I'm kind of disappointed in myself. Last night I went to my first all-comers track meet in my life. I never ran cross-country in high school or anything. I've taken a couple track-based running classes to work on building speed and getting in better shape.
I know I'm out of shape now, but the only way to get it back is to try. So last night I went to the track meet. It's a 7 week series, and last night was week 3.
My friends weren't there, but hubby came to watch. I planned to run the mile and one other event, likely the 400.
But no.
I had logistical issues -- left work later than planned, didn't know where to go. I didn't imagine a high school campus could be so big. It was like a college -- there was a huge tennis complex, a field hockey team practicing, something that appeared to be football, and who knows how many other sports. And the track. But to get to the track, you were supposed to use an entrance other than the one I did.
By the time I parked and figured out where to walk to get to the track, the mile was just beginning. Well, at least the heat in which I belonged.
And so that meant that the first event I watched was a heat in which I didn't belong. It was the mile for people running about 5-5:30 I think. Yikes! It seemed like they were flying.
And then was another mile heat -- sub-5 minute milers. And that made the prior heat look slow. The winner was around 4:20.
Insane!
I was intimidated. Hubby and I ended up watching a bunch of the events and then leaving.
I never ran at all. Completely wimped out.
I need to get some friends to go with me next week. It seemed that there were very few adult women. That would have made me more comfortable. There were guys of all ages, but very few women -- mostly high school girls and younger.
No adult females in the 100 meter sprints.
So I completely chickened out last night, but next week I'll make myself do it. I'll be on time and know where to go. I'll run with kids if necessary to find someone my pace. I know it won't bother me to be last, I know that, but next week I'll be more mentally prepared for it.
And next week I'll have fresher legs. I won't be coming off a long run Sunday, a half-marathon Monday, a speedy Tuesday morning 6 miler, and then hitting the track Tuesday night.
No, next week I'll do the long run Sunday and a take-it-easy boot camp on Monday, and then an easy 6 on Tuesday morning, and my legs will be strong and ready for Tuesday night at the track.
I'll do it, it just wasn't meant to be last night.
But to make up for letting myself down, this morning boot camp ended early (thunderstorms and they did a groupon, so the group is too big to go to our normal inclement weather location), so when we got home, I decided to run stairs in the house. I was aiming for 100 flights or until I finished out the boot camp hour, whichever came first. I ended up with 75 flights and I think I'll have sore legs tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
FMM A Day Late
Long and lazy and lovely weekend. Lots of time just hanging out. Sunday and Monday were at my local bestie's parents' house, mostly in the pool. Ah, so nice. I had to run a half marathon Monday morning and it was crazy hilly and very warm with absolutely no shade, but I survived. Slower than my half from a couple weeks ago, and way slower than a PR, but you know, I was just happy to have run. To have an extra 1300 calories or so to eat that day! Haha. They had a big BBQ in the afternoon that was fun. Bestie brought portabello mushroom caps filled with spinach, cheese and herbs for us. So good! Then we came back to Dallas last night and I had dinner with my best friend from junior high. He's in town to work on reporting the elections today. Fun stuff!
Since I'm pretty much too tired to think, here's FMM, just a day late!
FMM: One or the Other
1. Shower or Bubble Bath? Either, but shower is usually my choice.
2. Money or Power? Money
3. Country Music or Rap? Rap I guess, don't really care, either is fine.
4. Sunshine or Thunderstorms? Sunshine
5. Uniform or Suit? I think we already had to do this one.
6. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
7. Beauty or Brains? Brains
8. Newspaper or Online News? Online
9. Marinara or Alfredo? Marinara
10. Lip Gloss or Lip Stick? Lipstick I guess.
11. Beach or Mountains? Mountains, but that's a tough call and I think my answer changes every few hours or days. I'm picking mountains just because I spent all weekend in the water.
12. Talk or Text? Meh... depends on who. Guess I'd say talk if I have to choose just one.
13. CNN or Fox News? CNN
14. Cake or Potato Chips? Cake
15. Movies at home or at the theater? Home
16. Bar or Bookstore? Bookstore
17. Rock or Pop? Pop
18. Manicure or Facial? Manicure
19. Book or e-reader? Book
20. Planes or Trains? Planes
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions. Don’t forget to go back to her blog and link up in the comments!
Since I'm pretty much too tired to think, here's FMM, just a day late!
FMM: One or the Other
1. Shower or Bubble Bath? Either, but shower is usually my choice.
2. Money or Power? Money
3. Country Music or Rap? Rap I guess, don't really care, either is fine.
4. Sunshine or Thunderstorms? Sunshine
5. Uniform or Suit? I think we already had to do this one.
6. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
7. Beauty or Brains? Brains
8. Newspaper or Online News? Online
9. Marinara or Alfredo? Marinara
10. Lip Gloss or Lip Stick? Lipstick I guess.
11. Beach or Mountains? Mountains, but that's a tough call and I think my answer changes every few hours or days. I'm picking mountains just because I spent all weekend in the water.
12. Talk or Text? Meh... depends on who. Guess I'd say talk if I have to choose just one.
13. CNN or Fox News? CNN
14. Cake or Potato Chips? Cake
15. Movies at home or at the theater? Home
16. Bar or Bookstore? Bookstore
17. Rock or Pop? Pop
18. Manicure or Facial? Manicure
19. Book or e-reader? Book
20. Planes or Trains? Planes
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions. Don’t forget to go back to her blog and link up in the comments!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Hectic Schedule
I'm definitely feeling "beaten down" the last few days, and I was a little surprised. I figured now that the big deal at work was done and I had a special mid-week day off, things would be all good.
And I'm definitely happy. I don't mean that. Just feeling drained, unrested, pulled in a million directions.
This is the first week of marathon training, so I want to be starting strong.
And then all of a sudden, in a moment of chaos this morning, I realized what my problem was.
I'm about the last person on earth who still uses a desk calendar as her primary calendar. I use the one on my work email and on my phone for any work appointments, but anything personal (and most work stuff), I write down. My little week-at-a-glance tells me everything.
So I'm working from home and I thought I might have a doctor's appointment today (last one on hubby's health plan before I have to deal with figuring out my new one). Just a check-up. Well, I couldn't remember when it was, so I called my secretary and asked her to check my calendar.
She got back on the line and let me know it was definitely next week. And then she said something like, "is this really your life? I mean, do you do all this stuff?"
Ton o' bricks.
I thought for a few minutes after we got off the phone, and because I'm bright, I've figured out why I'm so frazzled lately.
Here's what my evenings have looked like for the last almost-week and for the next almost-week:
Sunday, 5-20: Book Club
Monday, 5-21: Homeowner's Association Board meeting (and can't skip b/c I'm on it)
Tuesday, 5-22: Dinner with our neighbors (pizza downtown, then fro-yo)
Wednesday, 5-23: Social run with former co-worker and then drinks
Thursday, 5-24: Yoga with bestie at 7:15
Friday (today), 5-25: Dinner with one of my best friends and her husband (my former boss)
Saturday (tomorrow), 5-26: International festival downtown where hubby's godson's younger brother is dancing, and then dinner with hubby's best friend and dancing son (and maybe hubby's best friend's wife and godson if they're also around)
Sunday, 5-27: Out of town, to bestie's parents' place for the long weekend
Monday, 5-28: Late dinner w/ best friend from junior high who gets in town that day to cover TX primaries the following day
Tuesday, 5-29: Track meet! My first one (a running store here holds weekly meets for 7 weeks in the summer and I've been dying to try it, so going with friends)
Wednesday, 5-30: Rangers game with junior high best friend, hubby and other friends (and house has to be clean b/c junior high best friend is going to stay with us)
Thursday, 5-31: Special evening race to officially kick-off registration for our local marathon (weird distance, 6.4k, so guaranteed PR)
Friday, 6-1: ahhh... no plans
Saturday, 6-2: Out for drinks at the bar that we consider our first date (celebrating 7 yrs ago there)
Yikes! That's basically all stuff that I have voluntarily committed to do. Things I've chosen instead of free time. And not a single thing stands out as something I don't want to do. It all sounds awesome.
But most of that means not great food, later than usual bedtimes, and 0.0 hours of relaxing time at home.
Think I need to work on balance a little bit more...
And I'm definitely happy. I don't mean that. Just feeling drained, unrested, pulled in a million directions.
This is the first week of marathon training, so I want to be starting strong.
And then all of a sudden, in a moment of chaos this morning, I realized what my problem was.
I'm about the last person on earth who still uses a desk calendar as her primary calendar. I use the one on my work email and on my phone for any work appointments, but anything personal (and most work stuff), I write down. My little week-at-a-glance tells me everything.
So I'm working from home and I thought I might have a doctor's appointment today (last one on hubby's health plan before I have to deal with figuring out my new one). Just a check-up. Well, I couldn't remember when it was, so I called my secretary and asked her to check my calendar.
She got back on the line and let me know it was definitely next week. And then she said something like, "is this really your life? I mean, do you do all this stuff?"
Ton o' bricks.
I thought for a few minutes after we got off the phone, and because I'm bright, I've figured out why I'm so frazzled lately.
Here's what my evenings have looked like for the last almost-week and for the next almost-week:
Sunday, 5-20: Book Club
Monday, 5-21: Homeowner's Association Board meeting (and can't skip b/c I'm on it)
Tuesday, 5-22: Dinner with our neighbors (pizza downtown, then fro-yo)
Wednesday, 5-23: Social run with former co-worker and then drinks
Thursday, 5-24: Yoga with bestie at 7:15
Friday (today), 5-25: Dinner with one of my best friends and her husband (my former boss)
Saturday (tomorrow), 5-26: International festival downtown where hubby's godson's younger brother is dancing, and then dinner with hubby's best friend and dancing son (and maybe hubby's best friend's wife and godson if they're also around)
Sunday, 5-27: Out of town, to bestie's parents' place for the long weekend
Monday, 5-28: Late dinner w/ best friend from junior high who gets in town that day to cover TX primaries the following day
Tuesday, 5-29: Track meet! My first one (a running store here holds weekly meets for 7 weeks in the summer and I've been dying to try it, so going with friends)
Wednesday, 5-30: Rangers game with junior high best friend, hubby and other friends (and house has to be clean b/c junior high best friend is going to stay with us)
Thursday, 5-31: Special evening race to officially kick-off registration for our local marathon (weird distance, 6.4k, so guaranteed PR)
Friday, 6-1: ahhh... no plans
Saturday, 6-2: Out for drinks at the bar that we consider our first date (celebrating 7 yrs ago there)
Yikes! That's basically all stuff that I have voluntarily committed to do. Things I've chosen instead of free time. And not a single thing stands out as something I don't want to do. It all sounds awesome.
But most of that means not great food, later than usual bedtimes, and 0.0 hours of relaxing time at home.
Think I need to work on balance a little bit more...
Thursday, May 24, 2012
It's Public
So all my work stress is cresting, but as of earlier this week, it's public information: our company was acquired by a large publicly traded company. Exciting and scary, all at the same time. Some changes will certainly be for the better, but of course not all of them I bet.
The next few weeks will be interesting, but hopefully things will settle in well.
One change that is "not so much" for the better: No more personal time.
