mind over matter

Today was a decent day temperature wise, so I though today would be a good day to attempt a run in the good ole outdoors. The plan for today was to run 50 minutes (1 min walking 24 min jogging, but at this point I'm just going to run non-stop). I decided to run a loop around my neighborhood which turned out to be the perfect distance, time-wise. I started off running a slower than usual pace because I was a little uncertain of my abilities running on something other than flat (thank you treadmill for spoiling me so), and it's a good thing I did. I didn't realize just how hilly my neighborhood is! The hills never ceased, they kept coming and coming and coming. About fifteen minutes in I was barely lifting my feet. I can only imagine how funny I must have looked to the people who passed me. The one good thing about running outside is the motivation you have to keep going. The further and further I got from my house, the more incentive I had to keep moving, because I knew if I quit, I'd have a LONG walk home. About 30 minutes in, my entire left foot went numb, the backs of both legs got stiff and I got a stitch in my side. You would think that this would make me slow down but on the contrary, I somehow found myself running faster. It was quite amazing. I don't know how or why this happened, whether it was adrenaline, endorphins, or the fact that I just really wanted to go home, but I was really moving! Whatever it was, I realized that being a successful runner is being able to tell your screaming and tortured body to keep on going. It truly is mind over matter. When all was said and done I ran a total of 53 minutes and approximately 3.9 miles. Not bad!!

Delayed thank you's

#95 on my 100 list states "I'm horrible at sending thank you cards." Well I think it should also read, "and acknowledging good mail." The past month or so I have been on the receiving end of some awesome good mail. I'm not sure why I haven't posted about them sooner, probably because I wanted to take pictures and post them, but that never happened and now everything is being put to good use, but I would hate to seem ungrateful, because I truly am...grateful that is. Jill sent me some running socks (they are featured in my Self-Portrait Tuesday photo) that I definitely needed which have been put to good use. She also included a self-designed card that was so darling. Kristi sent me two packages, the first containing a pack of my favorite gum, Trident Tropical Twist (which I am chewing right now) and some real estate magazine pages featuring amazing homes for sale in my neighborhood (I'm using that term loosely). One of them is going for just under $8 million and features a ballroom and a cherry paneled library. Oh, a girl can dream!! I don't know if you know this, but one of my favorite things to do is to drive around and look at beautiful houses. She also sent for Valentines a cute heart shaped notepad and a hand warmer. You'll be relieved to know that my heat has been restored! Amanda sent me some of her famous magnets and a darling notepad. The magnets have been put to good use holding up pictures of my cutest nieces and nephews on my fridge, and one can never have too many notepads. I also received a Valentine's package from my mom including a book about relationships by Dr. Phil in which I can learn how to "Bag 'em, tag 'em and take 'em home," a deck of conversation cards and some money to go buy a healthy treat. Thank you thank you thank you!

Put your best foot forward

(after todays outdoor run...notice the specks of muck on my legs...delightful!)

Today's Self-Portrait Tuesday challenge is as you can see from the title, "put your best foot forward." It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you that I chose to photograph my feet outfitted this way, considering my blog has turned into a running diary lately. The feet you see here have given me blisters, searing pain, cramps and numbness. They have also provided me with energy, uninterrupted sleep (for the first time in what seems like YEARS), strength, and a smaller dress size. Not so visibly and possibly most importantly, these feet have shown me that I am capable of much more than I give myself credit for, that if I set my mind to it, I can accomplish anything. They have given me confidence.

Look at me go

Today I was supposed to run 27 minutes non-stop. I didn't. Instead I ran an hour for a total of 4.2 miles. :)

I think I'm getting to the point where I'm really enjoying running. It's a miracle!

Week 6

Feb. 26
Rest Day
Tip: You are more than half way through your training. Take a look back to see how much progress you have made. Congratulate yourself on your efforts.

Feb. 27
Time: 50 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 24 minutes (2 times)
Tip: Think about getting some Polaroid sunglasses to protect your eyes on sunny days.

Feb. 28
Time: 33 minutes
Goal: 33 minutes nonstop running
Tip: If you can finish this run without stopping, you will be well on your way to being to finish the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

March 1
Time: 30 minutes
Goal: 30 minutes nonstop running
Tip: Continue to work on your flexibility by stretching after every run and on your days off.

