Blarg

That is how I would like to describe how I felt today.  Tired, and I ate too much.  (sensing a theme somewhere...)  We had a food day at work, and there were all sorts of delicious finger foods that are way too easy to just pop in your mouth as you walk to the printer, and again when you walk back to your desk...and when you're as forgetful as i am (anyone else go to the printer then realize they forgot to actually hit "Print"?) that is a lot of food.

Also, i was up late last night making pickle rollups and wasting time b/c i apparently have the same motivation to go to bed as I do to work out.  Hmf.

So - thanks to abbie & sarah for the good suggestions on motivation from my post yesterday!  Today I was still trying to think about what would motivate me to get moving, and realized that I had $30 in iTunes bucks, so I downloaded some music to update my workout playlist.  I have read that as long as you are listening to something with a faster tempo you will naturally find yourself moving faster.  Also, i remembered a trick i used to use - when i work out with headphones on i dont hear my wheezing, and it's harder to fixate on the pain/wheezing/whatever.  So, i browsed around and found some things I thought would be fun to workout to - some Katy Perry, some funk/dance/techno mixes of songs I like (Bounce! Volume 2), and then a few random songs by Usher, Rihanna, Britney, and Eminem.  Finally, I have a secret love of funk disco music...Stevie Wonder's "Superstition"?  Gets me moving every time! :)  So, we will see.  If nothing else, i have some new tunes to listen to as I clean the house, get ready in the morning or make the drive back n forth to StL.

In closing, a few posts back I mentioned that I wanted to start ending my posts on a more positive note (apparently consistency is not my strong point) so I'd like to list a few more A-Mazing peeps.  Since the last A-Mazing list was heavy on the ladies, i thought i'd list some guys.

--The above mention of disco music reminds me of my friend Jason. We used to sit next to each other during my first stint at stst and during the year and a half or so that we worked together I found him to be easygoing, easy to talk to, kind-hearted, forgiving, and most importantly, fun to be around!!  He has a great sense of humor and during my most troublesome times dealing with Beau & coping with depression, he was one of few people I felt I could confide in & trust.  He reminds me a lot of my brother.  You're probably wondering why the disco music reminds me of him, right?  Well, our group of friends used to go to The Levee somewhat frequently, and quite often they had an awesome funk band playing...all of us girls would be out there bustin a move and Jason was right there with us - he can cut a rug!! Such friends are hard to find, and he is an A-Mazing one.

--My uncle Erwin.  He has a wacky sense of humor, a way of finding the humor in most situations (and if there isnt any he finds a way to put some there).  He is mischevious, and is not a person you want to play a prank on as paybacks really are a biatch...but it is hella funny to sit back & watch him screw with other people though!  He is fiercely devoted to taking care of his family & friends, and while he does stir the pot sometimes (it's genetic...our family can't help it!), he has a way of being diplomatic and fair, and looking out for the little guy.  He is successful in his job and has a passion for life - new experiences, new toys, new technology.  An A-Mazing guy...and just so happens to be my Godfather.

--Last but certainly not least - my husband.  He's patient, kind-hearted, and faithful.  By faithful I mean he has a spiritual faith, he has faith in me, and faith in us...as evidenced by my pain-in-the ass ways during certain weeks of the month and his willingness to adapt to my moods.  This weekend marks five years that we've been together, and later this month is 2 years of marriage.  The things that drew me to JN still do - he's supportive of his family, is passionate about his hobbies, is affectionate, is a great surprise-planner, and he's a worker!  I'm very proud of him, and love him very, very much.

Okay, you can go barf now. ;)

Reflections on Work & Chester Copperpot

Recently I have been reflecting on Work.  Seems like I'm doing more of it than playing...and there are times when I resent those that seem to prioritize Play over Work.  I find myself wondering why I resent it when it's clearly my personal choice, as well as why I choose to do it.

Here's a story from this evening on this very topic:
I got up & made lunch for JN & I (read: put prepared stuff in our lunchboxes...no cooking this early!), got in the shower, went to work.  Over my lunch hour I worked on a take-home test for my Developmental Psych class (clearly the result of a prior choice to Play rather than Work).  I left work 15 minutes early to come home & finish up the take-home test while eating a quick dinner, then zipped off to class, to arrive 10 minutes late due to my aforementioned choice to Play rather than Work.  We got out of class an hour early, so I came home & realized the state of our apartment was stressing me out.  JN got home not long after, and I begged him to take the next 20 minutes and just help me clean up.  I believe I got about 5 minutes before a beer was procured & a position on the couch with the laptop was taken.  Hoo boy... NOT COOL. It should be noted that a good chunk of the mess was mine, but it seriously would have taken about 10 minutes of us both working together to get it done. 

So why did i get so mad?  I mean, it's not like we had a knock-down-drag-out or anything over it, but i was pretty perturbed.  I could have chosen to sit on the couch too...but there's something in me that can't relax in the midst of a cluttery mess.  Just ask my cousin Sarah...I dont remember how old we were, but I once cleaned her terribly messy room (complete with reorganizing her closet) during a sleepover at her house.  We had fun & stayed up till all hours, but then once she fell asleep & couldnt fall asleep so I cleaned.  What weirdo kid does that??  One with issues. (raises hand)

Clearly, I am willing to work for peace of mind.  So where is my motivation to work for other things, say, personal fitness?  Obviously the number on the scale isnt keeping me up at night (although the resulting sleep apnea & snoring is keeping my husband up).

I read an interesting quote by Thomas Edison the other day regarding this subject of Work:
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work."

And today I read this post on the blog of a girl I admire from afar (I dont know her personally, only through her posts on Weddingbee.com and her blog).  She mentions a book written by Amy Chua on the topic of parenting styles.  It's an interesting topic to me...but even more so, because not long ago I was watching an interview with Ms. Chua on KCPT (public tv channel in KC).  I listened to a good portion of the interview but it was incredibly painful....my perception was that she was the type of person not to actually listen to what people were saying, but to wait for them to stop talking.  And she didn't always do that either!  Lots of interrupting of the interviewer.  She was very...how do i put i...not forceful per se, but definitely overpowering and steamrollerish during the interview.  I ended up changing the channel because the manner of discussion was distracting me from the content of the discussion, and my blood pressure kept going up.  I hate hearing people argue (almost as much as I hate being sung to) and it was just painful.  But I digress.

