Afoot and Light-Hearted...

My husband went away for a long "guys only" camping trip to Colorado - leaving me on my own with my daughter. My daughter, of course, filled her social calendar (all of it not including me). Friday night I enjoyed a later day/evening run. I found fairly early on into the run that the road held in a lot of the heat from the day's sun and it wasn't as enjoyable as my morning runs around the pond where I greet the sunrise and enjoy the nice slight coolness in the summer morning. After my run I enjoyed a quick shower and a pizza with a movie....falling asleep slightly after 10pm and sleeping a little late the next morning. Waking up in an empty house was calming....even the puppy enjoyed our extra time sleeping Saturday morning I had another run for myself, this time a little over 4 miles. I have found that at this time of year it may be hard to get in over an hour or so with the summer heat and the time of day I choose to run. Until the Falmouth race in August, I wi...

Sunday evening and here I sit....had a very nice weekend. Nothing too crazy, nothing too boring. Caught a movie with hubby on Friday night and had a 'stay in' date on Saturday night courtesy of a last minute sleepover.... ...I did not get in my long run this weekend...and for that I must now beat up myself. Saturday morning calls for a long run (lately 8-9 miles). On Saturday morning, it was raining at a pretty steady clip so I thought I would wait....and well one thing led to another and I couldn't make it out before we had to head out for other plans. Sunday morning, waking up late (almost 10 am) I opted for some pancakes and sausage with my husband and took advantage of a quiet house for a change.... ...as I sit here now I know you are all saying 'don't beat yourself up' and 'you deserve a break' ....and for that I agree. I just hate when I know I am going to beat myself up over it..... I have always been the one to take care of everyone else...that ...

"Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose." - Walt Whitman It never ceases to amaze me how much I notice now that I have become a runner I admit it finally - My Name is Heather Hasz, and I am a runner. Interesting the things I am now seeing in the neighborhood and environment around me that I take for granted when I sit behind the wheel of my car. Noticing the small brooks, beaver lodges and other small tokens of nature that have been passed without pause as I make the mad dash from school to home or to the market for milk. Things that have gone unseen by many I am sure....we are busy right? This morning, shortly before 7am and as I hit mile 3, I crested a hill near our school complex, mind you a school complex that is VERY busy after 7am. As I began my descent, I happened upon a deer....and it stood there and let me pass. It didn't run - it watched me. Kinda cool ri...

Just a follow up to my rant last night.... After resetting my own head, and reading some nice responses received as a result of my blog posting last night and this morning I had a chance to speak with my little 'bundle of joy' before going to bed last night. It was one of the best conversations we have ever had. Sometimes, a little spat can turn into something more - and I don't mean that in a negative way. Sometimes a little spat can make you realize that perhaps you or your counterpart overreacted, perhaps things were said that immediately brought regret - sometimes a little spat and the time afterward bring pause to think about the whole situation. A long time ago, someone once told me that I should be a 'mom' and not a 'friend'....and someone else said that in response to my post last night. ....and it's GREAT advice by the way that oft gets stuck some place else. I think we all get lost in that on occasion - perhaps it's the times we live in. ...

When I was twenty four, I lost my husband to colon cancer when I was five months pregnant with my daughter Abbey. For years I had watched those around me in my community as well as in high school have babies (some younger than I). As I grew up and reached adulthood, I felt great pride in the fact that I had waited until I was married with a stable foundation before I had thoughts of starting a family. Then he died. And I was ultimately left a single parent. All of the planning and working toward this dream changed. I was no longer going to be able to take that nice little 'part time job to keep my mind busy' as we had planned. No, the reality was that I was going to be 100% responsible for raising this child....there would be no weekend visits, no 'every other' holiday arrangements, no one to take care when I was sick or to take a sick day when she was also sick. It was all on me. And I did it. I did it better than most two parent families do it. I was the living...