Why not make "Some Day" today?

It's only been, what, 4 months since I last posted? And in that time a lot has happened. 2 half marathon PRs, my first full marathon, a whole lot of headache and enjoying time and Skyping with my best friend... Sounds like life, right?

(One day I'll get my race recaps up... I only need to post 7-8 of them, between Dumbo over Labor Day Weekend, Women's Running Series St. Pete, and the entire Dopey Challenge a month ago... No big, right?)

😳

😅

And through all of this, the hubs and I have been talking about what we want our future to be like, and how we're going to get there. Health, finances, eventually babies (although that's a long way off), travel, and overall quality of life.

Well, health is one of those big things for me, and I hope for us as individuals and as a family - and yes, even though there are only two of us we're still a family! 😊

The discussion is and continues to be that we have a lot of health problems in our immediate family - just the parents. We're talking obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular concerns with a hx of heart attack, stroke, cancer... It's not a pretty picture.

Sorry, "hx" = "history". It just flows really well to say that, because that's what I'm used to.

For future reference, "dx" = "diagnosis", "tx" = "treatment", and maybe I should just leave all the technical stuff at work, no? 😉

Anyway, we've been talking about becoming healthier as individuals and as a family.

I've been running for two years this month (Yay!) and I'm working on eating better and everything... But one of the things I kept getting from the hubs was "I'll do it when..."

That's short for:

• When I'm less stressed

• When finals are over

• When I lose weight

• When we buy a treadmill

• When I'm not tired

• When I finish that

• When it's warm and not snowy (... BTW, we only live in the Midwest. It snowed a couple inches last night. AND today's high is about 54*F)

There are so many others that I've lost count.

Finally I had to say "There will never be perfect conditions. You're going to get stressed out, and have a million things going on at once, and have bad days. That's. Life."

Don't get me wrong, I have days of "I'll get around to it!", too! I'm only a little embarrassed of the number of cookies I've eaten the last few days (Come at me, PMS!)

But how often in our own lives do we just put our foot down and say "You know what? "Some Day"? That day is TODAY!"

I wonder how much happier/less stressed/more vibrant/more fulfilled we would be as individuals, and what our quality of life will be like.

I know after Dopey I got hung up on the excuses. I'll run: in a few days, after it warms up to like 20*F cuz that's better than -10*F (ok, that was a garbage temp, but true! Lol), after I feel better, etc. etc. etc... And then it ended up being 4.5 weeks until my next run. And I was a crabby MESS. I wasn't very nice when I finally did go for a run 😳

I guess the point of this is... What's stopping you? How do you plan to overcome it? How can I (or anyone else) help you get to where you want to be in your life? (You know, aside from picking winning lottery numbers for you!) 😉

Sometimes we're all that's standing in our way.

ETA: AH! I knew I forgot something! I was going to brag a little. Last month the hubs came to me and said he wanted to do his first half marathon!! Super excited. He decided it'll be Dumbo at Disneyland - as in, the whole challenge (10k + half). I'm probably more excited that he is, if we're being real. This feels like a huge step for us being healthier and happier together... Like you couldn't tell that that's a big thing for me 😉

Welcome to the Unsavory: Another Look at RunSpiration

Well, hello, ladies and gents! I'm baaaaaack!

It's only been, what, a month and a half?

(Whomp whomp whooooooomp)

I owe you all a few race recaps, and I have more races coming up soon. But, sadly, I'm lazy when it comes to getting the pictures off of my cameras.

But pictures there will be! Just not now, because I'm on my phone, and I don't really have squat for race pictures on my phone - for Dumbo Double Dare I had a point-and-shoot in my hand, and the hubs had the SLR.

A little bit ago I got to thinking: what are reasons for running?

Sure, there are those who run for charities, for loved ones, for the fun of it, etc... But there are some less savory ones out there.

I admit it, I have some less-than-savory reasons for running. I mean, sure, I started running because I wanted to prove to myself I could. I wanted to see what the big deal was about people doing races, and I was a little jealous that others were doing it and I, well... Wasn't. I also enjoy the satisfaction of completing runs - I'm not going to finish first, but that doesn't make it any less amazing to me.

But thinking about family and Thanksgiving coming up and all (that's a whole other long story) got me thinking. And I realized that I definitely have some less-than-savory reasons for running - although I'm not quite sure about calling them "unsavory", not just yet 😉

The fact is this: I'm afraid of getting fat.

