedist. So I did. Monday it wasn't better, and so I went and talked to an orthopedist, who told me that it was a sprain, but because it has been damaged before (more than once! I'll save that story for another post), the ligaments were weak and it was taking longer to recover. Ugh. No work for a week, and an order for Physical Therapy. Oh, and worst of all: NO RUNNING FOR 3 TO 4 WEEKS!!
AAAAaaaaahhhhhhh! I have a half-marathon THIS WEEKEND, and I can't go. It cost me $80! I'm sidelined from training for my MAIN half-marathon in about 6 weeks! *sigh* SIDELINED. Ugh.
But I've been cleared for cardio on the elliptical and stationary bike to keep my endurance up, and have two pages of exercises to stretch and strengthen my ankle and calf from the PT. It's killing me to miss out this weekend, but I know it's for the best. (I may still go to the expo and pick up my packet (shirt and race bib!), but we'll see 'bout that) So I'm making the best of it, I guess. Trying to take it easy to make sure I'm ready for work on Monday.
In every sense of the word.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Mind Games
Well, welcome to 2012! I have zero excuses for my slackerness, so I suppose I'll just move right into the post. But for the record, I've written countless blog posts in my mind that I simply never actually sat down and typed.
This usually happens while I'm running. Particularly my long runs on the weekend, when I have considerably longer chunks of time to distract myself from the actual work my body is doing. I've also "written" lots of emails, to-do lists, and made all sorts of plans for myself. All in my head. That all get left on the trail.
My long runs have gotten progressively longer, as I've now registered for not one, but TWO Half-Marathons this spring! One in March, close to home, and one in April at the Outer Banks. I had been increasing my mileage pretty slowly at the end of last year, and then I realized I had to step it up a bit. So, starting in January, I increased my long run by 1/2 mile each week. At this writing, I finished a long run of 10 miles on Sunday, and will do 10.5 next weekend. Sounds crazy, right!?!?!
I have developed some rules and mind games while I run, to keep medistracted motivated. When I'm on the American Tobacco Trail (a great place to run, by the way!), I *have* to run in transitional areas. This means bridges, tunnels, cross-walks, and gates. And there are quite a few of these, so it means I don't get too comfy while I walk. I also listen to the same music mix each time, and try to get to a certain spot or mile marker before a specific song snippet comes on. For example, I try to be right around 3 miles when the Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" clip comes on, and somewhere around 5 miles when the Bruce Springsteen clip comes on (I know, crazy song combos, right?). So far, this works for me.
And if all else fails, I count my footsteps.
This usually happens while I'm running. Particularly my long runs on the weekend, when I have considerably longer chunks of time to distract myself from the actual work my body is doing. I've also "written" lots of emails, to-do lists, and made all sorts of plans for myself. All in my head. That all get left on the trail.
My long runs have gotten progressively longer, as I've now registered for not one, but TWO Half-Marathons this spring! One in March, close to home, and one in April at the Outer Banks. I had been increasing my mileage pretty slowly at the end of last year, and then I realized I had to step it up a bit. So, starting in January, I increased my long run by 1/2 mile each week. At this writing, I finished a long run of 10 miles on Sunday, and will do 10.5 next weekend. Sounds crazy, right!?!?!
I have developed some rules and mind games while I run, to keep me
And if all else fails, I count my footsteps.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Gratitude
I'm a bit of a Facebook junkie. I'm on there a LOT. I don't play the games and all of that crap, though, I really do use it as a tool to keep up with friends (and family) near and far, and organizations that I support.
One thing I've noticed people posting about since the beginning of November is GRATITUDE. Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, it makes sense to take some time to reflect. I can't say that I express my gratitude very often, but it's never too late to start.
So, here's my Grown-Up Gratitude List (not in any particular order, and it is in no way complete):
1. My husband: He is my best friend, and tells me daily how much he loves me. No matter where I am, when I'm with him I feel like Home. I could say so much more, but I'll start crying, so I'll leave it at that.
2. My Mom: I would not be the woman I am now if it were not for how she raised me and how I saw her live her life. I'm strong, independent, stubborn, and love coffee and crossword puzzles, all because of her.
3. My Friends: I've got a great network of friends, some who have known me since I was in Junior High, some I've met only recently. They are a very diverse group of people, and they make me laugh, cry, and drive me crazy (or do crazy things), but I would not be the person I am today without them, either.