In her blog post Ms. Penny refers to the Chinese parenting method described in the book, and reflects on how the approach differs from that of the stereotypical American. But, as Ms. Penny says, parenting wasn't the point of her post & it's not the point of mine either.  The point was that Ms. Chua points out (looosely paraphrasing here) that skill is not usually the result of natural talent, that to get good at anything you have to work at it. Is that the same thing as to say to find success or opportunity you have to work at it?

You can blame my reflective mood on my philosophy/ethics class yesterday evening. :) 

So...here's my point.
I'm working my butt off to keep my house clean-ish so I can sleep at night.
I'm going to school part time so I can go to school full time so I can make a living doing something that has a chance at making the world a better place.
Both of these things, I'm motivated to do.
I'm working out with Freda each week, sometimes twice, all times looking like a whale with legs & an asthma problem....but i am not really motivated to do it...not REALLY.  I dont look forward to it.  Not like I look forward to finally be able to pursue my education without having to earn a living at the same time.  Not like I look forward to falling into bed at night exhausted but with the peace of mind that accompanies the slight smell of bleach in the air and the lullaby of the dishwasher running (does anyone else associate that noise with a clean kitchen??).

All of this to say...What in the heck can i do to make myself WANT TO WORK OUT?  I want to look forward to it!  And friends, I do NOT look forward to working out.  Not at all.  I want to look forward to it in the same way I look forward to having coldstone for dessert.

I know.  We all have dreams.  Chester Copperpot wanted to find One-Eyed Willie, and I want to find my Motivation to Move.  If the Goonies can do it, why not me? :)

SHHH!

Something's a-brewin!  I'm not going to say exactly what, because I don't want to jinx myself into falling off the wagon. :)  I'm sure you'll figure things out in time.

So last week after eating myself into misery (i'm sure it had nothing to do with my horrid snacking habits) I was uncomfortable for HOURS.  During the misery-marathon, i decided this was enough.  So Saturday when I got up, the first thing i did was get on the treadmill!  Yeah, right after I slept until 1pm, then I got on the treadmill.  Ha!  Lazy runner....  Anyways, I did right at 2 miles.  Then Sunday I did the same thing...another 2 miles or so on the treadmill.  Then Monday, guess what I did?  I went home from work, put on my running attire, and headed out for ANOTHER run with my friend Freda.  WHAAA? 

I know.

I remember back when i ran on a regular basis, and was that annoying person that says "C'mon!  you should come run with me!  It's FUN!"  I think back & say "Self, you were crazy.  And a liar.  Running is not Fun."  All that crap came back to bite me when I went out with Freda on Monday.  One should note Freda is amazing & I heart her.  She is now working out 2x a day, and is so fit & trim, A-Mazing!  So we go for this run, which includes several mountains, and running the stairs at Barney Allis Plaza across from the Municipal Auditorium.  These stairs:

(image courtesy of maps.google.com street view of 13th & wyandotte)



There are 2 flights on the left, 2 on the right.  We ran up the left side, across, and down the right side.  FIVE TIMES.  Ok wait.  I lied.  "We" did not run this....Freda ran it, and I ran about 2/5ths of it.  The rest of it i dont know what to call it, other than finishing it, which I did. :)  I think Freda ran it six times. It was hard to tell b/c i was trying not to fall on my face as my legs were about to give out!  After that, we ran about another half mile or so, maybe 3/4 mile, ending at the top of a gianormous hill at 9th & Pennsylvania. 

I am absolutely sure that Freda could make a very successful & lucrative living as a personal trainer.  And, we are meeting every Monday for more of the same. 

Ponderings:  I wonder if there is some psychological phenomenon which explains a person looking forward to such torture...

Day TWO!

Ok, so I am going to need to come up with something more witty for the titles of these posts!  Let's get to it.

After yesterday's run, I woke up this morning thinking that maybe I should have worked a little harder b/c I didnt feel sore at all.  Aaand, then I realized I was walking like my hips needing replacing, and making an old lady noise every time I stood up to walk to the printer.  Hm.  Attractive. :)  Other than the stiffness though, I was feeling pretty good today.  My mood (usually crankiness running through my veins during this week of the month) felt more chill and patient for most of the day.  I woke up this morning feeling like I slept well, and felt like I had more energy today.  Could have been because the day was marginally warmer than it has been though, so who knows. :)

Measurements - I've decided that measurements will be weekly on Monday mornings. 

Workout -
I overslept this morning, so no morning workout....and since I had class after work, I had to drop my stuff, change clothes and march straight down to the treadmill when I got home at 9pm.  It was good though, I was wicked cranky from being hungry, so it did some good to get the bad mojo out of my system. To get a sense of my dedication, witness:  when i got home from class i was CRANKY.  hungry, mad at the ridiculous drivers, and just being ridiculous.  Jeremy sensed Zelda's presence and ordered me to eat. But i said No! I must work out!  (seriously...you can ask him.)  So it mightve been the dedication, or maybe it was the issues with being told what to do.  either way, WIN for day 2 of the workout streak. :)
40 min on the treadmill at an incline of 1 (still unsure if that's 1%. For now we will say yes until told otherwise...)
10 min was warmup & cooldown at a pace of 3.5
27 min was a slow jog at 4.7.  Then my elbow bumped the darn emergency button (which works btw...i almost ran through the control panel!) and the belt stopped.  I decided to push a little harder for the last 3 min, so i bumped the speed up to 5.  SPEED!  or not...still slow by the standards of the 22 year old in my mind. d'oh!

At the end the mileage was about 2.6 miles. Which is still surprising to me, but if i were outside I'd be nowhere near that. So i'm trying to think in terms of time for now instead of mileage.  I was so hungry though, I forgot to stretch afterwards....which probably means i'll need an old lady walker tomorrow. ;)

Diet-

Breakfast - Nothing...which is not good.  I overslept, and when I got to work was busy straight up through lunch.
Snack - Nothing...still not good, but see reasoning next to breakfast.
Lunch - Today was a team lunch & we went to Smokin Guns BBQ.  ~HEAVEN!~  Brisket on a white bun with tasty bbq sauce, and potato casserole.  2 x 24oz diet dr peppers.  Sigh...
Snack - Nothing, as I was in a coma from the deliciousness from lunchtime.
Dinner#1 at 4pm, before I left work for class - 1 cup of frosted shredded miniwheat and 1/2 cup skim milk.
Snack during break - Baked veggie wheat thins from the vending machine, and a bottle of h2o.
Dinner#2 at 10pm (bad form to eat this late...willpower never wins) - a slice of homemade pumpkin bread, leancuisine swedish meatballs, more water.
Bedtime snack because i cannot stop myself at this hour - 1 cup frosted shredded miniwheat & 1/2 cup skim milk.
BTW...last night i just went to bed, so no tea & no popcorn.  That does not make up for today's debauchery though in terms of calories.

