I Dreamt about Another Man

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it's not going to get better.  It's not.

 

 

We have been living The Lorax since it's release on dvd.  I mean last night my dreams were filled with an extremely long legged man in green dancing around singing, "...how ba-ah-ah-ah-ad can I be?"  I don't think I should be doing anything aside from running so often that I start dreaming about it and humming it subconsciously.

But having that movie in my mind so much did get me thinking about that Unless.  How it applies to everything in my live.  I can't make anyone other than myself to do anything.

Life has tried to teach me this.  I got engaged to the perfect man.  Well, for all but those few things that annoyed me and I silently thought I would change him after we are married.   But once we are married I realize that I had to come to love those things as predictable pieces of my mate if I wanted our marriage to survive. 

 

Then comes children to revisit the lesson.  As babies they try to teach me that lesson.  They won't even sleep when I want them to.  As a toddler they wouldn't do anything I wanted them to. Forget about teenagers.  They don't even hear what I am telling them.   Yet still I try to get everyone else to do things I want them to.  And I still often try to accomplish this without actually telling anyone what it is I actually want them to do.  Have you ever done that?  Expected your family to simply know that you needed XYZ because they should know you?!  Me = guilty.

 

Which brings me to my point.  If it is true that unless someone like ME cares a whole awful lot, it's not going to get better.  It's not.  Then I had better start caring enough to open my mouth and tell those around me that what I need. 

 

How will I do this?  First I won't wait for the super secret spy to offer to "watch" the kids so I can run on the trails without the jogger, I will plan evenings when I know his work schedule will allow it and I will greet him at the door after work and tell him that I am off to run.  I will help the kids understand that mommy has "business hours," meaning that if you want mommy to help with homework, story time, baths, snacks, play or whatever it must happen before a certain time.  Sound harsh?  It shouldn't. 

 

If I can only change one person than I better make sure that I am making that one person the BEST person I can.  Because although I can not make anyone else DO anything, I know that through being an example I can help mold those around me.  And I am not tiring to mold door mats. 

although this one is a great one!

 

One Word Wednesday

 

 

Unless

One Found Sock Monkey and Other Randomness

 

There was so much fabulous around here I'll have to bullet it all to keep from writing a novel. 

• The phone rings.  The super secret spy is having someone over for dinner.  Is that ok?  That evening.  Loved that I was able to pull it all off!

 

• Things I find while running: A silver Christmas ornament, a pair of barbie sunglasses, a metal toy airplane, a laundry basket full of little boy undershorts, a pastel striped sock monkey. 
 



• LBM slept in his own bed last night.  Enough said.
•  The super secret spy starts a new temporary job in one week.  It is something he will love doing.  Fingers crossed that he does a fabulous job and makes the switch permanent.
• My Palm Pre was on it's last leg so the super secret spy took the new phone need opportunity and moved me to Virgin Mobile.  They suck.  There's a Facebook Page.  Go prove me right.  The HTC phone via Virgin Mobile, it sucks.  What did you really think I would have gone all weekend and it was all fabulous?  Seriously.

• I have watched The Lorax half a dozen times over the weekend.  My children are addicted.  And even though we have more than enough tvs in this house I am watching it too and liking it.  I'll never grow up.

 

• I torn my shoe when I fell on the trail a few weeks ago.  I have kept wearing those shoes now both shoes have holes in them.  I guess it's time to break out a new pair.  Maybe these babies?

I wonder if Saucony will ever forgive me?

Let Sleeping Babies Lie

Today is Day 838

 

With only three wake ups since school started it may be a little early to say I've settled into a routine but I was able to get out for at least one run a day with a semi-cooperative LBM. 

 

One thing I have already learned is to take advantage of every opportunity.  Take this morning.  After dropping S'ghetti Girl at school, LBM and I returned home to start his preschool day.  He was less than excited about it as he fell sleep on the ride back from morning drop off.  Since he did so well sticking to our schedule yesterday, I decided to keep him awake so I sat him in the living room while I ran upstairs.  That's all it took.  2 minutes to brush my teeth and he was asleep again.

 

Ugh!  What to do?  What to do?  I knew he was tired since our ac upstairs decided to conk out yesterday leaving our bedrooms toasty.  I debated about waking him.  I thought about pulling on my running clothes and running up and down our driveway.  I considered doing some Insanity.  In the end I figured he wouldn't sleep long in the bright sun-filled living room so I did what any normal person would do.  I got a cup of coffee and sat down at my computer.

 

Close to two hours later I have accomplished very little outside of sitting in front of my computer.  Ugh!  Another opportunity to get something, anything done and I didn't see it.    I did actually get a few household chores done that otherwise would have just been put off until....later?  Because if I had a treadmill I would have filled my time with running in one place. 

 

Speaking of not having a treadmill, I am looking at an option.  An incline trainer.  Ever used one?  What did you think?  Any thoughts on how an incline trainer holds up?