Bet you weren't expecting that bomb, huh?

And professionals everywhere and those who deal with ED just died a little on the inside, with a part of them screaming "ANOREXIA!!!!"

(Sorry, but I really like food, I try to pay attention to nutrition, vomiting makes me cry so why would I intentionally do it?, and I prefer not to speculate over other methods of purging and such... Just to name a few.)

Part of it is vanity. It's a bit embarrassing to admit. But I also equate part of it to along care of myself, and being a casual runner has helped with that for over a year and a half now.

On the other side... Most of my family is overweight or obese. Some things stick with you over time - my increased risk of diabetes due to genetics (relatives with diabetes, as well as being black), the lack of encouraged physical activity, the heart problems, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, knee replacements related to weight, family history of cancer, family history of stroke... It terrifies me, especially when I see how much of it is weight-related.

And it doesn't help when you have memories of people jokingly saying "You don't have a butt! You'll get one when you gain some weight like everyone else in the family!"

I know it was a joke, but I've always been a little sensitive.

And I don't want that for myself.

Oh, and I'm lazy and don't want to have to do any more clothes shopping 😉

Do you have any "less-than-savory" reasons for running? Better yet, what ARE your reasons for running? (I know some of you like to celebrate with beer/wine/chocolate!) 😉

To end on a slightly more positive note... Some pictures from Disneyland:

(You know, just a little preview of goodies to come. A picture's worth a thousand words, right?) 

Words of Wisdom (Teeth)

I had my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday. Something I could've lived without, but nothing like the horror stories people kept feeding me with horrible nurses, oral surgeons not listening to people that novocaine won't work on them, that kind of mess.

Although I will say it was kinda weird and creepy because they had wrist clamps for heart rate/pulse monitors, and the cords attached to them (so yay, no sticky stuff!). I was hanging out around 68 or so, and then the oral surgeon walked in and it jumped to about 78.

Nervous much?

I found it rather... Humorous, for lack of a better word, that they told me to come in wearing short sleeves or something that could easily be rolled up past the elbow (for IV sedation)... Yeah, they stuck it in my hand.
The oral surgeon told me that in about two minutes the room would spin.
I only got as far as thinking "Man, my hand feels a little numb..." and then I woke up.

Yeah, I don't know what "room spinning" he was talking about.

I love my MIL. My husband has a bad habit of volunteering her for things and not telling her until a day or two before (or, you know, being "nice" and "volunteering" me for things... We gotta work on his communication! lol??), and she ended up taking me to the dentist AND staying in the waiting room for an hour and a half - all while being on a teleconference that she'd had scheduled.
Not to mention the fact that they actually showed me a video on how to care for my mouth AS I was waking up.

Totally slept through most of it.

And on top of everything else, she changed my bloody gauze, and even made me try to have some milkshake before she made me take my painkiller (nevermind that I didn't need or want the painkiller, she followed instructions and wouldn't let me take it on an empty stomach - and she wiped my coat when I spilled shake and dripped blood on myself).
With a mouth full of clean gauze, I told her I loved her. And that I'd never felt so attractive in my life (sarcasm, of course).

My last run was two nights ago, and ended in enough time that I had a small dish of frozen yogurt, some orange juice... I think I also had my water and vitamins, or something like that... All right before the cutoff of when they told me to not eat before the surgery.
And then waking up around 8, about an hour before the surgery... Needless to say, I was crabby because I was hungry - AND I wasn't allowed to have water or anything.

The more recent dilemma has been deciding what I can and can't do. I woke up at 7, despite having the day off... And I wanted to go for a run.
Of course, I've been pretty clear-headed since the surgery (although a bit groggy yesterday, but still pretty lucid), but I know good and well that DH and the ILs would've been all "NO! NO YOU MAY NOT!!!"
And soI didn't.
I paid credit card bills. I looked up shoes for graduation for about an hour. I spent just over an hour on the phone with my FIL (and yes, the "NO YOU MAY NOT!" was confirmed). And then I was so bored (and maybe a little tired?? But mostly bored) that I slept from just after 11 until about 2, pausing for random phone calls, of course.
I was so bored I was tempted to go into work. Of course, I'm going in at about 5 anyway for an evening training.

And here I am, awake. Very minimal pain, maybe a hint of discomfort here and there... And I've been living on Ensure shakes and pudding - the kind of pudding that has to be refrigerated! (How weird is that??). And a little bit of applesauce.
Which is tasty and all, but it blows because I would go for a burger or a spicy chicken sandwich or something if I could, but I should probably avoid that for the next couple days.

