500 Miles!

Did you notice in my mile counter that I have officially hit 500 miles?! How exciting!

I actually hit it on May 31st but am just now getting around to blogging about it. That run that day was awful too. It was so humid and since I had not been running I felt like a slug and also felt like I was going to pass out when I got home. 

On a side note, I just have to throw out there that I have run a lot more than 500 miles since I began running back in 2008. I only started keeping track of them with the dailymile.com tracker about 3 years ago (most of which was taken up with a pregnancy and a newborn).

These last 2 months have been really tough. Work has been crazy (like it always is at the end of the school year) and I just have not felt like myself and therefore have not been running. This week I have a little more pep in my step and have stepped it up on my Fitbit and also gotten more sleep at night. I feel better. I have also started eating better, which affects how I feel when I eat junk. The junk is extra hard to avoid these days because the end of the school year is a time when parents shower us with sugary treats. The faculty lounge is a deadly place. My solution has been to keep this awesome nut mix behind my desk and I snack on that when I feel a craving coming on. 

I have also really gotten into salads. This one I had the other night and it was so good! (I know ranch isn't really the best but it is the only dressing I really like.) Next week I plan on coming up with new salad recipes and ideas for the summer.

Last month I decided to keep better track of my running this summer. I still have my running journal but this calendar I came up with stays on the fridge and therefore in my face letting me know when I am slacking. You can see that May was not a great month...but I am determined to make June better!

And I started today by actually going for a run! My energy level has been better and since today was not too humid, I decided it was time to go. SO glad that we did! Not only was it fun and felt good, I got this cute picture too :-)


Only 2 more days until summer freedom! I can-not-wait.

A GREAT Milestone!

You all know how hard I've been working to get back in shape since B was born almost 17 months ago. I cannot even begin to tell you how freaking excited I was when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw an amazing thing....I AM OFFICIALLY BACK TO MY PRE-BABY WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few months ago I was convinced that I would never see that number again. Then back in August The Today Show did a "detox challenge" with their anchors. Each person gave up something that was a vice for them, like ice cream, bread, wine, shopping, etc. This inspired me to do my own detox challenge. For the month of September I decided to give up my biggest vice: all those sweets. I said goodbye to cake, ice cream, cookies, brownies, and candy. I still ate things with sugar in it, like yogurt and granola bars, but I did my best to stay away from those big items that don't do a body good. C took up the challenge as well and gave up soda. How did we do? Not too bad. Out of 30 days, I had 5 bad days. And 3 of those days were tiny pieces of candy, so they really weren't so bad. We made ourselves accountable by drawing smiley faces on the calendar for the good days and frown faces for the bad. Even though I didn't make it all month, I am so proud of myself and have proven to myself that I don't need the sweets as much as my brain was telling me I did. And the best part was that I lost those last 3 annoying pounds!!

This weekend we have the Crawlin' Crab 5K and I am getting really excited about that as well. I'm really looking forward to it because I haven't run a race since July. I haven't been training like I would have liked to but I think it will still be good. Races are always a good time. It is also my best friend's first race! I am excited for her. More on this later.

This was a post I did not think I would get to ever write. Aren't these little accomplishments wonderful??

easing back into the saddle

Yesterday I went to the gym.

Like I said previously, I worked a little with a personal trainer and now feel better equipped to go into the weight room and not get freaked out. Now I know that it doesn't matter what you do or how long you do it, just as long as you GET IN THERE AND DO IT. (That was motivation for myself.)

I have a "training plan" tucked away in the drawer at the gym, but yesterday I didn't bother with it. I knew I just needed to get in there and do something. Since I did something to my back a few days ago, still not sure what, and it was feeling better I didn't want to injure it so I stayed away from back and arms and concentrated on legs and cardio.

I spent 20 minutes on the elliptical and then did the machine that works the outside and inside of your thighs. After that I ran around the indoor track 5 times. The goal here was to run without stopping and see how my knee did. It seemed to do pretty good but wasn't feeling quite right near the end. I walked a lap after that to cool down. I'm sure that 5 laps is not even a quarter of a mile but the point was that I did it. I got in there and felt accomplished when I left.

Next week I'm going to go at least twice and maybe do the same thing. Maybe I'll run 6 laps ;-)

Glow Run RVA 5K at Maymont

This past Saturday was the first ever Glow Run RVA at Maymont. It was a 5K. It kind of kicked my butt.

