h1

Run Girl, Run!

December 21, 2009

I’m not sure if I’ve talked at all here on my blog about running.  Now seems like a good time.

I have never ever in my life been a runner.  I remember back as early as elementary school having to run and absolutely hating it.  In  high school, I played lacrosse for two years, but always struggled with the running.  As an adult, I’ve always admired runners, but always believed there was something inherent about me that meant I couldn’t run (good excuse, huh?).

Then suddenly, the running craze hit, and a lot of people in my life were running.  And I began to hear stories about people who were horribly overweight who became runners, or who always thought (like me!) that they could never run and ended up completing marathons!  Finally, it occurred to me that as much as it had been easy to say that I just couldn’t run, there wasn’t really anything special about me – if they could do it I could too.

So back in…mid-summer, maybe?…I started the couch to 5k running program.  At first, it was a challenge to me to run 30 seconds.  I followed the program for a couple of weeks, but still found it hard and not at all enjoyable.   At one point I did a google search of “tips for new runners”, and one thing that stood out to me was the suggestion to SLOW DOWN.  To run slower than you think you should.  So the next time I went out running, I ditched the C25k program and decided to slow down my pace and to just run as far as I could.  Lo and behold, I ran for 10 minutes straight!  Then I stopped and walked for 2, and the ran again for another 10 minutes!

I can’t even begin to tell you how good that felt!  Within just a few days, I had run the first non-stop mile of my life and I was hooked!  Over the next few months, I gradually worked up to running 2 miles straight.  I wasn’t running super consistently – 1-3 times per week…and I had a couple of speed bumps.  I had a calf strain and had to stop running for about 3 weeks while I had PT to recover from that.  Then a month or so later, I got off course and didn’t run at all for about 6 weeks.  When I decided to start up again (in early November), I was shocked to find that I ran 2 miles easy!  Knowing I wouldn’t be starting back at zero was a huge motivator for me.

Within a few weeks, I began running with friends.  At first I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but it soon became evident that talking and keeping pace with someone (who ran about the same speed as me) made it easy for me to run longer distances.  All of a sudden, I’d run my first 5k without even trying!  A week later?  4 miles!  As of now, I’m running 3-4 miles about 3 times a week, and I love it.  Sometimes the running is easy, sometimes it’s not.  But I’m finding that my body and mind are craving the activity…there’s no better way for me to burn off the frustrations of the day (I generally run late in the evening which seems odd, but works really well for me).

I am not fast.  My current pace is somewhere around a 12 minute mile.  But I don’t care.  I know that if I am consistent, the speed will come.  Right now I’m focusing on distance and endurance.  Last night I realized I was one of those people who was out running while there was snow on the ground.  One of those people I’d seen in the past and thought “man, that’s just crazy.  why do people do that!?”.  Yet there I was.

One of the most surprising things to me is that I’ve discovered that although I haven’t yet really lost any weight, I don’t care.  I am running now for thrill of gaining distance, for the feeling of being fit and the mental benefits of exercise.  And as such, I’m not experiencing the self-sabotaging I normally seem to have when I’m exercising to lose weight.

I am seeing very slight changes in my body, but overall I’m experiencing a much increased confidence in myself.  And truly, the way you feel about your body is so much more mental than physical, is it not?  Knowing I could outrun a majority of the female population feels fantastic.  I really don’t have a competitive bone in my body, so I’ve never been much of a goal setter/completer.  For me, each new milestone brings with it unfamiliar feelings of accomplishment.

Currently, I am planning to train for the Capital City Half Marathon in May.  And a group of friends and I are planning to complete a sprint triathalon in late summer.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Posted in Body | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

h1

Rollercoaster Day

December 15, 2009

Today?  Blogworthy.

- Fisher begins the day by being super cranky

- Tate continues his legacy after Fisher goes to school

+ Free lunch at Northstar with Mom and Dad

- Forgot to close the gate and the dog peed & pooped on the playroom floor while we were gone

- Tate peed & pooped on the playroom floor while I was cleaning up. The dog must have inspired him?