 

So before this little morning nap enters it's second hour I better do the unthinkable and wake a sleeping little one.  Ugh!  If only I had put him in the jogger after school drop off.  Now that would have been smart thinking!

 

What has been your biggest new routine screw up? 

Help me feel like I am not alone in this and share.

An Open Letter to my new 6th Grader

 

This day didn't come the way I thought it would.  I thought you'd be going off to become a middle schooler at the same place I did.  In our quiet little town you'd be heading off into a somewhat more grown up world surrounded by lifelong friends and family.  Instead you my fearless daughter charged off happily into this adventure in a new place. 

 

Your fearlessness makes me so proud.  It's odd how a mother can wish to be more like her daughter but I do.  You are such a wonderful example of how to live a life.  You told me this morning that you were excited and not scared or nervous at all.  You rambled on about ideas of how you will make great new friends and I know that you will.

 

Today will only be a difficult day for me.  You will come home with hours of stories to tell of all the great and funny things that happened in your day.  You make me so proud to be your mother! 

 

As you go off into this middle school world, remember to change those around you.  Don't let them change the wonderful person you are.  I know you have so many ideas for how to make your class and school everything you want it to be.

 

 

Your courage, creativity and caring personality make you such a special person.  I know that you will be just as successful as a 6th grade as you have been in your first 6 years of school no matter where life take us.

 

As you go off into this exciting new chapter, know that we are so proud of the person you are.  

 We love you.

 

 

That's it

That's it.  My 8.06 mile wake up run this morning was it. 

 That will be my last wake up run before school starts.  Beginning tomorrow morning I will have to - again - adjust the schedule.  It's the same every year just when I get into a solid routine with the kids at home the summer ends and I have to change.  This year I have a bigger wrinkle in the routine. 

I will be at home.

with LBM.

That should mean that I can get my run done when ever but it doesn't.  I will have to figure out if A) I can get up at dark o-thirty to run and be back before hubbs has to leave for work. B) I can wait until after S'ghetti Girl is taken to school and run with LBM in the jogger.  C)  I can get and run on a treadmill  D)  I can run after Hubbs is home from work.

For the first few days of school getting S'ghetti Girl on a routine will be more important than working out my own routine.  LBM and I will probably not offically start his preschool work until next week.  But I will need a plan.  I like my ducks in a row.  So for all those SAHM'ers out there what is your daily routine when you have to include taxi'ing kids to school, homeschooling others AND getting your workouts done?

As for today, we will be squeezing out every last drop of summer vacation as the kids enjoy a lazy day around the pool. 

Something had to give

We have been back to reality for a day and I already miss the cool soft running of the beach.  Running on the beach is such a great workout.  Every year I do the same thing.  Over do it.  I don't mean to do too much but I just enjoy it so much.  Even though I only ran 40 miles last week that was still way too much running barefoot on sand. 

After a week of too much sun, sand, wind and food with too little sleep, water, recovery or quiet; I came home with more than a bag of shells and sand in my shoes.  I came home with the flu.  I spend the majority of yesterday trying to nap if napping is defined as laying down on the couch with a 3 year old climbing all over you.  I did go for a short run.  My thought was maybe if I worked up a sweat I might feel better.  Nope 2 miles later I still felt like I just wanted to sleep. 

This morning I woke up feeling slightly better.  So I decided to get up early and go for my run while it was still cool.  Even though my average pace was a 9 minute mile I felt like I was giving it my all.  That was just all I had.  When I returned home I realized that 5 miles might have been a little too much too soon. 

It's hard to decide when you are too sick to workout.  For me it's easy to get sucked into that great feeling of pushing myself while I am running.  But remembering when to push and when to pull back is critical to a lifetime of safe and healthy running.

Do you know when you are "too sick" to run?

Do you keep up with your running while you are on vacation?

How do you adjust your workouts when you have the sniffles?

Do you feel like you have to get back to your workout routine after a tiring vacation?

Addictive Personality

Do you ever find yourself setting off for a run and end up running more than you've planned?  I rarely ever have a concrete plan of how many miles I will run when I set out other than a minimum number that I will run.  
That is how I set out this morning.  Knowing I'd do at least 6 but really feeling the run from yesterday and the extra effort from the past 4 days of running on the sand.  But I set out as the sun was rising and what was a mildly annoying requirement in my day became a mission in seeing what was just a little farther up the beach and then just a little farther.  
As the sun broke than the morning haze and the day grew warmer I realized that I still had to run the return trip back.  I still had a day full of things to do and family waiting, well those who would be awake anyway.  I turned knowing that tomorrow the call to keep moving forward migt have me going past where I went today but that was okay.  There is just something inside me that needs to know what is out there.  Out there cross that creek, around that turn, through that forest or simply farther up the beach.  
Everyday I indulge that need I am never disappointed.  I always find something amazing for having gone.  A view, a shell, a peaceful mood for the day.  All because I went just a little farther.
What do you think you could find if you just pushed a little farther?  Would today be a great day to find out?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