We'll still have the same amount of vacation, and whatever amount of personal time we had before, we will now get in sick time (and short term disability is paid, which I guess would be nice for someone having a baby or something, but not likely to be relevant to me (I always considered savings to be my short-term disability plan)).
So I took yesterday off. Hubby had just worked 18 straight days and was finally off, so I planned to enjoy the day with him.
Slept in, got our cars washed by hand, walked to a super-trendy taco place by our house for lunch, went to the mall to shop (a book and Lulu bra for me), went to see a movie (The Dictator), went shopping for hubby (shoes (work and running) and a running shirt), deposited a check from the IRS from last July (such a pain since the check was payable to both of us b/c of our joint return but no joint accounts (and not a big check)), and did some quick grocery shopping together.
I'll miss the option of taking days like this in the future. I don't like lying and claiming I'm sick. But I'm also someone who almost never has to take sick time, so it feels unfair. I work in an office, and it's easy for me to be sick at work -- still isolated, able to do my job.
Anyway, I'm sure it will all work out, but if nothing else, now that it's public, I can vent to my friends and family, and hopefully I'll be sleeping better at night now...
The next few weeks will be interesting, but hopefully things will settle in well.
One change that is "not so much" for the better: No more personal time.
We'll still have the same amount of vacation, and whatever amount of personal time we had before, we will now get in sick time (and short term disability is paid, which I guess would be nice for someone having a baby or something, but not likely to be relevant to me (I always considered savings to be my short-term disability plan)).
So I took yesterday off. Hubby had just worked 18 straight days and was finally off, so I planned to enjoy the day with him.
Slept in, got our cars washed by hand, walked to a super-trendy taco place by our house for lunch, went to the mall to shop (a book and Lulu bra for me), went to see a movie (The Dictator), went shopping for hubby (shoes (work and running) and a running shirt), deposited a check from the IRS from last July (such a pain since the check was payable to both of us b/c of our joint return but no joint accounts (and not a big check)), and did some quick grocery shopping together.
I'll miss the option of taking days like this in the future. I don't like lying and claiming I'm sick. But I'm also someone who almost never has to take sick time, so it feels unfair. I work in an office, and it's easy for me to be sick at work -- still isolated, able to do my job.
Anyway, I'm sure it will all work out, but if nothing else, now that it's public, I can vent to my friends and family, and hopefully I'll be sleeping better at night now...
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Here We Go Again
Another marathon training season is officially underway! This morning was our first group training run. I'm coaching a group again, and it's fairly small. Our weekday groups are always smaller -- the program I run with has several locations for weekday runs, then the big group runs together on the weekends for the long runs.
Our weekday group is me and a few other people with LOTS of marathon experience, and one new person. Training for her first. So it will be an interesting balance -- most of us will want the advanced schedule, but with her there, we might want to be closer to an intermediate or beginner schedule. I've run with this group for a long time, and most people are around the same level, so it will be interesting. But it's very fun to get to know someone else. We asked her to tell her life story this morning. I suggested it last about an hour and begin with the words, "well, I was born..." Haha. She didn't take the bait. I love getting other people to talk.
Especially now, since I'm struggling to get back to my old pace. Right now we should be running at a pace that's easy and conversational, but I wouldn't quite call it easy for me yet. Hopefully within a few more weeks I'll get used to it. But I love suckering someone else into doing a lot of the talking. Anyway, the new woman seems really nice, and the old pros are absolutely awesome, so I think it will be a good season.
I need to be good about stretching and taking care of myself on this road back to my regular pace.
But here we go again, another marathon training season begun, the long road to the great wall (haha, not really, hopefully it's a long road to Beijing for me).
Though on that note, officially less than 5 months until when I THINK the Beijing marathon will be, but still no date! It's driving me crazy!
Apparently, I'm not alone. I have a friend who can read Chinese and she's watching some of the forums online for me and people are getting very concerned about the lack of official date, to say the least.
Well, I guess pretty soon we'll just flip a coin, plan to be in Beijing one of the two most likely race dates, buy plane tickets, and hope for the best!
Our weekday group is me and a few other people with LOTS of marathon experience, and one new person. Training for her first. So it will be an interesting balance -- most of us will want the advanced schedule, but with her there, we might want to be closer to an intermediate or beginner schedule. I've run with this group for a long time, and most people are around the same level, so it will be interesting. But it's very fun to get to know someone else. We asked her to tell her life story this morning. I suggested it last about an hour and begin with the words, "well, I was born..." Haha. She didn't take the bait. I love getting other people to talk.
Especially now, since I'm struggling to get back to my old pace. Right now we should be running at a pace that's easy and conversational, but I wouldn't quite call it easy for me yet. Hopefully within a few more weeks I'll get used to it. But I love suckering someone else into doing a lot of the talking. Anyway, the new woman seems really nice, and the old pros are absolutely awesome, so I think it will be a good season.
I need to be good about stretching and taking care of myself on this road back to my regular pace.
But here we go again, another marathon training season begun, the long road to the great wall (haha, not really, hopefully it's a long road to Beijing for me).
Though on that note, officially less than 5 months until when I THINK the Beijing marathon will be, but still no date! It's driving me crazy!
Apparently, I'm not alone. I have a friend who can read Chinese and she's watching some of the forums online for me and people are getting very concerned about the lack of official date, to say the least.
Well, I guess pretty soon we'll just flip a coin, plan to be in Beijing one of the two most likely race dates, buy plane tickets, and hope for the best!
Monday, May 21, 2012
FMM: Three Things
I had another quiet weekend. I think I'm internally rebelling at having been busy every single weekend for about 3 months, and now I have all these weekends where I'm not planning anything. I mostly did book club reading, and stuff around the house this weekend. And I ran both days, which was nice. 9 easy miles on Saturday, and then a few hard miles on Sunday. But my quiet low-key weekends are rapidly coming to an end -- starting next weekend and through most of the summer it seems we have a lot going on.
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/ so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: Three Things
1. Three of your favorite movies:
- Jerry Maguire
- Godfather Part II
- Dirty Dancing or Savannah Smiles -- those are probably tied for 3d
2. Three of your favorite things to drink:
- water (I drink it most often and in quantities that my doctor thought were completely abnormal and alarming, but my test results just show that I'm thirsty)
- diet A&W root beer -- I like caffeine-free and calorie-free, but I don't drink it often, about one can every week or two.
- red wine; if I had to pick one I'd go with Montepulciano
3. Three of your favorite songs:
- Angel by Aerosmith
- Angel by Shaggy
- Over and Over by Tim McGraw and Nelly
That was tough! I think aside from number 1 (which is my all-time favorite song), the others rotate pretty regularly; lots of songs I like a lot but not tons of current stuff. Musical tastes largely stalled out about a decade ago.
4. Three people who have recently been a positive influence on your life (outside of your family):
- The partner I worked for on a case for about 5 years at the big firm where I worked for the first 8 or so years out of law school. He did a lot of work to make me a better legal writer.
- My college roommate, M. I think it's normal for your personality to change a lot if you move away from home for college, and she had a huge impact on how I changed. We were polar opposites in many ways (summer after freshman year, I went to work at a law firm, she went on tour following the Grateful Dead), but at the same time, she left me with some of her musical tastes, much of her sense of humor, and many other things.
- My most favoritist amazing speed coach. She used to run professionally (she's an NCAA 5k champ), she paced me to what was a big 5k PR for me at the time, she taught me a lot about running (much of which I still think about) and on top of all that, she's insanely fun and wonderful. Let's just say she has a nickname based on a Texas beer, she's definitely a lot of fun.
5. Three things you to do keep yourself entertained
- Reading or watching TV if I'm alone
- Hanging out with friends (and/or family)
- Trip planning
6. Three things you’re attracted to in the opposite sex:
- Love my husband's dimples
- Love my husband's strong arms and shoulders
- Love my husband's easy-going personality (it balances me out!)
7. Three things you love about yourself:
- I’m very reliable
- I'm good at seeing both sides to things (some would call that argumentative...)
- I like making those I love happy.
8. The last three people who text messaged you:
- Hubby texted me at book club last night to ask me to download the podcast we listen to as we go to sleep.
- Adam, one of my younger brothers, replied to my text in which I suggested he read the book I'd just read for book club (The Billionaire's Vinegar) to say he was curious about why the last few pages made me think of him, so he'd read it, and to say it was good chatting that day. He lives in Chicago for now and did a 30 mile bike ride along LSD, and he'd stopped on the beach to chill for a while and had called me (while I was reading the acknowledgements and some of the endnotes to the book I was about to text him to read!)
- Teresa, a running friend here who happens to work for a big national race and as a lulu model, sending a generic survey to running friends about whether we'd pay 10-25 extra for a race for a premium item instead of a general tech shirt, and if so, what kind of item.
9. Three things you’re looking forward to this week:
- I mentioned there is big work stress happening, and I'm about to lose the personal days that I used to get, so I'm taking Wednesday off to spend the day with hubby -- we're going to dinner with our neighbors Tuesday night, sleeping in Wed. morning, going out to lunch, going to see a movie, and who knows what else.
- Going to local bestie's parents' place for the long weekend, to run a half marathon out there on Memorial day
- Social run with a foremer coworker one night this week.
10. Three wishes specifically for yourself…What are they? (Be selfish, and be honest.)
- The lottery! (Ideally in the ballpark of $300 million)
- My ultimate marathon goal in Berlin in 2013!
- More visits from our families
11. Three of your favorite quotes:
- “Don't fight the hypo" (used frequently by professors in law school)
- “Just do it." (Nike)
- “I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"
12. Three of your biggest fears:
- financial ruin
- hubby realizing that I got the better end of the deal and deciding to find someone sweeter than me
- some kind of paralyzing injury
13. Three of your favorite TV shows:
- The Bachelorette (oh, the shame)
- Law & Order SVU
- The Office
14. Three of your favorite things to purchase when you’re shopping:
- plane tickets!
- dessert
- new running shoes/clothes
15. Three things that you enjoyed last week:
- Sleeping in on Thursday -- marathon training started yesterday, so from now on, I'll be up at 4-something and running at 5:15 every Thursday morning from now on until race week!
- Our neighbors got back into town on Thursday after they spent the spring in Italy and the last couple weeks at their place in Michigan
- Got a huge report done at work and it required very minimal revision
16. Three things that you always have in your bag or close to you if you’re not a purse kind of person. (The second part of the question is for you, Timmo!)
- iPhone
- hand sanitizer
- inhaler (I have asthma)
17. Three types of food that you wouldn’t want to give up.
- Pizza
- Monster salads
- Macaroni & cheese
18. Three things you do to enjoy burning calories:
- Running
- Boot camp
- Hmm, I don't do much else. Bikram yoga and walking with my neighbor, but I'm not sure those really burn a lot of calories. Sex? Hahaha!
19. Three things you dislike about blogging:
- Worrying that I said something that could be read the wrong way and then being read by the person it's about (recently wrote about some questions about a recent widower starting to date again, and I'd feel awful if he ever read that post and didn't think I was in his corner, but I just use the blog as a place to write what I'm thinking).
- Wondering what readers think when they view a post but don't comment
- Putting all the not great parts of myself out there to be considered.