On the subject of nutrition, I've been trying to figure out exactly how to take care of myself post-run for the next week while my mouth heals. I already have a hard time with GI issues post-run, and now it seems like I'm going to be on applesauce, Ensure, pudding (cold pudding! ick), and water for ages.
I feel a bit like an old person with hardcore dietary restrictions or something.

I tried looking it up, and I found all sorts of posts from people who ran a great distance the next day, or couldn't run the next day, who felt fine or had a horrible experience, and I'm just thinking "Well, I could be out and moving around instead of laying here like a lump because I'm not in pain..."

Even better, the experience I got from my other job... They called me yesterday afternoon with an open shift on Saturday - I'd already told one person I wouldn't be able to do Saturday (the day of the NCE), but that I wouldn't be able to come in to fill out the paperwork because I work during the hours the office is open. She told me it was ok.
My phone was on silent yesterday and I dozed through the call. When I saw they'd called I was going to make DH call and let them know I was unavailable for a shift - of course he didn't do that. So I sent them an email.
I called them this morning to make sure they got the message, and was told that when "something like this happens" (meaning my wisdom teeth getting taken out) I need to call and let them know I can't work.
Uh... That's not why I can't work Saturday. I'd already spoken to someone about it - I'm not working Saturday because I paid $300 to take a licensure exam. I feel perfectly fine, and I'm not available for them during the week anyway! I don't know what wisdom teeth Wednesday have to do with work Saturday - AND I was lucid enough to send an email that was grammatically correct and had no spelling errors.

Head, meet wall.

I love them, but I'm waiting to get a call to work graduation day this time around, too. I took the day off when I graduated with my bachelor's, and ended up working an overnight :-/

Which reminds me, if you all didn't notice... I'm graduating! May 4 :)
I rewrote my career counseling essay for my written exam, and I will be graduating! As in, diploma and everything! Now to find the right shoes for graduation. MIL and I will be going after the NCE on Saturday to see what we can find.

That is all. For now ;)

"Running Diet" vs. "Healthy Diet"

While laying in bed this morning, DH and I were talking about what needed to be on our grocery list. I've got a pretty basic grocery list that gets me through just about everything (that is, I can add or subtract, but those usually stay the same).

You know, the goods: water, milk, bread, peanut butter... Cheese, because no grocery list is complete without cheese. Obviously. Greek yogurt, bagels, OJ, cereal (like Frosted Mini Wheats or Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted), bananas, stuff like that.

And sometimes there are the things that we run out of less often than the other items, and need more of at that time. Canned tomatoes, black and/or kidney beans, random vegetables, oatmeal. Maybe the occasional box of granola.

While trying to figure out how to expand our list in a healthy manner, find stuff we'd actually WANT to eat (bell peppers are not my idea of fun), stuff that works if we don't have time to cook/don't feel like cooking, stuff that will hold us throughout the work day, I decided I would look up "best foods for runners".

Or something like that.

Of course, if you've ever wondered what a runner "should" eat and therefore have looked it up, asked somebody about it, or heard about "carb-loading"/"carbo-loading", you know that big things that show up on these lists are: bananas, pasta, bagels, peanut butter, fruits (especially berries), veggies... And, you know, the occasional random obscure thing.

And yogurt. Which I love, although I usually see "plain yogurt" on those lists. Blech.

I know some people love their plain yogurt, but I think it tastes awful. Well, to each their own.

Anyway, as I was going through these sites, one after another after another, I realized that they all said just about the same thing (see above with the most popular items *coughBANANAScough*).

And it occurred to me, you can look up "What should runners eat?", "Healthy runner's diet", "Best running foods", "Best foods for runners", and whatever else pertaining to running and food... And what you get on the "yes!" list is basically what people should be eating anyway.

So how is it that a "running" diet isn't the same thing as a "healthy" diet?

Now, obviously there are some differences - some things that you may need more or less of depending on what's going on with your body.

For example, ease up on the fiber-rich foods before a run, especially a long one. It's all about the right amount and right timing, otherwise you may end up making some, uh, pit stops, if you know what I mean.

I had a doctor suggest taking calcium/magnesium/zinc supplements when I told him about the Princess Half. Fabulous idea, except when I took them I realized I couldn't take the full serving because they made me feel... off (dizzy, etc.), which was a sign that I was already getting enough of the... Magnesium or zinc, I forget which.

