All of us over at Tuesdays on the Run have a little bit of crazy going on in our lives right now, so we decided to make this week be a "free topic" week. So write about any running related topic and link up with April, Patty, and me this week. Real topics resume next week: August 11: Fall Race Schedule August 18: Running Role Models/Runners You Admire August 25: Running Bras I'm packing like a crazy woman (the boys and I are leaving Beer Geek here and heading to Wisconsin). I've also been busy attempting to evict a squirrel from my attic. OK, actually, we did evict him, but he (or probably more accurately she) would like back in and has spent the last two days chewing. Me? I spent the day squirting her with the water hose … [Read more...]
Managing marathon training stress naturally
For most of us, running a marathon is something we choose to do. It's not our job. It doesn't pay the bills. We do it for "fun". But, as anyone who has run one (or more) can tell you, it's not an easy accomplishment and it takes a lot to fit the training into our regularly scheduled lives. Add in a snowy, cold winter and the whole process becomes a bit stressful. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad stress. I want to run this marathon. But I do need to manage it so that it doesn't start having a negative effect on my training. … [Read more...]
It’s the little things
The big things in life can be amazing (a wedding, the birth of a child, hitting a goal you've been working hard for) and devastating (death, job loss, etc.) But it's the little things, both good and bad, that seem to affect me the most and I doubt I'm alone. In general, my life is pretty mundane. But I've been having a hard week or so. Nothing major, but in some ways it feels like being stoned to death by pebbles or bleeding to death from a paper cut. I'm in the process of selling our 1995 Jeep Cherokee. As much as I hate the car buying process, I hate the car selling process more. I took my Civic in for an oil change and some recall work. Not only did they find a ton of things "wrong" with the car, they broke a piece on my … [Read more...]
Random Facts Friday
1. I go through weird food ruts. For a while it was Arugula, then it was brussel sprouts, right now? Broccoli slaw. I eat it nearly every day. And it's not the salad version with the crunchy stuff and cranberries and stuff. Just plain old broccoli slaw sauteed on the stove. 2. I'm a little nervous about Hurricane Sandy. The derecho this summer threw everyone for a loop and it sounds like this may be similar. There's not much I can do about the big trees and I'm pretty well stocked for food/water. So, what am I stressing about? Getting crickets for the gecko and how to keep the gecko warm enough. Pretty sure there's not going to be a run on crickets on Saturday... 3. I posted on FB about getting prepared for the storm. My … [Read more...]
Stress and frosting do not mix
I'm a little bit stressed about a few things right now. Nothing huge or life altering, but minor life things that I just have to get through: the first day of school, a re-finance of our house, presenting at a conference, plus just feeling like fitness has fallen off of my priority list. Like I said, nothing earth shattering, just, well, life. At 6 o'clock last night, I realized I'd forgotten to make muffins for the parent coffee at the boys' school. I'd actually signed up on the online volunteer system, so I couldn't blow it off. This led to a mad internet search for a recipe I could make with what I had in the house (note to self: always keep ingredients for cinnamon applesauce bread in house. They are all shelf stable, so no … [Read more...]
TTT: refrigerators, Vibrams, and dreams
1. I've done a ton of research on new refrigerators, only to discover that the best one for the space we have is... the exact same one we bought 9 years ago. Sigh. And the one in the basement is a cheaper (wire shelves, less drawers), 5 year old version of the exact.same.fridge. This would be fine if I actually like the darn thing, but I've hated it for years and was actually a little excited when it died. On the bright side, it's also cheap so I can buy one and not feel any guilt in five years when I throw it out donate it when we remodel the kitchen.2. I ran five really sweaty, kind of fast for me 5 miles in Vibrams yesterday. (OK, the first four were fast, mile 5 sucked). I … [Read more...]