20. Three ways blogging has changed your life:
- It's a nice way to sort out my thoughts.
- It's a good record of different times in my life -- I used to love journaling for that reason too.
- I have trouble coming up with a third -- I like reading blogs so much more than writing, I only write when I feel like I have something to say or I want to push myself to do it.
Now it’s your turn to answer the questions! Don’t forget to go back and link up in the comments, and have a happy Monday!
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/ so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: Three Things
1. Three of your favorite movies:
- Jerry Maguire
- Godfather Part II
- Dirty Dancing or Savannah Smiles -- those are probably tied for 3d
2. Three of your favorite things to drink:
- water (I drink it most often and in quantities that my doctor thought were completely abnormal and alarming, but my test results just show that I'm thirsty)
- diet A&W root beer -- I like caffeine-free and calorie-free, but I don't drink it often, about one can every week or two.
- red wine; if I had to pick one I'd go with Montepulciano
3. Three of your favorite songs:
- Angel by Aerosmith
- Angel by Shaggy
- Over and Over by Tim McGraw and Nelly
That was tough! I think aside from number 1 (which is my all-time favorite song), the others rotate pretty regularly; lots of songs I like a lot but not tons of current stuff. Musical tastes largely stalled out about a decade ago.
4. Three people who have recently been a positive influence on your life (outside of your family):
- The partner I worked for on a case for about 5 years at the big firm where I worked for the first 8 or so years out of law school. He did a lot of work to make me a better legal writer.
- My college roommate, M. I think it's normal for your personality to change a lot if you move away from home for college, and she had a huge impact on how I changed. We were polar opposites in many ways (summer after freshman year, I went to work at a law firm, she went on tour following the Grateful Dead), but at the same time, she left me with some of her musical tastes, much of her sense of humor, and many other things.
- My most favoritist amazing speed coach. She used to run professionally (she's an NCAA 5k champ), she paced me to what was a big 5k PR for me at the time, she taught me a lot about running (much of which I still think about) and on top of all that, she's insanely fun and wonderful. Let's just say she has a nickname based on a Texas beer, she's definitely a lot of fun.
5. Three things you to do keep yourself entertained
- Reading or watching TV if I'm alone
- Hanging out with friends (and/or family)
- Trip planning
6. Three things you’re attracted to in the opposite sex:
- Love my husband's dimples
- Love my husband's strong arms and shoulders
- Love my husband's easy-going personality (it balances me out!)
7. Three things you love about yourself:
- I’m very reliable
- I'm good at seeing both sides to things (some would call that argumentative...)
- I like making those I love happy.
8. The last three people who text messaged you:
- Hubby texted me at book club last night to ask me to download the podcast we listen to as we go to sleep.
- Adam, one of my younger brothers, replied to my text in which I suggested he read the book I'd just read for book club (The Billionaire's Vinegar) to say he was curious about why the last few pages made me think of him, so he'd read it, and to say it was good chatting that day. He lives in Chicago for now and did a 30 mile bike ride along LSD, and he'd stopped on the beach to chill for a while and had called me (while I was reading the acknowledgements and some of the endnotes to the book I was about to text him to read!)
- Teresa, a running friend here who happens to work for a big national race and as a lulu model, sending a generic survey to running friends about whether we'd pay 10-25 extra for a race for a premium item instead of a general tech shirt, and if so, what kind of item.
9. Three things you’re looking forward to this week:
- I mentioned there is big work stress happening, and I'm about to lose the personal days that I used to get, so I'm taking Wednesday off to spend the day with hubby -- we're going to dinner with our neighbors Tuesday night, sleeping in Wed. morning, going out to lunch, going to see a movie, and who knows what else.
- Going to local bestie's parents' place for the long weekend, to run a half marathon out there on Memorial day
- Social run with a foremer coworker one night this week.
10. Three wishes specifically for yourself…What are they? (Be selfish, and be honest.)
- The lottery! (Ideally in the ballpark of $300 million)
- My ultimate marathon goal in Berlin in 2013!
- More visits from our families
11. Three of your favorite quotes:
- “Don't fight the hypo" (used frequently by professors in law school)
- “Just do it." (Nike)
- “I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"
12. Three of your biggest fears:
- financial ruin
- hubby realizing that I got the better end of the deal and deciding to find someone sweeter than me
- some kind of paralyzing injury
13. Three of your favorite TV shows:
- The Bachelorette (oh, the shame)
- Law & Order SVU
- The Office
14. Three of your favorite things to purchase when you’re shopping:
- plane tickets!
- dessert
- new running shoes/clothes
15. Three things that you enjoyed last week:
- Sleeping in on Thursday -- marathon training started yesterday, so from now on, I'll be up at 4-something and running at 5:15 every Thursday morning from now on until race week!
- Our neighbors got back into town on Thursday after they spent the spring in Italy and the last couple weeks at their place in Michigan
- Got a huge report done at work and it required very minimal revision
16. Three things that you always have in your bag or close to you if you’re not a purse kind of person. (The second part of the question is for you, Timmo!)
- iPhone
- hand sanitizer
- inhaler (I have asthma)
17. Three types of food that you wouldn’t want to give up.
- Pizza
- Monster salads
- Macaroni & cheese
18. Three things you do to enjoy burning calories:
- Running
- Boot camp
- Hmm, I don't do much else. Bikram yoga and walking with my neighbor, but I'm not sure those really burn a lot of calories. Sex? Hahaha!
19. Three things you dislike about blogging:
- Worrying that I said something that could be read the wrong way and then being read by the person it's about (recently wrote about some questions about a recent widower starting to date again, and I'd feel awful if he ever read that post and didn't think I was in his corner, but I just use the blog as a place to write what I'm thinking).
- Wondering what readers think when they view a post but don't comment
- Putting all the not great parts of myself out there to be considered.
20. Three ways blogging has changed your life:
- It's a nice way to sort out my thoughts.
- It's a good record of different times in my life -- I used to love journaling for that reason too.
- I have trouble coming up with a third -- I like reading blogs so much more than writing, I only write when I feel like I have something to say or I want to push myself to do it.
Now it’s your turn to answer the questions! Don’t forget to go back and link up in the comments, and have a happy Monday!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
How Soon is Too Soon?
I don't know if I should write this or not, but it's something I'm thinking about.
How soon is too soon to move on to a new spouse?
Is the answer different if someone is moving on because of divorce, or if someone moving on because of death? Which is more acceptable to move on more quickly? And is there a difference between a sudden death and a death from illness?
I mentioned in the fall that my bestie's sister passed away. It was incredibly sad. She wasn't even 30 and she left behind a husband and a 3-year old daughter. She (let's call her G) had lung cancer, though she'd never smoked. By the time they caught it, it was stage 4. She had a hip pain, she though possibly from carrying her daughter on the same hip for so long. She saw a GP (who suggested switching hips and seeing an ortho), and then eventually went to see the ortho, who finally did a bone scan and they were shocked -- there it was. So far along it was hard to determine where it originated. Time was lost because no one (including she) knew how urgent it was.
So I'm fb friends with G's husband, and I'm still actually fb friends with G. After G died, they kept her fb page up and now tag pictures of their daughter or sometimes other family pictures with her. People write wonderful messages to her when they're remembering something about her.
G died in October. We knew it was coming for more than a year before that, but still, the last month seemed to go so quickly. She was in treatment, working some, etc., and then all of a sudden, there was a steep and quick downhill slide.
I think about her a lot. I didn't know G well. I'd only met her a few times before the diagnosis, and saw her a couple times afterward. But obviously this was a life-changing event for my best friend, who I love dearly. Spending the days with her and her family around the funeral was tough, but I wish I could have done anything to ease their pain. I know there's just nothing you can do, just be there, hug, and try to make things as easy as possible.
So now, a full 6 months after G died, on FB, G's husband has made a couple references to thinking about dating. And wow, I'm surprised at the fact that it bothered me. I read what he wrote, nothing grossly inappropriate or anything, and my first thought was something along the lines of, "no, how can he do that, what about G, how could he be so disrespectful, it's so soon."
Objectively, I don't think it's unreasonable. He shouldn't have to be a single dad, he should find love again. Finding someone new wouldn't be replacing G, it would be adding to their family.
When they got married, they wanted to be together forever. When they had their daughter, they wanted to be a family, raising her together. He didn't sign on to be a single parent -- of course it's part of the risk always, but it wasn't expected.
But it feels so soon to me. That I think is what hurts. And I wonder if it hurts my best friend too. I would imagine she feels similarly conflicted. Like G should have a long period of mourning, but at the same time, life goes on.
But in reality, is 6 months soon? When he's waking up every day alone, taking care of a 4 year old, wanting to fill a hole in his heart?
I know there's no real answer.
Maybe a month or two is too soon? And of course maybe it's bad if there's some suggestion things had started before the marriage ended (especially in the case of remarriage after divorce or a sudden death). But at the same time, it completely depends, and even a month or two is maybe not entirely unusual.
I run with an older man whose wife passed away after a very long illness. And he had a "lady friend" during that time. She would bring him dinner, and who knows if anything "improper" happened. He was with his wife to the end, but she was emotionally and mentally gone long before she was physically gone, but he still stayed by her side and did everything he could for her. And not long after she died, my friend married his "lady friend", and that didn't bother me much. Maybe because he's older, I understand more that he might not be willing/able to go it alone?
So it's harder to imagine G's young husband going out on the dating scene with other 20-somethings? I worry more that he'll end up with someone who won't be as wonderful and loving to their little girl as G would have been?
I have no idea. It was just something I've been thinking about. I have no right or reason to judge, and I do want him to be happy, and I'm sure there will be a balance between keeping G's memory alive and cherished, and moving on. It was hard for me to acknowledge how much it bothered me though to think he might be moving on now, what feels like right after G left us.
Most of all, I want to do my best most of all to be supportive of my best friend as she goes through the emotions that will come with this. And I guess I'll just not say or do anything to G's husband -- obviously I wouldn't criticize him, but I just don't know how I could "like" a status about dating at this point -- but for his sake, I hope some of his close friends do, so he knows it's okay for him to move on, and so he knows he has loving support behind him.
Anyway, just curious to see what others think, about how soon is too soon, and whether there are different answers for remarriage after divorce, after sudden and unexpected death, or after expected death.
It's what's on my mind today!
How soon is too soon to move on to a new spouse?
Is the answer different if someone is moving on because of divorce, or if someone moving on because of death? Which is more acceptable to move on more quickly? And is there a difference between a sudden death and a death from illness?
I mentioned in the fall that my bestie's sister passed away. It was incredibly sad. She wasn't even 30 and she left behind a husband and a 3-year old daughter. She (let's call her G) had lung cancer, though she'd never smoked. By the time they caught it, it was stage 4. She had a hip pain, she though possibly from carrying her daughter on the same hip for so long. She saw a GP (who suggested switching hips and seeing an ortho), and then eventually went to see the ortho, who finally did a bone scan and they were shocked -- there it was. So far along it was hard to determine where it originated. Time was lost because no one (including she) knew how urgent it was.
So I'm fb friends with G's husband, and I'm still actually fb friends with G. After G died, they kept her fb page up and now tag pictures of their daughter or sometimes other family pictures with her. People write wonderful messages to her when they're remembering something about her.
