Running update (week 3)

Julie and I have been training for 2.5weeks now, 3 times per week and into our third week today. When we started we were pretty slow (ok, we still are but....) Our goal isn't to run a 5k in 8 minutes (yet) but to just be able to start running and do a whole 5k without walking but we're not there yet either. We have, however, shaved some time off of our original time which I think is progress. When we first started, we walked/ran a 17.32 minute mile, last week we walked/ran a 17.00 minute mile, and this week we did a 16.45 minute mile followed by a 16.25 minute mile. I am optimistically encouraged about the improvement in my/our time. We've made a few adjustments to our original training plan but that's just because of the logistics of where we're running.

The 5K is July 20 - which, by the way, really sucks because it is hotter than Hades in AZ in July. Ben Davis, you are in for a rude awakening, I believe. :)

~with much love, always

Birds

*rants* Can I just say how much I hate birds? I mean, like, loathe them to the core of my being. Especially when these little fuckers start in at 5 am!! I've never liked them. My sil has one and that gross little thing used to climb all through her hair and crapped on her a few times which completely disgusted me. They make too much noise, in weird, strange, ways, too early in the morning, and I stay up too late already and need to sleep until the moment my alarm goes off. It's too hot to sleep with the windows closed, too early in the season still to sleep with the air on so shut up little annoying birds and let me sleep. Thank you. And, now back to your regularly scheduled chaos.

~with (not) much love, always

Ran again this morning. Not loving it yet but I've heard it takes some getting used to and consistency before one learns to really enjoy it. Plus, we're running around a track/soccer fields so it's not like the scenery is exciting.

Gearing up for a pretty big weekend here. Brian comes home after being gone for almost a month and Relay for Life is Saturday night. Just trying to breathe and as Dory says, "Keep swimming, keep swimming..."

~with much love, always

5k

Ben Davis of Ben Does Life is coming to AZ this summer on his US Tour and Nate and I want to run the 5k with him.

Wait, let's backtrack... I'm NOT a runner, never have been, don't have any aspirations to ever run a marathon be it half or full, and don't really enjoy the pain it always manages to bring. Now, I can walk for days. I love walking, walking with friends, walking alone with music, hiking, etc. But running? Eh, I can do without.


But I have this goal. I want to meet Ben and run the 5k with him and not be one of the walkers bringing up the rear. I want to be proud that I can keep up and actually reach a fitness goal that I have set for myself (cause that rarely happens.)  So, I asked my friend Julie (who waaaay too quickly agreed) to train with me for this 5k. She's run a marathon and numerous other races before so she knows what to do to train.

Today was our first day. I didn't die.

It wasn't too bad. We walked at a track that was about 1/3 mile long. We walked the first loop at a brisk pace to warm up. Then ran one long length, walked the short length, ran the long length, walk the short length. Rinse and repeat. We ran a total of 5 of the long lengths and it wasn't horrible. On the last one I was about 30 yards from the end and walked for about 10 yards and thought that was stupid so we ran the rest.

All in all, not too bad. We'll do this a couple more times this week and then up the distance or time we run. Eventually it'll be a full 5k run. Someday.

And, I didn't die.

~with much love, always

AI Recap (Spoiler Alert)

So, I've been watching American Idol since the end of season 1 when Kelly beat out Justin Guarini (really, Justin? Where are you now?) It's been a fun show, the kids (sometimes Brian) and I can watch it together, plus it's really fun to make fun of the ones who can't sing (even though I hate the audition part of the season.)

I have learned that to enjoy the show I need to avoid all social media from 5 pm until I get around to watching it (usually on the night of the show so I can go back to my crack social media addiction.) However, last night I learned that Pia went home way before I got around to watching it. So since I knew who went home, I decided not to avoid twitter to see what the backlash was on her leaving. Boy, was there backlash!! People were in an uproar over her leaving!

Ok, I can see some of it: she is a great singer, she's very pretty, her body is rocking. But you know something, people? She has NO PERSONALITY!! That's why she wouldn't have won. She had no big back story, she was always too quiet, she barely spoke to the judges, and answered in short sentences.

