the good, the bad, and the ugly

I had the privilege of babysitting my beautiful niece on Friday night and although I only got to spend 40 minutes with her before she wanted to go to bed for the night, it was very good for my soul.

I got to watch her eat some avocado and I got some quiet time to read after she went to sleep.  It was a great start to the weekend.

Then Saturday was my scheduled long run.  It was only supposed to be in the teens during the early morning so we waited until ten to go and I think that through my body off a bit.  I walked a lot of the 15.5 miles I did and my plan called for 17 miles.  It was hard not to be discouraged, but I have 11 weeks to go before the race and I know that is plenty of time to kill some long runs.

I spent a lot of time at home Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  We played games with the kids and colored some with Josh.

I loved watching Julianna help her brother navigate some computer games while I read some more. And I loved staying in PJs for a large part of the day.

Sunday night Jonathan and I went to dinner sans kids which is always glorious.  We tried to go to the new Mission Pizza Napoletana but it's not open on Sundays so we ended up at Mellow Mushroom.

Final thoughts for this Monday morning: I'm thinking about getting bangs. Would love to know your thoughts on bangs today. Trendy or just no?

then and now: pet edition

January 2014

January 2013

January 2014

January 2010

January 2009

January 2014

July 2013

up to

praying:
For ridiculous faith like Elisha. I finished reading this prophet's story in 2 Kings and have been aspiring for such faith ever since I finished the study.

anticipating:
the Winter Olympics and multiple trips to the beach after my marathon (I know those things look funny side by side but it's the truth so there it is)

visiting:
For Christmas my sister gave us a NC Zoo membership and we spent the gorgeous day yesterday visiting some animals. At one point Josh declared, "Come on, people! Those animals haven't moved for like a hundred years!"

reading:
My iPod died and I lost several audio books that I was in the middle of. I find it harder to squeeze in time to read a "real" book but nevertheless I have just finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (which was delightful, BTW) and am re-starting The Cuckoo's Calling.

coveting:
We recently had a toilet completely crack in our house and we've had to replace it and wait on the new one to come... lots of problems with the store and the new one that came in was broken, etc. Then we decided to take the nasty wallpaper down while the toilet was out. In addition, I've had several friends move within the last year or so and watching their house decorating progress develop on social media has me coveting new hardwood floors, kitchen counter tops, and new appliances.  Maybe one day.

wishing:
for snow and days out of school

trying:
Doing my best to eat these seven sickness fighting foods. It seems like I've been more sick this winter than usual and I'm trying to do what I can to remedy that. But these are delicious:

mulling over:
I just read this article: How to Destroy Your Child's Heart and Trust -- One Facebook Post at a Time and I've been sitting here contemplating all of those Facebook posts that I've chuckled at where parents have shamed their children for making bad choices. I sure hope that I resist the temptation to mock my children when they make mistakes.

stories

Spotting a homeless woman near the local K&W cafeteria on a very cold day recently, the kids and I had a short little conversation about what it means to be homeless and what living like that would be like. Julianna understood most of what we were talking about before we even said any of it, but Josh I realized hadn't thought much about homeless people.  It became especially evident when he asked, "But Mom! What happens if she wants to go to New York?!"

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The other day Josh asked when we could go back to the ice cream place where you get your "ice cream in the little ketchup cups."  I know he was talking about the Froyo places but I kinda love how he referred to it.

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Josh wants me to teach him how to "make his eyes go in a circle."  Really.  He wants me to teach him to roll his eyes.

Meanwhile Julianna is in the back seat teaching him that if he wants something he should say, "Quadruple pretty, please with a triple cherry on top" while batting his eyelashes.

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A "commercial" came on the cartoon channel that was basically a little girl talking and telling about, well, something I can't remember but she mentioned that she lived somewhere in SC and Julianna said, "Mom, look! She lives in South Carolina!"

Then Josh asked, "Is she real?!"

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it's amazing

It's amazing how, when you don't want to run, but you make yourself go anyway and God shows you this:

And this:

(And deer that refused to be photographed.)

And He gives you the freshest, most cool air on your face that feels just like the washing away of worry.

things I love

I did not love this at first, but after several weeks of wearing it I am finding that it is delightful.  I got this inexpensive nail polish for Christmas in two different colors. Now it seems to only be available at Amazon.

I found this link to Winter Olympics posters. Very cool. I think my favorite is the 1968 one.

I got a very much needed new pillow a week or two ago and I am officially in love.  It had high reviews and it said it was especially for side sleepers and it is wonderful.

I like doodling on these pages. My kids aren't that interested, but I like to color them.

I'm loving this scented shower gel from Bath and Body Works. It's been a while since I've had new shower gel which is always fun. I am really liking the new caps on the bottles as well and the new scents.

What are some things you love? Get anything new for the holidays that you can recommend? Or have you just happened upon something nice lately that I should check out?

Monday: by the numbers

1 indoor fort built
1,320 papers to grade
33.5 miles run this week
5.75 hours of sleep I got last night
2 children with ear infections
96 days of school left
6 books I have started in the last month that I have not finished
1 dead iPod
15 mini m&m's Julianna tried to swallow last week to help her learn how to swallow pills
1972 calories I burned during my long run this weekend

Now, give me one of your "numbers" in the comments.

this marathon training thing is hard, y'all

This is my blog so I can whine a bit, right?  Good.

