Afoot and Light-Hearted...

This weekend I will be traveling to New York State to run a 5K with an old friend of mine. The wonders of Facebook and other social networking sites have brought together a lot of people from my past, many of which I didn't believe I would have a chance to see again otherwise. We go back a long time..... This weekend, I believe it will be her first 5K (or at least her first 5K in a long time). It got me thinking about my own first 5K - Ayer Turkey Trot, November 2007. The cold air and the dampness of a morning rain made standing at the start up an adventure. No one could tell if I was shivering from the cold or from nerves. As we began the run I had no knowledge of the course nor what was in store for me. Coming upon the sign for Mile 1 was a welcome site, however I was also thinking "ONLY Mile 1?" As we got closer to the end, they threw in a few hills, which may as well have been "Heartbreak Hill" to those of us who were novices to the run/course. We made i...

This morning I woke up and as I was getting myself ready for work I stepped on the scale (which I only do once or twice at the most per week). I noticed that the scale was on or around the same weight it has been for some time. It's very frustrating to see this. It's not easy for me to see this. I work hard - I eat well. I take my own advice and keep my eye on the future. I am healthy, active and in the best shape of my entire life. I am halfway through a 12 week 1/2 Marathon Training Plan. So why do I feel like a failure when I don't see results on the scale? Possible Solutions: a) throw the scale out the window b) continue to do what you are doing and know you lead a healthy life c) live on celery and asparagus with a water chaser. We know that the answer is "B" as why would I choose otherwise. I like my life now and I enjoy the choices that I have made and the results I have seen so far. So just as I have done every day...I will continue on this jour...

This past weekend I was able to get in another 8-mile run. It wasn't a fluke the week before, I was able to do it again! Before these past two weeks, my longest run (and I only did it once) was 9 miles. Having completed two full 8 mile runs is proof that I am making good progress and that I am ready to move on after this week (going to do one more week of 8 miles before going to 10) Feeling pretty good about my training at this point - here I am at 3 months post-surgery and I am already half way back to a half marathon run. Couldn't be more proud of myself I must say - and the half marathon isn't until October :) This week I started with a 3 mile Monday morning run (ugh) but I am always happy to get that one done, it sets the stage for the day and I am not sluggish afterward. good oatmeal with apples and cinnamon this morning afterward - always a treat. Pork roast in the crock pot for dinner, prep work done the for meals to come this week. Love it! This weekend I am tr...

Well here we are again .....Thursday is my favorite day of the week. I don't really have a reason - other than it's like "Friday Eve". This morning I had my five (5) mile run. I felt great...it was a bit chilly but I got it done nonetheless. Most of my run was done on side roads where I took advantage of some sidewalks where the road was narrow. Admittedly, I like running on the side of the road. In the winter, I would find that a lot of sidewalks were not clear, however, the roads were. There has been a whole 'study' done (by folks with PhD's in their names) and I believe they found a lot of folks prefer the shoulder of the road over the sidewalk because of the feel/impact. I get that......I also don't need to dodge a new mom steering their stroller or the dog walkers.... I don't mind the side of the road. This morning, while I turned my run to a main road...I found myself approaching a corner/road crossing. As I drew closer, I noticed a car s...

This past Saturday, I received word that my father had passed away. This news was not a shock to me as I knew he was in poor health and that he didn't take care of himself. A lifetime of alcoholism and smoking working against him.... My father and I have been broken for a long time. Our history is rough. Through years of tears, anger and a lot of therapy I had learned to 'mourn' his loss some time ago. His real passing was not as hard on me as others; for those that don't understand that I am sorry. Being an adult child of an alcoholic is hard - where did the alcohol end and he begin? Did he mean everything he said to me? Did he really not 'remember' all of it? As a child, I was afraid of him. He was quick with criticism and barely provided any praise. Alcoholism at it's finest - and no one really 'talked' about it like they do today....we all had to endure.....too bad really. As an adult, things weren't much better. The only defense I h...

This weekend is my official kick off to my race/run season. Even though I have been running faithfully all winter, this is the season with the timed runs and the technical t-shirts :) This is when I get to run with a few thousand of my closest friends. This is the fun part. Janis Bresnihan 5K Run for Education is this Saturday. This run is personal to me in that 3 years ago I let it get to me (road pollen got me mostly) and I failed to finish. NEVER again. I run it because I have to prove it to the running 'gods' that it was a fluke only that I didn't finish it. Following this I have a few more 5K runs that I will use to help just keep me in line with my training. One in particular has me driving out to Saratoga, NY to run with a very old and dear friend of mine from my childhood. She claims I inspired her........but her choosing to run this has inspired me in kind. On another note, I am now on week 4 of my 1/2 marathon training. Oh yeah, there is that. Registration...

Humidity - Grey - New England. Yuck. I went for a run this morning, just a short one as my plan calls for only 3 miles on a Monday. Whoever developed this plan 'gets it'. Start short and build up as you move along. Lunch box packed and getting myself focused. No more traveling for work for some time so no reason to 'stray' other than the occasional ice cream. Hell, if I can't have ice cream once in a while in the summer.....what's it all for. More later....maybe when the sun comes out. Until then.....