4. Cats: I love my kitties, they are my fur babies, and petting them is my daily therapy.
5. Autumn: The colorful leaves, the changing sunlight, the crisp air. It makes me feel recharged and renewed.
6. The Pacific Northwest: The part of the world my late father always called "God's Country". I did not appreciate the beauty and richness of this area until I did not live there anymore. Now I feel like I'm not quite complete unless I've touched my toes into the sands of Cannon Beach, walked through the stalls at Saturday Market, or watched Mount Hood or Mount Rainier change as the sun sets.
7. My body and brain: I am becoming stronger than I ever knew I could, and am constantly learning and changing how I think, feel, and move. It's an amazing gift that keeps on giving.
K... I'm stopping there for now. Perhaps I'll add more later on this month...
What are YOU grateful for?
One thing I've noticed people posting about since the beginning of November is GRATITUDE. Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, it makes sense to take some time to reflect. I can't say that I express my gratitude very often, but it's never too late to start.
So, here's my Grown-Up Gratitude List (not in any particular order, and it is in no way complete):
1. My husband: He is my best friend, and tells me daily how much he loves me. No matter where I am, when I'm with him I feel like Home. I could say so much more, but I'll start crying, so I'll leave it at that.
2. My Mom: I would not be the woman I am now if it were not for how she raised me and how I saw her live her life. I'm strong, independent, stubborn, and love coffee and crossword puzzles, all because of her.
3. My Friends: I've got a great network of friends, some who have known me since I was in Junior High, some I've met only recently. They are a very diverse group of people, and they make me laugh, cry, and drive me crazy (or do crazy things), but I would not be the person I am today without them, either.
4. Cats: I love my kitties, they are my fur babies, and petting them is my daily therapy.
5. Autumn: The colorful leaves, the changing sunlight, the crisp air. It makes me feel recharged and renewed.
6. The Pacific Northwest: The part of the world my late father always called "God's Country". I did not appreciate the beauty and richness of this area until I did not live there anymore. Now I feel like I'm not quite complete unless I've touched my toes into the sands of Cannon Beach, walked through the stalls at Saturday Market, or watched Mount Hood or Mount Rainier change as the sun sets.
7. My body and brain: I am becoming stronger than I ever knew I could, and am constantly learning and changing how I think, feel, and move. It's an amazing gift that keeps on giving.
K... I'm stopping there for now. Perhaps I'll add more later on this month...
What are YOU grateful for?
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Super Slacker
Wow! I guess it's a good thing I don't have a lot of followers, since I seem to suck at blogging.
It's been a busy few months since I last posted, considering it's now OCTOBER! :)
I've been a runnin' machine, for one thing, and as I've learned more and more about successful, healthy running, I decided to add in some cross-training. So, I joined a gym. It offers great group classes, and I've gotten into three of them that I'm going to try to do regularly: Pilates class on Monday mornings (super stretching and core work!), Total Body Conditioning class (oh, the lunges, the squats, the push-ups!), and Sh'Bam! (a high-cardio, high-fun dance-ish class). I also thought that, as it gets colder and the sun rises later, a treadmill could be a useful tool to continue my training.
Which brings me to the Next Awesome Thing: a new goal!! I think in my last post I mentioned a goal of running a 10k. Well, pbthththth on that goal. I've done not one, but TWO 10k races so far, and another one planned for November! So my new goal: a half-marathon! I'd love to do the Princess Half at Walt Disney World, since I've never been there, but it's awfully expensive to get there. The hubby keeps trying to get it to work with our finances, so we'll see. The one I definitely plan on running is the Flying Pirate Half at the Outer Banks, NC. One of my besties will be flying out here with her family to run it with me, and I'm so excited!!!!
So, that's it for my running stuff...
slow and steady finishes the race, right?
It's been a busy few months since I last posted, considering it's now OCTOBER! :)
I've been a runnin' machine, for one thing, and as I've learned more and more about successful, healthy running, I decided to add in some cross-training. So, I joined a gym. It offers great group classes, and I've gotten into three of them that I'm going to try to do regularly: Pilates class on Monday mornings (super stretching and core work!), Total Body Conditioning class (oh, the lunges, the squats, the push-ups!), and Sh'Bam! (a high-cardio, high-fun dance-ish class). I also thought that, as it gets colder and the sun rises later, a treadmill could be a useful tool to continue my training.
Which brings me to the Next Awesome Thing: a new goal!! I think in my last post I mentioned a goal of running a 10k. Well, pbthththth on that goal. I've done not one, but TWO 10k races so far, and another one planned for November! So my new goal: a half-marathon! I'd love to do the Princess Half at Walt Disney World, since I've never been there, but it's awfully expensive to get there. The hubby keeps trying to get it to work with our finances, so we'll see. The one I definitely plan on running is the Flying Pirate Half at the Outer Banks, NC. One of my besties will be flying out here with her family to run it with me, and I'm so excited!!!!