G died in October. We knew it was coming for more than a year before that, but still, the last month seemed to go so quickly. She was in treatment, working some, etc., and then all of a sudden, there was a steep and quick downhill slide.
I think about her a lot. I didn't know G well. I'd only met her a few times before the diagnosis, and saw her a couple times afterward. But obviously this was a life-changing event for my best friend, who I love dearly. Spending the days with her and her family around the funeral was tough, but I wish I could have done anything to ease their pain. I know there's just nothing you can do, just be there, hug, and try to make things as easy as possible.
So now, a full 6 months after G died, on FB, G's husband has made a couple references to thinking about dating. And wow, I'm surprised at the fact that it bothered me. I read what he wrote, nothing grossly inappropriate or anything, and my first thought was something along the lines of, "no, how can he do that, what about G, how could he be so disrespectful, it's so soon."
Objectively, I don't think it's unreasonable. He shouldn't have to be a single dad, he should find love again. Finding someone new wouldn't be replacing G, it would be adding to their family.
When they got married, they wanted to be together forever. When they had their daughter, they wanted to be a family, raising her together. He didn't sign on to be a single parent -- of course it's part of the risk always, but it wasn't expected.
But it feels so soon to me. That I think is what hurts. And I wonder if it hurts my best friend too. I would imagine she feels similarly conflicted. Like G should have a long period of mourning, but at the same time, life goes on.
But in reality, is 6 months soon? When he's waking up every day alone, taking care of a 4 year old, wanting to fill a hole in his heart?
I know there's no real answer.
Maybe a month or two is too soon? And of course maybe it's bad if there's some suggestion things had started before the marriage ended (especially in the case of remarriage after divorce or a sudden death). But at the same time, it completely depends, and even a month or two is maybe not entirely unusual.
I run with an older man whose wife passed away after a very long illness. And he had a "lady friend" during that time. She would bring him dinner, and who knows if anything "improper" happened. He was with his wife to the end, but she was emotionally and mentally gone long before she was physically gone, but he still stayed by her side and did everything he could for her. And not long after she died, my friend married his "lady friend", and that didn't bother me much. Maybe because he's older, I understand more that he might not be willing/able to go it alone?
So it's harder to imagine G's young husband going out on the dating scene with other 20-somethings? I worry more that he'll end up with someone who won't be as wonderful and loving to their little girl as G would have been?
I have no idea. It was just something I've been thinking about. I have no right or reason to judge, and I do want him to be happy, and I'm sure there will be a balance between keeping G's memory alive and cherished, and moving on. It was hard for me to acknowledge how much it bothered me though to think he might be moving on now, what feels like right after G left us.
Most of all, I want to do my best most of all to be supportive of my best friend as she goes through the emotions that will come with this. And I guess I'll just not say or do anything to G's husband -- obviously I wouldn't criticize him, but I just don't know how I could "like" a status about dating at this point -- but for his sake, I hope some of his close friends do, so he knows it's okay for him to move on, and so he knows he has loving support behind him.
Anyway, just curious to see what others think, about how soon is too soon, and whether there are different answers for remarriage after divorce, after sudden and unexpected death, or after expected death.
It's what's on my mind today!
Monday, May 14, 2012
FMM: All The Single Ladies
Woot -- awesome though quiet weekend. Big accomplishment was a half-marathon yesterday and another AG award! It's funny to compare how steady my pace was, and how good I felt compared to the week before -- and this race was longer, and on average 15 secs/mile faster! Just one more example in my personal log of live and learn about reminding myself not to go out too fast!
Anyway, I shall put a picture of my trophy below! Very cheesy and unfortunately not made of pure gold...
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/ so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: All The Single Ladies (and Gents)
1. What is your current relationship status? Are you happy with that status? I’m married and thrilled about it. Three years and one month, dating about 4 years before we got married. I'm mostly thrilled that I dated long enough to find the right guy rather than settling just because a lot of my other friends were coupled up.
2. Do you find it enjoyable to take care of someone in addition to yourself, or do you prefer to be responsible only for yourself? Tough question! I guess I find it enjoyable that we take care of each other, but I'm pretty independent and couldn't stand someone expecting me to take care of him.
3. What’s the most important physical characteristic in your mate/potential mate? Smile (followed by eyes, followed by arms).
4. What’s the most important (non-physical) characteristic in your mate/potential mate? Tough to pick just one, but I guess that's the question! Caring -- about me and others.
5. Is it important to you that your significant other have the same hobbies and interests as you? Yes, very. After lots of dating, and now a few years of marriage, I think it's very important to like to do some of the same things when you're not working. I listed some deal-breakers below (like golfing and watching sports) because friends who don't like to do that but have husbands who do get stuck solo a lot on the weekends. I like doing stuff together. The main interests for me are Italy and traveling in general, plus fitness. I don't think a couple has to have all the same hobbies and interests, but it's good to have several in common, particularly ones to which you allocate valuable free time. But I don't think this matters too much when you're dating. If it's the right person, as long as you can grow to share hobbies and interests, I think that will work. Hubby was less interested in WWII history, running and non-Italy traveling before me, and I was less interested in speaking Italian and in lifting before him, but we've gotten interested in each other's interests. While there's no hoping he'll grow to like doing puzzles with me, as long as the bulk of our interests overlap, I think it's good.
6. If you could go out on a date with a celebrity who would it be? Hmm, technically hubby and I have discussed celebrity passes, but the guy I picked is not someone that anyone who reads this blog would consider a celebrity (an Italian politician that I developed a major crush on in 96 during the elections, a head of one of the parties, and still occasionally makes the news).
7. What’s your idea of a good first date? Something where you get to talk a lot and also something memorable. So maybe going for a walk or run around a lake and then out for coffee, going sailing, etc. Outside also seems fun.
8. Are there any traits/habits that you’d consider a deal breaker? I didn't think I could ever be with someone who killed animals. Which is funny, because some of my brothers like hunting, but it is so morally wrong to me, I couldn't marry someone who did that. I think someone who didn't share the same basic faith as me would be a deal-breaker. I couldn't be with someone who didn't love (or at least like and get along with) my family. I don't mind politically diverse ideas, but it would be a deal-breaker if someone were the polar opposite of me. Smoking, golfing, lots of gambling, going to strip clubs, and general "sitting on a couch watching sports" were also deal-breakers (though I didn't know when we started dating that my husband smoked about 3 cigs/month; thankfully he quit very quickly!).
9. Okay ladies…Facial Hair: Yes, or No? No. Hubby gets a big-time shadow in the evening, and sometimes he'll get scruffy on vacation when he goes a few days without shaving, and that's all good, but if I had to pick, I love his sweet clean-shaven baby face.
10. Would you marry someone who is opposed to diamond engagement rings? YES!! Shoot, if I'd gotten a diamond, I would have been really upset. I had done a lot of research about conflict diamonds in college (written a series of papers in fact over the course of a semester), and diamonds just strike me as so common, so I was dead set against having one. When we were close to getting engaged, we never talked about rings and I realized if he proposed, there was a good chance it would be with a diamond, and I tried to brace myself for that. But fortunately, he'd remembered a passing comment I'd made years earlier about never wanting a diamond. The funny thing is, he thought that was a good deal for him (I wanted a sapphire). Little did he know, sapphires are more rare and expensive than diamonds. Oops! So I was happy to get my ring, but in reality, if he hadn't proposed with a ring, I think I would have been fine with it. All that mattered was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.
11. What do you wish you could do differently in your next relationship? I don't want to have a "next" relationship, but there are things I always want to do differently going forward. I work to be more patient, to pay more attention, and to avoid keeping score in my mind. Interestingly, I'm not sure if I would have said anything other than "be more patient" if I'd gotten this question before I read The Happiness Project a couple months ago -- it made me think about how to make a happy marriage even happier!
12. Is there anyone from your past that you’d like to date again now? Um, since I'm married, no. Trying to think objectively, I can think of about three guys that I dated in my past that have turned out to be good husbands (to lovely women) and I probably would have gotten along fine with -- but not as good a match as I have found. And I can think of one more who hasn't turned out to be a good husband, but dating him longer than we did would have been fun; it ended earlier than I wanted. Hubby and I broke up once (for less than 24 hours) while we were dating, and I was devastated and convinced he'd been the only one for me (and my friends who were there those 24 hours can verify that, and verify that in past break-ups, while I may have been devastated, I never thought the guy had been my true one-and-only until hubby).
13. Describe your worst first date story ever. I don't really have one that I can think of off the top of my head. I almost had a car accident once -- someone not paying attention while I was paying attention to a guy running. I started talking to the guy running, he thought I wanted to talk about how oblivious the other driver was, who had almost hit us, but I actually wanted to talk to him about whether he'd gone to U.Va. (he was wearing a U.Va. shirt), and he said he had. We chatted for a while, realized we lived on the same block, and exchanged numbers, and he emailed me that day and asked me to dinner. We went, and I think it was a mutual bust, just a wave goodnight and no further contact (likely to both our relief). But it was still okay -- polite, friendly, just no connection.
14. Describe the perfect date with your significant other. Perfect date with hubby would be an entire day together -- with a run together in the morning, a fun and special breakfast. Time to relax and maybe nap, then a picnic and outdoor casual concert probably. Heck, followed by fireworks and no traffic. Since it's perfect, why not? But I can really think of about a million. I'm happy when we get all dressed up for something formal, but I also love going out to dinner, but I also love cuddling and staying in; doesn't matter too much if you're with the right person.
15. Would you date someone shorter than you? I've never done it. One serious boyfriend in law school was almost exactly my height (he was 5'7"), and that was weird. The next serious guy after him was WAY tall (like played college basketball tall), and that was a little weird (I'm only about 5'5"). And then the next serious guy was hubby, who's just the right height. I can wear heels and he's still taller, but if I'm not wearing heels, we fit together just right I think. If I were taller, maybe I would have dated someone shorter (or maybe it would be really important to me that they be taller), but at my height, there are just not a lot of guys shorter than me.
16. Share one (or a few) bonus traits that would be fun to find in an significant other (even if they aren’t as important as other traits). When I was dating the wrong guy and frustrated (this was the tall one), one of my best friends helped me make a list of what I wanted, and there were several categories that were "bonus points." Vegetarian was a bonus point (but a "must" was someone who was willing to eat vegetarian meals w/o complaint) (this was based on her husband who insisted on meat every night and pretty much demanded she cook him a separate meal) (yeah, they're divorced). Another bonus point was related to the "must" of being a person to deal with bugs -- bonus points if he chose the "catch and release" method -- but as long as I never have to smoosh or dispose of one, I'm happy. Hubby never complains about meatless meals (he'll sometimes make his own chicken or tuna to supplement, but eats vegetarian regularly), and he tries very hard to catch and release bugs, rather than killing (though I've never asked him to do that), but either way, when I start yelling about a bug, he's there to handle it.
17. What’s one thing you’d like to do with a significant other that you’ve never done with another? Well, after three years of marriage and about 7 years of dating, there's tons of stuff we've done together that I haven't done with anyone else. Being in a wedding together was neat -- I'd of course been in weddings, but never had a significant other standing up at the same time and sneaking glances at each other during the vows. And of course running races and going to boot camp together is fun, and not something I'd done with someone else (I've only been doing races for about a decade, and boot camp is something we started doing together). I've never been to Russia or Sweden or Malta or Bosnia or Calabria, Italy with someone I was dating.
