The good news is: I went for a run. The bad news is: it hurt.
I'm not going to lie, I felt like quite the badass because the day after my half-marathon extravaganza I was still walking, standing tall even... perhaps it was all just a facade of pride... there's a knot in my left shin, my right hip region moves like an old door about to come off it's hinges, and the knot in my back seems to be growing. I attempted to strike some fancy yoga poses to loosen up my back today at work, my coworker suggested that perhaps yoga was best done behind closed doors. So I went home and instead of stretching I ate some ice cream (FroYo of course) and drank some bourbon. On to day 5!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
...::: the hummingbird dreams of racing :::...
Move over fro-yo! I am ready to run with or without you! Without any shadow of a doubt, the most magical, delicious, wonderful, fantastic, serendipitous part about running is the finish line! Having now completed my first half-marathon I get it... I understand why people pay to exercise, because man, participating in the The City of the Oaks Half-Marathon was one of the most incredible things I have experienced in my life.
When the alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. ... take note that I said 4:45 a.m. as in that time of day before the sun comes up where the world is filled with studying college students and people still getting their drink on... as in not anywhere even remotely close to noon... my preferred wake up time, and for anyone that knows me, even waking up at noon might require a cup of coffee, or a monster, to really get me going... I nearly jumped through the roof and immediately set about in a frenzied panic because 1. Halloween was the night before and I hadn't laid out any of my stuff like I said I would. 2. It was POURING down rain. 3. I didn't have my giant tub of Cytomax performance drink by my side and there was NO WAY I was going to run 13.1 miles without it.
So I frantically scurried around, searching for rain jackets and knee braces, preparing bagels for breakfast and dashing out the door to get my Cytomax crossing my fingers that the rain would dump for the next hour and magically disappear by the start of the race.
It didn't. So I chanted "Cold, wet, yuck, burr!" for the 20 minutes leading up to the race while I danced around in the rain pretending to warm-up and stretch, but secretly thinking that I was surrounded by a bunch of crazy people and perhaps the smartest thing would be to run for my life...
Then the count down begun... so I squeezed in, figuring I had paid the 80 bucks and all, I might as well participate... next thing I know the massive mob of people starts shuffling forward, I think someone might've yelled "Go!" all I really remember was trying to start the timer on my watch and keep track of my running buddy. Next thing I know there we are, running with thousands of other people. People all around me are talking about not making the fatal error of running too fast in the beginning... I think this is wise, take it nice and slow, all I'm here to do today is finish, there's no rush, three hours of running is three hours of running no matter how you do it! Hill, after hill, after gust of wind, after hill, I realize that I am at mile marker number 6 and it's been an hour and five minutes! Holy cow! I'm making decent time and I still feel great! So, I do as Forrest Gump, would've, I just kept running. Scott caught me on the way ready with my handy dandy Cytomax, then just beyond that was something even better... Beer! I was a bit puzzled at first because I wasn't expected a water station just yet, and the cups looked different... mmm turns out it was some good'ole pbr. Thank you to whoever decided to hand out pbr, you rock.
And from there it was off to the finish line. I managed to avoid the portopotty pitstop by telling myself if I just ran faster I would make it back to the car in time. It worked. I stomped my goal into the ground and finished in 2 hours 17 minutes and 31 seconds. Had I only known... I would have tried harder to shave off a few more minutes. But, there's always next time.
I'm thinking 50 races in 50 states or maybe just the best races of all the states. I've heard rumors of races in high heels and armadillo chases... I like the sound of it. It might be a while before I can afford a trip to Hawaii, heck, even going to New York is a bit pricey on my current budget... so until then I guess I'll just look around for the most creative, most affordable and closest to home.
* Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to participate! I wouldn't have done it without you!
When the alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. ... take note that I said 4:45 a.m. as in that time of day before the sun comes up where the world is filled with studying college students and people still getting their drink on... as in not anywhere even remotely close to noon... my preferred wake up time, and for anyone that knows me, even waking up at noon might require a cup of coffee, or a monster, to really get me going... I nearly jumped through the roof and immediately set about in a frenzied panic because 1. Halloween was the night before and I hadn't laid out any of my stuff like I said I would. 2. It was POURING down rain. 3. I didn't have my giant tub of Cytomax performance drink by my side and there was NO WAY I was going to run 13.1 miles without it.
So I frantically scurried around, searching for rain jackets and knee braces, preparing bagels for breakfast and dashing out the door to get my Cytomax crossing my fingers that the rain would dump for the next hour and magically disappear by the start of the race.
It didn't. So I chanted "Cold, wet, yuck, burr!" for the 20 minutes leading up to the race while I danced around in the rain pretending to warm-up and stretch, but secretly thinking that I was surrounded by a bunch of crazy people and perhaps the smartest thing would be to run for my life...