March 2
Rest Day
Tip: Make sure you are getting a lot rest on these days off. You are going to be doing your first three days of running without a break

March 3
Time: 56 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 27 minutes (2 times)
Tip: See how long you can run before needing a walking break. Skip the walking break if you can.

March 4
Time: 30 minutes
Goal: 30 minutes of running including 10 minutes of aerobic intervals
Tip: After 10 minutes of easy running, alternate 15 seconds of faster running with 45 seconds jogging for a total of 10 minutes. Finish the last10 minutes with a very easy jog. You should be huffing and puffing during 10 minutes of aerobic intervals.

No small miracle

Today's run was to walk 1 minute, run 16 minutes, three times for a total of 51 minutes, however the tip for the day was to see how long you could go without stopping. So that's what I tried and guess what...I ran the whole 51 minutes (well no, I walked the first minute, but then I ran the first two minutes of cool down, so actually I ran 52!). It was actually pretty easy. That's not to say that the backs of my ankles weren't a little tight towards the end, or that my left foot got a little tingly, or that my chest felt a little tight, but I DID IT! When all was said and done I had run 3.65 miles in 56 minutes. This equates to a 15.3 minute mile. Still a little too slow for the race come April, but I'm making HUGE progress. This is so exciting!!

Peeling back the layers of weirdness

I've been putting it off for a long time, so without further adieu...6 unique things about yours truly:

1. I have issues with silverware and glassware. My silverware has to be a specific weight (nice, heavy and sturdy), and I absolutely HATE the ones with plastic handles. I really don't like drinking out of clear glasses because you can see every little fingerprint, and not to mention floaties in the beverage. If at all possible I avoid drinking out of them. For this reason I buy solo brand plastic cups in bulk.

2. I can't accomplish anything without some sort of background noise. I often play music at my desk and in college I always studied or wrote papers with the tv on, unless I was at the library, then I listened to my walkman.

3. I have a love/hate relationship with mayonnaise. If I go out to eat, my hamburgers and sandwiches HAVE to have mayonnaise. If I make a sandwich myself I can't put it on (unless I mix it with mustard before putting it on the bread). I think this has to do with the fact that the texture of it really grosses me out. I gag if I have to handle it...especially if it accidentally gets on my fingers.

4. I have always been fascinated with anything spy related. I once looked into applying at the CIA but the only thing I was qualified for was a day care worker, not exactly the high-profile job I was hoping for. I passed the CIA headquarters every day for a year on my way to work and each time I would look enviously at the cars turning in and wish that it was me. I would make a horrible spy though, I have a hard time lying.

5. My hair grows like a weed when it's short, but if I was to let it grow out it would stop growing at my shoulders.

6. When a passenger in a car, I will often flex my calf or tap my toe to "count" every tree and pole I pass. I guess I don't do this as much now as I did when I was a little kid, probably because now I'm usually driving.

How's that for weird?!

Reader Poll Results

Ok, the 9 of you have spoken and you overwhelmingly (though not surprisingly) prefer the longer look. Well I got my hair cut and I decided on somewhat of a mix of the two because my bangs were driving me absolutely NUTS. Let me know what you think...and be honest, I can take it (and anyways, my hair grows like a WEED!)

Here is the VERY overexposed before shot:



And the slightly blurry after shots:

Self-Portrait Tuesday er...Wednesday

I was checking out Jill's blog where she had posted a picture of herself in response to Lelly's call for a Self-Portrait Tuesday. As we all know (thanks to my confession in my 100 list) I love checking myself out, which also means I routinely take self-portraits using the self-portrait feature on my phone. Even though I am a day late, here is my contribution to self-portrait Tuesday, featuring a very tired, sleep deprived me at 6:00 am at BWI airport waiting for my flight to Utah. Don't I look lovely?!

Happy Happy Happy Birthday

Today is the 7th birthday of the three who started it all!! I hope you enjoy your special day (times three)...way to spread the celebration throughout the week!

