Running for Fun

7 05 2013

That’s my goal for the year. Nothing else. While it would be fun to break a PR in some distance, that is not a goal this year. I just want to have fun. I think I’m over racing right now.

Once I dropped the Wisconsin Half from my schedule I realized the only races I have on my schedule are fun 5ks, three of which are connected to weddings. I think this says as much about my friends as it does me. I have the Tie the Knot Trot 5k next week, the day before two wonderful friend’s get married and then have a 5k in June as part of my friend’s bachlorette weekend and a 5k the day of another friend’s wedding. I kind of love that. And then in August I will be running the second annual Bacon Race. I mean who doesn’t want to run for Bacon? Ragnar isn’t really a race, it’s just a lot of fun.

5k

I never got into running for the medals or for the race bibs. I run because I enjoy it and it’s a good form of exercise for me. I frequently forget that I don’t need to have a race on the schedule, that I don’t need to run a certain distance. If I feel like running a half marathon this year I will, but otherwise I am not registering for anything.

Other than that I am just going to run. Run as fast and as far as I feel like. Run with friends. Run with groups. Run when I want to instead of when I have to.


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Brain Dump

25 04 2013

I want to want to run for hours at a time again. I look at half marathon times and can’t remember the last time I ran over an hour. Heck, an hour and half sounds nice. Of course that doesn’t go well when you don’t run. Instead I’m excited when I hold a sub 10 minute pace on a four mile run. I could blame the never ending winter. I could blame the rain. I shouldn’t blame any of it. It’s not that I’m not running. It’s that I’m barely running. I’m completely apathetic about it. Eh, a run. Sleep is so much better. Being warm is so much better. I am not running the Wisconsin Half, which would be flat out stupid. I thought I would be sad. I’m not. I think I’ll volunteer and cheer for my friends. I already have the time schedule away. Maybe it will motivate me to get off my ass and run more often. I need it to not feel like a chore.

Sara and Me waving to Marty and Annie. We did not practice our waves.

See, I do have fun running.

Ragnar is something like seven weeks away and I will not be horribly out of shape for it. That is decided. And the excitement is starting. We have a full team again. It’s been crazy, kind of like the first year, with people dropping and adding, but I think we have ended up with a good team. Over half of us have done multiple Ragnars. While I desperately want it to get warmer I really, really don’t want it to be a thousand degrees for Ragnar again. I just couldn’t handle it. That was miserable and flat out unsafe. I’m just glad that the excitement is building. I know it will be fun no matter what. I know it will be another adventure. I know there will be something that annoys the hell out of me and I will forget about it a month later. I know I will be tired. I know I will recover.

wpid-2012-06-08_12-18-17_646.jpg

This was probably the only moment all of us had the black t-shirts on. Never ever again.

Also, I wish I were still on vacation where it was warm.

P1000484


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Reflections

16 04 2013

I listen to Mike & Mike on ESPN radio most mornings. I turned it on like any other morning this morning. What was different, and surprised me, was that they were discussing the Boston Marathon and the tragedy of yesterday. I was expecting to listen to dribble about NBA, MLB, or NHL, three sports I don’t give a crap about. Instead I almost started crying again. They had a really good dialogue on the events of yesterday while I was listening.

This hit way too close to home for me as it has for most runners. I spent all of yesterday afternoon trying to not to burst into tears at my desk. When I received a text from my friend that she and her fiance were fine and had left the finish line before any of this took place I felt like I could breathe again, just for a moment. I spent the rest of the afternoon with a lump in my throat. I felt sick. I didn’t, and still don’t, know how to wrap my head around all of this.

Running and runners are a huge part of my life. This is a community I am proud to be a part of. The selfless acts of yesterday, by not only the running community, but the city of Boston, leaves me at a loss for words. The human kindness that comes out of these tragic events is amazing.

We all react to things differently and we all deal with tragedy in our own ways. I had to sign off of social media last night. I couldn’t keep reading it all.

I am eternally grateful that all the people I know who were in Boston yesterday are okay. I am horribly saddened that a happy day was marred with this tragedy.

But we, sadly, live in a world where these things happen. And how we react and respond matters. As I was reading things yesterday about things people wanted to do to in solidarity with the city of Boston I quickly had to remind myself of all of this. It’s not stupid just because it’s not something I would do. Let people react and act in a way that works for them.


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Never Ending Winter

11 04 2013

Our never ending winter is getting to me. Actually it’s getting to everyone. It sucks. It is April and feels like February. Mother Nature teases us with one or two nice days and then it’s disgusting and freezing again. I actually woke up the other morning due to the wind and rain and thought my house was going to blow away. It makes me not want to do anything. And it’s not like I wasn’t already having motivational issues. I like my couch, a lot. It’s comfy and warm when I have my down blanket. I’m sick of running in seven layers when I can actually run outside.

I finally broke down and joined a gym again. And then promptly remembered I hate the treadmill. I did run a measly three miles on it. I guess it’s better than nothing. Still not highly motivated to run though. And I do have a half marathon in a month. That will be interesting.

Things I am enjoying:

  • Seeing friends I haven’t seen in a long time
  • New beers
  • Planning adventures with friends
  • Running with Sara again
  • Snuggling on my couch
  • Knowing it has to get warmer eventually and if it doesn’t I will be in DC next month where Spring actually exists.
  • Planning for year three of Ragnar
  • Nashville, the TV show, not the city. I’ve never been to the city
  • Milwaukee Beer Week starts this weekend

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Another Year Older

20 03 2013

Today celebrates another birthday. I love birthdays. I love getting to celebrate with friends and family; lots of food and treats. This year I realized I really am growing up. It’s funny that at certain ages you think you are all grown up. I look back at 18 or 21 and realized how little I was aware of. When my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday the discussion was around a new vacuum cleaner, a Home Depot gift card and other things along this line. Who knew my late twenties would finally be when I started feeling like a grown up. I have no fears about turning 28. Another year older doesn’t bother me. (Let’s see what I say in two years, but as of right now 30 doesn’t scare me). I’m good with where my life is at right now. I have wonderful friends and a great family.