Then the count down begun... so I squeezed in, figuring I had paid the 80 bucks and all, I might as well participate... next thing I know the massive mob of people starts shuffling forward, I think someone might've yelled "Go!" all I really remember was trying to start the timer on my watch and keep track of my running buddy. Next thing I know there we are, running with thousands of other people. People all around me are talking about not making the fatal error of running too fast in the beginning... I think this is wise, take it nice and slow, all I'm here to do today is finish, there's no rush, three hours of running is three hours of running no matter how you do it! Hill, after hill, after gust of wind, after hill, I realize that I am at mile marker number 6 and it's been an hour and five minutes! Holy cow! I'm making decent time and I still feel great! So, I do as Forrest Gump, would've, I just kept running. Scott caught me on the way ready with my handy dandy Cytomax, then just beyond that was something even better... Beer! I was a bit puzzled at first because I wasn't expected a water station just yet, and the cups looked different... mmm turns out it was some good'ole pbr. Thank you to whoever decided to hand out pbr, you rock.
And from there it was off to the finish line. I managed to avoid the portopotty pitstop by telling myself if I just ran faster I would make it back to the car in time. It worked. I stomped my goal into the ground and finished in 2 hours 17 minutes and 31 seconds. Had I only known... I would have tried harder to shave off a few more minutes. But, there's always next time.
I'm thinking 50 races in 50 states or maybe just the best races of all the states. I've heard rumors of races in high heels and armadillo chases... I like the sound of it. It might be a while before I can afford a trip to Hawaii, heck, even going to New York is a bit pricey on my current budget... so until then I guess I'll just look around for the most creative, most affordable and closest to home.
* Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to participate! I wouldn't have done it without you!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
breathing
I've been on a bit of a hiatus the past couple of weeks... it seems that no matter how hard I try to establish some sort of routine, my life just isn't equipped to handle it.
Last weekend I went to Winston Salem to celebrate the marriage of two of my very close, wonderful friends, Shannon and Madison. It was a magnificent get-a-way... the leaves were just beginning to change, the weather was crisp, the people were wonderful, hospitable and gracious, the ceremony was just gorgeous and the reception was a blast. Congratulations Shannon and Madi- I wish you all the best in your life together!
This weekend was spent in Richmond supporting the opening of a new REI in Shortpump. Scott built bikes while I wandered around shop-opolous. It was INSANE! Think Southpoint Mall + Brier Creek and then spice it up with oh maybe two dozen more restaurants! It was a little scary. I sat in on some of the SST, Sales and Service Training, which is something that all new hires go through. Now, I've been with REI for two years now and most of the glamor, glory and glitz has worn off. I KNOW SST, but man, sitting in on the training was awesome. After the reality of retail sets in a bit more, the responsibilities, expectations and understanding has quadrupled... to sit in with a brand new staff of people that are getting ready to open a brand new store, it was inspiring. It reminded me that REI IS a different sort of company and I am grateful to be a part of that, and while maybe our store is made up of a bunch of old dogs, having worked there from 2-13 years, it is still a pretty spectacular work environment.
Life post-college isn't turning out like I thought, money is tight, doors aren't opening left and right... so all the deep breaths and reminders I can get seem to be paying off double. We're a generation of "go to college and get a job" but we graduated in a time of economic panic. And it's so easy to feed into that energy, to wake up each day anxious about what you're going to do, how you're going to do and if you'll even be able to do... but I just have to keep reminding myself that that's not what life is about! Sure, we all want more money and we all want to be more successful. But do we NEED it? What would happen if we let go of all of our preconceived notions? Let go of what we think life is and what we think life should be? Could we be happier? More content? More balanced? More at peace? If we could learn to live more simply, and accept that we are good enough as we are, and the fact that we don't live in a fancy house and drive a nice car is not a reflection of who we are...that is my quest. Not to settle for less, never to settle for less, but to seek out peace over prosperity and appreciate what I have now rather than spending my entire day envying what others have. And to remind myself that it is ok to want things, it is good! But that does not mean that I need to have them today. So often I feel that I am entitled to the things that I want, but I am not.
There is something beautiful about where I am today and acknowledging that in no way means that I will spend eternity here. The days are overwhelming, but rather than rocking the boat trying to stir up change, or maybe hiding from it, I am going to choose to breath. And sometimes it's breathing that takes my breath away, but that's ok, because the future only comes one day at a time.
Last weekend I went to Winston Salem to celebrate the marriage of two of my very close, wonderful friends, Shannon and Madison. It was a magnificent get-a-way... the leaves were just beginning to change, the weather was crisp, the people were wonderful, hospitable and gracious, the ceremony was just gorgeous and the reception was a blast. Congratulations Shannon and Madi- I wish you all the best in your life together!