It's amazing to look at the "differences", and especially the similarities between "healthy" diets/lifestyles and "running" diets/lifestyles.

It also feels a bit like "healthy" eating is looked down on, is thought to be a bit "stuffy", and has a hint of "WTF is wrong with you?" attached to it. Hello, have you seen what some of the more popular foods/restaurants serve most of the time, and the stress that's been put on obesity, foods that aren't as good for you, changing up fast food, etc.? But it's also important to take into account that some of the "healthier" foods are far more expensive than processed foods, and they tend to go bad faster. I wonder if the financial aspect of this has to do with any of the (mis)conceptions surrounding the "healthy" diet. I know that when discussing socioeconomic status (SES) in my classes and talking about health, one of the things that's mentioned is people not really being able to afford to eat better.

Whereas it seems like runners who essentially eat the way they should... Are almost revered. Maybe thought to be a little nuts (no pun on the importance of eating nuts, I promise!) and maybe as "kooky" as the stereotypical vegetarian (Tofu? No thanks! My ILs eat it and I just can't wrap my head around it. My vegetarian hubs and vegetarian ILs eat it occasionally, but tends to go for stuff that's less... Obscure, so to speak). But it's often "Man, that willpower, fueling the body for their runs, etc., etc."

Ok, so these are obviously (mostly) my own points of view and opinions and hardcore ramblings and all.

Has anyone else noticed similar things?

Any and all input is welcome! ☺

Oh, and I did add soy nuts to my grocery list. (And still, no tofu!) ;)

Maybe... Marathon? Race Junkie

We're going to start off on a note unrelated to running.
Shocking, I know! But we'll get there, I promise.

I am officially done with my internship hours! I'm already 140+ hours over the minimum cumulative I needed, but I needed more hours with individuals... And I finished them up today! I am freaking psyched. I meet with my head supervisor and my instructor before class on Monday, and we'll talk about it then. I know when I met with my head supervisor on Tuesday, he told me that when people finish their hours he usually has them stop. But I'm pretty sure I have to continue all the way through to the end of the semester, so it may just result in me having my hours cut back.

Also, when I was making my outreach calls today (which helped me meet - and surpass!!! - the minimum individual hours needed), I sucked it up and called one particular client... Last time I talked to this person, s/he wasn't mad at me, but s/he was mad as can be. And I do mean MAD. And this person normally is a bit loud on the phone anyway, but that day s/he was taking loud to a whole new level. As in, I held the phone away from my hear and my team leader could hear the person. Maybe not understand him/her, but definitely hear him/her. And she (my fearless team leader) went and got me a soda to make up for the call ☺
Anyway, I called this person, and s/he was in a MUCH better mood. The concern that she/he'd had for over a month now? Taken care of.
And I was genuinely happy for him/her - AM genuinely happy. It really is amazing to know that the pieces all fell into place. It took more time that s/he would've liked, but the fact of the matter is that the end result is wonderful news.

Now on the subject of running... Technically I'm registered for the Disneyland Half Marathon... Twice. Yes, TWICE.
I'm really contemplating deferring the non-charity-organization-registration to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend for the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge.

Yes, I just said what you think I said. I've conquered a half marathon (granted, I walked most of it, but I did it - AND a crap-ton of walking around the theme parks for all four days we were there!) and now I'm really getting psyched about the prospect of doing a marathon.
And also of somewhat warmer weather, so I can take my running from the treadmill to the trail by our apartment. Only a little bit of that is related to safety concerns. From what I can tell, they plow the trails around here pretty quickly. Frankly, I think I'd be more likely to get frostbite and hypothermia than to slip, fall, and break my neck... Although I'd rather not chance THAT, either. It's so interesting: in the last year, I haven't been all that concerned about breaking bones and running (or, breaking bones in relation to running). But in the last week I was just so concerned that I would break something. My feet and legs hurt so badly that I went from overpronating to possibly underpronating (I couldn't tell, all I knew was it was out of the norm). You hear horror stories (I think one of them was in a recent issue of RW) of people running in the winter, falling, and breaking something.

Just because I'm slow doesn't mean I can't do it.

A marathon, I mean. Not falling and breaking something, although I suppose I could do that, too. But I mean just because I'm slow doesn't mean I can't do a marathon. Or a marathon AND a half (at separate times, I mean. At least right now).