18. PDA: Yes, or No? Haha. I don't think we count as newlyweds, but I know most of our friends think we're very mushy in public -- we get teased a lot. I think it's all very PG, but we're big on hugging, holding hands, little kisses, and just general frequent physical contact, arms around each other, whatever.
19. Do you kiss on the first date? I did with hubby, and did with some guys before him, but not always.
20. Who, if anyone, makes your heart flutter? The husband.
Wow! That’s a lot of questions! Now it’s your turn to answer them! Don’t forget to go back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday Friends!
Anyway, I shall put a picture of my trophy below! Very cheesy and unfortunately not made of pure gold...
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/ so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: All The Single Ladies (and Gents)
1. What is your current relationship status? Are you happy with that status? I’m married and thrilled about it. Three years and one month, dating about 4 years before we got married. I'm mostly thrilled that I dated long enough to find the right guy rather than settling just because a lot of my other friends were coupled up.
2. Do you find it enjoyable to take care of someone in addition to yourself, or do you prefer to be responsible only for yourself? Tough question! I guess I find it enjoyable that we take care of each other, but I'm pretty independent and couldn't stand someone expecting me to take care of him.
3. What’s the most important physical characteristic in your mate/potential mate? Smile (followed by eyes, followed by arms).
4. What’s the most important (non-physical) characteristic in your mate/potential mate? Tough to pick just one, but I guess that's the question! Caring -- about me and others.
5. Is it important to you that your significant other have the same hobbies and interests as you? Yes, very. After lots of dating, and now a few years of marriage, I think it's very important to like to do some of the same things when you're not working. I listed some deal-breakers below (like golfing and watching sports) because friends who don't like to do that but have husbands who do get stuck solo a lot on the weekends. I like doing stuff together. The main interests for me are Italy and traveling in general, plus fitness. I don't think a couple has to have all the same hobbies and interests, but it's good to have several in common, particularly ones to which you allocate valuable free time. But I don't think this matters too much when you're dating. If it's the right person, as long as you can grow to share hobbies and interests, I think that will work. Hubby was less interested in WWII history, running and non-Italy traveling before me, and I was less interested in speaking Italian and in lifting before him, but we've gotten interested in each other's interests. While there's no hoping he'll grow to like doing puzzles with me, as long as the bulk of our interests overlap, I think it's good.
6. If you could go out on a date with a celebrity who would it be? Hmm, technically hubby and I have discussed celebrity passes, but the guy I picked is not someone that anyone who reads this blog would consider a celebrity (an Italian politician that I developed a major crush on in 96 during the elections, a head of one of the parties, and still occasionally makes the news).
7. What’s your idea of a good first date? Something where you get to talk a lot and also something memorable. So maybe going for a walk or run around a lake and then out for coffee, going sailing, etc. Outside also seems fun.
8. Are there any traits/habits that you’d consider a deal breaker? I didn't think I could ever be with someone who killed animals. Which is funny, because some of my brothers like hunting, but it is so morally wrong to me, I couldn't marry someone who did that. I think someone who didn't share the same basic faith as me would be a deal-breaker. I couldn't be with someone who didn't love (or at least like and get along with) my family. I don't mind politically diverse ideas, but it would be a deal-breaker if someone were the polar opposite of me. Smoking, golfing, lots of gambling, going to strip clubs, and general "sitting on a couch watching sports" were also deal-breakers (though I didn't know when we started dating that my husband smoked about 3 cigs/month; thankfully he quit very quickly!).
9. Okay ladies…Facial Hair: Yes, or No? No. Hubby gets a big-time shadow in the evening, and sometimes he'll get scruffy on vacation when he goes a few days without shaving, and that's all good, but if I had to pick, I love his sweet clean-shaven baby face.
10. Would you marry someone who is opposed to diamond engagement rings? YES!! Shoot, if I'd gotten a diamond, I would have been really upset. I had done a lot of research about conflict diamonds in college (written a series of papers in fact over the course of a semester), and diamonds just strike me as so common, so I was dead set against having one. When we were close to getting engaged, we never talked about rings and I realized if he proposed, there was a good chance it would be with a diamond, and I tried to brace myself for that. But fortunately, he'd remembered a passing comment I'd made years earlier about never wanting a diamond. The funny thing is, he thought that was a good deal for him (I wanted a sapphire). Little did he know, sapphires are more rare and expensive than diamonds. Oops! So I was happy to get my ring, but in reality, if he hadn't proposed with a ring, I think I would have been fine with it. All that mattered was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.
11. What do you wish you could do differently in your next relationship? I don't want to have a "next" relationship, but there are things I always want to do differently going forward. I work to be more patient, to pay more attention, and to avoid keeping score in my mind. Interestingly, I'm not sure if I would have said anything other than "be more patient" if I'd gotten this question before I read The Happiness Project a couple months ago -- it made me think about how to make a happy marriage even happier!
12. Is there anyone from your past that you’d like to date again now? Um, since I'm married, no. Trying to think objectively, I can think of about three guys that I dated in my past that have turned out to be good husbands (to lovely women) and I probably would have gotten along fine with -- but not as good a match as I have found. And I can think of one more who hasn't turned out to be a good husband, but dating him longer than we did would have been fun; it ended earlier than I wanted. Hubby and I broke up once (for less than 24 hours) while we were dating, and I was devastated and convinced he'd been the only one for me (and my friends who were there those 24 hours can verify that, and verify that in past break-ups, while I may have been devastated, I never thought the guy had been my true one-and-only until hubby).
13. Describe your worst first date story ever. I don't really have one that I can think of off the top of my head. I almost had a car accident once -- someone not paying attention while I was paying attention to a guy running. I started talking to the guy running, he thought I wanted to talk about how oblivious the other driver was, who had almost hit us, but I actually wanted to talk to him about whether he'd gone to U.Va. (he was wearing a U.Va. shirt), and he said he had. We chatted for a while, realized we lived on the same block, and exchanged numbers, and he emailed me that day and asked me to dinner. We went, and I think it was a mutual bust, just a wave goodnight and no further contact (likely to both our relief). But it was still okay -- polite, friendly, just no connection.
14. Describe the perfect date with your significant other. Perfect date with hubby would be an entire day together -- with a run together in the morning, a fun and special breakfast. Time to relax and maybe nap, then a picnic and outdoor casual concert probably. Heck, followed by fireworks and no traffic. Since it's perfect, why not? But I can really think of about a million. I'm happy when we get all dressed up for something formal, but I also love going out to dinner, but I also love cuddling and staying in; doesn't matter too much if you're with the right person.
15. Would you date someone shorter than you? I've never done it. One serious boyfriend in law school was almost exactly my height (he was 5'7"), and that was weird. The next serious guy after him was WAY tall (like played college basketball tall), and that was a little weird (I'm only about 5'5"). And then the next serious guy was hubby, who's just the right height. I can wear heels and he's still taller, but if I'm not wearing heels, we fit together just right I think. If I were taller, maybe I would have dated someone shorter (or maybe it would be really important to me that they be taller), but at my height, there are just not a lot of guys shorter than me.
16. Share one (or a few) bonus traits that would be fun to find in an significant other (even if they aren’t as important as other traits). When I was dating the wrong guy and frustrated (this was the tall one), one of my best friends helped me make a list of what I wanted, and there were several categories that were "bonus points." Vegetarian was a bonus point (but a "must" was someone who was willing to eat vegetarian meals w/o complaint) (this was based on her husband who insisted on meat every night and pretty much demanded she cook him a separate meal) (yeah, they're divorced). Another bonus point was related to the "must" of being a person to deal with bugs -- bonus points if he chose the "catch and release" method -- but as long as I never have to smoosh or dispose of one, I'm happy. Hubby never complains about meatless meals (he'll sometimes make his own chicken or tuna to supplement, but eats vegetarian regularly), and he tries very hard to catch and release bugs, rather than killing (though I've never asked him to do that), but either way, when I start yelling about a bug, he's there to handle it.
17. What’s one thing you’d like to do with a significant other that you’ve never done with another? Well, after three years of marriage and about 7 years of dating, there's tons of stuff we've done together that I haven't done with anyone else. Being in a wedding together was neat -- I'd of course been in weddings, but never had a significant other standing up at the same time and sneaking glances at each other during the vows. And of course running races and going to boot camp together is fun, and not something I'd done with someone else (I've only been doing races for about a decade, and boot camp is something we started doing together). I've never been to Russia or Sweden or Malta or Bosnia or Calabria, Italy with someone I was dating.
18. PDA: Yes, or No? Haha. I don't think we count as newlyweds, but I know most of our friends think we're very mushy in public -- we get teased a lot. I think it's all very PG, but we're big on hugging, holding hands, little kisses, and just general frequent physical contact, arms around each other, whatever.
19. Do you kiss on the first date? I did with hubby, and did with some guys before him, but not always.
20. Who, if anyone, makes your heart flutter? The husband.
Wow! That’s a lot of questions! Now it’s your turn to answer them! Don’t forget to go back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday Friends!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Running Adds Life and Smiles, newly proven!
I promise I don't do this often (this is the second time ever on this blog I think), but I have to share an article I read.
Not only does running regularly make you live longer, the study indicates you're happier too!
Since I read The Happiness Project, I've made an effort to do a couple small things to boost my daily happiness (looking for the positive in things, trying not to think about equal sharing of chores at home, and most notably, driving with my convertible top down more frequently). But as I read the book, I thought a lot about running and its role in my happiness -- exercise, energy-boosting, connection with nature, long process of building toward a goal, seeing new things, meeting new people, and most importantly probably, deeper connections to good friends.
Anyway, now there's a study to support that runners are happier (well, it doesn't say much about the research on that point, just that there's a correlation) (and actually, there are likely many similar earlier studies, but since I saw this one, I'm sharing).
I'll just conveniently ignore that part about running in moderation (only 2.5-3 hours per week) being the ideal for preserving longevity. Wonder what the data said about people who run more like 5-10 hours per week... I think we're even healthier and even happier!!
Here's the link to the article, but I'm pasting it below.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EuroPRevent/32513
Joggers Live Longer, Possibly Happier, Lives
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today
Published: May 04, 2012
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
DUBLIN -- For those who diligently lace up their running shoes and brave the elements to jog at least an hour a week, there is a very real reward -- an average of six more years of life, Danish researchers found.
Jogging was associated with a 44% reduction in the relative risk of death over 35 years compared with deaths among non-joggers, according to Peter Schnohr, MD, chief cardiologist from the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
And the benefit was observed for both men and women.
That reduction translated into an "age-adjusted survival benefit of 6.2 years in men and 5.6 years in women," Schnohr reported here at EuroPRevent 2012.
And that longer life is often a happier life, he said, since joggers reported an overall sense of well-being.
"This is definitely good news, especially for those who have questioned whether simply jogging could be beneficial," said Ian Graham, MD, of Dublin's Trinity College, who co-chaired the program committee for the meeting.
"The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health," Schnohr said in a prepared statement. "We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."