This weekend was spent in Richmond supporting the opening of a new REI in Shortpump. Scott built bikes while I wandered around shop-opolous. It was INSANE! Think Southpoint Mall + Brier Creek and then spice it up with oh maybe two dozen more restaurants! It was a little scary. I sat in on some of the SST, Sales and Service Training, which is something that all new hires go through. Now, I've been with REI for two years now and most of the glamor, glory and glitz has worn off. I KNOW SST, but man, sitting in on the training was awesome. After the reality of retail sets in a bit more, the responsibilities, expectations and understanding has quadrupled... to sit in with a brand new staff of people that are getting ready to open a brand new store, it was inspiring. It reminded me that REI IS a different sort of company and I am grateful to be a part of that, and while maybe our store is made up of a bunch of old dogs, having worked there from 2-13 years, it is still a pretty spectacular work environment.
Life post-college isn't turning out like I thought, money is tight, doors aren't opening left and right... so all the deep breaths and reminders I can get seem to be paying off double. We're a generation of "go to college and get a job" but we graduated in a time of economic panic. And it's so easy to feed into that energy, to wake up each day anxious about what you're going to do, how you're going to do and if you'll even be able to do... but I just have to keep reminding myself that that's not what life is about! Sure, we all want more money and we all want to be more successful. But do we NEED it? What would happen if we let go of all of our preconceived notions? Let go of what we think life is and what we think life should be? Could we be happier? More content? More balanced? More at peace? If we could learn to live more simply, and accept that we are good enough as we are, and the fact that we don't live in a fancy house and drive a nice car is not a reflection of who we are...that is my quest. Not to settle for less, never to settle for less, but to seek out peace over prosperity and appreciate what I have now rather than spending my entire day envying what others have. And to remind myself that it is ok to want things, it is good! But that does not mean that I need to have them today. So often I feel that I am entitled to the things that I want, but I am not.
There is something beautiful about where I am today and acknowledging that in no way means that I will spend eternity here. The days are overwhelming, but rather than rocking the boat trying to stir up change, or maybe hiding from it, I am going to choose to breath. And sometimes it's breathing that takes my breath away, but that's ok, because the future only comes one day at a time.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
one step back = two steps forward.
To train for the half marathon I decided to follow Hal Higdon's Plan.
It's not my favorite, but I only had 6 weeks. I needed something that I could jump into quickly and juggle with all my other obligations. I've been running consistently for the last 6 months, but only averaging 6-9 miles/week. Lately I've stepped it up to 4 workouts a week averaging 20 miles/week, quite a jump!
Here are a few of my favorites:
* Days of drizzle and mist
* Eating Ben&Jerry's FroYo free of guilt :)
* Watching the leaves float to the ground
* Tir na nog running club and new running buddies
* Jelly Belly sport beans, mmmm
* Knowing that I CAN go one more mile
It's not my favorite, but I only had 6 weeks. I needed something that I could jump into quickly and juggle with all my other obligations. I've been running consistently for the last 6 months, but only averaging 6-9 miles/week. Lately I've stepped it up to 4 workouts a week averaging 20 miles/week, quite a jump!
Here are a few of my favorites:
* Days of drizzle and mist
* Eating Ben&Jerry's FroYo free of guilt :)
* Watching the leaves float to the ground
* Tir na nog running club and new running buddies
* Jelly Belly sport beans, mmmm
* Knowing that I CAN go one more mile
Sunday, October 4, 2009
...::: the hummingbird dreams :::...
so I do this thing... I call it fluttering. It's when I get this surge of passion, adrenaline, and excitement from an idea, the type of idea that breeds more ideas and the words that you speak can't even keep up with the thoughts that are racing impulses in your brain like bunnies reproducing. And so I flutter. I sit up real tall, I begin to speak with my hands in these large flapping gestures bringing hazard upon objects placed in close range, my words pour out and my heart just races away, twitterpated by my latest discovery of ideas.
I want to release a lantern. You know, like you see in movies? The type of event that is only held in a big city, like boston, new york or san francisco... I want one here. A friend of mine told me that he used to go to the craft store and buy tissue paper and dowel rods to make lanterns... they'd fill them with hot air, light them, and release them from a parking deck.
I think it sounds magical. I don't care if I send it soaring into the air, or floating down a stream... but I think it needs to happen.
Anyone care to join me?
I want to release a lantern. You know, like you see in movies? The type of event that is only held in a big city, like boston, new york or san francisco... I want one here. A friend of mine told me that he used to go to the craft store and buy tissue paper and dowel rods to make lanterns... they'd fill them with hot air, light them, and release them from a parking deck.
I think it sounds magical. I don't care if I send it soaring into the air, or floating down a stream... but I think it needs to happen.