So Kristine and I did the Frosty 50 (25k) last Saturday morning. It was 17 degrees out which is super cold for us North Carolinians. It was the coldest temperature I have ever run in. We were just using this event as a training run not as a race so we knew we weren't going to worry about time and we just wanted to get through the run.

brrr!

about to start

I finished in 3 hours 3 minutes and had to walk quite a bit at the end. I didn't mind the walking and wasn't going to be hard on myself about it. I know I could do it faster but it was a PR for me no matter what.

first race bling of 2014

Was sore some on Saturday, back to normal feeling on Sunday and then went to the Y for a treadmill run on Monday since the low that night was supposed to be 5 degrees. During my treadmill run my left knee started hurting pretty badly.  I kept running a bit and it eased up. After a mile or so the pain went away so I finished 4 miles and went swimming with the kids.

blurry treadmill shot

Tuesday I was supposed to do speedwork but again the weather was not cooperating. The temperature was about 14 degrees and I got on our treadmill at home. After about 1.5 miles my left knee started hurting.  I tried to do what I had done the day before and just take it easy a bit and see if the pain got any better.  It didn't so at about 2.5 miles I quit and walked on it some. I tried running several more times to see if it would go away and I couldn't run without limping.  I made my way to almost 4 miles and decided I had to quit.  The whole next day my knee hurt every time I walked down stairs.

I know that I'm going to have lots of increased aches and pains with increased mileage, but I definitely don't want to get injured.  I also know that the knee thing was not just a minor ache. I could hardly walk on it for a short time.

I skipped my Wednesday run and tried again last night (Thursday). It was warm enough to head outside so I ran my usual 5k loop near my house and since the knee felt okay I did it twice to get my scheduled training run in. I don't know if it was because I was back outside on the roads again and not the treadmill or was it just that I was so cold I didn't notice or that I went slower than normal....? I don't know what it was but my knee was fine. I still feel a twinge of pain when I go down steps, but I feel an even bigger amount of relief that it is better than it was. Like, gigantic gobs of relief.  Didn't realize how much tension I was carrying because of the threat of missing some runs....

Now, I feel like I have to say it. I know I could possibly avoid some aches and pains if I didn't have so much extra weight to carry.  I mean, how many marathoners are 15 - 20 pounds overweight? Seriously. I bet it's not many. But I can't concentrate on losing weight when I'm trying to make sure my body has enough fuel for a 4 hour run.

Right now I'm just holding on to a song lyric that was mentioned (ironically) in the latest Fleet Feet newsletter than came to my inbox. It's a song by Sidewalk Prophets that I've heard numerous times but not paid much attention to the lyrics.

If there’s a road I should walk
Help me find it
If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment
Whatever Your will
Whatever Your will
Can you help me find it
Can you help me find it

Any other words of advice you can offer?

links i love

If you haven't joined Earndit yet, you totally should. You earn points for exercising and then redeem the points for cool prizes and products. Personally, I don't ever really redeem my points for products but I do enter the contests with my points. This month they're giving away a really amazing week-long trip to a resort in Utah plus $500 towards airfare.  My sister won a pretty nice coat from Marmot through Earndit and we didn't do anything besides the exercise that we would have already done anyway. So go sign up!

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Locals, this is what they're doing  near my house.



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I've been reading the YouVersion devotional about Elisha. It's teaching me a lot about having loads of FAITH and I'm finding it to be an encouraging study to do at the beginning of the year when many of us are starting new journeys and tackling new scary challenges (like marathon training). "Only God can send the water, but he wants you to dig the ditches." I highly recommend it!

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Our local library offers free music downloads through a site called Freegal.  They let you download three songs each week and they've got quite a selection.

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Another one for locals: The Big Eat is back again for 2014 and lots of restaurants are on board. Check it out and go get some good food!

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This one is not really a link but I have to include it anyway.  Dumb Ways to Die This app is free on Android (like most) and is entirely a time-waster, but alas [sigh] it is also addictive. If you're into mindless challenges for when you're sitting in a waiting room or a carpool line you should check it out.

goals, version twenty fourteen

Last year I resolved to

(Achievements in parentheses)

• read 40 books (not by a long shot, only 23 I think)
• get more involved at church (small group leaders each week = CHECK)
• run at least one half marathon and complete at least one triathlon (CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, and CHECK)
• take my kids to Disney World (CHECK)
• (re)read New Testament gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (I made it all the way through Matthew and almost finished Mark. Then I stopped.)
• spend more time taking care of my physical living space (big FAIL)
• sell a bunch of my crafting junk (another FAIL)
• lose 15 more pounds and maintain that loss as well as the thirty I've already lost (maintain? CHECK, lose more? not a bit)
• plan a couple of trips to states I've never visited (not necessarily go, but at least plan) (NOPE)

Well, it looks like I did a poor job of meeting my goals for this year. It actually seems to be the worst year I've done with resolutions in a long time.

Now that I've written it all out it inspires me to do better this year. Which brings me to...

2014 GOALS:

• drink less coffee
• run a marathon
• read 40 books
• spend less money on crap I already have
• wear my hair in a ponytail less
• finally get rid of the Appletini mix that's been in my fridge since something like 2007
• lose 15 more pounds (unfortunately, I think this one holds a permanent spot on my resolution list)

Now, let's be real. All of these resolutions will take up about 5% of my goal-setting-and-keeping energy except that second one. That second one will take an obscene amount of work and I'm scared to death of it, but I'm going to do my best.  Then maybe next year my resolutions for 2015 can be a tad more specific and measurable than "wear my hair in a ponytail less."

Happy New Year, Y'all!