Moreover, even elderly people can add years to life by jogging. "A 70-year-old will benefit and I think the benefit may be even greater for older people," Schnohr said in an interview.
In this analysis the optimum benefit was realized for those who jogged at a slow-to-average pace between an hour and two and half hours done in two to three sessions over the course of a week.
The key, Schnohr said, appears to be moderation, much like the benefit observed with alcohol.
The jogging benefit is just the latest in a long list of studies from Schnohr and colleagues -- more than 750 papers -- mined from the 19,329 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which is a prospective cardiovascular population study begun in 1976.
When the study began, participants ranged in age from 20 to 79.
All participants underwent examinations over 2-year time frames beginning in 1976, 1981, 1991, and finally in 2001. In addition to assessments of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and BMI, patients were also asked about smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and income.
The 1,878 participants in the jogging substudy (1,116 men) were also asked about jogging frequency and pace.
The researchers tracked the data using a personal identification number in the Danish Central Register. The authors compared deaths in joggers to deaths among non-joggers from the main study cohort.
During 35 years of follow-up there were 122 deaths among joggers versus 10,158 deaths among non-joggers.
Not only does running regularly make you live longer, the study indicates you're happier too!
Since I read The Happiness Project, I've made an effort to do a couple small things to boost my daily happiness (looking for the positive in things, trying not to think about equal sharing of chores at home, and most notably, driving with my convertible top down more frequently). But as I read the book, I thought a lot about running and its role in my happiness -- exercise, energy-boosting, connection with nature, long process of building toward a goal, seeing new things, meeting new people, and most importantly probably, deeper connections to good friends.
Anyway, now there's a study to support that runners are happier (well, it doesn't say much about the research on that point, just that there's a correlation) (and actually, there are likely many similar earlier studies, but since I saw this one, I'm sharing).
I'll just conveniently ignore that part about running in moderation (only 2.5-3 hours per week) being the ideal for preserving longevity. Wonder what the data said about people who run more like 5-10 hours per week... I think we're even healthier and even happier!!
Here's the link to the article, but I'm pasting it below.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/EuroPRevent/32513
Joggers Live Longer, Possibly Happier, Lives
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today
Published: May 04, 2012
Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
DUBLIN -- For those who diligently lace up their running shoes and brave the elements to jog at least an hour a week, there is a very real reward -- an average of six more years of life, Danish researchers found.
Jogging was associated with a 44% reduction in the relative risk of death over 35 years compared with deaths among non-joggers, according to Peter Schnohr, MD, chief cardiologist from the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
And the benefit was observed for both men and women.
That reduction translated into an "age-adjusted survival benefit of 6.2 years in men and 5.6 years in women," Schnohr reported here at EuroPRevent 2012.
And that longer life is often a happier life, he said, since joggers reported an overall sense of well-being.
"This is definitely good news, especially for those who have questioned whether simply jogging could be beneficial," said Ian Graham, MD, of Dublin's Trinity College, who co-chaired the program committee for the meeting.
"The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health," Schnohr said in a prepared statement. "We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."
Moreover, even elderly people can add years to life by jogging. "A 70-year-old will benefit and I think the benefit may be even greater for older people," Schnohr said in an interview.
In this analysis the optimum benefit was realized for those who jogged at a slow-to-average pace between an hour and two and half hours done in two to three sessions over the course of a week.
The key, Schnohr said, appears to be moderation, much like the benefit observed with alcohol.
The jogging benefit is just the latest in a long list of studies from Schnohr and colleagues -- more than 750 papers -- mined from the 19,329 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which is a prospective cardiovascular population study begun in 1976.
When the study began, participants ranged in age from 20 to 79.
All participants underwent examinations over 2-year time frames beginning in 1976, 1981, 1991, and finally in 2001. In addition to assessments of cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and BMI, patients were also asked about smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and income.
The 1,878 participants in the jogging substudy (1,116 men) were also asked about jogging frequency and pace.
The researchers tracked the data using a personal identification number in the Danish Central Register. The authors compared deaths in joggers to deaths among non-joggers from the main study cohort.
During 35 years of follow-up there were 122 deaths among joggers versus 10,158 deaths among non-joggers.
Friday, May 11, 2012
A benefit of frustration
It's Friday, so I'm working from home today. I had two errands that I needed to run yesterday after work, but I was also signed up to volunteer at a water stop for a race. Then one of my best running buddies decided he'd volunteer too, and he came to my office so we could carpool, which meant no errands for me last night.
Today, I decided that if I started working right after boot camp, and if I was getting a lot done, maybe later in the morning, I'd run my errands.
Wait, let me state that differently.
I'd RUN my errands.
I have two places to go -- the library to return one and pick up one for book club (worried it will be lame so do not want to buy it), and I need to go to the running store to get my packet for a half marathon this weekend.
Library is about 4-5 miles from here, and running store is basically on the way back (about 1.5 miles from the house). I thought an 8-10 mile mid-day run might be a fun break in my day.
I went to boot camp this morning, but for some reason I am gaining weight like a champ right now, so I thought a double workout might be in order.
Hubby is working today and can't talk on the phone, so I texted him about the library book to return. I knew he was done with it, but didn't know if it was so good that he thought I should read it or not.
I texted him the question at 11:06. And 11:11, and then 3-4 times at 11:13 (yes, I was irritated). After a couple non-responsive replies (one about it being 11:11, his favorite time of day, and one incomprehensible "yes" (yes, return it, or yes I should read it???)), he finally clearly communicated that I should return it.
So I put a little water bottle in my back bag, grabbed the book, put my phone in a case, got my library card and a credit card, got the house key, put on my shoes. Ready to go, but no watch. So back up two flights of stairs to get watch and heart rate monitor.
Finally, ready to go "run" my errands.
Set the alarm, put on my back bag, turn on my watch (11:24) open the front door, and...
Rain.
Just started, in a steady sheet. Ugh. Don't want to get the books wet, don't want to slip, don't want to come home and have to shower and change instead of getting right back to work. So I'll delay the errands a few hours. I'm more than happy to run a normal route in rain like this, but not with a bag, a book, and knowing I don't have tons of time to get cleaned up afterward.
And then I thought, good thing hubby got under my skin and was so slow in responding, otherwise, I might have been a mile or two away from home!
That is my best example of looking on the bright side! Haha!
Today, I decided that if I started working right after boot camp, and if I was getting a lot done, maybe later in the morning, I'd run my errands.
Wait, let me state that differently.
I'd RUN my errands.
I have two places to go -- the library to return one and pick up one for book club (worried it will be lame so do not want to buy it), and I need to go to the running store to get my packet for a half marathon this weekend.
Library is about 4-5 miles from here, and running store is basically on the way back (about 1.5 miles from the house). I thought an 8-10 mile mid-day run might be a fun break in my day.
I went to boot camp this morning, but for some reason I am gaining weight like a champ right now, so I thought a double workout might be in order.
Hubby is working today and can't talk on the phone, so I texted him about the library book to return. I knew he was done with it, but didn't know if it was so good that he thought I should read it or not.
I texted him the question at 11:06. And 11:11, and then 3-4 times at 11:13 (yes, I was irritated). After a couple non-responsive replies (one about it being 11:11, his favorite time of day, and one incomprehensible "yes" (yes, return it, or yes I should read it???)), he finally clearly communicated that I should return it.
So I put a little water bottle in my back bag, grabbed the book, put my phone in a case, got my library card and a credit card, got the house key, put on my shoes. Ready to go, but no watch. So back up two flights of stairs to get watch and heart rate monitor.
Finally, ready to go "run" my errands.
Set the alarm, put on my back bag, turn on my watch (11:24) open the front door, and...
Rain.
Just started, in a steady sheet. Ugh. Don't want to get the books wet, don't want to slip, don't want to come home and have to shower and change instead of getting right back to work. So I'll delay the errands a few hours. I'm more than happy to run a normal route in rain like this, but not with a bag, a book, and knowing I don't have tons of time to get cleaned up afterward.
And then I thought, good thing hubby got under my skin and was so slow in responding, otherwise, I might have been a mile or two away from home!
That is my best example of looking on the bright side! Haha!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tempo Joke
So I met some of my usual running buddies this morning for Thursday tempo. I have to start making myself run faster in order for it to start feeling easier. If I want to get back to where I was, I need to push myself.
Taking 6 months of time to run almost always while wearing a weight vest or a pack DID NOT work wonders for my speed. In case anyone reading was thinking that would be a good idea.
Instead, my slower, 40 pound heavier pace, has become quite lovely and I don't want to leave it.
But I do. I want to get back to running with my old buddies. I want to set some PRs. I want my morning runs to be done in less than a hour (unless it's a longer distance). I want to get that "out of breath, sweaty, worked hard" feeling.
Oh, and I'm supposed to start coaching a marathon group back at my old pace in about 10 days. Yikes! Guess maybe I'll be building up right along side the people I coach!
Anyway, Tuesday I met a friend returning from injury, and I went to the track solo to run a single 800 followed by a single 400.
Today I decided to meet up for the tempo run. It went just as I expected. I ran at a hard for me effort with them for 3 miles, the length of the warm-up. Then everywhere around me, including on my own wrist, watches started chiming to mark the completion of 3 miles.
And then they dropped me.
If I were more awake, I'd try to come up with some metaphor or simile here. Like a hot potato. But better and funnier. But I'm tired. We met to run at 5 a.m., which is a solid 15 minutes earlier than I ever run usually, and 15 minutes makes a big difference.
So I ran 3 fast for me miles with friends, then 1 fast for me mile solo, then I dropped a bit to my coaching pace and ran until I found my husband, and speed-walked home with him. He's not running right now b/c something in his quad is bothering him. So all told, I got in just over 5 miles. Not a lot for a morning, especially considering in just a week or two, I should be regularly hitting 8 miles most weekday mornings.
But at least it's progress. I really wanted to sleep in and skip the run today. There has been some major office-wide stress happening, and it should crest hopefully at the end of next week. Last night I'd worked kind of late, came home for dinner, and pretty much went straight to bed, but it was still too late for me to get close to 8 hours of sleep. It was probably less than 7 hours, which I hate.
But I did it. And that's the only way it will get easier. Maybe next week, I won't feel like I'm dying during the warm-up, and maybe I'll even be able to run a quarter or so at tempo pace. Or not, but at least I can try.
Baby steps, baby steps...
Taking 6 months of time to run almost always while wearing a weight vest or a pack DID NOT work wonders for my speed. In case anyone reading was thinking that would be a good idea.
Instead, my slower, 40 pound heavier pace, has become quite lovely and I don't want to leave it.
But I do. I want to get back to running with my old buddies. I want to set some PRs. I want my morning runs to be done in less than a hour (unless it's a longer distance). I want to get that "out of breath, sweaty, worked hard" feeling.
Oh, and I'm supposed to start coaching a marathon group back at my old pace in about 10 days. Yikes! Guess maybe I'll be building up right along side the people I coach!
Anyway, Tuesday I met a friend returning from injury, and I went to the track solo to run a single 800 followed by a single 400.
Today I decided to meet up for the tempo run. It went just as I expected. I ran at a hard for me effort with them for 3 miles, the length of the warm-up. Then everywhere around me, including on my own wrist, watches started chiming to mark the completion of 3 miles.