+ It was warm enough to go to the park after school!

+ Scott came home early enough that I got to go grocery shopping alone.

- I got in the “wrong line” at the store and was moments away from completely losing it on the slow-as-molasses cashier.

+ Worked out my cashier rage on a great run with Summer.

- Came home to find that Tate had a HUGE blob of homemade goo in his hair (primary ingredient: glue).  Spent about 20 minutes getting it out.

+ I didn’t have to cut his beautiful curls!!

+ The boys and I made sugar cookie dough before bed.

+/- The Dexter season finale.  O . M . G .

As you can see, it’s been quite eventful!  I will try to work up a real post soon. :)

Posted in Funny, Kids | 4 Comments »

h1

The Christmas Spirit

November 30, 2009

This year we managed to make it down to Old Worthington for the Holiday Open House, complete with sleigh rides (which we missed!  bummer!), Santa, and the lighting of the town Christmas tree + carols.  Despite the fact that it rained a bit, it was lovely!  Have I mentioned how much I love this town?  I’ve lived in Worthington (or very near it) since I was 12.  We ended up buying here 5 years ago because it was comfortable and close to my parents.  But in the last year, I’ve met some of the most fantastic women, and now I live in a beautiful little community surrounded by wonderful friends and neighbors.  It is really more than I could have ever dreamed of, this life we’re building here.

I’m not the only one of us getting sappy about this, by the way.  We’re all feelin’ the love.

Anyway, thought I’d share some of the pics I got from today – so glad I decided to take my big camera down with me…

the boys and santa

fisher and his best girl

downtown in wo-town

my homegirl, AmFam (with cameo by Mr. AmFam behind)

More here

We had a very nice family Thanksgiving on Friday, and I finally started a bit of Christmas Shopping.  I’m trying to purchase all my Christmas gifts from local businesses this year.

Some recommendations?

Little Alouette - gorgeous ohio maple teethers made by amy and joe

Igloo Letterpress – wonderful press-printed cards, stationery & hand bound books by allison.

Made by AmyD – aprons and other hand-sewn lovelies made by another fabulous amy. (you can find her aprons at the whole foods on sawmill!)

Skreened – this was a huge hit last year with my family – upload your kids’ artwork and make t-shirts!  daniel does it right!

I am personally aquainted with all of these local business people and will vouch for their hard work and general awesomeness. So shop local!! Unless you’re from somewhere else, then shop Central Ohio anyway, cuz these guys rock!! :)

Posted in Columbus, Kids | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Nuture Shock

November 11, 2009

Clearly, I am not good with the dedication.  At least I am posting more consistently, yes?

Right now I am reading a book called Nurture Shock and it is blowing my mind.  I’m not really sure I could do it justice here, but it’s subtitle is “New Research on Children” and that’s about the best I could do.

Trust me, if you are a parent or educator, you want to read this book.  It is an easy read, and completely fascinating.  And I would be willing to bet that you will change at least one thing about the way you parent after reading this book.

Also, no one is paying me to say this.  :)

So, check it out and let me know what you think!

Posted in Parenting | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Change Me

November 8, 2009

Can I just complain for a sec about the pain I’ve had in my neck and back the last 2 days?  I mean, there’s little else that can make me so cranky. Ugh.  Been trying to stretch things out, but it still hurts and I feel all stiff and uncomfortable.

HOWEVER.  What’s with this weather?  72 and a cloudless sky in (almost) mid-November?  This is wackiness!!  I was feeling cranky (see above) today and the kids were driving me nuts, so I took them over to Highbanks Metro Park for a little hike and some playground playtime.  The warm air and sunshine felt great, and the boys were great (like they always are anywhere but home!)

I went running for the first time in almost 2 months yeasterday.  I thought I’d be starting from scratch, but I actually ran a whole 2 miles, which I’d only done a handful of times before.  So, it looks like I’m starting where I left off!  I’m going to be doing a 5k next month with Kristin and there’s a few of us who are talking about training for a sprint triathalon next summer/fall. So, hopefully I’m back on the horse excercise-wise.

