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If I blogged more frequently…

If I blogged more frequently…

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Austin (hi!) made me laugh when he devoted an entire blog entry essentially to “you’d know more about all this stuff in my [running or not-related] life if I took the time to write about it” because I can absolutely relate. I’ve had this domain since 2008 (I think), and just take a look at the archives; you can see for yourself the huge gaps in months for a long time… and then there’s the fact that many of my entries begin with something along the lines of “yes, I know, I’m a terrible blogger, but [insert excuse here].” Maybe it comes with the territory.

That said, just like what Austin did, here’s what you’d hear more of if I were writing more regularly (though I am working on it… and being essentially off the grid the past few days has helped some):

  1. I am really stoked for Eugene. Like, super stoked. I’m really excited to go to that part of the US (never been), to see and rock the race with this guy, and to play with this girl, and to run like hell, and to have an amazing time with them before but especially after the race. It should be awesome.
  1. I signed up for the Chicago Marathon (registration blitz be damned) after a few nights of convincing from this speedy fella that we would have fun running it and that (big gasp) he wouldn’t let me do any less than a… what’d you say, 3:25?! More on that to come; let me get through Eugene first…
  1. Despite (or because of?) me not weighing myself at all in the past 3 weeks, I have been feeling strangely empowered yet also like I’m losing weight (or at least “toning” or “tightening” [makes me think of 80s workout videos] in ways I wasn’t anticipating). Not weighing myself daily for the past almost-month has definitely made me re-evaluate how I think about my eating habits and body image as well. I’m super curious to see where I am now but am also a bit afraid of getting back into the habit…
  1. Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to write on the topic of fear for a while now, and in that vein, I took a deep breath and signed up for adult swim classes next term with the Chicago Park District. To say I am nervous, and/or scared, is an understatement. Truth be told, I’m excited as well, but it’s about 97% nervousness/scared and 2% excitement (with 1% “other”).
  1. I’ve been considering more and more going 100% vegan. I am probably about 98% there already, and having a stomach bug for nearly a week, after what I thought was surely brought on by dairy, has damn near sealed the deal.
  1. I took a quick trip with my daughter and mother-in-law to my MIL’s farm in rural SE MO to see her family and got to run through the country, cotton fields on both sides of the road and everything. The town’s population? 469. Also, I think I found one of the only places flatter than Chicago. One day, I also ran into Arkansas; I don’t think I’ve ever crossed state lines on a run before (not even from last year’s Madison-Chicago Ragnar). I was just excited to wear shorts every day I ran there… particularly when Chicago was getting slammed with snow.
    It was a thrill to wear a tank and shorts on this run... I think the post-run glow was equal parts sweat, equal parts 'I'M SO EXCITED TO NOT BE RUNNING IN THE COLD'
    It was a thrill to wear a tank and shorts on this run… I think the post-run glow was equal parts sweat, equal parts ‘I’M SO EXCITED TO NOT BE RUNNING IN THE COLD’

    little breezier on my 12-miler but still, high 40s in early March is a win IMHO
    little breezier on my 12-miler but still, high 40s in early March is a win IMHO
  1. I ran 4 consecutive weeks of nearly 50 miles/week since I began training for Eugene; this is enormous for me. Before giving birth, 50 miles/week was my sweet spot, the point at which my left ITB would tell me to eff off and I’d have to take a couple weeks of very easy, relaxed running to get comfortable again. Now, 47, 48, 50+ feels about the same to me as 35-40. Pretty crazy.
  2. My parents are coming to stay with us in late May when my dad comes in for a work thing. It’s not running-related at all, but hey, I love my parents 🙂 and surely I will run when they’re here… they generally don’t begin their days before 10am. 😀
  3. My daughter is almost 2 years old already (early May). That is probably the most unreal thing of all, running-related or not. It’s cliché to say that kids grow up quickly, but good god… and how.
    About a day old here (still in the hospital)
    About a day old here (still in the hospital)
    the newest member of the security team at the Arch viewing area in StL
    the newest member of the security team at the Arch viewing area in StL