I haven't run anything since last October and I thought this would be a good way to break back into races. It was a good way to start after being out of the game for so long, but I had forgotten exactly what makes a "fun run". Fun run means lots of walkers...and kids. Now I have no problem with kids, but they kind of get in the way when you are trying to actually run. The first mistake I made was to start near the back of the pack. There were no corrals since this race was so small, so everyone just clumped together and I actually had to walk to the start line and then past it before I could start running. The "glow" part of it was kind of fun too. We got glow sticks to wear and they had colored lights on the trees and along some of the paths.  Here's what I figured out during this race:

The good stuff:
-running through Maymont
-running in the evening
-it was short

The bad stuff:
-lots of kids
-lots of walkers
-kids stopping in front of you to pick up dropped glow sticks
-HILLS.


Walking through the start!

Overall it was a fun race but not one that you would try to set a new PR during. The hills in Maymont are killer and the paths are pretty narrow so you cannot pass people very easily. On the upside, if you are from RVA you know how this city loves Maymont and what it means to us and it was cool to see it in a different way. Also, one good thing is that you did not have to run down to the Japanese gardens and back up. That might have killed me.

My favorite thing about this race was my new fan! B came to his first race to see his mommy run! It was awesome to see B & C on the sidelines and it will be even more fun when he can see and understand what is going on around him.

My littlest fan!

I already signed up for the HCA 8K in the fall that goes with the marathon. After this past weekend I know I won't be ready to start training for a half in the fall so that will have to wait for the spring. I'm excited to take it easy though and to be running again!

Back in the saddle!

I just got back from my first post-baby run! Literally, the sweat is still running down my spine. Damn that felt good!

The weather is awesome tonight. I took B for a walk and couldn't resist leaving him with C after that and hitting the pavement.

I ran down the street as fast as I could and a huge smile spread across my face as I raced downhill. After months of giving up my body to B while he grew inside me, I've never felt so free. It was magical in it's own way.

I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I ran one mile in 11:52. I've never been super fast. The fastest I've ever gone was 8 something, so to run this mile in under 12 after not running for nearly 6 months was pretty good.

First post baby race: Glow Run RVA!

I'm a winner!

    The other day, my fellow blogger friend Elizabeth over at Elizabethtown bestowed the Leibster Award on me. I've never heard of this before so I read her post to check it out. It's cute, and kind of funny.

    So, what is a Leibster Award? This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word.  Basically it's a nice way to say, "Hey I like your blog! Let me help you promote it!"

    If you receive the award, there are a few rules to follow… 

    Each blogger nominated must post 11 random things about themselves. Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked. The blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate. Bloggers must be notified of their award. No tag backs. 

    So here we go…
    11 Random things about me:
    1. I've owned 14 guinea pigs. Don't worry, not all at once. I'm not a "crazy guinea pig lady" or anything like that. I adore animals and when I was little I BEGGED my parents hardcore for a pet. They only became dog people a few years ago so they wouldn't let me get a dog back then. But they did get me a little guinea pig, who turned out to be pregnant. She had 4 babies. So that's 5 pigs. A few years later when they were all gone, I was a wreck without an animal in the house so we got another guinea pig...who was pregnant...who had 4 babies. Now we're up to 10. (Note, we had no idea they were pregnant when we got them.) Once that batch was all gone we got a boy pig, and then one of my mom's students had to give their pig away so we took her (and kept them separate, don't worry.) When they were gone I was in college but I was coming home every weekend so I got another pig and then my ex brother in law got a pig, had it for 3 months, and then it became mine. Tobi, my last guinea pig, passed away in September 2011 after a long 8 and a half years. I was sad to see her go. I loved those little animals but probably won't be getting any more any time soon. I can remember all their names too: Squeaky, Racer, Chocolate, Snowflake, Fluffy, Blizzie, Kiki, Sally, Kipat, Jessie, Teddy, Mathilda, Tobi and Hamlet. 

Tobi, my last guinea pig. She was always so happy. I still miss her over a year later.

2. Of all the places I have traveled in this world, and despite being a beach girl at heart, my most favorite place I have been, is Scotland. I went to England first, which was amazing, but then 2 years later we went back to the UK and went to Scotland...I have never seen such a beautiful and amazing country. I love the culture. I love the history. I love the castles and the landscape. They have mountains with nothing on them but grass and they are topped with just a small amount of white snow. It is breathtaking. I've never experienced another place like Scotland and I hope I get the chance to go back some day and hear that wonderful accent again while I sit in a pub and drink a pint.

Does it really get any more beautiful than this?