Anyone care to join me?
a rather odd coincidence
I attended a wedding brunch this morning for a good friend of mine. I had been invited to the brunch by the bride and groom, so the invitation was really just a formality. I was told that it was being hosted by the groom's godmother at the house of a family friend. When the invitation arrived a week later, it just sat on the dresser. I never actually looked at it. If I had, I might have realized that it was at the home of one of my former professors.
Following the long, winding, mountain like roads, the leaves are just beginning to fall, we pull down the drive way arriving at this beautiful house neatly tucked into the woods of Chapel Hill. Upon walking into the house, there she is, with as much presence as ever. Her home, just a larger version of herself. Oliver, her poodle, greeted us with his wiggling cotton ball tail, roses adorned every table, and the smell of antiques filled the air. Everything felt just as it should be, as if it always was and always would be.
Some professors seem so professor like, she was one of them. So together, such a professor, you never think of them as being normal and having a life. It's not their impersonal, or on a pedestal, they just have so much knowledge and authority over their classroom, it just seems like that's where they belong. Seeing someone with such a great aura was like discovering what lies behind the curtain.
Last night I was having a conversation about people, socialization, and perspective. Our experiences shape the way we view people, and therefore the way we interact with them- if we are willing to invest some hope and faith into people, we are more likely to see that most everyone has something to contribute, a grandparent's wisdom, a child's knock-knock joke, a parents nagging, a loved one's praise. Our words have a tremendous ability to impact others, and our actions have even greater impact- what impression are you going to leave others with?
You never know when you'll run into them again...
Following the long, winding, mountain like roads, the leaves are just beginning to fall, we pull down the drive way arriving at this beautiful house neatly tucked into the woods of Chapel Hill. Upon walking into the house, there she is, with as much presence as ever. Her home, just a larger version of herself. Oliver, her poodle, greeted us with his wiggling cotton ball tail, roses adorned every table, and the smell of antiques filled the air. Everything felt just as it should be, as if it always was and always would be.
Some professors seem so professor like, she was one of them. So together, such a professor, you never think of them as being normal and having a life. It's not their impersonal, or on a pedestal, they just have so much knowledge and authority over their classroom, it just seems like that's where they belong. Seeing someone with such a great aura was like discovering what lies behind the curtain.
Last night I was having a conversation about people, socialization, and perspective. Our experiences shape the way we view people, and therefore the way we interact with them- if we are willing to invest some hope and faith into people, we are more likely to see that most everyone has something to contribute, a grandparent's wisdom, a child's knock-knock joke, a parents nagging, a loved one's praise. Our words have a tremendous ability to impact others, and our actions have even greater impact- what impression are you going to leave others with?
You never know when you'll run into them again...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Since graduating school in May, my life has nearly exploded with activity. Having had the summer to straighten, sort and prioritize it seems as though my life might actually be aligned with the heavens... my horoscope for today read as follows:
Being in college had provided me with a giant blanket excuse for everything, I just shoved it all under the rug and said I would deal with it later. Later came like a screeching halt,splashing hot coffee all over my lap and sending all my neatly stacked papers into a flurry.
I was confronted by the ghosts of my parents, my past, their plans for me, my plans for myself... I wanted to become something great... but I just felt like I had been chewed up and spit out, I couldn't do anything else, wasn't graduating enough? there wasn't a job waiting, or a white picket fence with a cute puppy... I woke up feeling like my life wasn't good enough, everything that I had been working so hard for wasn't good enough. Luckily after three months I managed to wake up from that nightmare.
So here I am. This is me, or maybe just something like it. Please join me as I set out to explore and discover this beautiful, crazy, messy wild world that we live in.
First up on my list is the City of Oaks half marathon and the debut of my very own line of stationary.
Welcome.
It's challenging to jump into new projects and activities when you haven't completed the previous ones. You have been patiently waiting as you mapped out your autumn calendar. Now fall is here and you are finally ready to go. Don't hold back. Share what's been on your mind recently with those closest to you and take a small step toward living the life that you have been dreaming about.
Being in college had provided me with a giant blanket excuse for everything, I just shoved it all under the rug and said I would deal with it later. Later came like a screeching halt,splashing hot coffee all over my lap and sending all my neatly stacked papers into a flurry.
I was confronted by the ghosts of my parents, my past, their plans for me, my plans for myself... I wanted to become something great... but I just felt like I had been chewed up and spit out, I couldn't do anything else, wasn't graduating enough? there wasn't a job waiting, or a white picket fence with a cute puppy... I woke up feeling like my life wasn't good enough, everything that I had been working so hard for wasn't good enough. Luckily after three months I managed to wake up from that nightmare.
So here I am. This is me, or maybe just something like it. Please join me as I set out to explore and discover this beautiful, crazy, messy wild world that we live in.
First up on my list is the City of Oaks half marathon and the debut of my very own line of stationary.
Welcome.
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