Katie

Matthew

Claire

The Helper

Back in March I took a quiz that quite accurately described me based on my answers to two questions. It said that I was a helper and that helpers are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs. I would have to say that although sometimes I fail miserably, I definitely try my hardest to be all of those things. I try to be the friend that people can count on when they need support, to do what I can for them, whether it be a shoulder to cry on, a box of crackers and sprite or a little cash to get through a hard time. I will do whatever I can to alleviate the weight on their shoulders.

I just finished a great book, a fairy tale called The Goose Girl, about a Princess named Ani who due to some terrible events has to live under the guise of a goose girl. There is a part in the book where she reveals her true identity and the events that lead her to become a goose girl to a new friend, Enna. After Ani tells the tale and requests that it remain a secret, Enna tells her the following:

"I won't tell anyone. You'll see that I won't...And when you get tired of worrying and mourning your horse and trying not to be afraid, tell me and I'll do it for you a while so you can shut your eyes and sleep peaceful."

Someone I know is going through a rough time right now, and unfortunately in this case there is nothing I can do. It hurts me to know that he hurts so much, and I so badly wish that I could do as Enna promises Ani, to go through it for a while so he can get some rest from it.

I really love this quote from Soulmate:

"When love is set free, it obeys no limits. It seeks out the secret places that never hoped to feel loved, and once it touches them, the result is foreordained. Love will win. The same is true for healing-they have this in common."

Healing will win, I know that it will.

Week 5

Well it was inevitable, and it looks like the time has finally come. This weeks schedule features LONG runs with a break as well as relatively short non-stop runs. I don't know which I'm dreading more! We'll see how it all goes!

Feb. 19
Rest Day
Tip: Think how far you have already come from your first day of training.

Feb. 20
Time: 45 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 14 minutes (3 times)
Tip: Try to find a course where there is a water fountain or carry a water bottle with you on the longer runs.

Feb. 21
Rest Day
Tip: Be prepared for your first day of nonstop running that will be coming up soon.

Feb. 22
Time: 25 minutes
Goal: Run 25 minutes (no stopping)
Tip: Keep focused on your goal of running without stopping. If you feel like stopping, slow down to see if that helps.

Feb. 23
Rest Day
Tip: Make sure you stay hydrated during this training by sipping water throughout the day.

Feb. 24
Time: 51 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 16 minutes (3 times)
Tip: Try to run as long as you can without a walking break.

Feb. 25
Time: 27 minutes
Goal: Run 27 minutes nonstop
Tip: It should start feeling easier, but you may need to start out a bit slower to make sure that you can handle this run.

Every Party Has a Pooper

The next few days are going to be crazy for me. Tomorrow morning I head up to Philadelphia for a work meeting and will be staying overnight. Friday night I am babysitting for the family I use to nanny for. Needless to say, I won't be able to do my workout tomorrow and making it up on Friday most likely won't happen. So although I am beyond tired this evening, I knew I couldn't miss today's run. We have a treadmill in our basement and it sits right behind the loveseat which everyone sits on because it faces our TV. As I walked down I noticed that the TV was on, so I walked up behind the couch to ask permission to use the treadmill. Well it turns out to be my roommate and her new boyfriend, totally snuggling. I know I probably should have turned and walked away, left them to enjoy their Valentines date but I didn't. I totally asked them if they wouldn't mind if I ran (because I'm missing tomorrow). Of course they're so nice and said they didn't mind, but I'm sure they did. Needless to say, I cut my workout short, but how horrible and heartless am I?!

Sappy Quotes for a Sappy Holiday

First I should say that Deepok Chopra really gets me (see number 17 here), as he ended his notes "from the author" in his book Soulmate with the following:

"And if you are the kind of reader who turns to the last page of a book first, the ending is love. Always"

The following quotes about love were found at the end of the aforementioned novel. I hope you enjoy. Happy Valentines Day!

"Love conforms to our vision. You'll always get what you want, so have the desire for the highest love you can imagine."

"The only perfect love is beyond the personal. If you want to give someone your greatest love, first see beyond that person. If you want to receive the greatest love, see yourself beyond the person."

"When love is set free, it obeys no limits. It seeks out the secret places that never hoped to feel loved, and once it touches them, the result is foreordained. Love will win."