I’m also going to start making an effort to include a lot more raw fruits and vegetables into my diet.  I ate like crap when we were on vacation and I just couldn’t wait to get home and eat some salads and fruit!  I also read the book Eat to Live and while I think the diet is probably as healthy as he claims, I just don’t think it’s practical on such a strict everyday basis.  But the lesson that nutrient rich foods are good for you and help you lose weight is hard to argue.  I just can’t abandon animal products all together.

I’m looking forward to getting back to life as usual tomorrow when Fisher goes back to school and Scott goes back to work.  Not that I haven’t enjoyed being with them the last week, I’m just always sort of anxious to get back to “normal”.

Lastly, a female Marbled Orb Weaver spider appeared at our front door early today and has been working on a web, which is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.  I’d like to relocate her someplace a little safer, but I don’t want her to go away.  She’s so cool! Also, HUGE – her abdomen is the size of a blueberry!

A picture of her HERE.  I didn’t want to post it directly, as I’m sure there are a few of you out there who would probably never visit me again if I did!

Posted in Body, Mind | Tagged | 4 Comments »

h1

Photos

November 7, 2009

Here’s the only picture I got of the 4 of us.

Confession: Scott looks a little odd because I pasted his face from another photo. I had 2 of the same, but I looked funny in one, and he looked funny in the other, so I cut and pasted his face. :D

 

Here’s a link to the whole set

Today we started attempting to potty train Tate.  Again.  And he is still very resistant, despite using just about every trick in the book.  This is causing much frustration in the house, not to mention that he is exhibiting personality traits that make me a little scared of him, frankly. ;)

Posted in Kids, Parenting, Tate | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

h1

Fail!

November 7, 2009

Ok, so it’s probably evident right now that I’m not much of a goal-setter or very good with follow-through.  But I have a good excuse – I was on vacation!  And life was so full while we were gone that I just did not have the time or the inclination to post on my blog.  I did twitter quite a bit, though…that’s the best I could do.

So, we’re home.  And getting home is always my favorite part of a vacation.  This time, I’m most happy to be able to sleep in my own bed, as the majority of the time we were away the sleeping situation was far from ideal.

We also have a DVR full of shows to catch up on, and an entire weekend to do it!  We chose to come home today based primarily on frequent flyer availability, but I have to say that I think it’s one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made. We have all weekend to relax and recover from our incredibly busy week away!

It’s very strange to have been at the beach yesterday and then to be at the park freezing our butts off today.

Next, pictures. :)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

NaBloPoMo

November 2, 2009

Ok, I’ve been getting grief about not posting lately, so I figured this was a good opportunity to get back in the habit.

I am currently in Florida. We arrived here today and are spending tonight at the home of family friends until tomorrow, when we’ll head to Disneyworld and a couple of nights at the Old Key West Resort. We’re going to do three days at Disney (Magic Kindom, Epcot, Not Sure Yet…) and a day at the beach before returning home Friday.

My parents and their friends will be joining us at the condo at Disney, so we’ve got lots of helpers around.  The kids were absoutely great on the trip down, and we’re looking forward to a really fun few days.

I don’t anticipate a lot of interesting posts over the next week, but I’ll do my best!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

h1

Drama 101

October 11, 2009

So, I’ve had a very dramatic couple of weeks.

Last week, I woke up in the middle of the night with an incredible pain near my collar bone.  I thought maybe I had slept on my necklace or something, but when I felt the spot there was a very tender lump.  Talked to my Dr. Neighbor, who said it was a “supraclavicular lymph node” and that it probably indicated some sort of impending infection and that we should keep an eye on it.

So, then of course I had to come home and Google it. Never a good idea, right?  Because of course, the left supraclavicular lymph node in particluar indicates either INFECTION or CANCER. Of course, I ignored the part that said it usually indicates an infection – which is what you do after you’ve seen the word CANCER!! (also, i think i’m reasonably paraniod – see previous post).