And now I'm seeing all of these really cool races. I mean, they're ones that I'd noticed before, but they'd always seemed out of reach to me. A wonderful former best friend suggested the Diva Dash 5K. I'd eyeballed the Leprechaun Chase 10K, but that sold out ridiculously quickly (something tells me it's related to it showing up in the February or March issue of RW??). And oh my god, if I had my way I would sign up for the Runner's World Half & Festival. And do the entire. Freaking. Thing.

...
Is that a belated runner's high talking? I can't tell.

A half marathon seemed like a dream - a dream fit for a princess. I don't even know how I got up the guts to sign up for the Princess Half, but I don't regret it for a second!
I used to think a marathon was crazy and WAY out of reach, and I couldn't imagine spending 5-7 hours of my life (all at once!) doing such a thing...
I used to think a half marathon... Well, I didn't really even think about half marathons, to be completely honest.

Four years ago I was a freshman in college. At this time of year I'd been engaged for just over two months, I was actually liking college (the first semester was a doozy), and I was trying to envision where life would take me, but I was still somewhat unsure.

I never ever ever saw my life taking this (literal) path.
But I'm along for the ride (or run, walk, and plane ride, as the case may be), and I'm loving it.

Bring it.

(Now to wait for the hubs to get home from class so we can go run together!) ☺

Running to live

I'm kind of ashamed to admit this but... I haven't been running in two weeks. Two weeks today, actually.

Yes, you read that right: I have a half marathon in 28 days (well, about 27.25 days, give or days), and I haven't been running in two days.
Thanks to the Liebster Award nomination, I've been checking out the blogs of other people and, because I follow a couple running blogs, I've found some more running blogs to follow. The word I saw used on one of them (if only I could remember which blog!) was... "Lethargic".
Maybe it's just this time of the year, and the fact that the Midwest doesn't have the greatest weather this time of year, but I certainly feel no motivation to get on my running shorts and freeze my butt off outside to trudge through the cold to a treadmill.

Heck, I'm having a hard enough time writing this blog, but I think that's because Sex and the City 2 is on right now, and I haven't seen it in well over a year.

Anyway, back to the running bit... It's funny saying that basically I've been having one heck of a time running lately, because I've been thinking more seriously about deferring my Disneyland Half registration (see also: not the Dumbo registration) to part of the Goofy's Race and a Half. I would absolutely love it, too.

It's amazing to think of how much I have gotten from running. Greater confidence, on top of everything else. Excitement, opportunities - hello, I am doing FOUR Disney races this year (5K and Princess Half at Disney World, and the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland)... Even though I don't do it near as often as I'd like.

What can I say? Life gets in the way.
I know, I know, I'm over here typing a blog post, so I've got time to run, right? I just haven't felt the... Inspiration. And to make it even more... Ironic... Yes, ironic is the word I'm looking for! Diabetes runs in my family. So does obesity, apparently. A bit of high blood pressure (although mine is really good), probably some high cholesterol (again, mine is quite good).
But one of the things I've been discussing with DH is that even though we have no intention of having kids any time soon - and unless my IUD magically fails, there's no way I'm going through the hell to get it taken out any time soon! But I have no intention of raising my kid(s) in an unhealthy environment. That's not to say that they won't be allowed to have sweets or watch TV/movies or anything like that. But I want my kid(s) to grow up knowing physical activity and the importance of taking care of one's self. And I think that running, or at least modeling the physical activity I plan to encourage, will help to encourage that. Maybe break down some barriers, some of the limitations we impose on ourselves - like I mentioned in my Liebster Award post, and probably a different one, I never thought that I would ever be a runner. Or even vaguely close to it. Walking, I can do. Shopping til I drop, I can handle - in heels, strangely enough. But running? I never saw that happen, and I guess I never thought I would get support for it, although in retrospect I guess I should've known better. When I mentioned it to my dad a year ago, he was all for it, encouraging me and telling me training was important if I planned to run the Runway Run, and that since I wasn't trained for it last year, it's definitely something I can work toward this year.

(if only I could find a link to the race... I hope they have it again this year)

I'm not saying I felt like I wasn't living before. But I was living under the limitations I imposed on myself. Full-time graduate student. No running outside of running laps in marching band. Don't like sweating. Can't do it. Afraid of looking silly. Don't want to do it alone - granted I think that last one was more along the lines of wanting support.

But still, you get where I'm coming from. Now I'm just afraid of freezing ;)