So, day two and the streak continues.  I think i will start taking pictures of my meals, or of something, so the vast audience of people reading (wink, wink) will not be so bored by all of the text.


Happy Tuesday!

Happy new year! (Day 1)

So anyone who knows me knows I like to do what "I" want to do...not what anyone tells me to do, or what the crowd wants to do...even if something's a good idea, and good for me, I can tend to wait 5 minutes & then decide to do it because "I" wanted to.  Dumb...I know I have control issues, and maturity issues, and apparently problems with authority. :)  I like to call it being spunky & independent. (cue eye roll)

Case in point?  During our first year of dating, Jeremy & I were out with friends & had been drinking quite a bit.  We all were loading into a car getting ready to leave, while someone was waiting for our parking space.  I was concentrating more on talking to someone than I was on getting in the car, and apparently was taking my sweet time.  Jeremy tried to get my attention, "Get in the car!!"  Instead of getting in, I laughed & said "Are you telling me what to do?"  and he of course said "YES! Get in the CAR!"  I paused briefly & decided to get in, & while tripping over myself I mumbled "ok, but i'm getting in because I want to, not because you're telling me to..."

Ok, so enough rambling.  So I know I need to get in shape...and I know I've said I was going to in the past...and we all know how that turned out...so I waited for all the other new year's peeps to get in the gym & give up on their resolutions so i would have plenty of space to see how I liked getting back on the wagon.  I'm not pledging to run a marathon, a half marathon, or even a 5k.  I'm not saying how many pounds I want to lose, or what size clothing I want to wear at the end of it. 

However...last summer my friend mary & I made a decision.  As we sat drinking our beverages on a raft in a river in the ozarks, watching a skinny little thing wearing a black bikini float by, enjoying that we had finally gotten to an age where we were comfortable with our bodies (um, yeah right)...we decided that next year we would be the ones in the black bikinis...and no, not THOSE girls who think it's a right instead of a priviledge.

So...there it is.  I want to look better in my bathing suit.  Pretty vain...but I also want to be healthier, take fewer medications, be firmly ON the wagon, maybe driving it, by the time I start nursing school in august.  Once that starts if i dont have the health habits firmly going, there won't be any time or mental capacity to start. Classes for the spring semester start this week, so my pledge is to streak through my spring semester.  Ha - NO nakie pictures.  Sorry kids.  I pledge to do something every day, whether it be yoga, running, whatevs, until the end of this semester.  We're talking early to mid-May...this is doable.  I'm thinking of it like a 3rd class i'm taking this semester, and the homework is to keep the motivation rolling.  The end result is to have enough motivation that it has become a way of life, so that i have a snowball's chance in heck of staying sane/healthy through the next year of books and clinicals and stress.

With that said, without further ado....

DAY 1!!
Starting weight = 185 lbs (gah! please dont judge me...)
Starting measurements:
     Chest - 41"
     R. Arm - 11 3/4"
     L. Arm - 11 1/2"
     Waist - 40"
     Hips - 45"
     R. Thigh - 21"
     L. Thigh - 21"

My streak starter:
40 min on the treadmill at an incline of 1 (is that 1%? dunno...)
10 min was warmup & cooldown at a pace of around 3.4
30 min was a slow jog at 4.7
At the end the mileage was about 2.6 miles...huh. that's farther than i thought i could go...but it was a comfortable effort & I didnt want to overdo things on my first day.  Would be embarrassing to puke all over the fancy treadmill in front of the gym rats regulars.

What I ate today:
Breakfast - Smoothie made of 2 pears, 1/2c blackberries, 1/2c blueberries, 1c skim milk, 3/4c lowfat vanilla yogurt.
Snack - 12 oz can of low sodium V8
Lunch - an orange & leftover chicken/artichoke/gorgonzola/mushroom pizza from Waldo pizza, 2 pieces.  (I know...but you cant let that stuff go to waste!!).  Also 28 oz of ice water.
Snack - mozzarella string cheese
Dinner - chicken breast, spring mix salad, 2 Tbsp caesar dressing & maybe 2 Tbsp shredded italian mix cheese.  Also 2 -12 oz diet cokes.  Which i justify b/c i was parched, and didnt have any sweets all day...usually I have a 32oz diet dr pepper every day, so I'm still down 8 oz, right? :D Right.  Tomorrow will be better.
Snack - Hot tea, and a 100 calorie pack of light microwave kettle corn. (maybe on the kettle corn...as of the writing of this post i havent made it yet, and might just go to bed early instead)    

So, just day one, but I'll take it.  Not a bad start.
Day two?  Stay tuned.........

These days...

I haven't posted in a bit, so I thought I would pop in to say hello! It seems our time is governed by what's going on over the weekends these days...a month is over before I even know it! Where did February go??  I was lucky enough to sign up for a couple of shifts at the HL this month, the first & last weekend, so there's a little money in the bank.  The other 2 weekends left in the month we were out of town. Where did we go?  I'll give you two hints:

   

(source & source)

Did you guess? 

Last weekend we were in StL visiting my family & also so JN could go to a IDPA match in troy.  He hasn't heard where he placed in the match yet, but they did a qualifier afterwards and he classified as a Sharpshooter! He was 9 seconds away from qualifying at Expert (it goes Novice-Marksman-Sharpshooter-Expert-Master), so pretty good day for him. Lookout world!  While he was busy with that, I was spending the day with my mom & dad, and visited Historic Main St. in St. Charles.  It had been such a long time since I'd been there (other than pics for the wedding) and I really enjoyed the time we spent there.  We ate at Louis & Clark restaurant, and enjoyed the mild weather (there was sunshine!) while wandering in & out of the shops.