     

  4. I quit crossfit. It wasn’t them, or my box, or the coaches; it was me. I do miss the people though.
Catching up: CrossFit, YMe 5k, the BOB, Team NMA/RYBQ, and the (pending) move

Catching up: CrossFit, YMe 5k, the BOB, Team NMA/RYBQ, and the (pending) move

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It’s funny, in a way, because I’ve been staying at home with A now for almost a whole year (while sometimes working PT or being in grad school FT), and I think way back when, part of me thought that I’d find that I had tons and tons of time on my hands because that’s what stay-at-home moms have, right?  Lots of time. I could blog and blog and blog, and then blog and blog some more, among other things.

Good lord, how wrong I was.

Even though I completed my MA and my TESOL in March, and I ran my marathon in April, things have been non-stop ever since March between marathon training, finding a condo and then subsequently preparing for the move, running a marathon, starting Windy City CrossFit’s foundations class 3x/week for four weeks, joining the folks over at Team Run Your BQ/Team No Meat Athlete, and learning how to run with A’s newest urban assault vehicle ride, the BOB Revolution SE… among other things.

Honestly, I mean to blog nearly every night as I’m winding down for bed, but half the time I’m just ready to veg and not think anymore… especially after a full day of (insert many and varied activities here).

So, in an effort to shoot for brevity, I’ll do a quick catch-up, bullet-list style.

  1. CrossFit: I wrote about this in my last post, but it’s f-in awesome.  Tons of fun.  Like adult recess, basically.  I’m in week three of my four week program, and it might be in my head, but I swear I’m already stronger and harder/more toned (in parts) than I was on April 29th.  Here’s an interesting article I read about CrossFit and runners.
  2. YMe 5k: Perhaps closely related to #1, I ran YMe’s Race at My Pace 5k on Mother’s Day (my gift to myself) and knocked off 61 seconds from my time at the GNYER in Ohio on 12/31/11–making a PR in the process (20:31).  What’s interesting is that I’m only two weeks post-marathon.  Seriously, I think #1 had something to do with how I performed.  Naturally, I did some pre- and post-race vlogs over at my handy YouTube channel, so click here, here, and hereto watch 🙂

    Ran the YMe for my mommy... read my bib!
  3. Running with a BOB: I’ll have to write a separate post about this (and about running post-pregnancy… I’ve been meaning to write that one for a while now), but it has been quite the learning experience, for sure.  Below is a pic of A and me in her Mazzerati stroller (although we weren’t running at the time).  I’ll come back to this post in the future.

    A and me rockin' out in the BOB on LSD (always in the Boston jacket!)
  4.  Team NMA/RYBQ: which means No-Meat Athlete and Run Your BQ (Boston Qualifier).  I think it’s technically Team RYBQ, but since I learned about it through the No-Meat Athlete website, I’m giving credit to both entities.  This has been really interesting so far because it’s basically an online community of runners who are trying to run their BQs and/or PRs, and it’s coached by Matt Frazier and Jason Fitzgerald.  I’ve been reading their articles and forums (and contributing to the latter), and I’m excited to try their plans come NYC and Houston training time.  I’ve never done a training plan or really, have been part of a training community, like this, so I’m looking forward to it.  It should be fun.
  5. The move: ah, yes, the move… my new hobby that has seemingly taken over lots of my days and nights when I’m not with A (and sometimes, even during).  I can’t tell you how sick I am of reading MLS listings.  Crossing my fingers here that if all goes well, in about three weeks’ time, I’ll be blogging from our new condo 🙂

Super short and quick tonight–well, at least a bit shorter than usual–but I’ll try to be better about blogging.  My next race is the Ragnar Madison-Chicago 200 mile relay, so that’ll be a good time and I’m sure will lend itself to a great post.

More to come!  Until then, onward and upward…