Reader Poll

I have a hair appointment next week and am having a hard time deciding what to do with my hair. It has been WAY too long and shaggy these days so I'm temped to do something a little drastic, like this:

Let's weigh the pros and cons:

Pros: It's easy, it doesn't get in my eyes

Cons: I might be mistaken for a boy (I'm serious, it's happened before!)

Or should I stick with the tried and true and do this again:

It would basically be the same, but I would have her texturize the front a little bit more and cut down the bangs a bit so they don't get in my eyes.

Pros: It's spunky, I look HOT with this haircut

Cons: It takes some effort to do.

One thing is for certain, my bangs will be much shorter. With all of the running that I do, I can't afford it getting into my eyes.

What do you guys think I should do?! Please share!

The Universe Speaks

Today's note from the universe is especially timely:

"Not events, Anne, but outcomes. Visualize outcomes.
Not the cracking of the bat, but gliding over home plate.
Not the inking of the deals, but the kind of life you'll lead.
Not the scale, the diet or food, but the admiration you have earned.
And not the whens, the wheres, and hows, but the laughter, high-fives, and wows.
Not events, Anne, but outcomes. Visualize outcomes."

- The Universe

I haven't forgotten!

I was tagged by Carlo to post 6 unique things about me. I promise I didn't ignore your request, nor have I forgotten. I'm just having a really difficult time coming up with 6 things that make me unique. You would think that someone who has been told they're "like an onion with many layers of weirdness" would have an abundance of things to say but sadly my mind is drawing a blank. I think about it all of the time though so hopefully I'll be able to compile and post my list soon.

Happy 5th Birthday

To my little snuggle buddy! I hope you had a great day (but how could you not when it begins with cake for breakfast?!)

Weekend with the crazies

My sister and brother in law went to NYC and left the kiddies to fend for themselves all weekend. Well I was watching them, but it's pretty much the same thing. We spent Saturday with cousin Betsy and had breakfast at O-HOP, ran errands at Costco and Target, watched Matthew kick some trash at his basketball game and just hung out. By 5:00 pm I was still in my pj's with horrific bedhead so I snuck away for my run and a shower. By the time I got back it was almost time for bed. I was so tired I crashed at 10:30. Sunday Matthew was up by 6:00 am and the others, with the exception of Claire were up shortly thereafter. Matthew (the saint) turned on the movie Cars all by himself and granted me 2 1/2 additional hours of sleep. After breakfast we went to my house so I could run and take a shower (they watched Shrek and made fun of my jogging) and then we got some lunch. The afternoon was spent baking sugar cookies (I am completely hopeless in the kitchen) which were only possible because Betsy stopped by and saved the day. I took a short nap while the kids played nintendo and watched Kim Possible (yeah, I'm pretty much the coolest babysitter ever...all video games and TV...all the time) but of course the house was trashed when I woke from my coma. We turned on their music mix which includes music by Queen (how cool is that?!) and cleaned the house. They did such a good job cleaning up that when Matthew wanted to take a break to dance the Macarena, I didn't object. Now that is a funny sight, 5 crazies (I'm including myself) all lined up shaking their booties to the Macarena. What a total blast! We then decorated sugar cookies which was so fun. When I asked Matthew if he was going to decorate his lips (cookie...not his own) he responded by doing this...

and this...

and Claire and Jake followed suit...

I forgot to take pictures of everyone's cookies, although here are mine...

Too bad I couldn't eat them! We cleaned up and I made dinner (something that wasn't frozen and in a box...kind of a miracle) just in time for Matt and Amanda to come home. I still don't think I'm quite ready for motherhood (not that I have to worry about that anytime soon!) but we had a good time. At the very least, I made it through the weekend without any tantrums and THAT is quite an improvement!

Week 4

Here is this weeks running schedule. I'm not very excited about running such long stretches. I don't think I'm quite ready for that, but oh well, it has to be done!


Feb. 12
Rest Day
Tip: Think about visiting a running specialty store in person or online to pick up some hi-tech running clothes to wear for the race.

Feb. 13
Time: 27 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 8 minutes (3 times)
Tip: If you are looking for a training partner or a running group, contact your local running club for assistance.