And then they dropped me.
If I were more awake, I'd try to come up with some metaphor or simile here. Like a hot potato. But better and funnier. But I'm tired. We met to run at 5 a.m., which is a solid 15 minutes earlier than I ever run usually, and 15 minutes makes a big difference.
So I ran 3 fast for me miles with friends, then 1 fast for me mile solo, then I dropped a bit to my coaching pace and ran until I found my husband, and speed-walked home with him. He's not running right now b/c something in his quad is bothering him. So all told, I got in just over 5 miles. Not a lot for a morning, especially considering in just a week or two, I should be regularly hitting 8 miles most weekday mornings.
But at least it's progress. I really wanted to sleep in and skip the run today. There has been some major office-wide stress happening, and it should crest hopefully at the end of next week. Last night I'd worked kind of late, came home for dinner, and pretty much went straight to bed, but it was still too late for me to get close to 8 hours of sleep. It was probably less than 7 hours, which I hate.
But I did it. And that's the only way it will get easier. Maybe next week, I won't feel like I'm dying during the warm-up, and maybe I'll even be able to run a quarter or so at tempo pace. Or not, but at least I can try.
Baby steps, baby steps...
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Finger
My finger is not broken! I went to the doctor's office around lunch yesterday. 5 minutes of paperwork, 20 minutes of waiting, 5 minutes of talking ot his PA, 1 minute of xrays (3), a few more minutes of waiting, then a few minutes with the doctor, and then I was out of there -- all in less than an hour! My kind of doctor's appointment!
So according to the doc, the xrays look great. Bones are all perfectly normal and where they belong. No chips or anything, and no arthritis (hmmm, I've been a knuckle-cracker for years!).
He said he's surprised it's still so swollen and painful now, after 8 weeks of waiting. He said no more splint or buddy taping (but he said that was a good idea initially, thanks Bella!). He said at this point, that will decrease mobility in the joint.
It's apparently several ligaments on the inside of my index finger that are torn. He said frequently when ligaments like that tear, there can be a chip of the bone removed in the process, but that didn't happen to me.
I'm supposed to compress it with athletic tape (or vet tape he said, interesting...). Not to the point that it's too tight to bend or causing pain, but enough to hopefully reduce the swelling in the next few weeks.
Bottom line is that he thinks it will be painful for another month or two, and may remain swollen and unbalanced in appearance for even longer, but all that matters:
No surgery
No inability to type
No limitations on motion or exercise (stop if it hurts)
Full recovery expected!
Whew!
So according to the doc, the xrays look great. Bones are all perfectly normal and where they belong. No chips or anything, and no arthritis (hmmm, I've been a knuckle-cracker for years!).
He said he's surprised it's still so swollen and painful now, after 8 weeks of waiting. He said no more splint or buddy taping (but he said that was a good idea initially, thanks Bella!). He said at this point, that will decrease mobility in the joint.
It's apparently several ligaments on the inside of my index finger that are torn. He said frequently when ligaments like that tear, there can be a chip of the bone removed in the process, but that didn't happen to me.
I'm supposed to compress it with athletic tape (or vet tape he said, interesting...). Not to the point that it's too tight to bend or causing pain, but enough to hopefully reduce the swelling in the next few weeks.
Bottom line is that he thinks it will be painful for another month or two, and may remain swollen and unbalanced in appearance for even longer, but all that matters:
No surgery
No inability to type
No limitations on motion or exercise (stop if it hurts)
Full recovery expected!
Whew!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Appointment Today!
On Sunday it will be two months since I took my first serious tumble while running. And my right index finger STILL hurts. I finally have a doctor's appointment today. I'm a little nervous that I'll have to cancel since I have a huge work meeting at 10, and my appointment is at 1:30, but I think I'll be able to do both.
One of the cool things about my running buddies is that I've gotten to know a lot of different people. Which means all kinds of free advice for all of us. One friend manages a paint account for a large home improvement store. One is a teacher. One has his own UPS store. One stays home with her kids. Several techies. Lots of doctors. And tons of lawyers.
Well, one running friend who is a doctor gave me the referral to the doc I'm supposed to see today (my ortho's office onlly has one hand guy, and he's not seeing new patients until June).
Even better, when I was running on Sunday, I was running with a guy who does a lot of bone work and actually testifies frequently as an expert witness. After we crossed the finish line, he looked at my finger and asked me a few questions. He told me about what kind of fracture he thinks it is, but he said only an xray will confirm that.
But all that really matters is that he said eventually, it will be fine. I might have to wear a splint religiously (I've been kind of half-hearted about it lately). I might need surgery. I might need PT. But eventually, he thinks it will be as good as new.
I can't do pull-ups, but right now, the thought of even attempting one just makes my hand ache. I can't imagine trying to grip a bar with that much force. So hopefully after today, I'll reallly be on the road to recovery. That will be nice!
Especially since today was the start of my "back to normal pace running" plan. I ran a few miles with a friend, then ran solo to the SMU track for some repeats. 800 meters, 400 meters. One of each. Yikes! They felt tough, but speedwork should. But only one of each! Wow, I need to do a lot of work. I think I could have done more, but I might have slowed down a bit (and I was already slower than I should have been), but I didn't want to overdo it. Playing it smart...
One of the cool things about my running buddies is that I've gotten to know a lot of different people. Which means all kinds of free advice for all of us. One friend manages a paint account for a large home improvement store. One is a teacher. One has his own UPS store. One stays home with her kids. Several techies. Lots of doctors. And tons of lawyers.
Well, one running friend who is a doctor gave me the referral to the doc I'm supposed to see today (my ortho's office onlly has one hand guy, and he's not seeing new patients until June).
Even better, when I was running on Sunday, I was running with a guy who does a lot of bone work and actually testifies frequently as an expert witness. After we crossed the finish line, he looked at my finger and asked me a few questions. He told me about what kind of fracture he thinks it is, but he said only an xray will confirm that.
But all that really matters is that he said eventually, it will be fine. I might have to wear a splint religiously (I've been kind of half-hearted about it lately). I might need surgery. I might need PT. But eventually, he thinks it will be as good as new.
I can't do pull-ups, but right now, the thought of even attempting one just makes my hand ache. I can't imagine trying to grip a bar with that much force. So hopefully after today, I'll reallly be on the road to recovery. That will be nice!
Especially since today was the start of my "back to normal pace running" plan. I ran a few miles with a friend, then ran solo to the SMU track for some repeats. 800 meters, 400 meters. One of each. Yikes! They felt tough, but speedwork should. But only one of each! Wow, I need to do a lot of work. I think I could have done more, but I might have slowed down a bit (and I was already slower than I should have been), but I didn't want to overdo it. Playing it smart...
Monday, May 7, 2012
FMM: Questions and Answers
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: http://www.alltheweigh.com/ so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links there too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: Q & A
1. What’s the most obnoxious word/phrase you use on a regular basis? I tend to trail off, which is very irritating. Hard to think what else. In law school, I took a class in trial ad, and then at the first law firm where I worked, we had a CLE -- both those experiences involved videotaping and listening to yourself and that was very instructive in helping me cut the verbal garbage. I used to be bad about "like" "and" and "um."
2. What’s the most memorable bumper sticker you’ve ever seen? Living in Texas for the last decade plus, there were some memorable ones during the last campaign -- first I saw: W the President. Then I saw: F the President. Made me laugh so hard in a non-political way. It was just a funny take on it.
3. Share one pet peeve that causes you more grief than it should. I hate hearing people chew gum. There are roughly 1 billion others...
4. What are your thoughts on re-gifting presents? I’ve done it! Not often, but I hate adding to our pile o' stuff, and occasionally I get something that I know someone else would enjoy more.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment this week? I would say either getting the unexpected AG award at the race this weekend, making progress toward settling a case that I think looks ugly, or some contract stuff at work. Probably the AG award.
6. What’s the title of the last movie you watched? Take Shelter, which we had from Netflix. It was okay. Someone had spoiled the ending for me, so maybe I would have liked it better if that hadn't happened.
7. If you could only choose one, would you rather have a full-time cleaning person or a full-time chef? Hmm, I think I'd actually choose a full-time chef. We don't have kids so our house isn't really messy, and I assume the chef would clean up after himself/herself, so that would mean the kitchen was pretty clean. That would leave laundry, bathrooms, and the occasional vacuuming/dusting. But having someone make my breakfasts, lunches and dinners would be splendid! Though I love cooking, it's tough during the week. Interestingly, my husband said he'd rather have the full-time housekeeper. Guess maybe we should spend more time cleaning than we do!
8. Do you enjoy shopping for clothes, or do you dread it? I wouldn't say I dread it, but I definitely don't enjoy it. I tend to hang on to clothes even if they don't fit, so I have a broad range of sizes, and I tend to wear things for a long time before getting rid of them, so I can usually find something to wear rather than buying something new.
9. What’s your favorite sport to play/watch? My favorite sport is running, to do or to watch. In terms of the big ones (baseball, football, basketball, hockey), I guess, if I'm watching live, it would be baseball. But ugh, I can think of a million things I'd rather do than watch other people play sports.
10. If you could have coffee with anyone today who would you choose? Can I pick my brother and my sister-in-law? They got married this summer but delayed their honeymoon until now. So if I go meet them for coffee today, I'd be in Fiji, which would be quite lovely! If it's supposed to be someone famous, maybe I'll pick the new French president. Pourquoi pas?
Now it’s your turn. Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments. Happy Monday Friends…
FMM: Q & A
1. What’s the most obnoxious word/phrase you use on a regular basis? I tend to trail off, which is very irritating. Hard to think what else. In law school, I took a class in trial ad, and then at the first law firm where I worked, we had a CLE -- both those experiences involved videotaping and listening to yourself and that was very instructive in helping me cut the verbal garbage. I used to be bad about "like" "and" and "um."
2. What’s the most memorable bumper sticker you’ve ever seen? Living in Texas for the last decade plus, there were some memorable ones during the last campaign -- first I saw: W the President. Then I saw: F the President. Made me laugh so hard in a non-political way. It was just a funny take on it.
3. Share one pet peeve that causes you more grief than it should. I hate hearing people chew gum. There are roughly 1 billion others...
4. What are your thoughts on re-gifting presents? I’ve done it! Not often, but I hate adding to our pile o' stuff, and occasionally I get something that I know someone else would enjoy more.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment this week? I would say either getting the unexpected AG award at the race this weekend, making progress toward settling a case that I think looks ugly, or some contract stuff at work. Probably the AG award.
6. What’s the title of the last movie you watched? Take Shelter, which we had from Netflix. It was okay. Someone had spoiled the ending for me, so maybe I would have liked it better if that hadn't happened.
7. If you could only choose one, would you rather have a full-time cleaning person or a full-time chef? Hmm, I think I'd actually choose a full-time chef. We don't have kids so our house isn't really messy, and I assume the chef would clean up after himself/herself, so that would mean the kitchen was pretty clean. That would leave laundry, bathrooms, and the occasional vacuuming/dusting. But having someone make my breakfasts, lunches and dinners would be splendid! Though I love cooking, it's tough during the week. Interestingly, my husband said he'd rather have the full-time housekeeper. Guess maybe we should spend more time cleaning than we do!