Weekend before last, Valentine's day weekend, we were in Springfield for JN's mom's wedding.  The weekend went by very quickly, given that we didnt arrive till 1:30am on Saturday morning & left after breakfast on Sunday.  I was so tired!  Usually when we go out of town we have to wait until JN gets off work from the OG, which can be anywhere from 8pm to 11pm.  Brutal.  Anywho, we went right to bed when we arrived & slept through until almost lunchtime!  It was kindof funny, JN got up & left pretty quick, saying he needed to go to walgreens to get some carmex, and then was gone for like 4 hours!  When I texted him to find out if he went by way of Arkansas (there's a walgreens less than a mile from where we were) he said that he got "lost" and was on his way home.  Lost?!  Huh.  Lost in a certain sporting goods store?  Or maybe found a fly shop that confused his sense of direction? Heh.  Riiight. :)  That evening we went to a little church nearby for the wedding & dinner following, and it was a nice evening.  The ceremony was a small & intimate one, with just immediate family.  My new in-laws are a big family, so it was kindof exciting to me to meet all of them because that side of JN's family is pretty small (his mom only has one sibling).  I come from a big family that's pretty close, so I am looking forward to getting to know the new extended family.  Although - all of their names begin with the letter J, so it will be a challenge remembering who belongs with what name. :)

Hmm...what else is new?  Umm...well, today marks the one week mark of my being on the South Beach diet.  I hate that its called a diet, mainly b/c in my mind that indicates that it will be short lived, but i'm really hoping to make some positive changes that will stay with us.  The first 2 weeks of the program are pretty restrictive, so it's been hard for me to get this far.  I've fallen off the wagon in the evenings the last couple of days, and the first couple of days i was really grouchy & headachy because of low blood sugar, but I'm hoping I'm over the hump & the second week will be better than the first.  Also, today I worked out for the first time since the KC Half Marathon, and while it felt good I was pretty pooped because I havent had many carbs over the last 2 weeks.  It was hard to push through that, for sure!  I'll be glad next wednesday when I can start adding fruit back into my meals. 

You can tell that i'm out of practice...I went to the gym after work & since I was just going home afterwards I didnt bother to change back into my work clothes.  Seems reasonable but I think it was a fail.  During my walk home from work I looked a little like these folks (which you need to check out this post...pretty funny concept, i totally would have participated had i lived in NYC!):

 

(source & source)

I had forgotten my running pants!  Talk about a failure to plan ahead.  And you know what I was thinking as I walked out into the cold?  "Oh!  My hair's wet, I better put up my hood so I don't catch cold."  Hehe...nevermind my NAKED legs.  Oh yeah, and the snow on the ground (today's hi: 29degrees; low: 12)...d'oh!

The past decade - Newlywed-style!

My cousin's wife gave me this idea, and I thought I'd test Jeremy & I's memories to see where we've been for the last 10 years!  First installment - the wife!

2000 - The year two - thousand....Anybody remember those skits from Conan O'Brien? :)    Hmm...well, i dont remember a ton about that year, other than that it was partly my junior year of college, partly my senior year.  I lived with my dear friend Erin, who was the best roommate E.V.E.R. I loved living with Erin, and we had great times together in the 2 years we lived together! This year we lived in a house above some army ROTC kids, and it was a crazy, fun fun year.

2001 - This was a mixed up, busy, bittersweet year.  It started off terribly - I lost my friend Steve in a tragic accident in February, and bumbled my way through the next few months trying to make sense of the loss & cope with the grief.  Thank God for family & friends to lean on, because I did a lot of leaning during this time.  A lot of my friends at Truman graduated the following May, which was great for them, but somewhat sad for me!  I was sad to see them go!  But, this was my last year of college at Truman.  I studied abroad for 3 weeks at the end of the Spring/beginning of Summer semester, spending a week in Belgium and two weeks in Russia - Moscow & St. Petersburg.  I studied the emerging European Union, got to tour NATO headquarters, got lost in Bruges, got to touch the North Sea, toured Antwerp, studied at the Univ. of Moscow, toured the Kremlin & Stalin's tomb, walked through Red Square & past St. Basil's Cathedral, experienced an 8-hour red-eye train to St. Petersburg, toured the Hermitage...and much more!  That's just the highlights!  A life-changing experience, for sure.  The last semester was a blur, ending with GRADUATION!!  And a move from Kirksville to StL to KC, all in the span of 2 weeks.  Whew!

2002 - Moved to Kansas City & started a new job.  Pretty much didn't know a soul in the area, save for my cousin Sarah, and an old BF.  Made lots of new friends, and lots of trips home to StL.  After 9mos in the metro area I got smart & moved closer to my job & into downtown KC.  I also volunteered with the ACS late this year, starting a long relationship with the organization in memory of my Grandpa Norb, who lost his battle with cancer that March.

2003 - I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, and turned over a new leaf in an effort to get healthy & stay there.  I started running & changed my eating habits - in August I started training for my first marathon.  In October I ran my first half marathon - the Kansas City Half Marathon sponsored by Humana.  Also did a handful of other races, including the Great River Road Race in Alton the day before (or was it the day after?) Thanksgiving.  I did my last long run, 22 miles, around Lake St. Louis (literally)...with mom right there the whole way, knitting scarves for fundraising in between driving to each of my 2 mile water & fuel stops. That's one heckuva coach!  I also started working part time for the ACS in the spring of 2003, with my first shift falling on the one year anniversary of Grandpa's death...definitely gives personal meaning to the work done here.

2004 - Started the year with my first marathon in Hamilton, Bermuda with a time of 5:02; mom came with me & was one of my greatest supporters - she helped me to raise over $5,000 for the American Stroke Association!  I also had lots of help from friends & family in the form of running buddies, fundraising buddies & supporters, and just good vibes overall!  This was also the year I kicked the smoking habit, definitely  no small feat.  This was also the year I moved into the HL as the resident.

2005 - I ran TWO marathons this year!  The Walt Disney World marathon in Orlando Florida in January, and then the Chicago marathon.  I ran both of these with Mom, and we fundraised for the Disney marathon - an additional $3k!  And guess what - i ran THREE half marathons that year too!  Art & Sole St. Louis in April, Louis & Clark in St. Charles in September, Waddell & Reed in KC in October.  Talk about an overachieving year!  Who was that girl?!  Oh yeah, and if you can believe it, I squeezed in a trip to Italy with 3 of my BFF's!  We spent a week in a villa outside of Milan, and it was just amazing!  It was a little like the movie Planes Trains & Automobiles at times, but overall a memorable & relationship building trip for us. If it wasnt for sure before, it was now - these girls are FAMILY.

2006 -  I've racked my brain & can't come up with what races I ran in 2006.  It looks like for awhile my life was defined by what race i was training for.  But, 2006 was still a big year.  I started dating Jeremy in April, started a new job at the Big C in April also.  In August I moved out of the HL & in with my dear friend Denise.  So i guess that's enough change for a year!