So, that's it for my running stuff...
slow and steady finishes the race, right?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A fresh start (blog-wise, anyways)!
I know this blog has covered a lot of stuff: wedding planning, house-buying, master's degree-earning, job- saving, and even Europe-traveling! Well, it's still going to cover a lot of the random events and activities in my world, but will also focus a lot on my new-found obsession: fitness and good health.
I'm constantly trying to lose weight, I have been for most of my life. Some times are more successful than others, obviously, or I wouldn't still be struggling with it. But I set a goal for myself to increase my activity, specifically my cardiovascular activities.
I had my annual physical in January of this year, which included blood work. My doctor wanted to have a detailed cholesterol test done, since my family history is not great in this area, and sure enough, the bad cholesterol is rearing it's ugly head (thanks Mom!). The foods that I eat are pretty healthy as it is (lots of whole grains, very few fried foods, lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins), so the one area I could do a lot of work with is my exercise. I am a big fan of yoga, but hadn't been getting my heart rate up with any intense exercise on a regular basis.
So, in came my goal for the year: to train for and run a 5k.
I found the Couch to 5k Running program, which looked great to me. It is intervals of time, to build up endurance gradually, walking and jogging until you are able to run 30 minutes non-stop. I LOVED it! I still love what it did for me -- it made me LOVE running! I've tried jogging before, and hated it. And I think that's because I tried to do too much, too fast.
I finished the program in May, and have done three 5k races and one 4-mile race so far. I'm now changing my goal (adding on to it, really) from training for and completing a 5k to training for and completing a 10k! I just registered for one on October 1, and have been looking at training plans to get myself ready. I've been doing boot camp classes for cross-training, and am loving that "oh, I'm so sore" feeling from my muscles being used in new ways.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Run, Forrest, RUN!
I have this habit each year of picking goals or projects to work on, and this year I set a goal for myself of running in a 5k. So, I've started running. Well, really it's more of a jog. Or, as my friend Amy calls it, "wogging" -- a combination of walking/jogging. That really is more appropriate, as I'm not very fast. And I feel like I should apologize to my neighbors who have to watch me out there three days a week.
I found a training program online called "Couch to 5k" which has a 9 week program of walking and jogging intervals that eventually lead you to jogging for 30 minutes non-stop (which, I suppose, would be enough time for most folks to run a 5k). I also found a podcast that uses music to signal when to walk or jog that corresponds to the Couch to 5k intervals, and it's been great to not have to look at a watch and keep track of time, but concentrate on my form and breathing. I started in February, and with only one week that had to be repeated (I got really sick in March), and have now successfully completed the program, and I love it! I'm still jogging 3 days a week, and have completed two 5k races so far. I have another one in June, and hope to sign up for one each month to help keep me training.
The challenge I'm facing is my weight loss. I know that I'm gaining muscle, but I don't seem to see much difference in how my clothes are fitting, and very little change in my weight on the scale each week at Weight Watchers. I've been pretty frustrated with it for several weeks now, and am working on adding healthy proteins to help my metabolism. I started eating almonds as a snack at work, which had been great, until I broke a tooth! *sigh* Now I have a temporary crown and have been banned from eating hard, crunchy foods.
I'm waiting for my dentist to call and tell me my permanent crown is ready to be installed, something I'm not looking forward to, but hopefully it won't keep me from my weekly jogs!
I found a training program online called "Couch to 5k" which has a 9 week program of walking and jogging intervals that eventually lead you to jogging for 30 minutes non-stop (which, I suppose, would be enough time for most folks to run a 5k). I also found a podcast that uses music to signal when to walk or jog that corresponds to the Couch to 5k intervals, and it's been great to not have to look at a watch and keep track of time, but concentrate on my form and breathing. I started in February, and with only one week that had to be repeated (I got really sick in March), and have now successfully completed the program, and I love it! I'm still jogging 3 days a week, and have completed two 5k races so far. I have another one in June, and hope to sign up for one each month to help keep me training.
The challenge I'm facing is my weight loss. I know that I'm gaining muscle, but I don't seem to see much difference in how my clothes are fitting, and very little change in my weight on the scale each week at Weight Watchers. I've been pretty frustrated with it for several weeks now, and am working on adding healthy proteins to help my metabolism. I started eating almonds as a snack at work, which had been great, until I broke a tooth! *sigh* Now I have a temporary crown and have been banned from eating hard, crunchy foods.
I'm waiting for my dentist to call and tell me my permanent crown is ready to be installed, something I'm not looking forward to, but hopefully it won't keep me from my weekly jogs!
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