8. Do you enjoy shopping for clothes, or do you dread it? I wouldn't say I dread it, but I definitely don't enjoy it. I tend to hang on to clothes even if they don't fit, so I have a broad range of sizes, and I tend to wear things for a long time before getting rid of them, so I can usually find something to wear rather than buying something new.
9. What’s your favorite sport to play/watch? My favorite sport is running, to do or to watch. In terms of the big ones (baseball, football, basketball, hockey), I guess, if I'm watching live, it would be baseball. But ugh, I can think of a million things I'd rather do than watch other people play sports.
10. If you could have coffee with anyone today who would you choose? Can I pick my brother and my sister-in-law? They got married this summer but delayed their honeymoon until now. So if I go meet them for coffee today, I'd be in Fiji, which would be quite lovely! If it's supposed to be someone famous, maybe I'll pick the new French president. Pourquoi pas?
Now it’s your turn. Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments. Happy Monday Friends…
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Undeserved AG Award
I ran a truly dreadful race yesterday. There was a local 10 miler and it was hot and sunny. I may have started out too fast, but even when I got to what should have been a reasonable and sustainable pace for me, my heart rate was just too high and I felt like I was struggling.
The first quarter mile I was trying to keep up with a friend, then I realized he was completely not serious about running easy -- good for him, he ran an awesome race, and got an Age Group award. So then I was solo until about mile 4. I caught up to another friend and ran with him though about 6.5, when I felt like I was slowing him down and told him to go without me.
I slowed and slowed. Ugh. I was feeling miserable. Pissed at myself for being so slow, pissed at myself for being out of shape, pissed at myself for forgetting my hat, pissed at myself for everything. There were a couple very slow miles.
Then a friend from behind caught up to me and we ran the last 1.5 miles together or so. Having the conversation made it much more bearable, and our final mile was actually back to the pace of my first few miles.
Either way, when I finished, I was thoroughly disappointed in my performance. Kind of silly since I truly had no intention of racing it. I'm not in race-ready shape and I know it. I know it's going to take several months to get back there, and I'm just starting that process. But it had just been so hot, and my 2 slow miles were 1 min 30 secs slower than my earlier miles, and that was just so frustrating.
There was pizza and beer at the finish line though, so that was nice. My friend had really run a kick-butt race, so we hung out until results posted. Sure enough, he'd gotten third in his AG. So we stayed to wait for awards. There was a band, and we just grabbed some seats in the shade and hung out, mostly my complaining about some uncertainty that's been happening at work.
Anyway, after what felt like forever, they finally started the awards. Surprise! He'd actually gotten second! And then they read women's awards. I knew my name wasn't on the list, but something must have been wrong. I think most likely the person who was listed as winning my AG ended up with an overall award, but either way, I made the cut and got my little prize. A glass (pictured below). Slim competition I guess; my performance in no way merited the award.
But the funny thing was how the race experience was transformed in my mind in that moment. Even though my finish time remained disappointingly the same, suddenly the AG award made it not so painful, and actually a fun running memory. I swear, I baffle myself sometimes!
The first quarter mile I was trying to keep up with a friend, then I realized he was completely not serious about running easy -- good for him, he ran an awesome race, and got an Age Group award. So then I was solo until about mile 4. I caught up to another friend and ran with him though about 6.5, when I felt like I was slowing him down and told him to go without me.
I slowed and slowed. Ugh. I was feeling miserable. Pissed at myself for being so slow, pissed at myself for being out of shape, pissed at myself for forgetting my hat, pissed at myself for everything. There were a couple very slow miles.
Then a friend from behind caught up to me and we ran the last 1.5 miles together or so. Having the conversation made it much more bearable, and our final mile was actually back to the pace of my first few miles.
Either way, when I finished, I was thoroughly disappointed in my performance. Kind of silly since I truly had no intention of racing it. I'm not in race-ready shape and I know it. I know it's going to take several months to get back there, and I'm just starting that process. But it had just been so hot, and my 2 slow miles were 1 min 30 secs slower than my earlier miles, and that was just so frustrating.
There was pizza and beer at the finish line though, so that was nice. My friend had really run a kick-butt race, so we hung out until results posted. Sure enough, he'd gotten third in his AG. So we stayed to wait for awards. There was a band, and we just grabbed some seats in the shade and hung out, mostly my complaining about some uncertainty that's been happening at work.
Anyway, after what felt like forever, they finally started the awards. Surprise! He'd actually gotten second! And then they read women's awards. I knew my name wasn't on the list, but something must have been wrong. I think most likely the person who was listed as winning my AG ended up with an overall award, but either way, I made the cut and got my little prize. A glass (pictured below). Slim competition I guess; my performance in no way merited the award.
But the funny thing was how the race experience was transformed in my mind in that moment. Even though my finish time remained disappointingly the same, suddenly the AG award made it not so painful, and actually a fun running memory. I swear, I baffle myself sometimes!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Niceness
I think I mentioned that we read The Happiness Project for book club. The more I think about it, the more I want to be nicer. The example that has been weighing on my mind lately was something that happened Sunday night at book club.
There were 8 of us at my friend's house for dinner. It was a great meal with great conversation. Then for dessert we had this amazing chocolate cake my friend's husband had made. She was saying it made her so happy because first, she loved the cake, and second, she loved that he made it.
Anyway, the crowd broke up and people headed home, but 2 of us stayed behind with the hostess. It was me, the hostess, and a woman we used to work with (she has since moved to another firm and another city, but was in town visiting). We sat outside in the dark (the light brought bugs) and talked for a long time, about happiness, life and everything else.
Well, at some point while we were sitting out there, I heard some noises in my friend's house. Realized it meant her husband and kids were back, but no one came outside, so we just stayed out talking.
Finally it was time to go, so we headed inside. And there was my friend's husband, in the kitchen, scraping plates and loading the dishwasher.
Wow. So nice.
The sad thing was, I thought the odds of my doing that had I been in his shoes were slim to none.
I tried to imagine if hubby and I had kids and he had friends over one night and I left the house with the kids. I could imagine bringing sleepy kids home and putting them to bed. Sure. Reasonable. But I cannot imagine facing a kitchen with masses and masses of dirty dishes and leftover food and just attacking it solo. I think I most likely would have gone outside to hang out with my husband and his friends. Or if for some reason I didn't want to do that, I might have just hung out and watched tv. I might possibly have put some of the food away, but I just don't think I would have cleaned up a huge mess from an event that I didn't share in.
I need to work on that! It was just so nice of him to let her enjoy the night and not ask her to do "her share." I need to be less focused on that. I'm too into equal household labor contribution. While I firmly believe it should be roughly equal for us (we both work full time), and of course I don't think it should be equal when one person is sick, injured, or out of town. But I need to do nice things and just pick up more than my share for no reason sometimes. And I need to not think of it as "more than my share."
Haha, oh my, I have so far to go...
There were 8 of us at my friend's house for dinner. It was a great meal with great conversation. Then for dessert we had this amazing chocolate cake my friend's husband had made. She was saying it made her so happy because first, she loved the cake, and second, she loved that he made it.
Anyway, the crowd broke up and people headed home, but 2 of us stayed behind with the hostess. It was me, the hostess, and a woman we used to work with (she has since moved to another firm and another city, but was in town visiting). We sat outside in the dark (the light brought bugs) and talked for a long time, about happiness, life and everything else.
Well, at some point while we were sitting out there, I heard some noises in my friend's house. Realized it meant her husband and kids were back, but no one came outside, so we just stayed out talking.
Finally it was time to go, so we headed inside. And there was my friend's husband, in the kitchen, scraping plates and loading the dishwasher.
Wow. So nice.
The sad thing was, I thought the odds of my doing that had I been in his shoes were slim to none.
I tried to imagine if hubby and I had kids and he had friends over one night and I left the house with the kids. I could imagine bringing sleepy kids home and putting them to bed. Sure. Reasonable. But I cannot imagine facing a kitchen with masses and masses of dirty dishes and leftover food and just attacking it solo. I think I most likely would have gone outside to hang out with my husband and his friends. Or if for some reason I didn't want to do that, I might have just hung out and watched tv. I might possibly have put some of the food away, but I just don't think I would have cleaned up a huge mess from an event that I didn't share in.
I need to work on that! It was just so nice of him to let her enjoy the night and not ask her to do "her share." I need to be less focused on that. I'm too into equal household labor contribution. While I firmly believe it should be roughly equal for us (we both work full time), and of course I don't think it should be equal when one person is sick, injured, or out of town. But I need to do nice things and just pick up more than my share for no reason sometimes. And I need to not think of it as "more than my share."
Haha, oh my, I have so far to go...
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Too Hurried
I can't believe it happened again today -- I fell again this morning. Holy crap! I've been running for about a decade now. I've rolled ankles a few times, and I think once my hands even touched the ground, but I stayed upright. Once a friend fell right behind me and she pushed me as she fell into me, but I stayed upright.
Then this year happened. I had my big fall in March. And I posted a shot of the scene of the crime. My finger is STILL jacked up from that fall. I finally have an appointment for my finger on May 9. Can't get here soon enough because it still hurts and has a limited range of motion.
Well, this morning was our last group run of the spring training season. So I baked for my group. Last night I made pumpkin cinnamon chip muffins. I woke up and was so excited about it.
I always go through a mneumonic to make sure I don't forget anything in the morning before I work out, and I actually forgot to do that today, so I showed up with no watch! Oops. No big deal. Everyone in my group seems to have a garmin too, and we were running a loop, so there was no worry about knowing when to u-turn.
Anyway, we finished our last 6 mile run together and the group was stretching and I ran back to my car to get the muffins. I had them in my hand and I was running back to the group and I must have tripped over a little pothole in the pavement.
And so I went crashing down. Again.
Ugh. I kept the muffins upright though! And this wasn't anywhere near as painful. The biggest scrape is on my elbow, but I caught both hands and a calf, but it's all just scrapes.
Still shocking that I seem to be jinxed right now! Oh well, just glad it wasn't worse.
Then this year happened. I had my big fall in March. And I posted a shot of the scene of the crime. My finger is STILL jacked up from that fall. I finally have an appointment for my finger on May 9. Can't get here soon enough because it still hurts and has a limited range of motion.
Well, this morning was our last group run of the spring training season. So I baked for my group. Last night I made pumpkin cinnamon chip muffins. I woke up and was so excited about it.
I always go through a mneumonic to make sure I don't forget anything in the morning before I work out, and I actually forgot to do that today, so I showed up with no watch! Oops. No big deal. Everyone in my group seems to have a garmin too, and we were running a loop, so there was no worry about knowing when to u-turn.
Anyway, we finished our last 6 mile run together and the group was stretching and I ran back to my car to get the muffins. I had them in my hand and I was running back to the group and I must have tripped over a little pothole in the pavement.
And so I went crashing down. Again.
Ugh. I kept the muffins upright though! And this wasn't anywhere near as painful. The biggest scrape is on my elbow, but I caught both hands and a calf, but it's all just scrapes.
Still shocking that I seem to be jinxed right now! Oh well, just glad it wasn't worse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)