2007 - Yet ANOTHER marathon this year...the Chicago marathon.  That race now qualifies as both the best & worst race in my life yet.  We only made it to mile 15, and I was a dehydrated, sore, sorry mess at that point.  They called the race due to lack of resouces (they ran out of water) and heat warnings. No lesson lost though, I decided to stop running for awhile until my heart was in it again.  It wasn't such a bad year though!  On Christmas Eve 2007 Jeremy proposed!

2008 - This was the deja vu year.  I returned to the mutual fund world, working alongside Jeremy & lots of old friends again for the first time in 2 years.  Also returned to the HL as the resident.  Funny how life comes full circle.  Spent the year planning for our wedding.

2009 - I got married! In April I married my heart Jeremy, surrounded by our family and friends.  Followed by a week in St. Lucia, aka Paradise.  In January I went back to school & had a 4.0 year, albeit one class at a time.  Also managed to get back on the running wagon & ran the Kansas City Half Marathon with my amazing & inspiring Mom.  Then I fell right back off the running wagon.

Reflecting back on all of that - goodness!  It was a busy 10 years!  There was a LOT of growing up done.  High highs (marriage, marathon finish lines), low lows (losing friends and family).  Personal growth.  No wonder I'm so tired!!

Hopes for the next decade, in no particular order:
-Run some more marathons!  Make exercise a more regular & less fitful part of my life.
-Graduate from nursing school, find a job I love so much that I dont mind going to work.
-Buy our first house.
-Start a family.
-Travel & experience new things!  this one's kinda general, but applies!


In the next installment - cross your fingers that i can get the last 10 years out of JN!  I've only been here for about 3 1/2 of them, so there's 7 years to go! :)

Chirp, Chirp

yeah...do you hear that? that chirping noise? it's crickets...you know, the sound of silence? heh...yeah, those crickets must be tired since they've been hanging out here since october. I figured I'd give them a break & come out of my winter hibernation.

Hmm...so what's new? Since October?? yeah, that's a lot of stuff to write. I just read the last post & in it I was talking about doing the Oklahoma City Marathon...hmm...good thing i didnt actually register for the thing, b/c i did pretty much zero running. Actually, that's not true...i probably ran a combined 20 miles total from the last time i posted, but about zero of those miles were in training for a marathon. Not long after I posted, I started working a second job, so in addition to my lack of motivation to get out of bed & start training, i also had the job taking up the time i would have spent training. Convenient huh? :) you know it's bad when i'd rather work an additional 18ish hours a week instead of work out. It's not really like that tho...i guess i really didnt want to run much, when it's cold out you just want to stay in bed & conserve energy the energy needed to shiver your way to & from work every day. I did however want to pay off my considerable credit card debt...if i keep up the current schedule, things will be paid off in a year.

I've dubbed this the year of the credit card. It's D-Day for those things!! If i have anything to say about it, the balance will be zero by this time next year. Just in time to replace my currently old but holding up alright car. Or maybe get a house. Or do something equally financially ambitious with my newfound financial freedom. We'll see. My wonderful BF is inspiring me to be more frugal with my money, so i'm giving him all the credit. :)

Hmm...this is also hopefully that i make The Change to my lifestyle. By The Change i dont mean THE Change...i'm not hoping for menopause! Umm...no, i'm hoping that i can make peace with eating better & exercising, and make it part of my life, instead of something i did once and talk about like it was the good ole days. This last week I ran/worked out monday through friday, and then--get this--i ran just under 6 miles today! WOOT! :) i have to confess, i probably walked close to 5 minutes of the total time i was out there, but am proud that i made the distance.

Mom & I are running the Chicago Marathon this fall...and the Lincoln Half Marathon this May, and the Bix7 this July, and another half marathon this fall, sometime between the Bix and the marathon itself. Why are we running all these things, you wonder? Well, the last time we ran the Chicago Marathon, we shied away from the heat of summer, and instead of actually training like we should have, we halfheartedly suffered our way through the summer, never getting the needed miles in. We hope that by planning fun runs throughout the summer, we will be inspired and motivated to keep running & get the needed miles in. I am hoping too, that i can get back to my Bermuda time, or beat it (5 hrs).

So there you go...an update, and some pipe dreams, all in one post!

xoxo
katie

lazy day

Today is one of those days when you just want to stay in bed allllll day....it's a cold, rainy, grey day outside. Guess what i'm doing? I'm still in bed!!! :) I got up around 10:00 today, but got out of be just long enough to grab breakfast & my laptop. Then it was back to bed, and i have spent the afternoon playing on my computer.

The last week has kinda been a bumpy one, so it feels good to just lay around and be lazy. I havent been too lazy though...did you notice the changes to the blog? I upgraded, added labels, some lists on the sidebar, updated my profile...oh yeah, and changed the template. This one is ok, but i would like something that is inspiring when you open up my page. I know, I know..you're saying to yourself, how can it get more inspiring than the words of wisdom in each post? ;) Hmm...well, I want something to inspire me to write more, and also to run more...i want some picture, of a place like Big Sur or something, and some runner in the middle of it. You know, inspiring! :) If you know of a blog template that's easy to install--i'm not good with the html coding thing at all--could you let me know?

In other news...
I have decided to run the Oklahoma City marathon. Training started officially (for me) 2 weeks ago...according to the schedule i should have run about 20 miles total by now. So far, the running total is...um...less than 7. :\ Guess i need to get moving, huh?

steal of the century

Yesterday I was reading one of my daily blogs and read about this girl, who writes for Mind of Mencia, who just ran her first marathon in Hawaii.  She wrote about her preparation for it, and then a separate entry for the first half of the marathon.  Reading that brought back all the emotions & reactions I experienced during my first marathon, in Hamilton, Bermuda.  The anxiety of preparation--do i take this? no..i wont need it...but what if i do?...better take it...well, i dont want to bring too much...what is everyone else taking?...ok, enough-i'm leaving it...ok fine, i'll bring it with me.  Imagine agonizing about this over everything you take.  Even after having made a list of what you will need.  Then there's the anticipation at the start line, the feeling of excitement as months of blood sweat & tears culminates in a few 'short' (ha! whatever!) hours of running...and then dragging yourself through those few short hours.