I called this a man's season from the top 24. I said it then and I'll say it again. A man will probably win. They (well, most of them anyway) just have more personality and more talent.So here's my take on what's left this season. Remember, this is all my not-so-humble opinion. ;)

* Jacob - really don't like him; just rubs me the wrong way. Yes, he can sing but it's just not my cup of tea (or gospel)
* Haley - she's cute, I do enjoy her voice but she won't win because she's just not at the caliber of the others. Give her a few years.
* Casey - love him! He's unique, a little crazy, and plays a mean stand-up bass!
* Lauren - Another cute one but not enough talent to win.
* James - hmmm, let me come back to James later...
* Scotty - ok, this kid can sing his ass off and I do believe he'll make it to the top 3 or so but we've already had an amazing country star fro AI (Carrie Underwood anyone?) His voice is pretty phenomenal for his age, though. He sounds like a seasoned country star but that''s all he is - a country star.
* Stefano - probably going home next because he is just too lounge-y and can't really hold his own up there with the others, despite those lovely abs. ;)
* Paul - very unique, Rod Stewart kind of voice, good but good enough to win compared with the others? I don't think so.
*James - Ok, so he's been my number one pick from day one. He has proven he's got the voice to nail those high notes, he can sing rock, he can slow it down and be gentle, he's got a great story, and America will want to  make up for not choosing Adam Lambert (even though he went on to release a great debut album and will undoubtedly be around for awhile.)

So, that's my take on AI this week. Get over it America. Pia wasn't going to win anyway. And, as everyone has said, y'all should have voted for her!

~with much love, always

Gratitude

I'm feeling very grateful today for all the people/love/things I have in my life so I started thinking that it's a good idea to put that out into the universe. You know, stock up on some good karma or something. :)


I'm grateful for the my good health and the good health of my family. Being a volunteer in a hospital, I see far too many people not in great health which makes me thankful for mine and that we can afford health care and preventative medicine.

I'm grateful that I have wonderful friends near and far. Friends here that I can call up to go for wonderful walks with in the gorgeous AZ sunshine while chatting, complaining, laughing, crying - whatever needs to happen. And, of course, friends far away that I can call to vent, laugh, cry, complain, clean house with, and play Words With Friends with (I treasure every game we play.) Even those strangers on twitter with whom I have become "friends" who make me laugh, share wonderful tidbits of info (in those damn 140 characters or less that I still struggle with!), and share amazing stories and photos. ;) Each and every one of you means something special to me and makes my heart smile on a regular basis. You allow me to be the best person I can be even when you see me at my worst.

I am grateful for my two beautiful, smart, amazing children whose hearts are so big and generous that I can only imagine the wonderful adults they will become, able to do whatever their heart's desire. They make me laugh, cry, and even when I'm not their favorite person in the world (shocking, I know), I still love them more than they can ever imagine.

And, finally, I am very grateful that I have a wonderful husband who works so very hard to provide for our family and keep us safe and accustomed to the life we live. He makes great sacrifices working so far from us and not able to participate in the daily family life as much as he (and we) would like.

And, I guess I'm grateful for the beautiful sunshine in this state in which we live because it never ceases to amaze me how gorgeously beautiful and blue the sky is which in turn makes me feel grateful to want to write about it. So, thank you sun, thank you.

~with much love, always

April 1, 2011 Weigh In

Starting weight: 158.6 (2/24/11)
3/3/11: 160.2
3/20/11: 157.0
4/1/11: 157.0


So, I guess not losing anything is better than gaining, right? I'm hoping when I start running next week this will be what jump starts my loss and gets me over this plateau. Or maybe I should just try harder. Yeah, that might work. I should just stop eating so much. ;)

~with much love, always 

New goals

Today I set a new goal. I asked a friend who has previously run marathons to help me train to run a 5k. She's coming up with a plan and we are going to meet two to three times per week to work on it. If I have someone else encouraging me there is a better chance I'll stick to it. I'm hoping Julie will be my girl and help me get healthier, learn to run, and be ready for a 5k in July when Ben Does Life comes to AZ so my kids and I can run with him and I can't NOT look like an idiot. ;)

~with much love, always