Feb. 14
Time: 30 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 9 minutes (3 times)
Tip: Keep your arms relaxed while running.

Feb. 15
Time: 40 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 9 minutes (4 times)
Tip: Try to maintain a conversational effort at all times.

Feb. 16
Rest Day
Tip: If you want to stretch on your day off, go for a walk first to warm up your muscles. Never stretch cold muscles.

Feb. 17
Time: 48 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 11 minutes (4 times)
Tip: You should started getting used to very short walking breaks. Fluids are a very important component to recovering from long efforts. For more information about Gatorade Endurance Formula, see http://www.itsonthecourse.com/

Feb. 18
Time: 30 minutes
Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 14 minutes (2 times)
Tip: Try to visualize yourself floating through the air.

Popcicle

I am a human popcicle. It is currently 23 degrees in McLean, VA and about 25 degrees in my house. The property management company was supposed to send someone over today to fix the pilot light on our heater which broke yesterday, but never showed up. I am FREEZING. I turned on the shower the hottest it would go so I could change into my workout clothes without my limbs falling off. This is not fun...not fun at all!

Days 10-17

I have been back on schedule as far as training goes. My cough still bothers me a bit, but I drink lots of water during my workout to counteract that. I still find running longer than 3 minutes at a time rather unpleasant, but not necessarily because my muscles are sore. I think I just get impatient (one of my more attractive qualities) and the time drags on. The fact that I glance down at the time every 30 seconds doesn't help much. At this point I think my muscles are getting used to the motions and aren't hurting quite as much. The sharp and unpleasant cramping and pain in my feet has just about disappeared which is nothing short of a miracle.

I've noticed that when running starts to get more difficult, or I start to feel pain, I turn up the music on my i-pod full blast, so loud that I'm positive people can hear it from the opposite side of the room. By doing this I feel like the sensory overload in my ears will make it impossible for me to feel the pain. I also shake my hands vigorously. Interesting quirks don't you think?

Also, last night, thanks to a gas leak in my house (the pilot light died), I went to the gym for my run. This was the first time I had been in public with my short (VERY SHORT!) running shorts on. I probably should have been embarrassed but I wasn't. I even went to a take out restaurant to get dinner while wearing them. I'm kind of out of control, I like it!

Rejection

Every two months my office organizes a Red Cross blood drive which takes place in our conference room. Today was blood drive day and I had made my appointment several weeks ago in anticipation of the event. As you know, I have been getting over the very attractive bronchitis, and was a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to donate, specifically because of the antibiotics I was on, but after looking through the donor eligibility website I thought I would be ok. When I checked in this morning I thought it might be best to ask one of the nurses if I was well enough to donate and was denied because I still have a cough. I was so bummed, although I'm not sure if I'm more sad that I won't be saving three lives today or that I won't be consuming the cookies I would have justified eating (to raise my blood sugar of course!).

Weekend update

As you may know, I had a visitor over the weekend. Pete left the warmth of California to spend a miserably cold 4 days with me in DC. Prior to this trip, the furthest east Pete had traveled was to Wisconsin (or was it Minnesota?) so I was feeling the pressure to be a good hostess and show him a good time and to show him A LOT. I think I definitely came through, I *hope* with quality, but for sure with quantity. On Wednesday after dinner with my cousin Betsy, who put him through his first of two interviews of the weekend, we went to see the Iwo Jima memorial and drove around the monuments at night, stopping to say hi to Einsten.


Thursday was low key as I had to work and he had an interview, but he did get to meet my sister and nieces and nephews, whom I affectionately call "the crazies" and boy did they live up to their name. They ran around the house screaming for 15 minutes straight. I think he might be thinking twice about having kids after that visit (only kidding...maybe...). Friday marked the first day of the DC Capitol Hill/The Mall marathon. We met my friend Abbie for a Capitol tour, which allowed me to dust off my tour guide skills, not to mention my pants after taking the following mandatory ceiling shot (I of course was laying on the ground in the middle of the rotunda).

This next shot is awesome because it shows off my favorite new shoes and also because this star looking thingy marks the very middle of DC. Cool huh?!