Instead of a baby picture this year I dug up a few from my 21st birthday. I was unlucky and turned 21 the Monday after spring break. Of course that didn’t stop us from celebrating. On the Friday of that week my wonderful friends managed to pull off a double surprise birthday for me and one of my roommates. Neither one of us had any idea. It was a blast. There was probably too much tequila and lots of dancing. Great way to celebrate.

I think this was my first legal drink: a margarita at Fridas.

I think this was my first legal drink: a margarita at Fridas.

21st Birthday Party

21st Birthday Party

21st bday3

Best Friends

There was a lot of tequila and a lot of dancing. I assume this is tequila being wiped off my arm.

There was a lot of tequila and a lot of dancing. I assume this is tequila being wiped off my arm.

One of my favorites. Still friends with all of these ladies.

One of my favorites. Still friends with all of these ladies.


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Lucky Leprechaun 7k

17 03 2013

This is the first year in four years that I haven’t run a March half marathon, specifically the National Half, which I still hate is now a Rock’n'Roll race. For obvious reasons it was not in the cards this year, but still sad to not run through my favorite city. Instead of running a half marathon I ran the inaugural Lucky Leprechaun 7k, yes a 7k. Now I don’t give a shit about St. Patty’s Day, but there was a fun race and I figured I could get back in shape for a 7k. Both of my parents ended up registering as well.

Now I did not go into this race thinking of it as a race or with excitement. Mother Nature is a confused bitch right now and we woke up to fresh snow and frigid temps on race morning. By chance my running windbreaker is green so I was all set. I met up with my parents near the start line. We all whined about the cold. I started questioning why on earth I paid money to run 4.3 miles. Basically I wanted to be anywhere else at that moment, mostly my bed. I shut up and ran once it started. The roads were slushy, snowy and slippery. Not exactly great for running. I ended up running with my mom the whole way. The first mile was SLOW due to the conditions and the crowds, but I decided to not dwell on it. Mile 2 we sped up some. And then we negative split on the way back. I’m super proud of my mom for our last 0.32 miles that we ran in at 8:46.

Lucky7k

I’m really glad I ran it. I had a blast running it with my mom. Would I do it again? Maybe. No desire to run in this shitty never ending winter anymore though. Good fun race for my last race at this age. I’m really hoping mother nature gives me a nice birthday present and actually brings spring this week, but I doubt that will happen.

Overall this was a great week. I ran three times and did #30DayShred 4 times. My vacation laziness seems to have finally worn off!


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Vacation Reading

7 03 2013

This is for those who asked what books I read last month. I read 14 books in February, 12 of them while on vacation. Some were good, some were weird, some were just bad.

I read Divergent and Insurgent after several people told me there were better than the Hunger Games Trilogy. I really liked them. I do not like that I have to wait until October for the next one.

I read Dead Until Dark, the first Sookie Stackhouse book (or for you TV people the first True Blood book). Kind of strange to read after having watched all of True Blood, but I still enjoyed it.

Next up was America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom. This is Meghan McCain and Ian Black’s book. I started it stack of booksawhile back, but had to stop when there was a section on guns and the Sandy Hook shooting has just taken place. I just couldn’t read the politics and experience all of that. Overall it was okay. Meghan McCain is one of the only Republicans I can read and listen to. I assume that has to do with her beliefs on gay marriage and her beliefs that some of the out-spoken a-holes in her party are exactly that. I’m not sure this book actually achieved what they wanted it to, and it got a bit long, but it was entertaining.

A Negotiated Marriage, not sure I should admit this one. It was brainless, mostly pointless, and definitely a beach read. I read it in one day.

The next one was intriguing; The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. It wasn’t at all what I thought it would be and I still don’t know how I feel about the ending.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - This is kind of about 9/11, but only kind of. And it’s through the eyes of a kid. I enjoyed this one. It was deep, complex and came together well. At times it was a bit hard to follow, but I think that was vacation brain.

The Millennium Trilogy - or Better known as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Books.  I know I’m several years late to the party on this one and actually had the books on my kindle for over a year, and for some reason decided vacation was the time to read them. I read all three books in six days. They captured me and I needed to find out what happened next. For anyone who only read the first book I highly recommend reading the other two. They get a lot deeper and a lot stranger, but hold you until the end.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, ugh, what a self-absorbed woman. This was our last book  club book and it took me three times to get past the first chapter. Not sure why I stuck with it. Oh no, your life was hard and you decided to hike. Gah. Save yourself the time and don’t read it.

Another brainless vacation read: From Notting Hill with Love… Actually. Nothing wrong with this one. It actually had a plot. Simple and a nice break after the previous reads.

This was bad, Faking It, yet didn’t end how I expected it to, so at least there’s that. The character’s (ok, some of them) actually had substance to them.

I have enjoyed a lot of Ann Patchett books. State of Wonder was different. It was too fantastical or something. It was interesting to be reading it at the end of my trip considering it took place in Brazil. There are many of her books I would recommend, not this one.

So that was February. Since getting home I have watched too much TV. My DVR is overwhelming me and I’m ready to start reading again.


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