trust issues

The first mile of a run is incredible! It is so easy! You can run like this forever! You are the best runner in the history of runners! And then somewhere in the second mile, you think maybe you were a bit optimistic. Maybe you should slow down a little. Pace yourself after all. And by the second to the last mile, you are hating running, hating yourself, wondering why your feet/knees/hips are screaming at you, where did that blister come from, wondering why you ever thought you could do this, and swearing you will never do anything so stupid again. And the interesting thing? It doesn't matter what the distance of the run is. If it's a 4-miler, that third mile is the killer. If it's a half-marathon, mile 11 to 12 is awful.

But then you come to that last sweet mile and it's a piece of cake. Kind of. But you know you can run one more mile in your sleep. You've done it dozens of times. (I'd say hundreds, but really.) I need to remember this tomorrow as I'm schlepping my ass around the lake for 10-12 miles.

Erin and Tim are in Omaha for a concert tomorrow, but tonight we're starting the weekend by using a Groupon we bought for a tour of Lucky Bucket, a local brewery. In addition to the beer we get while touring, we get 3 six-packs to take home. Or a bottle of their vodka. We may opt for the vodka.

Have a great weekend!

three thanks, april 17 2014

I am linking up with Emily at The Swallow Flies and Aly at Here Comes Happiness! for their weekly blog party: Three Thanks.

Without further adieu, here are my three thanks today:

ONE.  I am thankful for FaceTime. Because this:

I really didn't like FaceTime prior to last December 16. I mean, who wants to look at someone when you're talking to them on the phone? It's awkward, and have you ever seen yourself in the top right-hand screen?! When I'm on the phone, I'm usually cooking, cleaning, or just sitting on the patio with a glass of wine, and I don't want to have to hold the phone out in front of me at that perfect angle so I don't look like I have a double chin. And I don't want to be judged if I'm in still in my nightie at 10 a.m.  Or 2:30 p.m.

But then Brody was born, and FaceTime is the greatest invention ever!!! We talk to this little guy at least once a week. We get to see him, and he us. The changes in the past four months have been incredible, and being that they're 700 miles away, it's pretty cool to get to see him as he grows up.


TWO.  I am thankful for knitting.

Dishtowel made by my knitting guru, when we used to meet on Tuesdays. It's Wednesdays now. New towel needed?!

My knitting group grew out of a group of golfing girlfriends who wanted an excuse to get together during the off-season and drink wine. Several of them knew how to knit, but some of us didn't. I learned though.

Yep. I can knit baby hats!

I hate to sit and watch TV or a movie without doing something (don't want it to feel like a total waste of time), so when my hands are busy with needles I feel useful. It amazes me how basically tying knots in a length of yarn can make fabric. And some of that yarn - omg it feels so good! I have knit with cashmere, bamboo, silk, yarn made with seaweed, merino wool, angora...  Sometimes I go to our local yarn shop, Personal Threads, and just wander around and touch the yarn.

[Several years ago I told Alex that I was knitting him a winter scarf, and when he said he really didn't need one, I pulled out the "Jesus wore clothes that his mom knit." I was raised Catholic - I know how the guilt works! The one I made was a beautiful grey reversible cable knit out of a cashmere-silk blend that was positively yummy.]

THREE. I am thankful for my job. I really really really like what I do, but I am very thankful to work for such an amazing company. I know Hot Mama is a retail store, but it is so much more than that. It was started by Megan Tamte, who was so excited to shop for new clothes after the birth of her first child, and ended up being totally frustrated because none of the clerks understood the needs of new moms. She couldn't push her stroller around the store, she had a limited amount of time, and no one was listening to what she really wanted. So she created the store that had all that!

 Omaha Hot Mama at Regency

The company believes that making moms look and feel beautiful empowers them to be their best for their families and their communities. It reminds me of a quote from the book Three Cups of Tea by the (now discredited) Greg Mortenson. He was talking about the Middle East, and he said that if you really want to change a culture to empower women, you start with educating girls. Okay, now that I see that in print I don't know why the two are related, except that I feel that the mom who feels good about herself is the mom who has the power to change the world. And I am stealing directly from the Hot Mama manifesto, which is printed on the back of every tag in the store.

If you've ever shopped at a Hot Mama, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't - run to your nearest boutique or shop online at shopmama.com. The stylists will take time to get to know you, what clothes you feel comfortable in, and will be honest about how something looks. They will build a relationship with you. And for me, those girls get me out of my comfort zone by having me try on fun new jewelry or - gasp - skinny jeans. And I tell you, I love my AG Primas! 

So that's it for today, but I can't close without saying Happy Birthday to Aly, my favorite daughter-in-law! I'm so happy you were born!!

woefully unprepared

So what I'm wondering is how much the half marathon I'm running in two-and-a-half weeks (eek!!!) is going to hurt. Both of the other races of that distance that I've done have been in October, giving me all summer to prepare. And while we haven't had the snow that much of the country has, it's been plenty cold. Need more excuses? The windchill is way below zero. My ovary is broken. My knee hurts. I hate running on the treadmill. I'm too tired. I haven't fueled properly. I haven't been sleeping well. I have the black lung - for six weeks. And yada yada yada... With no one to blame but myself. I have some long runs in, but nowhere near enough miles to feel comfortable. I guess we'll see...

What I'm going to do is two shorter runs (4 miles) this week, with a long run (10-12 miles) this weekend, then two more 4-milers next week with 6-8 on the weekend, then a week of tapering, then thirteenpointfreakinone.

And speaking of fueling, while our house is full of healthy food, all I really want are dark chocolate sea salt caramels. I need to get this figured out - and fast! I've been trying to eat a good breakfast and then a semi-good lunch at work (usually a Special K protein drink, granola bar, some nuts, and carrot and/or celery sticks), but I am pretty darn hungry come dinner, which usually goes like this:

I am giving Emily's Whole30 more and more thought, since she is rarely hungry and sleeps really well. That last point alone might sell me on the program! It will have to be after the half, though - one thing I'm not going to mess with is fueling for the race. I may not have the running part figured out, but I sure have the eating part down.

While my hours at work aren't conducive to sitting down and having a real lunch, you know what results I do have? Muscles. I lift lots and lots of boxes and carry armfuls of clothes. I look up our expected UPS deliveries each day, and the total weight is included. I had a 218-pound day recently! And do you have any idea how heavy ten pairs of jeans are? Now if you ignore the flabby lunch-lady triceps, check out these biceps:

Some breakfasts:  Emily swears by scrambled eggs and blueberries, prepared just like it sounds. I made it the other day and it was - okay. I think I'd rather have scrambled eggs with a side of blueberries instead of them all mixed in and warm, but it did keep me full.

This was so yummy: bagel thin with a thin layer of light cream cheese and some smoked salmon (thank you, Costco!) with a side of berries. Mmmmm.... I'm thinking about tomorrow's breakfast already.

Time to go plop down and watch The Voice. Have an equally fun night!