3. My favorite color is teal/turquoise.

      4.  I hope to someday travel to California. I want to see the Pacific Ocean. I have absolutely no desire to travel to Asia.

      5. I adore Disney World and can't wait to take my kid there someday and see it through his eyes.

      6. The Boston Marathon is at the top of my race bucket list. Depending on how marathon number one goes, I hope to check it off the list in 2015. 

      7. Dave Matthews Band is my favorite band. I have an unhealthy obsession with Dave himself. I have been to almost 20 Dave concerts. Yet I ended up with a Jimmy Buffet license plate, whose music I also love. I know every word to "Son of A Sailor" by heart.

      8. If I could, I would move to Key West. No really, I would. My grand plan a long time ago was to move to the keys after college and work on a dive boat during the day and bartend at night. There are a lot of days I wish that I had taken a year or two and done that right after I was done with school... 

      9. When I was 15 I decided I wanted my hair to look like Rose's hair from Titanic, so I got a perm. My hair was so long and thick (and the lady that does my hair is amazing) that it took the curl really well. I kept it up until the end of college and I had it so long that everyone though I had naturally curly hair! Now we are back to the naturally straight, although as I get older, the back seems to be curling on it's own. Weird.



    Best picture I could find from college...and Rose.

   10. I always thought I would have a little girl first. I'm having a son in May. I'm excited to see what being the mom of a boy will be like, and I will make sure that he grows up to respect others, especially women. 

   11. One of my goals in life is to ride a camel through the desert up to the pyramids.

    PHEW! Now that that is done, here are the questions that E gave me...

   1. Who would you invite to a dinner party for 10? Can and should include famous and/or dead people.
      Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett, Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince Harry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude Monet.  

    2.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A paleontologist. I was obsessed with dinosaurs. 

    3. Best gift you’ve ever received. {You cannot say Jesus, salvation, my spouse, or my child}
       My college education. My parents paid for all of it and I am so thankful that I made it to my late 20's before acquiring any real debt. I'm grateful I don't have to pay off any student loans and I have something that no one can take away from me. It was a great experience.   

    4. What is your go to road trip snack? french fries and candy bars.

    5. What is your dream vacation? Ireland, or Hawaii.

    6. What drives you to blog?
      I have written in journals as long as I can remember and a blog is basically a journal but a lot more fun because people can interact with you through a blog. I love sharing my running experiences and since I don't have any super hardcore running friends, I use my blog to share my stories with the running community.

    7. What do you hope your children remember about their childhood? That they were loved unconditionally and we gave them all we could. And I hope they have fun with us and enjoy being with us. What do you hope they forget? Any heartache that they encounter. But I hope they learn from it.

    8. What’s your go to “I’m at a party and I’m going to tell a funny story about myself” story? You know you have one. 
       I know I have one, but honestly, I've done so much dumb stuff, that there are just too many good ones to choose just one :-) 

    9. What are you most proud of? {I’m assuming it is not the above story}
        I think I have a lot of things to be proud of, but honestly, the thing that comes to mind the most is overcoming my divorce. In that situation, a lot of people would have fallen apart. In the beginning, yes, I broke. I fell apart hard. But the night that everything came to a head, I said to myself, "I am done. I am over this. No one deserves this. I'm not going back." and for the first time in my life, I stuck to my guns and my beliefs and what I felt in my heart was right and I went with it, no matter what anyone else tried to convince me to do, no matter how many times I was told "You're married, you should fix it and live with it." I KNEW no one should have to live like that, to be treated like that. No one else was living in that situation but me. No one else had any idea how bad it really was. So I listened to myself and no one else. It wasn't easy. My bank account was completely wiped clean for awhile, I had to live with my parents for a year, I had to work a second job, I had to pay for the divorce and go to counseling, but you know what? I did it. I picked myself back up, got my life back in order, and moved forward. I didn't dwell in the past and sit around feeling sorry for myself. I knew I was the only one that was going to get it done and I did it. To this day, as I work my steady job, feel my baby kick inside me, come home to the house that I helped to purchase and kiss a husband who is truly my partner and support system in everything, I know it was all worth it, and I amaze myself that I worked so hard for this life, and I came out OK in the end. 

    10. What do you like the most about yourself?
         That I am a forgiving and trusting person, sometimes I trust too easily and forgive too easily. I let people have waaaay too many chances with me. I put up with a lot of crap before I finally decide enough is enough. And when I'm done, I'm done. But in a way, that's a good quality to have. 

    11.  What is your favorite dessert?
      Chocolate...Chocolate...and more chocolate :-) Fruit is not a dessert.

        So now, who do I pass this award along to??