821 Days

821 days ago I went for a run.  There wasn't anything special about the repeated placement of one foot in front of the other.  It simply was something I had been doing most days for over 20 years.  But that morning and evening when I ran I decided that I was going to make time every day to remember that I need to be something other than just the list of nouns others view me by.  So the next day I ran.  Then the next day I did it again.
All that isn't really anything usual until I think about the fact that it's still going on.  Every day without fail.  Many days I'm eager for my run.  Other days I only look forward to it being over.  But come snow or sun, rain or wind I've found a way to enjoy that time to be Shelly. Simply Shelly.  So my way to be the most Me is running, yours might be reading, shopping, swimming or getting your nails done.  Isn't today a wonderful day to remove the nouns from your day - for a little while - and reconnect with who you really want to be?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Yeah Dude!

So last night Biking Sherpa and I hit the beach after an amazing meal @Dead Freddy's.  It was late to be starting out so we didn't have many places that had any lights on toward the beach.  
The surf had been rough all day long so the beach was washed away at a very steep angle.  We chatted as we made our way down the beach.  I fell once. Yeah Miss Grace.  
We went past a couple fisherman using long poles.  We easily slipped under their lines.  The tide marched farther in.  We passed two long poles anchored in the sand.  Their only company were two empty beach chairs and the waves the took the sand bit by bit back into the ocean.
I asked Biking Sherpa if we should move them back.  She didn't think we should move them so on we went.
On the return trip back up the beach, we once again encountered the lonely poles.  This time I moved the chairs back out of the surf but agreed that the poles with dangling hooks were probably better moved by someone familar with them.  
So as anyone normal person would do, I asked the nearest fisherman if he was feeling like performing a little good samanitan act and move the abandoned poles back.  To which he exhaled the smoke from his homemade cigarette and replied, 'Yeah Dude.  I was just finishing.  So sure.  I could do that. Yeah.'
Biking Sherpa and I continued on our way.  I was feeling all good about doing the right thing when Biking Sherpa turned to me and said, 'So you just got those two poles stolen.'

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A Lite Week

This morning dawned on a new kind of wilderness.  Where trees and trails had been my view, this morning sand and waves have taken their place.  For one week my ears will be filled with the sounds of waves crashing and sea gulls squaking.
As my barefeet sink in the sand while I run through the surf, I'll enjoy this break.  The chance to miss the surrounds I love so much. And run simply to enjoy it.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Only 26 Miles?!?

Thinking back over this week I was feeling a bit disappointed.  I mean if you know me at all you would know that this

is clearly freaking me out!  Knowing that as of Thursday I have only run 26 miles this week I was feeling as though I haven't accomplished much.  But then I decided to actually look back at what I have gotten done.

I've been getting out on the trails all week.

I registered S'ghetti Girl at her new school.

The trail taught me another lesson about how not to run. 

We enjoyed a day of games...

nature....

and just being ourselves at the super secret spy's org day picnic.

I even got out for some night running.

Looking back I know my days have been filled with much more than just running this week.  And as our summer vacation winds down, I'm happy that we are balancing things a little better.  But with our beach vacation to pack for and dinner guests tonight, it's a little difficult to remember that the Fall racing season begins in 2 months. 

Oh I didn't completely forget about all things run.  I did register for this.



How'd July Go?

July 2012

Monthly Miles Ran: 260.1 (Year total: 2071.2Year average: 9.7/day)

8.4 miles/day ~ 58.7 miles/week

Highest Mileage Week: 7/16- 7/22 (DM Weeks) 69 miles

 

Rest Days Taken: 0

The Streak:  July 31st was Day # 814 of the streak ~ 6,6943.4 miles

Runs ~ ave. 8.5 miles per day/ 59.7 miles per week

Races:

None, unless chasing LBM counts

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:

Hawaiian Shaved Ice

Non-food Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:

Staying up too late thanks to all the fair fun.

Which Outfit did I Wear the Most:

What We Are Watching:

With the Kiddos:

PBS Wild Kratts

My Viewing:

What can I say, I am easily entertained thanks the Netflix streaming

Funniest/Best Kid Quote:

While at the grocery store LBM found a penny on the floor.  He squealed with excitement as he ran over to me with his prize hidden in his fist and yelled, "I'm rich!"  And then looked around, drew closer and whispered, "Can I keep it?"

Current Triumph:

1. Planning meals

2. Not flipping out about still not having a treadmill in VA

and the lower mileage that creates.

Current Goals

Personal:

To have the house set up and organized before school starts
still working on this one

Running/Fitness:

To get back to a running weight

Current Blessing:

Every single day in my life. A gift.

Current Excitement:

Family:

S'ghetti girl finished her college camp. 

Running/Fitness:

A return to running on trail regularly!

Current Concern:

Family:
Keeping the family on a budget

Running:
Getting the stress LBs off before race season

How did your July days add up?

One Word Wednesday

Oppps