I was due for an adjustment of my blood pressure meds, so I made an appointment for later that day.  The first thing the Dr. asked me was if I was a smoker.  And I’m thinking “I know why you’re asking me this!  Because an enlarged left supraclavicular lymph node can indicate a metastasis of lung cancer!!”.  But I didn’t actually say that because, well, I didn’t want to appear crazy.

He then told me what the lymph node was called and I said, “yeah, I looked it up”. And he said, “oh! don’t do that!  then I’ll have to prescribe anti-anxiety meds for you!”

Yeah, no kidding.

So, long story short, I started some antibiotics, got a (negative) chest x-ray, and waited to see if the lymph node got better.  Which it did!  Yay!

But then Wednesday, I was cleaning up around the house when I suddenly got SLAMMED with horrible nausea and intestinal cramping.  Tate was at my parents’ house and I was due to pick Fisher up at school in 5 minutes.  About 2 minutes later I realized that was not going to happen, so I called my mom to pick him up…

I headed up to the bathroom, as it became evident that I was going to make use of it one way or another.  But as I got there I became incredibly lightheaded and thought I might pass out.  I went back downstairs to retrieve the phone just in case, and suddenly I thought “I’m going down!”.  I was fighting so hard to get the phone before I passed out.  I briefly considered calling Michelle next door, but I wasn’t entirely sure she was home and I felt I didn’t have time to risk, so I called 911.

I was trying to focus on breathing, but was breathing really heavily and could barely speak to the dispatcher on the phone.  My hands began to tingle, and then the tingling began to move up my arms.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was hyperventilating, and this is what happens when you get too much oxygen.

The paramedics arrived in less than 2 minutes (it’s handy living down the street from the fire station – I heard the sirens start up), but by the time they arrived the tingling had moved halfway up my arms and my fingers were stuck in a clawlike position…

And see, this is what happens when you hyperventilate.  You start getting these crazy symptoms which freak you out and make you breath even harder, and the whole situation snowballs.

Thankfully, the paramedics immediately told me to slow down my breathing and the tingling began to subside.  I felt better within just a few minutes and they left.

Apparently, the antibiotics caused a bacterial imbalance in my system.  Since this all happened, I’ve stopped the antibiotics and am now taking acidophilus to try and regain some  intestinal harmony.

And I’ll try to cut out the theatrics, y’all. ;)

Posted in Body | 5 Comments »

h1

Tug o’ War

September 21, 2009

Things have been really great lately.  We’ve really hit our stride with Fisher in school full time and Tate and I enjoying some great quality time together.  I’ve thought of several things I’ve wanted to write about over the last couple of weeks, but life  has been busy!

This week, though, I found my heart in a battle of Tug o’ War.

Early this week, a sweet little baby girl named Rosalie was born to my friends Maggie and Austin.  This is their second baby girl – their first, Beatrix, died at birth due to a multitude of birth defects.  The trauma of the birth and death of this little one left a giant hole in the hearts of her parents and those of us who had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the one would be lucky enough to have Maggie and Austin as her parents.

Maggie and Austin are on the outskirts of my circle of friends.  I do know and love them, but we are bound up more by a community of mutual friends than by direct relationship.  But to witness the joy that spread through this community at the birth of baby Rosalie has been a really remarkable thing to witness.  Baby girl, you have brought such JOY!

Later in the week, however, I received some heartbreaking news.  Our friend (and life insurance agent!) Joe, received news this week that he has cancerous masses on his liver which have metastasized from another (not yet known) location.  Joe is just 40, his wife pregnant with their third child.  They are a lovely, wonderful family, and the news of this has hit me hard.

My first encounter with cancer was when I was about 10 years old and it took the life of my dad’s best friend.  Sam was like a second father to me, and to this day I am heartbroken with missing him and knowing what he has missed.

Cancer has touched and taken more lives of people I’ve known in the last 6 years that I could have thought possible.  It makes me scared, and it makes me ANGRY.

My thoughts are with Maggie, Austin and their baby girls and with Jess & Joe and their family.  My head and heart in two very different places at once…life is such a mystery.

Posted in Mind | Leave a Comment »

Older Entries »