 

Reading that made me want that feeling back...I felt the same way after reading David and Abbie's postings about their first triathlon...David had blisters at the end, Abbie's legs were shaking from the effort.  They helped each other through it, and the same as Pamie, didnt come in first, didnt come in last, but FINISHED.  It's hard for me to get my butt off the couch, but there's no prouder moment than when you cross that finish line.  And no better feeling than when you get to sit down (collapse) afterwards in a heap of sweaty smelly exhaustion.  Doesnt that sound like fun??? :)  I want that feeling again!! 

 

So, this weekend i think mom & i are going to look into marathons to run in april.  I found a couple of international ones (London & Paris), and a few domestic ones (Nashville, OKC, Dallas, Big Sur).  Stay tuned...

 

Oh, and on the topic of the subject line....my company has a classified ads, and i found an add for a mattress.  JN has been needing one BAD--his was his great grandpa's, and i think it was worn out when he got it.  This mattress that he got, it's a Sealy pillowtop...only a couple of years old...i looked & a new one on sale was like $700 bucks.  Guess what he got it for?  $65!  and this was after the guy asked $100 OBO.  :)  We picked it up last night, and it is a ginormous improvement over his last one.  Makes me want to hit the garage sales...so i can find more steals of the century!

Aaaaand....We're Off!

Ok, so i'm making good on my last post...a week later than i wanted to, but whatever. :)

So. Today's tuesday...Yesterday I DID work out. I ran on the treadmill at the fitness center to warm up, and then did my weights routine. And then did about eleventy million crunches. (side note: Whenever I do crunches (not often) I am reminded of this blog post...not that it has ever happened to me, it's just REALLY funny. You should read it if you want a good laugh...anyways...) :)

I felt pretty good after that, like i was off to a good start.

Today I didnt work out in the gym at work b/c i had to leave early to work at the HL tonite. So, i did my cardio in the fitness room downstairs this evening, starting off with 20 min on the bike. Have you ever seen the movie Bridget Jones' Diary? There's a scene in there where she resolves to get in shape, and so she goes to the gym and gets on a stationary bike. When she's done, she gets off & falls flat on her face b/c she didnt realize her legs would stop working afterwards...That was me. Except I managed to catch myself just shy of the faceplant. Why dont they put warning labels on those bikes? "Warning--Usage of this bike converts muscle tissue & bone to jelly. Do not attempt to use your legs on risk of serious injury to yourself or others."

Anywho...after i recovered from that experience i dragged myself onto the dreaded treadmill & ran for about 20-ish minutes. Actually, i ran for 23:15. No kidding...i couldnt talk myself into finishing the 25 minutes i had planned...the jelly-legs experience just took it all out of me.

last easter & misc

In answer to a couple of questions about what happened last Easter...here's the story:

We had brunch at mom & dad's as is becoming the tradition...and along with brunch we had mimosas, which is also becoming the tradition. Well, mom mixed up the mimosas, and i had a few while helping cook the meal...and then had one or two while eating the meal...and maybe one while cleaning up after the meal...(man! i sound like a lush!!) So while we're cleaning up, i asked mom what she wanted me to do with the leftover pancakes. She handed me a plastic bag & said to put them in there. After putting them in there, i asked her, so what now? She said "just throw them in the freezer." Well, my brother had just opened the freezer door to get something out, so i took that as an opportunity to...well...throw the pancakes into the freezer. From across the room. Almost hitting him in the head in the process. :) To me at the time it was no different then someone saying 'can you pass me a roll' at dinner & having an uncle toss it across the table (this has happened btw)...but judging from the laughter & looks of shock on my mom & brother's faces, perhaps i had had one too many mimosas. It's not my fault they were so good!! I spent that afternoon sleeping it off, and woke up with a hangover...just in time for easter dinner at my grandmas. nice! :)

this year was a little different...i did have a couple of mimosas while helping out with cooking brunch...but with the memory of last year fresh in my mind, i kept myself in check. I did get to take a 3hr nap, but it was because i had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to mass, not because i was sleeping off a morning bender. :)

in other news....
Today after work i went for a run around the downtown airport with my friend danica...i thought for sure she would just smoke me during the run...she just got done training for a 1/2 marathon, and is one of those speedy, skinny, gazelle-like runners...but i was able to keep up!! We kept close to a 10min/mile pace, and i was even able to keep up with her during the last speedy kick at the end. :) :) We did 3.6 miles, and are planning a 5mi run on wednesday. it feels good to be back running again...i feel like i'm dusting off the cobwebs!

happy monday everyone...hope your week is off to a good start. :)

xoxo

running, running, running...

So when i said in the description that you'd find a comment 'every so often' it was definitely not a lie! Guess i just havent felt very chatty lately...or maybe i just havent felt motivated enough to actually write anything...prolly cuz i've been worn out from all the other things i've been accomplishing! :) (yeah right...whatev...) Anywho, sorry it's been so long since i've posted.

About a week n a half ago I started running tuesday and thursday mornings with my friend rachel. She comes to my apartment in the morning at 7:30, drags my butt out of bed & we go run. Yes...it is as painful as it sounds. For goodness' sake, it's not even daylight when i get up!! That is just wrong. Still, it's good for me, I'm growing out of my clothes, and something drastic must be done.

So, of course we're not easing into this, but jumping right back on the wagon, flabbiness, ill-fitting jeans and all. The first run was just murder...i was wheezing (damn smokes), huffing & puffing my way through 2 miles at the pace of a snail, all the while running in the same neighborhood my coworkers have to drive through to get to work. woohoo! talk about keeping up an image...i cringe to think of what i looked like as they drove past me. yikes. Still, determination & positive attitude have prevailed, even if a bit grudgingly. :) Fortunately we've kept at it...all thanks to rachel! We've worked our pace up a bit, now we can run comfortably without that "man...i shouldve brought cab fare with me" thought running through our heads constantly. I know i'm back on the wagon now b/c I actually enjoyed my run this weekend!! (i know...i'm sorry...you dont have to keep reading this lunatic's blog if you dont want to...) Rachel & I, our friend Tobi, and my coworker Danica went up to the Parkville nature sanctuary and did around 4 miles on the trails there. It was an incredibly hard workout, running over hill & dale, dodging branches and mud puddles, but it was a blast. The weather was around 55 degrees, it was clear & sunny, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!! I think the best part about the trail run was that there were times, running through the woods, that it was sooo quiet...you could barely even hear our footfalls on the soft mulch of the trail. We even got to see a waterfall. I think that was the most stress relieving thing i've done in a long time...will have to make a point to do things like that more often.