After the tour Abbie decided to ditch her lunch with the Ambassador of Egypt (seriously) to go to lunch with us at Ben's Chili Bowl, a DC staple (Thanks Kristi!). I knew this would be a winner considering the fact that Pete had eaten chili for dinner for several nights in the week prior to his visit and Ben's definitely didn't disappoint. Pete is the chili eating champion, barely edging Abbie out in the first annual chili-cheese fries eat-off. He mentioned that accomplishment several times over the weekend. We then went to the Spy Museum where Colin and Greta (our aliases) crawled through the air ducts and identified threats. Next up was the National Archives. It wasn't very crowded, so we were able to really absorb the history and the awesomeness of the documents found in the great hall. I, wanting to make sure Pete's first trip to DC was well documented, decided to take a picture of Pete looking at the Declaration of Independence (I think he was looking for a secret map on the back). Flash photography isn't allowed anywhere near the documents as they are fragile so I made sure that the flash was turned off before I took the picture. Well somehow the flash turned itself back on and I took this AWESOME picture:

I also got severely yelled at by the security guard. Pete will NOT let me live that moment down and now calls me "Flash." That experience provided LOTS of laughs over the course of the weekend. I still can't believe I contributed to the destruction of one of the most historical documents ever penned!

We then walked the Mall to get to the monuments. We attempted to take self-portraits at the Washington Monument.

Some worked better...

than others...

We saw the WWII monument but by the time we got over to Vietnam, Lincoln and Korean memorials it was too dark to really appreciate them. We decided to go back the next day.

Saturday was another marathon day. We went to Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and JFK's grave. We then went to the memorials again, running into my friend Corey of all people. He was nice enough to take a picture of the two of us, eliminating the possibility of having my head cut out of the picture yet again.

After the memorials we had Navajo tacos at the Native American History museum (Thanks again Kristi), checked out the Air and Space museum and then the Library of Congress. The evening was low key again (i was worn out!) and Sunday was spent watching a movie, eating sushi and leaving. It was such a fun weekend. I don't know that I've ever laughed as hard as I did with Pete. Good times! Hopefully I didn't run him so ragged that he'll never come back! There's so much to see, we've BARELY scratched the surface!

You can see more pictures here!

Small Miracle

While Pete and I were waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store over the weekend I saw a magazine which showed Tyra Banks in a swimsuit with the caption "I weigh 161 pounds" on the cover. I made some comment to Pete essentially saying that we almost weigh the same. He asked me how much I weigh and without a moments hesitation I replied with my current weight. I didn't even subtract a few (or ten) pounds for good measure. That's right, I revealed my weight...to a guy no less...a guy I want to impress. I couldn't believe I just came out and said it, and I told him as much, but you know what I realized? I am finally getting comfortable in my own skin, and that's a great feeling!

Week 3

After a crazy week or so of sickness and guests, I'm finally ready to be serious about this. I did do most of my workouts last week and have decided that I prefer not to run more than 3 minutes at a time. Hopefully that will change SOON, because those days of 3 minute runs are OVER! Here's the training schedule for the week. I do have a question about one of the tips you'll find here...how exactly does one stretch their groin? Seems a little weird to me.


Feb. 5

Rest Day

Tip: Days off are important to let your body assimilate the gains from your training.

Feb. 6

Time: 40 minutes

Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 4 minutes (8 times)

Tip: It can be dangerous to run with head phones outdoors in isolated areas or on roads with traffic. Be aware of your surroundings all the time.

Feb. 7

Time: 28 minutes

Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 6 minutes (4 times)

Tip: When running on a road, always run toward traffic and be alert for oncoming vehicles.

Feb. 8

Time: 42 minutes

Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 5 minutes (7 times)

Tip: Your goal should be to be able to talk while jogging. If you stay out of breath, try slowing down.

Feb. 9

Rest Day

Tip: Don't worry if you start sleeping more. You need more rest when engaged in a vigorous exercise program.

Feb. 10

Time: 42 minutes

Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 6 minute (6 times)

Tip: You should start feeling strong and like you can keep on running.

Feb. 11

Time: 28 minutes

Goal: Walk 1 minute, run 7 minutes (4 times)

Tip: Stretch your calves, Achilles tendon, hamstrings, quadriceps and groin after your run.