        Rachel at Lou Lou Belle

         And

         Kathryn at Run+Eat+Play RVA

       Congrats on your award!!

      So here are your 11 questions:
     1. What is your favorite type of exercise and why?
     2. How many places have you traveled? (Can be in the US or outside the US)  
     3. How many jobs have you worked since you started working? (Including things you did in high school)
     4. How many pets have you had?
     5. Where is your hometown? Do you think you will ever live there again?
     6. If you could have any job what would it be and why?
     7. What is your favorite holiday?
     8. If you could live anywhere in the world, no matter the cost, where would you live?
     9. What items can you NOT leave the house without?
     10. What is your favorite thing about Richmond?
     11. What is at the top of your bucket list?

Chihuly!

This past weekend, C and I went to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). It was awesome! We got there a little before 10 so we could get tickets and get in before the crowd. You can take pictures as long as you don't use your flash so I brought along my Nikon and went to town.

A boat...filled with awesomeness!

These swirling shapes are right up my ally...

I'm going to make a boat filled with glass balls, and you're going to love it.

This is part of the ceiling which made me feel like I was scuba diving again.

There's the octopus!

Chihuly was inspired by Native American woven baskets to make this display.

Glass? Or woven basket?

Beautiful.

The largest sculpture he has ever created.

Looked like curling smoke to me.

LOVE.

Crazy goodness.

Simple, pure, beautiful.

Blue reeds made especially for the VMFA.

I really have no idea how anyone can do something so amazing with glass. I learned some pretty cool things while in college...welding metal, jewelrymaking, stained glass...but I would have loved to have learned glass blowing. Never say never!

I love going to the VMFA. We always have a good time and since they remodeled they have gotten some really awesome exhibits in there. The first one was a large Picasso exhibit, which was good but didn't blow me away. Then there was the Tiffany glass exhibit which was really good and an Egyptian exhibit with some mummies which was pretty good. I really enjoy going to that museum. It makes for a fun day and gets me inspired to go home and do some of my own work.

inspiration

Got to remember this once in awhile, in all aspects of life, not just running.

I went for a run on Monday morning. It was so humid, but it was a really great run. I have to keep the good runs in mind this summer with the oncoming heat. The plan this summer...get up EARLY and go! Got to tell my brain to just shut up and run.

looking for a little inspiration

The last couple of days I have been checking out some other blogs by women runners. I want to improve my blog and get some new readers, so I figured I should see what others are doing. In my "research" I have found some really great blogs and some amazing women that I can only aspire to be like. I wish I had the time/effort/money to run some of these races that they do...well let's be honest, I wish running was my full time job, but it's not, unless you count chasing elementary age children around all day making sure they have done their artwork correctly, cleaned up after themselves, aren't bickering over something...who I am kidding, I run marathons every day at work! For the most part I enjoy my job but there are days I wish I could trade in my Danskos for my Sauconys.

Like this morning.

I stopped at Starbucks on my way to work. I don't drink coffee, but I have a lot of gift cards and I was craving some OJ. On a side note, I really need to learn to go grocery shopping once a week and plan out our dinners! Anyways, as I headed out the door with my Classic Coffee Cake (no joke) and OJ, I spotted this guy sitting in one of the comfy chairs in the corner, headphones in, laptop on. For a brief moment I was pretty jealous. Now, I have no idea what this guy was doing, but I immediately thought of my blog. Oh I wanted to plop down in the chair next to him, whip out the iPad and start blogging right then and there.
But wait, I'm a teacher. No can do.

I have a great job, I really do, there are just some days that I really just want to wake up late, go for a run and come home and blog about it. Or read blogs. While I drink hot chai out of my new Keurig. Mmm...dreams...oh wait I call those Saturdays.

But then I remember things like this.

Students with their Chinese dragon masks!

And it makes it more worth it.

Anyways I am not quite sure how I got off on a tangent about work. Like I was saying, I found a few blogs that I really liked and was inspired by.

Shut Up And Run-So. Freaking. Funny. Seriously, she makes me almost pee my pants when I read it.


Runninghood-Amanda has some really great posts and a beautiful writing style. Her writing makes me want to make my writing better. And I love her view on life.

Skinny Runner-Whether you are a skinny runner or a normal jogger, you'll like this blog. I fall under the latter category.

Twenty-Six and Then Some-Page followed her dreams. I am totally inspired by her, and wish that someday I could be like that. Just drop it all and go for it. And live it. Yea, that would be awesome.