So yeah, all these things i've accomplished? Getting my butt moving again was definitely one of the big ones. This last weekend i was able to cross a lot of things off my to-do list...did my taxes, filed my FAFSA (one step closer to going back to school...woot!), finished laundry, ran a few errands that have been haunting me for awhile...it was great! I still have a backseat full of crap i need to take different places (film to be developed, clothes to the cleaners, trash to the dumpster) but at least it's in the backseat of my car instead of on the counter in my apartment staring at me, pleading to be taken care of. :)

K..so before I sign off, i just want to mention that this upcoming weekend is going to be a stressful & emotional one for me, both in good and bad ways. I'll explain more in a post after the weekend is over, but in the meantime please keep me & a special intention of mine in your thoughts & prayers.

Hugs to all,
kt

Words of Wisdom

Good evening all!

There is definitely something to be said for volunteering...life would be awesome if i could just do that every day. A couple of my girlfriends & I volunteered with the American Cancer Society today....we didnt do a whole lot other than clean, but we definitely pitched in where help was needed, and made the jobs of others just a little easier by helping out with the chores. In my everyday job it's rare when you feel like the work you do is making the world a better place. Dont get me wrong, I do like my job alot (well, on most days anyways), but I've always wanted to do something that I knew was making a positive difference in someone's life...giving back to the world just a smidgen of what I have been so blessed to receive. Hopefully someday I'll be able to have one of those jobs, but in the meantime I am content to work for a company where they give me a day off here & there to make a difference. :)

Tomorrow we will be volunteering with the American Stroke Association...am definitely looking forward to that! Over the last 2 1/2 years I have put in many volunteer hours with this organization, but decided this last summer to take some time off. My schedule with working 2 jobs and then volunteering on top of that was kindof wearing me out (understatement), so i made the decision that to really be able to give my all to this cause, I needed to take some time off to regroup. I've noticed that my schedule has calmed down a little bit, but I also noticed that I have really come to miss the people I worked with & for! Our weekend training runs allowed me to keep in shape, also helped keep me in touch with all my regular running partners. Since then running has just not held the same excitement it had before...i guess now i'm doing it just for fitness' sake, whereas before it was a social thing as well. Also, our fundraising events were not only efforts to raise money for stroke research & advocacy programs, but were also social events. While I havent so much missed the stress of preparing for the events or finding time in my schedule to make all the training runs & meetings, I've missed everyone...so I'm hoping to see a lot of long-lost buddies at the event (in addition to helping them to raise some much-needed funds)!

On a side note....

I'd like to make an apology. Since the wal-mart rant/tirade (i bet you're thinking "oooh noo....dont get started on that again!!") :) I have realized that a lot of what I wrote may have hurt some feelings or have been taken in a way that it wasn't meant to be. I know that I have been known from time to time (umm...probably more than that) to act or speak first and think later...and after it happens and I realize it, i have a mental "D'oh!" moment...one of those "Crap! I didnt mean it to be taken like that!" moments. (I'm going to be 27 in a few days, and you think I would have learned a little bit by now...but i digress...) With that said, I am sincerely sorry if I stepped on any toes, or made any statements that were offensive or hurtful to anyone who might have read that. I was just venting my thoughts on the subject, and certainly didnt mean to make any judgements on anyone in particular (especially those of you i hold near & dear to my heart...) . I guess I didnt think that many people out there would be interested in my lil ole blog...but as one VERY wise person warned me, what you put in a blog is not ever assumed to be private...more people than you think, and people you probably arent aware of, will be reading so choose your words wisely. I promise to try and be more wise in the future.

Also--if you read something you disagree with, or have questions on, or just feel like being a wise guy, there is a little link at the end of all my posts for comments...they can be anonymous or not, so feel free! :)

love and hugs to all...

Short Week

Hm..so i guess it's time to quit ranting and get back to my ponderings on life...or at least, bet back to the daily grind and leave the editorials to the professionals. :)

So this weekend was a great one! It was truly the first weekend in FOREVER that I've had the time to just take the weekend as it comes, just pick & choose what I'm in the mood to do and just do that--nothing really scheduled, just takin it easy. I had Friday off from work, and instead of sleeping in and taking it easy (i am my mother's daughter, after all) :) I planned a bagillion things to do...what started out as being a great trail run with my friend Jason ended up being a short sprint and then a walk through the woods as he pointed out the different trees & how to identify them. Pretty interesting stuff! I really enjoyed that, actually...unfortunately i'm not the quickest learner and only remembered 2 trees--a locust tree--those things have HUGE thorns on them! ouch!--and a shag bark hickory...(did i get that right J? probly not...sorry...)
After that the rest of the day actually continued on at a nice leisurely pace. I met Beau & Leslie back at my place for lunch (mmm...thai...) and then after my dr appt i met up with work friends for happy hour. woohoo! Happy hour actually lasted 7 hours...some of us ended up going out afterwards although we were wise enough to head home before the bars closed.

Saturday I headed down to Leslie's mom's house to help her & leslie out with some yard work. It has been so long since I had a yard to work in, i actually miss out on all that stuff! We raked leaves, cleaned out & repaired some of the gutters, and washed windows. After that, we ordered bbq & had apple pie & chocolate ice cream for dessert, and lounged around working on our knitting, sewing and watching law and order. Is that a great day or what?! Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast, watched the chiefs gameday show, and then i headed home. It was such a pretty day--the forecast was for 'abundand sunshine'--i spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning my car inside & out. I figured, there wont be many of these days left, better take advantage! All in all, a pretty good weekend i think!

I'm off work for the next couple of days and sooo looking forward to it! As part of my benefits I get 2 days off a year with pay to volunteer, and cant think of a better way to spend the middle of my week...i'm working tomorrow with the american cancer society, and then wednesday with the american stroke association. Both causes are very near & dear to my heart...I wish I was able to spend all my time devoted to volunteering! I'll take pictures from both days & post them on the blog later this week. Something to look forward to! :)

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Goodness! Time sure flies when you're having fun....it's been a few days since i've blogged, almost a week! Sorry for being a slacker...

Today I think I'm the most unmotivated girl in Kansas City. So much so that i'm about to fall asleep on my desk rather than pay any attention to what is in my inbox, or the fact that the big red light on my phone is shining in vain...no i will not answer that voicemail today. :) My group here at work organized a food day today to celebrate thanksgiving, since this seems to be one of the last days this month that we are all here instead of on vacation for something or other. We have turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole (ew), cheesy potatoes, bread, pumpkin pie, cookies, and various other not-so-good for you dishes. My contribution to the day was 2 home-made apple pies. mmmm....imagine the kind that grandma makes, with the beautiful lattice tops...golden brown cinnamon-appley goodness...YUM!!!

In preparation for the day, I didnt eat anything all morning & went for a 4 mile run over my lunch hour to burn some calories...somehow that justifies eating my heart out when i got back from the run. Oh man, that stuff was good...I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving now! Except...the sleepiness from the turkey is starting to set in...any minute now my coworkers are going to hear this loud thud coming from my cube...yes, that was my head hitting the desk as i fell asleep. Nice!! :) And so...i have no motivation to do anything but muddle through the next couple of hours until i can go home & be lazy on the couch. I'd do anything for a nap right now!! :)

To battle the sleepiness I thought, hm...i should do something fun like write in the blog! There's no better way to lose loyal readers (yeah right...all i hear are crickets chirping out there... ;) ) than a few days of silence....so better get back to writing! So...here's some food for thought.

Reflections on the company from hell (a.k.a. Wal-Mart):

I was reading the stL Post Dispatch this morning and came across this article. It's about a lawsuit brought against Wal-mart (better known as The Devil) by some of its workers...apparently they have been forcing hourly employees to work off the clock, without breaks, and screwing them out of overtime. An interesting thing to note is that there have been lawsuits just like this one brought up in several states for pretty much the same charges...but the courts (until now-yay missouri!) have denied these cases class-action status, and so left them dead in the water. But hopefully this will change things!!

By now you probably realize I hate Wal-mart...there is nothing worse than walking into a store & being met by screaming children and their white trash ignorant parents, wandering aimlessly around the store doing nothing but trying to run you over with their shopping cart (not to mention running the gauntlet of a parking lot outside...these people pay just about as much attention when driving their cars as they do when steering their shopping carts or minding their screaming children). Talk about a pleasant shopping experience!! Not only that, having gone to college in a small rural Missouri town (shout out for Kirksville!), I have seen firsthand what Wal-mart stores do to the local economy of these small towns. They run small mom & pop stores out of business, and do very little to contribute back to the community in which they are making so much money in profits....they sap the originality, income and general happiness out of every town and person that sets their sights on that awful blight of a store. Furthermore, I have heard horror stories about the company's anti-union and shady labor practices....now, i'm not one of those gung-ho be union or be nothing people, but when workers' rights are being stepped on, and the company is scheming for ways to prevent employees from organizing as a group or to prevent a union from coming in and representing the employees, I have a problem. The way I see it, if the company is doing right by its employees, it should have no fear of an organization that has those same people's best interests at heart. It's no wonder they don't want their employees as members of an organization such as this, their abuses would have to come to an end!

Finally--one last point (and then i'll stop ranting, I promise)--I remember all too vividly the days when I had to work a job in retail making minimum wage. It SUCKS. The scheduling blows, the pay blows, the working conditions blow....every last bit of it just sucks. Can you imagine being someone who has to work at this place--it's not just a stepping stone while you're going to school, or an extra job for play money--you HAVE to work here...can you imagine how awful of a sentence that is? For some it is their only source of income, or one of many sources of income b/c working at this place doesnt come close to making ends meet. Also, whatever income they get quickly disappears because if they want insurance it is deducted before they even see what they earned in the first place! What the heck?? So now they are either without insurance, or without money for necessities like new shoes for the kids, the electric bill or repairs to their car (b/c who can afford anything but a hooptie on that salary??). On top of that miserable experience, lets take these people and make them work extra hours--but not pay them for the overtime....AND, lets make them work through lunch and skip their breaks because the productivity level is worth more than their health or happiness.

Bottom line--making money is more important than any employee on the payroll or community in which they have a store. If you have an ounce of community awareness in your body--do everyone (and yourself) a favor & shop at Target. Wal-Mart is the devil.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Ok...so i just got done writing a post...and the stupid website lost the whole darn thing!!! Awww MAN! I guess that will teach me not to save my work periodically. :(

*sigh*

Well, here's an attempt to recount what was in the blog...

Today was day 2 of a new workout schedule I started with this friend of mine at work. He's a guru of sorts when it comes to weight lifting, so i recruited his help. I've got the cardio thing down, now i want to work on toning. So, we're working out over our lunch hours, doing weights 2 days a week & then running on the others (alternating). Not a bad deal i think, i figure that whatever pain he dishes out during our weightlifting sessions, i can return with a session of hill repeats ( think we'd both be losing there, but whatever). :) Yesterday we started the new regimen by spending the whole of our lunch hour working on shoulders, biceps, upper back, and some other muscles I didnt know I had. They hurt now, that's how i know i have them...which is why it was such a good thing that today we went running. Something that doesnt involve the painful usage of my arms was definitely needed.

I suggested we run down in the west bottoms, which is a part of the city that used to be by the stockyards, next to the missouri river. now it is all industrial, so there's not much lunchhour traffic, and it's nice & flat....only downside is that it's located at the bottom of a reallly big hill. or shall i say, our office is on the top of a bluff...so you can imagine the hike we're in for to get back to work!! The road to get to the bottoms (and to get back to work) is about a mile long, and is one of those looong slowww hills, very painful; i'd say it's about a 30 degree incline. We had great weather--65 degrees, clear & sunny, not too breezy, just gorgeous, so the run overall wasnt bad at all. We talked about a ton of stuff, normal running jabber...what's new at work, what we're up to this weekend, exchanging fitness & nutrition ideas and theories...and then we found our way back to the hill. da da dum!!! then it was like crickets (you know, so quiet you can hear the crickets chirping?)...well, like wheezing crickets...we had to really concentrate to keep running all the way to the top. this guy was almost 100 yards ahead of me when he reached the top, and i'm thinking, here i am supposed to be showing him the ropes, and he's smokin me! well i'm not giving in! at the very least i will keep going, even if i am slower, and even if i can't breathe! breathing is for sissies! :) i think it nearly killed me. hehe...so much for an easy day at the gym!!

All was not lost though...we got in about 3 miles, and my new running partner said that he was glad I went along because it motivated him to do better than if he was just on his own on a treadmill at the gym. So...if 'letting' him (wink wink...yeah...i um...let him win...) beat me to the top of the hill helps build his confidence in running, by all means, the trophy is yours man! :) If it keeps me from having to run on my own, i'm okay with that....it's almost always better to have company than to head out on a run on your own.

With that said, i'm going to bed...these last 2 days have worn me out!!